Sauron

"There is only one Lord of the Ring, only one who can bend it to his will. And he does not share power."
—Gandalf

Recruit the Lord of the Rings, Master of Mordor, Dark Lord and wandering Shadow of Dol Guldur, The Disciple of Morgoth. The Dark Lord **Sauron** is an absolute powerhouse who can do just about everything in the game, a force that will rise again through the completion of tasks to bring doom to Middle-earth.

## Sauron

* Portrait
* Shadow
* Flame

## Stats

### Health

3500

* Fire
* Shadow

### Speed

35

"Then Sauron was vanquished and his spirit fled and was hidden for long years, until his shadow took shape again in Mirkwood."
—Gandalf, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Shadow of the Past"

Sauron might not start as much, but through certain tasks he will level up, granting both new powers to his Nazgûl and unlocking new abilities for himself. Sauron can be bought for 1000 resources at the citadel but will never need to be bought again. Every time he dies he transforms into a wandering shadow that can be controlled but cannot interact with anything, cannot be attacked, and cannot attack. After a set timer he will become the Necromancer again no matter what form he died in. The following tasks all grant a single level to Sauron under any form:

Sauron in his Necromancer form has a base health of 4500, and ranged damage value of 70.

* Train a Ringwraith (Citadel, Minas Morgul or Dol Guldur)
* Occupy a build plot (Outpost)
* Research "Power of Past Ages" or "Grond" (spellbook)
* Train a battalion of Castellans or Morgul Riders (Dol Guldur or Minas Morgul)
* Control all nine nazguls (Shadow Lord, Dark Marshal, Witch King, Khamul, Black Riders)
* Command an army of 15 orc hordes (any orc type of units: Dol Guldur, Minas Morgul, standard, Cirith Ungol)
* Equip four archers with Fire Arrows or four trolls with Troll Armor
* Let 6 Overseers observe your troops (Mordor Barracks under influence)
* Recruit a unit from Cirith Ungol (Cirith Ungol Barracks)
* Command a level 5 orc horde (any orc type of units: Dol Guldur, Minas Morgul, standard, Cirith Ungol)
* Command a level 3 Great Siege Works (2 troll catapults or 4 catapults or 5 siege towers or 6 battering rams)
* Control a level 10 Gothmog or Mollok (Citadel)
* Control 4 trolls (at the same time; includes Mollok, Drummer Troll, Mountain Troll; Troll Cage)

Once at least 9 of these objectives have been completed, Sauron will stop gaining levels and you will no longer be notified if you accomplish a new one. These objectives are the key to strengthening Mordor because of what they allow Sauron to do and represent him gathering his forces and gaining in strength. Each accomplished task can be checked in a special menu at the citadel.

###  Shadow form

"Sauron has regained much of his former strength. He cannot yet take physical form, but his spirit has lost none of its potency."
—Saruman

In Shadow form, Sauron attacks at range with a wave of darkness that damages everything it touches but dealing low single target damage. He can switch to shadow form from flame form by pressing "F" or switch from shadow form to flame form by pressing "D".

Abilities

**Level 1:Wandering Shadow:** Allows The Necromancer to fast travel to a nearby location.

 **Level 3: Influence of Sauron** - **Sauron** fills a building of Mordor (excluding Tol-In-Gaurhoth and the citadel) with his will, unlocking specific effects like new units or upgrades.

* Barracks: Fire Arrows can be researched from the Barracks for 1200 resources
* Troll Cage: Enables the research of Troll Upgrades
* Tribute Camp: All internal resource buildings gain a level
* Arsenal: All internal resource buildings gain a level
* Great Siege Works: Enables construction of Troll Catapults
* Battle Tower: Enable Battle and Sentry Towers to shoot at increased speed.
* Slave Camp: All external resource buildings gain a level
* Slaughterhouse: All external resource buildings gain a level
* Minas Morgul: Lesser Wraiths can now be enslaved into Morgul Shadows
* Dol Guldur: Spiders of Mirkwood can be recruited for free
* Cirith Ungol: Enables recruitment of Halberdiers of Cirith Ungol
* Defense Banner: Reinforcements of Rhun and Harad can now purchased upgrades

