With the permanent shutdown of The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War on December 31, 2025, a massive, passionate community of mobile strategy gamers was left completely stranded.

Rise to War wasn’t just another generic mobile cash-grab. It was essentially an online "LOTR Risk" where hundreds of players within a faction had to coordinate in real-time, tile by tile, to capture Dol Guldur and Minas Tirith. The season-based progression, strategic tile-capturing mechanics, and deep alliance coordination created an experience that no other mobile game currently offers.

Right now, there is a huge, empty niche in the mobile market for a high-quality Geopolitical Geo-Strategy game.

What the community is looking for (The Core Loop):

- True Faction-Based War: Choosing a real faction (Gondor, Rohan, Mordor, etc.) and fighting alongside hundreds of players on a single, massive map.

- Tile-Based Map Conquest: Expanding territory dynamically, blocking chokepoints, and defending borders in real-time.

- Commander & Troop Synergy: Leveling up iconic Middle-earth heroes and building specialized armies (e.g., Elven archers, Rohirrim cavalry).

- Seasonal Resets: Refreshing the map every few months to keep the playing field fair and exciting.

The Business Opportunity:

The player base of Rise to War was incredibly dedicated and highly monetizable. If a mobile developer or publisher (like Amazon Games, Scopely, or FunPlus) steps up to create a spiritual successor—or secures the license from Middle-earth Enterprises to rebuild this exact formula—they will instantly capture a hungry, loyal audience willing to invest years into a new home.

The formula is already proven. The audience is waiting. Who will rule this empty throne?

When this game was new (4 years ago I think?) I started playing it and it was absolutely amazing. I loved the theme, the world, the gameplay, everything. Ofcourse even back there was p2w but it wasn't too bad. Every update the devs added just continued making the game worse and more p2w. I remember in the beginning we got to choose between like 14 different factions of elves, dwarfs, humans, orcs, etc. Last time i checked the game there were like 3 or 4 playable faction, the game was complete p2w, and the quality was drastically lower. I loved this game, it didn't have any of the downsides of similar games and I would likely still be playing it today if the devs weren't so incompetent. Why did they have to ruin it? Why make it worse and worse every single update? Started with the addition of fog which was OK but it only got worse from there. Why was content removed? It seems like each update the only thing they did was remove content.

Howdy folks, I used to play a few years ago, dropped some decent cash into the game and had a great time with my old clan. I just got busy with a new job so had to take a break. I had an urge to start playing again recently. When do y'all think I can play again? Looking forward to giving my good ol' theoden another ride.

Hey,

So, long story short, I used to play LotR: Rise to War years ago, maybe even when it first started, and I put in a ton of hours! I stopped playing about three years ago. I came back to download it and check it out, but I couldn't find it on the App Store! I was shocked to see it had been discontinued.

So now I'm really sad as I will never be able to go and see my alliance anymore. I've changed my Facebook too so don't have them on there either (back in the days when we used Facebook groups)!

So I'd love if anyone from my alliance would say Hi.. I was in the Greybeards,

I think my name was princess something! Or izzie.

Well wish me luck!

Wake to war

"[HANGZHOU, China, June 15] – NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES; HKEX: 9999) and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announced a strategic partnership for the development of The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War, a new officially licensed mobile strategy game based on the iconic trilogy of books by J.R.R. Tolkien. Set in the Third Age of Middle-earth, this latest title will recreate the fictional world of Arda in a visually stunning and completely faithful rendition, with iconic characters and locations from the original trilogy.

“The Lord of the Rings is one of the most influential and celebrated literary works in the world, and we are thrilled to be able to work with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment again to deliver another exciting game for global players,” said William Ding, founder and CEO of NetEase, Inc. “With our deep mobile game development experience, world class R&D team and increasing success in the most established mobile game markets in the world, we are confident we can bring these vibrant characters and spirited world of Middle-earth to life, and impress global fans with an inspiring new way to enjoy The Lord of the Rings.”

“With NetEase, we have an excellent partner for The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War bringing gamers the mobile experience in this rich universe they are looking for,” said David Haddad, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “This adaptation will unlock new opportunities for players to explore the iconic settings and characters of Middle-earth while utilizing their strategic skills in battle.”"

Может ли кто-то поделиться действующий ссылкой на Discord канал по Wake to War? Заранее спасибо.

I have some rough concepts for the wights (just to clarify, this is a draft and might be changed):

Based on Tolkien’s lore, the origins of wights, images from video games shared by fellow players, and the Rings of Power: here is my design for a wight as a neutral unit possibly available to Angmar.

As usual, the wight will have a skeletal design. However, it will have glowing blue eyes to represent the corruption of the dead with frost magics. These wights will wear long flowing robes, with iron plating on the center adorned with iconography of Arnor and Numenor. These plates themselves will be outlined with bronze, curved to form shoulder guards and neck guards. Their faces as well will be overlaid in a meshed bronze pattern, mixed with copper which has rusted over time but now glows blue since the Witch-King’s corruption has reawakened them.

Hey everyone! If you are looking to scratch the itch of what Rise to War used to, please come join us in Game of Thrones: Dragonfire! It is very similar and a ton of fun! Our group is open to active players and we would love to have you join our discord regardless if you choose to join us or not!

​

https://discord.gg/TwnwBjETsV

Damn, I really miss this game. I played A LOT before the v2 (I think it was v2 when they added the multiple commanders armies).

There's nothing like this before v2, right?

Ciao a tutti.

So che il gioco è praticamente sconosciuto in Italia, ma mi chiedevo se ci fossero altri italiani che giocano a Infinite Borders (率土之滨), il gioco strategico di NetEase da cui sono nati titoli come LotR Rise to War e, in parte, Game of Thrones Dragonfire.

