FATW: Dominion of Men Faction and Gameplay Guides

[athanaric]

These are inofficial guides that I thought would be helpful. Much of what is written in them has also occurred to other people, and if there's any further tips or tricks, feel free to add them. I'll be uploading them one by one, but some factions like North Rhûn and Adûnabâr should perhaps be described by other people (those who actually play them).


General pointers

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When developing your provinces or preparing for conquest, examine them carefully (especially in early campaign, when you need money) so as to get the best deal out of them.

Things to look out for:

Fertility. Provinces in FATW vary greatly in terms of fertility. Check the description of farming upgrades in the building browser of your province to see how much revenue and population growth they provide. Try to develop the most fertile ones first (usually they‘re found near major rivers). Some provinces have no farming at all.

Trade income. Trade income is determined by the number of surrounding provinces and by the nature of the tradeable goods found in your province or the neighbouring ones. If the goods are identical between two provinces (say, both have timber and fish), the amount of trade, and revenue from it, will be low. Luxury items such as gold or pipeweed generate more trade income. Provinces capable of building a port also tend to have lucrative trade income. This will help you decide whether a Financial policy is worth implementing.

Strategic resources. Some resources are very important to your campaign, as securing them and developing a local industry around them can boost your income, facilitate construction, or even enable certain upgrades, units, or buildings. Here‘s a list:
Timber – carpentry industries make construction cheaper. In coastal provinces, the presence of the timber resource will allow the implementation of naval ports and hence the construction of advanced warships.
Stone – the quarry resource indicates the presence of quality stones. The stonemason industry makes construction cheaper, even more so than carpentry.
Iron – the metalsmith industry makes construction faster (especially for Dwarves). It also confers a bonus to armour value (except Dwarves), and has an influence on the effects of Harad‘s Iron Foundry.
Mithril (Dwarves only, in Moria) – Mithril mines are necessary for the Dwarven armour upgrade.
Fish – tier 2 industry improves public health.
Livestock – tier 2 industry provides an armour bonus. Required resource for Dunland‘s Sheep Trader DB and Rhûn‘s Cattle Trader DB.
Horses – required for Rohan‘s Horsemaster‘s Stables DB. Also required for a number of heavy cavalry units across many factions (see below).
Wild Animals – shares industry with livestock. Also has an effect on Dunland‘s Hunting Parties DB.
Wine – tier 2 industry improves happiness.
Incense – tier 2 industry improve public health.
Pipeweed – significantly increases trade income. Tier 2 industry improves happiness.
Gold, Silver, Mithril – significantly increases trade income. Tier 2 industry requires Financial or Open policy.
Precious Stones – significantly increases trade income. Tier 2 industry requires Financial or Open policy.
Ivory – required for Harad's Mûmakil Training Grounds DB.

Situation. Some settlements are very open to attack, while others are in secure locations. Also keep in mind which settlements might be in the way of an expanding ally – taking them might provoke your ally to attack you. This is a bit of a no-brainer, but it is worth mentioning because in this mod, it plays a greater role than elsewhere.

Recruitment. Some provinces offer a more powerful roster than others, or even unique units. Keep this in mind when deciding whether to implement a Military policy.

Units that require special resources
Asterisk(*) denotes units that may alternatively be recruited via SBs, or in certain provinces. Some other units also require an SB in addition to the relevant Resource.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Horses

Shadowriders
Riders of Dale*
Shadowriders
Elvellyn Riders
Scarlet Shields
Shadowriders
Dragonshield Riders
Horse-archers of Khand
King's Horsemen*
Rhovanion Marchwardens*
Riders of Rhûn
War Wains
Shadowriders
Horse-archers of Khand
Riddermark Bowmen
Riddermark Spears

Ivory

Mûmakil

Examples

Emyn Muil (Lathron) has very poor trade (despite the presence of the Portage Way and the Argonath), no resources, and no farming. It does, however, offer a very decent selection of units for several factions. It is a prime candidate for either Military or Administrative policy.

Dor-en-Ernil (Tarnost) offers great trade, has silver mines, and a port. It also has a good unit roster. However, any units available here can also be trained in the nearby province of Belfalas (Dol Amroth). Also, it doesn‘t have the opportunity of constructing a naval port, and its tier 2 and 3 commercial port as well as the tier 2 goldsmith industry and the Royal Mint (or Terracing) development building need the Financial policy. Hence, you‘re better off with implementing a Financial policy here.

Reunited Kingdom

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The RK is perhaps the “default faction” of this game. It has a cool faction colour, a great tech tree, and a powerful roster. You get to play as the rightful heirs of Elendil's line (and the descendants of Aragorn and Arwen) and defend the true faith against the infidel heretics of the Shia... err I mean Shadow Cult. Ahem. Anyway...


Starting out

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Consolidation
At the beginning of the campaign, you start with two disjointed territories. This will likely remain the case throughout the campaign, unless you murder your allies or you lose the north. Gondor in the south is a large territory comprised of many provinces and secured by natural borders. Up north, the situation is much more dicey, as you only have three rather under-developed provinces (one of which is a fort) surrounded by Adunabar's land.

However, public order is amazingly not a big problem. Move the capital from Minas Anor to Mornan for optimal income and public order. Your main problems are lack of funds and lack of manpower.
- Crank up tax rates to the maximum (without causing population drops or unrest, of course). However, as soon as you can afford it, cut taxes again in places with low population or heavy recruitment strain, particularly in the North.
- Check the building options. Your priorities should be farming and mines, then commercial ports (particularly in Tarnost!), to avoid getting into the red. You'll also need the mines to establish construction industries in MA, Annúminas, and Calembel (and, optionally, in Calenhad, though I wouldn't recommend it as the silversmith industry there is more profitable). Several Gondorian provinces are more fertile than average and thus should be developed first – check the projected land tax income and pop growth on the building description.
- Your main economic centres will be MA, Tarnost, Calenhad, and Bree, while Dol Amroth, Linhir, Mornan, and Emyn Arnen (and Threeways, when/if you get to conquer it) are also important. If you're building mines on the first turn, check where they are most profitable.
[- There are two enemy assassins in your southern fiefs, one for each of your rival factions. You should recruit a spy in Dol Amroth on the first turn and move him to Linhir ASAP, or wherever the assassin(s) strike(s). The Adunabar guy is a pain in the arse, as he's absurdly powerful and will crash your economy by sabotaging the government buildings. Once you've located him with the spy, use nine military units and/or terrain features to surround and squash him (it's a little known, but hilarious trick in RTW). If he's on the bridge at Linhir, you'll need even less than nine units. This works better than training a counter-assassin, who would likely fail anyway. There's also a Haradrian assassin somewhere around there. If you spot him with the spy, rinse and repeat.] - Not necessary anymore in the full release.

Going on the offensive
Gather your eastern armies around MA on the first turn and march a large enough force on Anórien (Calenhad) ASAP. Taking that province will mean one less front to watch, and an upsurge in income, as it is very fertile and has a quarry and silver deposits. Then, you should focus your attention on defeating the remaining Adunabar forces around MA and possibly taking North Ithilien (Minas Ithil) and/or South Ithilien (Emyn Arnen). There are pros and cons to that, as Emyn Arnen is situated awkwardly below a hill and its province borders Harondor, which can mean a land border with Harad sooner than you would like. MI, meanwhile, has to be developed very slowly and expensively. On the plus side, taking one or both of those provinces will weaken your rival considerably and may even prompt them to ask for a ceasefire (which you should agree to, in exchange for some cash and maybe map information). S Ithilien is also very fertile (more so than any other province, except the Pelennor) and fairly developed.

Watch out for corsair invasions around Dol Amroth. Keep a sizeable garrison (3-5 units, including archers. with a general) in that city.

Long-term Strategy

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The main threat to your empire will usually be your two rivals, Adûnabâr and Harad.

The first one you have no choice but to confront (see above). If you push them hard enough initially, they'll give you peace for a while.
The latter is more distant geographically. Nonetheless, you should always keep a close eye on Harad's doings, regardless of your intended direction of expansion. If you don't, then you might find your campaign becoming a boring slugfest of fending off several red full stacks every turn.
Here's what you should do:
1) destroy their navy. This is annoying as Harad spawns new ships every turn, but it will lessen the risk of naval invasions or blockades, and it will keep Harad from retaliating against Harondor.
2) support their rivals. Try to get on friendly terms with Harondor. Leave the island of Tolfalas alone – Harondor will always try to take it (of course, when/if Harondor is defeated, you should take that province as well). If necessary, support Harondor with troops.
3) watch what Harad is doing with Far Harad and Khand. If Harad expands in that direction, or even defeats one or both of those factions, it'll be bad news for you.
4) if Harad becomes too powerful, systematically raid their coasts. You may even want to establish a base in Umbar and conquer the surrounding provinces eventually. Umbar can serve as a naval base and you can re-train all three Southron mercenary types here (it also has the metalsmith industry, which will speed up local construction and upgrade armour).

