Armory

* Level 1
* Level 2
* Level 3

"The shafts ran down by many slopes and spiral stairs to caverns far under; there Saruman had treasuries, store-houses, armouries, smithies, and great furnaces. Iron wheels revolved there endlessly, and hammers thudded. At night plumes of vapour steamed from the vents, lit from beneath with red light, or blue, or venomous green."
—The Two Towers, The Road to Isengard

Within the caverns of Isengard, Saruman's labourers forged thousands of scimitars, pikes and crossbows to arm his Uruk-Hai army. In comparison to the crude armour worn by the Orcs of Mordor, the Uruk-Hai bore broad shields and wore thick heavy armour - the fruits of the fires of industry.

In Age of the Ring, the Armory is Isengard's secondary resource structure. Not only does it provide worked metals as a resource but it allows the player to gain access to various unit upgrades.

## Upgrades

The Armory has no upgrades that can be bought. It will gain experience through earning resources as well as by buying the unit upgrades.

## Function

The Armory will periodically produce +25 resources depending on location relative to other resource structures. This will increase as the building levels up. It will also increase the command point limit by 25. At level 3, it will shoot at nearby enemies.

#### Surplus Bonus

Multiple Armories will reduce the cost of unit upgrades.

* 2 Armories: 5%
* 3 Armories: 10%
* 4 Armories: 15%

* 5 Armories: 20%

#### Unit Upgrades

The Armory will allow unit upgrades to be bought for Isengard's units.

**Banner Carriers (W)** - Allows hordes to purchase the banner carrier upgrade. Increases a horde to level 2.

**Heavy Armour (E)** - Allows hordes to purchase the heavy armour upgrade. When equipped, significantly reduces the damage taken. Will upgrade all patrols once upgrade is purchased.

**Forged Blades (R)** - Allows hordes to purchase the forged blades upgrade. Increases the damage done by melee weapons. Will upgrade all patrols once upgrade is purchased.

**Fire Arrows (T)**- Allows hordes to purchase the Fire Arrows upgrade .When equipped, significantly increases the damage done by Arrows. Will upgrade all patrols and tower archers instantly once upgrade is purchased.

## Strategy

The Armory is an essential structure as it grants Isengard access to unit upgrades with which they can equip their elite units to make them even stronger. Different upgrades become available at different Armory levels: Banner Carriers can be researched at level 1, whereas Forged Blades, Fire Arrows and Heavy Armour require a level 2 building. This necessitates the defence of the building so that it has sufficient time to level up; it is ideal to build the Armory within the base during the early game so that it is closer to the player's defenses and levels up by the mid game. Admittedly, the Armory is more expensive than the Furnace and so it is recommended to build several Furnaces and Lumber Mills to decrease the cost of an Armory. It is recommended to build various Armories throughout the game once Isengard's economy can afford them because the Surplus Bonus makes unit upgrades for elite troops more accessible, this also enables players to continue equipping upgrades even if one of their Armories is destroyed. Isengard can further strengthen their unit upgrades with the Black Steel focus, as this decreases their cost and increases the armour and damage they provide troops.