Battle of Azanulbizar

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"When at last the battle was won the Dwarves that were left gathered in Azanulbizar. They took the head of Azog and thrust into its mouth the purse of small money, and then they set it on a stake. But no feast nor song was there that night; for their dead were beyond the count of grief. Barely half of their number, it is said, could still stand or had hope of healing."
—Durin's Folk, Appendix A, Return of the King

Driven from the ancient kingdom of Erebor by Smaug the Terrible, King Thrór led a small expedition to the abandoned Dwarven realm of Moria. He was set upon by orcs under the command of Azog, who personally beheaded the king and sent the surviving Dwarves off with a small purse of coins. Thráin, Thrór's son, rallied the seven houses of the Dwarves and launched a vengeful campaign against the orcs in a bloody conflict which culminated in the Battle of Azanulbizar. It was here that Azog met his end at the hands of a young Dáin Ironfoot and the orcs were driven back into Moria.

Battle of Azanulbizar is a standalone mission in Age of the Ring, its playable heroes consist of Thorin Oakenshield, Balin, Thráin, Dáin Ironfoot, Dwalin and Thrór.

## Guide

**New Objective - Save Thráin before the orcs overwhelm him**

The mission begins with the Dwarves' forces scattered: Thrór and his soldiers engage the orcs at the East-gate whilst Thráin is surrounded elsewhere. Thorin, Balin and two battalions of Erebor Warriors arrive as reinforcements under the players' control, they must fight their way through hordes of Moria Orc Screechers to Thráin before the time limit expires otherwise the mission is failed. All heroes must survive the duration of the mission. The player is limited to two spell book powers, it is recommended to choose **Kingsfoil** and **Elven** **Gifts** to increase the heroes' strength and to keep them alive if they are at low health.

**Bonus Objective - Save the scattered Dwarven battalions**

Along the way to Thráin, the player can rescue three Dwarven battalions under attack from orcs and wargs - it is incredibly important to rescue these Dwarves as greater numbers will be vital in the late stages of the mission. Use Thorin and Balin to dispatch the orcs whilst keeping the Dwarven units in defensive stance to maximise their armour. Thráin will be at low health by the time he is rescued, he should be pulled away from the battle to heal whilst Thorin, Balin and the other Dwarves finish off his attackers.

**New Objective - Destroy all orc camps in the area**

There are two orc camps to the east led by orc chieftains, Urshak and Muzgash, that must be destroyed to prevent Thrór's forces being outflanked. Before attacking them however, use the time to replenish any lost units in the Dwarven battalions; Balin's **Tactician** ability should be used to level up the Dwarves preferably to level 5 before attacking to maximise their health, damage and armour. Keep a close eye on **King's Advisor** - it should be used only on Thráin as often as possible to strengthen him and to reduce the cooldown time of **Wisdom of the Ravens**, this will give the player a consistent source of healing.

The first camp to destroy is defended by Urshak, Gundabad orcs, Cave-trolls and Azog's Bodyguard. Prioritising targets is important for minimising losses - Thorin with **Oakenshield** active can take down Urshak and the Cave-trolls, Balin and Thráin can deal with Azog's Bodyguard with support from Erebor Warriors and the less tanky Grim Hammers can focus on the upgraded orc archers. Once the camp is taken, allow battalions to replenish their units and heroes to heal before advancing.

A battalion of Erebor Archers can be found at the Mirrormere once the first camp has been destroyed, these are very useful at dealing damage to single targets, such as Trolls, safely behind the cover of the rest of the player's forces. Remember to use Balin's **Tactician** to level the Archers up before advancing. The second camp is defended by a similar force to the first and so the method of capturing it is the same: use heroes to deal with Muzgash and Azog's Bodyguard, Erebor Warriors can tank damage and deal with the orcs whilst the Erebor Archers focus on the Cave-trolls.

**New Objective - Rescue Thrór's host**

With the flanks secure, the Dwarves are now able to reinforce Thrór and his soldiers; Dwalin and Dáin arrive with several battalions of upgraded Erebor Warriors to increase the player's numbers even further - these Warriors can be given experience by Balin before advancing to Thrór's position. At the East-gate, it is important to prevent battalions becoming isolated: keep them in defensive stance and pull the army into a single position so that units are not scattered. Stone-trolls will arrive to attack the Dwarven army, they must be killed within the time limit or else the mission is failed.

**New Objective - Kill Azog**

At last, Azog will emerge from Moria to engage Thrór in single combat. Thrór is slain and so it is left to the player's heroes to fight Azog in a boss battle. Thráin's **Wisdom of the Crows**, Balin's **King's Advisor** and Thorin's **Oakenshield** abilities are all vital to the player's success in this section as Azog deals high damage and will be regularly reinforced by Azog's Bodyguard. If healing powers are on cooldown, pull heroes on low health out of combat whilst healthy heroes keep Azog busy.

**New Objective -** **Cleanse the battlefield of the remaining orcs**

With the Defiler dead, the Dwarves rally and launch one final offensive against the orcs - Thorin's **Du Bekar!** ability should be saved for this moment to maximise the armour of the Dwarven units so that they can match the orcs' superior numbers. Other abilities such as **Son of Thrór** and **Baruk Khazâd** can disperse enemy units and give the Dwarven units a better chance. However, it is likely that the majority of the Dwarven units will be spent by the end of this objective, so it is important to keep **Wisdom of the Crows** and **Kingsfoil** off cooldown in case a hero needs health.

Finally, the orcs are driven back into Moria and the Dwarves claim victory, yet it is a joyless one as the King is slain and the number of dead is beyond the count of grief. Thráin decides to push further into Moria, despite the warnings of his kin, and is never seen again. The mission is now complete.