The New Age Is Begun: The Battle of Fornost Army List

Good morning gamers,

Editor's Note: Before we begin the formal post, I just wanted to say that we just passed the 5 million view mark - we're so happy that you guys read our stuff and we'll keep doing what we can to provide accurate information and thoughtful articles about the game we all love!

One of the last games I played in the old edition (not including the practice leading up to our throw-back tournament we did last year) was with the Battle of Fornost. I had to proxy Earnur with Elessar, but golly was the list fun to use. In this edition of the game, the Battle of Fornost remains a powerhouse list, with a very unique flavoring of different factions that is probably only rivaled by the Battle of Five Armies, the Legions of Mordor, or the Defenders of the Pelennor. Of all the Rivendell-style armies, this one has the most warrior diversity by far and also has a really interesting array of heroes. Let's see what this list brings and why it seems to be a good list in the competitive scene.

The Battle of Fornost: Changes for 2025

Profile Selection

This list is composed of three elements: Gondor, Arnor, and Rivendell. The "Arnor" section is incredibly fragmented, but this also makes for some very interesting options for your list building. The Arnor heroes include Aranarth (Valor) and Rangers of the North (Minor or Independent) and all of these guys can lead Hobbit Archers (more on this later in the post).

The Gondor contingent is Earnur (required, Legend) and Captains of Minas Tirith and they can lead Knights of Minas Tirith and Warriors of Minas Tirith (pretty restrictive, but really all you need). The Rivendell contingent includes Glorfindel (required, Legend), Cirdan (Fortitude), and Rivendell Captains (Fortitude) and they can lead Rivendell Warriors. Thirteen total profiles doesn't seem huge (and is less than the total number of heroes available to any of those omnibus lists I mentioned earlier!), but it has an incredible array of models to choose from - heavily-armored men (foot and mounted), heavily-armored Elves (mostly on foot), unarmored Hobbits (on foot, obviously), and hero-warrior Rangers (all on foot).

What's missing this edition is . . . actually just Rangers of Arnor. You used to be able to take Rangers of Arnor with Aranarth, but now he can lead Hobbits (he can and used to be able to lead Rangers of the North as Independent Heroes). In my Stuff of Legends article on this list, I wasn't fully convinced that paying for Rangers of Arnor (and hence, Aranarth) was all that worth it when you could get 2 Rangers of the North for less than the cost of Aranarth and nearly 2 Hobbit Archers for the cost of 1 Ranger of Arnor with spear. While the 2:1 ratio was a compelling argument then, we have a very interesting discussion between taking Aranarth and 2-3 Rangers of the North in the current edition of the list (but more on that in the strategy section below).

Army List Bonuses

This army list has three special rules - all of which are easy to keep track of. First, all friendly Gondor Cavalry models get +1 Fight Value on the turn in which they charge - this is very similar to the "Faramir rule" in the Minas Tirith army list, but it's not limited to cavalry who are near Earnur (and includes Earnur himself). Want a F7 Earnur supported by F5 Knights of Minas Tirith? Yes please!

The second rule is that all friendly models gain the Resistant to Magic special rule. This is redundant for Hobbit Archers, Glorfindel, and Cirdan, but is a welcome boon for everyone else. Since we have to take Earnur and Glorfindel in the list (320pts for two Heroes of Legend - not bad, but also gives us no Heroic March), making sure these two guys don't get locked down by magic is a huge bonus.

Finally - and I don't know how important this will be, but Earnur can't have his Courage reduced . . . yaye? Courage 4+ isn't bad and also isn't guaranteed - it's good that it can't be reduced, but if you're facing lists that don't have Ringwraiths in it . . . chances are good that it won't come up.

