Immune to player card effects.

X is the number of characters controlled by the player with the most characters.

While Towers of the Teeth is the active location, players cannot play allies.

...now near loomed the great rampart of Cirith Gorgor, and the Black Gate amidmost, and the Two Towers of the Teeth tall and dark upon either side.
–The Return of the King

While Beleaguered Hills is the active location, reduce the total in the staging area by X, where X is the total of each engaged enemy.

Forced: After Beleaguered Hills becomes the active location, each player engages a non-unique enemy in the staging area.

The onslaught of Mordor broke like a wave on the beleaguered hills... –The Return of the King

While Waste of Dagorlad is the active location, treat the printed text box of each ally as if it were blank (except for Traits).

SO desolate were those places and so deep the horror that lay on them that some of the host were unmanned.
–The Return of the King

While Wall of Morannon is the active location, each enemy and location in the staging area is immune to player card effects.

Forced: After Wall of Morannon becomes of the active location, return each engaged enemy to the staging area.

...behind the Morannon were the tunnels and deep armouries that the servants of Mordor had made for the defence of the Black Gate...
–The Return of the King

While Old Water-course is the active location, it gains:"Response: When Old Water-course is explored, reduce each player's threat by 5."

Travel: Each player must exhaust a hero he controls to travel here.

Clambering a few steps up he found a tiny stream of dark water that came out from the hill–side and filled a little bare pool...
–The Return of the King

While Morgulduin is the active Location, it gains:

Forced: When a character commits to a quest, deal 1 damage to that character.

Shadow: If the players have not yet crossed the Anduin, return any current active location to the staging area. Morgulduin becomes the active location.

While Tarlang's Next is the active location, it gains,"Forced: At the beginning of the encounter phase, the players must either immediately end the encounter phase, or the first player must engaged all enemies in the staging area."

While Banks of Morthond is the active location, each location in the staging area gets -1

Shadow: If this attack destroys a character, add 1 progress to the current Night objective.

Immune to player card effects.

The player cannot win the game while Withywindle is in play.

While Withywindle is the active location, the first player reveals 1 additional encounter card during the quest phase.

"The Withywindle valley is said to be the queerest part of the whole wood..." –Merry, The Fellowship of the Ring

While Enchanted Stream is in the staging area, progress cannot be placed on the main quest.

Travel: Each player exhausts a hero he controls. Those heroes cannot ready while Enchanted Stream is the active location.

While Dwarven Forge is the active location, it gains:"Response: After Dwarven Forge is explored, each player draws 1 card."

While Mitril Lode is the active location, it gains:"Response: When Mithril Lode is explored, each player adds 1 resource to the resource pool of a hero he controls.

While Cobas Haven is the active location, reduce the Boading value on each Ship enemy by 1.

But beyond, in the great fief of Belfalas, dwelt Prince Imrahil in his castle of Dol Amroth by the sea.
–The Return of the King

While Glade of the Spawn is the active location, it gains:"Forced: After a Spider enemy enters play, each player must choose and exhaust 1 character he controls."

...black even for that forest, like a patch of midnight that had never been cleared away. –The Hobbit

While Pitch-dark Thicket is the active location, all characters lose the ranged keyword.

Shadow: Attacking enemy cannot be attacked by characters with the ranged keyword until the end of the phase.

...so black that you really could see nothing. –The Hobbit

While Sarn Gebir Rapids is the active location, the "when revealed" effects of Hazard cards cannot be canceled.

"What a horrible place! Just let me get out of this boat, and I'll never wet my toes in a puddle again, let alone a river!"
–Sam Gamgee, The Fellowship of the Ring

While Concealed Woods is the active location, the first enemy with the ambush keyword revealed from the encounter deck each round gains surge.

Shadow: Attacking enemy gets +2 if engaged with the first player.

If Anduin Wharf has 6 or more damage, discard it and reveal 2 cards from the top of the encounter deck.

