News - Silmarillion: Total War mod for Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms

THE BLESSED REALM OF VALINOR:

--Faction Traits--

The Light of Valinor:
Noldor and Vanyar units enjoy an extra hit point and gain an additional 5% to their melee defense and attack statistics.


Blessings of the Undying Lands:
All units are faster than the normal baseline. Heavy infantry have the speed of Medium Infantry, Medium Infantry are as swift as Light Infantry, and Light Infantry enjoy +.05 speed.


Army of the Light:
In the War of Wrath campaign Valinor can recruit warriors from the Falathrim, House Fingolfin, House Finarfin, and Gondolin



--Faction Summary--

Valinor armies are cosmopolitan citizen armies composed of Vanyar, Teleri, Maiar, and the remnant of the Noldor under Finarfin. The bulk of the army are supported by Teleri who are mediocre warriors, but deadly skirmishers. They are supported by medium Vanyarin spearmen, heavy Noldor swordsmen and further bolstered by the mighty Maiar, servants of the Powers who rule Arda in Eru's name.

On the battlefield an army of the Blessed Realm is a formidable, flexible force, capable of addressing a multitude of challenges in a variety of different ways, having access to all infantry classifications, artillery types, and many kinds of cavalry. However a chain is only as strong as its weakest link and the soft underbelly of the Host of Valinor is undoubtedly the Teleri. Though numerous, they are but lightly armed, armored, and unaccustomed to the horrors of war. As such they are susceptible to Fear and morale shocks and are more prone to flee than similar units of their tier in other factions. In addition, while durable and peerless on the battlefield, Noldor, Vanyar, and Maiar are very expensive to field. Valinor generals will need to strike a balance between their powerful core units and the supporting Teleri roster.


Weaknesses:

Limited AP, below average mid tier quality, Teleri susceptible to mass routing, while Noldor and Vanyar are very expensive and low in number. Fear and morale shocks can be incredibly effective against the Teleri who form the bulk of the standing army of Valinor, small units vulnerable to focus fire, artillery, and attrition warefare;

Strengths:

The best bodyguard units in the game, robust cavalry wing, liberal access to multiple hit point units, Vanyar and Noldor units are best in class on a per model basis, excellent morale buffing capabilities, fantastic skirmish and mobility potential.


--Faction Roster--


Vanyar:

Capped at 80 men, 2 HP, Medium infantry/cavalry, all spearmen, but use slashing damage. 2h spears are AP. Vanyar cost an additional 10%., 20 morale base, but all Vanyar inspire so blocks of them are difficult to remove. Base armor of 7, can upgrade armor for increased cost (80.) 3 capped.

Distinctive features: Purple eyes; Gold, purple, red, and white color scheme.

Hunters of Oromë:

Spear Cav/Lancer Hybrids, 30 men in the unit, no slashing damage, but have greatly increased bonuses against elephants, and an additional +2 against Wargs, capped at 3, cause Fear, +2 morale in 20 meters, no mount bonus vs cavalry.

Peacekeepers of Valimar:
1h spearmen, slashing damage, 2hp, 80 men per unit, capped at 3, inspire for +2 in 25M radius, spearwall, uses Tower of Snow animations.



Plaza Guardians of Valimar:

2h spearmen, AP, slashing damage, 80 men per unit, spearwall formation, +3 morale in 50 meters, capped at 3




Noldor:

The heavy infantry of Valinor. Well armored, shielded, and brave. They're just a remnant of the once mighty folk that departed Valinor and are thus few in number. 60 men per unit, but with higher caps than the Vanyar. If you choose you will be able to field Noldor in greater numbers than Vanyar. Base morale of 18, +15% to all charge damage, + 15 charge distance, upgrade armor for reduced cost (40). Base damage increased by +1.

Distinctive features: Black hair; Light blue, white, silver, and gold color scheme

Hearthguard of Tirion:

Shielded swordsmen, heavy infantry, capped at 5. Base armor of 10. 2hp.