Also, try to avoid war with Rohan at all costs. Don't block their expansion routes – don't take Mid-deeping (it's not worth the effort, anyway) or any part of the Gap of Rohan (Dol Baran, Isenmarch, Dunchrioch). If Rohan decides to take Old Púkel-land and Andrast from Dunland or the rebels, let them. Those are not rich provinces, nor are they needed for your campaign victory. Taking Calenhad is OK though, as Rohan won't attack you for that.
On a similar note, try to stay away from Dale.
Keep in mind that Elves and Dwarves can't attack your settlements, but they will attack your armies if you linger in their provinces. Thus, when you need to move through their territories, proceed with great caution (use spies!). A border with those faction is a secure border. Therefore you should consider taking Rivendell relatively early on as you expand in Arnor, and then giving it to the Elves as a gift, along with some money (10000 mirian or more – or use force diplomacy). There's nothing really there of interest to your faction. Assuming it hasn't been converted into human lands, the Elves will make sure nobody can pass from Hollin through it to attack you from that direction.

Choosing development options

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As you can see, CD buildings are tied to specific policies. As a rule, the military ones cost a lot of upkeep in land tax, the administrative ones half as much, and the economic ones usually nothing. If you built GoW everywhere, it could ruin your finances.

I've found that the go-to “standard” development is Terracing – while the bonus to population growth it provides is rather modest, it has no upkeep and this faction can really need that bonus. It's also available everywhere except in military provinces. There's a catch, though – some provinces, such as Emyn Muil and Tolfalas, have no farming. Don't bother with Terracing in those places, as it'll do nothing.
In the North, the Ranger Holds are a serious contender – in exchange for some upkeep, you get a great unit and small bonuses to trade and law. They're also independent of policy. However, don't expect a positive net income from them.
In provinces with a large trade volume, the Royal Mint might be worth erecting. It provides a good trade bonus while requiring no upkeep. It's thus the best option for boosting income.
The Guild of Weaponsmiths upgrades armour. It is best to build it only in a few cities, preferably in strategic locations. I've found it most convenient to build it in places where you can get cumulative armour upgrades due to a combination with tier 2 Metalsmith or Tanneries and Woolmakers industries, for example Minas Tirith, Annúminas, Umbar, or Threeways.
Another military option are the Eorling Horse Traders. They upgrade your cavalry and enable King's Horsemen in Gondor. The downside is that they (the Horse Traders) are only available in Gondor and that again, their upkeep is high.
The Venturer's Guild is the last military development option. It requires a Naval Haven and allows you to upgrade Mariners and recruit Alcarondas Venturer, your heaviest warships. It also provides a small boost to trade income, though the high upkeep means it does not pay for itself.
The King's Court, being a speciality of the administrative tier, significantly improves public order and curbs corruption. It also allows you to recruit King's Spearmen even in outlying territories. Hence, it is largely superfluous in your core provinces, and best for outlying regions with low trade income and potential public order issues, and wherever you feel it's lore-appropriate. The catch is that you can't build it in most chief cities.

Units and tactics

Overview

Looking at the RK's unit roster, there's some general characteristics that should immediately catch your attention:
- your units tend to be rather small in terms of size, especially cavalry,
- they tend to have powerful stats, particularly in terms of armour, but also morale, arrow range etc., and
- with the exception of the Grey Company (a rare bodyguard unit), all of your missile units are foot archers or siege engines. That means no regular horse-archers or javelineers.


This makes your roster the most Dwarf- (or Elf-) like of the human factions. You'll have to adjust your battlefield tactics accordingly.


Units

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Knights of the White Tree
The default bodyguard unit of the Reunited Kingdom. They are typical heavy lancers, equipped with lance, sword, and shield. They are also one of the heaviest-armoured human units in the game. Well able to go toe-to-toe with most, if not all human bodyguard units (and in fact defeat most of them), this unit has no weakness except perhaps a slight lack of stamina and speed.

Kingdom Militia
The basic spearman unit. True to the faction's image, it's tougher than most of its equivalents in other factions, yet still possesses a reasonably large unit size. They'll be able to function as main force in your army (unless you're planning on using high tier units only), so long as you don't expect miracles from them. They're also the standard garrison unit, although in well-protected provinces in the interior, it might be wise to replace them with archers in order to save upkeep.

Bowmen of Gondor
Reliable low-to-mid-tier archers, decently armoured but with small unit size. Another staple unit, and useful as garrison troops due to relatively low upkeep.

Eriador Hunters
In Arnor, you can't train Bowmen of Gondor, so you'll get these instead. The downside is that they're poorly armoured and not much use in melee. However, their unit size is decent by faction standards, their range is pretty good, and they are incredibly cheap to maintain, making them perfect garrison troops.
There's also a mercenary version, which is slightly inferior on all those accounts, but still useful. You'll probably need to rely a lot on those mercenaries in early campaign, in order to not deplete your population. Later on, you can phase out most of them and replace them with the regular version.

King's Swordsmen
The standard mid-tier general purpose melee unit. They're a solid unit without special quirks or abilities.

Gondorian Horsemen
These are mid-tier cavalry, basically a mounted version of the aforementioned swordsmen. They are quite useful for engaging enemy missile units and can overpower most of those, as well as chase routers or charge enemies from behind. Take care though not to engage spearmen, lancers, or heavy cavalry one-on-one.

Eriador Riders
With the exception of Dol Amroth, Arnor generally has better cavalry than Gondor. These light/medium cavalrymen, though less armoured and not as suited for drawn-out melee situations, are more numerous per unit than Gondorian Horsemen, and they carry spears, which makes them a more traditional cavalry unit, and better suited for fighting enemy cavalry and charging anything in general. When campaigning in the North, you should always take one or two units of these with your army.

Mariners
This is a bit of an odd unit. They are medium swordsmen with naval ties – they are only available in cities with military ports and barracks, and they can swim (their real main role, fighting aboard ships, is not possible to recreate in TW games prior to ETW). The stabbing swords they carry are also treated as AP weapons, which considerably increases their odds against heavy units. They are best used for raiding coastal cities and assaulting walls. In battles at bridges or fords, they will also be very useful as, unlike other medium/heavy infantry, they can simply circumvent the choke point and attack the enemy from behind.

King's Longbowmen
The heaviest regular archers available to your faction, with great range, decent armour, and surprising tenacity in close combat. They shoot heavier arrows than your other archers, making them better suited for taking out trolls, oliphaunts, cavalry, and armoured troops. They're also the only ones capable of using flaming arrows to destroy siege equipment or sow panic.
The only downsides to this unit (apart from the high upkeep that comes with its elite status) are its small size and some vulnerability to missiles due to its lack of shields.

King's Spearmen
These are the standard heavy spearmen of your faction, and they should form the core of your battle line, especially when campaigning against missile- and cavalry-heavy factions. They're well-armoured and reliable and can stand up to most enemies, including infantry.

Men-at-Arms
Heavy swordsmen, and one of the strongest (and easiest to use) regular units in the game. They can stand beside the spearmen in the battle line or work as flanking troops, and are also great for assaulting walls.

King's Horsemen
These are basically a heavier version of the Gondorian Horsemen. They are useful for brute force attacks, particularly against missile troops of all kinds, or charging in the rear of any enemy units.

Blackroot Vale Bowmen
These are the longest-ranged archers available to your faction, and this in combination with larger (but still not large) unit size and arrow supply compared to King's Longbowmen makes them great for defending settlements or decimating large numbers of foes.

Lossarnach Axemen
Another specialist unit available in only one region. Where the BVB are an asset, the axemen are almost a necessity, as they are anti-armour specialists and particularly suited for bringing down heavy infantry and cavalry alike. Very useful, especially against Adunabar. Just make sure to keep them away from missiles.

Rangers of Ithilien
Rangers of both kinds fill a gap in the RK's unit line-up, namely that of ambush specialists, being able to hide easily in many environments, especially woodland. They are good bowmen, although missile exchanges should be avoided due to small unit size and vulnerability. They are also decent at close combat, particularly when being able to unexpectedly flank enemy units and charge in with their swords. Like Mariners, rangers of both kinds can also swim and surprise an enemy entrenched in a seemingly unassailable position.

