LOTR Rise to War Balin Guide and Build

In LOTR Rise To War Balin is one of the strongest in a mid-tier list of Commanders with above average stats for Might and Focus and decent Speed. Balin is also one of the iconic characters from LotR lore and folklore amongst the Dwarven race, and also an important side character in The Hobbit series. Balin is Tier 2 Commander and the first thing that you need to notice and acknowledge is his base trait which is “Leader“.

“Leader” trait will give Balin +5 Command. Balin’s highest stat is Might. Might increase Physical damage dealt with enemy units and commanders. Every time when your Commander levels up you will have a skill point to spend in their skill tree. There are four main skills and thus four different focus points in Balin’s skill tree which we will talk about here.

Note that each of these four main skills has two additional skills connected to them which you will unlock upon leveling the main skill to level 2. On Commander Respect level 0 you will have two starting main skills.

Balin is one of many Tier 2 commanders from good side in LOTR Rise To War same as Gandalf and Legolas.

Respect level 0 Build

The first one of two starting main skills is “Revivalist”. “Revivalist” skill when active will give :(Round 1) [Against 1 enemy target] Deals % Physical damage and 1 allied unit recover % HP. This is a decent skill for extra damage and some heal/damage mitigation.

You should invest some of the skill points in this skill in the early game but his second main skill is more important. Note that “Revivalist” skill is referenced as a “title” rather than “skill” which essentially means once it’s unlocked and you have a skill point in it, it will act as a passive skill. This skill has 2 rounds of cooldown.

At the max level of “Revivalist”, 2 allied units will recover % of HP instead of 1. As mentioned above upon leveling the “Revivalist” skill to level 2 you will unlock its two additional skills which you will be able to level up. These two skills are:

• Frightened: (First 4 rounds) [Against 2 enemy targets] % chance of being Stunned each round.
• Inspiration: (First 3 rounds) [All allied units] Damage dealt +% (effect modified by Focus stat).
  These skills are pretty decent and it’s recommended to have at least 1 point spent on them.

Naturally effective stats % rise as you level up addressed skills.

The second main skill is “Lord of Moria” which when active will give :

(Dwarves) [1 allied unit] % of recovering % HP after dealing Physical damage. Now, this skill is something you should focus on in the early game and you should prioritize this skill tree. Note that “Lord of Moria ” skill is referenced as a “title” rather than “skill” which essentially means once it’s unlocked and you have a skill point in it, it will act as a passive skill.

Additionally, on the max level of the “Lord of Moria ” skill, the chance of taking effect will be boosted by +5 %. Two additional skills that you will unlock upon leveling “Lord of Moria” to level 2 are:

• Dwarven Leader: (Dwarves) Damage received -% and damage dealt +%.
• Open Wound: (Against 1 enemy target) Deals % of Physical damage and cannot recover HP for 2 rounds. This skill has 3 rounds of cooldown.
  It’s highly recommended to max out “Dwarven Leader” and recruit Dwarf units since it’s a great boost for them.

Naturally effective stats % rise as you level up addressed skills.

Respect level 3 Build

Upon reaching Respect level 3 with Balin you will be able to unlock and level up his third main skill called “Durin’s Blood” which when active will give:

(Commander) Skill Damage +% during combat buff. This is a skill tree to focus on in the mid-game and you should max it out as soon as you unlock it. Note that “Durin’s Blood” skill is referenced as a “title” rather than “skill” which essentially means once it’s unlocked and you have a skill point in it, it will act as a passive skill.

Like every other main skill, these stats rise as you level up the skill. At the max level of the “Durin’s Blood” skill, Balin will receive additional + 15 Might points. Two additional skills that you will unlock upon leveling “Durin’s Blood” to level 2 are:

• Whirlwind: (Against 2 enemy targets) Deals % Physical damage (prioritizes Melee units). This skill has 2 rounds of cooldown.
• All-In: (Against 1 enemy target) Deals % Physical damage once (Self) reduces the next damage dealt by %. This skill has 3 rounds of cooldown.

It is highly recommended to max out “Durin’s Blood”, if needed reset skill points if you put too many in “Revivalist” and spend them in this main skill + “Whirlwind” and “All-In” since these all are “skill” every single attack done by skills generally will do insane amounts of damage with “Durin’s Blood” boost.

Naturally effective stats % rise as you level up addressed skills.

Respect level 5 Build

And finally upon reaching Respect level 5 with Balin you will be able to unlock and level up his fourth main skill called “Warrior of Lonely Mountain” which will give:

(Army) Physical damage received -%. This should be your focus point for late game and should definitely be maxed out along with “Durin’s Blood”. Like every other main skill, these stats rise as you level up the skill. At the max level of “Warrior of Lonely Mountain” skill, the army will receive buffs that will lower Burn damage received by 50%.

Note that the “Warrior of Lonely Mountain” skill is referenced as a “title” rather than “skill” which essentially means once it’s unlocked and you have a skill point in it, it will act as a passive skill. Two additional skills that you will unlock upon leveling “Warrior of Lonely Mountain” to level 2 are:

• Long Beard: (Commander) Physical damage ignores % of target’s Defence. You should definitely put at least a few points on this skill.
• Giant Slayer: (Commander) Damage against Large units +%.

Naturally effective stats % rise as you level up addressed skills.