The Quest for Moria (LotR: Realms in Exile - CK3)

Someone told me there was a new struggle for Balin with the Balrog in the Realms in Exile beta so you know I had to give it a try. Technically this will be the first struggle I've ever completed in CK3 believe it or not and BOY was it a doozy.
🔗LotR - Realms in Exile: steamcommunity...
🔗Soul Tomato Channel Discord link: / discord
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Sources for intro:
-Voice heard is Gimli's from LotR: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) film by Peter Jackson during the entrance to Moria scene. Cut up and edited slightly.
Images used (In order):
-Heroes' Feast : Dwarven Cuisine Chapter Opener by Kevin Sidharta: www.artstation...
-Moria Card Art by Lucas Terryn (also used for thumbnail): / 1667226588876865536
-Ancient Deep-hold by Doug Kovacs: www.comicartfa...
As always I retain no rights to these works and use them purely for the enhancement of the video.
Music (In Order):
1. Crusader Kings II - 'Pilgrimage'
2. Age of Empires II: Age of Kings - Track 10
3. Old School Runescape - 'Medieval'
4. Age of Empires I: Rise of Rome - Track 02
5. Age of Mythology - 03 'Chocolate Outline'
6. Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion - Track 05
7. Age of Empires I: Rise of Rome - Track 05
8. Old School Runescape - 'Harmony'
9. Age of Mythology - 10 'Ballad of Ace Lebaron'
10. Age of Empires II: Age of Kings - Track 06
11. Old School Runescape - 'Adventure'
12. Age of Mythology - 06 'Flavor Cats'
13. Age of Empires I - Track 05 'Rain'
14. Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion - Track 06

[@Mr-Rinn]

I actually meant using the Dwarven Expedition function to relocate your entire realm to the south to somewhere like the Ebon Gorge! But you seemed to pull it off anyway so well done, and my way was a bit more boring and safe. 😄

[@Soul_Tomato]

I’m sure it would have been much less of a hassle then how I did it

[@PasOdMater]

Why waste gold on recruiting courtiers when you can just marry them for free?

[@Soul_Tomato]

Because I started the game with 3 courtiers

[@PasOdMater]

@@Soul_Tomato I think you had a free woman.

[@zacharyamaris]

@@Soul_Tomato you can uses the find people option and invite a bunch of the local wandering dwarfs into your court you get like 20 people this way for free. just search everyone in diplo range and set religion to dwarven

[@Xotchkass]

Speaking of strategies. The good option is to quickly befriend Galadriel and negotiate alliance with her. It not only help you to deal with goblins, but also with killing Balrog. Also you can do a dwaven expedition to establish vassal outside of struggle, colonize province next to it and move there without need for fighting.

[@beepborne4288]

I need no sleep, only beer, beards, and a battle axe.

[@flameofthewestt]

I think you are taking longer than needed to achieve some things due to not being super experienced in the game. As far as vanilla ck3 goes, some good tips are that besides marrying courtiers to get more options for your council before game start, you can also train commanders with your marshal to get new courtiers with high martial skill, which you can use to replace the mid marshal. These are 2 ways of getting skilled courtiers for free, instead of recruiting. Secondly not using your initial money in the army and rather using it in securing an economic base, even if you plan on moving, is always the way to go. You stopped producing money as soon as you recruited those MaA in your opening move and relied on events for gold for a long time afterwards. If you are not considering abandoning your initial counties, I would say that increasing developing is way better than collecting taxes with your steward. The difference in gold making and army size that comes with higher development can be felt quite early on. In Realms in particular, you would find out that dwarves can become quite rich if they take on their custom activities, prospecting and mining. Finding any type of resource in the mountains gives access to hidden buildings focused on gold making. For Balin this would I consider it appropiate to go for an alliance with Elrond at game start, given that his MaA are enough to deal with any starting enemies in the region, no matter the numbers supremacy of the orcs and goblins I recommend you again that you join a multiplayer game of Realms sometime. You would learn a lot of ck3 vanilla min maxing and of RiE strategies to be way more efficent in your runs, particularly for the "Very Hard" ones! it's a nice community always eager to help each other out :)

[@wilhelmrk]

Well, I tried this as well and immediately a guy named "Argan, the Axe that walks" colonized the Eastern Halls with 2000 angry dwarves from the Axes of Nargubraz Blacklock culture. Turns out having 2000 dwarves at your back in an alliance makes taking out the Goblins pretty easy, well lets see about that Balrog fellah.. eh...eh? EH??!

