Greetings, Companions of the Edain!After the new models of Arnor's infantry we showed you in the last few days, today we take a look at their nemesis, who was ultimately responsible for Arnor's downfall: the Witch-King of Angmar. We've been planning for quite some time to make him more important to his realm and give him a more central role, since he was the essential character of his kingdom and it didn't always feel that way ingame. Today, we want to introduce you to the first part of his rework.
A chill wind blows...One of the difficulties with designing a hero like the Witch-King are the multiple aspects the character brings to the table. The Witch-King was a skilled strategist as Angmar's commander, the central ruling authority of his nation, a ruthless sorcerer of enormous power, and last but not least, a fearsome warrior. Therefore, to cover all these points equally, the new concept revolves around his new ability
Favor of the Witch King, which will be available at level 1 and will allow the player to focus on one of the different factions of Angmar: Mages, Monsters, Thralls, or Men of Carn Dûm. This ability can only be used once - only one faction can be in the Witch King's favor! As soon as the central spell
Might of the Iron Crown is bought in the spellbook, additional advantages are unlocked for the selected faction. The Witch-King himself, on the other hand, gains a new ability immediately after casting the favor, which takes its place and emphasizes his connection to that faction. His new ability set looks like this:
Level 1: Favor of the Witch-King: The Witch-King shows favor to one faction of his subjects. Unlocks a new ability for the Witch-King. The affected subjects receive special benefits once 'Might of the Iron Crown' is purchased in the spellbook. Can be cast on Wolf's Dens, Halls of the King's Men, Halls of Twilight, Orc Camps or Hill Man Villages.Level 3: The Worthy and the Unworthy: Allied units in the target area briefly gain +200% experience, but -20% armor. Heroes gain +100% experience and -40% armor. May also affect the Witch-King himself.Level 7: Life Drinking Blade:
The Witch King wields his terrible Life Drinking Blade. The blade heavily poisons any enemy it strikes, reducing their damage by 30%..
Level 10: Last Winter For 60 seconds, all enemy units and heroes on the map move 25% slower and all enemy buildings produce 25% slower.
If the Thrall Masters are in the Witch-King's favor, enemy units, heroes and buildings also receive -25% armor.
If the Men of Carn Dûm are in the Witch-King's favor, enemy units, heroes, and buildings also receive -25% damage.
If the Sorcerers are in the Witch-King's favor, enemy units and heroes in a large radius are also poisoned.
If the Beasts are in the Witch-King's favor, the slowdown for units, heroes, and buildings increases to 35%.The Favor of the Witch-KingThe breakdown of the different factions for casting the Favor is as follows: The Wolf's Den is for the monsters, the Hall of the King's Men is for Carn Dûm, the Temple of Twilight is for sorcerers and wights, Hillmen Villages and Orc Camps are for the thralls. The abilities that are unlocked cover different aspects of the Witch King:
For the Iron Crown!:
The presence of the Witch King makes every man fight for himself and forget any thought of comradeship. Enemy units across the map lose all leadership and gain 50% less experience for 30 seconds.
To support the men of Carn Dûm, the Witch King focuses on his role as an army commander to negate enemy leadership across the map for 30 seconds. In direct combat, his elite soldiers can go toe-to-toe with anyone, so the Witch King reduces engagements with this ability to raw combat prowess. The central spell grants the following additional benefits with this favor:
Lands of Angmar: The Witch King's elite claim the lands taken for the Iron Crown. When a new settlement building is constructed, Carn Dûm units nearby slowly regenerate fallen soldiers for 30 seconds. Enemies nearby, on the other hand, deal -25% damage for 45 seconds.Thralls: For the Iron Crown!: The Witch King feeds on the frenzy of his minions. He deals extra area damage for 30 seconds and regenerates health with each hit, but also hits allied units. As the leader of the minions, the Witch-King embodies the frenzied rage of the hillmen and orcs that he subdued to his will, throwing himself into battle like a berserker for 30 seconds. Only the most skilled duelists are able to defeat him during this time. The Central Spell allows you to summon additional recruitment buildings when deciding on this favor. This can either allow for a seemingly endless supply of Thrall Masters or allow for valuable building slots in the fortress to be used for other buildings:
Iron Fist: Summons a Vassal House in the target area that can recruit Thrall Masters and Hwaldar. Possesses increased recruitment speed. A maximum of 3 Vassal House can be on the battlefield at once.Sorcerers: Lord of Winter: A blizzard surrounds the Witch King, hindering ranged fighters and slowing enemies. Enemy units within range are slowed by 30%. All units receive only a fraction of the damage from arrows.As Angmar's most powerful sorcerer, the Witch King naturally plays up his magical abilities and surrounds himself with a blizzard to strengthen Sorcerers and Wights: Both of these units suffer particularly from enemy ranged fighters, who are hampered by the unnatural storm surrounding the Witch-King. The reduced speed allows Sorcerers to use their abilities more reliably, while Wights can get into close combat more easily. The Central Spell further enhances this by making it easier for Witchers to get off their spells by ensuring there are enough Akolythes around, while also allowing Wights to enter the battle directly behind enemy lines. It grants the following additional benefits with this favor:
Monuments of Might: Sorcerers may command four additional acolytes. Obelisks are connected as an exit to the tunnel system for Wights. Barrows and obelisks provide +25% speed to Wights in a wide radius, and their Soul Tremor is enhanced.Monsters: No Man Can Kill Me: The Witch King taunts an enemy hero. Resets the recharge time of all of the target's special abilities. The Witch King moves 20% faster for 30 seconds and gains +33% armor.Inspired by his encounters with Earnur, King of Gondor, the Witch-King is shown here to be a devious, yet fearsome warrior. This is a classic ability of the Witch-King's and can take dangerous heroes out of play before they can stop Angmar's onslaught. The central spell emphasizes the wolves' strength at defending Angmar's territory, increasing their armor around settlements and improving their regeneration abilities. It grants the following additional benefits with this favor:
Deepened Instincts: The territorial behavior of Angmar's wolves and werewolves is reinforced by the Witch King. They gain +50% armor near their own buildings, and wolves regenerate fallen units near Wolf Kennels and Wolf Lairs. Devour heals twice as much health.The Witch-King's other abilities have also been modified.
The Worthy and the Unworthy reflects the ruthless civilization of Angmar, where only the strong survive: Units in the target area gain significantly more experience for a short time, but only if they also survive their gruesome combat. This is especially valuable for heroes, who can reach higher levels enormously fast through the Witch King. The
Life Drinker Blade is already known and has been pushed forward from level 10 to level 7 to make room for
Last Winter. Borrowing from the plagues and other pestilence, as well as the deadly winter the Witch-King brought upon northern Middle-earth from Angmar, this final ability is an effect felt across the map, gaining additional effects depending on the Witch-King's favor.
As you can see, the Witch-King can now fill many different roles depending on the granting of his favor, but never all at once. He is the ultimate amplifier for Angmar, able to drive and be a part of any desired strategy. The effects of the favor on the central spell
Might of the Iron Crown allow Angmar to develop into different directions later in the game: Carn Dûm is particularly strong offensively in conquering new territories, while the Wolves are excellent at defending enemy attacks on Angmar's settlements. Minions can drown opponents one by one in a stream of replaceable minions, while Sorcerers and Wights can sweep away enemy armies with their enormous destructive potential.
In the near future, we will also present our changes to the Witch King's ring form. While he has been one of the strongest ring heroes so far with a permanent global debuff, he was also one of the most boring. Until then, we look forward to your feedback as always!
Your Edain Team
