Combat

Combat in Echoes of Angmar and during this era of the game is incredibly rich, multifaceted, and diversely rewarding for gamers. While any tab target combat system is simplistic in some ways at a glance, you will quickly find that there is a depth and nuance to this combat system that hits just right. The best way to learn about it is probably to buckle up your weapon and head out into the Chetwood, but if you want to read up on it nonetheless, here are some key concepts regarding the combat system and how you will fight your way across Eriador.

Targeting an Enemy

To target an enemy simply click on it. You can also target the closest enemy by pressing the Backspace key. You can cycle through all nearby enemies with Tab. The vitals of the enemy you have targeted appear next to yours, and an orange target ring appears around the enemy's feet.

Reset timers

All skills have two different types of delays that they can incur on your character.

The first is the recovery time; this is usually displayed in the skill examination and applies to the executed skill in particular. Recovery times can range from a few seconds to many minutes. Sometimes multiple skills share the same recovery channel, so using one will cause the recovery time to apply to all of the skills on the same channel.

The second delay type is the global reset time. This is usually based on your weapon speed(s), but sometimes the skill itself has its own global reset defined. This is usually a shorter delay, to the tune of a few seconds at most. The reset time is the amount of time that must pass before you can execute another skill, note that some skills do bypass the GRT. This how the frequency of skill executions are limited, and it also contributes to the cadence of combat, allowing auto-attacks to interleave with your chosen skills.

It's recommended for new players to enable the "skill queue display" in combat options, a small UI component that will display not only the next skill you've queued up, but also a timer to count down the remaining reset time that must pass before that skill will be executed.

A quick note on the auto-attacks; general skills will always have priority over auto-attacks, so if you're able to find a rhythm to your combat that lets you work an auto-attack in between skill executions you may find that your damage output will improve. This will be easier with slower weaponry as there are larger reset times, but finding the cadence that matches your weapon choices can make you a more efficient fighter. Auto-attacks have their own reset times that are independent of the chosen skill reset times, and they are based exclusively on the weapon(s) you are wielding.

Think of your auto-attack strikes as 'bonus attacks' if you're able to find a good rhythm to your chosen skill executions that allows them through; firing off your skills as fast as you can may not always be the most efficient way to approach a fight. The UI component should help to illustrate the reset times and assist you in finding your rhythm.

Enemy Level and Rank

Levels

Every enemy has a level that is shown on their vitals display. The color of the enemy's name gives you a quick comparison between your level and the enemy's level.

Color Levels
Gray	9 or more levels below you.
Green	6-8 levels below you.
Light Blue	3-5 levels below you.
Blue	1-2 levels below you.
White	same level as you.
Yellow	1-2 levels above you.
Orange	3-4 levels above you.
Red	5-7 levels above you.
Purple	8 or more levels above you.

In addition to the monster's level, every monster has a Rank. There are seven Ranks. you can identify a monster's Rank by looking at it's Vitals. The portrait is surrounded by a colored ring that represents its Rank.

Swam (green)
Normal (blue)
Signature (orange)
Elite (orange + Eye of Sauron)
Elite Master (Elite + four spikes)
Nemesis (Elite + six spikes)
Arch-nemesis(Elite + flaming eye)

Damage, Defeat, and Recovery

As you take wounds in battle your Morale will decrease. As you use skills your Power will decline. (Your current Morale is displayed in your green Vitals bar; your current Power is displayed just below that, in your blue Vitals bar.) In order to stay at maximum combat efﬁciency, you must regain your Morale and Power. Both automatically recharge when you are not in combat.

You can regain Morale and Power during combat by using certain spells or skills. You can use potions to recover Morale and Power more quickly. You can also regain Morale and Power by eating and drinking— carry food so you can quickly recover strength when not in combat

Defeat

When your Morale Points are entirely exhausted, you are defeated. When you suffer defeat you have two options:

1. Lie motionless and powerless and wait for a companion or friendly ally to revive you. (You can wait up to 10 minutes before you automatically retreat.)

2. Retreat to a place of safety (a rally point — one of the rings of white stones found near most settlements) and resume your adventure from there. Note that when you are defeated in a major adventure instance, your rally point is the beginning of the instance itself. When you are defeated, your abilities will be somewhat impaired for several minutes after your recovery. Defeat also increases the wear on all your equipment. Defeat also brings fear into your heart, causing you to perform more poorly. The effect of fear is called Dread and can be seen as an effect on you under your Vitals bar, as well as in the Hope/Dread icon on the edge of the Radar. Dread will wear off naturally after a few minutes of play.

Wound and Other Effects

Some enemy attacks will do damage beyond simply reducing your Morale. An attack might poison you, or impair your vision or movement. Some effects reduce stats, others inﬂict damage over time, and so forth. Still other effects — usually bestowed by you or by fellow players — are beneﬁcial, raising your Morale, boosting your defences, or otherwise strengthening you. When you are suffering or beneﬁting from an effect, an icon appears below your Vitals bar. Hold your cursor over the icon to see exactly what is affecting you.

Most effects expire on their own after a certain amount of time. If so, a countdown timer will appear when you hold your cursor over the effect icon. A few effects are permanent until you receive restoration or take some other appropriate remedial action.

The four categories of debilitating effects that monsters can put on player characters are:

wounds
poison
disease
fear

Various player classes have skills that can cure these effects. There are also salves and draughts in the game that may alleviate some of these effects.

Spirit

Hope and Dread represent either bonuses or penalties caused by the nearby environment, and even some enemies. For example, if you are in a high Dread area or are facing a Nazgûl, Dread effects might include a reduction in maximum Morale (shown as a purple cap on your Morale Vitals bar), increased chance to miss and to be stunned, reduced effects from Morale boosts, blurred vision, cowering in fear, and so forth.

If you are in an area of Hope, you may ﬁnd your Morale is increased, you are less likely to become demoralized, you become more proﬁcient to striking your foes, and so forth. You can see your current level of Hope (blue) and Dread (red) by examining the effects under your Vitals bar or with the Hope/Dread button on the edge of your Radar.