While Anduin Wharf is the active location, allies cost 1 additional matching resource to play from hand.

Immune to player card effects.

While Devil's Mirk is in the staging area, characters cannot be healed.

While Devil's Mirk is the active location, each Wose enemy gets +2

While Mountains of Shadow is the active location, it gains:"Forced: After you turn 1 or more hidden cards faceup, take 1 hidden card."

Shadow: Either take 2 hidden cards, or this attack is considered undefended.

While Dark Pathway is the active location, the first treachery card without the printed surge keyword revealed during the quest phase gains surge.

Shadow: Either remove 1 time counter from the current quest or treat this attack as undefended.

While Ruined Watch-tower is in the staging area, it gains:"Forced: When an Orc enemy is revealed, each player must deal 1 damage to a character he controls.

While Ruined Watch-tower is the active location, each enemy gets +3

While Decrepit City is the active location, 'when revealed' effects cannot be canceled.

Shadow: Either discard 3 cards from the top of your deck, or this attack is considered undefended.

Capture 1.

While Prison Cell is the active location, it gains:

Planning Action: Rescue a random card from underneath Prison Cell. Then, raise each player's threat by X, where X is that card's printed cost. (Limit once per round).

While Charred Ruins is the active location, it gains:"Forced: After a player's threat is increased by an encounter card effect, that player must deal 2 damage to a character he controls."

While Overgrown Passage is the active location, heroes cannot gain resources.

Response: After you travel to Overgrown Passage, you may flip it to its Underwater side.

While Jagged Cavern is the active location, the first treachery card revealed each round gains doomed 1 and surge.

Forced: If Jagged Cavern is the active location at the end of the quest phase, each player must discard each card in his or her hand. Then, you may flip Jagged Cavern to its Grotto side.

While Submerged Crawlway is the active location, deal each engaged enemy 1 additional shadow card at the beginning of the combat phase.

Forced: If Submerged Crawlway is the active location at the end of the quest phase, each player must search the encounter deck and discard pile for an enemy and add it to the staging area. Then, you may flip Submerged Crawlway to its Grotto side.

While Narrow Ledge is the active location, each player cannot commit more than 3 characters to the quest.

Shadow: Shuffle all copies of Galloping Boulders from the encounter discard pile into the encounter deck.

While Dark Colony is the active location, poisoned characters cannot ready.

Travel: A player at this stage must give 1 poison to a hero he controls to travel here.

Suddenly he saw, too, that there were spiders huge and horrible sitting in the branches above him, and ring or no ring he trembled with fear lest they should discover him.
–The Hobbit

While Patch of Midnight is the active location, treat the text box of each poisoned character as if it were blank (except for Traits).

Shadow: Raise your threat by 1 for each poisoned character you control.

Immune to player card effects.

The Witch-king cannot be damaged.

Forced: After Weathertop becomes the active location, exhaust The One Ring. The One Ring cannot ready while Weathertop is the active location.

While The Uruk's Trail is the active location, it gains:"Response: After The Uruk's Trail is explored, reduce the pursuit value by 3."

Travel: Search the encounter deck and discard pile for a non-unique Uruk-hai enemy and add it to the staging area. Shuffle the encounter deck.

While Helm's Dike is the active location, each enemy gets -10 engagement cost.

Forced: When Helm's Dike is explored, shuffle the encounter discard pile into the encounter deck and discard cards from the top until an enemy is discarded. Add the discarded enemy to the staging area.

Immune to player card effects.

The players cannot travel here unless they are at stage 4B.

While Glittering Caves is the active location, it gains: "Skip the combat phase.Forced: At the end of the round, add Glittering Caves to the victory display and raise each player's threat by 2."

While Wooded Glade is the active location, treat each non-objective attachment's text box as if it were blank.

Shadow: Discard a non-objective attachment you control.

While Dense Fern-brake is the active location, enemies in the staging area are immune to player card effects.

Shadow: Exhaust a character you control.