War in the North Challenge Missions and Difficulty

Unlock condition

The original manual and historical walkthrough agree that the challenge maps become available after the Fornost campaign, when the party reaches Sarn Ford and the Ranger camp. The two named missions are Osgiliath and Lorien. They are optional combat spaces, not replacement story chapters, so use them to test a build, earn experience, and learn how a party handles repeated waves.

Legacy Edition may change the map prompt or matchmaking presentation. The unlock route is a historical reference; verify the map icon in the current build before assuming a new profile has lost content.

Osgiliath preparation

Osgiliath is an exposed objective map around the River Anduin. Bring one hero who can interrupt at range, one who can hold a lane, and one who can recover the party after a mistake. Clear the first wave without spending every long cooldown. The point of the challenge is repeatable pressure, so a party that only wins by burning all resources at the first spawn will fail later.

Recommended test roles:

• Eradan marks archers and casters before they establish a crossfire.
• Farin anchors the center and uses a sweep when melee enemies stack.
• Andriel keeps protection for the objective, not just for personal damage.

If you are solo, open with Eradan to pull a dangerous target, switch to Farin for the collision, and return to Andriel only when the protection field or recovery action is ready. Legacy’s reported instant character switching makes this a useful current-build test.

Lorien preparation

Lorien rewards spatial discipline. Trees and narrow paths reduce the value of a single frontal attack, so spread the party enough to avoid one area effect but close enough that Andriel can cover the route. Keep a retreat lane behind the frontline hero. If an enemy pack pins the support, the run becomes a rescue exercise rather than a damage check.

Use the challenge to compare two equipment sets: survivability/control first, then a damage-focused set. Record completion time, potions spent, and whether a downed ally caused the failure. Do not turn one fast clear into a universal “best build” claim; the current Legacy balance and platform frame pacing are still being checked.

Difficulty ladder

The original manual describes Easy and Normal as the starting choices, with Heroic and then Legendary opening after campaign progression. It also describes characters, weapons, items, skills, and levels carrying into replays. Treat that as the historical progression model and verify the Legacy unlock prompt on the platform you own.

Run	Goal	What to test
Easy	Learn route and collect counters	Hero switching, side paths, save points
Normal	Establish the main build	Weapon eligibility, resource loop
Heroic	Stress party roles	Crowd control, revive discipline, damage windows
Legendary	Completion or mastery	Missables, equipment consistency, co-op protocol

Start a higher difficulty only after every hero can equip a serviceable weapon, the party has one interrupt, and the host has confirmed a clean save. A higher difficulty is not a repair for a missing quest counter.

Co-op challenge protocol

Before launching, the host should confirm the map unlock and difficulty, while each guest records their current level and one equipped item. At the end of a run, return to a hub, wait for the save indicator, and have the guest verify the same item. Current reports question multiplayer persistence; this procedure creates evidence without promising a fix.

Sources: Warner Bros. original manual, GameFAQs challenge and equipment reference, and the Legacy co-op guide.