The War in the North Nordinbad walkthrough covers the final stretch of the campaign, where the Grey Company pushes through the Ettenmoors, rallies the Eagles at Nordinbad, and storms Carn Dûm to confront Agandaûr. This is the climax of the War in the North main story, and knowing what awaits you here matters because the difficulty spikes sharply after Mount Gundabad collapses. Get the full War in the North Nordinbad walkthrough breakdown below, including the Stone-giant fight, the eagle rescue sequence, and the final boss encounter that decides the fate of the North.
Nordinbad walkthrough: Arrival and the Stone-giant Battle
Beleram's Fate: The Carn Dûm Summoning Divergence
The final confrontation at Carn Dûm hinges on whether you summon the Great Eagle Beleram. If summoned, Beleram kills a fell-beast before being slain by Agandaûr, creating a crucial distraction that allows the trio to land the killing blow. If you refrain from summoning him, Beleram survives the encounter. This choice creates a narrative divergence, though Úrgost takes control of Carn Dûm in either outcome, making the summoning a tactical decision about sacrificing an ally for a combat advantage.
The War in the North Nordinbad walkthrough begins right after the sonic weapon collapses Mount Gundabad, when the trio gets airlifted by the Great Eagles to the ruined fortress-city of Nordinbad. According to the Wikipedia plot summary for War in the North, the party helps the Eagles kill the Stone-giant Bargrisar in the Ettenmoors before Gwaihir joins with eagles Baranthor and Armenel. This sequence is a turning point in the War in the North main story because it establishes the aerial alliance that carries you into the final chapter.
The Stone-giant fight at Nordinbad is a pure spectacle fight that tests your ranged combat and positioning rather than raw melee output. Bargrisar hurls massive boulders that one-shot on higher difficulties, so you need to keep moving and use the ruined pillars as cover while the Eagles dive-bomb the giant from above.
Bargrisar is the first Stone-giant boss you face, and his attack patterns are telegraphed by a long wind-up animation before each throw. The fight has three distinct phases, each triggered when you deplete roughly a third of his health bar.
| Phase | Boss Behavior | Recommended Tactic |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Hurls single boulders, stomps when you get close | Stay mid-range, dodge sideways, chip with arrows |
| Phase 2 | Adds sweeping arm attacks, summons rock shards | Use the eagle dive-bomb windows for heavy damage |
| Phase 3 | Enraged, throws boulders in rapid volleys | Bait throws, then punish with charged melee while he recovers |
The key to this War in the North Nordinbad walkthrough segment is learning to read the wind-up animation — Bargrisar always leans back before throwing, which gives you roughly two seconds to sidestep. Once you understand that rhythm, the fight becomes a matter of patience rather than reflexes, because the Eagles will periodically stun the giant and open a damage window.
After Bargrisar falls, the Eagles land and you get a brief respite where you can restock supplies and upgrade gear. This is the last merchant checkpoint before Carn Dûm, so spend your gold wisely because the final fortress has no vendors. The War in the North Nordinbad walkthrough then transitions into the approach march, where you fight through waves of orcs and wargs while the Eagles provide air support from above.
The Eagle Rescue and Gwaihir's Role
The eagle rescue sequence is one of the most memorable moments in the War in the North main story, because it directly ties the Nordinbad events to the larger plot. After the Stone-giant battle, Gwaihir — the Lord of the Eagles — personally escorts the party toward Carn Dûm, and his presence changes how you approach the final approach.
Gwaihir does not fight directly in most encounters, but he periodically swoops down to clear clusters of enemies or knock down siege towers that block your path. This creates a rhythm where you push forward, get pinned by enemy archers, and then watch Gwaihir scatter them before you advance again. The eagle strike indicator appears as a golden circle on the ground, and standing inside it when Gwaihir dives grants you a temporary damage buff.
