War in the North walkthrough: Bree to Gundabad guide

The War in the North walkthrough spans five distinct regions, each with its own combat challenges, hidden collectibles, and story beats that run parallel to the main Lord of the Rings narrative. This campaign guide breaks down every chapter from the Prancing Pony in Bree to the final confrontation at Carn Dûm, so you know exactly where to go and what to expect before you commit hours to a region. Because the Legacy Edition remaster includes quality-of-life improvements and updated visuals, a fresh full walkthrough helps both returning players and newcomers plan efficient routes through the northern war zones.

The story places your trio — Eradan, Andriel, and Farin — days before Frodo reaches Bree, which means you fight a separate war against Agandaûr's forces while the Fellowship handles the Ring. This War in the North story guide tracks the canonical path through Fornost, the Barrow-downs, Rivendell, the Ettenmoors, Mount Gundabad, Nordinbad, and Carn Dûm, while flagging the moments where side objectives and optional bosses appear. You can swap between heroes at almost any time, so the walkthrough also notes which character handles specific encounters best.

According to the plot summary on Wikipedia, the game's campaign is structured around three interwoven character arcs—Eradan, Andriel, and Farin—whose paths converge at key narrative junctions, which directly informs the walkthrough's recommended party-switching mechanics during the Fornost siege.

Chapter 1 Walkthrough: Bree, Sarn Ford, and the Road to Fornost

Chapter 1: The Prancing Pony and the Parallel Timeline

The campaign opens days before Frodo reaches Bree, placing the trio—Eradan, Andriel, and Farin—at the Prancing Pony to meet Aragorn. This parallel structure means your actions in the North directly affect the main trilogy's off-screen events. In the Legacy Edition's 4K/60 FPS presentation on PS5, the Bree chapter serves as the tutorial hub, introducing co-op combat and the first skill point allocations. Prioritize unlocking Andriel's healing abilities here, as the Sarn Ford approach features sustained enemy waves that punish solo play.

Chapter 4: Nordri, Bruni, and the Sonic Weapon Collapse

At Mount Gundabad, you assist dwarves Nordri and Bruni in activating a sonic weapon that collapses the fortress. The activation sequence requires defending two control points simultaneously—position Farin at the eastern lever while Eradan holds the western approach, as enemy spawns alternate between the two every 45 seconds. Once activated, the weapon deals massive area damage, instantly killing all non-boss enemies in the blast radius. Time your final push to trigger the collapse with all party members inside the safe zone to avoid the scripted fall damage.

Your War in the North Legacy Edition walkthrough begins in the town of Bree, where you meet Aragorn at the Prancing Pony and learn about the northern threat. After the introductory dialogue, you gain control of Eradan and Andriel, then recruit Farin shortly after the first combat encounter. The opening area teaches the basic combat loop — light attacks, heavy attacks, blocking, and dodging — while pushing you toward Sarn Ford, where the first major skirmish against goblin raiders takes place.

The chapter structure follows a linear path with a few optional branches that reward exploration. At Sarn Ford, you defend the crossing against waves of goblins while a siege weapon threatens the bridge. Focus on clearing the archers on the high ground first, because they interrupt your combo chains and force you to break position. After the defense, you push into the Barrow-downs, where the atmosphere shifts to horror as wights rise from ancient tombs.

The Barrow-downs segment introduces environmental puzzles where you must light braziers in a specific order to open sealed doors. Each brazier corresponds to a rune on the door frame, and the correct sequence appears in a nearby inscription. This puzzle type repeats throughout the campaign, so learning the pattern early saves time later. The chapter culminates in a fight against a Barrow-wight captain who summons skeletal adds; kill the adds first, because the captain regenerates health while they remain alive.

Chapter 2 Route: Fornost and the Fall of the Ruined City

The War in the North full walkthrough reaches its first major dungeon in Fornost, a sprawling ruined city that once served as the capital of Arnor. This chapter splits into two halves: the exterior siege and the interior catacombs. The exterior section tasks you with fighting through goblin and orc forces that have fortified the outer walls, while the interior requires careful navigation through collapsing corridors and ambush points.

Fornost's exterior features multiple siege ladders that enemies use to scale the walls; destroy them before they reach the top, or you will face waves of reinforcements. The interior catacombs introduce the first real boss fight against Tharzog, a goblin chieftain who wields a massive cleaver. Tharzog telegraphs his heavy swings with a visible wind-up animation, so dodge through him rather than away, which puts you behind his guard for a free combo.

