Concept Update: Faramir news - Edain Mod for Battle for Middle-earth II: Rise of the Witch King

Today, we want to talk about one of Gondor's classic heroes: Faramir. As a supporter for both infantry and cavalry, he has always played a vital role for his faction, but we still felt there was some room for improvement. We saw two main issues with him: Firstly, Faramir was supposed to lead Rangers and Knights into battle, but was unable to mount a horse until he reached level six. Secondly, his mount and his weapon switch used up two ability slots, leaving little room for interesting powers.

We addressed the first issue by making two changes: His mount is now already available at level one, and in addition to the Archery Range he is now also recruitable in the Stables. This should make him much more attractive for players who like recruiting Gondor Knights and are looking for ways to support them.

The second issue lead to several changes, starting with the removal of his weapon switch while Faramir is in his ranger form. Faramir still can use his sword through his ability Proven Value, which will make him automatically switch weapons, but otherwise he will stay close to his rangers.

We also decided to move his Crippling Shot to level 7 and strengthen it - it now deals more damage and also knocks back enemies in a small area around the target. This includes heroes, so watch out!

In his Knight Form, he gets a new ability: Heroic Charge. Inspired by his valiant stand in the defense of Minas Tirith, Faramir charges right at a target to take it down. While charging, he knocks back enemies in a medium radius and becomes invulnerable, allowing him to penetrate enemy lines and lead the way for Gondor's cavalry who can follow in his wake.

Lastly, his final ability Captain of Gondor was also tweaked. It no longer gives experience to allied units in the target area, but now offers a significant speed boost that slowly decays over time. This is the only major speed boost for Gondor, which gives Faramir a very special and important role if you want to take enemy positions and hunt down your enemy.

The final ability set for Faramir will consist of these powers:

Knights/Ranger Toggle: Faramir switches between his ranger form and knight form. In ranger form, he attacks enemies from range and pulls out his sword when in melee. In knight form, he attacks enemies in melee and can trample enemies.

Proven Value:For a short time, Faramir fights recklessly to earn his father’s appreciation gaining +30% armour and receiving double experience for each kill. If in ranger form, he pulls out his sword to fight for that duration, gaining +25% damage. You cannot change forms during that time or use Wounding Arrow. At level 10, each attack will grant nearby allies some experience.

Prince of Ithilien (Level 4): Even in times of great hardship, Faramir fills the hearts of his brothers at arms with courage. All nearby friendly units gain fear resistance. Infantry gains +30% damage and cavalry gains +33% armor. Passive ability.

Wounding Arrow (Level 7): Faramir fires a powerful shot, dealing damage to the target. If the target is a monster it will be sent fleeing in terror, otherwise, it will be knocked back a long distance. Only available in ranger mode.

Heroic Charge (Level 7): Faramir charges at the target unit becoming invulnerable, on his way there he knocks back all units but deals little damage. Upon impact with his target, he knocks them down and cripples them for a short duration. Only available in knight form.

Captain of Gondor (Level 10): Faramir commands his men into battle, units in the target area gain a large speed boost that decays over a long duration. Units gain +50% movement speed decaying over 60 seconds.

We hope you liked this small update and are, as always, looking forward to your feedback!