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The Goblins are a playable faction in The Battle for Middle-Earth II and its expansion The Rise of the Witch-King. They are playable in all standard game modes, as well as The Battle for Middle-Earth II's Evil Campaign. This faction represents the orcs of the Misty Mountains, supported by the various creatures in the deep and dark places of Middle-Earth.

Some of the units that would become the goblin faction appear as wild NPC units in The Battle for Middle-Earth. This faction has great advantages regarding aggression, monsters, and speed, although their mid-game is weaker than other factions and they lack defensive tools.

Lore[]

See Goblins at One Wiki to Rule Them All.

Faction Overview[]

Strengths[]

The goblins have the best 5-point powers in the game, all of them extremely useful: Cave Bats for opening up the map; Tainted Land for a very large buff radius; War Chant for a mobile buff radius. These are all cheap and effective, and are earned very, very quickly.

Overall, goblins have the best rush in the game due to the speed of Goblin Warriors and, following on that, Spiderlings. Constructing waves of these and sending them careening against an unprepared foe from the outset will likely net you quite a few victories until someone constructs an adequate strategy to defend against it (primarily involving keeping resource structures at close range and building up defences very quickly).

Not only do they have shock and awe on their side, but goblins have some very powerful heroes at their beck and call, with Shelob in the lead and topped off with Drogoth. Even Gorkil the Goblin King is a meddlesome monster. Though the goblins only have three in the base game, they're three of the best hero units in the game.

Strategy[]

The goblins are pure high-speed evil. If you're battling them, you can literally count the seconds before a wise player knocks at your door with several units of Goblin Warriors followed up by Spiderlings en masse. Because of their speed, they'll be all over your resource structures in a flash, and with the Cave Bat power at their command, they know exactly where you're putting them. This makes defending against an early goblin raid extremely difficult.

Not only is their early game a nightmare, but they transition into Half-Troll Marauders, Cave Trolls, and Mountain Giants, giving them legs if they actually need to work beyond the initial blitzkrieg. They're joined by Spider Riders, which is a powerful cavalry unit that moves very fast, making their second wave just as troublesome from a shock and awe point of view.

If goblins have a weakness, it's poor tier 2 powers and a relative lack of defensive prowess. If you can weather the initial storm and retaliate in short order, goblins will be at your mercy as they won't have time to muster their Cave Troll/Mountain Giant/Spider Rider second wave.

Units[]

Heroes[]

  • Azog of Moria, the goblin chieftain of Moria (Rise of the Witch-King only): This hero of the Goblins can steal resources from buildings. With his Great Battle Rage and Crack the Whip abilities he can increase his attack speed and damage.
  • Shelob, the spider from the pass of Cirith Ungol: This legendary spider can tunnel under terrain and stab enemies with her poisoned stinger.
  • Gorkil the Goblin King, the leader of the goblins: The Goblin King commands his forces from his Fortress in the Ettenmoors. Riding a giant scorpion, the Goblin King can use his minion to poison enemies.
  • Drogoth the Dragon Lord, the armoured dragon of the Withered Heath: One of the oldest and fiercest of his kind, the Dragon Lord makes his home in the wastelands of the Withered Heath, Fighting Dwarf and Orc alike, Drogoth has an unsteady alliance with the goblins.
  • Sauron, the Dark Lord: When summoned, Sauron dominates the battlefield with devastating attacks and powerful abilities.
  • Create a Hero: Goblin players may choose to bring a player created hero that is either a Corrupted Man, Olog-Hai (If Rise of the Witch-King is being played), Servant of Sauron, or Wizard.

Workers[]

  • Builder: The goblin Builder can construct a variety of structures.
  • Orc Laborer: This simple minion of Evil can gather resources and repair bases. Orc Laborers carry simple axes that can be used in combat.

Swordsmen[]

  • Goblin Warriors: These goblin swordsmen have the special ability to climb walls and use their poisoned blades.
  • Wildmen of Dunland (Base Game only): These corrupted warriors were recruited by Saruman to scourge the land of Rohan.
  • Corsairs of Umbar (Rise of the Witch-King only): These sea-faring pirates are fierce warriors that can swap their knives for ranged firebombs.
  • Half-Troll Swordsmen (Rise of the Witch-King only): These vile creatures wield swords instead of the pikes of their counterparts, the Half-Troll Marauders.

Pikemen[]

  • Half-Troll Marauders: These vile creatures wield fearsome pikes and are lethal against all manner of Cavalry and monsters.

Archers[]

  • Goblin Archers: Goblin Archers are equipped with deadly bows and can fire poisoned arrows for lethal attacks.

Cavalry[]

  • Goblin Spider Riders: These elite goblin forces are able to equip either bows or poison-tipped spears.

