Gandalf The Grey

Without a doubt, one of the most iconic and beloved characters from the Lord of the Rings film series, as well as Commander in the LOTR Rise To War.

The first thing that you need to notice and acknowledge is his base trait which is Support. Gandalf’s Support trait gives him +25 (Commander) Focus and + 5 Skill points, and he usually fits in best with units that deal a lot of damage because his supportive skills and traits provide additional sustain, resulting in a powerful combo.

Gandalf the Gray’s strongest stat is “Focus,” which reduces the amount of damage his designated army takes during battle. When your Commander levels up, you will receive a skill point to spend in their skill tree.

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

Gandalf’s skill tree has three main skills and three different focus points, which we will discuss here. Note that each of these three 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 1, you will have two main skills to start with.

Respect level 0 Build

The first and most important of the two main starting skills is “The Gray,” and this is the primary skill that you should ideally max out as soon as possible.

When “The Gray” skill is active (skill level 1), Gandalf gains a 50 % chance to recover 6.6 % of 1 allied unit’s HP on each successful attack while in combat.

Each time you level up this skill, both chances and total % of allied unit’s HP will rise. At max level of “The Gray” skill Gandalf will also receive an additional +15 focus. Since Gandalf is a Support Commander this skill is his primary skill and you want to level it up whenever it’s available to do so.

As previously stated, when you level up “The Gray” skill to level two, you will unlock two additional skills that you can level up. These two abilities are as follows:

• Fleeting Movement: +10.7% chance of avoiding the next instance of damage for two allied units [on skill LVL 1], It’s worth noting that this skill only applies every other round, making it an extremely useful skill.
• Blindside: Deals 16.2 % Focus damage (effect modified by Focus stat) and stuns 1 enemy target for 1 round [on skill LVL 1].

Naturally, the percentage of effect stats increases as you level up addressed skills.

Second main skill is “Mithrandir” which when active (skill level 1) reduces damage inflicted from all enemy units by 0.7% for the first 4 rounds. Now it does not look like much but since like every other skill when leveled up, these stats and % raise as well.

After you max “The Gray” which will be your primary focus this is where you should spend your points in order to create well-balanced heal + damage mitigation leading Commander.

Additionally, on max level of “Mithrandir” skill, Gandalf will receive a bonus effect which will be applied to his commanding units. Three allied units will avoid first instance of damage in battle, Two additional skills that you will unlock upon leveling “Mithrandir” to level 2 are:

• Convener: All allied units gain initiative and +10.7 % to attack twice each round [for first 2 rounds and said % on skill LVL 1]
• Free Peoples : (Men, Elves, Dwarfs and Hobbits) Damage received reduced by 2.0% [on skill LVL 1] Note that this skill applies every round which makes it a very useful skill when it comes to sustain and damage mitigation for your units.

Naturally, effect stats % rise as you level up addressed skills.

Respect level 3 build

Upon reaching Respect level 3 with Gandalf the Gray you will be able to unlock and level up his third main skill called “Wizard” which when active (skill level 1) inflicts Stun on round 1 and reduces defense by 3.3 for 3 rounds against two enemy target units, Like every other main skill, these stats rise as you level up the skill. At the max level of “Wizard” skill, Gandalf will also receive an additional +15 focus.

This is the skill you should focus on upon unlocking it because it will stun enemies in the first round as well as reducing their defense up to 50.00 on max level thus giving you a big strategic and power advantage in battles.

Upon unlocking this skill you should reset your skill points and max “Wizard” first, and put the rest of the skill points into “The Gray”, and at least 1 skill point into “Blindside” skill for optimal best Gandalf build on Respect level 3. Two additional skills that you will unlock upon leveling “Wizard” to level 2 are:

• Surge: Deals 21.4% Focus damage twice (effect modified by Focus stat). Each separate attack chooses a different target [on skill LVL 1]. Note that this skill applies every 2 rounds and works well with “The Gray” main skill as well since Gandalf heals upon successfully connecting hits

Respect level 5

And finally upon reaching Respect level 5 with Gandalf the Gray you will be able to unlock and level up his fourth main skill called “White Council” and its bonus (on skill level 1) being that all allied units receive reduced damage for the first 3 hits, received Damage reduced by 1.2% (modified by Focus stat).

Like every other main skill, these stats rise as you level up the skill. At the max level of “White Council” skill, all allied units under Gandalf’s leadership will receive Stun immunity while damage is increased. Note that “White Council” 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 shouldn’t be your focus point but rather a skill that you might bounce back and forth to depending on the enemy that you will be fighting in the late stage of the game and in case you are dealing with a lot of stuns. Two additional skills that you will unlock upon leveling “White Council” to level 2 are:

• High Alert: Focus, Burn and Poison damage received will be reduced by 7.1% for all allied units [on skill lvl 1]
• Champion of the Light: All allies deal +4.0% damage to Orcs, Uruk-hai, and Trolls [on skill LVL 1]

Naturally, effect stats % rise as you level up addressed skills.

Conclusion

Gandalf the Gray is a B-tier Commander, but he is one of the best. Keep in mind that Gandalf is primarily a Support Commander, so don’t expect huge damage buffs and advantages in that area, though the fact that some of his skills provide bonus Damage and Damage mitigation makes him a very good overall Commander.

Because he is armed with a variety of useful skills, ranging from Damage buffs to Stuns and Heals, Gandalf can make a huge difference in battles in the hands of a capable player because he is well balanced in all roles aside from his main Supportive role, allowing you to easily adjust appropriately depending on your situation.

Another great strategic advantage are his Stuns and other skills, which generally give him a slight advantage at the start of the battle.

Do not forget to download LOTR Rise To War on PC and use our tier list to see what commander is the best.

Lore

Gandalf the grey is one of the five powerful Istari, or wizards, sent to Middle-earth by higher powers to help the free folk fight the darkness of Sauron. In his travels he became particularly fond of the Shire and its hobbits, for he thinks there is much to learn from the simple and hedonistic nature of their lives. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.