Unburied Wights

* Portrait
* In Game

"'No!' said Frodo; but he did not run away. His knees gave, and he fell on the ground. Nothing happened, and there was no sound. Trembling he looked up, in time to see a tall dark figure like a shadow against the stars. It leaned over him. He thought there were two eyes, very cold though lit with a pale light that seemed to come from some remote distance. Then a grip stronger and colder than iron seized him. The icy touch froze his bones, and he remembered no more."
—Fog on the Barrow Downs, The Fellowship of the Ring

As The Necromancer spread his influence over Mirkwood, fell spirits entered the barrows of Rhovanion. Here, the kings and lords of Rhovanion had been laid to rest amongst their greatest treasures. However, these decrepit, rotting bodies would soon rise again, filled by the malice of the Necromancer's spirits. These ancient warriors would bring the war to their descendants in the Vale of Anduin and always hungered for the life of others. When the Witch-king established the kingdom of Angmar to bring war upon Arnor, he would bring with him these elite and deadly warriors to unleash havoc upon and inspire dread in even the greatest of Arnor's warriors.

The Unburied Wights are an elite unit available for Dol Guldur and its Adventure: Angmar subfaction. They can only be recruited from a Restless Barrow once a Spire of Sorcery has been built for Dol Guldur, or from a Level 3 Arnorian Barrow in Adventure: Angmar. They are limited to a maximum of 3.

## Abilities

**Rank 1: Biting Cold** - Nearby enemies suffer -10% armour and damage. Debuff increases by 10% every time Unburied Wights desecrate their hoard. Passive ability.

**Rank 2: Ravenous Hunger** - Attacks against living units restore health to the Unburied Wights. Passive ability.

**Rank 3: Black Winds (C)** - For 10 seconds, the Unburied Wights gain +300% armour, +200% damage, +50% speed and fear immunity. After 10 seconds, the Unburied Wights battalion is destroyed. Enemies near to the destroyed battalion take damage and temporarily lose -15% damage and armour. Left click to activate.

## Upgrades

**Desecrate Hoard (W)** - The Unburied Wights delve deeper into their ancestral hoard, uncovering time-lost artifacts that increase their strength. Unburied Wights rank up a level. Left click to purchase. (cost: 300/300/350/400).

## Strategy

The Unburied Wights are unique in their lack of command point cost, their main role is to counteract elite and upgraded units that are available to other factions with their increasingly powerful **Biting Cold** debuff still allowing Dol Guldur and Angmar to have a full sized army; their small horde size and moderate damage per attack prevent them from performing well in direct combat alone. Investing in **Desecrate Hoard** increases the Unburied Wights' health and damage by 7% in addition to unlocking their abilities; their survivability is also helped by **Ravenous Hunger** allowing them to regain health while in combat. **Black Winds** is a powerful ability that can be used to grant a massive temporary boost to their combat skills despite their previously noted small horde. However, the player must be careful about when to use this ability as it will sacrifice the battalion and resources invested getting them to level 3. Their death can help the player though, as the resulting damage and debuff on enemy units can allow the player's other units to finish off the enemy, therefore it may be wise to use this power as a last resort if the Wights are unable to escape a losing battle instead of immediately casting it in combat to maximize **Biting Cold's** effects as well as continuing to debuff enemies despite the Wights' death.