Guardians of Middle Earth – Good Characters Guide
Welcome to the XBLA Fans GOME Good Characters Guide. In this article, we’ll offer some invaluable usage tips which are specific to the good Guardians which, if used in conjunction with our General Strategiies Guide, should enable even the greenest of recruits to become combat effective quickly.
Arathorn
Father of Aragorn, Arathorn is found in the Warrior section and proves to be a very powerful character. His basic attack is very strong, and is what most builds will be centered around. He has 3 main skills that he will utilize during combat. Staggering Shot is a long range stun that does moderate ability damage. It has a reasonable recast timer, so when attack other Guardians open up with this move. You then have a choice of two moves to follow up with. Chieftain’s Focus is a forward facing attack, that not only slows the enemies movement but increases your attack speed. The other choice is Ranger’s Strike. This is a power move that does massive damage, slows the enemy and renders you invisible. Using a combination of these three skills, or all three back to back will likely kill most weaker Guardians and stronger ones will think twice about continuing the fight. His final skill is less useful in direct combat, and should be used more when killing monsters in lanes. Dunedain Blade is a close range attack that will deal damage over time while also slowing the afflicted targets.
For Gems and Relics, it is suggested you boost his basic attack damage and speed. His basic attack is quite high already, and adding on to this only makes him stronger. With the right gems in place, his damage can reach 300+ on regular attacks. Couple this with attack speed increases and you will have a very powerful Arathorn, who can net kills even without his abilities. An alternate build involves stacking a lot of ability power with cooldown reduction. This will allow for the player to cast abilities more frequently, for more damage. Potions and Commands that increase damage or speed are both recommended for this character.
Beregond
A tough warrior, Beregond is meant for taking enemy hits without flinching or backing down. He has high health and abilities that will keep him upfront in the main battle longer than others. Shield of Gondor is your main skill. Cast it often, as it grants you a shield and a movement speed increase, useful for running into battle or away from it. Turning of the Tide is a useful damaging ability that also removes controlling effects that may have landed upon you. Noble Sacrifice is another great combat ability. When an enemy hero turns to flee, use this ability which taunts them into returning to you. The taunt acts as a pull, and can’t be ignored. Guard of the Citadel is his final ability. It is a great opening attack, as it not only does high damage but inflicts silence on the enemies. This will prevent them from using their own abilities on you while you pound on them.
Designed to tank, Beregond is never going to be dishing out huge sums of damage. With that said, damage reducing gems and relics will serve you well. HP regeneration, or overall Health increases are also a very wise choice. Items that will keep him in the battle longer will really help out. Increasing his ability power is also an option, as his Guard of the Citadel skill gains huge benefits from any extra ability power, but it should never be a central focus on your belt.
Eowyn
This shieldmaiden is one tough defender. Her survivability is nearly maxed out, meaning she can run in and out of battles constantly without having to return to base or consume potions. Her passive ability is one of the best around allowing her to gain increasing levels of health regeneration every time she is hit. These stacks can also be used towards her “I Am No Man” ability. This is considered her ultimate attack, and rightfully so. It does low damage, but using stacks from her passive, the I Am No Man attack can gain a huge increase in damage. These stacks are lost though should Eowyn recover all her health, so it is important to use I Am No Man before those stacks disappear. Shieldmaiden is a useful skill, covering Eowyn and nearby allies in a shield. Its effect is boosted with more ability power, should you choose to build her that way. Great Renown is a very powerful skill during combat. It heals nearby allies for a percentage of health, while slowly draining down Eowyn’s. During large fights, this ability can mean the difference of life and death for allies. It should be active as long as possible. It also gains a decent increase from additional ability power. Know My Fury, he last skill is a rooting skill. It is best used when charging at an enemy, Eowyn can then root them in place, while her allies follow up and help score the kill.
As a Defender, Eowyn will gain huge benefits from Relics and Gems that increase her damage resistance and health regeneration. Mixing them together will often lead to the best results. She also can be built for Ability Power, as her most important skills gain reasonable benefits from additional Ability Power. This kind of build won’t make her much stronger, but it will make her shield and healing effects more potent, giving her allies much better support in battle.
Galadriel
Like Eowyn, Galadriel is a Defender. He goal is to keep the enemy at bay for as long as possible while supporting her allies. Her passive is designed to encourage ability use. Each time she uses an ability her health will increase by 5 permenately while also regaining 5. Golden Gaze is a short range attack that is useful when being chased. It causes light damage, but also fear, forcing the enemy to run away from you. Power of Nenya is a draw in attack, sucking in enemies from a medium range and stunning them. This is a great skill to initiate combat with, bringing the enemies to you, and to your allies. It is also useful for bringing enemies into the range of towers. Lothlorien Grove drops a small circular grove onto the ground. It does light damage to any enemies who step into it and heals allies that are on it. It is better used defensively, healing allies during or after battle, letting them get back into the fight sooner. Evening Star, her final skill, is a massive heal. It will heal all allies on the map, while dealing damage to Galadriel. It is best used during heated battles where your team needs a sudden heal.
