While Henneth Ann–n is the active location, skip both the encounter phase and combat phase, and ignore the Forced effects on stage 1B and The Black Gate.

Forced: After Henneth Ann–n becomes the active location, return each engaged enemy to the staging area.

"This is the Window of the Sunset, Henneth Ann–n, fairest of all the falls of Ithilien..." -Faramir, The Two Towers

While Southward Road is the active location, each player may optionally engage an additional enemy during the encounter phase.

Travel: The first player reveals the top facedown card under The Cross-roads and adds it to the staging area to travel here.

"These cursed Southrons come now marching up the ancient roads to swell the hosts of the Dark Tower." -Mablung, The Two Towers

While Foothills of Ephel Dúath is the active location, each Harad enemy gets -1

Travel: The first player engages an enemy in the staging area to travel here.

"And they go ever more heedlessly, we learn, thinking that the power of their new master is great enough, so that the mere shadow of His hills will protect them." -Mablung, The Two Towers

While Ithilien Woods is the active location, it gains:"Forced: After a player engages a Harad enemy, he readies a character he controls."

Travel: The first player reveals an encounter card to travel here.

Ithilien, the garden of Gondor now desolate kept still a dishevelled dryad loveliness. -The Two Towers

While Hills of Ithilien is the active location, it gains:"Forced: After a player engages a Harad enemy, deal 1 damage to that enemy."

Shadow: Discard a non-objective attachment you control.

While Umbar War Galley is the active location, each Corsair enemy gets -10 engagement cost.

Travel: Shuffle the encounter discard pile into the encounter deck and discard cards from the encounter deck until a Corsair enemy is discarded. Add the discarded enemy to the staging area.

"The Corsairs are upon us! It is the last stroke of doom!"
–Men of Gondor, The Return of the King

While Corsair Dromon is the active location, each Corsair enemy gains Archery 1.

Travel: Shuffle the encounter discard pile into the encounter deck and discard cards from the top until a Corsair enemy is discarded. Add the discarded enemy to the staging area.

Immune to player card effects.

While Gate of Gondor is the active location, each enemy in play gets -30 engagement cost.

Forced: When Gate of Gondor is explored, return each engaged enemy to the staging area.

...it was the key, the weakest point in all that high and impenetrable wall. –The Return of the King

While City Wall is the active location, damage that would be placed on Minas Tirith must be placed here first.

Forced: When City Walls has damage equal to its quest points, discard it. Then, each player raises his threat by 3.

For the main wall of the City was of great height and marvellous thickness... –The Return of the King

Echoing Passage gets +1 for each enemy in the staging area.

While Echoing Passage is the active location, each enemy gets +2

Many doors and openings could be seen on this side and that; but it was empty save for two or three more bodies sprawling on the floor.
–The Return of the King

While Bloodied Courtyard is the active location, it gains:"Forced: After an enemy enters the staging area, deal 1 damage to it."

Travel: Raise each player's threat by 1 to travel here.

At once he saw that up here the fighting has been fiercest. All the court was choked with dead orcs or their severed and scattered heads and limbs. The place stank of death.
–The Return of the King

While Winding Stairs is the active location, each enemy in the staging area gets +10 engagement cost.

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

The stairs were high and steep and winding.
–The Return of the King

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.