Sentinels of Tirion:

2handed swordsmen. Capped at 4. Base armor of 10. 2 missile deflection. 2hp, relentless.

Legendary Variant:

The Grieving Sons.

Telerin Warriors of Alqualondë. Lack the heavier armor (7 instead of 10, no upgrade) and hp of Sentinels, but benefit from greatly increased melee defense (+4), +2 base damage, locked morale. 120 men in unit.


Knights of Tirion:

30 men per unit. Penalties against elephants, average bonuses against Wargs, but +3 against horsemen. 1 armor upgrade, base armor of 10.





Teleri:

Light infantry exclusively. No armor upgrades. Normal unit sizes. Accounts for the midntier roster. 1HP only. All infantry use normal morale response, while skirmishers use low. +2 melee defense for all Light units. -10% cost.

Distinctive features: Light blue and white color scheme.



Mariners of Alqualondë:

Harassment Javelins. Capped at 3. 120 men in the unit. Skirmisher template. +1 ammo. Armed with swords and small shields, 3 armor.



Marksmen of Alqualondë:
6 missile damage, +2 ammo, 120 men per unit, 3 armor. Capped at 3. Skirmisher template.


Militia of Alqualondë:

Light spearmen. 5 armor, +1 Base melee defense. 140 men per unit. Capped at 8. Infantry template.


Slingers of Alqualondë:

Scattershot slinger. Particularly good at dealing with large numbers of light infantry. Sacrifices -4 ammunition for a multi-shot projectile that are useful for cleaving through unshielded enemies. 120 men per unit, infantry template, uses maces in close combat. Capped at 3. + 20 range. 3 armor, shield value of 3, armor of 3. +5% cost.


Shoalrunners of Alqualondë:

Light, unshielded bow cavalry with excellent accuracy and damage. Extremely fragile and prone to routing. 60 men per unit. +4 ammo. Capped at 4.


Maiar:

Maiar enjoy 10% on melee defense and attack

Individually some of the best fighters to be found anywhere.

All Maiar benefit from the Relentless trait.

Distinctive features: Larger than the average infantryman; golden eyes

Adepts of Tulkas:
1 handed macemen with excellent shield values and Medium armor. 30 men per unit, 4HP, relentless, +3 morale in 50 meter radius, unbreakable, causes Fear, +2 damage, AP.

Special trait-- Fortitude of Tulkas: +1 hitpoint

Heralds of Manwë:

+5 morale in 50 meter radius, 40 men per unit, heavy 1 handed spearmen with +4 against elephants, two armor upgrade levels, 3HP, piercing damage, -3 damage penalty, base armor of 10. Special trait-- Speed of the Eagle Lord: uses light infantry speed bonuses to maintain uptime on large creatures, relentless.




Vanyar BG:

Kinsmen of Ingwë:

+3 morale in 30 meter radius, 1 handed swordsmen, 50 men, per unit, capped at 2, 2HP. This is the budget option as the Maiar are expensive specialists.




Special models:
Ingwion: general model

Eönwë: officer in the Heralds of Manwë.

One to-be-named Telerin Prince for use as an officer in The Grieving Sons which will be decided on by the community via Discord (https://discord.gg/7bUUv4tSBe)

Artillery:

Access to catapults, ballistae, and trebuchets, all of which will be crewed by Hearthguard detachments.


Potential campaign only units: Eagles

And finally, here's a small preview of an unnamed Valinor unit:

Mae govannen, mellon nin.

It has been a very exciting few months of work for the Silmarillion Total War team, in preparation for the Fall of Feanor patch! In one of our most comprehensive patches to date, FoF comprises new maps, new Legendary Company units, a new faction, and some small balance tweaks and aesthetic changes.

