Rate the difficulty of each faction

[DrDragun]

Here my ratings so far!

* Harad (safe start, strong economy)
** High Elves (safe start, strong units))
** Rhun (strong economy)
** Rohan (strong economy, strong units)
** Silvan Elves (strong units)
*** Dwarves (strong units, moderate economy, safe start with diplomacy managemnt)
*** Mordor (one-front start, Harad will help if you fail)
*** Orcs of Gundabad (safe start)
*** Free People of Eriador (soft units, small settlements, two-front war)
**** Dale (fighting OP Rhun)
**** Isengard (surrounded by hostiles)
***** Gondor (2v1 plus invasions)
***** Orcs of the Misty Mountains (weak units, two-front war)

[ppetrus]

1. Harad, High Elves
2. Rhun, Silvan Elves
3. Gondor
4. Rohan, FPoE
5. Mordor, Dwarves
6. Dale, Isengard, OoG
7. OotMM

[DrDragun]

Interesting that you found Gondor to be lower-mid level difficulty. What is your strategy with Gondor? Do you raid and ravage Harad while turtling? To me this was not a normal strategy that I would think of.

[ppetrus]

Interesting that you found Gondor to be lower-mid level difficulty. What is your strategy with Gondor? Do you raid and ravage Harad while turtling? To me this was not a normal strategy that I would think of.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The only hard thing about Gondor is that they do not get elite units soon, and what they eventually get is not of the top shelf: Swan Knights and Fountain Guards, while quite good, still can be owned by similar units of other nations, only Ithilien Rangers are excellent and easy to get.

You have all the Harad's attention and 3/4 of Mordor's, that is right but they can be easily countered. Blitzing Ithilien gives you the PERFECT defending position at the ford. You can keep huge forces for free in Henneth Annun and Cair Andros and bring them to the ford if enemy appears (a watchtower near Malgalad can work miracles). In the same time hunt orcs coming from Minas Morgul and siege it, when it will be most vulnerable. Turtle there, or take Cirith Ungol. Meanwhile, Imrahil in Harondor can take smaller settlements and chase smaller Harad stacks. Not allowing them to unite into a single army is the key. Imrahil with 2 bodyguard units can easily take out 5-7 unit stacks. In case of larger/more often battles, you can have plenty of militias which can be easily delivered by land or even more easily by sea (Gondor's cavalry, sword and archer militias in every combination are really superb and versatile killing force). Reaching Gobel Ancalimon (hopefully around turn 15th) cripples Harad really bad. Sending one of the brothers (leaving the other one at the ford) down through Ithilien to Amrun almost ends the threat. It is not a bad idea to turtle a little at Cirith Ungol but properly reinforced army can also lure Barad Dur's garrison out and blitz it.

I have done like that in my last Gondor campaign, eliminated Harad before turn 40, and left Mordor only with Malgalad, Thoronburg and Dol Guldur before turn 50 (not seeing a single battle with Gondor's professional units). I had more trouble playing FPoE due to their inferior units and much more trouble with Dale, probably because their bodyguards are more elegant but much less effective.

[Gallus]

1. Rhun, Harad, High Elves
2. Silvan Elves, Mordor
3. Dwarves, Rohan, Eriador
4. OoG, OotMM
5. Isengard, Gondor, Dale

[LuckyPistol]

1. Rhun, High Elves, Eriador (No Arnor),
2. Eriador (Trying to get Arnor),Rohan, Harad, Mordor, Silvan Elves, Arnor
3. Dwarves
4. Gondor, OoG
5. Dale, OotMM

[StealthFox]

There have been quite a few threads recently on the easiest, hardest, and best faction to play with. So, I'm closing this.

Closed.