Pineleaf’s Pictorial Primer to Skirmishing
Pineleaf’s Pictorial Primer to Skirmishing
A guide to the skirmish system in The Lord of the Rings Online
Chapter 30.2: Attack at Dawn
By Pineleaf Needles for LOTRO Players
http://www.lotroplayers.com
Update 16.5 Edition
Chapter 30.2: Attack at Dawn
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Pineleaf’s Pictorial Primer to Skirmishing
Contents
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 3
Summary ................................................................................................................................................... 5
Rewards .................................................................................................................................................... 5
Skirmish Flow ............................................................................................................................................ 7
Phase 1: Gaining Entry .......................................................................................................................... 7
Phase 2: The Rain of Rocks ................................................................................................................... 8
Phase 3: The Tent (6 Mark Blocks) ........................................................................................................ 9
Opponents .............................................................................................................................................. 10
Morale Levels ...................................................................................................................................... 11
Abilities ............................................................................................................................................... 12
Orcs ..................................................................................................................................................... 13
Goblins ................................................................................................................................................ 14
Wargs .................................................................................................................................................. 16
Uruks ................................................................................................................................................... 17
Trolls.................................................................................................................................................... 18
Lieutenants ............................................................................................................................................. 19
Graug (The General)................................................................................................................................ 20
Encounters .............................................................................................................................................. 21
Tharb ................................................................................................................................................... 22
Pugh .................................................................................................................................................... 23
Fríb ...................................................................................................................................................... 24
Zímarp ................................................................................................................................................. 25
Krampum ............................................................................................................................................ 26
Kaushar ............................................................................................................................................... 27
Variations ................................................................................................................................................ 28
Level .................................................................................................................................................... 28
Tier ...................................................................................................................................................... 29
Player Group Size ................................................................................................................................ 29
Deeds ...................................................................................................................................................... 30
Quests ..................................................................................................................................................... 30
Ravaging Orc-Bounty .......................................................................................................................... 30
Masters of the Black Siege .................................................................................................................. 31
The Iron Collar..................................................................................................................................... 31
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Chapter 30.2: Attack at Dawn
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Pineleaf’s Pictorial Primer to Skirmishing
Introduction
Welcome to Pineleaf’s Pictorial Primer to Skirmishing. In this series, we will look at each of the
skirmishes you can run in The Lord of the Rings Online™. In this chapter, we head into the North Downs
to make an Attack at Dawn.
Acknowledgements: Thanks to The Council of Secret Fire on Landroval and The House of Blackrock on
Windfola for their support in testing these skirmishes in group modes. Thanks to Eluros Aabye for
providing the poem at the end of the page.
Pineleaf Needles
Follow the latest LOTRO news at LOTRO Players at http://www.lotroplayers.com
Pineleaf and her sage, Winds, prepare for an Attack at Dawn
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Pineleaf’s Pictorial Primer to Skirmishing
Skirmish Specifications
Name:
Scenario:
Attack at Dawn
In the late evening hours, a small group of refugees
sought refuge in the hidden ranger camp of Esteldín. The
refugees were followed by a small group of goblin scouts
that quickly fled to Dol Dinen to bring word to their
chief, Graug. Siniath, the Ranger, has asked you to seek
out Graug and defeat him before he can spread word of
Esteldín’s location. As you arrive near Dol Dinen, the first
rays of false dawn can be seen overhead.
Type:
Offensive
Level Range:
30-cap
Availability:
195 TP (free for VIP)
Allowed Group Sizes: Solo, Duo, Small Fellowship, Fellowship, and Raid
Tiers:
1-3
Location:
Dol Dinen, The North Downs
Reputation:
The Rangers of Esteldín
Control Points:
7
Opponents:
Goblins, orcs, uruks, wargs, and trolls
Enemy Group Size:
Solo
6 Mob Points
Duo/Small fellowship 16 Mob Points
Fellowship
48 Mob Points
Raid
112 Mob Points
Available Lieutenants: 12 solo; 12 duo+; 12 fellowship+
Lieutenant Count:
9
Defenders:
None
Encounters:
6; Dawn-breaker
Marks Rating:
16 (28 blocks awarded)
Experience Rating:
81
Solo Run Time:
12 minutes
Features:
high mob density, bombardment
Consumables:
Standard food; Wound potions and fortifying food
Damage Types:
Light (goblins, orcs, and trolls)
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Pineleaf’s Pictorial Primer to Skirmishing
Summary
Attack at Dawn is a classic raid on a military encampment. The object is to find the orc leader (one
Graug) and prevent any of his scouts from escaping with information in Esteldín’s location. In this
skirmish, you will capture a series of control points, fend off any counterattacks, and then destroy some
enemy catapults. After this, you will arrive at Graug’s tent to silence the goblin scouts for good.
Your opponents will mainly be orcs, goblins, uruks, trolls, and wargs. In addition, you will face an array of
lieutenants. This skirmish includes six optional encounters.
The 12-minute run time I show in the specifications was with a level-100 damage-traited warden with
passable traits and a really nice spear.