**Level 5: Dark Swaths:** This ability allows Sauron to summon a dark cloud for 30 seconds that reduces the armor of all (friend or foe) units by 30%, heroes and monsters (friend or foe) only lose 25%. This cloud becomes stronger as he gains power: with 6 tasks complete (LV 7) it summons 3 barrow wights at its center, and with 9 task completed (LV10) the cloud can be controlled (although it moves slowly).

**Level 7: Might of the Damned:** This ability that can be used on any Mordor unit and will fill it with necromantic power which, upon death, will be brutally released in an explosion to kill nearby enemies. The power released depends on the "power" of the unit targeted.

###  Flame Form

"The Ring misseth, maybe, the heat of Sauron's hand, which was black and yet burned like fire."
—Gandalf, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Council of Elrond"

In Flame form Sauron has no attack but causes fire damage to the enemy units he walks through. Be careful, he can still be targeted. He can switch from shadow form to flame form by pressing "F" or switch to shadow form from flame form by pressing "D". He has no initial ability as his first ability unlocks when one task has been accomplished (LV2).

Abilities

**Level 2: Eruption** This ability causes the ground to explode at the targeted location on a small area. This deals very little damage and causes all units (friend and foe alike) nearby to be sent flying away from it.

**Level 4: Burning Prison:**This ability sets the ground under his feet aflame in a small area around him, causing, after a short time, all heroes trapped in the fiery circle to become rooted for 15 seconds.

**Level 6: Wall of Fire:** This ability leaves a burning trail wherever he walks for 15 seconds, burning all units that cross into it.

**Level 10: Ruler of Fire:** This ability fires a mighty shockwave that grants +75% resistance against fire to all nearby allies and -75% resistance against fire for all nearby enemies.

### Strategy

As a shadow Sauron has very little single unit damage and would lose to most scout heroes; however, once positioned behind friendly lines for protection he can cause massive damage to an enemy's army. The optimal strategy is to target the enemy units in the back since the wave causes damage to everything it touches but stops as soon as it reaches its target. His "Influence of Sauron" allows him to unlock various key features of Mordor such as instant Level 2 trolls or the Overseers. The use of his Dark Swaths can be questioned but it is key to remember that heroes and monsters only lose 25% and that buildings aren't affected, plus it gains barrow wights once Sauron reaches level 7. His "Might of the Damned" is a great win-win, it doesn't deal any negative debuff or damage to the targeted units and is a great way to make use of Mordor's inexhaustible hordes.

In Flame Form Sauron has more effect on the battlefield than in the base. His attacks set on fire any troops that attack him or that he walks through. However, he puts himself more in danger and has no ability that allows him to make an instantaneous quick escape. Nonetheless, when well managed, a level 4 Sauron should be able to make his escape if the powers "Eruption" and "Burning Prison" are used wisely. Both of these abilities can also be used aggressively: "Eruption" can break a small cavalry charge or simply disturb and infantry formation, and "Burning Prison" can be used to trap heroes, allowing other heroes to come in and finish them. "Wall of Fire" should be used in a similar fashion to his attack, the difference being it leaves behind a burning trail which further damages troops left alive. "Ruler of Fire" can be easily paired with this ability, causing friendly units to be able to bait enemies into the fire without taking damage.