Profile Adjustments

We don't have a lot of profiles to view, but there are definitely more warriors in this list than we had in the Rivendell list:

• Earnur is a hard-hitting mounted hero - on-par with the "mega Boromir" profile, he's F6 base, F7 on the charge, can up his Fight Value to tie an opponent's BEFORE Heroic Strikes are resolved (so if he also Strikes, he's doing so from an equal footing), and he's got Resistant to Magic in this list to keep him going (though with 3 Will and spells being harder to resist now, resisting spells might still be a chore for him . . . but every little bit helps). He's also pretty cheap as far as combat-oriented Heroes of Legend go, so it's not hard to get into the action and start killing things. The biggest critique you could make of this guy is that unlike a lot of other big heroes, he doesn't get any free Heroic actions (especially Combats). This will limit his killing potential, though I expect his consistent killing power will see him doing plenty of damage.
• Glorfindel is also incredibly strong this edition. He's got the Armor of Gondolin baked into his profile this edition, he's F8 with Strike, gets +1 To Wound against monsters, and has a 2+ Courage value with the army bonus. He's incredibly reliable, Asfaloth is incredibly good as a mount, and he can lead 15 warriors - he's really good, but chances are that you won't run him with Arwen (unless you're okay losing Asfaloth, since Arwen automatically has the option for Asfaloth - even if she is taken on foot).
• Aranarth has basically not changed this edition - except that he can lead Hobbits. He's got Sharpshooter with Expert Shot/standard bow, which makes him good at plucking out horses from under big heroes, but doesn't do much to help him mow through warriors at all. Being able to lead Hobbit Archers, however, is a big boon for him (though the Hobbits won't be able to treat him as a banner) - but more on this when we get to the strategy section below. 
• Cirdan works pretty differently in this edition of the game. Gone are the trifecta of static-boost spells from yester-year that got him relegated to a Minor Hero (he doesn't have Blinding Light, Aura of Command, or the old version of Aura of Dismay). Cirdan's role has shifted into being a precision buffer/debuffer with the retention of Enchanted Blades (great on any of your heroes and Rivendell Knights) and the addition of Blessing of the Valar (giving Fate back to people is always great) and Call Winds (which can knock any model Prone AND push them out of Combat - which you can't do with Sorcerous Blast anymore). He's still a little pricey and Fog of Disarray and Aura of Dismay are incredibly niche spells to be casting. He's providing you buffs that you can afford to live without at low points levels, but he does give you an asymmetric way of dealing with a big threat at higher points levels, so I think you want him eventually.
  
• Rivendell Captains are similar in cost to Galadhrim Captains, but have access to shields and/or a combo of horse, lance, and Elf bow (so unlike Galadhrim Captains, you do have access to a shield-carrying Captain, but you don't have access to a bow-only Captain). You definitely want some Rivendell Warriors with shields in your lists for holding ground and the more of these guys you take, the more you might look into a March Captain - and your only choice for that slot is the Rivendell Captain. Whether you need the horse/lance/Elf bow for +30pts or whether the shield and walking on foot is up for debate - I think regardless of which you take, you want him supporting your infantry blocks. If you're leaning hard into cavalry, I think you can pass on this guy in favor of . . .
• Captains of Minas Tirith can no longer be mounted, but they're generic heroes who are F5/D7 with Shieldwall. For 60pts each, these guys aren't impressive, but they're a LOT more survivable than Madril, and while they can't take bows (or horses/lances) anymore, they're reliable in a fight and can stall out a lot of big heroes (which this list might need to do).
• Rangers of the North are near their weakest in this list - like the Arnor/Defenders of the Pelennor lists, Rangers of the North don't get 2 Attacks base in this list (like in the Arnor list, they can treat Aranarth as a banner). However, they are able to lead 5pt Hobbit Archers in this list - and this is the only list where they can do that. While they can certainly augment your battle line, their primary purpose is the ability to bring Hobbit Archers to boost your numbers and total archery output.
• Rivendell Warriors are likely to make up the backbone of your list - these are your F5 infantry and while they don't have quite as much customizability as Galadhrim Warriors, they're effectively the same as those guys. They can be fielded without gear (you probably don't need these guys in this list), with shields (you probably don't need this option either, but you can certainly take some if you want some), with shields and spears (a good choice in this list), Elf bows (you might take some of these - it depends on how much you want to lean into Rangers/Hobbits), and banners (you might take one - it depends on whether you want it on a Warriors of Minas Tirith or not).
• Warriors of Minas Tirith and Knights of Minas Tirith went up by 1pt each and are now F4. There is a technical difference from the previous edition in that the wargear configuration for Warriors of Minas Tirith is more restrictive than it used to be, but unless you were taking Warriors of Minas Tirith with shields, spears, and bows so you had D6 archers who could support from the second rank (which I did, but not a lot of other people did) or Warriors of Minas Tirith with shields, spears, and banners (which a lot of people did, including myself), you're probably not feeling the change too much. Technically speaking, Knights of Minas Tirith had the option to not take a shield in the previous edition and now they have to take it . . . that's functionally a difference, I guess, but since everyone took the shields before anyway, what it really means in this edition is that paying 25pts for a banner that replaces the shield and the lance is just not a good idea. Give your banner to a Warrior of Minas Tirith who hasn't paid for anything yet.
• Hobbit Archers are, I think, the best archers in this list - at 5pts/model, they're toting very similar bows with a better Shoot Value than Warriors of Minas Tirith and lower-Strength/lower-Range bows for less than half the cost of Rivendell Warriors. The "tax" to taking these guys is taking either 1 Ranger of the North/6 Hobbits or Aranarth/15 Hobbits - and while we'll look at the trades a little later, let's just say that if you want to lean into shooting, these guys seem like a VERY good acquisition choice.

