Guide:Re-united Kingdom
Introduction
Often hailed as the beginner faction in Fourth Age: Total War (FA:TW) the Re-United Kingdom also known as Gondor features a fairly robust and easy to understand armed forces, a strong economical position and the opportunity to build several of its high tier troops from the first turn. This is further re-enforced with aggressive game play allowing further settlements where high level troops can be built quickly and near to the front lines. This is a step away from other factions which require some level of investment and travel to re-enforce their starting front lines. Especially Harad and Rhun.
The key to the armies of the Re-United Kingdom is highly protected troops that thanks to General Development will often have high morale bonuses to their naturally high moral. The majority of the unit roster features similar levels of attack and relies on flank charges from the more mobile cavalry units, limited as they are. Featuring some of the stronger long ranged archers of the game fleshes out a strong defensive roster, however the unit sizes is comparatively smaller than other factions in the game.
Gameplay Overview.
Overall the campaign for the Re-United Kingdom is varied and challenging towards the end. The overall end game targets for the campaign itself features heavily on the mid and south of the map. This has it's positives in that with creative game play and good time management you can prevent Adunabar from even beginning to develop the infrastructure needed to create it's top end and specialised troops. However the harder part of the campaign will be aimed at fighting with Harad. Right from the start of the campaign you can expect a long, hard bitter struggle for naval control. Often with your defeat until the mid stages of the game where you can expect to have a stronger economy then the AI. Persistent attacks from the south regularly pushing and besieging Emyn Arnen with up to 3 full stacks at a time lead by a decent commander (3-4 stars). Coupled with the lack of supply traits for the Ai this can be very troublesome. However eventually you will need to push southwards. Capturing Umbar is fairly straight forward assuming that you have some control of the sea's. Pushing inland for Ur and Caranbad is regarded as one of the more challenging parts of the campaign. Due to the disadvantage with Movement points, distance of settlements and the ability of the Harad Ai to summon stacks out of nowhere. You will often find that Supply moral penalties and wounds your General (if you choose to have one) picks up quickly lowers the efficiency of your stacks. Until the point in which the stack is reduced to a captain commander and is quickly outmatched by the Ai commander bonus's. Holding settlements past the coast and Harandor is tough even on the easier difficulty settings and it's highly recommended that you leave the Harad required settlements for a last turn push.
Due to the aim of the campaign you should only experience loose skirmish's with Dunland unless you choose to extensively develop your western front and make a serious attempt at pushing northwards towards Isen. You will probably encounter Rohan in your quest for 35 regions. The culture similarity makes holding settlements a lot easier then Harad or Provinces on the outskirts. Your unit roster features highly defensive units which help when facing Rohan stacks. Rhun shouldn't present too much of a problem unless you choose to expand heavily into Adunabar's provinces and end up sharing a border. Similar to Harad in numbers the very lightly armoured stacks the Ai tends to send your way are easier to deal with the mixed armoured Haradian forces but they possess a higher attack and slightly higher numbers overall which can be an issue if your relying on less then top tier soldiers and survivability becomes an issue.
Starting Settlements
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
From the above screenshots the starting positions is very strong. One of the Campaign objectives within capturable distance and a nearby settlement which will feature heavily in the development of some of your strongest generals due to the Elf Gardens and providing you with another set of recruitible bodyguards from Emyn Arnen. However without the use of Blitz tactics the battle for Mordor is challenging and enjoyable if you let it play out properly. In the end it's an easy battle for a skilled human player to overcome the initial challenges of facing similar level troops due to the AI's development of Adunabar's more unique troop tree. Once this starts the difference in your troops compared to their's becomes a cakewalk until you encounter some of their outer settlements which return to the starting troop roster.
The first screenshot shows the production centre for the majority of your armed forces and naval assets throughout the campaign. Once you have established a foothold in this region. Minas Tirith, Minas Ithil and Emyn Arnen can all produce high tier troops at almost nonstop thanks to their high populations; even if you choose to exterminate the regions do feature a high population growth. Expect fairly regular attacks from the south once Harad takes the regions south of Emyn Arnen, even with a strong garrison and forts Harad will consistently push north. Unless a very strong and dedicated force is invested into the south retaliation will be ineffective in the long run.
The second screenshot shows the Economic centre out of these five provinces you can expect only Linhr to be attacked via Harad naval drop and even then you can muster all the garrisons from Calembel, Ethring, Tarnost without too much trouble to make a suitable counter attack on the next turn. Mines are available in Dol Amroth and two of the factions harder to get units, Blackroot Vale Archers and Lossamach Axemen feature in Calembel and Arnach respectively.