Ability Power is a useful stat to build upon. Galadriel won’t see much damage increase from it, but her skills will be much more useful to the team. Mixing this in with some damage resistance or cooldown reduction will make her shine. Galadriel is not a tank, but her skills often leave her near the front of battle, so a little extra defense can go a long way.
Gandalf
The Grey Wizard is a powerful Ability Wielder. His passive is very useful, giving you an upgrade to your resistances and Ability Power with each level up. His first skill, Flame of Anor, is a shield, absorbing high amounts of damage from the enemy. Ability Power will increase the damage absorbed by quite a bit, making this skill very powerful later in the game. Narya’s Power is the skill to open most combat with. It is a short range blind attack, that causes enemies basic attacks to do no damage for upwards of 2.5 seconds. They will also take light damage for the duration of this power. Gandalf’s Might is your bread and butter ability. It does True Damage, meaning it will ignore all forms of defense when it connects. It also roots the foe for a brief period of time, allowing others to move in for the kill. Fireworks, Galdalf’s final skill, is a large area of effect move that does damage over time and silences enemies it contacts. It is best used when pushing forward against the enemy team, or to clear out large masses of weaker monsters.
Gandalf gains great benefits from Ability Power. Having Relics and Gems that stack up this stat will cause the wizard to dish out large amounts of damage. Since he needs to be in arms reach of the enemy, damage resistance is also quite useful. Mixing it in with some Ability Power will yield a Gandalf who can take some hits while dishing out his own.
Haldir
A powerful archer, Haldir is a striker, attacking at long ranges for high damage. Strikers gain large boosts to their basic damage and Haldir is no exception. His passive serves to make him even stronger. As he loses health, his basic damage will increase. This is a powerful ability when used properly. Haldir is encouraged to stay in battle, even if things look grim thanks to this passive. Forest Sprint is a great ability to open or close battle with. It will increase his attack speed and movement speed, allowing you to dish out damage faster or chase down a fleeing opponent. Tree Top Ambush is another great chase skill. Your character will teleport in the chosen direction, quickly closing any gap between you and your target. Your next basic attack will also do a mini stun, locking the foe in place for a second. Sea of Arrows is the skill to follow up any initial attack with. It does light damage, but roots the enemy in place for 1.1 seconds, allowing your allies to close in for the kill. As if Haldir needed even more skills to pick people off at long range, he is given Wrath of the Elves. This is a very long range, single target ability that does medium damage to the target. This is great for finishing off that fleeing target, or hitting someone who is far away while you hide in the bushes.
Haldir gains a huge benefit from attack speed and basic attack damage Relics and Gems. His base damage is already quite high, so Runes that add a percentage increase to basic attack damage will have you hitting for 300+ damage per shot. Combine this with a little extra attack speed and you will have a Haldir who can plow through enemies without ever having to fire off a single ability.
Hildifons
This hobbit is skilled at the art of long range ability battle. Hildifons is a Tactician, meaning he is best played at long ranges, spamming his abilities and hitting enemies with traps and bombs. Hildifons’ passive ability is a bit of a strange one. Each time he hits an enemy, he lowers their attack speed. Although it is a useful thing to do, he is not the kind of character you will be using in close range combat so this passive won’t see much use. Brandywine Barbs is his most common attack. This ability lays down a patch of fire and metal, dealing damage and slowing the enemy. It is a great opening skill as the slow will help ensure the enemy has a tough time escaping. Dwarven-Fire Flask is a great skill to throw on stunned and slowed enemies. It does direct damage on contact, then damage over time as well as lowering the targets damage resistance. Took’s Wall is wonderful for killing creeps. This fire wall will burn for a long time, allowing you to fry any enemy crazy enough to stand still inside it. Halfling’s Trap is Hildifons ultimate ability. He places down a proximity bomb that does True Damage to anyone near it. The bomb is great for setting traps. Since it has a 30 second timer, you can lay it down then lure someone into it. The great thing about Hildifons’ attacks is that they also affect towers. Place down a Hafling Trap near a tower and have it detonate for large damage against the tower.
Hildifons benefits from bonus Ability Power Relics and Gems. Sadly his ultimate attack can’t increase in damage though, so don’t stack it on to thick. Cooldown reduction with some ability power will really make Hildifons shine. Being able to spam his abilities is far more useful than having them hit hard. You will find team battles going much better for you if your able to lay down traps every couple seconds.