Rangers of the North
These are very similar to their brethren from Ithilien, but are even better in close combat.

Dol Amroth Men-at-Arms
The only heavy lancers you can recruit that aren't bodyguards. They can take on the best enemy cavalry units and also make great chargers. The downside (apart from their small AoR encompassing only two provinces) is their small unit size.

Guards of the Citadel
A slow, but incredibly tough infantry unit capable of taking on anything in close combat, they can inflict casualties even on trolls or Mûmakil (and probably on Elves and Dwarves too, should the necessity arise. Hey, not judging...). They are technically spearmen, but also effective against armour.

White Company
A bodyguard version of the rangers, with even better stats (particularly armour) but generally retaining the same strengths and weaknesses. Good at ambushing, archery, and close combat, but vulnerable to cavalry charges.

Grey Company
In essence, a mounted version of the White Company. Being mounted archers, they are something of an oddity in this faction and tactically more in line with the fighting doctrines of Rohan, Khand, or Harad. The HA status also means shorter range than foot archers, though they can compensate for this by superior skirmishing capability.

Knights of Dol Amroth
This is the most powerful cavalry unit available to the RK (and potentially to any human faction). They are essentially the same as your regular bodyguards, with the added capabilities of frightening nearby enemies and piercing armour when charging.

City Ballistas
The low damage output and awful movement restrictions of this unit might tempt you to ask why you should use it in the first place. Well, it does in fact fill a vital role, particularly in Arnor where there are no catapults (good luck lugging catapults through Rohan and Dunland...).
Ballistas are the best units for taking out trolls, who are the biggest tactical threat in Arnor, particularly in cities without stone walls (as trolls can breach wooden walls and thus surprise weak garrisons that are not backed by reinforcements). They are also good for assaulting towns with wooden walls themselves, particularly when you need to destroy towers or snipe defending trolls. Logically, they are also good for sniping Mûmakil.

Citadel Catapults
Catapults (with regular, more accurate shots) make assaulting forts, or heavily defended cities, a great deal easier if you can't or don't want to wait for the defenders to sally or surrender.
They are also tremendously effective if using flaming missiles against densely packed troops, something you will appreciate when fighting Harad. If they hit home, they are also excellent at killing Mûmakil and trolls.


Important levies and mercenaries: see their respective sections.

–-

Dale

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Campaign

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Dale's starting position is very beginner friendly. It occupies several rich provinces (and a few poor ones) and shares most of its borders with the strictly non-expanding, but very vigilant Dwarves and Elves. The provinces south of Framsburg are held by the Beornings, the most peaceful of the human factions. Some of your other borders are secured by impassable mountains or forests. This means that your position is very secure. It is also possible (at least on the recommended campaign difficulty) to never get into a war with Dorwinion and Rhovanion. To the east, there are the Eastern Wildlands (Gaurgaul): North Rhûn will probably attack you first, and you may want to consider taking Gaurgaul (converting it to your alignment can prove tricky, but should be doable). Beyond that, North Rhûn is the first serious challenge you'll likely face.
Dale already starts with a stable economy. Focus on building up the carpentry industry in Heorth, and farming in Framsburg, Dale, Esgaroth, Burne, and Eodor (and ultimately, everywhere). Burne and Framsburg have increased fertility. Many of the important units and upgrades have to be unlocked via city development buildings, and some building upgrades depend on the terrain of the province in question, so knowing where to implement which policy is important. For instance, in regions with no big river (which you can tell by looking whether you can build longboat workshops), you can't build water mills, and thus should choose to invest in e.g. ploughs or the fireworks factory.

Strategy
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...1#post15207954

Building Tree

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Of all Northmen factions, Dale's economy and infrastructure are the most advanced. As with the military, the focus is on adaptability. In addition to getting to build any of the non-specific buildings the other Northmen get, Dale has a set of unique development options in the engineering tree, ranging from upgrades to public order, trade, and farming to the ability to recruit warships and crossbowmen.

Cannot build tier 3 ports, conventional naval ports, tier 2 mines, tier 3 healers, academies, despotic law, caravan camps, and courtyards.

3 specialization options (open, financial, military)
7 development options (2 general, 2 financial, 3 military)
(Emissary Headquarters; Levy Outposts, Toy Workshop, Trading Posts; Dwarven Armoury, Military Assimilation, Siege Workshop)
5 engineering options (Fireworks Factory, Longboat Workshop, Heavy Plough, Windmill, Crossbow Workshop)

Development options

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Dwarven Armoury (military; upkeep 20)
A pretty straightforward SB, identical in effect to Rohan's and RK's weaponsmith SBs. Upgrades armour +2. Where possible, this should be combined with tier 2 metalsmith or tannery industries (e.g. in Dale, Framsburg, Eodor, Ereb-gobel, or Oldford), as only the presence of both upgrade mechanisms in the same town will grant the full +3 armour bonus.

Emissary Headquarters (general; upkeep 10)
This one is the easiest SB, as it has the lowest requirements and is independent of policy. The drawback is that it's only available in chief cities. Being able to train level 3 emissaries is nice, but the most important effect of this building is the quicker (and cheaper) construction of provincial control buildings it enables.

Levy Outposts (general; upkeep 10)
This is another very useful SB. It has low requirements (tier 2 barracks, independent of policy) and typically offers two local low-to-mid-tier units that you wouldn't get otherwise. It's almost useless in Rhovanion and around Greenwood (and in Gondor, you can recruit better units of the same type from your regular barracks), but everywhere else, it lets you recruit units such as Axemen of Rhûn, Swords of Harad, Variag Riders, and even Rohan Riders.
It's also a great way of getting decent recruitment options in a settlement with financial policy.

Military Assimilation (military; upkeep 20)
This one lets you recruit high-tier Dalic units (Dale Longbowmen, Riders, Black Spears) in a foreign province. In “fiefdom” provinces, it'll even unlock access to Hearthmen.

Siege Workshop (military; upkeep 20)
Necessary for the construction of ballistas, which are helpful in sieges and against trolls. Also a requirement for the Crossbow Workshop.

Toy Workshop (financial; no upkeep)
Grants a small trade bonus and a bigger happiness bonus. This is the go-to SB in regions that are difficult to keep, and Dale's only public order focused SB.

Trading Posts (financial; no upkeep)
This is the most economically viable SB of this faction. The effect (+2 trade boost) is identical to similar SBs of various other factions. It is however only possible to construct this in provinces with major rivers.

Engineering

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Crossbow Workshop (military)
The “hidden” engineering option requires a Siege Workshop, and hence a tier 4 barracks, to be built first. This means it's slow to establish. The unit you get is well worth the wait, though, given its usefulness on the battlefield.

Fireworks Factory (financial)
This one is very similar to the Toy Workshop, granting a small trade bonus and a happiness bonus, thus improving public order. It can even be combined with the former.

Heavy Plough → Turnwrest Plough
Requires tier 4 farming upgrade.
Plough and mill upgrades work the same; the first tier increases trade somewhat while the second adds a population growth bonus. Both are pretty useless in provinces where no farming is possible.

Longboat Workshop
Requires port or adjoining major river.
This is the best option for increasing trade income. In coastal provinces, it also enables tier 2 warships.

Windmill → Watermill
Watermill upgrade requires adjoining major river.

Roster

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As with their economy, their roster is the most well-rounded of the Northmen cultural group. It is centred around archers and a variety of other infantry ranging from spearmen to swordsmen to axemen, and even crossbowmen. Dale can make good use of other Northmen factions' units, including halberdiers from Dorwinion, skirmishers and lancers from Rhovanion, and medium cavalry as well as horse-archers from Rohan. Their expanded levy system also allows for a wide range of non-Northmen units to be recruited in the appropriate regions.

General impression: quite similar to the Reunited Kingdom's roster, lacking the former's “doom” units, but more adaptable, with more light cavalry and a heavier focus on powerful missile units, and more capable of integrating various foreign fighting styles.

Fear – no
Fire – Black Arrows, Ballistas
Command – Black Arrows
AP – Black Spears (javelins), Hearthmen, Crossbowmen, Ballistas, Dorwinion Halberdiers

Units

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Bardings and top tier units
These include the four Barding units (Militia, Longbowmen, Watch, and Mounted Watch) that are available in most Homeland and Outland territories, as well as the professional units of Dale including bodyguard units. All of them are characterized by decent armour and generally above average stats. They don't have special terrain bonuses.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Dragon-slayers
The default general's bodyguard unit. Like most bodyguard units, they're armoured lancers with swords as secondary weapons. A good bodyguard unit, better than Rhûn's, but not quite up there with Rohan's.

