Lord of the Rings War in the North Legacy Edition Best Character Tier List 2026

If there is one thing I love about The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, it is how different the three playable heroes feel. This isn’t one of those RPGs where you pick a character, equip whatever has the highest number, and play basically the same game three times.

Farin, Andriel, and Eradan each approach combat from a completely different angle. And after spending enough time with the game, especially on higher difficulties, I think the difference between them becomes pretty obvious.

Some characters are simply better at making difficult encounters manageable.

For War in the North Legacy Edition, my current character tier list puts Farin firmly in S-Tier, Andriel in A-Tier, and Eradan in B-Tier. That doesn’t mean Eradan is bad. He isn’t. In the right hands, he can be extremely satisfying. But when we’re talking about overall effectiveness, survivability, damage, and how easily a character handles the game’s nastier encounters, Farin has a huge advantage.

Here is how I would rank the three heroes in 2026.

War in the North Character Tier List

My Ranking at a Glance

• S-Tier – Farin: The strongest all-round combat character.
• A-Tier – Andriel: Probably the most useful hero for a coordinated co-op team.
• B-Tier – Eradan: Fun, flexible, and deadly in specific situations, but less consistent.

And yes, I know some players will probably argue about this ranking. That’s part of the fun.

S-Tier: Farin Is the Character I Trust When Things Go Bad

Farin is the hero I would pick if someone told me, “You have one character, Legendary difficulty, and no room for mistakes.”

He looks like the obvious melee tank when you first play him. Big dwarf, heavy weapons, lots of armor. Simple, right?

Not really.

The strongest Farin builds turn him into something much more interesting: a heavily armored character who can also dish out ridiculous ranged burst damage.

The centerpiece is Explosive Bolt.

Once you start investing into Farin’s ranged abilities and combine them with the right crossbow upgrades, his damage output becomes genuinely silly. Groups of enemies that would normally require careful positioning can disappear in a couple of attacks.

That is especially useful against the larger enemy groups that War in the North loves throwing at you.

Why Farin Is S-Tier

His biggest strengths are:

• Explosive Bolt provides excellent area damage.
• Heavy armor gives him strong survivability.
• War Cry improves the party’s overall combat potential.
• He can fight effectively at both melee and ranged distances.
• He is extremely forgiving when things go wrong.

That last point matters more than people sometimes admit.

A theoretically stronger character isn’t necessarily better if one mistake gets you killed. Farin can take punishment and keep fighting.

Recommended Farin Build

For my preferred setup, I would prioritize Will first, because the character’s abilities become much easier to maintain when you have enough power to use them regularly.

After that, Strength becomes important for melee damage, while Stamina can be treated as a secondary defensive investment.

My general skill progression would look something like this:

1. Put early points into the basic melee abilities required to reach the stronger skills.
2. Build toward Crushing Blow.
3. Rush toward Explosive Bolt as quickly as practical.
4. Invest in War Cry for additional party utility.
5. Finish by improving the crossbow-focused abilities.

The exact order can change depending on your equipment, but the basic idea is simple: get the explosive ranged damage online as early as possible.

Farin in Solo vs. Co-op

Farin is excellent in solo play because he doesn’t rely heavily on the AI doing something intelligent.

That’s a surprisingly important advantage.

In co-op, however, he becomes even better. Someone has to stand in the middle of the chaos and actually kill everything before the party gets overwhelmed.

That’s Farin.

I particularly like having Farin focus on the dangerous targets while Andriel controls the battlefield. It makes difficult encounters feel much more manageable.

A-Tier: Andriel Might Be the Best Team Player

If Farin is the hammer, Andriel is the character holding the entire team together.

I wouldn’t rank her above Farin for raw combat power, but if I’m building a three-player team, I absolutely want an Andriel somewhere in the group.

Her biggest strength isn’t flashy damage.

It’s control.

