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Table of Contents

1. Frequently Asked Questions
  A. General
  B. Campaign
  C. Online

2. The Basics

3. Campaign Guide
  A. Good Campaign
  B. Evil Campaign
  C. Tips


What is Battle for Middle Earth 2?

Battle for Middle Earth 2 is a Real-Time Stragety (RTS) game made by Electronic Arts. It is set in the world of The Lord of the Rings, specifically during the War in the North, which was mentioned in the books, but not in the movies. The game offers a single-player campaign mode with both a "good" and an "evil" story line to follow. You play the role of your army's commander, waging war on your enemies using everything from standard infantry, cavalry, and archers to heroes (all of the major characters from the movies are in the game), giant demons and greater powers. You can choose from 6 factions, each of which has unique units and powers, as well as different strengths and weaknesses.


1. Frequently Asked Questions


A. General

I’ve never played a real time strategy game before. Is it difficult to learn and play?
Although playing previous RTSs will give you a head start, there is a full-blown tutorial that teaches you everything you need to know to start playing. As you play, you will learn new tactics and tricks, and you will get better with every game played. Don’t let the RTS elitists scare you into not trying it. It’s not that complicated. This game deserves a rent at the very least.

Note: The manual for BFME2 is somewhat...OK, very...lacking, so if you think you'll really get into the game, you might consider purcahsing the Prima Official Strategy Guide. It fills in a lot of holes in the manual.


Is there a demo I can try before I buy or rent?
As of July 13^th, 2006, there is an Xbox Live Marketplace demo available.


I preordered but I didn’t get the promo code for the maps! What do I do?
Please see this thread, which is dedicated to this issue.


I just started playing this game, but there are so many different options, what should I do?
The first thing you should do is play both tutorials. At the main menu, hit left on the D-pad to access them. If you are still unsure of what to do, start either the good or the evil campaign (preferably the one with your favorite army); the first few missions will walk you through many of the concepts and controls.


Which faction is the best?
No army is the “best”. They all have strengths and weaknesses. Some armies are arguably easier to play than others, but it’s really all about personal preference. Just find an army you like and stick to it. You will find good qualities and strategies with them if you keep trying.


What are command points?
Command points represent the number of units you can build in your army. It appears as X/Y, with X being how many command points you’re currently using, and the Y being the total amount you are allowed to use. A standard unit consumes 60 command points, and building farms/Mallorn trees/slaughter houses will increase your available command points.


What are resources?
Resources are the "money" used to buy units and buildings. You can generate resources with farms/Mallorn trees/slaughter houses.


There are so many units; I don’t know what each one does!
Although your army probably has 6 or 7 main units, there are only 4 categories. Each unit category has another unit category they’re strong against, as well as a category they’re weak against. Unlike other games where strengths and weaknesses are mostly useless, these ones are crucial to being a good strategist online, and ultimately to winning:

Warriors – Your standard infantry that carry swords and shields.
	Strong vs. Pikemen
	Weak vs. Archers
Archers – Carry bows (or axes) and shoot from long range.
	Strong vs. Warriors
	Weak vs. Cavalry
Pikemen – Carry spears and have longer melee combat range than Warriors.
	Strong vs. Cavalry
	Weak vs. Warriors & Archers
Cavalry – Riders (horses, spiders, wargs) with quick movement and a trample/overrun attack.
	Strong vs. Archers & Warriors (when used to trample/overrun)
	Weak vs. Pikemen

You don’t really have to remember this, but instead, understand it.

For example, Warriors have swords and must move in to melee range, so Archers are going to have an advantage because they can cut the Warriors down before they get close. Once the Warriors have closed the gap, though, they will have the advantage, so it's best to put your archers behind your Warriors and Pikemen, so they can shoot the enemy from a distance.

Cavalry are fast and armoured, so Archers have a hard time hitting them, and are also vulnerable due to having to stop and shoot. When given space to run at the enemy, cavalry will trample and scatter standing units of Warriors and Archers.
 
