Sauron

* Portrait
* Ingame

"Among those of his servants that have names the greatest was that spirit whom the Eldar called Sauron, or Gorthaur the Cruel...In all the deeds of Melkor the Morgoth upon Arda, in his vast works and in the deceits of his cunning, Sauron had a part, and was only less evil than his master in that for long he served another and not himself. But in after years he rose like a shadow of Morgoth and a ghost of his malice, and walked behind him on the same ruinous path down into the Void."
—Valaquenta, The Silmarillion

**Sauron** was from the beginning one of the most powerful of the Maiar. Seeking the strength to order all things according to his own wisdom, he came to covet absolute temporal power over the world.

Originally Aulë's mightiest craftsman, Sauron joined with Morgoth, acting as his most-trusted lieutenant and ally during the wars of the First Age. Upon the defeat of Morgoth, Sauron sued for pardon but did not return for judgement before the Valar. In the Second Age, he gathered many of the foul things and peoples of Men under his government, arising as the second Dark Lord and seeking to dominate all life. Under a fair guise, Sauron guided the Elven smiths of Eregion in forging the Rings of Power, while he secretly crafted the One to rule them all. His treachery unveiled, Sauron waged war and overran the great part of Middle-earth until the Men of Númenor assaulted him and pushed him back to Mordor. Seeking to destroy or suborn these new foes, the Deceiver seduced many of the to his allegiance and brought about the downfall of their civilization; those of his followers that endured in Haradwaith bowed to him as Zigûr. In the War of the Last Alliance, Sauron slew his chief adversaries, Elendil and Gil-galad, but his bodily hue was broken and he was assumed defeated. He endured, as his Ring had not been destroyed. By the late Third Age, Sauron gradually arose anew under the guise of the Necromancer in Dol Guldur and he finally revealed himself, waging a final war through his chief agents, Saruman and the Nazgûl. However, the Dark Lord was undone when the Ring was cast into the fires of Mount Doom. Permanently maimed, Sauron's spirit was taken by the Void, much like that of his old master, Morgoth.

Sauron is the Ring Hero for Mordor, as well as its Adventure: Rhûn subfaction. He is recruited at level 10.

## Abilities

Upon being summoned, Sauron will cast Darkness across the entire map. This effect is identical to the 15 PP Darkness spell in Mordor's powers list.

**Gorthaur (W)** - Modifier Type: Leadership. All nearby units cower in fear whether friend or foe. Stacks with buffs and spells. Passive ability. When activated, nearby enemy units and heroes are paralyzed for 10 seconds. Left click to activate.

**Conflagration (R)** - Destroys target enemy hero (only deals 50% of total damage to Gandalf, Elessar, Saruman, Witch-king, Bolg of the North, Galadriel, Elrond, Glorfindel, Théoden, Thranduil, Thorin, King Dáin, The Necromancer, Golden King).

*(Note: Although not listed in-game, this exception list also includes Faction Leaders of Adventure subfactions such as Morinehtar and Rómestámo the Blue and Vâh-rús.)*

**Annatar, Lord of Gifts (T)** - Permanently converts enemies in a large radius. Left click to activate.

**The Lord of the Rings (C)** - Sauron temporarily becomes immune to damage. Left click to activate.

**His Deadliest Servants (V)** - Permanently summons four Ringwraiths. A maximum of four Ringwraiths may be out at any time. Left click to activate.

## Strategy

Sauron is one of the expensive Ring Heroes, and is therefore one of the most powerful heroes in the game. With each of his swings, he can deal huge damage to battalions while throwing any survivors far away. With this, he can devastate enemy armies or disrupt enemy heroes. While his abilities aren't as physically disruptive as Smaug, they can be just as powerful in their own way. On arrival, Sauron will cast **Darkness** across the entire map, granting a global armor and damage buff to his army. **Conflagration** allows Sauron to instantly kill any enemy hero that isn't a faction leader, allowing the player to instantly destroy a high-leveled, high-priority threat without any difficulty. Alternatively, it can be used to deal the finishing blow to a weakened faction leader, as 25% max health damage is still a noticeable amount. **Annatar, Lord of Gifts** is arguably Sauron's most powerful ability, allowing Sauron to permanently convert any units it targets. If used on a large or upgraded army, this ability can single-handedly turn the tide of or outright win the game, adding huge numbers to the Mordor's armies and depriving the enemy of their own units at the same time. **Gorthaur** allows Sauron to paralyze surrounding enemy units and heroes, leaving them as easy prey for Sauron or his army. This ability can be combined with other sources of disruption, such as Shelob, a Nazgul's **Screech**, the Eye of Sauron, the Witch-King's level 8 **Chill of Angmar**, or the Mouth of Sauron's **Faithless and Accursed**, to completely neutralize enemy armies and leave them helpless before Mordor's wrath (though one should be careful not to waste them all on the same enemy units). **The Lord of the Rings** boosts Sauron's already high durability with complete invulnerability, allowing him to engage the enemy without any repercussions or retreat safely if his health is low. **His Deadliest Servants** allows Sauron to summon 4 Ringwraiths to his side. These Ringwraiths may be individually weak compared to most heroes, but they are powerful when working together and passively debuff enemy units. These Ringwraiths can also provide a significant and immediate buff to other Nazgul and the already powerful Witch-King if summoned, increasing their armor and damage by +40% due to **The Nine Are Abroad**.

While Sauron is difficult to kill, he isn't invincible. Heroes and magic damage will be most effective against him. Because of this, Sauron is best used in conjunction with a powerful army and other heroes such as the Witch-King who can divert focus away from Sauron.

It should also be noted that, unlike the other Mordor heroes, the Mouth of Sauron's **Lieutenant of Barad-dûr** will NOT refresh Sauron's powers if used on him.