Players who rush through this War in the North Nordinbad walkthrough section often miss the hidden lore tablets scattered along the cliff paths. These tablets fill in the backstory of Agandaûr's rise and explain why the Black Númenórean chose Carn Dûm as his stronghold. If you care about the War in the North story explained in full, grab every tablet you find because they unlock bonus codex entries that enrich the narrative.
Carn Dûm walkthrough: Fortress Approach and Outer Defenses
The Carn Dûm walkthrough portion of this guide covers the fortress siege itself, which is the longest continuous combat stretch in the entire campaign. Carn Dûm is the ancient capital of Angmar, and Agandaûr has fortified it with layers of defenses that you must peel back one by one. The War in the North Carn Dûm walkthrough demands that you manage your resources carefully because there are no checkpoints between the major battlements.
The outer defenses consist of three siege walls, each guarded by a named captain who drops unique loot. The first wall has Captain Ruzgûl, a berserker orc who charges with a two-handed axe and can break your guard if you block too long. The second wall features Shagrat's Lieutenant, a ranged commander who summons archer reinforcements every thirty seconds. The third wall is defended by Ugrish the Gatekeeper, a troll-armored brute that requires coordinated focus fire.
| Wall | Defender | Weakness | Loot Drop |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Wall | Captain Ruzgûl | Parry his charge, then punish | Ruzgûl's Cleaver (axe) |
| Second Wall | Shagrat's Lieutenant | Interrupt his summoning cast | Lieutenant's Longbow |
| Third Wall | Ugrish the Gatekeeper | Aim for the exposed knee joint | Gatekeeper's Pauldrons |
Each captain fight in this Carn Dûm walkthrough has a mechanical twist that prevents you from simply mashing attacks. Ruzgûl's charge can be parried for a massive stun window, the Lieutenant's summoning cast must be interrupted or you get overwhelmed, and Ugrish's knee joint only takes damage when he does his telegraphed overhead slam. The War in the North Carn Dûm walkthrough rewards players who learn these patterns because the loot drops are among the best in the game.
Between the walls, you face gauntlets of orc archers positioned on elevated platforms. The siege ladder mechanic lets you climb these platforms, but doing so leaves you exposed to melee attackers below. A better approach is to use ranged attacks to clear the archers first, then climb to grab the supply caches that restock your health potions. This Carn Dûm walkthrough segment is where most players burn through their consumables, so ration them carefully.
The Fell-beast Encounter
The fell-beast encounter is the penultimate boss fight in the War in the North Carn Dûm walkthrough, and it is where the eagle mechanic becomes critical. A single fell-beast circles the main courtyard, strafing with fire breath while orc reinforcements pour in from the side gates. The fight has a soft enrage timer because the orc waves get denser the longer you take.
Beleram — the Great Eagle companion who has been with you since the early chapters — plays a pivotal role here. According to the Wikipedia plot summary, if Beleram is summoned during the final confrontation, he kills a fell-beast before being killed by Agandaûr, whose distraction allows the trio to slay him. If Beleram is not summoned, he survives the battle entirely. This choice has no mechanical impact on the ending, but it changes the emotional weight of the finale.
The fell-beast itself has three attack patterns: a fire breath cone, a diving claw swipe, and a wing gust that knocks you back. The fire breath telegraph is a bright orange glow in its throat, giving you about one second to break line of sight behind a pillar. The diving claw swipe is the dangerous one because it tracks your position, so you need to roll at the last moment rather than early.
During this War in the North Carn Dûm walkthrough fight, the orc waves spawn from two gates on opposite sides of the courtyard. Assigning one player to each gate in co-op makes this manageable, while solo players should focus on killing the fell-beast first because the orcs stop spawning once it dies. The orc spawn timer is roughly forty-five seconds, so you have a window to deal damage to the beast between waves.