Firstly, I’d like to thank the large number of people who have had their part in putting this mod together. Skylli, Synn of the Darkcloud, Castellan have done a marvelous job with some of the new units you will see. Secondly, Rexgervais and StewardofDale have been instrumental in making some new maps to play, as well giving us preview images in the map selection screen. StewardofDale, especially, has made some very nice unit cards as well. Lastly, I’d like to thank Umadcommander, ScoutsofEntertainment, and other youtubers who have given our mod a platform. I have no doubt that their exposure will continue to boost everyone’s experience while playing Silmarillion TW.

Now…the details!

One of the biggest changes in FoF is our new faction, The House of Fingolfin. Fingolfin is the younger step-brother of Feanor, and became High-King after his nephew, Maedhros, abdicated. Fingolfin is perhaps the greatest warrior of the Eldar, facing off with Morgoth himself and wounding the Dark Lord seven times. In homage to their leaders martial prowess, the House of Fingolfin specializes in heavy-hitting close quarters combat. Their units have some of the highest skill ratings in the game, and are absolutely deadly against lower skill foes. One of their weaknesses is their lack of sturdy cavalry, and armor-piercing melee units.

That being said, Fingolfin’s roster is augmented by the noble House of Hador, one of the houses of the Edain. Led by Hurin himself, the Sons of Hurin are one of the bodyguard units that can be brought to bear. Wielding two-handed axes, the Sons are monster killers of the highest degree. Even Sauron himself would do well to stay away from prolonged combat with these guys.

Fingolfin also received their new Legendary Company, called the Arqueni Findekano. These badass horse archers are armor-piercing, but with limited ammo. They are in reference to the riders Fingon brought to drive Glaurung back to Angband, early on during the Siege of Angband.

Speaking of Sauron, he is now a playable unit for Tol in Gaurhoth! Sauron made an appearance in the original Third Age mod, but frequently caused crashing due to his animation and skeleton. All has been fixed with a little modding magic, and he is now fully functional. He is currently wearing his classic 2^nd age armor set, but he will have a new armor set in the future. As for strategy, Sauron is an elephant class unit. Therefore, he has a large AoE, but also a large hit box. He disrupts line formations, and can push through nearly every obstacle in his way. However, because of his hit box and his elephant status, more units are able to reach their full potential against him. Many of our existing units had the Monster Hunter trait, but were left with the Uruloki as their only foe. Sauron, and also the Balrogs, will now need to be careful around such units!

The Sons of Feanor received some cool new skins, mainly to their cavalry. They have less of the all red appearance now, blended with some white and black. Feanor’s line infantry have also seen some changes, now with the ability to upgrade their armor twice. This was due to their lack of AP, and other Noldor-esque shortcomings, that prevented them from really standing up at all in an infantry fight. Hopefully you will see a much more useful Feanor infantry force!

Ossiriand has received their Legendary Company as well. The Kinsmen of Denethor are a locked morale spear unit that is desperately needed as an anchor to any formation Ossiriand musters. As a kiting faction, Ossiriand relies on hit and run tactics. This leaves them little options once they are caught or out of position. Their spear units are really the only line of defense they have to slow down an advance and continue running.

Doriath has also received their Legendary Company. The Guards of Fallen Leaves are a devastating axe-throwing unit with Monster Hunter capabilities. As mentioned above, their usefulness is clearly seen with the new elephant units in game, as well as the heavily armored faction of Fingolfin.

Some more general changes to the mod include new vegetation ported over from Europa Barborum 2. New terrain textures are also from EB2. It appears more lush, with fuller colors, and distinctive tree types.

In terms of gameplay, archers across the board received an accuracy boost, giving them a bit more killing power. Firing arcs for Uruloki and the Mangonel have also been optimized, allowed for easier use in battle. There were line of sight issues that preventing them getting their good shots off. The Mangonel in particular now features a larger spread, affecting a larger amount of enemies.

Battle Editor has also been given some new assets. For the mapmakers out there, you now have some more elven assets including towers, temples, and gatehouses.

