The Bridge of Khazad-dûm

* Loading Screen
* Map Layout

"His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings. It raised the whip, and the thongs whined and cracked. Fire came from its nostrils. But Gandalf stood firm.
"You cannot pass," he said. The orcs stood still, and a dead silence fell. "I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass."
The Balrog made no answer. The fire in it seemed to die, but the darkness grew."
—The Bridge of Khazad-dûm, Fellowship of the Ring

After a perilous journey through the long dark of Moria, the Fellowship finally reach the Dwarrowdelf, the grandest of the Dwarven mansions. Here, they discover the tomb of Balin and the Book of Marzarbul, which details the end of Balin's ill-fated expedition. They are soon ambushed by swarms of Moria Orcs and Cave Trolls and are driven to the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, where they are confronted by Shadow and Flame.

The Bridge of Khazad-dûm is the eighth mission in the Lord of the Rings Campaign, the player controls the Fellowship and must keep all heroes alive otherwise the mission is failed.

## Guide

**New Objective - Escape Moria**

**New Objective - All heroes must survive**

The mission begins in the Dwarrowdelf, a chamber is indicated to the right of the player's spawn which the Fellowship must enter. This chamber contains Balin's tomb and Ori's account of the Dwarves' final stand in this chamber before being slain by the Orcs. Drums are heard in the deep, signalling the Orcs' attack on the Fellowship. A vast number of Moria Orc Screechers burst into the chamber, soon followed by a great Cave Troll - Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli and Boromir should be kept at the front to hold the attackers at bay whilst Legolas and the Hobbits in rock throwing mode deal damage from safe distance. Abilities such as Gandalf's **Disturber of the Peace** and Gimli's **Nobody Tosses a Dwarf** are excellent at clearing large numbers of Orcs. Meanwhile, abilities such as Boromir's **Knife Throw**, Gimli's **Axe Throw** and Legola's **Twin Arrows** should be used to deal damage to the Cave Troll and bring it down quickly.

Once the waves of attackers have been held off, the Fellowship retreats into the Great Hall, which they must cross in order to reach the Bridge of Khazad-dûm and escape Moria. They encounter innumerable hordes of Moria Orcs which surround them; it is suggested to form a circle with the non-Hobbit members of the Fellowship whilst the Hobbits are kept safe in the centre of the circle. If the hordes start becoming overwhelming, Boromir can use **Horn of Gondor** to temporarily stun them and prevent them from attacking.

After some time of fighting, a terrible roar is heard and the Moria Orcs flee in terror: a Balrog of Morgoth has come. The Fellowship must advance quickly to the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, they are attacked by Moria Orc Archers along the way - Aragorn and Legolas can easily dispatch these enemies from range. They arrive at the Bridge and find that the hall is filled with poisonous fumes and flame - it is vital that the flames are avoided as they drain the Hobbits' health at a significant rate, Aragorn's **Kingsfoil** may be required to heal the Fellowship from the effects of the fumes alone. The Bridge is blocked by a wall of flames conjured by various Orc Shamans which must be slain to break the spell; however Durin's Bane reaches the Fellowship as they reach the Bridge. Swords are of no use and so Gandalf engages the Balrog in combat whilst the rest of the Fellowship hunt down the Shamans.

**New Objective - Kill the Goblin Shamans to break the enchantment**

Gandalf is no longer controllable and will keep Durin's Bane distracted; there are four Goblin Shamans that must be slain - two are on each side of the hall. The Balrog will be briefly drawn to the Fellowship when they kill a Shaman and so the Fellowship must quickly move on to avoid being cut off by the Balrog before Gandalf can re-engage him. There are no fumes where the Shamans reside and so it may be advisable to return the Hobbits to one of the killed Shaman's spawns once the Balrog has left and use **Hide Here, Quick!** to prevent them being killed by the poisonous fumes.

**New Objective: Kill the Balrog**

Once the spell has been lifted, the player regains control of Gandalf and must battle Durin's Bane. Whilst Gandalf can damage the Balrog with his standard attack, he deals much more damage and attacks from a safer distance when using **The Foe-Hammer** ability (**Disturber of the Peace** deals fire damage, which the Balrog is immune to) and then avoiding the Balrog until the ability cools down. Gandalf is automatically protected by a shield when moving through the flames that engulf the hall meaning that the player can safely traverse the hall to avoid the Balrog's attacks. When the Balrog reaches sufficiently low health a cutscene plays - the Fellowship flee across the bridge whilst Gandalf stands guard on the bridge itself. He destroys the bridge as Durin's Bane steps on to it, causing the Balrog to fall into the abyss beneath but not before it catches Gandalf by the ankle and drags him into the darkness. The mission is complete.