In LOTR: Rise to War, players can obtain various Commanders, however, the availability of the Commanders depends on the faction they chose.
Overview
Lord of the Rings (LOTR): Rise to War is a newly released mobile strategy game based on the classic trilogy, Lord of the Rings.
The game reminds players that the epic tales of old, be it of glory, love or friendship are in days gone by. A new War of the Ring is on the horizon, and the fate of Middle-earth now lies in the players’ hands.
A new dark power has been growing, and it is sweeping through every part of the fantasy world of Lord of the Rings. The various factions are thus desperate to seize control of the One Ring and take dominion over Middle-earth.
The game takes place in the Third Age of Middle-earth, and it offers a beautiful and faithful interpretation of the fictional world of Arda.
It allows players to embark on new adventures in order to build armies for conquest. Players will need to strategically expand their region in pursuit of the One Ring.
When players first start playing the game, they will be able to choose a faction. After choosing, players will have to complete a tutorial mission in order to understand the gameplay.
Once players have completed the tutorial, it is recommended that they follow the tasks to level up. The tasks can be found by selecting the rolled-up scroll on the bottom right side of the screen. Completed tasks will reward the player with various resources.
To obtain more resources, players will need to acquire more land. The land players own are indicated by a green border. Those with a purple border belong to other players in the same faction, while enemies have red tiles.
Computer-owned tiles are indicated with white borders. It is recommended that players first take control of the computer-owned tiles before attempting to take land from an enemy.
Players have a choice to either side with good or evil, and then build their territory accordingly. This means that players can either build Fellowships or Warbands to collaborate with other members on attack plans against their rivals.
In the game, players will have the opportunity to improve the bonds with their alliances on the battlefield, with the goal to expand territories on the tile-based map design.
Each victory will claim another piece of land, while each defeat will result in a loss of land. LOTR: Rise to War sets players on a path to not only outwit and defeat their rivals, but to also seize the ultimate prize: The One Ring.
LOTR: Rise to War Commanders
As mentioned above, players will have to choose to side either with the good or the bad alliances. It is important to note that each alliance has its own unique characters, also known as Commanders.
These Commanders can be seen as generals that lead the players’ armies. Each Commander has their own unique skill tree, which makes them powerful warriors. The skills can boost damage and add various combat effects.
Players are able to equip their Commanders with different armour sets, which applies additional statistics and effects on the army. It is important to note that the choice of available Commanders depends on whether players choose a good or evil faction at the start of the game.
The Commanders are ranked in different tiers: S-tier, A-tier and the B-tier. The S-tier features the strongest Commanders, while the B-tier holds the weakest Commanders.
Good-side Commanders
The following table indicates which Commanders falls into which tier in LOTR: Rise to War:
| Tier | List of good Commanders |
| S-tier | Ori, Dwalin, Aragorn, Eowyn, Haldir, Hirgon, Gimli, Faramir |
| A-tier | Merry and Pippin, Legolas, Arwen, Boromir, Eomer, Frodo and Sam, Elrond, Balin, Denethor II |
| B-tier | Dain Ironfoot, Gandalf the Grey, Gandalf the White, Galadriel |
Evil Commanders
The following table indicates the evil Commanders in LOTR: Rise to War:
| Tier | List of evil Commanders |
| S-tier | Grishnakh, Khaldon, Gorbag (Captain of Minas Morgul), Saruman the White |
| A-tier | Maltok, Ugthak, Sharku, Agzok |
| B-tier | Yusraa, Grima Wormtongue, Khamul |
How to obtain more Commanders
In order to get more Commanders, players need to collect rare treasures. It is believed that this is the game’s gacha mechanic. However, players do not need to pull for new Commanders. The gifts that players receive from the rare treasures indicate if they will get a new Commander or not,
Depending on the rarity, each Commander has a respect meter that players need to fill to recruit them. Additionally, players will need to offer a gift to the Commander.
In the Commander’s menu, players can also discover two potential gift options. Players can offer them either of these items to earn respect, and in time collect them.
It is important to note that some of the very rare characters have high demands for gift options, players should thus bestow their gifts with care.