Siege Works (Isengard)

* Level 1
* Level 2
* Level 3

* Level 1
* Level 2
* Level 3

"'I think that I now understand what he is up to. He is plotting to become a Power. He has a mind of metal and wheels; and he does not care for growing things, except as far as they serve him for the moment."
—Treebeard

The **Siege Works** produces the varied and efficient machinery of Isengard, some of the most deadly siege weapons of the game.

## Level Up

The **Uruk Pit**, **Warg Pit**, and **Siege Works** can all be leveled up at the same time by purchasing the following upgrades at any of the three structures:

 **Machinery of War Level 1** - Grants level 2. Gives +1500 HP and unlocks new units or upgrades. **Cost:** 1000

 **Machinery of War Level 2** - Grants level 3. Gives +1500 HP, +50% build speed and unlocks new units or upgrades. **Cost:** 1500

## Strategy

Maps: Some maps are more beneficial to build Siege Works on than others. While it's obvious that against the great walls of Minas Tirith or Helm's Deep that you may need siege to break through, ideally you'll prefer to establish a completely clear battlefront line before constructing siege: that is, your enemies should all be on one side of the line and behind the lines your siege needs to be safe and secure as much as possible. For this reason, on maps where you expect attack from multiple sides, Siege Works are recommended only at your main Citadel where you have the best chance of defending them, or any place you can build extremely high defenses, such as walls \*with\* towers. This is general advice applicable to all Siege Works, but as Isengard has the juiciest siege unit to build, the Explosive Mine, as a special faction feature, they will want to pay particular attention to how to use their Siege Works.

Defense: Siege Works are large buildings, and make large targets. They are easy to hit whether you are experienced or not (unlike in some large battles, where some heroes may be difficult to target for inexperienced players because they are small models.) Siege Works in the hands of truly expert players usually pose existential threats on their own, similar to the best heroes, because they are made for the purpose of taking out Citadels and walls more than units or heroes, and an opportune Ballista or Explosive Mine can end the game by devastatingly piercing once-safe defenses. An opponent is not likely to send only a small harassing force against a Siege Works-- not only would they have not much hope of doing enough damage without a stronger sortie, they are likely to want to completely demolish it to save themselves the trouble of facing what it produces. You will need to defend a Siege Works as if it is a whole Outpost on its own. It relies very much on coordination with the rest of the army to succeed, being entirely a Support/Interference Structure, albeit the most powerful Interference kind you can buy (when used properly). A Siege Works can't solo any game, but it can end almost any game. Siege Works are very similar to structures that can recruit monsters.

Placement: Though it may seem like putting the Siege Works close to the front line is the best way to reduce the walking distance of Mine Berserkers facing enemy fire, actually the back of your lines is where your Siege needs to stay and represent where you are strongest and surest in your own fortifications. As the battle progresses, if you feel secure in the ground you've taken, you can risk creating Siege Works further up to save time, but you never want a Siege Works too exposed: Remember, it's always more desirable to re-purchase prematurely destroyed units than to have to rebuild an entire structure. This is common sense seen in strategy for many structures that serve primarily supporting roles, such as Forges and Armories, but it's especially true of siege. Because of the time and money invested in building siege units, and how slow they move on the Map usually, it's critical that any Siege Works you intend to build and use is kept well far away from the enemy. Replacing them after a certain amount of investment has been put into them is usually no longer an option and you'll be forced to rebuild infantry to spam another military out before you can afford an ambitious project again.

Explosive Mines: With Isengard, to 'live the dream' is to create as many Explosive Mines as possible and set them off in glorious fiery doom all over the opponents' most precious gates and Citadels. The best advice for achieving success with Explosive Mines is to watch RuudDevil's YouTube: Do the exact opposite of what he does. (RuudDevil is well known for setting off his own mines, with disastrous results, particularly at Helm's Deep).