Barding Militia
Decent tier 1 spearmen, better than most of their counterparts from other factions (save Dúnedain) and with a large unit size. Suitable as main infantry force on the battlefield as well as garrison duties.

Barding Longbowmen
What really stands out in this low-tier archer unit is its excellent range, making it one of the best light archers around. May be better in melee than Easterling archers, but still vulnerable.

Dale Watch
Medium swordsmen. Not necessarily a match for its Dúnedanic counterparts or Rhûn's axemen, but useful nonetheless.

Dale Mounted Watch
A mounted version of the Dale Watch. Primarily useful for attacking enemy missile troops and doing other light cavalry work.

Longbowmen of Dale
Medium-heavy archers, good but not spectacular. Slightly lower range and smaller unit size than Barding archers, but better armoured and more capable against cavalry and other “large creatures”.

Riders of Dale
Heavy lancers, not quite as good as Rohan's or Rhovanion's, but good enough.

Black Spears
Heavily armoured spearmen who carry a few armour-piercing javelins as well, which makes them ideal as a general-purpose core unit.

Hearthmen of Dale
Given their impressive stats, these heavy axemen are pretty terrifying – of all humans carrying Daneaxes or similar weapons, they are the heaviest-armoured. Great against anything that is armoured, no matter the size.

Black Arrows
These are essentially Longbowmen of Dale on crack, with better stats, even more arrows, a morale-boosting effect, and the ability to shoot fire arrows. They're also fairly decent in close combat, though it's best to keep them in a secure location and let them hit important targets like enemy archers, siege towers, or large creatures.

Dale Crossbowmen
This unit, while possessing slightly shorter range than your archer units (but still out-ranging many foreign archers), packs a much bigger punch and is decent in melee as well. One of the best general killers in the game (useful against any kind of bodyguard), and the nightmare of heavy infantry.

Framsburg Guard
A recruitable bodyguard unit on foot. Essentially the same as the Men at Arms of some other factions.

Dorwinion Halberdiers
The downsides to this unit are that it is only available in Belegant, and that it has no shields. Halberdiers are pretty well-armoured otherwise though, come in a decent unit size, are excellent against chariots and heavy cavalry, and can go toe to toe with heavy infantry as well. Combine them with Crossbowmen to get a Renaissance feel to your army.

Rhovanion units
Dale, like Dorwinion, gets low- and mid-tier units from Rhovanion. These are useful as cheap garrison troops, but also as auxiliaries. Their main advantages are terrain bonuses in scrub and forests, which Dale units lack, and also better stealth and ambushing capabilities. These are:

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Rhovanion Foresters
Skirmishers with javelins and a spear for close combat. Useful against a variety of targets, including armoured ones or large creatures.

Rhovanion Hunters
Light archers, with decent range (though inferior to that of Barding units) and unit size, but weak in close combat.

Rhovanion Spearmen
Light spearmen with a decent unit size.

Rhovanion Axemen
Fairly versatile medium infantry, good for flanking and ambushing.

Rhovanion Scouts
Light lancers with better stamina than your other cavalry units. Very useful for traditional light cavalry roles, but they also pack a punch when charging and can pose a danger to almost any unit that way. Just be careful not to expose them to missile fire (no shield!) or get them entangled in prolonged melee.

Woodmen units
These are identical with the basic Beorning roster (minus the three actual Beorning units). As with the Rhovanion units, they're less durable than Dale's core troops, but also cheaper and better suited for ambushing. They tend to have high combat bonuses in forests.

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Woodmen Axes
Basic light infantry, useful as flankers and for garrison duty.

Woodmen Bows
Light archers that are not very good in melee, but boast great range similar to Barding archers. Also dirt cheap.

Woodmen Spears
Decent light spearmen.

Woodmen Riders
They're light/medium cavalry, best suited for chewing up missile units and chasing routers, but also fairly decent at charging.

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Rohan

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Gameplay

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Starting out
Rohan has a relatively easy starting location. Your southern border is secured by the impassable White Mountains, and in the north there is Fangorn forest. To the east, there is only two fords of the Anduin you'll have to watch. In the south-east, Anórien (Calenhad) is held by Adûnabâr. The only immediate threat is Dunland to the west. You can either hunker down and wait for them to attack you, or go on the offense straight away.
The economic situation is also very beginner-friendly, as it's possible to stay in the black right from the start. Nearly all of Rohan (except for the Wold, but including Isenmarch and Parth Celebrant) is very fertile, so farming upgrade are an excellent choice for getting the economy up and running. The other vital factor is the silver and jewel mines of Aglarond in the Westfold (Hornburg). You should start building the mines immediately, and then move on to upgrade farming. Later on, it's best to implement a gem-cutter industry (or alternatively, goldsmiths) at the Hornburg.
You also have a fairly decent starting army. The true challenge, however, is of a geo-strategic nature. Your Gondorian allies are under heavy pressure, and if you don't send a relief army now and then, Minas Anor might fall. In addition to having to fend off Dunlending attacks, you have to be keenly aware of Adûnabâr's and Harad's doings. It might be necessary to punish Adunabar in order to allow your allies some breathing space.
Depending on how the war goes against Harad, be prepared to send expeditionary armies south to either relieve the RK's cities, or launch raids and surprise attacks deep into Haradrian territory. You may even want to ally with Harondor and support them, unless they get into a war with the RK.

Expanding
Your best expansion targets in early game are Parth Celebrant (Feorfeld), Anórien (Calenhad), Isenmarch (Dunfreca), and Nan Curunír (Dol Baran). Parth Celebrant has the strategic resource timber and is in a very secure location, being wedged between rivers, Elven territory, and impassable terrain. Anórien is rich and tempting, but will get you into war with Adunabar and closer to trouble in general. If you take it, be prepared for counter-attacks.
Nan Curunír and Isenmarch are both rich, despite the former only being a petty province with a fort, and very important expansion targets. Isenmarch is homeland territory and a chief city and will let you recruit the full cavalry roster.
After that, you may want to conquer the entirety of Dunland sooner or later. Depending on how relations are in the north, you could even bag Tharbad and then go straight for Threeways [for the strategic resource iron, which will reduce local construction times after you've built up (or taken over) a metalsmith industry. [In the final version of the game, Hollin (Ost-in-Edhil), which also has iron, might be a better option because of its closer proximity and its safer situation.]
If you decide to expand east at all, the Emyn Muil (Lathron) province is a noteworthy target. It has no farming and its trade income is basically nil, but it has a wonder and you can recruit good units there. Be careful though because if the RK recovers and gains strength, it may be more likely to attack you if you hold Lathron (and possibly Calenhad), because that province is required for the RK's victory conditions. Any Gondorian provinces, including the aforementioned ones, will let you recruit Retainer Swordsmen, a very useful heavy infantry unit.

Building Tree

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Rohan's tech tree is slightly less advanced than Dale's, and at a significant disadvantage compared to the Dunedanic factions' or Harad's, but still slightly better than Dunland's. Its economical power isn't stellar, but still solid. Overall, it's pretty straightforward.

Cannot build tier 2 ports, naval ports, tier 2 mines, tier 3 healers, paved roads, academies, despotic law, caravan camps, and courtyards.

3 specialization options (open, financial, military)
4 development options (2 financial, 2 military)

Development Options

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Gondorian Metalsmiths (military; upkeep 20)
Grants a +2 armour bonus. Best combined with metalsmith or tannery industry for the full +3 bonus. Only available in Rohan's homeland and in Gondor (not Arnor!). In Rohan, the best provinces to implement this SB are Isenmarch and the Wold, because of the “Livestock” industry.

Marshal's Great Hall (financial, military; no upkeep)
Provides an experience boost for all infantry units (including local levies!). Requires T3 taverns. The standard SB in provinces with neither exciting recruitment nor Horses resource, it nevertheless stands out as the only SB in the game to provide a modest land tax increase, likely meant to offset the upkeep cost of the t3 taverns you'll have to build as a prerequisite.

Horsemaster's Stables (financial; no upkeep)
The equivalent of Dunland's Sheep Trader and Rhûn's Cattle Trader, boosting local trade. Requires “Horses” resource. Best implemented in provinces with high trade income (and appropriate resource), like in most of Rohan, but also e.g. Eastern Enedwaith (Anghal).