Pikemen have long spears that can reach riders on top of their mounts, so they are not as vulnerable to the cavalry's charge attack.


What exactly does the D-Pad do?
Left on D-pad: Scrolls through your bookmarks, starting with the default "whole army" bookmark.
Up on D-Pad: Scrolls through heroes
Right on D-Pad: Scrolls through powers
Down on D-Pad: Scrolls through builders


My powers come back so slow, is there anything I can do about it?
Yes. If the map you’re playing has a signal tower, you can capture it and regain powers back quicker.


What is Waypointing?
Waypointing is when you have a selected unit (or group of units) travel along a certain path on the way to their objective. This is useful if you want to remain unseen and do a sneak attack, or if you just want to avoid the big battle going on in the middle of the map.

To “waypoint”, select the unit(s) you want waypointed, hold the left bumper, and select (by pressing A) the first checkpoint you want them to travel to. Then select the next checkpoint, and so on until you reach your objective.


What is a Rally Point?
A Rally Point a place you select where new units from a barracks (or any garrisonable building, such as a defensive tower) go when they exit the building. This helps when you have new units on queue and you want them to join the battle right away, instead of just clustering around the building.

To set a Rally Point, select the barracks/building, move the cursor to the place you want the units to go, and press A. You should see a flag, and “rally point selected” at the top.


What is flanking?
Flanking is when you attack someone from the side or the back, and you gain a significant damage bonus. This is an important strategy in both 1 on 1s and 2 on 2s.


What is "micro-ing"?
Microing is when you are in a big battle and you choose to control exactly what a battalion is doing instead of letting the AI do it on its own. Basically you control exactly how they get to a destination or who they attack, instead of just clicking and putting them in that general direction.


The shadows look terrible; is something wrong with my Xbox?
No, it is a minor flaw in the game.



B. Campaign

I beat the campaign and none of my heroes died, but I still didn’t get the “No hero deaths” achievement.
Most people do not know this, but some special units like Eagles and Treebeard do count as heroes. The best way to make sure you're on track for the achievement is to check the statistics at the end of each level, scroll down to the bottom, and look at Heroes Lost. If it’s anything but 0, redo the level. Any unit bought from the fortress other than a builder counts as a hero (Vigilant Ents do not count, as they are upgrades to the fortress, not purchaesd from the fortress).


Do summoned creatures I got using powers count as heroes?
Summoned creatures such as Tom Bombadil do not count as heroes for the purpose of the achievement.


Which units are heroes?
Here is a list of all heroes in the single player campaign:

Good Campaign Gloin Eagles* Treebeard King Dain Arwen Elrond Glorfindel Thranduil Haldir Evil Campaign Mouth of Sauron Nazgul Witchking Fellbeast Fellbeast Goblin King Shelob Sauron Dragon* Fire Drakes** *Summoned from Fortress **Only the ones that are summoned from the fortress count as heroes

How do I know if a unit is a hero?
Hit up on the D-pad and scroll through. If that unit is in there, it is a hero.


Should I save the power points I earned for later levels?
No, Power points carry over from mission to mission, so you don’t start from 0 again. You have to have tier one powers and the power points required before you can grab next tier powers.


On Evil Campaign Level 2, I can’t get my guys on the ground to capture the flags for the bonus objective!
The bonus objective flag isn’t the flag in the Elven base. It’s the flag in the southeast portion of the map on the island with your harbours. There will be a spotlight highlighting it.


On Evil Campaign Level 4, the bonus objective is use untamed allegiance on the spider lairs. What do I do?
Untamed allegiance is a power. Go to your power menu and you should find it on the second tier of powers (10 points).



C. Online

When I go to Xbox Live, it just says “Connecting to EA Servers”, but never connects. What’s wrong?*
There is an issue at the moment that some people are having. The game never lets them connect. This is a known issue and a fix is on its way, and there is a temporary solution:

1. Sign in and start the game
2. Select Xbox Live
3. This is where you will sit “Connecting To EA Servers”, at this point, press the Guide button on the controller and sign out, but don’t go back to the dashboard
4. Once signed out, sign back in again.
5. Go back to the game, it will say “the active gamer profile has been signed out”, press A to continue.
6. Select Xbox Live
7. You should be connected.