The chapter ends with a dramatic escape sequence where the city collapses behind you. This section tests your movement more than combat, because the floor crumbles in a set pattern and you must keep moving forward. After escaping Fornost, the party travels to Rivendell, where Elrond provides context about the northern war and upgrades your equipment. The Rivendell hub also offers the first opportunity to purchase skill resets and craft higher-tier gear, so spend any accumulated gold before continuing.

Chapter 3 Walkthrough: Rivendell, the Ettenmoors, and the Stone Giant

The War in the North campaign guide enters its middle stretch with the Ettenmoors, a vast highland region where the party helps the Great Eagles fight the Stone-giant Bargrisar. This chapter introduces the Eagle assistance mechanic, where Gwaihir and other eagles swoop in to provide aerial support during specific encounters. The eagles can grab enemies and drop them from height, instantly killing weaker foes and staggering larger ones.

The Ettenmoors region is the largest open area in the game, with multiple side paths leading to hidden caches and optional mini-bosses. The main path follows a series of waypoints that guide you toward Bargrisar's territory, but exploring the side paths yields skill point tomes and unique weapon schematics that significantly boost your power. Because the Legacy Edition remaster improved the draw distance, you can spot these side paths from the main route more easily than in the original release.

The Bargrisar boss fight requires you to target the giant's weak points — glowing cracks on his legs and arms — while dodging his rock-throwing attacks. The eagles provide periodic assistance by stunning Bargrisar, which opens a damage window. This fight tests your positioning more than your damage output, because Bargrisar's sweeping attacks cover a wide arc. Stay close to his legs and circle behind him when he raises his arms for a slam.

Chapter 4 Walkthrough: Mount Gundabad and the Sonic Weapon

The War in the North walkthrough reaches its darkest chapter at Mount Gundabad, the ancient stronghold of the orcs. Here, the party assists the dwarves Nordri and Bruni in activating a sonic weapon that collapses the fortress from within. This chapter emphasizes stealth and timing, because the fortress is densely populated with orc patrols that can overwhelm you if you trigger too many at once.

The sonic weapon sequence requires you to protect the dwarves while they calibrate the device across three separate stations. Each station has a wave of enemies that attacks in a set pattern, and the dwarves cannot defend themselves. Position Farin between the dwarves and the main approach, use Andriel's area spells to thin the crowds, and reserve Eradan for picking off stragglers that slip through.

After activating the sonic weapon, the fortress begins to collapse and you must escape before the entire structure comes down. The escape route is linear but features collapsing bridges and falling debris that require precise timing. When you reach the exit, the eagles rescue the party and carry you to Nordinbad, a dwarven settlement that serves as the final hub before the endgame. The Nordinbad and Carn Dûm walkthrough covers the final stretch in detail, including the choices that affect the ending.

Chapter 5 Route: Reaching Carn Dûm and Beating the Last Boss

The War in the North full walkthrough culminates at Carn Dûm, the Witch-king's ancient fortress and the site of the final confrontation with Agandaûr. This chapter is the longest and most combat-intensive, featuring multiple boss encounters and a branching decision that affects the ending. The fortress is divided into three main sections: the outer ramparts, the inner halls, and the throne room.

The outer ramparts feature waves of orc and goblin forces defending the approach, including a pair of trolls that serve as a mini-boss encounter. The inner halls introduce the dragon Úrgost, who serves as Agandaûr's mount and a formidable boss in his own right. The throne room hosts the final fight against Agandaûr himself, where the decision to summon Beleram determines the outcome.

The final decision involves whether to summon Beleram during the Agandaûr fight. If you summon him, Beleram kills a fell-beast before being killed by Agandaûr, whose distraction allows the party to slay the sorcerer. If you do not summon him, Beleram survives, and Úrgost takes Carn Dûm in either outcome. This choice has no mechanical impact on the ending's success, but it affects the narrative conclusion and whether you see Beleram in the epilogue. For players tracking completion, the achievement walkthrough notes which ending unlocks specific achievements.

Legacy Edition Changes and Quality-of-Life Improvements

The War in the North Legacy Edition walkthrough benefits from several remaster improvements that change how you approach certain sections. The most significant update is the improved targeting system, which makes ranged combat with Eradan's bow and Andriel's spells more reliable, especially during chaotic boss fights. The original release struggled with target acquisition when multiple enemies clustered together, but the Legacy Edition prioritizes the nearest enemy more consistently.

The remaster also includes rebalanced difficulty curves across all chapters. The Barrow-downs section, which was notoriously difficult in the original release due to wight stun-locks, now features shorter stun durations and more generous dodge windows. Conversely, the Ettenmoors goblin camps have slightly tougher enemies to compensate for the improved combat responsiveness. According to community reports, the overall playtime remains similar — roughly 15 to 20 hours for a standard playthrough — but the pacing feels smoother.

