Theoden Build and Guide LOTR Rise To War

In LOTR Rise To War Theoden is one of the best Commanders for mounted units out of the mid-tier list of Commanders, which also puts him at the very top overall for recruiting mounted units. You could even say that Theoden is an “upgraded” version of Eowyn and is very similar to Eomer, even sharing some of the skills with him.

Theoden is Tier 2 Commander with way above average stats for Might and Speed and decent Focus. Eomer is also one of the iconic characters from LotR lore and folklore amongst the Men race, and also an important side character in the LotR series, he is like a father figure to Eowyn and Eomer and a king of Rohan.

The first thing that you need to notice and acknowledge is his base trait which is “Leader”. “Leader” trait will give Theoden +5 Command. Theoden’s highest stat is Speed. Speed stat has 3 effects, firstly it increases the Commander’s turn order in battle. secondly, It increases each unit’s speed in battle and lastly, it increases the army’s march speed on the world map.

Whenever 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 Theoden’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.

Respect level 0 Build

The first one of two starting main skills is “The Renewed”. “The Renewed” skill when active will give : (Allied army and this Commander) % chance of removing one random debuff. This is a decent skill if you are facing a Commander that has a debuffing skill set like Grima for example, in which case you should invest some of the skill points in this skill in the early game but his second main skill is more important so be careful not to spend too many skill points here.

Note that the “The Renewed” 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 “The Renewed”, Theoden will receive additional +15 Focus points.

As mentioned above upon leveling the “The Renewed” skill to level 2 you will unlock its two additional skills which you will be able to level up. These two skills are:

Reinforcement: (Round 7 onwards) [2 allied units] Recover % HP each round. 
Defensive Stance: (Against 1 enemy target) Deals % Physical damage, [1 allied melee unit] next damage received -% (effect modified by Might stat). This skill has 2 rounds of cooldown.

You might spend points on these skills as if you need more mitigation/healing, altho it’s recommended to save skill points for the second skill and its two connecting skills.

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

The second main skill is “Rohirrim” which when active will give: (Mounted units) Damage +% upon inflicting damage [effect modified by Speed stat] (up to 3 stacks). Now, this is the skill that Theoden shares with Eowyn and Eomer, and this skill is something you should focus on in the early game and you should prioritize this skill tree especially for all mounted units that you have recruited.

Note that “Rohirrim” 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 max level of “Rohirrim” skill, Theoden will receive additional +15 Might points.

Two additional skills that you will unlock upon leveling “Rohirrim” to level 2 are:

Cleave: (Against 1 enemy target) Deals % Physical damage (effect modified by Speed stat). This skill has 2 rounds of cooldown. This is an insane damage skill and needless to say u should definitely max it out.
Riding Excellence: (Mounted units) Damage received -%. Since Theoden is focused around mounted units, this is a great damage mitigation skill to spend some points in.

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

Respect level 3 Build

Upon reaching Respect level 3 with Theoden you will be able to unlock and level up his third main skill called “Eored Leader” which will give: (Every round) [Mounted units] % chance of recovering % HP. This is another skill that Theoden shares with Eomer and this should be your focus point for mid-game and should definitely be maxed out along with “Rohirrim” since both skills heavily impact mounted units.

Two connecting skills that we will mention below are also excellent skills for mounted units as well. This skill is very similar to Eowyn’s “White Lady of Rohan” but there are some differences, more healing being one of the more important differences for example. Like every other main skill, these stats rise as you level up the skill.

At the max level of the “Eored Leader” skill, chance factor is removed and units will heal each round. Note that the “Eored Leader” 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 “Eored Leader” to level 2 are:

Flanking: (Against 1 enemy target) Deals % Physical damage (prioritizes Ranged units). This skill has 2 rounds of cooldown.
Mounted Combat: (On hit) [Mounted units] % chance of dealing an additional % damage.

To conclude, with no doubt the best way to go at this point is to max “Rohirrim” and “Eored Leader”, if needed reset skill points if you put too many in “The Renewed” and spend them on this main skill, When it comes to “Flanking” and “Mounted Combat”, you should max them as well since they will give your mounted units some great buffs and “Flanking” is very good skill against ranged units.

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

Respect level 5 Build

And finally, upon reaching Respect level 5 with Theoden you will be able to unlock and level up his fourth main skill called “Horsemaster” which will give: (Army) Attack [Mounted units] +amount. Now, This skill is unique to Theoden and this should be your focus point for late since it heavily impacts mounted units.

Two connecting skills that we will mention below are also excellent skills for mounted units as well. Ideally, you want to have “Rohirrim” maxed as well for more damage, or “Eored Leader” for more sustain and heal.

Like every other main skill, these stats rise as you level up the skill. At the max level of the “Horse Master” skill, mounted units will receive +5 HP. Note that the “Horse Master” 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 “Horsemaster” to level 2 are:

Vow of Protection: (Commander) Speed +amount and gain initiative during combat.
Chaotic Retreat: (Enemy units) Defense -amount.

It is highly recommended to max out both of these skills.

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