On its face, it doesn't look like there's much in this list - and in a way, that's true. However, there isn't a bad profile in the lot (something I didn't say in the last edition) - so let's see what this list does well and where it can struggle a bit.

The Battle of Fornost: Strengths and Weaknesses

If you're looking for big hitters, this list has two very solid ones in Earnur and Glorfindel. Unlike the biggest hitters in the Last Alliance list and some other lists, both of these guys are mounted (Elendil and Isildur both are, but Elendil and Gil-Galad are not anymore) and they're not priced dissimilarly to their rivals. Their offensive hitting power is great and they've got some interesting rules to mess with your opponent's strategies for dealing with them (including countering the One Ring, which is neat).

That said, I constantly find that I'm out of Might when I run these heroes. If you're used to running the likes of Aragorn, Helm, Elendil, King Thorin, or any of the Kings/Princes in the Defenders of Erebor list (all of whom I really like), those free Heroic Combats (or free Might points in general) are handy for making sure you carve your way through the enemy and end up with a heaping pile of dead guys in their wake. These guys . . . get no free heroics . . . and while they hit hard, they want to be on the charge, which means Heroic Moves are super important. At lower points levels, you should expect to only have these two guys. At higher points levels, you're probably investing in Rangers of the North before other options (besides maybe a March Captain), so you should still not plan on having a helping hand of Might on another hero for these guys. Bummer . . .

That said, the supporting cast of models in this list are excellent - Warriors of Minas Tirith and Knights of Minas Tirith are incredible value for their cost and the only units that rival their value are Elves and Iron Hills Dwarves (and we have Elves in this list). Their archers are garbage, but Hobbit Archers are fabulous (though squishy). You have several generic heroes, which include heavy infantry March Captains for your shieldwall (Captains of Minas Tirith), archer captains for dealing additional damage from a distance (Rangers of the North), and mounted Captains who can assist in riding over things with your Knights (Rivendell Captains). Whatever your desired flavor is, you have good options around you.

This list is probably going to be slow - the thing about having two expensive heroes that you need to take (and neither of them having March) is that putting a third March hero into your list eats into your points quickly. Even at higher points levels, you'll need to pick between a March hero (the cheapest is 60pts) or a warband of archers led by a Ranger of the North (55pts). Is the ability to move 3-6" more during the course of the game worth losing 7 shots/turn? Maybe . . . but you could also just up your cavalry contingent if you need speed and let your shieldwall catch up later . . . there are lots of choices here.