Finally, in conjunction with this release, our Discord server is starting a Roleplay Campaign on the public build. All of the factions have leaders, but there is plenty of room for more generals. It is a lot of fun and I am sure some of the battles will be featured on some Youtubers channels! Map made by WK.

Link to our discord can be found below!

Next up, GONDOLIN

Thank you all again, and we will see you all again in a few months after we’ve had some rest 😊

Auta i lómë, Aurë entuluva! - The night is passing, day shall come again!

Discord.gg

The House of the descendants and followers of Fingolfin, second son of Finwë, who was accounted High King of the Noldor after the death of his elder brother Fëanor in the first year of the First Age.

During the early years of the First Age, the House of Fingolfin held the lands to the northwest of Beleriand; Hithlum, Nevrast and Gondolin. Of these, the city of Gondolin held until F.A. 510, but Hithlum was overrun by Morgoth in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, where Fingon was slain (Fingolfin had already met his end in the Dagor Bragollach). The remnant of the House, including Fingon's son Ereinion Gil-galad, were succoured by Círdan in the Grey Havens.

After the Nirnaeth, Tuor son of Huor was sent as a messenger to Turgon in Gondolin, and there wedded Turgon's daughter Idril. Thus was the blood of Men introduced into the House, and the descendants of their line were named half-elven, given the choice of whether they were to considered Men or Elves. All these descendants chose to be considered among the Firstborn, except Elrond's brother Elros (who became the first King of Númenor and was a direct ancestor of Aragorn Elessar), and Elrond's daughter Arwen (Queen to Aragorn at the end of the Third Age).

After the Fall of Gondolin, the survivors of the House lived as exiles at the Mouths of Sirion or in the Falas, until Eärendil, descendant of Fingolfin's second son Turgon, sailed into the West to seek the aid of the Valar, who overthrew Morgoth in the War of Wrath in c. F.A. 583.

The House of Fingolfin was probably no more as an entity; the only known descendants were the two Half-elven sons of Eärendil; Elrond and Elros, the patriarch of the Mannish House of Elros and the Kings of Númenor.

Edain of Dor-Lomin Units: Low Tier

Dor-lómin was the southwestern part of Hithlum, bordered in the east by the Mountains of Mithrim, and in the north by the river which formed the Rainbow Cleft, also known as Annon-in-Gelydh ("Gate of the Noldor"). It was first colonized by the Noldor shortly after they arrived in Middle-earth, and for a long time was ruled by Fingon son of Fingolfin, before he took over as High King of the Noldor after his father was killed. By this time the Edain known as the House of Marach had entered Beleriand, and Hador Lórindol had "entered the household of Fingolfin in his youth and was loved by the King." Fingolfin granted him the land of Dor-lómin as a fief, and he gathered most of his kin into that land.

Fyrdsmen of Dor-Lomin:

Variant 2

Edain of Hithlum: Mid Tier

Hithlum was populated by the Elves of Mithrim who were Sindar. The Noldor entered Hithlum via the Firth of Drengist and first camped at the shores of Lake Mithrim. The land was covered by mists and vapours from the Thangorodrim, and thus they named it Hísilómë or Land of Mist. Thingol gave leave to the Noldor to settle it and was ruled by Fingolfin and Fingon from its northern lands. Later in the First Age, Hithlum was continually under attack by Morgoth, but its natural defenses, fortified by fortresses such as Barad Eithel, proved impassable. Almost a century after the Dagor Aglareb, a small number of Orcs came from the Firth of Drengist from the west, but once they were spotted, Fingon pushed them back into the sea. In F.A. 416 Fingolfin granted Hador a hereditary fiefdom in Dor-lómin, where he gathered most of the people of his kin, thus forming the noble House of Hador. The mountains protected Hithlum during the Dagor Bragollach, after which Edain of the First House came from Dorthonion as refugees and joined those of Hador.