I’m not really into single player, but I keep getting my butt kicked online. How can I get better?
Play Skirmish with easy or medium difficulty AI. Get to learn the upgrades and units available in your army. Once you have won a couple, head back online and I’m sure you’ll notice a major difference. Playing with a friend in an “open hand” match is also a great way to learn your units. Take turns attacking different things to see the damage made by each unit.


I just joined a multiplayer match, but I don’t know what they different logos are. Help!
Here is a list, in order from the first going right:

Random – A white circle on a black background
Men of the West - Blue logo with white tree
Elves - Green logo with diamond like shape
Dwarves - Yellow logo with triangle and star
Isengard – Grey background with white hand
Mordor - Red logo with eye
Goblins - Beige logo with dragon head


Whenever I join quick match, the game starts right away before I can choose my Faction. Is this normal?
Yes. In quick match, the game is just that, quick. In order to choose your faction, go to Xbox Live Settings under options and choose your favourite faction or the faction you intend to use in quick match. Then when the game starts, you'll already be on that faction.


Can I join friends in ranked matches?
No, but people have found ways around it. Just note that some people do find their friends and that they probably have already played together before.


Can achievements be earned in unranked games?
Yes. However, the Hobbit and the Troll and the Try a Tutorial achievements must be earned in ranked play.


Can I play with a Friend vs. the CPU online?
No. CPU is only available in Skirmish.


When people quit, do you still get the win?
Yes and no. Some people seem to get the win, others do not. The problem has been recognized by EA and they are working on a fix.


I’m playing the One Ring mode with a friend, and neither of us can find Gollum. We’ve searched the whole map, but he’s nowhere to be found! What’s wrong?
Gollum isn’t easy to find. Most people usually find him on accident when just fighting the enemy. He is invisible and will only move if in danger or you bump into him (revealing him). If you really just want to see him though, build an ivory tower with the Men of the West and use the power to reveal the map. You should hear a soldier say “There’s Gollum”. When he does, hit the Y button to zoom in on him. Then send a battalion of soldiers to kill him.


How do I gain power points?
By destroying enemy units and structures.


Any obvious things I may not have noticed?
There are a few things you may not have noticed:

• You can select your favourite faction under Options > Xbox Live Options > Favourite Faction. That way every time you enter a game, you’re already on your favourite faction.
• If you click the left analog stick in, it takes you back to your fortress, and if you click the right analog stick, it points the camera north.
• You can upgrade towers with fire or silverthorne arrows even if there is no battalion inside.

2. The Basics


Menu

Tutorial – Recommended to all new comers. Here you can learn how to control and play BFME2. You can then move on to the advanced tutorial to learn about special abilities
Single Player - Single player is broken down into 3 modes: Good campaign, Evil Campaign, and Skirmish
   Good Campaign – Fight as the heroes of Middle Earth and rid the world of evil in 8 action packed levels
   Evil Campaign – Fight as the villains of Middle Earth and scorch the land with your evil heroes in 8 levels of destruction.
   Skirmish – Set up a standard versus game with or against a computer player in any of the many multiplayer maps.
Xbox Live – Play online and check the leaderboards to see where you place with other BFME2 players.
   Quick Match – Finds a game and begins the game immediately. Ranked and Unranked.
   Custom – Find a game that meets your criteria such as players and gametype. Ranked and Unranked
   Create – Create a game session and change the settings to your liking. Other players will be able to join your game. Ranked and Unranked.
   Create Private – Create a game that only your friends can join. You can further tweak settings such as game mode and player number even when the session is already made. Unranked only.