The third area represents the oft ignored Western Front. These regions feature long distances between each other and some serious time and investment to get anything but Gondor Militia to be stationed here. Expect to lose Thoronburg. It always happens, unless you’re really REALLY trying and even then, time taken to sent settlers from Minas Tirith to Thoronburg just really isn't worth effort at the end of the day. However these provinces are reasonably fertile and can provide a good resting point for a foray into the Dunland provinces. Once you've re-captured it of course.
Unit Roster
Unlike other guides whch talk you through ALL the units. I'm going to ignore that format and talk about the units you will be using. Most likely at least. These units are going to feature in your armies. Dont lie and tell me i'm wrong. You know it, I know it. Re-United Kingdom is VERY predictable when it comes to making her armies.
Guards of the Citadel
Unlike the majority of non body guard units these and Kings Horsemen take two turns to train. The investment however is worth it. Considering the high level of morale that most Re-United units have the fact they carry a royal banner that not only boosts their own morale but the units around them as well. Make them a vital part of any stack your sending South or East in the late to mid game, where numbers and terror units, Harad and Adunabar respectively gives these units more use then they have the early game which is their use as shock troops. The highest starting defence value of the infantry at your disposal, note that its a combination of all three. These units also spawn with starting chevrons and armour and weapon upgrades at the games start. Which is convenient since they are also trainable from the start and right on your main battlefront.
Obviously unit size and cost, especially early game combined with the time needed to train these sick puppies means that their use is severely limited, especially in the early stages on high difficulties where you'll be hard pressed to find men alone to push your stacks. However these are strong central front line troops and are almost impossible to break. Even on a bad day for you. Expect these units to fight to last man and rack up insane kills along the way.
Kings Horsemen
The second non bodyguard unit that takes twice as long as the rest of your army to train. When compared to the alternative, Gondorian Horsemen the attack difference is one, better class of weapons and a 7 point charge difference. The real difference that makes the King's Horsemen so powerful especially in the later games is that they inflict Terror. Combined with a high defence and reasonable speed you have the perfect hammer for your Gondorian anvil. Considering that infantry get a bit edgy when fighting horses, if you have an intimidating horse flank charging that they can't kill. It's a fairly safe bet that they'll suffer a large moral penalty. Even on a high morale boosted general.
However like the Guards of the Citedel these units fall to the same pitfalls with regards to use in the early game. They cost just under twice as much as their counterparts, which can fulfil a similar purpose, for cheaper and fast training rate. They also have a slightly smaller unit size. So it's up to the player’s discretion whether to invest in a lot of these for campaign use.
Men at Arms
The first half of any Mid to Late game Reunited Kingdom battle line. These units are the strongest conventional and easily found units in the troop listing. Like all the infantry barring Gondor Militia they possess the ability of the shield wall. High Morale, high attack and a defence value higher than the Kings Horsemen. Unlike the Guards of the Citadel they do not possess the all important royal banner which means that they can break. True shame really. Featuring better armour and weapon quality then their alternatives Gondorian Swordsmen they also have a MUCH stronger charge. Well according the unit sheet they do. The difference is only one. Their bonus in armour comes from the shield and their own armour value which gives them increased survivability against arrows meaning they are useful against Harad armies out of principle, whereas the Gondorian Swordsmen would feature better against Adunabar, due to cost, and lack of any serious danger early on.
There is no real downside to the Men at Arm's especially when compared to the High End infantry option. They have a higher attack at the cost of 2 defence and a royal banner higher unit size means you'll should be using these units more than the Guards of the Citadel out of principle, please they are cheaper to re-train. It's clear why these units are staples.
Kings Spearmen
The second half of your battle line. Comparable stats to the Men at Arms while featuring a reduced attack and spears. Cheaper than the Men at Arms and other high end units these are going to be the most common unit you'll be seeing. The high armour values of all the Re-United Kingdoms's units and the high shield values means that you really don't need much disparity in unit choices. This is a good thing, most often you'll find a half stack of Kings Spearmen can hold off and seriously damage any Harad incursion, provided there is a decent morale General leading them. A good garrison unit due to cost and defensive stats. Used in a similar role to the Men at Arm's front line and marching forward. The downsides are that they feature a lesser class of weapons to all of the above troops which limits their effectiveness and upgrades if you’re pushing for gold/gold in campaign. In custom battles and multiplayer you'll find that you'll be sidelining these troops for the more offensive troops.
