Gimli

* Portrait
* Balin's Axe
* Glóin's Axe

"Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens," said Gimli.
 "Maybe," said Elrond, "but let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall."
"Yet sworn word may strengthen quaking heart," said Gimli."
—Fellowship of the Ring, The Ring Goes South

Gimli, son of Glóin, was a dwarf of the House of Durin who resided in Erebor after his father and Thorin Oakenshield's company successfully reclaimed the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug. Gimli played a pivotal role in the War of the Ring when he became a member of the Fellowship of the Ring, sworn to protect the Ring-bearer Frodo Baggins on his perilous quest into Mordor. Gimli eventually became separated from Frodo and travelled with Aragorn and Legolas to defend the lands of Rohan and Gondor from the forces of evil; during this time he formed an unprecedented friendship with the Elf Legolas which helped mend the relationship between Dwarves and Elves.

In Age of the Ring, Gimli is a recruitable hero in Reign of Ironfoot Erebor and its Adventure: Durin's Folk subfaction.

*For his Adventure: Grey Company and Lord of the Rings campaign variant, see the Gimli (Adventure: Grey Company) page.*

## Abilities

**Axe Throw (W)** - Powerful ranged attack with radius damage. Target enemy hero is pinned for 10 seconds. Left click icon then left click on target.

**Axemaster (R) -** Left click to toggle between Balin's Axe (double-headed) and Glóin's Axe (walking axe). Balin's Axe grants +33% armour and splash damage. Glóin's Axe grants +10% movement speed and +50% attack speed.

**Level 3: Nobody Tosses A Dwarf (T)** - Gimli jumps to a location causing area-effect damage. Left click icon then left click on target area.

**Level 6: Stubborn Pride (C)** - Gimli gains +50% damage and +33% speed. Left click to activate.

**Level 10: Elf-friend (V)** - Summons Legolas Greenleaf to the battlefield. Left click to activate.

## Strategy

Unlike his father, Thorin III Stonehelm and King Dáin whose abilities focus primarily on supporting friendly units, Gimli serves as Reign of Ironfoot Erebor's mass-slayer who is capable of inflicting heavy losses without needing support from other units. His **Axemaster** ability allows Gimli to adapt to different situations due to the different bonuses each axe grants: Balin's Axe increases Gimli's already high armour and allows him to deal splash damage at the cost of movement and attack speed - it is most effective when used against large numbers of units rather than against heroes as it allows Gimli to dispatch multiple enemies with a single attack and absorb more damage. Glóin's Axe is more suited for out of combat situations as it grants Gimli additional speed and also for fighting enemy heroes as it deals the same damage as Balin's Axe and faster attack speed but only deals damage to a single target at a time - the additional movement speed allows Gimli to more effectively chase down enemies. **Axe Throw** can be used to soften up single unit targets such as heroes or monsters, it can alternatively be used for crowd control as it deals radius damage to nearby enemy units, before casting **Nobody Tosses a Dwarf** to clear out surviving units. **Stubborn Pride** can be used either to enhance Gimli's combat efficiency by increasing his armour and allowing him to pursue more successfully; however it can also be used when Gimli is at low health to safely pull him out of combat before dying. **Elf-friend** summons Legolas to the field, Legolas can pick off large numbers of units from a distance or focus on enemy heroes - together, Gimli and Legolas are a deadly force.