Hirdmen of Hithlum:

Variant 2:

Sentries of Hithlum:

Variant 2:

Vinyamar Units: Mid Tier

Vinyamar was the first recorded Noldor stone construction after they had returned to Middle-earth. Vinyamar's population was primarily Noldorin, with a large influx of Sindarin elves. In F.A. 50 Turgon and Finrod took a journey along the river Sirion. At the Meres of Twilight they slept and both received a dream from Ulmo, bidding them to see places of strength. Two years later Turgon discovered the hidden way and vale of Tumladen wherein he determined to build Gondolin. In F.A. 64 Turgon led a third of his people to the valley to begin construction of his hidden city. By F.A. 116 Gondolin was full-wrought and Turgon led the remainder of his folk to the city; from then on Vinyamar was abandoned and fell into decay. Much later, in F.A. 495, Tuor came to the deserted settlement. Marvelling, he entered Turgon's old hall and on a wall, lit by the setting sun, he found a shield, hauberk, helm, and sword. The shield bore a filed of blue and a white swan's wing. Tuor took these items and wore them. In the meantime, Voronwë was rescued by Ulmo from a shipwreck and was brought near the city; when the two met, they left Vinyamar together for a journey that led to Gondolin.

Vinyamar Marines:

Variant 2:

Barad Eithel Units: High Tier

Barad Eithel (S. "Tower of the Well") was the mountain fortress of Fingolfin and his son Fingon, thus the seat of the High Kings of the Noldor (until the Nirnaeth Arnoediad). It was set in the eastern foothills of the Ered Wethrin, at Eithel Sirion, the source of the River Sirion. It was here that the Battle of Unnumbered Tears took place, and where Fingon was slain, giving Morgoth the chance to take control over the chief stronghold of both Mithrim and Dor-lómin.

Blademasters of Barad Eithel:

Bladesmen of Barad Eithel:

Marksmen of Barad Eithel:

Wardens of Barad Eithel:

Fingolfin BG Units: God Tier: TBA

As always feel free to join our discord to see the latest developments!

Discord.gg

Balar Units: High Tier

The Isle of Balar was a refugee camp of the Eldar and Edain of Beleriand. Before the Dagor Bragollach, Elves of Nargothrond, with ships built by the Falathrim, explored the Isle of Balar considering it as a safe haven in time of need. During the Fall of the Falas some Falathrim survivors escaped the Havens on ships, with Cirdan and Gil-galad; they reached Balar where they established a safe refuge, keeping also a foothold of ships at the Mouths of Sirion. Hearing this, Turgon once more sent messengers there asking for Cirdan's help. Cirdan built seven ships to send to the West, but of them no news came to Balar. It was here that Círdan assisted Eärendil of Arvernien in building the ship Vingilot (Vingilótë), with which he sought for Valinor, to ask for the pardon of the Valar. From there many went to Lindon until the Elves were summoned to Valinor, and the Edain to the new isle of Númenor.

Balar Archers

Balar Spearmen:

Brithombar Units: Mid Tier

Brithombar was the western of the two Havens of the Falas, at the mouth of the River Brithon, from which it took its name. Nargothrond had an alliance with the Falas. During the Siege of Angband (F.A. 65), the Elves of Nargothrond aided the Falathrim in rebuilding the two Havens and made them fair and strong. They also built Barad Nimras to watch for attacks from the sea by Morgoth. It was occupied by the Falathrim until it was invaded and destroyed in F.A. 473 along with its twin, Eglarest. Círdan's people then fled to the Mouths of Sirion and the Isle of Balar.

Brithombar Marines:

Brithombar Rangers:

Brithombar Foresters:

Brithombar Spearmen:

Eglarest Units: Mid Tier

Eglarest was the southern of the two Havens of the Falas that lay at the mouth of the River Nenning on the western coasts of Beleriand. The northern haven was called Brithombar. They were founded during the Years of the Trees by Círdan. Upon the cape west of Eglarest Finrod had built Barad Nimras. The Havens lasted until they were taken by Morgoth in F.A. 473.

