War of the Ring (Second Edition) · Expansion

War of the Ring: Lords of Middle-earth

Worth it

Our take: In a Reddit thread asking whether Lords and Warriors are required, the top answer is that neither is required and recommended only after many plays of the base game, with another saying to wait 4-6 plays. On Lords specifically, one commenter calls it excellent, highly recommended and adding to balance with few extra rules; others say they use it even with new players and that it corrects the slight Shadow lean of the base game at the cost of some complexity. One commenter says tournaments do not all use it. BGG rates it about 8.7 with about 2.5K ratings and about 13K owners.
What you need first: Just the base game

What it adds: Figures and rules for Elrond, Galadriel, Smeagol, Gothmog and the Balrog of Moria, alternate Gandalf, Witch-king and Mouth of Sauron, new Elven Ring Keepers and Lesser Minion action dice, and new Companions for the optional Council of Rivendell rules. Also figures for Aragorn and Gandalf the White.
What it fixes: Reddit commenters say it nudges the game's slight Shadow tilt back toward even (a claim another commenter disputes) and adds characters previously only on event cards.

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Last checked 2026-10-09. Spot a mistake? Tell us.