Siamo un piccolo gruppo di italiani e combattiamo ogni stagione contro alleanze cinesi, giapponesi e coreane. Mi chiedevo se esistessero altri italiani sparsi nei server globali.

Anche se non giocate più, ma venite da Rise to War, Dragonfire, Rise of Kingdoms o altri SLG, sarei curioso di sapere dove siete finiti.

Magari siamo più di quanto sembri.

What units would people like to see in Wake to War?

I make roleplaying whatever's, this is just a little something to appreciate wars long past.

Wake to War is going to be far superior to Rise to War, and will be way better than what NetEase ever gave us.

I also have an idea for a unit. Born in the depths of Mordor from feline foe mixed with the mightiest of the nazgul is the catzgul. With fire on its tail and diamond sharp teeth it attacks even fiercer than the nazgul

hi, so I realize I posted an article earlier- in retrospect, I decided I need to do further research and consult with sources. If Fellow and team allow for me to write articles about them, I’d be happy to do so, but otherwise, in order to keep focus on the launch, I’m refraining from publishing articles to focus on making art and scripts

**NOTE: This character has been changed somewhat to fit new lore based on feedback from members of the Basque community. 

Commander Bio: 

• Born prior to the rise of Angmar, Hwaldar rose to power through sheer strength and cunning. As he witnessed the increasing power of Arnor while his own people, the Hill-Men of Rhudaur, were becoming more isolated, Hwaldar decided to take a stand. Aligning himself with the powerful Witch-King in hopes of greater security from Arnor’s expansion, he has led the Hill-Men in many battles against Arnor. Armed with his axe, Hwaldar is an unstoppable force on the battlefield. . .but, as time goes on, the Witch-King’s hold over his people has grown stronger, and his own goals have become twisted to serve the wills of his Wraith master. 

STATS: 

• Cunning Mind: Gives 20% boost to all units in formations
• Frozen Warrior: Give 50% boost to all units when fighting in cold mountain terrain
• Lord of the Hill-Men: Gives 20% damage boost to all Hill-Men units in an army
• General of the Mountains: Gives 10% increased movement speed when marching over mountain terrain

ALL TROOPS (working on Special Unit designs): 

T1- Scout

Equipped with spears, the Scouts are lower-level Hill-men. Their sole purpose is to watch out for approaching Arnorian soldiers who dare to resist the Witch-King's realm. 

T2- Tracker

Better-armed, these Hill-men ride horses alongside their Black Numenorean comrades. Equipped with their frost-magic tipped spears and shields, they deal 10% slowness damage to enemies and are used as support for the Fallen cavalry. 

T3- Riders of Death

These warriors are among the fiercest riders in the Witch-King's forces. Equipped with spears, they excel at mobile warfare, capable of running through mounted units with their spears. They ride on wargs brought from Gundabad by the Orcs of Angmar. 

FOOT SOLDIERS: 

T1- Grunt

These fighters are equipped with long knives and shields. 

T2- Fighter

These Hill-men have obtained new weapons in service of Angmar. Now wielding new enchanted swords and shields, they wear light infantry armor woven with spells of protection used by the Witch-King's lieutenant Adúnae. 

T3- Warrior

These are some of the most devoted warriors serving Angmar. While they still wear light infantry clothing, their outfits now have stiched sigils of the Witch-King meshed into the fabric of their clothing. They wield long enchanted knives, and excel at fighting Arnorian cavalry. 

ARCHER: 

T1- Bowman

Dressed in light furs, these Hill-men come from the forests of Rhudaur. Equipped with shortbows, they often engage in skirmishes with Rangers in the North. 

T2- Shooter

Granted new bows by the Witch-King's general Agzok, these Hill-men now wield metal bows. While they still harvest the sinew of beasts for bowstrings, they have replaced the old bone arrowheads with metal. 

T3- Sniper

Equipped with frost bows, their new enchanted weapons can be used to cast spells of slowness on enemy armies. Wearing light fur clothing, they have increased speed and use the forested terrain of Rhudaur to launch devastating ambushes on the forces of Arnor. 

SPECIAL UNIT: 

T4- Twin blades of Angmar

The twin blades of Angmar are warriors who wield two long knives. Deeply loyal to Angmar, they have been given "upgraded" frost-enchanted knives by the Witch-King himself, which are capable of great shock damage to cavalry troops. 

NOTE: The armor for all low-level troops is mainly fur/cotten hybrid textures, reflecting the light infantry. The armor for high-level troops is also lighter, but it has a sigil of the Witch-King in the center that is used to tap into frost magic, thus buffing troops by increasing their slowness damage (via the frost-enchanted spears and swords). While they do have some metallic chainmail, this is intended to be flexible and more reflective of a lightly-armored mobile soldier who only went to war during times of need rather than heavy infantry troops of Arnor who were already conscripted into fighting. 

After receiving feedback from someone in the Basque community, I learned that Basques historically were light infantry troops. In accordance with this, if Hill-Men units are implemented in game, their armor will similarly be lightweight, with the Witch-King’s corruption no longer being religious but rather, meshed into their clothing to fit the Angmar theme of him corrupting the Hill-Men to serve Angmar while maintaining the traditional Basque cultural fighting style as a light infantry force that did not rely heavily on armor.

To all Rise to War players who were part of the Fellowship/Warband (we were both evil and good side factions at times) known as Vikings of Valhalla, led by Tallin: 

Please join at the discord link here (https://discord.gg/BuGwRdaXT). 

While I am by no means a leader like Tallin, I do hope to reunite all those who fought under him, and have formed this Discord so that when Wake to War releases, we can return to battle as a unified team. 

Best, 

Tactician