Rewards
The marks awards for this skirmish are given in blocks. Each time you capture a control point or
complete an encounter, you receive a number of award blocks based on the action completed. The
number of marks you receive for each block is based on the level you are running the skirmish (as well as
any adjustments made for group size, level, and tier). Any rounding is performed after multiplying the
number of blocks awarded by the award size.
In this skirmish, the base award block size at Tier 1 solo for a level-100 character running the skirmish at
level is a little under 16 marks.
This skirmish used to have the lowest mark reward for any skirmish (which was strange considering that
it is one of the more challenging skirmishes). This has since been corrected and the awards are now in
line with other skirmishes.
The number of blocks for each award point in the skirmish is given in the table below. The table also lists
the number of marks awarded in a level-100 T1 solo run. The number after the plus sign is the number
of medallions you receive at that point.
Blocks
L100 Tier 1
Control Point
Solo Marks
1
16
Main Gate
2
32
Eastern Gate †
2
32
Western Gate †
2
32
Central Gate
3
48
Entrance to Graug’s Encampment
4
63
Area Outside Gaug’s Tent
6
95+3
Graug’s Tent
4
63+10
First Encounter
4
63+10
Second Encounter
28
444+23
Total
† You are required to take at least one of these two control points. If you capture both the eastern and
western gates prior to taking the central gate, you will face only one counterattack when you capture
the Central Gate control point.
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Pineleaf’s Pictorial Primer to Skirmishing
In addition, some lieutenants will award marks when you defeat them (this is random, in the same way
you can receive random loot from lieutenants). The award for this is about 22 marks for a level-100 tier
1 run, so they do not use the standard block awards.
Since the tier of a skirmish has no effect on the experience gained, Tier 1 runs are the most optimal
when your main goal is to gain experience. This is especially true with duo skirmishes.
Lieutenants and the final boss can drop bounties that can be sold to a vendor for money. The value of
the bounty depends on the reward tier of the skirmish (see the table below for the reward tiers). When
running a skirmish at level 50 or higher, you can also gain various legendary item rewards in addition to
bounties (generally relics, but other legendary rewards are also possible).
Level
Range
20-29
30-49
50-59
60-65
66-75
76-84
85-94
95-99
100
Bounty Name
Recruit
Footman
Esquire
Guardsman
Sergeant-at-Arms
Master Guardsman
Master Guardsman
Elite Guardsman
Elite Guardsman
Update 16.5 Edition
Bounty
Value
5.80
11.59
23.19
34.78
40.58
52.17
52.17
81.17
81.17
Veteran
Bounty Value
21.88
43.75
87.50
131.25
153.13
196.88
196.88
306.15
306.15
Chapter 30.2: Attack at Dawn
Relics
None
None
Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 3
Tier 3
Tier 4
Tier 4
Tier 5
Heritage
Rune XP
None
None
10,000
40,200
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Pineleaf’s Pictorial Primer to Skirmishing
Skirmish Flow
Attack at Dawn includes three phases: gaining access to the courtyard, reaching and destroying the
catapults, and fighting Graug.
Phase 1: Gaining Entry
There are three control points in this phase: the Main Gate, the Eastern Gate, and the Western Gate.
You must capture the Main Gate before you take either the Eastern Gate or the Western Gate. You only
need to capture one of the two side gates, though capturing both will reduce the number of
counterattacks you need to face later in the skirmish. There are no counterattacks during this phase.
Main Gate (1 Mark Block)
When you first enter this skirmish, you are facing
the entrance to the section of Dol Dinen where
Graug has set up headquarters. You are already in
Dol Dinen but you still must climb a hill before you
reach Graug’s tent.
When you start, all of the mobs are together at a
central spawn point and then they move off. You
can either attack then at once to pull them all or
wait for them to reach their stations/patrols.
Western Gate (2 Mark Blocks)
After you take the main gate, you can go either
east or west. I find the names to be a bit confusing
as the East Gate seems to be on the west side and
vice versa. I can only think that the goblins are
trying to confuse us.
When you take the chosen gate, you will activate
the second phase of the skirmish.
Eastern Gate (2 Mark Blocks)
Your other choice is the Eastern Gate. If you took
the Western Gate, you can skip the Eastern Gate if
you prefer (perhaps you don’t want to face the
lieutenant there).
You can take both gates if you prefer. Taking both
gates will have two consequences later in the
skirmish: the number of counterattacks at the
Central Gate is reduced to one and some
encounters become impossible to trigger.
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Pineleaf’s Pictorial Primer to Skirmishing
Phase 2: The Rain of Rocks
There are three control points in this phase: the Central Gate, the Entrance to Graug’s Encampment, and
the area outside Graug’s tent. You must capture all three of these control points in their proper order.
The main characteristic of this phase is that the area around the central gate will be bombarded with
boulders hurled from catapults on top of the ridge. This phase continues until you destroy the catapults
and capture the control point outside Graug’s tent.
Central Gate (2 Mark Blocks)
When you take one of the two side gates, you
gain entry to the Central Gate courtyard and the
enemy forces on the ridge begin to fire catapults.
