Thanks for that detailed report!

This quest is hard. I might have been unlucky and I need to play it again, but it seems really hard.

I don't know multiplayer, but solo is really hard.

Thaurdir and the enemies with a lot of shadow cards attached, locations that adds battle keyword to the quest, encounter cards and effects that increase your threat quickly... There's few time to be prepared to fight againts this...

Thanks for that detailed report!

I got slapped so hard I was in a daze!

I managed to beat the quest after a side boarding. I think that a a lore heavy Elrond deck would work well here, but then it works well in most places. I'm not going to give a detailed report because it was long and brutal, probably over twenty rounds. This is the kind of masochistic quest that a certain dragon will love, and if this ever goes nightmare I will cower under my bed.

Oh, I misread Beechbone. I thought he deals damage when he defends. No, he deals it when he attacks. That's even better. I'm going to have fun with this guy. I love direct damage (I tend to snipe with Gandalf more than I should haha).

I'm running about a 20% win rate in solo!

How's everyone else doing?

No wins yet, this one hurts. It's about at the level of Into Ithilien was when it was first released, I'd guess. Except this time the difficulty rating in the rules insert speaks true

I had a very close one yesterday, 11 damage on Thaurdir but 0 progress on stage 2. I quested hard but the encounter deck had a ridiculous round and put 6 cards on the table, a couple of them Sorcery treacheries. So we had some extra attacks, I got 10 progress on the quest, and by the end of the combat phase I had two or three dead heroes and only 2 damage on Thaurdir.

edit: all 2-handed play

Harder than Wastes of Eriador?

Not sure if serious, but yes, way harder.

It's a different kind of hard too... more like the old-fashioned kind of hard. Recently, we've had scenarios like Wastes of Eriador, where it's hard but the game isn't over until round 10. This one hits you hard and fast.. I end up forfeiting after 2 or 3 rounds, sometimes round 1. Have had a couple of close ones that went maybe 6 or 7 rounds.

That said, if you can get a super defender set up, you're in very good shape with this one. If you get Boromir or Elrohir up to 5 or 6 defense, with Arwen's sentinel, and a Burning Brand attached, you have a fighting chance. The trouble is getting that set up before you get mauled.

Maybe I've been playing too much 3 and 4 player, but I feel like with Wastes I forfeit on turn 1 or 2 about 50% of the time.

I have to draw well and have the encounter deck draw poorly to have a chance, otherwise I lose.

Traditionally the last quest of a cycle is the hardest... I has scared.

It's hard.... been trying two handed, spirit/tactics hands... don't want to "spoil" much but I've tried this:

Spirit "questing" hand:

Sporfindel+Galadriel+Balin then I changed it to Sporfindel+Eowyn+Balin (using http://hallofbeorn.com/Cards/Details/Fair-and-Perilous-AtEbut I didn't draw it!)

Tactics "fighting" hand:

Beregond+Theoden+Dori (Dori to help defend) then changed to swap Dori out for Beorn (5 atk)...

So two tries, two losses (AP pack cards in normal mode, other packs in easy mode). Might go with a Leadership hand instead (it's just not clear we'll always be in Battle questing, so maybe I'll need http://hallofbeorn.com/Cards/Details/Trained-for-War-TDF )

Two more games, two more loses. Just brutal.

I got my copy this week, and tried a couple of games yesterday - brutal is definitely the word. Nowhere close to a win yet.

I summon Seastan into this thread to solve this quest for good!

I think his super Bilbo Erestor deck would handle it fine. I might even build it and try it this afternoon. I also think my Elrond-Mirlonde-Glory deck would do petty well, but not sure there.

This post will have spoilers for the quest.

My most successful strategy has been to use a mono-spirit deck with Theoden, Glorfindel, and Idraen, and pair it with Boromir (Tactics), Legolas, and Aragorn (Lore).

The quest starts in Battle, so it's nice to have the three 3-attack power spirit heroes. Then, all 3 of them have some tricks to remain ready for combat, and they can help there too. The spirit allies are willpower questers. The deck also includes A Watchful Peace to try to slow down the number of enemies getting pumped out by the encounter deck, and Arwen to give Sentinel to Boromir.

The other deck usually quests on turn 1 to try to clear the active location. It tries to set up the Song of Wisdom + Burning Brand combo for Boromir, but the most important early card is Gondorian Shield to get his defense up to 4 (5 with Arwen).

The problem has been, as you may have guessed, threat. The Boromir deck relies on Aragorn + Sneak Attack/Gandalf. The spirit deck has some Galadhrim's Greeting. Once set up it can handle any combat thrown its way, but getting set up is a problem. Also, once doing a regular willpower quest, the spirit deck struggles to pump out enough willpower to keep up in the early game, and often I'm raising my threat due to questing unsuccessfully for one or two rounds.

