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- "Men proved easier to ensnare. Those who used the Nine Rings became mighty in their day, kings, sorcerers, and warriors of old. They obtained glory and great wealth, yet it turned to their undoing. They had, as it seemed, unending life, yet life became unendurable to them."
- —The Silmarillion
The Shadow Lord is one of the unnamed Nazgûl who begins as a veiled Nazgûl but can transform into different forms depending on the player's choice. The Nazgûl's powers are tied to Sauron as they do not have levels of their own but gain power and unlock new abilities as Sauron regains his power of old. Training a Nazgûl grants a level to Sauron only once; recruiting all 9 Nazgûl grants him another level.
Abilities
Veiled Nazgûl
Level 1: Mount/Dismount: This allows the Nazgûl to mount/dismount his dark horse.
Level 1: Dread Visage: This ability lowers nearby enemy units' damage and armor by 10% and cancels all their leadership bonuses. For every Nazgûl nearby the effect is amplified by an additional 5%. (Passive ability)
Level 4: Morgul Blade: The Nazgûl stabs the targeted enemy with a Morgul blade, poisoning them over time. If the unit dies while the effect is active, they will become a Lesser Wraith, which is invisible to enemies but has no attack. This will also cripple the target.
Spellbook power "His Deadliest Servants" (3pp) purchased: Ring Hunter: The Nazgûl is named Ring Hunter by his Master. He gains a new set of abilities and a fell beast to mount. He will also be able to sense the One Ring if it is nearby. (cost: 1000)
Spellbook power "His Deadliest Servants" (3pp) purchased: Robe of the Shadow Lord: The Shadow Lord gets the order to defeat the enemies of Mordor on the battlefield. He obtains a robe with magical Morgul inscriptions which improves his abilities. If the Shadow Lord falls in battle, the robe will be destroyed and will have to be remade. (cost: 500)
Ring Hunter
Level 1: Mount/Fell Beast/ Dismount: This allows the Nazgûl to mount/dismount his dark horse and also mount his fell beast to take flight.
Level 1: Dread Visage: This ability lowers nearby enemy units' damage and armor by 10% and cancels all their leadership bonuses. For every Nazgûl nearby the effect is amplified by an additional 5%. (Passive ability)
Level 4: Screech: The Nazgul screeches and sends his enemy fleeing in fear.
Level 6: Morgul Blade: The Nazgul stabs the targeted enemy with a Morgul blade, poisoning them over time. If the unit dies while the effect is active, they will become a Lesser Wraith, which is invisible to enemies but has no attack. This will also cripple the target. Not available while riding fell beast.
Level 9: Wraith Form (dismounted only): The Nazgûl casts off his robes and enters the spirit world. He cannot attack and cannot be attacked and can only cast Screech and Morgul Blade. He does retain his Dread Visage ability.
Shadow Lord
Level 1:Mount/Dismount: This allows the Nazgûl to mount/dismount his dark horse
Level 1: Visage of the Shadow Lord: This ability lowers nearby enemy units' damage and armor by 10% and cancels all their leadership bonuses. For every Nazgul nearby the effect is amplified by an additional 5%. The nearer enemies are to the Shadow Lord, the less damage they deal, up to 50% if they are standing directly in front of him. (Passive ability)
Level 4: Morgul Blade of the Shadow Lord: The Nazgûl stabs the targeted enemy with a Morgul blade, poisoning them over time. If the unit dies while the effect is active, they will become a Lesser Wraith, which is invisible to enemies but has no attack. This will also cripple the target.
Level 7: Screech: The Shadow Lord screeches and causes all the nearby enemies to flee in terror.
Level 10: Curse of the Shadow Lord: The Shadow Lord surrounds himself with dreadful magic which harms everyone who dares to attack him. 50% of the damage dealt to the Shadow Lord is reflected back at the attacker(s). (Passive ability)
Upgrades
The Shadow Lord can be given the following upgrades:
Ring Hunter - The Nazgûl gains the ability to sense the Ring, along with a fell beast and new abilities. He can no longer be unveiled. Cost: 700 Cost: 1000 Resources
Template:Unveil Robe of the Shadow Lord - The Shadow Lord receives a robe of darkness to serve Mordor; he gains new abilities, a new skin and increased stats. Cost: 500 Resources
Strategy
The Nazgûl are mostly used to debuff enemies. They excel at this job and manage to easily palliate the difference in strength between a free Orc Warrior and any other type of infantry. They are the reason that Mordor is so strong. The more the merrier as once you have two Nazgûl out the total armor and damage lost is 15%, rendering units almost useless in the face of the might of Mordor; every Nazgûl present adds another 5%. The Shadow Lord is a good addition early game paired with a rushed unveiling since his final ability allows him to deal much more damage to early and mid-game units. However, he will lack power in the late game once enemy units get upgraded as they will begin to deal more damage than he can deal with.
Trivia
Although the Nazgul is canon, the upgrade Shadow Lord is non-canonical and was created by Games Workshop. It has this description: "The Shadow Lord was once the king of a small and insignificant kingdom. When Sauron offered him one of the Nine Rings, the promise of its power proved irresistible. Now, his physical being all but gone, and his will enslaved to Sauron, the Shadow Lord wears his dark pride like a cloak, blotting the sun from the sky and dimming the sight of his foes."
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