The locations where boulder are about to drop
are indicated with circles. A boulder will inflict
damage equal to 25% of your maximum morale.
Once you take the control point, you will face one
counterattack from the ridge and one from the
side gate you did not take. If you took both side
gates, you will face only one counterattack.
Entrance to Graug’s Encampment (3 Mark Blocks)
As you climb the ridge that leads to the catapults,
you no longer have to dodge boulders. If you go
back to the courtyard for some reason, though,
you will see that the bombardment continues.
When you reach the top of the ridge, the path
bends right. You will find a barrier there if you
reach the top before taking the Central Gate
control point. Once the barrier is removed, you
will find a control point and a group of guards.
Area Outside to Graug’s Tent (4 Mark Blocks)
The area near the catapults has a particularly
tough pull. There are several obstacles in the area
and most of the enemy forces are within aggro
range of one another. Therefore, be prepared to
face everyone at once.
Once you kill everyone, you can make a nice
bonfire of the catapults and finally end the
bombardment against the courtyard.
You will face a single counterattack that
approached from Graug’s tent.
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Pineleaf’s Pictorial Primer to Skirmishing
Phase 3: The Tent (6 Mark Blocks)
The final phase is the battle against Graug within his command tent.
Once you destroy the catapults, take the control
point, and defeat the counterattack, you are
ready to enter the tent and face Graug.
The scenario is best summed in this poem by
Eluros Aabye:
Graug and his goblins
Have discovered Esteldín.
Don't let them escape!
Inside, you will find Graug and several goblins.
The goblins you see are Firelobbers who
occasionally throw down fire pots to make the
battle more interesting.
You will also occasionally need to stop a wave of
goblin scouts that spawn and attempt to escape
the tent. If you allow more than one scout to
escape, you lose the skirmish. Three scouts spawn
in each wave in raids, two in full fellowships, and
one in smaller groups.
In fellowship runs, Graug is joined by a troll guard
(elite master). In raids, there will be two trolls (the
elite master you saw in the fellowship setting plus
a nemesis).
At least one of these trolls drops encounter loot.
Whether this is intended or a bug is the question.
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Pineleaf’s Pictorial Primer to Skirmishing
Opponents
There are five types of opponents that you face in Attack at Dawn: orcs, goblins, uruks, trolls, and wargs.
Attack at Dawn has the same mob densities as Trouble in Tuckborough. The battle is rougher than in
Tuckborough, though, for four reasons.




The mobs in this skirmish have tougher special abilities than you will find in Tuckborough.
You don’t have the option to get help from the bounders during the counterattacks.
You don’t have the Shire +3 Hope bonus.
You will face some nastier lieutenants here (eek, Blood Rooks!).
Each group you face consists of a number of mob points given on the table below. The number of mob
points depends on the fellowship size setting for the skirmish run. The mob group sizes in Attack at
Dawn are the maximum you will face in any current skirmish. The good news is that you won’t generally
face more than one group at a time.
Number of Players
Solo
Duo / Small Fellow
Fellowship
Raid (12)
Mob Points
6
16
48
112
Possible Setup
3 Hale
2 Hardy + 2 Hale
1 Staunch + 4 Strong
2 Mighty + 3 Staunch
Mob Types
Weak, Hale
Hale, Hardy, Strong
Hardy, Strong, Staunch
Strong, Staunch, Mighty
Just what is a mob point? A mob point is the equivalent of one weak (swarm) opponent. You will not
face a hundred swarm enemies in a raid but will instead face a smaller number of tougher opponents.
The number of points for each opponent is given on the table below.
Skirmish designation
Weak
Hale
Hardy
Strong
Staunch
Mighty
Quality
Swarm
Normal
Signature
Elite
Elite Master
Nemesis
Mob points
1
2
4
8
16
32
The exact composition of the group is selected at random. In solo runs, sometimes you will face three
hale opponents, sometimes you will face two opponents and two weak opponents, and sometimes you
will face one hale opponent and four weak opponents. I have never seen six weak opponents in a group
during this skirmish. Note that at the Main Gate, an opponent from one of the side gates may join in the
fight, thus making it appear that the Main Gate has an extra opponent.
Lieutenants are not part of this cost. All groups in this skirmish are accompanied by a lieutenant.
Each control point in the skirmish (except the inside of the tent) is defended by a single group. Each
counterattack also consists of one group.
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Pineleaf’s Pictorial Primer to Skirmishing
Morale Levels
As skirmishes are scalable, the morale values for the mobs you face will also scale. As such, we will
provide each mob with a morale class. This class will include a letter (indicating the base class), an
optional number (that indicates a percentage adjustment), and an optional multiplier.
Morale Class
T
This is the base the trolls in this skirmish (comparable to landscape mobs at level 41+)
S
This is the most common base morale for skirmish mobs (90% of class T morale)
H
This is half the standard value. This class is only used by lieutenants.
For example, Krampum will have a morale class of S*85, which means that he has a base skirmish
morale that is multiplied by 85% (0.85). Note that the morale class does not include the adjustments
that are made for quality, skirmish size, and tier.