Game Settings

Game Type:
   Versus - Standard game mode where you play to destroy your enemies bases
   King of the Hill - There is a fortress or building in the centre of the map and you must have control of it the longest.
   Resource Race – Race to become the player that reaches the specified amount of money first.
   Hero Vs Hero – Race to get the highest leveled hero or kill your enemy.
Number of Players: Choose to allow 2, 3, or 4 players in your game session. Note: When playing in a 3 player room, all 2 player maps will be unavailable, as will all 3 player maps when playing in a 4 player room.
Map Selection - Choose the map you would like to play on.
Match Type: Choose ranked if you want the game to count towards the leaderboards, or unranked if you just want to play for fun.
Initial Resources - The amount of money you begin the game with. Can be set to from 500 to 4000.
Command Point Factor - Controls the number of units on the field. In a 2 player game, 1x – 1000 command points max, 1/2x – 500 command points max, 1/3x – 330 command points max.
One Ring Mode – If on, the game places Gollum hidden somewhere on the map. If a player finds Gollum and kills him, Gollum will drop the ring. If the player picks it up and takes it back to their fortress, they can summon and exclusive hero only available in this mode. The hero they get depends on the army they picked, and costs 9000 resources to summon.

   Men, Elves, Dwarves – Galadriel
   Goblins, Isengard, Mordor - Sauron

Heroes – Choose to allow players to use heroes they have unlocked via achievements. You may not want to use this with new players, as they are at a disadvantage.


Factions

There are 6 factions/armies available to use in BFME2. Although a full in depth view of each faction is coming, this is merely an overview to give you an idea of what they’re like.

Name – Multiplayer Logo – Strengths & Weaknesses
Men of the West - Blue logo with white tree – Good all around units
Elves - Green logo with diamond like shape – Strong archers, weak warriors
Dwarves - Yellow logo with triangle and star – Strong units and siege weapons, slow movements
Isengard – Grey background with white hand – Strong units, expensive to make and weak archers
Mordor - Red logo with eye – Good all around units, except weak main warriors (but cheap!)
Goblins - Beige logo with dragon head – Cheap to build and fast to make, really weak warriors


Maps

There are 39 maps in the game, as well as 3 downloadable maps available in the Marketplace.

Note: * are siege/defense maps that should be played with a player at a disadvantage.

2 Player Maps (17)
   Black Gate
   Cair Andros
   Celduin River
   Dunland
   Erebor*
   Ettenmoors
   Fangorn
   Forlindon
   Gap of Rohan
   High Pass
   Iron Hills
   Isengard*
   Ithilien
   Lorien
   Redhorn Pass
   Rohan
   Withered Heath

3 Player Maps (4)
   Grey Havens
   Harlindon
   Minas Morgul*
   Rivendell*

4 Player Maps (18)
   Arnor
   Buckland
   Dagorland
   Dead Marshes
   Dol Guldur*
   Enedwaith
   Gondor
   Harad
   Helm’s Deep*
   Minas Tirith*
   Minhiriath
   Mirkwood
   Mordor
   Mount Doom
   Osgiliath
   Rhun
   Shire
   Tower Hills

Downloadable Content (3)
   Argonath (2 Players)
   Umbar (2 Players)
   Weathertop (4 Players)


3. Campaign Guide


Good Campaign

Mission 1 - Rivendell

Primary

1. Bring Glorfindel and his elves to Rivendell
2. Warn Elrond of the approaching goblin army
3. Defend Rivendell from attack - most of the attack is from the Western side
4. Destroy the goblin base to the South
5. The House of Elrond must not fall

Bonus

1. Level Gloin Up (level 2) - have Gloin do battle, and he should level up quickly
2. Train a battalion of elves

Mission 2 - High Pass

Primary

1. Establish a base at High Pass – build a fortress and complete 2-6 (add a forge to increase the strength and defense of your armies)
2. Build a Mallorn tree – build at least 3 for steady income
3. Build a Barracks
4. Build a Green Pasture
5. Add a Watchtower – build a watchtower on 1 of the base expansion slots
6. Train archers and lancers
7. Rescue Haldir