Legolas
Prince of the Greenwood, Legolas is a powerful Striker. He hits enemies with his bow for tremendous damage and quickly fades away when under pressure. His basic attack is what sets him apart from other guardians. His passive furthers this, giving him a 25% attack speed increase for 10 seconds any time he lands a guardian kill. This is great when fighting multiple guardians, as you will become stronger and able to deal with more enemies instead of having to fall back. His first skill is Greenwood Blades. This attack is a short range melee that does light damage but inflicts a short root, slows the attack speed of the target and gives Legolas a damage resistance bonus. This is the skill to use when first engaging an opponent. Following up your opening attack, you should use Silvan Agility. This move will teleport you a short distance, give you stealth for 2 seconds and increased movement speed for 6 seconds. You can use this to either retreat after your initial blow, or give chase should the enemy run. Woodland Shot is long range attack that does light damage over time but more importantly slows the afflicted enemy for 3 seconds. This ability is great when chasing someone down, or when you wish to keep someone near you so allies can group up on them. Legolas’ final skill is Elven Onslaught. This attack does medium damage over 3 seconds to the enemy, lowers their damage resistance and knocks them back. The knock back is quite powerful and when used right can send enemies flying back towards your allies or towers, resulting in their death.
The best way to build up Legolas is to focus on his basic attacks. Basic Attack Damage increases, or Attack Speed increases will serve you best. A relic and gem combo of attack speed and basic damage will go a long towards making Legolas a powerhouse. Critical Hit increases can also serve you well, and are best matched up with attack speed to ensure your hitting often, allowing for more criticals to process.
Nori
Nori the dwarf is a powerful Tactician designed to lay siege to his enemies using his powerful abilities. His passive is very important for him. If Nori is near a structure his abilities are more powerful and his basic attacks do bonus true damage. Dwarven Onslaught is a buff that increases allies basic damage for 6 seconds. This is the perfect skill to activate when charging into a group fight. Man the Walls! is a defensive buff that increases the resistance of nearby structures by 75%. This serves the purpose of slowing down your enemies, allowing your towers to live for a few seconds longer, sometimes long enough to be saved by you and your allies. Fortitude is an area attack that persists for 10 seconds. It inflicts damage and slows enemies who walk through it. Nori’s final ability is Swift Blow. He teleports a short distance and will appear and knock anyone near him up into the air while doing medium damage to them. This also serves as a mini stun, allowing allies to move in on the enemy as well.
Nori is all about his ability damage. Relics and Gems that increase his ability power will go a long way to making you a powerful Tactician. Stack it on as heavy as you can. Adding in a little ability penetration can also help to make sure your doing the highest amount of damage possible by allowing you to cut through an enemies armor.
Ori
Ori is an Enchanter designed to assault his enemies using powerful abilities based around his vast amounts of books and scrolls. His passive is an interesting one. Everytime you cast an ability you gain a permanent ability power increase. Although it is only 1 at a time, by the end of the match it will have added up nicely. As It Is Written is Ori’s basic spell. It is a large area of effect ability that puts a mark on any enemy it touches. The mark does damage over time while also making Ori’s other abilities more powerful. Last Word is another large area of effect spell that does direct damage to anyone it hits. Ancient History gives Ori a shield. The shield receives bonuses for each enemy who also has the mark from As It Is Written. Dirge of Durin is a powerful spell that does damage per second to any enemy in its area of effect. If an enemy who has As It Is Written on him is hit by this, he will also be stunned.
Ori benefits from Relics and Gems that boost ability power and have cooldown reduction. Ability Power will increase the damage of all his abilities, while cooldown reduction will allow you to cast them more often while also taking advantage of Ori’s unique and powerful passive ability.
Thrain
A powerful Warrior, Thrain is all about trading blows with the enemy in close combat. His passive allows him to stay in combat even near the brink of death as it gives him 1% health recovery per second should his total health fall below 20%. Clear The Path is his first ability, in which he throws his hammer forward dealing damage and slowing all enemies it hits. This is a very useful opening skill thanks to the slow effect. Dwarven Valor is a buff that reduces the duration of effects on Thrain while also giving him a basic damage resistance bonus. This is another great one to activate just prior to getting into a fight. Durin’s Wrath is a knockup ability that also lowers the damage resistance of the target for 4 seconds. Lethal Blow is his ultimate ability. It does upwards of 300 true damage and also roots the target for over 1 second. It is a powerful closing ability, designed to end a fight.
Thrain can be played many ways. Ability power Relics and Gems can give his abilities some extra punch, while basic damage increase will make his normal melee attacks hit harder. You can also turn him into a powerful tank with damage resistance and heal regeneration gems. He is one of the most versatile warriors in the game, so shape him however you tend to play, there is no wrong way with Thrain.