[@Soul_Tomato]

That would indeed help haha

[@nonya1366]

OH MY GOD IT'S THE SLAYER KING WITH THE *STEEL CHAIR*! SWEET LORDS OF THE RINGS AS MY WITNESS, THE BALROG IS BROKE IN HALF!

[@bl2254]

seeing you build walls hurt man. should've definitely built the eco buildings. if you don't you get stuck in this cycle of never having enough money that you were stuck in the entire run.

[@thomasbaker7592]

lost my shit at "apparently sauran is dead" what a jump cut lmao

[@HarrytheUnlucky]

I wonder if the 200 gold in the beginning could have been used to get two more domains.

[@Soul_Tomato]

Probably. I am just bull headed sometimes haha

[@kohlicoide2258]

6:50 the Artwork is from "Lord of the rings online" its the "Starter Town" for Dwarfs, Thorins Realm in the ered luin where the dwarfes lives after smaug attacks the lonly mountain.

[@Soul_Tomato]

Ohhh interesting

[@pjoterem141]

props for AoM music

[@Soul_Tomato]

You know it’s funny. Out of all the game music I use I think AoM gets the most love. Amazing how many people it touched, really.

[@noahblackwell5795]

Meanwhile I have been playing as the Breemen and doing absolutely nothing but sitting around making money and colonizing. I'm trying to build up to a point where I can even attempt at taking Fornost.

[@Soul_Tomato]

Everything in it’s time

[@supremephantomhive1737]

Ohh so thats where the memes came from (they call it a mine) i even watched the movie but i never remembered this 😂

[@joekotlarsic4360]

11:06 PROSTAGMA

[@flameofthewestt]

etimos

[@r.s1681]

What an achievement!!😮🎉 I'm already inspired for a future CK 3 campaign

[@torev6628]

age of mythology soundtrack oh my god i love you

[@leebethell7305]

Seconding the strat of negotiating an alliance early to help take care of the locals. Aragon is also a decent option (and less likely to drag you in to a local war) but it can take some convincing to get the AI to siege goblins for some reason.

[@Matheus-ft2oj]

A MINE

[@Soul_Tomato]

A MIIIIIINNNNNEEEEEE

[@valaddar]

Only way I can make it work is grabbing Defensive Negotiations and allying Beornings.

[@Soul_Tomato]

That’s not a bad move

[@raycomandertony]

Getting an early alliance with Galadriel or Elrond compensates for the lack of troops. :)

[@Soul_Tomato]

Would have been a good move

[@Ganlix]

I have an unimportant question. How do you decide which music you'll put in a video? Do you just feel like "I feel like AoE 2 music is good on this one."? I'm just curious.

[@Soul_Tomato]

That’s basically it. I’m a bit weird because music to me isn’t probably as important as it is to other people - I don’t listen to it very much irl. So I just find some I like and slap them in there.

[@SireBab]

Hey man, aoe2 and runescape musics are my jam.

[@AsatruMetalhead]

the music makes me feel so old and nostalgic

[@johnquach8821]

I'm glad to see you explore the Balrog Struggle!

[@Soul_Tomato]

Was certainly a struggle lol

[@mementomori771]

Is this still the beta version or is it the main release now?

[@SireBab]

Beta is still the only version afaik up to date

[@DJ_NSG]

You *stole* a book of grudges? If this was Warhammer you'd be so cooked rn

[@Soul_Tomato]

Maybe they stole it from me

[@DJ_NSG]

@@Soul_Tomato Don't let them hear you besmirch their honour, or your name will be underlined in that (allegedly) stolen book

[@andreasottohansen7338]

This one is DEFINITELY going in the book.

[@griffinhunter3206]

murder

[@thesmilyguyguy9799]

:» D

[@boglimwrangler18]

Delving deep and greedily

[@Soul_Tomato]

Next thing you know, Balrog

[@tymonantosz7013]

Awesome

[@Soul_Tomato]

Thanks!

[@RedShift323]

I don't agree with Tolkien's views, but the politics nerd in me takes issue with this mod's political structure lore. Since he was an Anarcho-Monarchist I feel like the 'Good' guys wouldn't be feudal. It should be 'Confederate' (in the Anarchist sense, not the 'yeehaw dixie' sense), 'Communal' or something similar.