Warhorse Trainers (military; upkeep 20)
Provides experience bonuses for all cavalry units. Best placed in provinces with the “Horses” resource.

Roster

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Rohan has the most diverse cavalry roster of all factions. Their infantry is solid, but less versatile than most of their neighbours'. They have a good selection of spearmen, and even a foot bodyguard unit, but their main strength lies in the cavalry, which is very dangerous at all but the longest ranges, and especially powerful when charging the enemy.
Lacks dedicated anti-armour troops and skirmisher infantry.

General impression: has units and entire armies that can move frighteningly fast; their main focus lies in lancer warfare, but they are also adept at skirmishing or even prolonged fighting in close combat.

Fear – Riders of the King's House
Fire –
Command – Guard of the King's House
AP – Riders of the King's House, Shields of the Mark (javelins), Riddermark Spears

Units

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Infantry

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Levies of Rohan
Bog standard levy spearmen with spear and shield. They are decent as garrison troops and main infantry force, and have a decent unit size.

Bowmen of Rohan
The only native foot archers of this faction. Not equal to the higher tier Dúnedanic (or Dale) archers, but still pretty good.

Axes of the Mark
Dependable medium melee infantry, best suited for flanking or assaulting walls.

Shields of the Mark
The combination of spear (and shield), good armour, and armour-piercing javelins makes this the unit of choice against heavy cavalry and “large creatures”, as well as the centre of the battle line.

Guards of the King's House
Though these elite heavy spearmen are technically meant for guarding the royal capital, they sure are useful on the battlefield, as they provide a solid anchor for your infantry line, boosting the morale of nearby allies.

Helmingas
A foot bodyguard with sword and shield, only available at Helm's Deep. Very similar to the “men at arms” of other factions.

Cavalry

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Riders of the King's House
This is probably the most powerful default bodyguard unit in the game. They are heavy lancers, carrying lance, sword, and shield, with good armour and a very powerful charge. In addition, like all cavalry bodyguard units from cavalry-heavy factions, they cause fear to any nearby enemy.

Rohan Spears
Unlike most other factions, Rohan gets a tier 1 cavalry unit. They have a very large unit size and are fairly good in a charge, but lacking shields and heavy armour, they're very vulnerable to missiles or heavy infantry.

Riddermark Scouts
Light horse-archers with decent range (though lower than in foot archers) and unit size. A staple unit, especially against Dunland.

Rohan Riders
Medium lancers, equipped with javelins, a spear, and a shield. They're a decent all-round unit and particularly useful against factions that field a lot of heavy armour.

Riders of the Mark
This is a general purpose heavy cavalry unit, the main “workhorse” of Rohan's heavy cavalry, and perhaps the most typical or emblematic unit of the faction. They carry spear, sword, and shield and are very reliable and tough.

Riddermark Bowmen
Heavy horse-archers with swords for close combat. The advantage of this unit is that they can deal with light cavalry that might try to chase them off, and when faced with foot archers (whose range and unit sizes are superior) they can charge in and slice them up.
Requires the “Horses” resource.

Riddermark Spears
These are specialized chargers, who deal even more damage in a charge than Riders of the Mark. The main drawback is that they're more difficult to use than the latter, and more vulnerable to missiles. The best way to use them is like an “ace up the sleeve” – keep them in reserve until the right moment (preferably hidden in a forest) and then strike.
These are the best bodyguard killers of any regular cavalry in the game, and their armour-piercing attack makes them a nightmare for enemy cavalry in general. They can also wreak havoc charging infantry (and even trolls or Mûmakil!) from behind when set up properly.
Requires the “Horses” resource.

Assimilation units

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Retainer Swordsmen
These are basically the RK's Men at Arms. Their armour and shields are better than any of your regular units', and they are very tough. A great asset to have.
Available from any provinces in Gondor (not Arnor!) that are “Fiefdom Dominions”. This includes Lathron and Calenhad, but not Erindôl.

Retainer Longbowmen
Basically a slightly better version of Barding Longbowmen. These are better armoured and longer-ranged than your own archers, so it makes sense to use them, should you ever hold a province in Dale's homeland.

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Dorwinion

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Economy
Dorwinion is not only blessed with a rich starting location, but also with a fairly strong economy, despite the lack of Specialization Buildings and sundry. Its main strengths are markets, which receive an extra income bonus for this faction, and farming. It is also the most navally inclined of the Northmen factions, with good sea trade.

Units
Dorwinion has an “urban” core roster of well-armoured units suitable for defending or taking walls, as well as fighting traditional field battles, but most of its light units are actually Rhovanion units, which have more of a guerrilla flair, considering their aptitude for fighting, and hiding, in rough terrain. Dorwinion's strengths lie in its infantry, particularly units equipped with spears or polearms. They also field good archers and swordsmen, as well as light lancers. As with the Beornings and Tharbad, their cavalry roster is extremely limited.
Lacks missile cavalry and heavy lancers.

Native Roster

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Dorwinion Bowmen
Tough archers that can also serve at flanking and defending walls.

Dorwinion Halberdiers
Halberdiers carry no shields, so they are somewhat vulnerable to missiles. Otherwise though, they are pretty well-armoured, come in a decent unit size, are excellent against chariots and heavy cavalry, and can go toe to toe with heavy infantry as well.

Dorwinion Men at Arms
Well-armoured, heavy swordsmen. Essentially the same as the Men at Arms of some other factions.

Dorwinion Nobles
These bodyguard riders are very similar to the Rhûn bodyguards, but are better armoured. Like their Easterling counterparts, they are good at destroying skirmishers and flanking the enemy, but should not be committed against enemy bodyguards or lancers.

Dorwinion Watch
Heavy spearmen. Their weapons even count as armour-piercing, which makes them even more of a good choice against missile-happy enemies, and a more defence-oriented alternative to halberdiers.

Rhovanion units
Dorwinion gets low- and mid-tier units from Rhovanion. These are useful as cheap garrison troops, but also as auxiliaries. Their main advantages are terrain bonuses in scrub and forests, which your native units lack, and also better stealth and ambushing capabilities.

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Rhovanion Axemen
Fairly versatile medium infantry, good for flanking and ambushing.

Rhovanion Foresters
Skirmishers with javelins and a spear for close combat. Useful against a variety of targets, including armoured ones or large creatures.

Rhovanion Hunters
Light archers, with decent range and unit size, but weak in close combat.

Rhovanion Riders
These light cavalry are your only lancers, and you will have to depend upon them quite a lot. They are good at charging and traditional light cavalry roles, but unfortunately their armour is very light and they don’t carry missiles.

Rhovanion Spearmen
Light spearmen with a decent unit size.

Harad

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Harad is one of the major players in the Fourth Age. Very much unlike its unique (but lore-inaccurate) depiction in the recent movie trilogy, Harad is a fairly sophisticated faction inspired by real life Middle Eastern/South Asian/North African cultures with an advanced tech tree and a great unit roster. Also unlike its situation in the Third Age, it is now free from Sauron's yoke (or is it? … you can elect to re-join the forces of evil by going Cultic) and can choose its alliances and strategies freely.

Starting Out

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Consolidation
Like its two Dúnedanic rivals, Harad starts out as a fairly large empire. Your first tasks will be securing your borders and consolidating your economy. Unlike the provinces of factions farther north, most of your territories (except those along the Harnen) are rather poorly suited for farming, so you should bear in mind that trade will be more important in supporting your economy.
Your starting cities are:

Umbar City (Open Policy) – already well-developed at the beginning, it has great potential in all directions and is home to unique units. It does have rather poor farming though.
I'd recommend building up a metalsmith industry to facilitate and speed up local construction, then replacing the Corsair Fortress with an Iron Foundry, since the armour bonuses from that building stack with the metalsmith armour bonus.
Special buildings:
Grand Market of Umbar
Special units:
Umbar Guard
The Serpent Black (regular bodyguard unit)
Black Númenoreans (Cultic bodyguard unit)

Caranbad (open policy) – your secondary capital. Like Umbar, its agriculture is rather weak, but it has a decent trade income and choice of recruits. Good location for Merchant Guild or Iron Foundry.

“Regular” Cities

Achas Annabon
Athandad
Annumbar
Caras Agar
Caras Nann
Habad
Ûr

Building Tree

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Boasting one of the most advanced building trees of any faction, Harad can become an economic powerhouse quickly and can adapt to a wide range of challenges, not least managing a very extensive empire. As with Dorwinion and Tharbad, their markets are more effective than other factions'. They can also train spies from market level 2 onwards, in line with their generally superior agent training.