Generally, skirmish mobs have a morale that is 90% of the morale for comparable landscape mobs. At
level-40 and below, there is an additional decrease in mob morale to help keep lower-level players new
to skirmishes from being overwhelmed.
The table below lists the morale values for each quality level for a level-100 character (italicized values
are estimates).
Morale Class
S+1
S
S-1
S-2
Weak
8770
8684
8597
8510
Hale
17,541
17,367
17,194
17,020
Hardy
30,697
30,393
30,089
29,785
Strong
52,623
52,102
51,581
51,060
Staunch
105,245
104,203
103,161
102,120
The table below lists values for a hale mob at three different levels (30, 50, and 100) in Tier 1 runs. This
table also includes higher tier values at level 100, as well as the values for level-100 duo runs (as mobs in
duo runs have a lower morale than their equivalent in other skirmishes).
Morale Class
Multiplier
S+1
S
S-1
S-2
30 *
N/A
878
870
861
852
Update 16.5 Edition
50
N/A
2975
2946
2916
2887
100
1.00
17,541
17,367
17,194
17,020
100 Tier 2
1.39
24,362
24,121
23,880
23,639
Chapter 30.2: Attack at Dawn
100 Tier 3
2.22
38,980
38,594
38,208
37,814
Duo 100
0.66
11,577
11,462
11,348
11,233
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Pineleaf’s Pictorial Primer to Skirmishing
Encounter mobs and the boss use a separate multiplier table from the trash mobs (the adds for the boss
fight use trash mob scaling). The table below lists the morale class and multipliers for each special mob
in the skirmish. The multiplier is based on the hale morale of the given morale class.
Mob
Zimarp
Pugh / Kaushar
Frib
Tharb
Krampum
Daunting Spirit Sapper
Courage Breaker
Brothers of Destruction
Other Lieutenants
Graug
Morale
Class
S+1
S
S-1
S-2
S*85
S+1
S
S
varies
S+1
Solo
4.5
4.5
4.5
4.5
4.5
N/A
N/A
N/A
2
2.5
Duo /
Small
10
10
10
10
10
N/A
N/A
4.5
4.5
11
Fellowship
Raid
20
20
20
20
20
15
6
8
10
20
60
60
60
60
60
20
12
16
20
60
Abilities
This skirmish is noted for a prevalence of wounds. Even weak and hale mobs tend to have nasty wound
effects that stack up very quickly. I recommend using food to increase your wound resistance in this
skirmish (unless your group includes a lore-master that can cure wounds in combat).
Name
Type
Time
Description
Breached Armour
Wound
1m 30s
Penalty to armor
Chilled
Fear
20 sec
Shadow damage every 4 seconds
Crippled
Wound
52 sec
-25% run speed
Flammable
15 sec
Generally associated with the Sticky Tar debuff
Knocked Down
5 sec
Lacertation
Wound
42 sec
-15% melee/ranged damage; Penalty to Parry
Light Wound
Wound
10 sec
Common damage every 2 seconds
Minor Diseased Frailty
Disease
3 min
Penalty to Vitality
Minor Fright
Fear
2 min
Penalty to Will and Fate
Minor Poison
Poison
12 sec
Common damage every 3 seconds
Prime Weapon Disarm
Wound
5 sec
Skills requiring a primary weapon cannot be used
Poison
Poison
21 sec
Common damage every 3 seconds
Poisoned Arrow
Poison
36 sec
Common damage every 3 seconds
Poisoned Lethargy
Poison
1m 20s +20% attack duration
Renewal
Healing
20 sec
Restore morale every 4 seconds
Rooted
3 sec
Cannot move; state can be broken by damage
Seared
Wound
10 sec
Fire damage every 2 seconds
Serious Wound
Wound
20 sec
Common damage every 2 seconds
Sticky Tar
15 sec
+40% attack duration
Stunned
3 sec
Unsettled
Fear
12 sec
Shadow damage ever 4 seconds
Weakened Armour
Wound
1 min
Penalty to armor rating
Abilities in italics can appear on weak and hale trash mobs and are thus available in solo runs.
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Orcs
Yes, of course you’ll find orcs in Dol Dinen. There are so many orcs there that you’ll find four different
varieties. If you still need to work on your orc slayer deed, you have come to the right place. The orcs
are the easiest opponents you will face as they don’t have nearly as many special attacks as the other
opponents you will face.
Update 16.5 Edition
Name:
Attack:
Def:
Morale:
Abilities:
Ongbúrz Berserker
Melee
Good
S
None
Name:
Attack:
Def:
Morale:
Abilities:
Ongbúrz Defiler
Tactical
Average; Weak against light
S-2
Minor Poison (Poison for Hardy+)
Renewal (Hardy+)
Name:
Attack:
Morale:
Abilities:
Ongbúrz Skirmisher
Ranged and Melee
S
None
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Name:
Attack:
Def:
Morale:
Abilities:
Ongbúrz Warrior
Melee
Average; Weak against light
S+2
None
Goblins
You will also find that there is no lack of goblins here. Once again, you will face four varieties. Goblins
tend to have more special abilities (especially the more annoying ones).
