Overview:
-Estimated achievement difficulty: 4/10
-Offline: 47 (1000)
-Online: 0
-Approximate amount of time to 1000: 25-30 Hours
-Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 3 (1 per difficulty)
-Number of missable achievements: 4. (Friend of the Woodland Realm, Friend to the Ring-bearer, Seeker, And The Lidless Eye)
-Do cheat codes disable achievements? No Cheat Codes
-Does difficulty affect achievements? Yes
-Glitchy achievements: None
-Unobtainable achievements? None
-Extra equipment needed? None


Introduction:
Lord of the Rings: War in the North is a fairly straightforward game achievement-wise. You need to play through the entire campaign three times, and can choose one of three classes to play as, switching between them whenever you like. Your equipment does not transfer between the characters, but your potions inventory and level does.

Thank you to undoingduck for his original guide. It was good but he never quite finished it and I still had to look a number of things up to help myself get the 1000, so I felt I should update it with that info. Much of the work here was his.

Step 1: Normal Difficulty
Start playing as the Lore-Master to get the Herb-master achievement, then when you have unlocked that, wait for an auto-save then quit to the menu and switch to the Ranger. Use the Ranger for the rest of this playthrough to unlock Seeker as well as all the story related achievements, and work on the one collectible achievement Cult of the Lidless Eye.

Make sure to also keep any set pieces to eventually unlock Well-arrayed - I got my final piece of Alliance halfway through my second playthrough, so don't fret if you don't get it in this step.

Also make sure you speak to Frodo once you reach Rivendell, find the kidnapped elf when you reach Mirkwood, and do not use the eagle during the final battle to knock out the rest of the missable achievements.

Step 2: Heroic Difficulty
Once you complete the game you will enter New Game+ and carry over your level to the next difficulty. You will want to switch to the Champion now. When you start the game, put most of his skill points into Dexterity and Stamina, then choose all the skills that will affect the Explosive Bolt skill. This skill will one-shot any normal enemy, and in large groups to boot. It should only take 2-3 shots for trolls and 4-5 for any boss. This will make the game smooth sailing.

Step 3: Legendary Difficulty
Same process as Step 2. Spam Explosive Bolt and profit.

Step 4: Strength of Our Alliance
Head over to the Achievement Trading Thread to get some help with this. While it is technically possible to unlock with the AI, I never got it to work.

Conclusion:
Your final two playthroughs of the game will be extremely fast and painless, so once you've been thorough and got through Step 1, you'll be very close to finishing the full 1000G. Good luck!

 


[x360a would like to thank The Pants Party for this road map]

The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Achievement Guide

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Show completed achievements
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There are 46 achievements with a total of 1000 points

  • Revive a fallen ally.

    (5)  

    When one of your party members loses all of their health, they will go down on the ground. When this happens, run to them and hold to revive them. This can be done in co-op or with AI.

  • Kill 200 enemies in a single playthrough.

    (9)  

    Please see "Bane of Mordor" for more information.

  • Perform 3 critical hits within 10 seconds.

      

    A critical hit can be initiated when you’ve done a large amount of damage to a single enemy. You will see a yellow triangle appear above the enemy's head. Hit to initiate the attack. Depending on his health you will either perform a critical hit or an execution - both of these count toward this achievement. Once you enter Hero Mode after a critical hit, it should only take a few swings to get another enemy ready for the next critical hit. Your partners may also force an enemy into their weak state as well, making this fairly simple.

  • Slay one enemy together with 2 other players.

    (166)  

    A number of people have reported that this achievement can be glitchy, so don't get too upset if only two people get it - be sure to switch hosts and try again for the final person. What is required to get this achievement is for all 3 of your party members to execute a critical attack (hitting when the yellow triangle appears) at the same enemy when he is vulnerable, at the same time, and kill him.

    Please note this achievement does not require 3 human players to get, and can be done with your AI partners, though it is extremely difficult. You can force your AI to attack with you by hitting or defend you and gather close by hitting which can help.

    The way I personally unlocked this was with a full group of human players, all starting new save files on Normal difficulty at LVL1 (hit the back button at the main menu to start a new save). The first two enemies you come to on the stairs, have one person shoot each of them twice. Have two people hit the enemy until the yellow icon appears, then everyone hit immediately (don't bother with a countdown, just instinctively hit it). We found without the two arrow shots, the enemy did not die and we only got a "Fellowship Attack" which did not work. Once he died we got a "Group Kill" which unlocked the achievement.

  • Seeker

     

    20

    Discover 25 secrets in a single playthrough.

    (5)   

    Each secret during a level is found differently based on what class you are playing. For the ranger they are hidden stashes left behind by other rangers, for dwarfs they are false walls, and lastly for Lore masters they are rune warded entryways. The count for this actually carried over to all your difficulty levels (so "playthrough" actually means "save file") and you can switch characters at any time and continue to work on this. You can get it easily with the Ranger alone though, especially since the Cult of the Lidless Eye scrolls also count as secrets.

  • Slot an elfstone into an item.