Andriel’s magic-based attacks give her excellent ranged pressure without the same ammunition concerns faced by a traditional ranger. That alone makes her comfortable to play during long encounters.

Then there is Sanctuary.

This ability is one of the main reasons Andriel is so valuable.

A well-placed Sanctuary can completely change an encounter by giving the party a safe area to recover and regroup. When you’re fighting bosses or dealing with large groups of enemies, having that defensive option available can be the difference between a clean victory and a complete disaster.

Why Andriel Is A-Tier

Her biggest strengths include:

• Sanctuary provides exceptional defensive utility.
• Strong ranged magical attacks.
• Excellent support potential.
• Reliable healing and protection.
• Very strong synergy with melee characters such as Farin.

The downside is that Andriel doesn’t always feel as immediately powerful as Farin.

Her strongest abilities work best when you understand positioning and timing. You can’t simply charge into a crowd and expect her to survive the same way Farin can.

Recommended Andriel Build

For Andriel, Will is the obvious priority.

Her abilities depend heavily on her power pool, and there is little reason to invest heavily into physical attributes when the character’s biggest advantages come from magic.

I would start with Sanctuary, then develop the supporting abilities that improve healing and protection.

After that, move into the offensive side of her skill tree and improve her staff-based attacks.

A simple progression would be:

1. Unlock Sanctuary early.
2. Improve the healing and defensive effects around it.
3. Upgrade staff-based offensive abilities.
4. Invest in Wrath of the Eldar.
5. Develop Burst of Light for additional burst damage.

This gives Andriel a nice balance between support and offense.

Andriel in Co-op

This is where she really shines.

A good Andriel player doesn’t simply stand behind everyone and spam healing.

She controls the rhythm of the fight.

Put Sanctuary in the right location, protect the group during dangerous attacks, help weaken enemies, and give Farin the opportunity to do what Farin does best.

In a coordinated party, Andriel can feel almost indispensable.

B-Tier: Eradan Is Fun, But He Makes You Work for It

Eradan is probably the character I would recommend to someone who wants the most active and aggressive playstyle.

He has stealth.

He has ranged attacks.

He can dual-wield weapons.

He can sneak behind enemies and deliver brutal critical attacks.

On paper, that’s an excellent combination.

The problem is consistency.

Eradan has to work harder than Farin to survive mistakes, and he doesn’t provide anything quite as valuable to the party as Andriel’s defensive toolkit.

That’s why I put him in B-Tier.

Not because he’s weak, but because the other two characters offer more reliable advantages.

Where Eradan Excels

His strengths are particularly noticeable against individual high-value targets.

Ranger Stealth allows Eradan to disappear from the immediate threat and reposition himself. Against enemies such as casters and archers, this can be incredibly useful.

A well-executed stealth attack followed by a critical strike can remove a dangerous enemy before the rest of the party even has to worry about it.

His dual-wielding setup is also enjoyable when you want a faster melee experience.

The Problem With Eradan

The biggest issue is that he doesn’t have the same margin for error.

Farin can absorb damage.

Andriel can protect herself and her allies.

Eradan generally has to avoid getting hit in the first place.

That’s much easier said than done when the battlefield becomes crowded.

His ranged play can also become inconvenient during longer sections when ammunition becomes a concern.

Recommended Eradan Build

For Eradan, I would focus heavily on Dexterity.

The character benefits greatly from improving his ranged and critical-focused capabilities.

Strength can then support a melee-oriented build, while Stamina provides some additional insurance for players who don’t perfectly dodge every attack.

My preferred progression is:

1. Choose between a stronger dual-wielding or ranged foundation.
2. Invest heavily into Ranger Stealth.
3. Improve critical-focused abilities.
4. Pick up Precision Aura for additional party utility.
5. Add Piercing Shot for tougher armored targets.

Eradan becomes much more enjoyable once you stop trying to play him like Farin.

He isn’t supposed to stand in the middle of the battlefield.

