Elves in general are lightly armored but fast, and specialize in hit-and-run attacks. Their many heroes can serve a variety of purposes, and are trained fairly cheaply. Their Mirkwood Archers are the best archers in the game, and when equipped with Silverthorn arrows can destroy a battalion in seconds. Ents remain the strongest unit for the Elves, and are slow but immensely powerful. Even the toughest building will fall quickly beneath the mighty blows of an Ent.
Arwen’s level 1 Mount/Dismount is useful when you want to get somewhere fast or if you encounter pikemen. Arwen is also very useful when mounted and accompanied by Rivendell Lancers. Add Glorfindel to this equation for a truly formidable army.
Her level 4 Flood can dish out a ton of damage in a relatively small area. You only need to get to level 4 to use the power, but unfortunately its recharge time is 6 minutes. This power accompanied with a cavalry charge will usually decimate the enemy.
Arwen’s level 8 Athelas is useful, as it heals nearby allies. This is the reason why she can support units so well. A strategy I like to use involves this power. After a cavalry rush with Arwen, I fake a retreat and split up my forces. I send one force to flank the enemy from behind, while healing the other with Athelas. The enemy is crushed in the middle, while I am free to continue my charge.
His level 1 Alternate Weapon is useful throughout the entire game. At close range, he can devastate enemy forces with his AoE damage. He can also hold enemy forces at bay until help arrives. Just be careful not to leave him on his own for too long, as he has moderately low defense.
Haldir’s level 4 Leadership buffs friendly units, giving them a 50% damage and armor boost. They also gain experience twice as fast. This is quite obviously a very useful power, as it gives your units a huge advantage in battle. I like grouping Haldir with Mirkwoods when he reaches level 4, as his Leadership makes them even better.
His level 9 Golden Arrow does a lot of damage to an enemy and also stuns them for 15 seconds. This is useful against trolls and other monsters, as well as heroes. Personally I don’t use this power much, but mainly only because you need to reach level 9 to use it.
His level 1 Mount/Dismount ability allows him to ride with cavalry or run with foot soldiers. Basically the same advantages/disadvantages as Arwen.
His level 3 Blade of Purity is very useful in battle. When facing a hero, it can be the difference between life and death for Glorfindel. It provides 10 precious seconds of invincibility from everything. Useful in almost every situation, it has an unfortunately long recharge time of 145 seconds.
Glorfindel’s level 6 Wind Rider is another extremely useful power. It grants him +60% speed and +200% armor when mounted. This is useful for hit-and-run attacks, or when retreating.
His level 10 Starlight gives nearby allied units +50% armor and +50% damage. They also heal for 30 seconds. This is useful when on the move or when resting at your base.
Legolas’s level 1 Hawk Strike is a very useful power, especially against trolls. This can also be used against enemy heroes with good effect.
His level 4 Train Archers is best used on Mirkwood archers. This power basically eliminates the need for banner carriers, at least for archers. Use this power when defending a fortress such as Helm’s Deep or when about to charge.
His level 6 Knife Fighter gives him +125% speed and +20% armor. This powerful is useful when caught behind enemy lines or when surrounded. Unfortunately it has a long recharge time of 600 seconds, so I don’t use this power very often.
Legolas’s level 10 Arrow Wind is his best power. When used, most enemies within the radius will die. This is a good crowd-clearing power, and sadly has a recharge time of 4 minutes.
His level 1 Elven Cloak allows him to be invisible when standing still. This makes him an efficient scout, as you can stand right next to the enemy base without them noticing. This also allows him to turn invisible with Mirkwoods to create an elite ambushing force.
Thranduil’s level 4 Dead Eye gives him an increased rate of fire and increased damage output. This power is useful against basically anything, but especially against enemy heroes and towers.
His level 6 Wild Walk gives him the ability to shoot while invisible. This greatly improves his stealth abilities, as he can kill enemy units with being noticed.
His level 7 Move Unseen is another stealth ability that camoflauges friendly units for 30 seconds. Unfortunately they cannot attack without losing their invisibility. I like using this on my army and moving to the enemy base without being attacked.
Thranduil’s level 10 Thorn of Vengeance is an extremely powerful attack that is best used against enemy heroes or strong monsters. When used, it can take out a large chunk of an enemy hero’s health.
Elrond’s level 1 Farsight is an invaluable scouting power. This is basically the same thing as the Palantir power, so it saves you 5 power points. Use this on the enemy base to see everything going on.
Elrond’s level 1 Athelas heals him. A very straightforward power, this can come in handy when facing another hero.
His level 3 Leadership gives nearby allies +50% armor and +25% damage. They also gain experience twice as fast. This power is obviously useful as it gives your army a huge advantage in a battle.
Elrond’s level 7 Restoration heals nearby allies and restores their special ability timers. This power is basically the opposite of the Witch-King’s Hour of the Witch-King. Restoration is useful when you’ve just used a super-powerful ability such as Arwen’s Flood or Thranduil’s Thorn of Vengeance.
His level 10 Whirlwind summons a destructive tornado to the field that can easily destroy enemy units. Use this when overwhelmed or when in the enemy’s base.
Green Pasture – this building trains Rivendell Lancers at level 1. It can be upgraded twice for faster build speed.
Build Order: Mallorn Tree, Mallorn Tree, Elven Barracks, Mithlond Sentries, Mallorn Tree, Elven Stables, Lorien Archers, and more Mallorn Trees.
Build Order: Mallorn Tree, Mallorn Tree, Elven Stables, Mallorn Tree, Rivendell Lancers, Mallorn Tree, Rivendell Lancers, Elven Barracks, Mallorn Tree
Build Order: Mallorn Tree, Elven Barracks, Mallorn Tree, Mallorn Tree, Lorien Warriors, Lorien Warriors, Mallorn Tree, Haldir (optional), and Lorien Archers/Mithlond Sentries
If you have anything you want to add or change about this guide, make sure to post here. Happy Holidays!
But that does not mean that I walked alone. ~ Brandon Sanderson