## Sauron

* Portrait
* Gorthaur
* Werewolf
* Vampire Bats
* Annatar Portrait
* Annatar

### Voiced by

Game Audio --- Legacy Of Kain: Defiance Elder God (Tony Jay)

## Stats

### Health

5500

* Gorthaur
* Annatar
* Werewolf
* Vampire

### Speed

100

"Among those of his servants that have names the greatest was that spirit whom the Eldar called Sauron, or Gorthaur the Cruel."
—The Silmarillion, "Valaquenta"

Gorthaur was the original form of Sauron back when he was still a Maiar. He can once again regain this form if the spellbook power "Power of the Past Ages" is cast on the Necromancer. The player will then gain Gorthaur, the original form which can transform into a vampire, a werewolf and into Annatar. He can still pick up the One Ring if it is found.
Abilities

In this form Gorthaur has 2 palantìri: one for his abilities and one for the transformations. His ability palantir is comprised of four abilities.

####  Gorthaur Spell Palantir

**Level 1: Blade of Destiny:** Gorthaur draws his terrible sword and strikes his enemy with its power for a short while. The blade increases Gorthaur's damage by +50% and his armor by +30% and has a 33% chance of unleashing a terrible vortex which deals damage to enemies around Gorthaur and knocks them back.

 **Level 3: Influence of Sauron** - **Sauron** fills a building of Mordor (excluding Tol-In-Gaurhoth and the citadel) with his will, unlocking specific effects like new units or upgrades.

* Barracks: Fire Arrows can be researched from the Barracks for 1200 resources
* Troll Cage: Enables the research of Troll Upgrades
* Tribute Camp: All internal resource buildings gain a level
* Arsenal: All internal resource buildings gain a level
* Great Siege Works: Enables construction of Troll Catapults
* Battle Tower: Enable Battle and Sentry Towers to shoot at increased speed.
* Slave Camp: All external resource buildings gain a level
* Slaughterhouse: All external resource buildings gain a level
* Minas Morgul: Lesser Wraiths can now be enslaved into Morgul Shadows
* Dol Guldur: Spiders of Mirkwood can be recruited for free
* Cirith Ungol: Enables recruitment of Halberdiers of Cirith Ungol
* Defense Banner: Reinforcements of Rhun and Harad can now purchased upgrades

**Level 5: Pillar of Fire:** This ability summon a controllable pillar that deals flame damage for 10 seconds.

**Level 10: Tol-In-Gaurhoth:** Gorthaur uses his power to corrupt the landscape and to revive his castle from the First Age. Werewolves can be bred in the castle, the fortress heals fellow units and provides leadership to them, enemy units around the fortress will be weakened and damaged over time with an upgrade. The fortress also shoots deadly lightning at enemies from range. Only one fortress can be present on the battlefield at the same time.

Transformation Palantir

His ability palantir allows him to transform into the various shapes listed below. Note that once he reverts back to his Gorthaur form all the transformation abilities will go on cooldown.

**Level 1: Vampire Lord Form:** The Lord of Vampires will transform into a vampire bat and call his allies.

**Level 3: Werewolf Form:** Sauron created horrid beasts in his castle which eventually received the name "Isle of Werewolves". This ability unlocks at level 3 and allows Gorthaur to transform into a mighty werewolf.

**Level 4: Annatar Form:** This ability cannot be used in sight of enemy forces. Sauron will disguise himself as Annatar, Lord of Gifts, to deceive his foes. He cannot attack or be attacked and can freely walk among his enemies.

**One Ring Form (Requires the One Ring)****:** Once the One Ring has been recovered, Gorthaur takes the shape of a dreadful dark lord and increases his power. He becomes the Sauron that has made Mordor known and begins rampaging through the map.

### Vampire Lord Form

"And immediately he took the form of a vampire, great as a dark cloud across the moon, and he fled, dripping blood from his throat upon the trees, and came to Taur-nu-Fuin, and dwelt there, filling it with horror."
—The Silmarillion, "Of Beren and Lúthien"

The Lord of Vampires will transform into a vampire bat and call his allies. In this form, Sauron can fly across the map swiftly in a cloud of black wings, leeching the life of enemy units in a wide radius and weakening them steadily. For some strange reason, he can even drain the health of... enemy buildings?! Of course, he's not as effective against buildings as he is against units. This is a fine transformation for when you need Sauron to move quickly, whether it's escaping, or for a rendezvous with a faraway fighting force.