He is there to remove the problem before it becomes a problem.

Which Character Is Best for Solo Play?

If you’re playing the entire campaign alone, my ranking becomes even more straightforward.

Farin is my first choice.

His combination of durability, melee power, ranged burst, and party support makes him extremely comfortable for solo progression.

Andriel comes next. She has excellent survivability and utility, but her damage requires more attention and careful positioning.

Eradan is the most demanding of the three. His stealth and mobility are powerful, but the character becomes much less comfortable when several enemies surround him.

Solo Ranking

Best Characters for Three-Player Co-op

Co-op changes the equation.

A team containing Farin, Andriel, and Eradan actually makes a lot of sense because every character covers a different job.

Farin handles the frontline and major burst damage.

Andriel protects the group and controls dangerous situations.

Eradan operates around the edges, eliminating priority targets and picking off enemies that would otherwise cause problems.

It’s not necessarily about picking three copies of the “best” character.

It’s about creating a team where the weaknesses of one hero are covered by someone else.

Legendary Difficulty: What Should You Kill First?

Legendary difficulty is where character strengths become much more obvious.

You can’t always afford to attack whatever enemy happens to be closest.

Against larger groups, I usually recommend dealing with threats in roughly this order:

1. Trolls and other major heavy enemies
2. Goblin sorcerers and dangerous magic users
3. Archers and crossbow enemies
4. Standard melee enemies

The reason is simple.

A normal melee enemy might annoy you.

A troll can completely disrupt your formation.

A caster can turn an otherwise easy fight into chaos.

And ranged enemies become especially irritating when you’re already dealing with something dangerous in melee.

This is where Farin’s Explosive Bolt becomes particularly valuable.

Gear Matters More Than You Think

One mistake I see players make in older RPGs is becoming attached to equipment simply because they’ve used it for a long time.

Don’t.

If a new item provides better stats for your build, use it.

For Farin, I would prioritize physical damage, power-related bonuses, and useful cooldown improvements.

Andriel benefits heavily from equipment that improves her magical damage and Will-based abilities.

Eradan should look for critical chance, ranged damage, and other offensive bonuses that complement his assassin-style gameplay.

The best build isn’t necessarily the one with the prettiest equipment.

It’s the one that kills enemies faster and keeps you alive.

Lord of the Rings War in the North Legacy Edition: 3-Player Co-Op Guide (2026)

The Hot Swap Mechanic Is More Useful Than It Looks

One of the mechanics I think deserves more attention is the ability to switch between characters.

Don’t just use it because you can.

Use it strategically.

Different heroes can interact with different secrets and exploration elements, so switching characters can help you find additional loot and hidden areas.

If you’re chasing completion, getting into the habit of checking areas with each character can save you from having to replay entire sections later.

It’s one of those little systems that is easy to ignore until you’re trying to finish everything.

Final Verdict: Who Should You Pick?

After looking at the three heroes as a whole, my ranking for The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Legacy Edition in 2026 is still:

Farin — S-Tier

Andriel — A-Tier

Eradan — B-Tier

But I wouldn’t interpret that as “never play Eradan.”

Honestly, if you’re playing with friends, I’d encourage everyone to try all three.

Farin is the safest recommendation. He’s powerful, durable, and capable of ridiculous burst damage once his build comes together.

Andriel is arguably the most valuable character in a coordinated team. A player who understands Sanctuary and battlefield positioning can make everyone else significantly better.

Eradan is the specialist. He requires more awareness and better positioning, but stealth attacks and critical hits can be incredibly satisfying when everything lines up.

For me, Farin is the clear winner, especially for solo Legendary runs. But the best War in the North party isn’t built around one hero. It’s built around making all three characters work together.

And that’s still one of the things that makes this old Lord of the Rings action RPG worth returning to.

The Lord of the Rings War in the North – Legacy Edition – 10 Advanced Tips You NEED to Know