Update 16.5 Edition
Name:
Attack:
Morale:
Abilities:
Ongbúrz Defender
Melee
S
Knock Down
Name:
Attack:
Morale:
Abilities:
Ongbúrz Fighter
Melee
S
Defensive Stance
Debilitating Stance
Seared
Sticky Tar
Flammable
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Update 16.5 Edition
Name:
Attack:
Def:
Morale:
Abilities:
Ongbúrz Thrower
Ranged and Melee
Average defenses; weak vs. light
S-1
Rooted (10 sec)
Name:
Attack:
Morale:
Abilities:
Ongbúrz Warg-rider
Ranged and Melee
S
None
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Pineleaf’s Pictorial Primer to Skirmishing
Wargs
Not all of the wargs you find here are being ridden by goblins. I could never tell just how each of these
differs. They are all slow moving, fast attacking, and seem to have very similar abilities. They are the
most notorious sources of wounds in this skirmish. They occasionally throw in a fear attack just for the
sake of variety.
Update 16.5 Edition
Name:
Attack:
Def:
Morale:
Abilities:
Ongbúrz Warg
Melee
Average; Strong against Cries
S
Crippled
Serious Wound
Unsettled
Minor Fright
Name:
Attack:
Def:
Morale:
Abilities:
Ongbúrz Shadow-Stalker
Melee
Average; Strong against Cries
S
Crippled
Serious Wound
Deep Wound
Unsettled
Minor Fright
Name:
Attack:
Def:
Morale:
Abilities:
Ongbúrz Pack-leader
Melee
Average; Strong against Cries
S
Crippled
Serious Wound
Unsettled
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Uruks
Did I say four types of orcs? That’s only if you don’t count the uruks as orcs. They are nastier than orcs,
since they do have special abilities and have no special weakness against light.
Update 16.5 Edition
Name:
Attack:
Morale:
Abilities:
Ongbúrz Soldier
Melee
S
Breached Armour
Primary Weapon Disarm
Name:
Attack:
Def:
Morale:
Abilities:
Ongbúrz Reaver
Melee
Average; Fair mitigations
S
Breached Armour
Name:
Attack:
Morale:
Abilities:
Ongbúrz Archer
Melee
S
Poison Arrow
Primary Weapon Disarm
Fire Arrow
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Trolls
Oh, and trolls. Yes, those big things that can punt and stun you. Naturally, they also have some hefty
morale (comparable to landscape mobs in level-41+ runs). Trolls are not as common as the other mob
types, which is probably for the best unless you are trying to complete a quest or deed that requires you
to kill trolls in Dol Dinen.
Name:
Attack:
Def:
Ongbúrz Crusher
Melee
Average; Good vs Common,
Weak against fire and light
Morale: T-1
Abilities: Arc Knockback
Knocked Down
Area Stun
Laceration
Name:
Attack:
Morale:
Abilities:
Ongbúrz Stone-heaver
Ranged
T-1
Knock Down
Stun
The knockdown from this troll is a ranged
attack.
Name:
Attack:
Morale:
Abilities:
Ongbúrz Brute
Melee
T+1
Arc knockback
Stun
This is the toughest trash mob that you will
find in any of the skirmishes.
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Lieutenants
There are 12 lieutenants that appear in the solo setting. The Daywalker Berserker and Echo of Death do
not appear in this skirmish (just be thankful for small comforts).
12 more are added in duo and small fellowship settings. The Flesh Gorger is missing as in most other
skirmishes.
12 more are added in fellowship and raid settings. While I have not yet actually seen a Silent Slayer or a
Thunderstone Smasher in this skirmish, it is possible that this was just a matter of luck and not reflective
of the skirmish’s actual behavior.
This means that there are a total of 36 lieutenants that can appear in this skirmish on the larger group
settings. Details on the various lieutenants are given in Appendix A.
A single lieutenant appears at every control point and in every counterattack.
This skirmish has a large mob density, which means that the Blood Rook can be particularly dangerous.
In addition, the bombardment in the courtyard can activate the Zealot’s yell and the Shepherd’s
crawlers. The shepherd can be particularly nasty during the second counterattack in the courtyard as
you can easily be splattered before you can do anything about it. The good news is that the boulders will
damage a Wretched Falconer that is otherwise immune to damage.
The table below lists all of the lieutenants, with the morale class for those appearing in this skirmish.
