Battle of the Peak

* Loading Screen
* Map Layout

"There upon Celebdil was a lonely window in the snow, and before it lay a narrow space, a dizzy eyrie above the mists of the world. The sun shone fiercely there, but all below was wrapped in cloud. Out he sprang, and even as I came behind, he burst into new flame. There was none to see, or perhaps in after ages songs would still be sung of the Battle of the Peak." Suddenly Gandalf laughed. "But what would they say in song? Those that looked up from afar thought that the mountain was crowned with storm. Thunder they heard, and lightning, they said, smote upon Celebdil, and leaped back broken into tongues of fire. Is not that enough? A great smoke rose about us, vapour and steam. Ice fell like rain. I threw down my enemy, and he fell from the high place and broke the mountain-side where he smote it in his ruin. Then darkness took me; and I strayed out of thought and time, and I wandered far on roads that I will not tell."
—The Two Towers, The White Rider

The newly restored Gandalf, now clad in white and head of the Istari order, recounts his battle with Durin's Bane to the Three Hunters. The two Maiar were locked in battle from the deepest tunnels of Moria to the peak of Zirakzigil, where they fought for three days and two nights until at last, Gandalf slew the ancient demon and smote his ruin upon the mountain side. Gandalf the Grey was mortally wounded but has returned to Middle-earth to complete his task in aiding the Free People as Gandalf the White.

The Battle of the Peak is the fourteenth mission of the Lord of the Rings Campaign, the player has control of Gandalf the Grey and must defeat the Balrog of Morgoth once and for all. If Gandalf dies, the mission is failed.

## Guide

**New Objective - Defeat the Balrog**

The mission begins with the Balrog fleeing from Gandalf at the top of the Endless Stair. Gandalf must fight his way through Moria-orc Screechers and Archers to reach Durin's Tower, where the Balrog lies in waiting. Gandalf has a relatively low amount of health this mission and all enemies encountered have a high damage output, therefore it is important to make full use of Gandalf's splash damage with his basic attacks to kill as many enemies as possible with a single hit. In this mission, the player can manually trigger Gandalf's **Shield Bubble** to grant him +300% armour temporarily: the shortcut of this ability is **U**. Use Shield Bubble at opportune times, such as against the Moria-orcs defending the trail to Durin's Tower. **Disturber of the Peace** can also be used to clear out large numbers of Orcs at once without suffering as much damage to Gandalf.

The Balrog will not attack until Gandalf reaches Durin's Tower, use this time to allow Gandalf to passively heal - Gandalf should be at full health before engaging the Balrog because the Balrog's attacks are incredibly damaging to Gandalf, especially if he is not protected by **Shield Bubble**. Once the player has entered Durin's Tower, they will not be allowed to leave. Gandalf's regular attacks are ineffective against Durin's Bane: **The Foe-Hammer** is essentially the only method of dealing damage to the Balrog. However, Foe-Hammer's cooldown is dependent not on time, but on standing on spotlighted areas for lightning to strike. The key to defeating the Balrog is efficient micromanagement and constant movement: keep moving to avoid the Balrog's melee attacks and to get in position to recharge Foe-Hammer. Sometimes the Balrog will obstruct the spotlighted area, it is often wise to be patient and wait for a better spotlight location further away from the Balrog. Shield Bubble should be reserved to protect Gandalf from the Balrog's special abilities, specifically his whip and fire breath, as these are easily the most dangerous sources of damage in the mission - they can reduce Gandalf's health by more than 50% without Shield Bubble.

Once the Balrog is sufficiently damaged, he will fly to safety and send Mountain-orcs to attack Gandalf. Once again, use Shield Bubble to absorb damage and make full use of Gandalf's splash damage by attacking the Orcs at the chokepoint leading up to Durin's Tower. Disturber of the Peace can be used to wipe out an entire wave if used correctly. If necessary, use the spellbook **Kingsfoil** power to heal Gandalf: the sooner it is used, the sooner it will be ready to use again after cooling down. The Balrog will return after the Orcs are killed, use an identical approach of constantly moving, saving Shield Bubble for special attacks and being patient for an unoccupied spotlight area. The Balrog flees a second time, with Mountain-orc waves and a wild Snow-troll in the final attack wave. Continue to make use of Gandalf's splash damage, Shield Bubble and Disturber of the Peace to deal with these enemies. After this second break in combat, continue damaging the Balrog with Foe-Hammer and avoiding his attacks until he is killed to complete the mission.