Eglarest Warriors:

Eglarest Spearmen:

Eglarest Cavalry:

Bodyguard Units: God Tier

Círdan was one of the highest and most noble of the Sindar, Lord of the Falathrim during the First Age, and Master of the Grey Havens through the Second, Third, and Fourth Age. He was one of the wisest and most foresighted of the Elves, and by the Second Age the oldest known elf in Middle-earth, to remain so throughout that age and into the Fourth Age as well. He was also gifted Narya, one of the Three Rings, by Celebrimbor until he surrendered it to Gandalf. He was one of the last elves in Middle-earth, sailing West early in the Fourth Age.

Erain Ephedyn (Followers of the Lord):

Aran Cir Lim (Guards of the Havens):

Special Unit:

Mariners of Earendil:

These special units will be explained in more detail shortly by Umad and his youtube channel. Follow along to better understand! Each faction will have a special unit that adds a little variety to their rosters, granting certain abilities in battle! You can think of them as heroes, but not all will be extremely powerful per se.

As always keep a watchful eye for our battle replays on Youtube, especially those by Jmonster, Umadcommander, and ScoutsofEntertainment. Feel free to join our discord channel as well: Discord.gg

Hello Everyone! As you may have noticed, the world has taken a bit of kick in the ass from COVID-19. As unfortunate as the panic is, it has also given us, and will continue to give us, a little more time to devote to additions to the mod! The dev team is back together and will begin some fun work very shortly. As always, be sure to join our discord with the link at the bottom of this article. I am unsure when a new test patch will be coming out that will include our new faction, the Easterlings, but when it does release, be sure to follow Jmonster and Umadcommander Youtube pages for great replay analysis. Without further ado, here are some sneak previews of the Easterling faction, led by their leaders Bor and Ulfang.

The Easterlings also known as Swarthy Men, were primitive tribes of Men who roamed Middle-earth in the First Age. Long after the Men awoke in Hildórien, some of them left that land to migrate to the West. Some of the ancestors of the Swarthy Men left their descendants in Eriador. They are described as short and broad, with swarthy (darker) skin, eyes and hair. Some had greater liking for the Dwarves of the mountains than for the Elves. Some of their women were proud and barbaric and capable of fighting.

They made their way to Beleriand; others desired its rich lands, while others were instigated by the Enemy. They entered from east of Ered Luin after Dagor Bragollach, much later than the Edain who had already established themselves among the Noldor and the Sindar.

Bór was a leader of Men who came into Lothlann, Beleriand, in the year F.A. 463. His people were worty, and tillers of the earth. His sons were Borlach, Borlad and Borthand. Bór was welcomed by Maedhros, who gave him and his followers land north of the March of Maedhros, and south of it. Bór and his sons swore allegiance to Maedhros, and remained faithful, though he was told by Morgoth to betray the banner of Caranthir. All of them were wiped out during the Nirnaeth Arnoediad.

Ulfang also came in Lothlann, Beleriand, in 463, shortly after Bór. He was the father of Ulfast, Ulwarth, and Uldor. Ulfang was welcomed by the sons of Fëanor, and he and his sons swore allegiance to Caranthir. They were given lands to dwell in the north and south of the March of Maedhros. Ulfang and his sons were secretly in the employ of Morgoth, and betrayed the Eldar and Edain during the Nirnaeth Arnoediad.

The Easterlings were then betrayed by their lord Morgoth, and confined to Hithlum in the latter years of the First Age. Those Incomers enslaved the remaining Edain. Some, like Brodda, intermarried with the Edain.

After the War of Wrath, those that survived fled back over the Ered Luin to Eriador. Some did in fact go beyond Eriador, back to the area of Rhun, but little else is known what befell them. Some of them became Kings of the primitive Middle Men who had no contact with the Eldar or the Edain such the tribes of Enedwaith, Dunland, and Bree. For this the Middle Men were neglected by the Valar.

Thank you all again for your support! Look forward to more exciting additions! Here is the discord link!

Discord.gg