Finally, this army is also very easy to collect if you buy the new Glorfindel/Earnur models (admittedly pricey), the Minas Tirith battle force box, and the Warriors of the Last Alliance box. You'll be a little low on Warriors of Minas Tirith with shields, but you can always run your Minas Tirith guys as the spearmen behind Elven swordsmen (borrow the shields from the Numenoreans if you don't want to go through the work of finding good Elven shields). There are expensive models that you can buy (Rangers of the North - though you actually want the Dunedain models - and Hobbit Archers aren't exactly cheap . . . especially not in the volume of Hobbit Archers that we want), but everything else is pretty easy to get.

The Battle of Fornost: Strategies for the Tabletop

I've been angling towards this throughout this entire post - we need to talk about the Rangers of the North and Aranarth in this list. I think once you're above 600pts, you're looking to add at least one Ranger of the North with Hobbits to pad your numbers and give you inexpensive, reliable archery. A single Ranger of the North leading 6 Hobbits is only 55pts (because you do not - and should not - buy the armor for those guys . . . paying 5pts for D5 instead of D4 is absolutely overcosted and not worth it). Here's the general breakdown for you of the trades you have between Rangers of the North and Aranarth (with the understanding that Aranarth is D5, has Sharpshooter, and has 2 Wounds/2 Fate - none of which will be displayed below):

• For 55pts, you can get 1 Ranger of the North and 6 Hobbit Archers, which gives you 7 shots/turn and 1 Might point.
• For 110pts, you can get 2 Rangers of the North and 12 Hobbit Archers (14 shots/turn, 2 Might) OR Aranarth and 6 Hobbit Archers (8 shots/turn, 3 Might) - always take 2 Rangers of the North
• For 155pts, you can get 3 Rangers of the North and 16 Hobbit Archers (2 under max limit, 19 shots, 3 Might) OR Aranarth and 15 Hobbit Archers (max limit, 17 shots/turn, 3 Might) - maybe take Aranarth
• Between 110-135pts, we can't add anything to the non-Aranarth option, so Aranarth catches up or passes the Rangers of the North when you're spending 120-135pts - in this band alone, always take Aranarth.

The short answer, then, is that it depends on how much you want to invest in archery - but it should be noted that once you reach about 700pts, you're probably able to spend over 150pts on archery and that means Aranarth becomes a valid option. Below that point, just stick to Rangers of the North (or skip on archery entirely).

In order to field 15-18 Hobbit Archers, of course, you need to field 30-36 melee units - which is where our two Heroes of Legend come into play. Having a few Knights of Minas Tirith (I recommend at least two, but you could lean into them if you like the F5 lancers) and a solid shieldwall of either Warriors of Minas Tirith with shields backed by Rivendell Warriors with shields and spears OR Rivendell Warriors with shields backed by Warriors of Minas Tirith with shields and spears is incredibly good. Both warrior types can take a banner, so you have the option of fielding either as the front-line or the back-line if you want to. As you'll see in the lists below, you may find that you mix-and-match a little as well - it's entirely up to you. Elves probably make the better overall frontline units since they have the option to two-hand and have better Courage, but the argument for the Warriors of Minas Tirith is that they have Shieldwall and the Rivendell troops are slightly more expensive (so your frontline investment feels like slightly less of a loss if they get shot). While the Elves have great bowmen, I wouldn't bother taking them in this list - just use Hobbits instead if you focus on archery at all.