I haven't won yet, so the strategy isn't quite there. I've considered swapping Boromir for Elrohir, but then I have to work in Elladan somehow (replace Legolas? I hate to lose that progress), and then I also need another card to set up the combo (Steward of Gondor). Could also put in Eowyn --maybe replacing Idraen -- to give a little bit extra willpower questing. I usually clear that Battle keyword location with some progress to spare, so losing the turn 1 attack power is OK. But losing the combat readiness would hurt.

In my one win I had two Dunedain Hunters in my opening hand and I played them straight away to get a couple of Orc Grunts out of the deck.

I just tried the Erestor Love of Tales deck, but I threated out on turn three. I'm not very good at that deck, but it doesn't have much attack power which leaves it vulnerable to bad starts. (I know I can use Fire to buff it up, but the table had eleven threat out on turn two.)

I summon Seastan into this thread to solve this quest for good!

Unfortunately I don't own the quest yet. And since I've given it out as a possible gift idea for the upcoming holidays, I won't own it for another month or two. Just anxiously waiting for it to come out on OCTGN.

I'd first try my Boromir/Glorfindel/Galadriel deck. Maybe splash in a single Galadhrim's Greetings. Maybe some Dunedain Hunters if you care about getting rid of the battle keyword right away. There aren't many shadows in there that would do anything harmful to Boromir. If that doesn't work well than Erestor surely would, but you might consider it cheesy.

I just tried the Erestor Love of Tales deck, but I threated out on turn three. I'm not very good at that deck, but it doesn't have much attack power which leaves it vulnerable to bad starts. (I know I can use Fire to buff it up, but the table had eleven threat out on turn two.)

Erestor can be difficult to use, especially deciding what to save with the harp. Normally I keep sneak attack or Gandalf and then draw into the other on the next turn. I've managed to sneak Gandalf in 4-5 times in a single turn before, which is surely enough threat reduction. And from the sound of the quest, maybe dropping some of the Lays of Nimrodel or Dwarven Tomb for more Gondorian Fire would help.

Looks like a very tough quest though! Lucky for the encounter deck that getting a burining brand on Boromir is so difficult

So I've been using my Glory-Strider-Boromir deck and they all have three attack. I'm still losing more than winning.

Regarding the Erestor deck, I'm new to it, but it can certainly brick sometimes. I didn't come close to winning with it.

I beat it first try with my broken Gandalf/Hama feint recycle deck, but I beat everything with that so whatever. Since most people don't want boring OP Gandalf hero, I suggest a deck built around.... Derdingle warrior. I am not joking. The quest really requires strong defenders, especially when Thandie makes his sudden Champion attacks. It turns out ol Derdingle is probably the single best defending non unique ally in the game. If you back him up with some Wardens of Healing he is basically unkillable, then ready with Treebeard and your goo to go.

Using that Stat I had the most success and it was the first time I actually felt like ent were OP. Derdingle is really good.

I seriously came over to these community forums to rant in a new thread, but I will calm down and post here instead.

I wanted to create a thread with title "Can we have some limits please?"... and by that I mean stuff to calm the encounter deck down sometimes! If the encounter deck were a player... we'd all be crying how broken it was and errata'ing everything.

In this quest, in particular, they kinda forgot to "chill" some things out. Did they consider how insane things will stack? Seriously, what fun is it to lose a game because I had snared/spiked some enemies then stage 2a goes (surprise to me) "raise theat by... oh... just by eleven." ha. ha.

Another game, I seriously channel Oprah thinking "have a shadow! you too! another one!"... then I go and flip an enemy... ends up in an 11 point attack. And who thought Orc Ambush deserved "Each player must go fetch an orc" !? How about IF THE PLAYERS AREN'T ALREADY SWAMPED WITH ORCS?

I just wish the EP had more "if you aren't f*ed". Kinda how I hate surge when it ends up putting more than 2x player count... or enemies that don't deserve an eleven attack swing getting one... how strong is goddam mordor!?

Yeah, I'm :-( right now. and I have > 200 plays, so I'm a fan. But FFG, please... win by clever tricks not just by sheer runaway power...

I actually just tried a two-hand all-tactics deck ... it was doing okayish until Orc Ambush. I might just try again. My sixth or so try... I want all spirit. And all lore. And all tactics... and a leadership ally swarm... all at once.

Speaking of A Burning Brand... did a shadow card that was cancelled by it considered resolved? I had a fear that in fact, no, burning brand did not resolve it, and so it stays...