Bearer of Blight
S+1(H) Brood Queen
S+1
Chaos-Field
S-2
Blood- Rook
S-1
Brothers of Destruction S‡
Courage Breaker
S‡
Daywalker Berserker
Enraged Stone-crusher
S
Crazed Hate-Monger
S+1
Death-monger
S-2(H) Flesh Gorger
Daunting Spirit-Sapper S+1‡
Defender of the Vile
S+1(H) Frigid Squall
S
Dreadwing Marauder
S
Dourhand Keg-master
S+1(H) Hawk-eyed Harrier
S
Emissary of War
S
Dourhand Storm-keeper S+1(H) Hulking Pounder
T-1(H) Enraged Snapper
S+1
Echo of Death
Leech Warden
S
Fell-bane Archer
S-1
Forest-born Reaver
S+1
Priest of Vengeance
S
Leadfoot Brute
S
Pale Trapper
S-1(H) Priestess of Flame
S
Primordial Wrath
S
Shepherd of Filth
S-1(H) Raging Marauder
S+1
Rage of Morgoth
S
Troll Wound-taker
T-1(H) Tempest of Flame
S
Silent Slayer
Venomous Blood-arrow
S-1†
Wretched Falconer
S-1
Spawn of Angband
S
Zealot of Pain
S(H)
Thunderstone Smasher
* Lieutenants with classes followed by “(H)” have half the expected morale at the lowest group setting
where they appear.
†The Venomous Blood-arrow has an S-1 rating in solo runs and an S+1 rating in group settings.
‡The Brothers of Destruction and Courage Breaker have special multipliers due to their plural nature.
For the Daunting Spirit-sapper, we have an S+5 rating at up to level 40 and an S+1 rating above level 40
(with the fellowship rating having a multiplier of 15 rather than the usual 10).
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Graug (The General)
Graug
Morale S+1
Knockback
Self-Heal
Burning (Fire damage / 2 sec for 10 sec)
Petrifying Shadows (Root)
Primary Weapon Disarm
Seared
Goblin scouts (3 raid; 2 fellowship; 1 other)
Morale S-1
Troll (2 Raid; 1 Fellowship) – encounter loot
Morale T+1
The fight against Graug can be chaotic. First, you have a boss that has several indiuction skills (including
a self-heal). Add to this fire-lobbers who occasioanlly throw fire pots onto the ground to create hot
spots. If that doesn’t keep you on your toes, a scout will occasioanlly attempt to leave the tent with
news of Esteldín’s location. And that’s the solo version!
As Graug generally opens with an induction ability, I try to have an interrupt right at the start. This is the
only fight where I consistently remember that I have a Battle Preparation skill on my warden.
For some class/soldier combinations, the knockback attack can be annoying. When I run with my Loremaster / protector, Graug sometimes knocks the protector into the platform thus causing both to go
into anti-exploit mode (except when Graug performs an occasional ranged attack).
The important thing to note with the scouts is that the first scout to escape will be captured by the
rangers but the second scout to escape will cause you to lose the skirmish. This becomes tricker in full
fellowship and raid settings where more than one scout attempts to leave at a time.
In fellowships and raids, the challenge is upped by additional scouts and the presence of a troll (or two
trolls in raids). You can pull the trolls prior to fighting the boss to make things tamer.
Group Size
Solo
Duo / Small Fellowship
Fellowship
Raid
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Trolls
0
0
1 Elite Master
1 Nemesis + 1 Elite Master
Scouts per wave
1 Weak
1 Hale
2 Hardy
3 Strong
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Encounters
Each time you run a skirmish, the game selects two encounters that are available. The selected
encounters become active when you perform their triggering actions.
Two of the encounters are triggered off the second counterattack against the Central Gate control point.
Since you will only get one counterattack if you take both side gates during the first phase of the
skirmish, these encounters will never be triggered if you take both side gates. The upshot of this is that it
is possible to run this skirmish and get fewer than two encounters.
There are a total of six encounters in Attack at Dawn. As with other offensive skirmishes, the encounter
bosses in this skirmish are all elite in solo runs.
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Tharb
Name:
Type:
Trigger:
Text:
Location:
Morale:
Abilities:
Tharb
Goblin
Fending off the first counterattack at the Central Gate.
Tharb has arrived to re-take the eastern gates.
Outside the eastern gate (50.5N, 81.1W).
S-2
None
You will find Tharb near the
scaffolding between the Main
Gate control point and the
Eastern Gate control point.
The most important thing to
note of Tharb is that if you
choose to bypass the Eastern
Gate, it is nearly impossible to
pull Tharb without pulling at
least one of the mobs at the
Eastern Gate.
Therefore, if you plan to take
only one side gate, you should
clear out the mobs at the
Eastern Gate even if you
decide not to take the control
point.
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Pugh
Name:
Type:
Trigger:
Text:
Location:
Morale:
Abilities:
Pugh
Goblin
Fend off the second counterattack at the Central Gate.
Pugh has arrived on the eastern flank to reinforce the courtyard.
Eastern flank of the upper section of the Central Gate courtyard (50.4N, 80.6W).
S
None
This encounter triggers off the
second counterattack at the
Central Gate. The upshot of this
is that if you take both side
gates prior to taking the
Central Gate, there will be no
second counterattack and thus
make this encounter
impossible to trigger.
To find the area, head east
from the Central Gate control
point and then turn north.
Pugh is a fairly straightforward
fight.
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Fríb
Name:
Type:
Trigger:
Text:
Location:
Morale:
Abilities:
Fríb
Boggart (Goblin)
Clearing the mobs in the area of the entrance to Graug’s encampment
An angry shout is heard in the courtyard below.
