Dismounted Gilded Guard

* Portrait
* In Game

"Few servants of Evil could withstand the axes of the Elvenking's Gilded Guard in their terrible wrath."
—Age of the Ring team

While the Gilded Guard of Lasgalen, Thranduil's personal guard and his most elite warriors, typically rode upon Great Elks when engaging their enemies in combat, they were just as skilled and deadly in combat without their Elk mounts if the situation called for it. Such was the case during the Battle of the Five Armies, when the Tawartirio were obliged to fight on foot against the orc army brought forth by Bolg of the North. And when they did, they unleashed their axes and their wrath upon their enemies, demonstrating to ally and enemy alike why they were the greatest soldiers in all of the Woodland Realm.

The Dismounted Gilded Guard are the Heroic unit for the Adventure: Battle of the Five Armies subfaction of Erebor. They require a Level 3 Elvenking's Barracks to recruit and are limited to 2 on the battlefield at a time.

## Abilities

**Call of the Wild (W)** - All nearby heroes gain +15% attack damage, +15% movement speed, and +15% armour. Passive ability. When activated, the Gilded Guard sound their horns, causing friendly units to generate resources for 20 seconds. Left click to activate.

**Solemn Duty** - Gilded Guards grant Legolas and Thranduil +10% armour, up to a maximum of 30%. Nearby structures gain +25% armour. Passive ability.

**Level 3: Weeping Blades (T)** - Gilded Guard reflect a small amount of damage dealt to them. Passive ability. When activated, Gilded Guard ignore armour for 30 seconds. Left click to activate.

**Level 7: Past Glories (C)** - All allied nearby troops gain +100% experience for 1 minute. Left click to activate.

## Strategy

The Dismounted Gilded Guard are the infantry Heroic unit available to the Adventure: Battle of the Five Armies subfaction, and can be just as powerful as their cavalry counterparts despite having a somewhat altered skillset. **Call of the Wild** operates similarly to their cavalry variant's, passively supporting nearby heroes with a small bonus in attack damage, movement speed, and armour. The active portion of this ability can be cast mid-combat to support the subfaction's economy and generate a steady stream of units and heroes, the latter of which being especially important given the plethora of heroes available to Adventure: Battle of the Five Armies. **Solemn Duty** further expands the Tawartirio's defensive supportive capabilities, allowing them to provide an armour boost to both Legolas and Thranduil as well as nearby structures just by being present. **Weeping Blades** is an incredibly dangerous ability for enemy heroes and units (it does not ignore enemy structures' armour): the Dismounted Gilded Guard can engage into a large group of foes who will receive damage simply by attacking the Tawartirio; when activated Tawartirio are deadly against upgraded units and heroes - they ignore enemy armour and can cut down powerful enemies far more quickly than would be expected. **Past Glories** allows allies near the Dismounted Gilded Guard to have significantly increased experience gain for 1 minute, making it easier for units like the Iron Hills Guards and Iron Hills Warriors to access their more powerful abilities more quickly.