Zigûr

* Portrait
* In Game

"Elsewhere Sauron reigned, and those who would be free took refuge in the fastnesses of wood and mountain, and ever fear pursued them. In the east and south well nigh all Men were under his dominion, and they grew strong in those days and built many towns and walls of stone, and they were numerous and fierce in war and aimed with iron. To them Sauron was both king and god; and they feared him exceedingly, for he surrounded his abode with fire."
—The Silmarillion, Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age

After fleeing the judgement of the Valar, Sauron began to stir once again within the Second Age. The Men of the Second Age began to fall under his shadow, beginning to follow him where the influence of the elves did not reside. This shadow was enhanced by the Rings of Power which Sauron handed out to the leaders of Men in this time. Sauron's forces met the forces of Númenór in battle for dominance over Middle-earth. Eventually, he named himself Lord of the West, angering the Númenóroean rulers. Sauron was brought to Númenór as a captive, but used this opportunity to rise in the ranks through Númenór, turning from prisoner to advisor. He was known as Zigûr and had the ear of Ar-Pharazôn. Under his guidance, much of Númenór fell deeper under the shadow, turning against the West and the Elves, and persecuting the Faithful. The Númenóroreans were led into the worship of Melkor, with Zigûr acting as the High Priest of this cult. The White Tree was cut down and burned, and a temple was built were the Faithful were sacrificed. Eventually, Zigûr was able to convince the Númenóroreans to assault the lands of Valinor, and he was caught in the ensuing flood that destroyed Númenór.

Now in the Third Age, Sauron has assumed the role of Zigûr once again. The Great One offers salvation in exchange for veneration. He has corrupted the hearts of many of the Haradrim tribes, a dark influence that has been spread by his followers in the south.

Zigûr is the Ring Hero for Haradwaith. He can be recruited from the Haradwaith Fortress once the One Ring has been brought to the building.

## Abilities

**High Priest of Melkor** - Modifier Type: Nullifier. Nearby enemy units lose -50% armour, -15% movement speed and take damage over time. Passive ability.

**Sacrificial Rites (R)** - Enemy units within the radius take damage over time for 30 seconds. If a unit dies, Zigûr receives +5% armour and damage for 8 seconds. Stacks up to 25% armour and damage. Left click icon then left click on target area.

**Fell Whispers (T)** - Causes targeted units and monsters to become hostile towards each other for 45 seconds. Left click icon then left click on target area.

**Dread Tyrant (C)** - Cancels all leadership effects across the map for 30 seconds. Nearby allied and enemy units are frozen in fear for 5 seconds. Left click to activate.

**Pillar of Flames (V)** - Summons a controllable Fire Whirlwind. The Whirlwind sucks in units and sets fire to surrounding terrain. Left click icon then left click on target area.

## Strategy

As an expensive Ring Hero, Zigûr can be a devastating presence on the battlefield. His basic attack alone can be tear through armies with its large area of effect. Zigûr has a number of ways to disrupt enemies across the battlefield, being able to weaken them though his presence, and being able to temporarily cancel leaderships and stun units. This comes at the risk of weakening allies as well when **Dread Tyrant** is also used though, which the player must be wary of. **Sacrificial Rites** and **Pillar of Flames** can both deal high damage in a certain area, with the former being less damaging but managing to strengthen Zigûr himself, and the latter dealing higher damage to both units and structures. Once again though, the player must be wary of this ability, with the fire being able to damage allies as well. **Fell Whispers** can heavily disrupt enemy forces to great effect, dealing large damage and leaving them open to further attack. Unlike his Mordor variant, Zigûr does not have an ability to manage enemy heroes as effectively and so, while Zigûr can devastate enemy armies, the player must be wary that heroes do not bring him down, making use of the faction's other heroes to prevent this.