Bonus

1. Kill all mountain giants (2) – located by the ice tower in the North, and the giant drum in the South (by your base)
2. Destroy the goblin mine shafts (3) – 1 in the North-West corner, 1 on the winding path toward the goblin base, 1 in the goblin base in the North-East
3. Destroy the Giant Fissures (3) – in about the same locations as the mine shafts

Mission 3 - Ettenmoors

Primary

1. Reach the Elven settlement
2. Drive the goblins from the settlement
3. Free the dormant Entmoot – kill all enemies around it
4. Slay the goblin king
5. Destroy the goblin stronghold

Bonus

1. Destroy goblin tunnels (8) – spread sparsely across the map (you should encounter them if you move towards the Entmoot and the goblin base)
2. Destroy the giant troll and drum – North of your base
3. Destroy the goblin sentry towers – spread across the North-Eastern part of the map (near the goblin base and Entmoot)

Mission 4 - Blue Mountains

Primary

1. Slay the Dragon Lord

Bonus

1. Eliminate all spider lairs- clear out the few lairs in the 1^st cave
2. Build a fortress
3. Demolish the Citadel Door
4. Build mine shafts (2) – preferably in the 1^st cave, and the 2^nd (to move units into battle faster)
5. Eliminate all firedrake lairs (3) – inside the mines; 2 on the right of the door, and 1 closer to the dragon

Mission 5 - Grey Havens

Primary

1. Clear all enemy forces out of the Grey Havens – kill the Corsairs destroying your structures
2. Secure both shipwrights in the Grey Havens
3. Build Elven battleships (4) – build and upgrade at least 4
4. Destroy the naval blockade
5. Build an Elven transport
6. Repel the beach assault (3) – use what navy you have to help destroy the Corsair ships

Bonus

1. Seize the Corsair shipyards – located due South of the Grey Havens
2. Build a bombardment ship

Mission 6 - Celduin River

Primary

1. Return to the army at the docks - make your way through the twists and turns picking up units
2. Repel the Mumakil assault (3) - use pikes to take them out easily
3. Destroy the Mordor Base – located mostly in the South-West corner of the map past the shallows

Bonus

1. Dain must survive
2. Capture all inns and outposts (8) – located near and along the way to your “base” (a signal fire lies near the Mordor base to the North)
3. Destroy all catapults

Mission 7 - Dale and Erebor

Primary

1. The Throne of Erebor must not fall
2. Defeat the 1^st wave of Mordor attackers – they will attack your weakest point of defense
3. Defeat the 2^nd wave of Mordor attackers
4. Defeat the 3^rd wave of Mordor attackers

Bonus

1. Build a fortress in Dale
2. Build walls to defend Dale
3. Defeat the Mouth of Sauron and his retinue – he comes through a secret entrance in the mine with attack trolls

Mission 8- Dol Guldur

Primary

1. Capture the North signal fire
2. Capture the South signal fire
3. Destroy all free-standing structures within Dol Guldur – this includes the Castle, Prison, and unit creation structures (not towers)
4. Repel the Mordor counter-attack – defeat the Mordor back-up units

Bonus

1. Destroy all spider lairs (8) – located between your base and the Northern and Southern signal fires
2. Seize signal fires (5) – 1 on the left and 1 on the right inside Dol Guldur, 1 near the Castle, 1 near the Prison, and 1 in-between the Castle and Prison

Evil Campaign

Mission 1 - Lorien

Primary

1. Build a goblin cave
2. Build goblin hordes from the cave (2)
3. Build a tunnel
4. Build a fissure
5. Upgrade the fissure to build trolls
6. Build a cave troll from the upgraded fissure
7. Cross the river and destroy the Elven treehouse
8. Destroy the stronghold of Lothlorien, Caras Galdhon

Bonus

1. Free all mountain trolls (3) – 1 close to the river, 1 in the South-West corner, 1 near Lothlorien in the North-West

Mission 2 - Grey Havens

Primary

1. Capture the shipwright
2. Construct Corsair Black ships (3)
3. Sink the Elven convoys fleeing the Grey Havens
4. Destroy the Elven battle towers defending the beach
5. Defend the transports
6. Defeat the Elves defending the beach
7. Destroy the fortresses (3)

