Watchers of Kârna

* Portrait
* In Game
* Crescent Formation

"Deep within the southern jungle there lies a ruined temple, beneath which slumbers an ancient evil. Tribes send forth great warriors to guard it while it sleeps, to appease it as its hollow dreams taint the land. Through some dark ritual, the Corsair-lord Burôdapân inherited the loyalty of these watchers, who now deify him."
—The Age of the Ring Team

Middle-earth has a number of strange and unknown creatures with little knowledge known about them. From the Watcher in the Water under the Misty Mountains, to the Gwanthaur of Mirkwood, to the Aicanaroc of the southern deserts. However, one of the most mysterious is an unknown evil in the depths of the southern jungles. This unknown evil is guarded by the Watchers of Kârna who work to appease the evil through watchfulness and sacrifice. Towards the end of the Third Age though, the Lord of Waves arrived in Kârna and took control over these Watchers, leading to them deifying him as he took them into his conquests.

The Watchers of Kârna are a heroic unit in Haradwaith. They are limited to 3 battalions and Burôdapân must be recruited before they can be used.

## Abilities and Formations

**Crescent Formation (W)** - The units form a crescent.

* Level 1: Watchers of Kârna gain +25% damage but lose -25% speed.
* Level 3: +25% damage, resistance to knockback and decelerate crush, -25% speed.
* Level 5: +25% damage,+25% armour, resistance to knockback and decelerate crush, -25% speed.
* Level 7: +25% damage,+50% armour, resistance to knockback and decelerate crush, -25% speed.
* Level 10: +50% damage,+50% armour, resistance to knockback and decelerate crush, -25% speed.

**Ritual of Sacrifice (R)** - Modifier Type: Spell. Watchers of Kârna can select enemy battalion or hero for a sacrifice to appease the ancient evil that lies within the temples of Nâfarat. For 30 seconds Watchers of Kârna gain +100% experience and +33% damage when near chosen enemy. Left click then left click target enemy unit.

**Level 4: Ancient Guardians** - Watchers of Kârna grant nearby friendly structures +50% armour. Passive ability.

**Level 7: Chant of the Deeps** - Modifier Type: Buff and Active Debuff. Nearby friendly units gain knockback resistance and +15% movement speed for 20 seconds. Nearby enemy units lose -50% armour for 20 seconds. Left click to activate.

**Level 2: Foul Recovery** - Heroic units regain health while outside of combat. Passive ability.

## Strategy

The Watchers of Kârna are one of the Haradwaith's heroic units alongside the Guards of the Serpent and the Nâfarati Marauders. Their unique traits begin from their unit type as they are heroic pikemen, rendering them far more effective against cavalry and monsters in combat. **Crescent Formation** works to maximise their combat potential, letting them deal far more damage and last much longer at the expensive of making escape or chasing harder. Both **Ritual of Sacrifice** and **Chant of the Deeps** can be used to make the Watcher's offensive capabilities even stronger through buffing themselves and debuffing enemies. The Watchers also have some supportive capabilities, being able to weaken foes for others, as well as supporting units and structures.