Background

The Kingdom of Gondor is the southwestern remnant of the Realms of the Dunedain in exile, descendants of ancient Numenoreans. Gondor has historically been the largest and most militarily powerful defender of the free peoples of Middle Earth. During the War of the Last Alliance, Gondor marched with its sister kingdom, Arnor, the High Elves, Woodland Elves, and Dwarves of Khazad-dum to defeat Sauron. Sauron was destroyed but his spirit endured and orcs gradually returned to Mordor. Gondor’s power waned near the middle of the Third Age. In its prime, the southern kingdom stretched from the Cape of Andrast in the west to the Sea of Rhun in the east and from Mirkwood in the north to Far Harad in the south. However, civil war, plague, military defeats in the east, and the end of the line of kings weakened the kingdom’s influence. Without a legitimate heir coming forth from Eriador, Gondor has been ruled by the Stewards for the preceding several centuries. At the end of the Third Age, Gondor finds itself threatened by Mordor and its old enemy Rhun in the east, the Haradrim to the south, and the recently corrupted Saruman and his fortress of Isengard to the west.

Further Reading[tolkiengateway.net]

Synopsis

Your immediate concern is Mordor which lies just to the east. But you should not forget about Harad, Isengard, and Rhun. Individually, CPU controlled factions are easily handled but if you allow your ally Rohan to be swept aside, you will find yourself being attacked from all directions simultaneously. Other than having enemies in every direction, Gondor has arguably the best starting position of any faction. The unclaimed settlements in Western Gondor offer easy expansion and plenty of resources to sustain your production into the mythic age although you may be competing for these with your ally Rohan.

The Kingdom of Gondor was famous for building fortifications. Walls and fortresses are Gondor's best friends. Walling off the bridge of Osgiliath and the shallow river crossing to the north will buy you time to develop your economy and start pumping out Gondor's powerful late age units like Gondor Cavalry and Swan Knights. Gondor's Infantry unit (hoplite) is also particularly good at holding its ground against orcs but will be outmatched by the ranged units of Rhun and Harad. You may also want to wall off portions of the Ithilien region as it is rich in wood and gold.

Gondor is an enjoyable faction to play as because you can feasibly expand or turtle depending on your style of play. Remember to use your Palantir visions to keep an eye on Mordor. I advise you to keep your ally Rohan allive (espeically if they start taking heat from Isengard) because they may end up helping you tremendously in the mid-game.

Faction Difficulty

Moderate

Faction Details

Strengths
- Balanced military
- Strong fortresses
- 2nd age hero

Weaknesses
- Expensive buildings
- Weak god powers

Palantir: yes

Starting Settlement: Minas Tirith

God Powers
- Lure (2) - converts to an Outpost with large line of sight used to keep an eye on areas of intereset
- Sentinel (1) - converts to watchtowers allowing you to build at most 4 free towers, they still need to be upgraded
-
- Citadel (4) - Gondor gets Citadel in the 4th age but makes up for it by getting 2 additional powers

Heroes
- Age 2: Prince Imrahil
- Age 3: Faramir
- Age 4: Boromir

Diplomacy

Allies: Rohan

Neutral: Arnor, Dwarves of the West, High Elves, Silvan Elves, Dwarves of Erebor

Enemies: Mordor, Harad, Isengard, Rhun, Gundabad

Settlements to Capture

- Dol Amroth - unlocks Swan Knight and Heavy War Galley
- Emyn Arnen - unlocks Ithilien Ranger
- Dorwinion - unlocks Dowrinion Half-Elf

Units

- Gondor Infantry (Hoplite)
- Citadel Guard (Hypaspist->Destroyer)

- Gondor Archer (Toxotes)
- Ithilien Ranger (Peltast->Arcus)

- Scout Cavalry (Physician->Katascopos)
- Gondor Cavalry (Hippikon)
- Swan Knight (Prodromos->Contarius)

- Trebuchet (Petrobolos->Sitting Tiger)

- War Galley (Trireme)
- Heavy War Galley (Argo)