Agandaûr Boss Fight: Final Confrontation Strategy
Nordinbad's Sonic-Weapon Rescue: The Mount Gundabad Pre-Arrival Sequence
Before the trio reaches Nordinbad, they must first assist dwarves Nordri and Bruni at Mount Gundabad. This sequence requires activating a sonic weapon that collapses the entire fortress, creating a massive diversion. The collapse is triggered by a specific mechanism that must be aligned correctly, and the resulting explosion clears the path for the Eagles' rescue. This pre-arrival event is critical, as it establishes the dwarven alliance and provides the narrative bridge to the stone-giant battle that immediately follows in Nordinbad.
The Agandaûr boss fight is the culmination of the War in the North main story, and it is a multi-phase encounter that tests everything you have learned. Agandaûr is a Black Númenórean sorcerer who wields both sword and dark magic, and his arena is the throne room at the heart of Carn Dûm. The War in the North plot guide treats this as the definitive ending, because the outcome determines whether the North falls to darkness.
Phase one is a straightforward duel where Agandaûr uses a flaming sword and occasionally teleports behind you. His flame wave attack sweeps across the arena in a wide arc, and you need to jump over it rather than dodge sideways. The phase ends when you deplete his first health bar, at which point he summons spectral warriors to fight alongside him.
Phase two introduces the shadow bolt volley, where Agandaûr raises his staff and fires a spread of dark projectiles that home in on your position. These bolts can be destroyed with a single hit, so ranged characters should shoot them down while melee characters close the distance. The spectral warriors from phase one persist into this phase, which makes positioning crucial because you can get surrounded quickly.
| Phase | Agandaûr Abilities | Counter-Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Flaming sword, teleport strike, flame wave | Jump the wave, parry the teleport strike |
| Phase 2 | Shadow bolt volley, spectral summons | Shoot down bolts, kite the specters |
| Phase 3 | Fell-beast summon, drain aura, final enrage | Use Beleram's sacrifice window, burst DPS |
Phase three is where the Beleram choice comes into play. If you summon Beleram, the eagle dives in and kills the fell-beast that Agandaûr summons, but then Agandaûr kills Beleram in a scripted sequence. This distraction creates a massive damage window where Agandaûr is completely vulnerable for about ten seconds. If you do not summon Beleram, you must fight both Agandaûr and the fell-beast simultaneously, which is significantly harder.
The drain aura in phase three slowly saps your health while you stand near Agandaûr, forcing you to disengage periodically. This creates a rhythm where you burst damage, retreat to recover, and then re-engage when the aura dissipates. The final enrage triggers when Agandaûr drops below ten percent health, increasing his attack speed and damage by fifty percent, so save your ultimate abilities for this window.
After Agandaûr falls, the game delivers its epilogue where Úrgost takes Carn Dûm in either outcome, according to the Wikipedia plot summary. This means the fortress changes hands regardless of your Beleram choice, but the emotional resonance of the ending differs based on whether you sacrificed the eagle companion.
Story Explained: How Nordinbad and Carn Dûm Connect
The War in the North story explained through the Nordinbad and Carn Dûm chapters reveals the larger narrative structure that runs parallel to the main Lord of the Rings events. The story runs parallel to the main narrative, set days before Frodo reaches Bree, and the trio meets Aragorn at the Prancing Pony before traveling through Fornost, the Barrow-downs, Rivendell, the Ettenmoors, Mount Gundabad, Nordinbad, and finally Carn Dûm. This War in the North plot guide helps you understand why these locations matter beyond their gameplay value.
Nordinbad serves as the narrative hinge between the dwarven storyline at Mount Gundabad and the final assault on Carn Dûm. The fortress-city was once a major stronghold of the North, but it fell to ruin after Angmar's wars. The Stone-giant Bargrisar had claimed it as his lair, which is why the Eagles needed your help to reclaim the area before they could safely transport you further north.
The War in the North main story uses the eagle alliance as a narrative device to justify the rapid travel between distant locations. Without the Eagles, the journey from Mount Gundabad to Carn Dûm would take weeks on foot, which would break the pacing of the climax. The Nordinbad chapter exists specifically to establish this aerial transport capability while giving you a memorable boss fight.