Monsters[]

  • Spiderlings: Emerging from the forest of Mirkwood, these eight-legged terrors can be upgraded with poison Venom Sacs.
  • Cave Troll: These heavy, slow beasts can swing trees as clubs or throw large rocks at the enemy. When wounded, a troll is the worry of all nearby units.
  • Mountain Giant: Fabled creatures of Middle-earth, Mountain Giants are able to hurl heavy boulders at enemy structures and stomp their opponents into submission.
  • Fire Drake Brood (Rise of the Witch-King only): These flightless, fire-breathing dragons are deadly when banded together.
  • Fire Drake: This dragon has not yet developed the ability of flight. However, its deadly fire blast makes it a fearsome foe.

Ships[]

  • Umbar Transport: This defenceless transport can convoy units across large bodies of water.
  • Mordor Doom Ship: This suicide ship can be activated to cause a devastating explosion.
  • Corsair Black Ship: This ship fires heavy arrows for maximum effectiveness against enemy infantry and ships
  • Corsair Bombardment Ship: Equipped with a long range catapult, this ship is perfectly suited for destroying enemy structures.

Structures[]

Buildings[]

  • Tunnel: The Tunnel generates resources and provides access to the goblin Tunnel network. Your command point limit increases by 50 with each Tunnel.
  • Lumber Mill: The trees near a Lumber Mill can be harvested for resources. The Lumber Mill is dependent upon goblin laborers, not land area, for its resource output efficiency.
  • Goblin Cave: This infantry-production building trains Goblin Warriors and Goblin Archers.
  • Spider Pit: Goblins train Spiderlings and Spider Riders, and research Venom Sacs at the Spider Pit.
  • Fissure: Recruit Half-Troll Marauders, Cave Trolls, and Mountain Giants from the Fissure.
  • Sentry Tower: This short-range defensive tower fires arrows at incoming enemies.
  • Treasure Trove: The Treasure Trove allows for the research of goblin unit upgrades, including Scavenged Armor, Forged Blades, and Fire Arrows.
  • Fortress: The Fortress is the centre of a goblin base. You can customize it with a variety of improvements and expansions. Builders and heroes are recruited from the Fortress.

Fortress Expansions[]

  • Spider Holes: Dangerous Spiderlings spring forth from the Spider Holes and attack any nearby enemies.
  • Arrow Den: The Arrow Tower automatically fires arrows at incoming enemies and can be upgraded with Flaming Munitions.
  • Burrow: Burrows allow goblin troops to enter and leave the goblin Fortress undetected by the enemy.
  • Giant Sentry: The Giant Sentry throws boulders at any enemy forces in the vicinity.

Upgrades[]

Unit Upgrades[]

  • Banner Carriers: The Banner Carrier displays the veterancy of your units and grants all troops in the horde healing bonuses.
  • Scavenged Armor: When wearing Scavenged Armor, goblins become a force to be reckoned with.
  • Forged Blades: These blades, tempered in fire, inflict greater damage on all goblin enemies.
  • Fire Arrows: Flaming arrows from the bows of Goblin Archers inflict devastating fire damage on enemies.
  • Venom Sacs: Goblin-allied Spiderlings, when armed with deadly Venom Sacs, are fearsome to behold on the battlefield.

Fortress Upgrades[]

  • Bat Cloud: Ordering Bat Cloud increases the vision range of the Fortress. Bat Cloud also adds a permanent stealth-detection radius around the Fortress.
  • Razor Spines: These nasty jagged spines damage any hostile unit coming within close range of the Fortress.
  • Fire Arrows: The Fire Arrows upgrade equips Arrow Dens with flaming projectiles.
  • Web Cocoon: This tough Web Cocoon covers the goblin Fortress in webs, offering it additional protection from attack.
  • Dragon's Nest: The goblin Fortress, when equipped with a Dragon's Nest, can summon the Fire Drake to the battlefield.

Powers[]

Tier 1 Powers[]

  • War Chant: Targeted troops gain a boost to their armour and damage output.
  • Tainted Land: An area of terrain is burned and blackened, providing an armour and damage bonus to all allied units.
  • Cave Bats: This power creates a cloud of cave bats in the sky at a selected location. The cave bats reveal stealth units and reduce the armor and attack power of nearby enemies.

Tier 2 Powers[]

  • Summon Spiderlings: Several hordes of Spiderlings crawl out of the earth at a specified location.
  • Scavenger: Killed enemy units are scavenged for additional resources.
  • Untamed Allegiance: Allows the player to take control of target lair and recruit the associated unit.
  • Summon Wild Men of Dunland: Several hordes of Wildmen of Dunland appear at a specified location.

Tier 3 Powers[]

  • Awaken Wyrm: This foul, flightless dragon emerges from underground, breathing fire and lashing out at any nearby target.
  • Darkness: A dark cloud rolls across Middle-earth, granting your units a combat bonus.
  • Summon Watcher: A giant kraken, similar to the one found in the waters outside of Moria, instantly appears, felling enemies with its terrible tentacles and devouring its panicking prey.

Tier 4 Powers[]

Gallery[]

Notes and Trivia[]

  • The logo for the Goblins is of the top half of a roaring dragon. The Goblin faction has the largest number of dragon themed units in the game. Interestingly, the banner used by Goblin units does not have a dragon on it. Instead it is of a spider surrounded by a circle.
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