While perhaps a controversial statement, I think Cirdan is a trap in this list. Undoubtedly, being able to blow someone big out of combat with one of your two heroes is insanely good - but that's all the support Cirdan is doing now. In the previous edition, he could permanently reduce the effectiveness of enemy archery, he could make your Elves/Men cause Terror, and he could make sure everyone passed their Courage tests (which is great on Warriors of Minas Tirith) - the only carry-over from the previous edition is that he can cast Blinding Light to reduce enemy archery, but this needs to be cast every turn . . . might be fine, might not have time. He can still Enchant Blades on a 4+ and being able to restore Fate with Blessing of the Valar is nice too, but Call Winds is probably his big draw (also on a 4+), since that can free up one of your heroes from being in a bad spot to being in a good spot.

Usually when you have big heroes in your list, the plan is simple: slam into warriors, call Heroic Combats, smash lots of people (especially if you start with fewer models). With Earnur and Glorfindel, however, I'd focus on killing off big heroes before trashing enemy warriors. Without free Heroic Combats, getting bogged down killing warriors means fewer Might for challenging big pieces - and since this army can have pretty good numbers at most points levels, blunting an enemy power piece (and maybe taking down said power piece) can mean that your troops can grind their way through the enemy. If your opponent is counting on their beater hero taking down your grunts, denying that tool can mean that you refuse to be broken and can deny VPs to your opponent. If Glorfindel two-hands and Earnur charges, these guys are S4 with +1 To Wound, which reliably wounds most heroes and monsters (especially if they're trapped) - and Glorfindel picked up a rule this edition that gives him an additional +1 To Wound against monsters, which makes him particularly dangerous to the D6 monsters of the game and getting 4 Attacks on the charge with a reroll from Lord of the West (and possibly another reroll from a banner), two-handing with the penalty gives you a very high likelihood of getting a natural 6 (which remains a 6 in this edition). Once you've killed off the enemy power pieces, wrapping-and-trapping enemy warriors isn't going to be hard for these guys - and you've probably scored some nice VPs in most scenarios.

Finally, while you certainly have access to Heroic March heroes, I find it hard to get Heroic March into this list. If you don't care about archery, it's easy to get these guys in - but if you like the shooting options in this list (specifically Rangers of the North, Hobbit Archers, and Aranarth), I just can't fit a Captain of Minas Tirith or a Rivendell Captain into my lists. I just can't. The good news is that the more you lean into cavalry (and the faster you move your models/conduct your archery), the more time you have for infantry to foot-slog it across the board since your cavalry can arrive/hit hard before the infantry file in. 

Okay, let's wrap things up with some lists!

Sample Lists

Our first list is a list you can make just by buying four things: Earnur, Glorfindel, the Minas Tirith battle host, and the Warriors of the Last Alliance. We've gone with an Elven frontline backed by Warriors of Minas Tirith, we have two Knights, and we have both of our heroes maxed out and ready for battle - and we hit 19 models (without a banner - you can convert one up if you're willing to use the banner from the Knights of Minas Tirith and give it to one of your Warriors of Minas Tirith):

As we scale up, we lean on the Minas Tirith troops a bit more so we can get a lot more models - nearly two warbands of Hobbit Archers!

Our final list has Aranarth at 800pts (we're at 145pts for our archery contingent, which is in that grey-area of whether you take Aranarth or not - so if you'd rather have 3 Rangers of the North to get 1 extra Hobbit Archer, +3 models total, 2 extra shots/turn, and two extra warbands for deployment knowledge, you can certainly do that) - I've also taken 4 Knights of Minas Tirith to support our 12-file shieldwall:

In an elite force like this, 45 models is a LOT of guys - the Hobbits are helping with that a lot! All in all, I'm pretty happy with how this list plays and think it's a pretty good option for those looking for fighting horde lists and beater lists alike!

Conclusion

This list is really fun to play and super strong, I think, at a lot of scenarios. If you've run this list or have experience playing against this list, let me know what I missed! Next month, Centaur has basically taken over with a bunch of lists that he's been eyeing and trying. He'll kick us off with a list that features a certain Hill Troll that got a groovy new model, a less-groovy new base size, and has an army that still provides an interesting challenge for veteran gamers. Find out what value there is roaming the hills of Angmar next time, and until then, happy hobbying!