How to beat the Balrog of Moria?

[a-woowie.doowie]

Hi, I've recently started playing TATW, and I've come across a major problem - the Balrog. After a long struggle against multiple armies controlled by the Orcs of Misty Mountains(OMM from now on), I was able to besiege Moria, which is their last remaining settlement that's not east of the mountain chain. Since I was besieging it, a garrison script jumped into play. Now I'm afraid that my little army will be mashed to pieces since the stats of that balrog aren't exactly enemy-friendly. I need a strategy to kill him - any suggestions?

Another question; if I were to abandon the siege and retreat to return another time with a stronger army, will the balrog be able to leave the settlement of Moria? Because if so, then I believe I'll have lots of trouble taking him down.

[AragornElessar]

The best thing you can do is Balistas catapults javaliners and such soldiers and if you have many archers fire at the goblins not the balrog

[a-woowie.doowie]

The best thing you can do is Balistas catapults javaliners and such soldiers and if you have many archers fire at the goblins not the balrog

Yes I sure do have alot of archers, but there are so many goblins together with the script that I'm afraid that the armies were balanced without the balrog - he pushes the odds in their favour rather nicely.

Just make a full stack army, but if you can put ballista or catapult in it.
In the siege the Balrog are placed on the wall above the gate so you can easy kill them with cata/ballista

On the wall? You're serious?

[sanderman2]

Just make a full stack army, but if you can put ballista or catapult in it.
In the siege the Balrog are placed on the wall above the gate so you can easy kill them with cata/ballista

[AragornElessar]

Yes Sanderman is right the Balrog us heavy inf as trolls are and trolls are on wals so it can be true

[sanderman2]

It's true because I've seen it in my campaign once.

[Minas Moth]

In the siege the Balrog are placed on the wall above the gate so you can easy kill them with cata/ballista

but that will work only if Balrog is on the wall... in my campaign it rushed threw the doors and destroyed my armies completly, so you have to watch out. however tip with ballistas and satapults is a good one, as long as the balrog doesn't reach them. the best thing would be to have maybe an army (not a full stack) and enter the battle with only objective being this: KILL THE BALROG! you will lose the battle but you will defeat the Balrog. then you bring your exoperienced army and smash rest of the goblins...

[Yarrum]

If you've got a large enough besieging army that they wont sally out to attack you, keep them under siege to decrease their numbers. The balrog wont do too much damage if there's only three units in its battalion.

[Kamos]

I just took the city and held the center while the Balrog was outside destroying my army. Captured all the gates to get inside and neutralized any orcs still inside.

[Russian Gondor]

Use Ballista and attack Moria early around turn 20, you never need to lay siege.

[a-woowie.doowie]

Ehhm, I played a little bit, and this is what happened.

1st: I retreated with my little army because they would've been squashed like bugs. If I havn't mentioned it in this thread(then I've mentioned it in another thread), but I had an army in the region west of Moria aswell(the one sieging came from the settlement north of Moria. This one in the west is stronger and it's my main one, though I previously couldn't attack Moria with it since it was under constant siege from the stacks of Moria. Which acutally was the whole reason of me sending that little army from the north to Moria since I figured that their armies were not able to get there in time if I would lay siege(I had a spy in the settlement so I knew that the garrison stationed in Moria was weaker than my little army).
2nd: I buffed up the other army with ballistas so that I could take care of the balrog.
3rd: I got scared as hell since I pretty much lost track of the balrog(it has left the settlement and is not in the Moria-region, so technically I have a balrog on the run.
4th: I took Moria and it was probably the longest battle I've played yet since my infantry consisted of 'Bree-land militia' and they aren't exactly killers. Having to face up against those heavy goblin pikemen at the city-chokepoint(almost at the rally-point under the in-castle "bridge"). That fight went on for like 20 minutes before I was able to move on to the rally-point where the bulk of their army was. Meanwhile the long fight was going on - I had my archers(8 units) in a missle fight with their archers and artillery(1 cata, 1 ballista) which I eventually won since I breached the damn "bridge". All in all - that was a 45 min fight. -.-

Anyone knows where the balrog might have run off to? Perhaps he gets auto-disbanded if the siege comes to an end? Any answers? Because I really wish that I won't have to fight this balrog somewhere.

[Minas Moth]

Anyone knows where the balrog might have run off to? Perhaps he gets auto-disbanded if the siege comes to an end? Any answers? Because I really wish that I won't have to fight this balrog somewhere.

this did happen to me when playing with HE. i lost from Balrog and then he and the army left the settelment. I followed him with spy (to make sure that he doesn't attack some of my settelments)... after few turns i forgot about him, he didn't appear anywhere. actually, entire army vanished... i believe that since it is scripted after a while AI losses necessary upkeep for those units and they are enrirely dissbanded. not sure about this, but i'm sure that Balrog will disappear afer a while... Tough in my case it could have been that SE killed him, but i can't be sure.

[a-woowie.doowie]

this did happen to me when playing with HE. i lost from Balrog and then he and the army left the settelment. I followed him with spy (to make sure that he doesn't attack some of my settelments)... after few turns i forgot about him, he didn't appear anywhere. actually, entire army vanished... i believe that since it is scripted after a while AI losses necessary upkeep for those units and they are enrirely dissbanded. not sure about this, but i'm sure that Balrog will disappear afer a while... Tough in my case it could have been that SE killed him, but i can't be sure.

After I made some further exploring, I noticed that one army from Moria had taken Lothlorien(which is now under my control and the OMM have been vanquished), though the balrog wasn't in that army either. I also believe it's as you say; that the balrog probably dissapears after a while, however the regular units spawned by the script should also dissapear, shouldn't they? I mean unless OMM had an army there all along(which I quite frankly doubt since it belonged to SE untill the event of my siege), then the regular goblin-army survived the mysterical dissapearence of the balrog.

Could it be like this perhaps?; Once the balrog steps out of the Moria region - it's automatically disbanded? Just a guess, because I find it unlikely that the AI keeps armies in other regions just sitting there while their capital is being besieged.

[Minas Moth]

Could it be like this perhaps?; Once the balrog steps out of the Moria region - it's automatically disbanded? Just a guess, because I find it unlikely that the AI keeps armies in other regions just sitting there while their capital is being besieged.

it could be like this... why not, it seems that Balrog is meant to be disbanded sfter some time... this all relys on funds that AI recieves for upkeep of those spawned units, or on the script itsself (in any case Balrog disappears and there is no more worry...)

[Iquabakaner]

I would besiege Moria with a full stack then starve the Balrogs to death.
By the time when they sally forth only one Balrog is left

[Jean=A=Luc]

You're not supposed to beat it. Just DON'T LET IT PASS!!!

[Iquabakaner]

You're not supposed to beat it. Just DON'T LET IT PASS!!!

Have Gandalf lead the army!

[Muffer Nl]

auto_win attacker

Well basically you need to hit it with the strongest armour piercing weapon you have and masses of siege weapons,

[Vifarc]

Some 10 turns after releasing the balrog, I spot it near Imladris, it has just cross the bridge going to smash the city (playing with huge units they are still 10 in the unit, and didn't gain experience).

[Beregond]

I was lucky, I really wanted to test Balrog against my Dwarven army with 4 Dragonslayers stacks (I think the dragons are not much weaker), but Moria garrison was already full when I besieged it