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Battle of the 9 Armies



Wait that's not right...
Well you get the idea.
The 9th faction will be Erebor, faction of the shaving adversed.

Erebor has been the faction I've wanted to release most but at the same time it has always been the faction with the largest workload.
Finally Erebor has started progressing enough to be released in the nearish future.





Erebor are a powerhouse infantry faction fielding a large number of strong infantry units for both attack and defence.
Familiar faces will make up the hero list like Gimli, Gloin, Dwalin and King Dain Ironfoot.
Via the spell store other dwarf heroes will also be making an appearance such as Thorin Oakenshield and his ill fated companions.

Breaking with tradition Erebor won't be coming alone they'll be released at the same time as the Strongholds.

Patch 0.175

Download Patch 0.175

Because of a stupid oversight on my part I have to reupload 0.17 as 0.175.

So to make up for that I've added a little something something to the launcher.

Type in Imladris to the newly updated launcher to access a new Game mode the Rivendell Preview.

Also because I'm not as rushed as I was yesterday I'm able to do this release properly complete with the standard promo stuff.

Test mode also includes Rivendell.

 
The Rivendell preview is as the name suggests a preview.
The faction isn't complete yet so I'm not adding it to the proper release, but you can have a play with it and get a general feel for it.

 
This patch mostly fixes issues with Dunland but also addresses other issues and updates some things like FX and audio.

Patch 0.16

Beta 0.16 is a balance and bug patch focusing on addressing some issues with Dunland and the other 5 factions.

Fixes most of the issues with 0.155

Download Links:

Beta 0.15

Patch 0.16

 

Dunland 2.0 Part 1

Dunland is naturally the main focus of this patch with quite a few changes and fixes in store.
Beta 0.155 is the first half of a update to the Dunland faction.
Dunlending Javeloteers will gain Fire tipped javelots allowing them to deal additional fire damage making them more useful.
The heroes have had their costs, healths and armour adjusted after some playtesting so there will a more balanced Dunland.
Hillmen will be buildable from the external Dunland Farms once the Dunland Raids Faction Upgrade has been purchased and the Farm is at level 3 they will also reap the benefits of the Gather the Clans spell allowing Dunland more flexibility and defence against Cavalry.
Dunland's buildings are also having more work done with more visual upgrades for the 5 levels and a few improvements to the overall look of the faction's buildings.

News on the second half of the Dunland update will coming soon so keep checking in.


 

Rohan Updated

 Rohan are also getting a bit of attention this time around with some changes to heroes, units and spells.
The Defenders of the Westfold and Eastfold spells have been replaced with Shroud and Helm.
Helm has been moved up to tier 2 and improved accordingly, replacing Helm's old spot is a new spell Horn of Edoras which grants +150% damage for targeted allies for a short time.
 
With the removal of the 2 spells also comes a few changes for the heroes and units they unlock.
The Westfold Hall can now be built from the start as can Elfhelm and Grimbold.
The Eastfold Yeomen are now unlocked from the Archery Range at level 2 and the Eastfold Lancers from the Stables at level 3.

Theoden's Valour of the Rohirrim channel spell has been replaced with Royal Guards of Edoras a summon skill for level 10 that summons 3 hordes of Royal Guards for a time.
The Rohan Hall also gets a new unit in the Edoras Spearmen giving Rohan a proper anti cavalry unit whereas the Westfold Shieldmen were more of a defensive unit.



 

Gondor Update

Gondor got a bit of an update at the last minute with a new unit the Gondor Royal Knight an anti-cavalry cavalry unit available at the Stables after purchasing the Warriors of the Citadel Faction Upgrade.
 

Balancing

I've also had a look at various units and heroes for balancing.
Tough heroes like Borgo and Boromir have had their defences toned down a bit, various Heroes now do the correct damage type and various heroes have had their damages reduced or adjusted.
Elite units like the Door Wardens and Amroth Vanguards now deal HERO type damage making them better against structures and heroes as well as other units so they truly are elites now.
 

Game modes

3 new Game Modes have been added to the launcher for Patch 0.155.
The first is the No heroes feature which removes all heroes except the summon ones.

The second is called Gollum Wars which removes all heroes except summons and gives each faction 5 Gollums to fight with.

Finally the weirdest one yet Gollzilla.
Replacing the final spell for all factions is a new giant version of Gollum called Gollzilla.
So now you can fight with massive Gollums as I'm sure you've always wanted to.



 

Launcher update

The launcher will be getting upgraded and simplified.
Most of the requirements to run this mod will now be handled automatically by the launcher.
You'll no longer have to set the OS mode and game directories the launcher will find them itself.
There is no only 1 options menu in the launcher with Game mode codes being able to run straight from the Options menu.

When you run the launcher it will automatically check for 1.03 and if it's not installed it will even automatically open the Game Updater for you.

Return of Shadow Beta 0.15

You can download it here.
Simply download and install with the installer then follow the prompts in the launcher.
This version is stand alone and does not require the previous Beta or patches, it's recommended you uninstall Beta 0.1 before installing this beta.

It's been almost 6 months since Beta 0.1 was released and it's come a long way.
I'm happy to present Beta 0.15.
The main feature of this version is the new faction Dunland.
 

Of Dunland and ancient hatred

Dunland is the land to the south of Eregion and the west of Rohan home to descendants of the folk of Haleth.
The people of Dunland hold a long grudge against both the Numenoreans and the Rohirrim who drove them out of the land of Rohan.
While the Dunlendings are usually content to keep to themselves Saruman and his agents have gone amongst the Dunlendings and spread discord and talk of war and riches among the villages of the Dunlendings.
Saruman has managed to stir up an old hatred and direct it towards the Rohirrim.
 
Dunland is different from the other factions in Return of Shadow this faction relies more on fast moving light infantry and raiding attacks to win.
They have the fastest infantry in the game allowing them a useful advantage balancing out their weaker than normal defences.
Through the use of their upgrades and units they can completely overcome a battlefield in a short time by building Wildmen from outlying Farms in fast speed through the use of the Gather the Clans spell.
Combined with the Fire Torches upgrade Dunland can make quick work of enemy farms and other outlying buildings.
Dunland also has the useful War Hound horde which is a pack of fast moving dogs that can chase down enemies and harass them.

Inspiration for the Dunlendings came from the Celts and Scots and they use similar strategies as those armies do in other RTS games.
 

Outside Dunland

Lorien has also undergone some work.
Edhellor has been tweaked to be more of a Warden style hero with 2 new abilities Wind Piercer replacing Shatter Armour and Siege Breaker replacing Gate Breaker.
Galadriel has a new skill replacing Haven of Light which allows her some more offensive power.
Lorien also now have a Statue to provide leadership.
They've also received some aesthetic changes to their bases making them look better than ever.

Rohan,Gondor and Isengard have had only minor changes since Beta 0.145
Lurtz gained a new skill Slam Shooter which adds a knock back to his ranged attack.

Mordor has received some attention and getting quite a few bug fixes.

The Campaign has had some work done on it as well with some common issues being resolved.
But it's still an ongoing process but I hope to have the 2 campaigns fully operational by Beta 0.2.

With Beta 0.15 comes  some new maps 2 maps set in Dunland Vale of Wulf and Northern Dunland and a couple more Fredius' Glanduin, and 2 more of my maps Thrain's Vale and Wilderland Plains.

 

The Road leads ever on

Beta 0.2 is up next in roughly a month and with it will come the 7th faction Rivendell.
A lot of the ground work has already been done on Rivendell as you can see in recent news and images but you will have to wait till then to see them in action.