Helegwen

* Portrait
* In Game

* Ranged

"Did this existence please you? Living as a nobody, crawling through the dirt just to survive? Of course not. I can see that much in you. You are not some Orc or Hill-woman, you are descended from the Men of Númenor. It is in our blood to aspire to greatness. Now Arthedain... Arthedain is weak and failing, its days of glory long forgotten. But in Angmar, someone of your skill would not waste away her life in some pointless border hamlet. In Angmar, you could be so much more."
—Mornamarth, Helegwen's Backstory (Edain Team Creation)

**Helegwen** is the archer hero for Angmar. She has been completely made-up by the Edain Team due to a lack of Angmar-related material in Tolkien's writings. Her conceptualization was a joint effort between the community and the Edain Team to design Helegwen as a hero, both the powers and model.

## Stances

Helegwen has a unique stance system that allows her to change between different arrows, each with a different effect.

* **Ice Arrows** - Can damage even walls and castle expansions and reduces the production and damage of targeted buildings by 50% for 5 seconds. Enemy units take 25% less damage from the arrows. Enemies won't be attacked automatically.
* **Steel Arrows** -No special effects, enemies will be attacked automatically at a medium range.
* **Freezing Arrows** -Slows down enemies by 40% for 5 seconds. They take 25% less damage from the arrows. Enemies in vision range will be automatically attacked.

## Abilities

 **Rank 1: Multishot** - Helegwen lets loose a salvo of arrows, hitting all enemies in a target area. The arrows depend on her chosen ammunition type and apply its effects to everyone in the area for 30 seconds (60 seconds when Gift of Winter is unlocked). Left click on icon then left click on target area

 **Rank 3: Hail of Frost Arrows** - Helegwen calls down a hail of Frost Arrows. Enemy units and monsters in the area are frozen for 5 seconds, while heroes are slowed by 50%. Buildings are disabled entirely and cannot be attacked for 30 seconds. Left click on icon then left click on target area

 **Rank 5: Ice Barrier** - The Sorcerers of Angmar protect Helegwen with a wall of ice that lasts for 30 seconds but can be destroyed. Left click to activate

 **Rank 7: Whispers of the Northwind** - For 30 seconds, Helegwen's vision range is tripled and her speed increased by 30%. While moving, she leaves behind a trail of ice that slows enemies. Left click to activate.

 **Rank 10: Gift of Winter** - Helegwen's Freezing Arrows now slow the enemy 50% more, and her Ice Arrows' effect on buildings lasts three times as long (15 seconds). This also affects her **Multishot**. Furthermore, the damage bonus granted by the **Frost Arrows** for archers of Carn Dûm and **Frost Ammunition** for catapults is permanently doubled. *(Passive ability)*

## Upgrades

Helegwen can receive the following upgrade:

 **Might of the Witch-King** - The might of the Witch-King will be bestowed to a hero gifting them with additional power for 120 seconds. For a short time, Helegwen's arrows pierce through enemies.

## Strategy

Helegwen is a unique archer hero in the sense that she sacrifices damage for negative effects as demonstrated by her stance system. Her **Steel Arrows** are useful for when the player is leaving her at the back of the army to do damage, while the other arrows have a specific purpose. The **Ice Arrows** are best to deal with buildings while the **Freezing Arrows** can be used to slow down retreating heroes or strong units so the rest of your army can finish them off. Although the **Multishot** can be useful against multiple targets, if an enemy hero is alone, the ability can be used with **Steel Arrows** to do massive damage to that hero. **Frost Rain** can be used to disrupt an entire army or base, allowing the rest of your army to do as much damage as possible. If Helegwen is in danger, the **Ice Barrier** can be used to slow down enemy forces. This can be followed with **Whispers of the Northwind** to ensure she escapes. This ability can also allow her to be a useful scout. In the mid-late game, her **Gift of Winter** will improve her effectiveness while also making the Carn Dûm Bowmen even stronger than they are normally.

## Trivia

* Her (now removed) voice files came from the character Ravenna from the film "Snow-White and the Huntsman".
* Helegwen was entirely created by the Edain Community. They created a backstory, design and set of unique abilities. The Edain Team was so impressed by this that they decided to make the hero part of the faction.
* Some of Helegwen's ability pictures (Multishot; Hall of Frost Arrows; Whispers of the Northwind) come from the champion Ashe from League of Legends.