In the upper courtyard of the Central Gate (50.1N, 80.6W).
S-1
None
Fríb appears in one of the few
locations in the courtyard that
manages to never be hit by any
boulders.
If you attack at range, Fríb
starts the fight using his bow.
Like many archers, he will later
switch to a melee attack during
the course of the battle.
My warden naturally prefers to
get up close, preferably in the
area where I’m unlikely to get
hit by a rock.
Fríb has average defenses and
has excellent mitigations
against everything except light.
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Zímarp
Name:
Type:
Trigger:
Text:
Location:
Morale:
Abilities:
Zímarp
Half-orc
Fending off the first counterattack at the Central Gate.
Zímarp has arrived to re-take the Western Gates.
Near the Main Gate (50.7N, 80.9W).
S+1
Caltrops (Light Injury, Slow)
Zímarp spawns near the main
gate, which means that if you
are defeated and return to the
start of the instance, you need
to pay attention to avoid
running into him.
Accidentally running into him is
less likely if you try to return
via the Eastern Gate.
Of course, perhaps you do
want to fight him. You still
want to be wary so you can
fight on your own terms.
In addition to ambushing
forgetful skirmishers, Zímarp is
also known for littering the
ground with caltrops. This is
particularly painful if you are
fighting the skirmish barefoot.
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Krampum
Name:
Type:
Trigger:
Text:
Location:
Morale:
Abilities:
Krampum
Orc Defiler
Fend off the second counterattack at the Central Gate.
Krampum has arrived to re-take the western flank.
Western flank of the upper section of the Central Gate courtyard (50.4N, 80.6W).
S*85
Minor Diseased Frailty
Poison
Weakened Armour
Poisoned Lethargy
Krampum used to be the
toughest of the encounters you
will face in Attack at Dawn.
Since then, the corruption had
been removed and his morale
had been reduced (even
though he already had the
lowest morale of any
encounter).
What Krampum lacks in morale
he gains in debuffs. In the
screen shot to the left, I have
Poisoned Lethargy to slow me
down, Weakened Armor, and a
Poison. He also has been
known to cast Diseased Frailty.
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Kaushar
Name:
Type:
Trigger:
Text:
Location:
Morale:
Abilities:
Kaushar
Gorthorog
Fend off the counterattack outside Graug’s tent.
The sound of a mighty roar is heard from the courtyard below.
The lower courtyard at the Central Gate (50.3N, 80.8W).
S
Chilled
Knocked Down
Kaushar can be found in the
lower courtyard at the Central
Gate. I can only presume that
he insisted he’d be the only
gorthorog in the encampment
for I can see no other
explanation for the lack of
Daywalker Berserkers in this
skirmish.
Kaushar has average defenses
but excellent mitigations. He is
particularly resistance to fire
and light damage. Yes, that
means that fire and light oil are
counterproductive against this
brute. Yes, even common
damage is better than fire and
light in this battle.
This does not make my Loremaster very happy.
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Variations
One of the advantages of skirmishes is their scalability. Skirmishes can be scaled in three ways: level,
player group size, and tier.
Level
All skirmishes can be played anywhere from their minimum level to the current level cap. The minimum
level for Attack at Dawn is 30. The default setting for a skirmish run is the level of the character starting
the skirmish (i.e., the fellowship leader). It’s rarely useful to run a skirmish at a level that is more than
five levels above the lowest-level character in the fellowship running the skirmish. No skirmish can be
run above the current level cap.
Why would you want to change the level for the skirmish? If you are just starting to learn a skirmish, you
may want to set the level lower to allow you to understand how the skirmish works. This isn’t always
possible, though, as you generally first try a skirmish when you reach its minimum level.
Another reason to set the level lower is to compensate for an underpowered soldier. If you start
skirmishing at a high level, your soldier is likely to be under par. Many players in this situation set the
skirmish level one or two levels lower to allow them to complete enough skirmishes to bring their
soldiers to a reasonable level. You should avoid dropping the level too low, though, as you receive a
penalty based on the difference between your level and the skirmish’s level.
Some classes may find Attack at Dawn a challenge due to the mob density and the number of wounds.
Lowering the level may be needed just to make completing the skirmish possible without several wipes.
You may also want to adjust the level if not all the members of a group are of the same level or if the
group is short of the recommended size.
If you are using skirmishes to level, you may want to increase the level to increase the experience you
earn during the run.
Finally, you may want to increase the challenge by raising the level by one or two. This can be especially
useful if you are getting near a level where the rewards are upgraded. Similarly, I would not recommend
that you reduce a skirmish’s level enough to reduce the reward tier.
When you adjust the level of the skirmish, you also adjust the skirmish mark rewards within the
skirmish. These adjustments are based on your level when you first enter the skirmish.
In the past, I recommended that you avoid changing the level of a skirmish as it required you to use the
Specific tab, which caused you to lose the bonus for using the other Instance Finder tabs. Since those
bonuses are no longer being awarded, increasing the level of a skirmish is now a viable option.