    (1)  

    Elfstones are gems that can go into slotted gear whether it is a weapon or armor. The gems can not always be used in both types, but the items you can slot into will be highlighted when you choose an elfstone from your inventory. Slot one of them into either your current gear or just a random piece in your inventory to unlock the achievement.

  • While in Hero Mode, perform a streak of 50 hits.

    (10)  

    To initiate Hero Mode you need to preform a critical strike on an enemy. Do this by hitting when there is a yellow triangle over the enemy's head. Rolling will help you avoid getting hit which will break up the streak, and using the Ranger while dual-wielding is also helpful as you will get two hits for every time you use a normal attack.

  • Kill 4 enemies simultaneously.

    (6)  

    All characters have some sort of AOE (area of effect) spell/attack. You can get this extremely easily during Step 2 or Step 3 while using the Champion's Explosive Bolt attack, which can easily destroy a dozen goblins or spiders at once.

  • Slay the wild snow trolls.

      

    This achievement is story related and can not be missed. You will run into a snow troll during a quest in the Gundabad area, quickly followed by two more. Kill all three to progress the story and unlock the achievement.

  • Unlock every active-cast ability in one character’s skill tree.

    (6)  

    Every class has a set number of spells that you have to physically press buttons to activate, and will appear yellow (as opposed to red) in the skill trees. There is a respec token that you can purchase from every town vender for 16,000 gold if you want to quickly get this and then return to a different spec. You can also log into a character you do not use (such as the Lore-master if you followed my suggestion in the Road Map) and spec all her points a specific way.

    • Ranger: Evasion, Ranger Strike, Heavy Shot, Onslaught, Dual Strike, Cleave, Elusive Foe, Assail, Volley, Piercing Shot
    • Lore master: Sanctuary, Word of command, Empower Staff, Tempest, Shielding Light, Smite, Wrath of the Eldar, Heal, Sundering Command, Burst of Light
    • Champion: War-cry, Sweeping Attack, Crushing Blow, Shield Bash, Whirlwind, Earthshaker, Heavy Bolt, Shield Charge, Indomitable Spirit, Explosive Bolt
  • Achieve at least 1 rank in a tier 3 skill.

      

    A Tier 3 skills is in the bottom-most row of any character's skills. Simply put enough points into any one tree's succeeding tiers to allow for the bottom skill to be selected, then purchase one point in any of them. Will come toward unlocking "Battle-master."

  • Deal 3000 damage with a single ranged strike.

    (5)  

    You will likely get this during the seige while defending the doors, using one of the war machines. If for some reason it does not unlock there, it will easily unlock during your second or third play while spamming Explosive Bolt all the time. That can do 30-40k easily.

  • Deal 1500 damage in a single melee strike.

    (3)  

    This will most likely come when killing a downed enemy with an execution/critical strike. Depending on how much health they had left, it will take off the remainder which can be a few thousand. If you see someone get knocked over and the yellow arrow appear, go for the killing blow.

  • Absorb 25,000 total damage during the course of 1 level.

    (13)  

    The absolute easiest way to get this achievement is to wait until your Heroic playthrough, then during the first chapter in Fornost, wait until you need to hit a red bomb to blow open a door and progress. Take off all your armor and melee the bomb instead of shooting it. This will kill you (and destroy your armor if you didn't take it off) but your AI will resurrect you and you'll net the achievement right away.

  • Complete 15 quests in a single playthrough.

    (1)  

    This includes both the main story quests, and any quest you can gain in a town, as well as the Cult of the Lidless Eye. You can grab one or two side-quests in each "rest" area you come to (Bree, Rivendell, etc) and the rest will come from the main story. You should receive this without any trouble.

    Note: Only the Lore-master can complete the second quest Arawen gives you because the material she wants is hidden in a secret place that only she can unlock. However, I got the achievement without that quest and with about four story missions to spare.

  • Kill 150 enemies with war machines in a single playthrough.

    (3)  

    Again, "playthrough" actually means "save file" in this game, so this will carry through all three difficulties. Will come with normal play, so don't replay any levels or anything like that to unlock it.

  • Equip a complete magical armor set.

    (40)   

    If at any time you find an item that is a part of a set (show in blue at the bottom of the item's description), make sure to keep it. Buy anything that is in a set at any shop you come to as well. Eventually, you will have all five pieces (head, shoulder, chest, pants, boots) and once you equip them at the same time the achievement will unlock.

    You can trade pieces online as well, so try the Achievement Trading Thread if you don't have this after all three playthroughs.

  • Kill 50 enemies with headshots in a single playthrough.

    (4)  

    This achievement is easiest to do with the ranger. It is possible to get it with any character though. Hold to aim with your weapon, then shoot them in the head with - depending on your damage it may take a few shots to kill an enemy. Both the "Bullseye" and "Headshot" notifications will count toward this achievement, and again will carry through all three difficulties.

  • Summon Beleram 10 times in a single playthrough.

    (2)  

    You summon Beleram by expending a consumable feather that you can collect from chests, enemies and jars. When you can first summon him they will provide you with a few to start with just hit (+) when aiming at an enemy to call him to attack. Best used on bosses for huge damage boosts. You'll end up using him a few dozen times through all the difficulties, so don't fret about missing this.