The reduced load times deserve special mention because they change the flow of the campaign guide. In the original release, dying during a boss fight meant a 30-second load screen before the retry; the Legacy Edition cuts this to under 10 seconds on modern hardware. This makes experimentation more viable, because you can try different strategies without the frustration of long waits. The remaster also supports higher resolutions and frame rates, which makes the fast-paced combat feel more responsive.

Essential Tips for a Smooth Campaign Run

Chapter 3: The Stone Giant Bargrisar and Eagle Support

In the Ettenmoors, the party assists the Eagles in killing the Stone-giant Bargrisar, a fight that hinges on positioning to avoid his devastating ground slams. After the victory, Gwaihir joins with eagles Baranthor and Armenel, unlocking aerial support for the remainder of the chapter. This is the only chapter where you control the battlefield tempo with eagle strikes; save these cooldowns for the giant's second phase, when his attack speed increases by roughly 40%, to interrupt his most dangerous combos.

Legacy Edition: 4K/60 FPS Performance and the Beleram Ending

The Legacy Edition runs at 4K/60 FPS on PS5, making the Carn Dûm confrontation significantly more readable than the original release. The final boss fight with Agandaûr has a branching outcome: if Beleram is summoned, 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 encounter. In either outcome, Úrgost takes Carn Dûm, but summoning Beleram provides a 15-second damage window against Agandaûr that can reduce the fight's duration by nearly a third.

A successful War in the North campaign guide run depends on a few core habits that carry through every chapter. First, hot-swap heroes frequently — the game encourages switching between Eradan, Andriel, and Farin mid-combat, and each hero has a distinct role. Eradan excels at single-target damage and ranged attacks, Andriel provides area control and healing, and Farin tanks heavy hits and breaks enemy guards. Sticking to one hero makes certain encounters unnecessarily difficult.

Second, invest skill points deliberately rather than spreading them evenly. Each hero has three skill trees, and focusing on one or two trees yields stronger abilities than a jack-of-all-trades build. For Eradan, the Ranger tree offers the best damage output; for Andriel, the Lore tree unlocks the most powerful spells; for Farin, the Champion tree provides the tanking abilities you need for boss fights. The chapter 3 and 4 guide includes detailed build recommendations for each region.

Third, explore every side path before advancing the main story. The campaign guide marks the critical path, but the optional content contains skill point tomes, weapon schematics, and lore items that make the endgame significantly easier. The Ettenmoors and Mount Gundabad have the highest concentration of hidden content, so budget extra time for those regions. The no-commentary full walkthrough provides a visual reference for locating every hidden cache if you prefer watching over reading.

Fourth, manage consumables between chapters. Healing potions and elixirs carry over between regions, and the game does not auto-restock them at chapter transitions. Before entering a major dungeon like Fornost or Carn Dûm, ensure you have at least 10 healing potions and a few stamina elixirs, because the boss fights can last several minutes and attrition becomes a real threat. The Rivendell hub and Nordinbad both have merchants who sell consumables, so stock up before the final push.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a full War in the North walkthrough take?

A standard playthrough of the War in the North campaign guide takes approximately 15 to 20 hours, depending on how much optional content you complete. Players who rush the main story can finish in around 12 hours, while completionists who explore every side path and collect every item may spend 25 hours or more.

Can I play the War in the North Legacy Edition walkthrough in co-op?

Yes, the Legacy Edition supports two-player online co-op for the entire campaign. The host controls the save file, and the guest joins with their own character progression. Both players earn achievements and loot, but only the host's story progress advances. The co-op experience scales enemy difficulty to account for the second player.

What is the best hero for a first playthrough?

Eradan is the most beginner-friendly hero because his combat style is straightforward and his ranged attacks provide safe damage options. Andriel requires more positioning awareness, and Farin's slow attacks can feel punishing if you are still learning enemy patterns. Most players complete their first War in the North walkthrough as Eradan.

Does the ending change based on the Beleram decision?

Yes, the final choice at Carn Dûm affects the narrative epilogue. Summoning Beleram results in his death but creates the distraction needed to defeat Agandaûr. Not summoning him leaves Beleram alive, and the epilogue shows him surviving the war. Both endings are canonically valid, and the choice does not affect gameplay after the final boss.

Are there any missable items in the War in the North campaign?

Yes — several skill point tomes and weapon schematics are missable if you advance without exploring. The Ettenmoors and Mount Gundabad contain the highest number of optional caches, and you cannot return after completing their chapters. The mission guide covers every missable item's location so you can grab them before moving forward.