How to Fight a Mock Battle in The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War
Fighting battles are a major part of The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War, but, oddly enough, so are mock battles. Why would anyone want to fight mock battles when there are so many real battles to be fought? Mock battles don't allow players to conquer more territory in The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War, which is crucial in this geostrategic seasonal wargame.
Mock battles serve a very specific function within The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War. Just like in real life, armies can engage in mock battles as practice for the real thing. It makes them more effective. Specifically, it makes the commanders in The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War gain XP. Knowing when to start a mock battle will help players be more effective when real battles come.
Commanders majorly define armies in The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War. As commanders gain levels, they can command larger armies, and they gain special abilities. Some will be more effective in battle, but some commanders can buff certain types of units. Mock battles serve as a great way to level up a commander without losing any troops.
It costs grain to fight mock battles in The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War, and players will need a lot of it. It also costs Ability Points. These regenerate over time but cannot exceed their maximum value. Lastly, it takes up the commander's stamina, which regenerates over time as well.
Engaging in mock battles is useful for a player who has already leveled up several commanders and now has obtained a new one. The new commander starts at Level 1, so they can't command many troops to conquer more territory. Instead, they can fight mock battles to get up to a higher level. Mock battles are also useful for high-level commanders to get that little more XP to be able to field an army large enough to conquer higher tier tiles.
The location of mock battles in The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War also matters. Commanders gain more XP based on where they fight. Players should choose a tile they own that generates a high amount of Ring Power per hour. They can set how long they want the mock battle to last, and longer times give the commander more XP.
Oddly enough, the thing that doesn't matter is army size. Commanders will still need to have some sort of army, but neither the size of the army nor the quality of the troops affects their XP gain. This means that low-level commanders can gain XP quickly in The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War, so they will be on par with a player's other commanders.