    Remember not to use him on the final boss battle on at least one of the difficulties though.

  • For one character unlock every skill that provides a modification to War Cry, Sanctuary or Evasion.

    (4)  

    Each character's main active skill has various modifiers available to it. Purchase all of the abilities below for one character to unlock the achievement:

    • Ranger: Onslaught, Respite, Smoke and Flame, Stealth Mastery, Elusive Foe
    • Lore master: Healing Light, Sanctuary Master, Wrath of the Eldar and Forceful Fire
    • Champion: Dwarf-armor, Taunt, Retaliation, Fortitude, Abundant Harm, Indomitable Spirit, Battle-fury, Battle-ready
  • Achieve level 10.

    (1)  

    Refer to “Champion of the North

  • Achieve level 20.

    (2)  

    You will easily unlock this during your first playthrough. You'll be level 40 by the time you finish all three difficulties.

  • Create 15 potions in a single playthrough.

    (9)  

    To pick herbs you have to be the Lore-master. These herbs are scattered all over the areas you will be traveling and will have a blue glow surrounding them to indicate that you can pick them up (by pressing ) - once you've picked at least two, go to your inventory and as long as there is an little hammer and anvil icon in the corner of the picture of the herb, you will be able to mix it with something else (by selecting it and moving that herb onto another) to make something. Despite the achievement description saying "potions" the food items you make will also count.

  • Kill 600 enemies in a single playthrough.

    (4)  

    This will come through natural progression, well before you finish your first playthrough.

  • Amass 25,000 coins.

    (1)  

    You need to have a total of 25,000 on you at one time for this achievement to unlock. I wouldn’t worry about this achievement at all, as by the end of your final playthrough, single items will nearly sell for this much. You'll likely have it during your first, in fact.

  • Locate 5 gilded treasure chests in a single playthrough.

      

    There are two types of chests: brown wooden ones that are common, and gold gilded ones. The gold ones will always produce the best loot. This should easily be acquired in a single playthrough, as there are plenty to go around and they are not even that hidden, if at all.

  • Complete a playthrough on at least Normal difficulty.

    (2)  

    Refer to “Against All Odds

  • Complete a playthrough on Legendary difficulty.

    (33)   

    To unlock Heroic and Legendary you have to complete it on Normal and Heroic, respectively. After you have completed the game choose your character and restart the story, it should in the top left of the screen note what difficulty you are playing on. Refer to the Road Map for tips.

  • Complete the investigation of the Cult of the Lidless Eye.

    (12)  

    This achievement is missable.

    You need to collect seven unique scrolls for this achievement. While you can replay areas and collect the same scroll multiple times, this will actually glitch the quest. See this thread for their locations and how to obtain and turn in the quest itself.

  • Complete a playthrough on Heroic difficulty.

    (1)   

    Refer to “Against All Odds”

 

Secret achievements

  • Slay Bargrisar the stone giant.

    (3)  

    This achievement is story related and cannot be missed.

  • Defeat the Barrow Wight Lord.

    (1)  

    This achievement is story related and cannot be missed.

  • Learn of the Ring of Power and the plan for its destruction.

    (1)  

    This achievement is story related and cannot be missed.

  • Meet a dragon and survive.

    (1)  

    This achievement is story related and cannot be missed.

  • Free the elf from his captors in Mirkwood Marsh.

      

    This achievement is missable.

    This achievement is obtained in Mirkwood (Woodland Marshes). At the end of the Web-shrouded Wood area, you will collect the staff and continue to the next area. Progress through one more blue checkpoint and then you will want to start looking for this area. If you are the ranger you will see footprints leading to it. Stick to the right side of this area, you'll go under a tree and up a hill to a camp. Kill the enemies and speak with the elf to unlock the achievement. If you do not get him on your first trip (of each repespective difficulty) you can miss it, as he will not be there if you return later.

  • Defeat Agandaûr without the aid of Beleram.

    (8)  

    This achievement is missable.

    Do not call on Beleram during the final fight of the game. The game will warn you that he is injured but can still be called upon for help. Don't do it.

  • Speak with Frodo in Rivendell.

    (7)  

    This achievement is missable.

    You must speak to Frodo upon reaching Rivendell. He is located out on the patio in the back of the level, just outside of where the dining table is.

  • Defeat Agandaûr's lieutenant Tharzog.

    (1)  

    This achievement is story related and cannot be missed.

  • Help destroy the citadel within Mount Gundabad.

      

    This achievement is story related and cannot be missed.

  • Defeat the Sorceror Wulfrun.

      

    This achievement is story related and cannot be missed.

  • Discover what happened to the missing Rangers.

    (2)  

    This achievement is story related and cannot be missed.

  • Slay Saenathra.

      

    This achievement is story related and cannot be missed.

  • Join forces with the sons of Elrond.

      

    This achievement is story related and cannot be missed.

  • Help free the Great Eagle Beleram.

      

    This achievement is story related and cannot be missed.

  • Help weather the siege of Nordinbad.

    (14)  

    This achievement is story related and cannot be missed.

  • Defeat Sauron's Lieutenant Agandaûr.

    (7)  

    This achievement is story related and cannot be missed.

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