Abilities

**Revert back to Gorthaur:**  Allows him to switch back to Gorthaur form; however, it starts on a cool-down and can only be used after a short while.

**Level 1: Leech:** Drains the health of nearby enemies. *(Passive ability)*

**Level 3: Darken the Skies:** Calls another swarm of vampire bats to the target area. Enemies will cause 75% less damage under the swarm.

**Level 5: On Black Wings****:** Temporarily boosts Gorthaur's speed by 25%.

**Level 7: Eternal Thirst:** Gorthaur drains all nearby enemies of their life and restores his own. This causes a medium amount of damage on a big scale.

### Werewolf Form

"Therefore he took upon himself the form of a werewolf, and made himself the mightiest that had yet walked the world; and he came forth to win the passage of the bridge... There befell the battle of Huan and Wolf-Sauron, and howls and baying echoed in the hills, and the watchers on the walls of Ered Wethrin across the valley heard it afar and were dismayed."
—The Silmarillion, "Of Beren and Lúthien"

Sauron created horrid beasts in his castle which eventually received the name "Isle of Werewolves". This ability unlocks at level 3 and allows Gorthaur to transform into a mighty werewolf. In this form he is strong and fast and possesses an AOE attack. Essentially, this form is a quick-moving tank that has excellent strength in melee combat against heroes and masses of weaker soldiers, and even has a little bit of unit-support skill... as long as those other units are also werewolves.

Abilities

**Revert back to Gorthaur:**  Allows him to switch back to Gorthaur form; however, it starts on a cool-down and can only be used after a short while.

**Level 1: Claws of Evil:** Causes the primary target of his attacks to "bleed", draining their life points for 5 seconds. *(Passive ability)*

**Level 3: Relentless Hunt:** Gorthaur can trample all enemies without being slowed. As soon as the ability is unlocked, it starts on a cool-down, preventing it from being used right away.

**Level 5: Bite of the Werewolf:** Gorthaur performs a deadly attack that heavily damages a targeted enemy hero and briefly lowers their attack speed, movement speed and ability recharge speed by 25%.

**Level 7: Bloodthirst:** Boosts the damage of all nearby werewolves by 50%.

### Annatar Form

"But elsewhere the Elves received him gladly, and few among them hearkened to the messengers from Lindon bidding them beware; for Sauron took to himself the name of Annatar, the Lord of Gifts, and they had at first much profit from his friendship... But Sauron guided their labours, and he was aware of all that they did; for his desire was to set a bond upon the Elves and to bring them under his vigilance. "
—The Silmarillion, "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age"

This ability unlocks at level 4 and cannot be used in sight of enemy forces. Sauron will disguise himself as Annatar, Lord of Gifts, to deceive his foes. He cannot attack or be attacked and can freely walk among his enemies. While he is in Annatar form, his abilities will not only create benefits for the player, but also for the enemy. This is one of the trickiest forms to master, and using Annatar's powers and abilities at the right time will take some getting used to. This is a great form for scouting the enemy, and for disrupting their infrastructure.

Abilities

**Revert back to Gorthaur:**  Allows him to switch back to Gorthaur form; however, it starts on a cool-down and can only be used after a short while.

**Level 1: Lord of Gifts:** Doubles the gained experience of all nearby units but reduces their armor by 25%. *(Passive ability)*

**Level 3: Spoiled Suggestion:** Annatar "dazzles" enemy units and makes them fight for him for the next 30 seconds. Additionally they receive +50% attack damage and armor for 60 seconds (meaning their attack and armor boost will still have another 30 seconds after they leave Annatar's control).

**Level 5: Armistice:**. Annatar negotiates an armistice and stops all units and heroes from attacking for 30 seconds. However, during this time enemy resource structures produce 25% more resources.

**Level 7: Hour of Extinction:** Disables all gates by opening them and stops all catapults and battle towers from firing. However, enemy recruitment speed is doubled.

