"The tower of Cirith Gurat rose higher as the caravan drove towards the gate. Not as tall or mighty as Minas Ithil, it was still of Númenórean design, built after the fall of Sauron when Gondor kept watch on the land of Mordor."

–The Dungeons of Cirith Gurat

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of The Dungeons of Cirith Gurat, the fifth Adventure Pack in the Haradrim cycle for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game!

With its sixty cards (including a new Lore hero and three copies of each player card), The Dungeons of Cirith Gurat finds several of Middle-earth's greatest heroes hundreds of miles from home, traveling through the hostile realm of Harad. They have crossed deserts, tamed Mûmakil, fled from Orcs on Wargs, and tunneled through a den of giant spiders. They have ambushed a caravan loaded with tithes meant for the Dark Lord of Mordor. And they have made allies along their way.

For much of their homeward journey, the heroes have been accompanied and assisted by the small band of Haradrim led by Kahliel (The Mûmakil, 1) and his lieutenants. Together, they have survived the perils of Harad's jungles and deserts. They have fought together and bled together, so when Kahliel learns that his tribesmen are being held prisoner in the "Iron Pass" of Cirith Gurat, the heroes don't hesitate to volunteer their swords. Their friends will be freed.

While the scenario from The Dungeons of Cirith Gurat leads your heroes deep into one of the Dark Lord's prisons, its player cards arm you for the battles to come. Once you spring Kahliel's tribesmen from prison, you'll need to fight your way free of Orc jailors and pursuers, and you'll be happy for the assistance of the Adventure Pack's new Weapons, Warriors, and events.

Strength Born of Trials

"Aragorn took leave lovingly of Elrond: and the next day he said farewell to his mother, and to the house of Elrond, and to Arwen, and he went out into the wild. For nearly thirty years he laboured in the cause against Sauron."

–J.R.R. Tolkien, Appendix A

When Gandalf first spoke of Aragorn to Frodo, he called the Dunadan "the greatest traveller and huntsman of this age of the world." Of course, Aragorn wasn't born with all the knowledge and skills that made him the greatest; he developed them over his many years of travel in the wild.

Likewise, the heroes of The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game frequently gain strength over the course of your games as you give them attachments that provide them with new abilities or add to their Willpower, Attack Strength, and Defense Strength. And, even among these attachments, you can find some that reflect the strength your heroes can win from their trials. Cards like Blood of Númenor (Heirs of Númenor, 13) and Gondorian Fire (Assault on Osgiliath, 85) increase in power with your accumulation of resources.

You'll find another attachment that to reflect your heroes' growth in The Dungeons of Cirith Gurat. The Legacy Blade (The Dungeons of Cirith Gurat, 117) is a zero-cost, restricted Lore Weapon that attaches to a hero and grants a bonus to that hero's Attack Strength. While that bonus starts at zero, it grows with each side quest you've completed, to a maximum of three.

Accordingly, the Legacy Blade is potentially one of the most powerful Weapons in the game, but it requires you to wander through multiple side quests before you can unlock its maximum potential. This makes it an ideal fit for Thurindir (Race Across Harad, 28), the Dúnedain Ranger who can pull a side quest into your opening hand. But since he also gains a point of Willpower for each side quest you complete, you might prefer to play your Legacy Blade on Aragorn himself (The Lost Realm, 1), who can better put its bonus Attack Strength to good use.

No matter which character wields the blade, you'll find that it plays perfectly into the cycle's focus on side quests and—along with the side quests themselves—should have you looking at what lies over the hill to your left or right nearly as much as you're looking at the next stage of your quest.

Arm Yourselves for a Noble Cause

Even in the alien lands of Harad, the heroes of The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game are willing to fight—and, if necessary, sacrifice themselves—in order to see evil defeated. Such is the case, once more, in The Dungeons of Cirith Gurat.

Thus, when Kahliel discovers that his friends are being held prisoner in Cirith Gurat, it's time to detour from your homeward journey. It's time to Open the Armory (The Dungeons of Cirith Gurat, 118). The Dungeons of Cirith Gurat is scheduled to arrive at retailers late in the first quarter of 2017, so grab your Legacy Blade, and launch one of the most daring prison breaks the Third Age has ever known!