Gondorian Swordsmen
The alternative to the Men at Arms. Probably one of the more garrison and cannon fodder units in the list. While they possess a slightly lower defence then the Kings Spearmen they do still manage to possess a higher attack which means they are indeed useful. Especially early game where cost plays a strong part. You may see use in these units once you have pushed past Mordor and you’re looking for cheap crowd control against the bordering Adunabar and Rhunite settlements. Provided there is archer and Cavalry support this unit is a strong cheap front line unit and in a pinch should be used as a flanking force if you don't have spare Men at Arm's spare.
Gondorian Horsemen
Gondorian Swordsmen on horses! I'm serious; barring the attack and charge stats they are pretty much identical. The only real use for these unfortunately is if you don’t have a General that isn't White Company around. Whilst they'll probably see use again Rhun and Dunland where the armour isn't that thick, the roles of these horses are better suited for the more heavily armoured and easily findable Kings Guard.
Kings Longbowmen
The staple and archery unit that is used from the word go. Due to their starting availability on the front line and close settlements you never get to really enjoy the progression through archers that you do in the Vanilla game of Rome with Gondor. Kings Longbowmen are cheap, effective, numerous and feature the second strongest missile attack that you can find in the Campaign that you can train. Obviously the Speshul Elves and White Company feature as the better and in Custom Battles you'll find the Elf roster suiting to your archery needs. Still you can pump these units out with relative ease and they'll never really become redundant. Even the Rangers of Ithilen don't pack as much of a punch with a bow.
Kings Guard
Naturally the best units in the Gondor line-up belong to your non trained bodyguard units. These units feature the best defence, they have a royal banner a strong charge bonus an attack almost as high as the Men at Arms and they scare Infantry like the Kings Horsemen. Naturally these fill in the same role as the Kings Horsemen, but so much more. Play them like a normal Roman General and you shouldn't have too much of a problem. Just be careful fighting Harad with Mumakil. Horses and Elephants do not get along in this game and it's the fastest way to watch your carefully loved General go flying across a map. It's happened to me. I'm not going to lie.
Unit's of Mention
No pictures here. But I will summarise some of the units that I feel really can add to your game experience.
Gondor Militia AKA Hero's of the Western Front
I'm not even joking either. I can't get ENOUGH of these guys. Better than anything Dunland can throw at them one on one with a General supporting them. Dirt cheap and with surprising stats. They feature the same attack as a Kings spearman, similar armour and more numerous. The only downside is that they have the WORST morale of the professional armies you can muster. But that’s not an issue when your cutting you way through hoards of Dunland armies hoping to hold your Western Front. It'll be a love hate affair; they'll save you when you need it. Then roll over the next time you need them. I only really feature these on the western front. Where they are the only alternative to nothing. They are not as useful elsewhere, due to Harad and Adunabar having similar statted armies and better morale. But these guys deserve a mention. Because they are awesome. Everyone admits it.
Lossamach Axemen
Gondors strongest infantry at the cost of having the least conventional armour rating of the melee ground forces. Archers excluded. Aside from that crippling downside, these guys are armour piercing, have good morale, cheap, come in decent numbers and are fast. What’s not to like about these units?
Except for the simple piece of knowledge that they are the second hardest Re-United Kingdom unit find to find. By the time you do get them, unless you invest early on. The use has past. They are trainable just far away from the front line that they aren’t worth the march and effort marching them. But knowing that you've unlocked that part of the game makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. The real use is in Custom and Multiplayer battles, where they slot into the flank assault roles perfectly, allowing you to keep your Men at Arms in the centre hacking away.
Hints and Tips
Don't bother fighting Harad for Sea Control. You'll never win. You might win one or two key battles. But you'll always lose in the end. Focussing resources on the Naval battle will leave the more important east front undermanned.
You will lose Thoronburg. Just accept it.
The traits and ancillaries available to the Re-United Kingdom may seem somewhat bland and self explanatory on the surface, but if you’re willing to look and put people where they are meant to be. Nice things might happen.
Rangers are not what they are in the movies.No I'm being slightly serious. Kings Longbowmen are better archers and as an Infantry role they lack the armour and survivability to make it to the front line. Meaning they are a hybrid which is useful occasionally. I have yet to think of an example. Feel free to Pm me when you find a use for Rangers and Archers of Ithlien. Please do. I will credit you as awesome.
Rohan isn't as hard as you think. But that’s not an excuse to find out what nasty surprises fighting a bunch of Horsemen can do to your perfectly aligned battle lines.
Those Elves are worth keeping, purely to throw them against a Mumakil Unit, don’t worry the Elves will win!
Speaking of Mumakil...Auto-resolve is your best friend here...
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Originally Posted by StealthEvo