### Strategy

Gorthaur is a mighty hero killer. His deadly blade slashes all matter of armor and deals heavy damage. In addition, his abilities grant him bonuses for hunting down heroes and destroying them. Keep an eye on him if he has low health, because if Gorthaur dies, he will revert to his Necromancer form. The player must then wait until the spellbook power "The Power of the Past Ages" has finished its cooldown before being able to transform the Necromancer back into Gorthaur.

The Vampire Lord form allows Gorthaur to fly over his enemies, making him invulnerable to melee attacks but more susceptible to arrows and ranged hero abilities (such as Gimli's "Axe Throw"). This is somewhat compensated for with the new abilities that allow him to regain a significant amount of health. As the Vampire Lord he is a unit interferer.

The werewolf is a mighty tank capable of both taking and receiving significant hits. His speed rivals that of most unmounted heroes, and his abilities allow him to work very efficiently as a hero killer. His final ability, however, is best utilized as a unit support ability.

Annatar is very unique due to his potentially devastating abilities to paralyze both enemy armies and enemy castle defenses. "Armistice" can be used in combination with "Hour of Extinction" to make a massive push into the enemy castle.

Keep in mind something very important. If you unlock "power of the past ages," you need only use it on Sauron once. Use it on Gorthaur in any of his forms, or on the Dark Lord, and you'll just waste the power.

## Sauron

* Portrait
* Ingame

## Stats

### Health

5500

* Melee

### Speed

36

"There he took up again his great Ring in Barad-dûr, and dwelt there, dark and silent, until he wrought himself a new guise, an image of malice and hatred made visible."
—The Silmarillion, "Akallabêth"

Once the One Ring is recovered Gorthaur takes the shape of a dreadful warrior and increases his power. He becomes the Sauron that has made Mordor known and begins rampaging through the map. Sauron must pick up the ring himself, as it can't be given to him by other units. To emphasize his power Sauron gains a powerful new roster of abilities displayed on the right side similar to the spellbook.

In his Dark Lord form, Sauron has 5500 base health, and 500 base damage.

Abilities

**Level 1: Lord of Mordor:** All of the power of Mordor comes from the Lord of the Rings. Sauron grows stronger through the completion of certain tasks. He cannot die but will become a wandering shadow upon death, and can rejoin battle after recovering. The Nazgul and Mouth of Sauron's power are tied to the Necromancer; as he grows stronger so do they. While Sauron is standing still or attacking, any unit that sustains a casualty near him will soon receive replacements from Mordor's inexhaustible hordes. All enemy leadership and bonus effects are nullified when near to Sauron. Nazgul on the battlefield gain +30% armor, their abilities cooldown twice as fast and +30% damage.

**Level 2: Burning Eye:**. Sauron's glare extinguishes the light of hope in the heart of his foes and replaces it with fear and despair. Enemy units flee in terror.

 **Level 3: Influence of Sauron** - **Sauron** fills a building of Mordor (excluding Tol-In-Gaurhoth and the citadel) with his will, unlocking specific effects like new units or upgrades.

* Barracks: Fire Arrows can be researched from the Barracks for 1200 resources
* Troll Cage: Enables the research of Troll Upgrades
* Tribute Camp: All internal resource buildings gain a level
* Arsenal: All internal resource buildings gain a level
* Great Siege Works: Enables construction of Troll Catapults
* Battle Tower: Enable Battle and Sentry Towers to shoot at increased speed.
* Slave Camp: All external resource buildings gain a level
* Slaughterhouse: All external resource buildings gain a level
* Minas Morgul: Lesser Wraiths can now be enslaved into Morgul Shadows
* Dol Guldur: Spiders of Mirkwood can be recruited for free
* Cirith Ungol: Enables recruitment of Halberdiers of Cirith Ungol
* Defense Banner: Reinforcements of Rhun and Harad can now purchased upgrades

**Level 4:Dark Sorcery:**. Sauron heals his wounds with the blood of his slain enemies and the accursed dark sorcery of Mordor. Instantly heals 50% of Sauron's total health. Activate with left click.

