The Battle for Middle-earth II (Xbox 360) – No Skirmish Mode

The Xbox 360 version of The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II does not include a Skirmish mode. This feature—custom matches against AI with selectable factions, maps, starting resources, and victory conditions—was exclusive to the PC version.

What You Can Do on Xbox 360

• Campaign: Play the Good and Evil story campaigns with scripted missions.
• War of the Ring: Turn-based strategic layer with auto-resolved or real-time battles on a dynamic Middle-earth map.
• Multiplayer (Xbox Live): 1v1 or 2v2 ranked/player matches on a fixed map pool. No AI teammates/opponents in multiplayer lobbies.

Why It Was Omitted

Console RTS controls (gamepad) made the complex Skirmish UI (faction select, map settings, AI difficulty sliders, team configuration) difficult to navigate. EA opted to streamline for the console audience.

If You Want Skirmish

Play the PC version (available on Steam/Origin, runs well on modern hardware). It supports mods, higher resolution, full Skirmish, and the Rise of the Witch-king expansion (not on 360).