Erebor Guard Tower

From left to right: Default, Durin's Banner, Khazad-dûm Banner, Ered Mithrim Banner, Iron Hills Banner, Ered Luin Banner

### Upgrades

Mithril-Tipped Arrows, Ered Luin Banner, Iron Hills Banner, Ered Mithrim Banner, Khazad-dûm Banner, Durin's Banner

### Bonus

n/a

"...the Easterlings had the victory. But they could not take the Gate and many, both Dwarves and Men, took refuge in Erebor..."
—Appendix B, The Return of the King

The Dwarves of Middle-earth were known for their strong forts and powerful defences. Their defences were put to the test during the War of the Ring at the Siege of Erebor. Here, an Easterling army had invaded the city of Dale, slain Kings Dain and Brand, and sieged the great mountain fortress. However, the surviving Dwarves and Men were able to hold the fortress until news came from the South of Sauron's defeat.

The Guard Tower is a defensive structure for the Erebor faction and its Adventure: Durin's Folk subfaction. It will fire upon nearby enemies and can be garrisoned by archer units. Unique among towers, it is able to upgrade itself with various banners to boost the skills of nearby allies.

## Upgrades

The tower can be upgraded with one of the following banners:

**Durin's Banner (W)** - Modifier Type: Spell. Allies near the tower earn experience +15% faster. Stacks with spells, buffs and leaderships. Passive ability. Left click to purchase. Cost: 150

**Khazad-dûm Banner (E)** - Modifier Type: Spell. Allies near the tower become immune to fear and terror. Stacks with spells, buffs and leaderships. Passive ability. Left click to purchase. Cost: 150

**Ered Mithrim Banner (R)** - Modifier Type: Spell. Increases vision of tower. Allies near the tower gain a +25% range and vision bonus. Stacks with spells, buffs and leaderships. Passive ability. Left click to purchase. Cost: 150.

**Iron Hills Banner (T)** - Modifier Type: Spell. Allies near the tower gain +15% damage. Stacks with spells, buffs and leaderships. Passive ability. Left click to purchase. Cost: 300.

**Ered Luin Banner (S)** - Modifier Type: Spell. Allies near the tower earn resources per kill. Stacks with spells, buffs and leaderships. Passive ability. Left click to purchase. Cost: 500.

**Mithril-Tipped Arrows (D)** - Upgrade this battle tower's archer with Mithril-Tipped Arrows. Increases damage done by arrows. Cost: 200

## Strategy

Battle Towers can be built anywhere on the map and can be used to limit the enemy's advance at specific points - particularly if multiple towers are built. They can be garrisoned with archers which increases the damage the tower inflicts. Towers are particularly useful at defending forward bases as they force the enemy to invest in siege weapons as their regular troops normally fall to the towers before they can destroy the forward unit recruitment buildings. Erebor's towers are unique due to their banner upgrades allowing nearby units to be buffed. This makes their placement even more important and requires some extra planning beforehand. The strategy and enemy faction would also play a factor. For example, the **Khazad-dûm Banner** would be more useful against a Mordor player due to the fear resistance while the **Ered Mithrim Banner** would be useful to assist allied archers in particular.