**Level 6: The Master Ring:** Sauron uses the One Ring to confuse the hearts and minds of his enemies. Targeted enemies will be temporarily converted. Has a large casting range. Left click on the target area.

**Level 7: Might of the Damned:** Can be used on any Mordor unit excluding heroes. The target unit is filled with necromantic power which is expelled upon their death, damaging nearby enemies. More powerful units contain more power, which inflicts greater harm when released. Left click on the chosen allied target units.

**Level 7: Power of the Maiar:** Sauron will summon a rain of flaming meteorites dealing heavy damage to both units and buildings. Left click icon then left click on the target area.

**Level 8: Consuming Darkness:** Sauron uses his dark magic to create a dark vortex, like a black hole which draws enemies to its center and devours them. Left click on the target location.

**Level 10: Dark Will****:** If Sauron uses all his might, no one is capable of standing against him in battle. For a short amount of time, Sauron gets an enormous boost to attack damage and armor. His speed and attack speed are also increased by 50%. When activated, Sauron will become the most powerful unit in the entire game. Left click to activate.

**Level 10: Tol-in-Gaurhoth****:** Sauron uses his power to corrupt the land and resurrect his fortress of the First Age. It can train werewolves, harm nearby enemies and weaken them. Only one fortress can be on the battlefield at a time. Left click on the chosen target area.

### Strategy

Sauron is the most powerful of all heroes in the game. His mass slayer capabilities are incredibly destructive and his hero killer aspect is no slouch. His attack causes brutal damage on a big AOE almost as big as a wizard blast and more destructive. His abilities can interfere with unit formations in more than one way, he can shoot down a barrage of meteors for massive AOE damage, and his Tol-in Gaurhoth can be used as a defensive structure even in the middle of a battle. "Lord of Mordor" and "Might of the Damned" also make him a great unit supporter, but unlike the others, he doesn't try to keep individual units alive as much as he tries to maximize their use and number. With Dark Will he can simply become the most powerful unit in the entire game and destroy fortresses in three hits. Finally his master ring converts enemies for a short while in a large radius, and as always he has "Influence of Sauron", the ever versatile Mordor buildings upgrade. However​, watch out as he has very slow movement speed and attack speed, making him susceptible to some very powerful hero killers like king Elessar and Celeborn if poorly controlled. However, Dark Will can overcome this easily as with it activated he can two hit kill heroes. Sauron is naturally immune to knock-back or stunning and has a lot of health and damage.

## Quotes

**As the Necromancer**
Selected/attacking/moving

*"Wutunakash..."*

*"Znyaguryoff..."*

*"Zatraka-ash..."*

"Zatraka-ishu"

" Srag glizdû nakhízish agh-bughash obzidân"

**As Gorthaur**
Reawakened

*"...I am revealed to you at last..."*

Selected

*"... Abandon this petty rebellion..."*

*"... I am the origin of life; the devourer of death..."*

*"... Now you understand..."*

*"... Even when you rebel, you are doing my will..."*

*"... How could you profit from this defiance..."*

Moving

*"... Very good..."*

*"... Yes..."*

*"[chuckles]"*

**As the Master of the One Ring/Terrible Form**
All

*"Shre nazg golugranu kilmi-nudu"*

*"Ombi kuz-durbaggu gundum ishi"*

*"Ashi... Burzum-ishi."*

"Nazgûl... Moria...

*“Build me an army worthy of Mordor.”*

"Agh burzum ishi-krimpatul"

*"I see you..."*

*"There is no life... in the void..."*

*"... Only... Death..."*

*"You cannot hide..."*

## Trivia

* Gorthaur is voiced by Tony Jay (Voice of the Elder God in Legacy Of Kain: Defiance).
* All of Sauron's quotes in the black speech are by Benedict Cumberbatch during his performance as The Necromancer in the hobbit trilogy.