Bonus

1. Capture the Outpost – located North-East of the captured shipwrights

Mission 3 - The Shire
Primary

1. Reach the Eastfarthing
2. Destroy all four seats of power – spread in a circular fashion around the map
3. Build a fortress
4. Defeat all Dunedain -  they should come to you, so it's a good idea to have towers to defend
5. Kill Wormtongue
6. Destroy the Isengard fortress – this objective will not appear if you kill Wormtongue before it is completed and/or you kill the builders

Bonus

1. Destroy the Green Dragon Inn – across the stone bridge from the Eastfarthing
2. Destroy Bag End – near the North-East corner

Mission 4 - Fornost

Primary

1. Destroy all structures in the outer city – includes 4 archery ranges
2. Destroy the castle’s Citadel – in the center of the top of the map
3. Destroy the Earth Hammer – in the North-East corner

Bonus

1. Use Untaimed Allegiance on both spider lairs – to the left and right of your base
2. Capture the Inn – left side of Fornost outer city
3. Capture the Signal Fire – in the North-West corner

Mission 5 - Mirkwood

Primary

1. Advance to the OldForest road in the North
2. Find another way across the river – venture East from the bridge, and back West through the river
3. Build and defend towers in the designated spots before the Elves – it is better to build more than 1 tower, or even a fortress (you should have the resources by now)

Bonus

1. Find and destroy the Ent base (2) – in the middle of the map
2. Bring Shelob to tame the spider lings – left side of map
3. Find and destroy the Elven bases (2) – 1 in each of the Northern corners

Mission 6 - Withered Heath

Primary

1. Find the Dragon Lord – appears at the top of the map (use Nazgul or the Mouth of Sauron to get to him quickly)
2. Free all drakes from the Dwarven bases – siege units or trolls are recommended to deal with walls and towers, and ground units to deal with dwarves

Bonus

1. Build a fortress
2. Destroy all mineshafts – scattered across the map (easy to find if you move out from your base to free the drakes)

Mission 7 - Erebor

Primary

1. Make room to build a base by destroying the buildings of Dale – don’t forget to get the treasure from the building, and capture the inn to recruit Corsairs
2. Destroy the Throne of Erebor

Bonus

1. Build a fortress worthy of Sauron – build a fortress and upgrade it
2. Kill King Dain

Mission 8 - Rivendell

Primary

1. Penetrate the walls of Rivendell – get past Rivendell’s defenses and into the city
2. Destroy the House of Elrond and surrounding fortresses (2)

Bonus

1. Slay Arwen Evenstar
2. Slay the Fellowship and Elrond

C. Tips

• A good tip is to save right before start each mission- that way you have a save to go back to if you mess up by not doing a bonus objective, or losing a hero.
• Evil Mission Mirkwood seems to be the hardest for some- a good tip is to build a fortress on the old road adjacent to the spotlights... and to build more than 1 tower in the lights. You should have some nice powers to destroy the bases before you finally build the last tower.
• Good Mission Celduin is a hard mission for the good campaign- take it slow, and use King Dain's hero abilities, and you should make it to the docks
• The final good and evil missions are not as difficult as they may seem
  • On the Dol Guldur assault (good), use the ents to your advantage at taking down structures and towers. Using calvary can get you to the signal fires quickly, and usually capture them before they die. Offensive powers such as earthquake and flood are very devestating, and will make it easier for you to take down Dol Guldur.
  • On the Rivendell assault (evil), the elves will venture outside your base and attack you- the best way to defend is to have a lot of defensive towers (upgraded) and a fully decked out fortress. When the eagles come, the towers will be a good defense. For an offense spam trolls and support them with warriors- upgrade everything to the max before you attack. Use powers against the fellowship when they come from the South-Eastern side of the map and/or fire.