The mighty host of Balrogs, and how i beat them

[eugenioso]

so, im playing my first campaign with RR/RC in 1.4 as silvan.

after about 28 turns i finally resolve to destroy the orc source of incursions into lothlorien: the nigh-impregnable fortress of moria.

i lay siege to it and get treated to a cute video of balrogs.

one turn afterwards i get sallied by the orcs, with their faction leader and the balrogs. 3000 ish goblins vs 1100 elves led by my greatest generals haldir and celeborn. before the battle starts i check the stats for the balrogs and WHOA! !. oh well methinks, arrows ftw, just like every other oliphaunt, troll or bodyguard.

the orcs clumsily come out of the gate. they fall by the hundreds with each volley. that is until the balrogs come out to play.

the orcs lost their general, and now pose little significant threat. the balrogs havent even flinched once under the true storm of arrows. in order to stop a slaughter of all my army i feed the balrogs one unit at a time while the rest of the army shoots arrows at them. not a ing flinch. nothing. its such a mindblow that i stay in shock. eru illuvater! what manner of demonic creatures are these?

my choices are slim. either retreat and risk losing my few men, or go hell for leather and send my mighty generals into battle.

haha im not that stupid. the orcs begin to retreat and a nearly full unit of sentinels and another unit of 30 elven archers are ordered to sneak into the city center, and win the battle by countdown. on the meantime my elves will keep the balrogs busy. i hold all fire orders and order my elves to battle the balrogs in melee and buy time for our kin. in total i have fed 3 units to the balrogs when finally my archers take the town center. the retreating units are butchered like cattle before they reach the town center. outside the only units alive are my 2 generals with 40 men each, the sentinels fighting the balrogs in battle and a nearly full unit of elven archers. finally the timer hits 0 and its a win for me.

luckily i know that since the balrogs were part of the sally force they lost and so the balrogs died... though how it can never be understood.

though if we compare the balrogs to the goblins, it can be assumed that if most goblins after the battle would simply scatter, the balrogs wouldnt so easily do that would they?

[Muffer Nl]

They die of shame and humiliation to have lost a battle against those pesky, weak elves.
Next time try siege weaponry.

[Dava2710]

balistas are pretty acurate

[Muffer Nl]

Balrogs are like tanks. It does not matter how many arrows you fire at them none of them even dent his armour (skin). Siege engines can penetrate it however.

[jinjo]

it's really hard too kill balrogs with elves
ents may help to defeat them but only ents cant defeat balrogs, i mean 1x1
i think massive armor heavy infantry is best against balrogs

[Dava2710]

balistas balistas balistas

thats the best and maybe the only solution

[Muffer Nl]

Next to Siege I would recommend AP.

[jản]

i tried it myself today. i could beat one unit of Balrog (eleven units) with a half-stack of Sindar Archers.
the Balrogs reduced my troops to half the amount of the start when the first Balrog died. the other ones
followed quickly. but in a "real battle" with more enemy orcs alongside the Balrogs it is quite impossible.
so, ballistas it is!

[Russ_Ace]

I battled 1 belrog unit with a army of Dwarfs and lost, 1 kill for me 1482 kills for the belrogs

[Seleukos_I.]

I had the same battle and did not even lose 100 dwarves.