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Tier
The tier setting increases the difficulty of the skirmish by increasing the morale, damage, and various
other attributes of the enemy. In some skirmishes, it will also change some of the rules for the skirmish,
though I have not seen any obvious changes in Attack at Dawn.
Tier
1
2
3
L 100 Hale Ongbúrz Soldier Morale
17,367
24,121
38,594
Skirmish Mark %
100%
133%
170%
Player Group Size
The player group size has the greatest change on the play of the skirmish.
Number of Players Mob Points Mark % Lieutenants Boss + Trolls + Scouts
Encounters
Solo (1)
6
100%
Signature
Elite + 1
Elite
Duo (2)
16
105%
Elite
Elite Master + 1
Elite Master
Small Fellowship (3) 16
120%
Elite
Elite Master + 1
Elite Master
Fellowship (6)
48
150%
Elite Master Nemesis + EM +2
Nemesis
Raid (12)
112
190%
Nemesis *
AN + Nem + EM +3
Arch Nemesis
* In addition, most control points and counterattacks will include two lieutenants rather than just one.
The player group setting controls the quality of the lieutenants, the encounter bosses, the boss, as well
as the number of trolls and goblin scouts in the boss fight.
In addition, the group size controls when the second counterattack at the Central Gate begins (if two
counterattacks are available). In solo and duo modes, the second counterattack starts when the first one
has been defeated. In the other settings, if the first counterattack is not defeated within one minute, the
second counterattack will start right away.
In solo, duo, and small fellowship runs, you have only the boss and each scout wave includes only a
single scout. In full fellowship runs, the boss is joined by a single troll and there are two scouts in each
scout wave. In raids, there are two trolls (one nemesis and one elite master) and there are three scouts
in each scout wave. Since you will lose the skirmish if two scouts escape, you can ignore the first scout in
small runs but must face every scout wave in the larger runs.
Duo mode is a variation of small fellowship mode, so the number of mobs is the same in these two
settings. In addition to the difference in the counterattack timing given above, opponents under duo
mode receive a penalty to their morale, damage, and other attributes.
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Deeds
All skirmishes include a deed to complete all the encounters in the skirmish. This deed awards a title
when all of the encounters have been completed at least once. The title for this skirmish is “Dawnbreaker.” There is no skirmish mark award for completing this deed. You only gain credit for these deeds
if you complete the encounter before killing the skirmish boss and if the encounter boss is at least green
to you (no more than eight levels lower than your level). If you complete the skirmish encounter deeds
for all of the skirmishes, you complete the encounter meta deed and gain the title “Skirmisher of
Middle-earth.”
Each lieutenant also has an associated slayer deed. There are two tiers for each of these deeds: kill the
lieutenant five times then kill the lieutenant 50 times. There is no title for the deed but you do gain 50
skirmish marks for completing the first tier and 500 skirmish marks for completing the second tier. A
lieutenant only counts for the slayer deed if the level of the lieutenant is at least green.
You can also complete several non-skirmish deeds while running a skirmish. In Attack at Dawn, you can
complete the deeds for killing wargs, orcs, goblins, and trolls in the North Downs. The goblin, orc, troll,
and warg racial slayer deeds can also be completed here.
Quests
Each skirmish includes a quest that is granted each time you run the skirmish. Each time you complete
Attack at Dawn on a day, you receive the following additional rewards:



Scaling experience based on level
Scaling item experience points based on level
700 reputation with The Rangers of Estendín
Ravaging Orc-Bounty
Ravaging Orc-Bounty is a repeatable quest that you can find on one of the bulletin boards in Estendín. It
is normally a fellowship quest but it can be completed solo while running Attack at Dawn. You need to
collect helms from orcs and there is a pretty good drop rate, so with decent luck you should be able to
complete the quest in a single run.





Level-30 Quest
Collect 6 helms from orcs within Dol Dinen
Experience points
28s 56c
900 reputation with The Rangers of Estendín
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Masters of the Black Siege
Masters of the Black Siege is normally a fellowship quest but it can be completed solo through several
runs of Attack at Dawn. If you can find a group, it will probably be quicker to run the quest the way it
was intended. Note that troll lieutenants do not count for this quest – just the trash mobs count.





Level-30 Quest
Kill 16 trolls within Dol Dinen
Experience points
28s 56c
900 reputation with The Rangers of Estendín
The Iron Collar
This quest is triggered by finding a Heavy Iron Collar from a warg in Dol Dinen. This is one of those
annoying quest item drops. This is marked as a fellowship quest, though it is more accurate to say that it
is a solo quest that leads into a fellowship quest within the Fornost instance cluster.





Triggered by finding a Heavy Iron Collar
Level-30 Quest
Take the collar to the camp near Fornost.
Experience points
17s 85c
It is now the dawn
Where we will raid Dol Dinen
To keep a secret.
Graug and his goblins
Have discovered Esteldín.
Don't let them escape!
- Eluros Aabye
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