Iron Hills Warriors

* Portrait
* Standard
* Shield Wall

"Dáin had come. He had hurried on through the night, and so had come upon them sooner than they had expected. Each one of his folk was clad in a hauberk of steel mail that hung to his knees, and his legs were covered with hose of a fine and flexible metal mesh, the secret of whose making was possessed by Dáin's people."
—The Hobbit, The Clouds Burst

These hardy warriors followed the Lord of the Iron Hills to Erebor, to do battle with any that stood between them and their kin. They came into conflict with the Elvenking and Bard, both of whom had a claim to a share of the Mountain's riches. Before either army could engage in conflict, Bolg of the North and his army from the Misty Mountains arrived, seeking vengeance for Azog the Defiler, who had been slain by Dáin during the War of the Dwarves and the Orcs. The Dwarves of the Iron Hills rallied with the Men of Laketown and Elves of the Woodland Realm and managed to defeat Bolg's army. Thorin, the newly crowned King under the Mountain, was killed in the midst of this battle and so Lord Dáin was crowned as King of Erebor.

In Age of the Ring, Baruk-sharâhul, or Iron Hills Warriors, are a special unit for Erebor and its Adventure: Durin's Folk subfaction: they are a mixed battalion of pikemen and swordsmen. They are recruited from a level 3 Erebor Assembly.

*For their Swordsmen counterparts in the Adventure: Battle of the Five Armies subfaction, see the Iron Hills Warriors (Adventure: Battle of the Five Armies) page.*

## Abilities

**Shield Wall Formation (W)** - Baruk-sharâhul form a Shield Wall. They gain +33% armor, -20% damage, -40% speed and bonus damage to cavalry.

**Sundering Strikes** - Melee attacks decrease enemy armour by 20% for 5 seconds. Debuff does not stack with itself. Passive ability

## Upgrades

**Khuzdûl Runes (C)** - When equipped, increases damage dealt by melee weapons. Research upgrade at Grand Forge to enable this upgrade. Cost: 300

**Thrór's Banners (V)** - When equipped, increases this battalion to level 2. Research upgrade at Grand Forge to enable this equipment. Cost: 100

## Strategy

Baruk-sharâhul serve as elite infantry that have the benefit of having both pikemen and swordsmen in the battalion which makes them less susceptible to enemy cavalry charges. They are recruited with Dwarven Plate and have more health than Erebor Warriors which makes them far more durable in combat, although their battalion size is smaller which can have an impact on how long they survive. Their armour can be increased even more when engaging the enemy by toggling **Shield Wall** which grants an additional +33% armour, albeit at the cost of reduced damage against infantry - in this state they become more effective against cavalry units as they deal specialist damage rather than slash. Researching the blades upgrade will improve melee damage against infantry when in formation. Baruk-sharâhul specialise against late game units thanks to **Sundering Strikes**, which allows Baruk-sharâhul to not only deal high amounts of damage but also to weaken elite enemy units so that they are more vulnerable to other Erebor units. Therefore it is recommended to recruit several battalions along with Iron Hills Crossbowmen, which also counter armoured units.