Kingdom of Dale

Starting Situation
The holdings of the Dalesmen stretch from the city of Dale out to the sparsely populated region of Erland's Ferry and this gives them plenty of warning if an army is encroaching on their capital.

Early Game
To the north, the Dwarves of the Iron Hills will be actively trying to create a buffer between the mountains and the Sea of Rhûn. This land race will dominate Dale's starting game. Once lines have been drawn, you can cross the River Running and lay claim to the lands of Rhovanion before Dorwinion or Dol Guldur do. Be wary of meeting Rhûn unprepared for they will outmatch you for many years.

Military Overview
Dale have a mixed military makeup but they focus mostly on ranged warfare. They have plenty of willing woodsmen and peasants who are eager to fight for Dale and can be used to engage the enemy whilst your superior archers finish them off. Additionally, Dale have one or two outstanding units that can turn battles in their favour and they have a nice variety of cavalry to help close the distance in the vast lands of the northeast.

Special Features

 * Black Arrows (Armour Piercing)

Rare Units

 * Athala Rangers (Rhovanion & Rhûn)
 * Elven and Dwarven Support (Dale)
 * Minas Ithil Guardians (Minas Morgul)
 * Ships

Tips and Difficulty
The Kingdom of Dale has one of the easiest campaigns in Divide and Conquer. The only meaningful challenge a Dale player will face is economic hardship in the opening turns, especially as Esgaroth, contrary to what might be expected on a trading hub upon a major river, does not provide much in the way of income.

Dale's campaign is made particularly easy by the lack of strong enemies nearby, combined with the presence of a number of strong allies. The Orcs of Gundabad will be generally unable to reach Dale without first defeating not only the Anduin Vale but either the Woodland Realm or the Dwarves of Erebor also. Meanwhile, both the Anduin Vale and the Woodland Realm further provide a defence against Dol Guldur, whilst the combined forces of Erebor and the Vale of Dorwinion will hold the Easterlings, likely the primary enemy faction of a Dale campaign, at bay for many, many turns.

This relative safety from attack allows the Kingdom of Dale to expand at leisure into the many poorly-defended Independent Realms dotted throughout northern Rhovanion. During this time, with little need for a large military, a Dale player should be able to invest in a much stronger economy, before moving on to raise an army. By the time a Dale player meets a major enemy Faction, they will likely already be far more powerful, having had ample time to advance their technology trees in order to produce many elite units.

Many players choosing to go forwards with a Kingdom of Dale campaign may even wish to deliberately increase its difficulty by betraying one of their nearby allies.

On the battlefield, a Dale player should use distance to their advantage. Whilst not having quite the ranged capabilities of Elvish Factions, the Kingdom of Dale finds it various archers and bowmen much more readily available. These units will outclass almost any other Mannish, Orcish, or Dwarven Faction, and sometimes have armour piercing weaponry. It can be a good idea to screen your archers with cheap militia infantry in order to hold the enemy in place and prevent your missile troops from becoming engaged in melee whilst they defeat the enemy force from afar.

Unit Roster
Note: As Version 5 will be released sometime in the relatively near future, and the removal of the Barracks Event has been confirmed, this listing will not be divided into pre-Barracks and post-Barracks units.

Common Units

 * Northmen Militia
 * Rivermen
 * Northmen Archers
 * Dalian Swordsmen
 * Dalian Billmen
 * Rhovanion Gadrauhts
 * Dalian Longbowmen
 * Dale Cavalry
 * Dale Swordmasters
 * Lake-Town Pikemen
 * Barding Marksmen
 * Athala Rangers
 * Aihwothiuda Horseguards
 * Royal Guardsmen (General Unit)

Elite Units

 * Barons
 * Barding Hird
 * Hearthguard
 * Earls