Cannot build tier 2 mines, paved roads, tier 2 academies.

4 specialization options (open, financial, military, administrative)
8 development options (2 financial, 4 military, 1 administrative, 1 financial/administrative)
(Brotherhood of Assassins, Merchant Guild; Corsair Stronghold, Iron Foundry, Mûmakil Training Ground, Cultic Scions of Harad; Inquisitors' Network; Cultic Temple City)

Specialization Buildings

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Harad, unlike any other faction, has eight of these. Two of them are Cultic though, which means that some are mutually exclusive.

Brotherhood of Assassins (financial; upkeep 10)
Has relatively low requirements; allows training of improved assassins. Also useful for ancillaries or traits.

Corsair Stronghold (military; upkeep 20)
This one lets you train high-tier warships. It also improves Corsair and Corsair Archer experience.
Requires coastal settlement. Also requires a naval port and/or a province located in Harad.

Cultic Scions of Harad (military; upkeep 20)
Allows you to train Axes of the Shadow, Spears of the Shadow, and Shadowriders.

Cultic Temple City (administrative/financial; upkeep 10)
This SB lets you stage festivals to improve public order. Also enables training of Cultists.

Inquisitors' Network (administrative; upkeep 10)
Improves public order through law, and enables training of Inquisition Enforcers.

Iron Foundry (military; upkeep 20)
A good “middle-of-the-road” SB. In provinces with the “Iron” resource (e.g. Umbar), it improves armour +2. In other provinces, it improves armour +1 and provides a moderate trade boost. Its effects tack with the effects of tier 2 metalsmith or tannery industries, so it's best to build it in provinces where those are available.

Merchant Guild (financial; no upkeep)
Grants a powerful bonus to trade income. This should be your default SB, given its general usefulness.

Mûmakil Training Ground (military; upkeep 20)
Necessary for the recruitment of Mûmakil. Requires the “Ivory” resource.

Roster

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Harad combines Rhûn's numbers with Dale's missile power, and the Beornings' aptness for psychological warfare. Their main infantry forces are spearmen, swordsmen, and archers of various tiers, combined with skirmishers. They can adopt heavy infantry units from Harondor and Far Harad to complement their line-up.
Their cavalry roster is also very good and can almost compete with Khand's and Rohan's in terms of power and versatility. Unlike Harondor, Harad can't recruit siege engines, but they do have Mûmakil, the most powerful unit in the game.

Lacks (non-Cultic) AP specialists.

General impression: One of the most powerful and versatile unit rosters; less durable in a straight fight than the Dúnedain's, but more mobile. Large unit sizes.

Fear – The Serpent Black, Scarlet Shields, Inquisition Enforcers, Mûmakil, Southron Champions
Fire – Archers of Harad
Amok – Mûmakil
Command – Umbar Guard, Inquisition Enforcers
AP – Swords of Harad (javelins), Mûmakil; Axes of the Shadow

Units

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Many of Harads units have terrain bonuses in deserts (especially those from the “desert” roster) and their fighting style needs open spaces for manoeuvring, so try to fight on favourable ground whenever possible.

Infantry

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Footmen of Harad
These basic spearmen are some of the weakest in the game. They're mostly good as cheap garrison forces and meatshields, but you can use them for guarding your archers against light cavalry. With proper supports and upgrades, they can be useful on the battlefield, especially in deserts.

Plainsmen Skirmishers
Another cheap garrison unit. Their javelins can be of some use against heavy units, especially when standing on a wall. They are very weak in close combat, though.

Desert Skirmishers
Slightly tougher than their Plainsmen counterparts, but still best kept out of close combat with real infantry.

Redsand Archers
Due to its great range, large unit size, and incredibly cheap maintenance, this is one of Harad's most important units. They are especially important for guarding your cities against Khandian raids. Their only drawbacks are their weak armour and melee stats.

Swords of Harad
Another staple unit, they are useful in a variety of roles, particularly flanking. Their armour-piercing javelins are a great asset against heavy infantry or cavalry, probably even against trolls. Rather infamous for the way the AI loves to exploit them.

Archers of Harad
Comparatively “heavy” archers, they differ from the other two archer units through their better armour and heavier arrows, which are better against large creatures. This is augmented by their ability to shoot flaming missiles.

Spearmen of the Serpent
These are the most reliable regular spearmen of any Southron faction. They're a vital anti-cavalry unit, fairly arrow-resistant, and generally help to stabilize your battle line.

Umbar Guard
An elite spearmen unit, similar in stats and abilities to their Rohirrim counterpart. Best for anchoring your battle line or supporting an assault on fortifications.

Men of Far Harad
A strong offensive unit, but very vulnerable to missiles. Best used for flanking, where their massive weapons combined with the fear effect on infantry come in handy. Available in Far Harad's starting provinces.

Harondor Armsmen
The Harondor version of the common “Men at Arms” unit type. They're heavily-armoured and disciplined, perfect for assault troops, but they can also be used in a battle line. Available in Harondor.

Corsair Archers
Light archers available in naval ports, compensating for the lack of Redsand Archers in coastal areas. They're less cost-efficient than the latter, but maybe slighly better in close combat. Both Corsair units can swim.

Corsairs of Umbar
Reasonably good swordsmen that are best suited for flanking. They're one of the heaviest units to be able to swim, which makes bridge battles easier.

Black Númenóreans
As heavily-armoured infantry bodyguards wielding two-handed swords, they bring a bit of Dúnedanic flavour into your army. The catch is that you can only recruit them if you go Cultic.

Cavalry

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The Serpent Black
Your default bodyguard unit, they are heavily armoured mounted archers. As such, they do pretty well in close quarters with their scimitars, but should not take on heavy infantry, spearmen, or spear cavalry (especially enemy bodyguards!) on their own. Their chief uses lie in skirmishing – they out-range most enemy horse-archers – and in their fear effect on enemy troops.

Haradwaith Riders
They're fast and reasonably cheap and come in really large units. Good for chasing missile units (including light cavalry) and routers, and flanking (in most situations), but not a match for heavier cavalry, particularly lancers.

Plainsmen Mounted Skirmishers
This unit is a great asset against large creatures (more important for Harondor than for Harad, though, for obvious reasons), but they are also good for decimating armoured units and chasing routers. Very weak in close combat, though.

Horsemen of the Harnen
One of your bread-and-butter units, these are medium lancers. Their chief job should be engaging the enemy cavalry (don't put them against hopeless odds, though), and they're also good at flanking.

Scarlet Shields
This unit is a dedicated lancer unit, made to lead the charge. They fare very well against other cavalry, and (aside from heavy infantry) only the best enemy lancers are capable of standing up to or defeating them. Their “fear” attribute is especially useful for routing enemy armies.
Requires the “Horses” resource.

Inquisition Enforcers
In effect, an even better version of Scarlet Shields. Available only from the High Inquisitor's Headquarters.

Mûmakil
The strongest unit in this game on an individual basis, these super-sized elephants are vital to Haradrian blitzkrieg tactics, being able to overcome wooden walls or charge headlong at the enemy general. They are prone to getting stuck in infantry units (especially spearmen) though, which can result in their death. Also, try to keep them away from javelineers, especially Swerting Skirmishers.

Employed properly, they can rout or destroy entire armies.

Assimilation Units

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Vassal Axemen
Axemen of Rhûn. Medium infantry whose “warcry” ability allows them to take on heavier opponents.

Vassal Macemen
A vassal version of Adûnabâr Macemen, an excellent heavy infantry unit, particularly against other armoured units. Found in Mordor.

Vassal Pikemen
These are Dunlending tribal pikemen. They're good anti-cavalry troops, but vulnerable to missiles because they don't carry shields.

--


Dwarves
Main guide see here: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...of-the-Dwarves

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Units

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Dwarf units
Dwarves are well-armoured and disciplined fighters with great morale and above average stamina, but they are among the slowest units and may have serious trouble catching Mannish troops, let alone Orcs or Elves. Thus, their greatest weaknesses are massive missile fire (particularly from units with AP missiles) and being “kited” by faster units, particularly skirmishers.

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Dwarven Axes
Axe, shield, some armour; no special abilities (aside from the archers, they're the only Dwarf unit without an armour-piercing weapon). They're the largest Dwarf unit that you can field, but also the least impressive. Still, they make a decent multi-purpose unit. Good for garrison duty in precariously situated Dwarf settlements and as a backbone to your armies in early game.