Carn Dûm, by contrast, represents the culmination of Agandaûr's ambition. The ancient capital of Angmar was the seat of the Witch-king's power, and Agandaûr seeks to restore that legacy. The War in the North Carn Dûm walkthrough shows you the fortress in its full defensive glory, with layers of walls, fell-beasts, and elite captains all serving the Black Númenórean's plan.
For a deeper dive into the lore surrounding Agandaûr and the Black Númenóreans, check out the War in the North Agandaûr lore guide which breaks down his backstory and motivations. The narrative threads that connect Nordinbad to Carn Dûm are explored in more detail there, including how the eagle alliance fits into the broader conflict.
Practical Tips for the Nordinbad to Carn Dûm Stretch
This War in the North Nordinbad walkthrough would not be complete without practical tips for surviving the difficulty spike that hits in the final chapters. The jump from Mount Gundabad to Nordinbad is noticeable, and the Carn Dûm fortress is even harder. Here is what you need to know before you commit to the final stretch.
Stock up before Nordinbad — the merchant at the eagle landing zone is your last chance to buy potions, arrows, and gear upgrades. The Carn Dûm walkthrough has zero vendors, so any consumables you do not bring are simply unavailable. Prioritize health potions and stamina-restoring items because the boss gauntlet will drain both.
Level your ranged abilities — the Stone-giant fight and the fell-beast encounter both heavily favor ranged combat. Even melee-focused characters should carry a decent bow with fire arrows, because the fire damage over time helps against the giant's regenerating rock armor. The fire arrow recipe can be found in a chest near the Nordinbad entrance.
Coordinate in co-op — if you are playing with friends, assign roles before the Carn Dûm assault. One player handles the captains while another focuses on adds, and a third stays on ranged support. The War in the North Carn Dûm walkthrough becomes significantly easier with this division of labor because the enemy waves are designed to overwhelm solo players.
Save ultimate abilities for phase three — the Agandaûr fight's final phase is a DPS check, and your ultimate abilities can shave off massive chunks of his health bar. If you burn them in phase one or two, you will struggle to finish the enrage window. The ultimate charge rate is roughly ninety seconds, so time your usage to align with the phase transition.
For a broader look at the entire campaign structure, the War in the North full walkthrough covers every chapter from Bree to Carn Dûm with the same level of detail. That guide is useful if you want to plan your build around the challenges ahead rather than reacting to them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the hardest part of the War in the North Nordinbad walkthrough?
The Stone-giant Bargrisar fight is the hardest part of the Nordinbad section because his boulder throws one-shot most characters on higher difficulties. The fight requires constant movement and precise sidestep timing, which is a sharp contrast to the melee-heavy combat that precedes it. Learn the wind-up animation and the fight becomes manageable.
Should I summon Beleram during the Agandaûr fight?
Summoning Beleram makes the final phase significantly easier because he kills the fell-beast and creates a ten-second damage window on Agandaûr. The trade-off is that Beleram dies in the scripted sequence, which is emotionally heavy. If you want the easier fight, summon him. If you want the eagle to survive, fight the harder version without him.
How long is the Carn Dûm walkthrough section?
The Carn Dûm fortress assault takes roughly forty-five to sixty minutes on a first playthrough, depending on your difficulty setting and how thoroughly you explore. The three siege walls with their captain fights account for most of the time, while the Agandaûr boss fight itself takes about ten minutes once you learn his patterns.
Can I return to earlier areas after reaching Nordinbad?
No, the Nordinbad and Carn Dûm sections are the point of no return in the campaign. Once you leave the eagle landing zone, you cannot travel back to earlier areas until you complete the game. This is why stocking up at the Nordinbad merchant is critical, because you will not see another vendor until the credits roll.
What level should I be before attempting the final chapters?
Aim for level 25–28 before the Carn Dûm assault. Below level 23, the Stone-giant Bargrisar fight in Nordinbad becomes punishing, as your damage output can't keep pace with his health pool. Grind side quests in earlier areas first, then proceed to the fortress approach.