Dwarven Archers
These are among the most heavily-armoured archer units in the game, which is handy for winning archery “duels” against low-tier enemy missile units (not against Elves, though). It's often a good idea to use them to take out poorly armoured but dangerous targets, particularly Orc Champions, Uruk Berserkers, and Great Axes of Rhûn. They're also passable in close combat.

Dwarven Warhammers
A mid-tier anti-armour and anti-cavalry unit. Although some regions have stronger alternatives to offer (Longaxes, Iron Hills Dwarves), Warhammers are available everywhere and have a relatively large unit size. Can be an important unit, especially in early campaign.

Dwarven Axe-throwers
This unit carries a couple of throwing axes and a backup axe for close combat. They are tough and a very good, versatile unit, with a decent unit size (by Dwarf standards) to boot. A good choice for forming the core of your army.

Dwarven Shieldbreakers
A very defensive anti-armour unit, with large shields and the ability to form a testudo. Obviously, they are a good choice wherever the hail of enemy missiles is thickest, e.g. when you're assaulting a settlement.

Dwarven Longaxes
This is probably the best anti-cavalry unit the Dwarves get, and their weapons count as armour-piercing to boot. Excellent defensive infantry, particularly against War Wains.

Dwarves of the Iron Hills
Essentially an elite version of the Warhammers, with similar, but better, attributes. They can chew through entire armies, if employed properly.

Dúrin's Guard
A very strong infantry bodyguard. They can take on well nigh anything in close combat, but should be wary of cavalry charges from unexpected directions, as well as javelin units.

Dwarven Wain Bows
The only Dwarven “cavalry” unit, they are still slower than regular cavalry, but they add a great deal of long-ranged firepower to Dwarven armies, and their effect on enemy morale is very helpful, too. Just keep them out of close combat.
Good for sniping high-value targets such as generals.

Dwarven Ballistas
Like all ballistas, they are primarily an anti-troll or anti-elephant weapon. They're also great for destroying wooden palisades, particularly the towers.
Dwarf engine crews can also fight in melee if needed, which is very useful given your notoriously small armies. They're not very strong, though.

Dwarven Catapults
These engines are invaluable because of their utility against both troops (flaming shots) and fortifications (regular ammunition). Dwarven catapults deal the greatest amount of splash damage of all catapults in the game, and also possess superior range. Always bring one or two units of these if possible, especially when taking on Orc forts and their enormous garrisons.

Hirelings
Hirelings are modified versions of regular Mannish units. They almost always have better armour values than their “regular” counterparts though, and are fairly reliable.
It takes some time to get Hirelings, during which you'll have to make do with mercenaries.
The peculiar thing about them is that they're hired from waypost networks, which incidentally include Harad's caravans. This means you'll have your Hireling “barracks” pre-built for you, should you ever conquer anything in and around Harad!

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Hireling Spears
The basic Hireling unit you'll get everywhere. They're equivalent to a lower-mid-tier Mannish spear unit and are modelled on the Barding Militia, with inferior unit size, but better armour. They can be used as affordable core troops.

Hireling Guards
A heavy infantry unit, good for guarding your flanks, particularly against cavalry. They are also widely available.

Hireling Riders
Once you get these, they are a great asset. Unfortunately, they're restricted to Northmen regions and getting them is time-consuming.
Require SB.

Hireling Hearth-troops
These are human axe-throwers, similar to the Dwarven ones (except for the race-specific characteristics). Unique in that they don't have an equivalent in any of the other factions. A well-armed and versatile high-end unit.
Require SB.

Hireling Bowmen of Eriador
They are available in Eriador and are a good choice for your main archer contingent there.

Hireling Woodmen Axemen
Basic melee infantry, slightly stronger perhaps than their equivalent in other factions. Useful as meatshields and for flanking and ambushing.

Hireling Dale Longbowmen
If you get to conquer any of Dale's homeland provinces for whatever reason, you'll find these archers useful. They're one of the best archer units available to the Dwarves.

Hireling Rhovanion Bowmen
The basic archers in Rhovanion. Good for ambushing and in difficult terrain.

Hireling Rhovanion Scouts
Light lancers that are available in Rhovanion. They're easier to get than Hireling Riders, and obviously very useful to have. Just remember that the Dwarves need cavalry mainly for mopping up routers and catching light missile troops, and don't waste them in melee brawls.

Hireling Slingers
The main Hireling unit in all of Rhûn. They're decent missile troops.


There are a slew of other, good Hireling units available for recruitment all over the map. The ones in Khand, Mordor, and Harad are especially strong (check the Custom Battle roster).

Mercenaries
Mercenaries are very important for both Dwarves and Elves in the early stages of the campaign, before you can get to recruit their Hireling equivalents (which are usually stronger). They'll continue to be an important part of your armies later on, filling any remaining gaps in your roster, or making up for the lack of available recruits.

All mercenaries are available to all factions. The most important ones for the Dwarves are the Rhovanion Riders (the earliest cavalry available to you), followed by the various missile troops you get in Wilderland and Eriador.

Rhûn

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Campaign pointers
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...1#post15207954

Units

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Chieftain's Guard
Decent heavy cavalry, armed with sword and shield. They will be able to fulfil the traditional role of heavy cavalry, alongside the Riders of Rhûn, however they are no match for other factions' bodyguard units (especially the heavy lancers of Khand, Rohan, the Dúnedain, or the lesser Southron factions). In fact, they'd probably lose a melee duel against any other default bodyguard unit in the game, infantry or cavalry. This makes them one of the weaker BG unit in the game and means they should be used more like light cavalry. If you have to use them against enemy heavy cavalry, try to charge an already engaged unit in the back.
Since patch 3.3 (IIRC), they carry heavy javelins that are excellent against trolls and Mumakil as well as small, heavily armoured units (e.g. Dwarven bodyguards), however they still should not engage those units in close combat.

Tier 1-2

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Easterling Skirmishers
Traditional skirmishers, they suck in close combat, but can dish out a fair amount of damage if they get their javelins to hit anything. Not always easy to use, but very useful once you face slow, heavily armoured units. Also very cheap to maintain, so a great choice for garrison duty.

Easterling Warband
Light spearmen, not very good, but suitable as mobile roadblocks and for garrison duty. Just take care to keep them supported by stronger units.

Easterling Archers
These are not particularly great, but they do their job. They are particularly important when facing Khand and its various horse-archers, as they out-range and outnumber the HAs and can provide covering “fire” for the rest of your army to advance. Also, like any archers, important to have on the walls in front line cities.

Eastland Raiders
Light lancers, not very remarkable, but numerous. Useful for all traditional roles, like chasing HA and routers, as well as charging skirmishers or supporting your heavy cavalry.

Tier 3-4

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Axemen of Rhûn
This is your first “heavy” infantry unit, and one of the main damage dealers for this faction, due to their large unit size and the damage output, which is amplified by the warcry ability. A staple unit against any enemy.

Spearmen of Rhûn
Dependable medium/heavy spearmen, they too should not be missing in any scenario, especially against cavalry heavy armies. They are the best choice for forming a battle line.

Eastland Darkhelms
Heavy swordsmen, useful for flanking and assault roles.

Riders of Rhûn
Heavy cavalry with sword and shield, they are useful, but no match for the heavy cavalry of most other nations. Use them to hack away at missile troops and for hammer and anvil tactics.

War Wains
A distinctive support unit, they must be employed with care, and in radically different ways depending on which enemy you're facing. Against infantry, skirmish and avoid any contact, or your chariots will die. Against cavalry, charge them (with support from your own cavalry). Also keep away from sustained missile fire. Handled correctly, they are a useful tool and especially useful against Khand. Their biggest enemies, apart from infantry equipped with polearms, are trees and boulders.

Berserkers of Rhûn
Another “special unit”, they are meant for psychological combat, but can also dish out copious amount of damage, and greatly facilitate routing enemy armies. Just keep them away from missile fire as long as possible.

Vassal units

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Eastland Slingers
Slightly tougher than your archers and having a slightly longer missile range, these are good missile troops to have.

Great Axes
These are hard to get, but well worth it. They are the main anti-armour unit in your roster and you should make it your goal to always bring some of them along when facing heavy armour (both infantry and cavalry!), especially Dúnedain. They share the Berserkers' vulnerability to missiles, though.

Steppe Outriders
They're a superior version of the levy Outriders, though slightly fewer in numbers. Outriders of both kinds (as well as the mercenary version) are very useful to have for a wide variety of battle theatres. The main drawback of this unit is their uselessness in any kind of melee. Apart from archery/skirmishing, they're only good for chasing routers.

Horse-archers of Khand
These are the longest-ranged horse archers you'll get (save the Dragonshield mercenaries) and they're well-armoured. They're also far superior to Outriders in close combat, in fact they can beat Riders of Rhûn! (though they still shouldn't be committed against proper heavy cavalry, or mass lancers). Unfortunately, their unit size is pretty small.

Vassal Macemen (recruited via regular Warlord's Barracks)
A vassal version of Adunabar Macemen, an excellent heavy infantry unit. They are essentially a more defensive version of the Great Axes, also being an anti-armour unit.

All Mercenaries at one glance
There are relatively few mercenaries in this mod. Some regions have up to three different mercenary types, but most have only one. Most of them are low-to-mid-tier, but elite mercenaries are available in Mordor and Khand.

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Blackland Warriors – elite heavy swordsmen from Mordor. The toughest mercenaries in close quarters, and very well protected, but also very expensive to maintain. No particular bonuses.

Coastal Armsmen – relatively cheap swordsmen from coastal regions of Gondor. Useful for garrison duties, population management and as cannon fodder.

Dunlending Axemen Mercenaries – heavy skirmishers from Dunland. Useful for harassing heavy infantry and for flanking, particularly in forests.

Gondorian Swordsmen Mercenaries – medium/heavy swordsmen from inland Gondorian provinces. Fairly versatile, no particular bonuses.

Mercenary Bowmen of Eriador – cheap, light archers from all over Eriador. Good for missile exchanges, decimating unarmoured targets, and population management.

Mercenary Dragonshield Riders – elite heavy cavalry from Khand, armed with bow and lance. Too small in numbers (and too expensive) for missile exchanges, but heavily-armoured and good at harassing slower units and for charging anything, particularly other cavalry. The fear effect demoralizes nearby enemies.

Mercenary Harondor Riders – medium lancers from Harondor. Particularly useful for factions that lack light cavalry or lancers. Large unit size, good at charging missile cavalry or already engaged foes, screening your other units, and catching routers. Not particularly suited to fighting heavy infantry, and will be outclassed by heavy lancers from Harad or Rohan, so use with caution.

Mercenary Longbowmen of Dale – professional archers from Dale homeland regions. Good at missile exchanges and other traditional archer roles, due to long range and decent armour. May double as light swordsmen. No particular bonuses.

Mercenary Outriders – light horse-archers from Khand. Great for harassing enemies and chasing routers. Very weak in close combat. Particularly good for factions without similar units.

Mercenary Slingers – ranged light infantry from all over Rhûn. Good for missile exchanges (decent unit size, long range, shields). Weak in melee, but can act as flankers, particularly in woods and snow, where they receive terrain bonuses.

Mercenary Southron Spears – light/medium spearmen from Harad, with shields and basic armour. Serviceable as line infantry, good at screening against cavalry and acting as cannon fodder.

Mercenary Swerting Skirmishers – light infantry from Far Harad, with 4 javelins, spear and shield. They are excellent at taking down oliphaunts (and presumably trolls) and acquit themselves reasonably well in melee (particularly in deserts and scrub), helped by their fear effect versus infantry. Their big Achilles heel is their lack of armour, so keep them away from enemy missile units and well-rested close combat infantry!

Rhovanion Bowmen Mercenaries – cheap light archers, good at missile exchanges. Particularly stealthy and effective in scrub and grasslands. Weak in melee.

Rhovanion Ranger Mercenaries – heavy skirmishers/commandos from Western Rhovanion with axe, shield, and 3 heavy javelins. Good at flanking and assaulting. Particularly stealthy and effective in scrub and forests. Despite their ability to skirmish, their javelins should be used against high value targets (trolls, elite infantry) and not be wasted in skirmishes against light units.

Rhovanion Rider Mercenaries – light lancers from Rhovanion. Good at traditional light cavalry roles, including charges at already engaged enemies. Weak in protracted melee and very vulnerable to missiles. Particularly useful for factions without light cavalry.

Variag Warrior Mercenaries – elite axemen from Khand. Good at flanking any kind of enemy, including heavily-armoured foes. Despite their own armour, they should be kept away from missiles and shouldn't be placed in the main infantry line.

Woodmen Mercenary Axemen – cheap, unarmoured but numerous infantry from Wilderland with axes and shields. Useful as cannon fodder and for population management. They may also have some use as flankers and ambushers, particularly in forests.

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Additional, in-depth Guides (with pictures!)
(by Count MRVHS, if not specified otherwise)

Adûnabâr
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...om-of-Adunabar

Beornings
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...rning-Chiefdom

Dale
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...ingdom-of-Dale

Dorwinion
...

Dunland
See here: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...dom-of-Dunland

Elves
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...he-Elven-Realm

Far Harad
See here: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...e-to-Far-Harad

Harad
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...mpire-of-Harad

Harondor
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...ty-of-Harondor

Khand
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...efdom-of-Khand

North Rhûn
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...-of-North-Rhun

Reunited Kingdom
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...united-Kingdom

Rhovanion
See here: www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?706002-A-Guide-to-the-Kingdom-of-Rhovanion
[...]

Rhûn
See here: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...iefdom-of-Rhun

Rohan
?

Tharbad
General guide: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...dom-of-Tharbad

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Strategy and Tactics

All factions
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...Strategic-Tips
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...-Tactical-Tips

Specific factions (several different strategies may be valid)
Dale: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...1#post15207954
Rhûn: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...1#post15207954
Rohan: upcoming
Tharbad: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...1#post15212014

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Faction strenghts and weaknesses at one glance
Asterisk (*) means "aside from Assimilation units"

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Adûnabâr
biggest roster
best selection of orcs and “large creatures”
strong navy
complex tech tree
strong economy
can switch alignment
no Assimilation Units

preferred environments: urban; mixed; choke points, set-piece battles

Beornings
good at ambushing and psychological warfare
good starting position
lacks heavy spearmen and heavy cavalry*
weak economy

preferred environments: forest; ambush

Dale
very adaptable
best at using local levies
innovative tech tree
solid economy
good starting position
lacks missile cavalry*

preferred environments: depends on army composition

Dorwinion
good infantry
solid economy
lacks heavy lancers and missile cavalry*

preferred environments: urban, mixed, scrub;

Dunland
versatile infantry roster
good at ambushing and psychological warfare
can switch alignment
good starting position
most units poorly armoured
limited cavalry
weak economy

preferred environments: forest; ambush

Dwarves
great infantry and siege units
strong economy
two-species roster
small unit sizes
cavalry difficult to get
low population growth in homeland provinces
cannot build ports (but can use them)
disjointed territories

preferred environments: urban; choke points

Elves
stealthiest faction
powerful units, including the best archers
strong navy
two-species roster
agents start with extra skill
small unit sizes
low population growth in homeland provinces
cannot build mines (but can exploit them)
difficult starting position
disjointed territories

preferred environments: forest; ambush,

Far Harad
good at psychological warfare
fairly balanced roster
difficult starting position

preferred environments: desert; hit-and-run,

Harad
versatile roster
Mûmakil
strong navy
complex tech tree
strong economy
can switch alignment
-

preferred environments: open, mixed, desert; set-piece battles, hit-and-run

Harondor
good cavalry
solid economy
can change alignment
lacks heavy spearmen*
challenging starting position

preferred environments: open, mixed, urban; set-piece battles, hit-and-run

Khand
versatile roster
strong cavalry
can horde
weak economy
lacks heavy spearmen*
challenging starting position

preferred environments: open, desert; hit-and-run

North Rhûn
fairly balanced roster
can horde
weak economy
little heavy cavalry

preferred environments: forest, snow;

Reunited Kingdom
strong units all round
best navy
complex tech tree
strong economy
small unit sizes
expensive units
no Assimilation Units

preferred environments: urban; mixed; choke points, set-piece battles - depending on unit composition

Rhovanion
good cavalry
can switch alignment
weak economy
lacks heavy spearmen
difficult starting position

preferred environments: scrub, forest, open; hit-and-run

Rhûn
versatile roster
can horde
can switch alignment
lacks heavy lancers
relatively weak economy
challenging starting position

preferred environments: mixed, open; set-piece battles,

Rohan
great, versatile cavalry
best default bodyguard
solid economy
good starting position
-

preferred environments: open; hit-and-run,

Tharbad
strong economy
strong navy
lacks heavy cavalry*

preferred environments: mixed, urban; choke points, set-piece battles,

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To be continued......