2020-11-19T13:25:14 01:00

Middle-earth: Shadow of War - Tips & Tricks

In this tips guide to Middle-earth: Shadow of War you will learn:

Everything you need to know about your equipment
What to find on the map
How the nemesis system works
What you have to watch out for in battles
How to get money and XP quickly

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is the sequel to Middle-earth: Mordor's Shadow. The sequel has more to offer than its predecessor in almost all areas. So that the masses of missions, systems and options don't overwhelm you, we have summarized the most important tips and tricks in this guide.

Tips for starting Shadow of War

If you are starting Middle-earth: Shadow of War for the first time and haven't played its predecessor, the flood of information will probably overwhelm you at first. The first step to cope with this is the UI. Go to the menu and turn off all the elements that you consider unnecessary. This way you can better focus on what's right in front of you.

There is no easy difficulty level in Shadow of War. However, normal isn't too much of a hurdle. You can also adjust the difficulty level in the game itself by choosing your objectives accordingly. If you feel strong, then go straight to a tough orc boss. If you have problems with the fights, then start with his small henchmen and work your way up.

How do I upgrade equipment?

Unlike Mordor's Shadow (), Talion can now change his equipment. There are five slots in total:

Sword
Dagger
Bow
Armor
Cape

Each category corresponds to a certain value. For example, the sword increases the value of melee attacks, the bow increases the ranged attack, the armor increases your defense, and so on. The higher the number of the item the better, it's as simple as that. The equipment items come in four different frequencies, the rarer the better:

white is frequent
yellow is rare
orange is epic
purple is legendary

Anything better than white can get an upgrade through Celebrimbor. To unlock this, you will need to complete a small mission that is displayed below the item in question. After that, the elven blacksmith still needs a handful of Mirian to upgrade the item. Legendary equipment can even be leveled up multiple times, but also have more difficult missions.

What use are the gems to me?

For each piece of equipment Talion can use a gem that gives him a bonus from the damage, health or wealth category. These slots must be unlocked for a payment of 1000 Mirian. However, you don't have to pay for every single weapon or armor, but only once for the respective category.

The gems have one of a total of five ranksthe higher the better. You can either exchange the gems for better ones in the course of the game or improve them yourself. To do this, you give Celebrimbor three gems of one type, and in return he makes you a gem that is one category higher. The Gems can be removed and assigned to new items.

What do I need to keep in mind when exploring the map?

There are quite a few different missions in Shadow of War, and completing them will earn you various bonuses (more on that below). Of course, the story missions are especially important.

Behind some of these missions are even new moves like the handy double jump. So make sure you complete them before you rush into the endgame. You can replay missions in the diary to complete all the side quests.

The world of Shadow of War is divided into several regions. In each of these, there are a few things to do. First, find the three Haedir towers and climb them. This will unlock fast travel points and certain items in the region. Each area is dominated by an orc tribe. If you defeat the tribe, you can use your own orcs. Depending on the tribe, they will bring you different bonuses.

Here are some more tips & tricks for the explorations:

Some missions are time-dependent and disappear after three "rounds". A round will pass if you accept other time-dependent missions. So you'll often have to prioritize.
In Shadow of War, there is no option to save manually. If you use fast travel, however, you'll force the game to auto-save.
Just like in Assassin's Creed (), verticality plays a big role. Use this when exploring and for battles. However, the orcs can also climb.

What collectibles are there in Shadow of War?

There are four different collectibles in Shadow of War:

Lost Artifacts: These relics from Gondor will bring you additional story snippets. If you find all of them in a region, you'll get a skill point on top.
Ithildin riddles: These are elven words that you need to open certain doors. Behind them are usually good pieces of equipment.
Shelob's Memories: You have to rotate these until they form a coherent picture. You'll get lore info and a skill point for this.
Shadows of the Past: Strictly speaking, not collectibles, but short tutorial missions. These are usually unlocked when you get certain skills. For completing them you get Mirian, gems or skill points.

How does the nemesis system work?

The familiar nemesis system from the predecessor has, of course, been adopted and refined for Middle-earth: Shadow of War. The orcs in the game are randomly generated and have a personality. And they can move up and down in the hierarchy (which you can view in the menu). For example, if a "normal" orc kills you, he will be promoted to captain.

You can recognize captains by the fact that they have a title next to their name. And they have strengths and weaknesses. You also get more XP and better equipment when you kill them. Once Talion has eliminated a captain, a lower orc moves up. This way you can infiltrate orcs controlled by you into the enemy's ranks.

Defeated captains can either be killed or dominated. If you choose the latter, they will listen to you. At least for the moment. And this only works if they have a lower level than Talion. Good opportunities are fights between the captains. Here you can either take down two powerful orcs in one fell swoop or dominate the winner.

If you have a save game of Middle-earth: Mordor's Shadow on the same platform you're playing Shadow of War on, your worst enemy (Nemesis) and best ally will be imported. They appear relatively early in the campaign in two different missions.

How do I win battles effectively?

Orc foot soldiers are usually not much of a challenge unless they outnumber you by a huge margin. However, if you want to defeat a captain, chieftain or overlord, you should prepare the fight well and know what you are doing. For difficult challenges, use all the tools at your disposal.

The preparation

Even before you set out to your destination, you should get a bodyguard. For this purpose, choose a particularly strong orc from your ranks. If you want your companion to keep enemies busy for a long time, take an orc with a shield or an orc that can summon beasts. This buys Talion time to dominate a captain or heal himself.

When you are near your destination, look for information. Go to the spirit world with Celebrimbor and mark all important objects and enemies. Especially interesting are documents with information about the respective captain, or so-called worms. These are orcs that will tell you details if you sneak up behind them and threaten them. Pay attention to the green icons.

Once you know your target's strengths and weaknesses, you'll move on to scouting the immediate area. Look for explosive barrels or other ways to decimate the number of enemies in one fell swoop. Are there archers placed on rooftops or towers? Then take them out first or dominate them so they have your back in the upcoming battle.

The battle

The best way to start the battle is with a sneak attack. However, since the captains, chiefs and overlords are often surrounded by a horde of foot soldiers, this is not always possible. Otherwise, keep in mind the weakness of your target. Take advantage of it during the first attack, because in the rush of battle you'll easily lose track.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War rewards wait-and-see behavior. Keep an eye on all enemies and counterattack when you are attacked. Multiple attacks also require multiple parries. Think about how many sword blows you can deal before an orc strikes you in the back. Most of the time it is not many. If you have internalized this rhythm, that's half the battle.

Combos are extremely important in Shadow of War, as the combat system is very reminiscent of Batman: Arkham Asylum (). As long as Talion strikes or counters, the combo is maintained.

This not only looks cool, but also fills up your special meter, which you need for character and weapon abilities. You should memorize the combinations for these special attacks, just like in a fighting game.

How do I get XP quickly?

To get experience you have to complete certain missions or defeat certain enemies. Only a captain or a higher rank will give you XP. You won't get any XP for foot soldiers or beasts. The following missions will give you XP:

Story missions (most suitable)
Nemesis missions
Revenge missions (online)
Capture outposts

How do I get Mirian quickly?

You need Mirian for all sorts of things in the game. You can get the coveted money in various ways. This is how you earn the currency in Shadows of War:

Complete Shadows of the Past missions.
Compete in the battle pits.
Destroy equipment you don't need to get Mirian.
Release weak orcs from your army. In return you will get gear that you can destroy for Mirian.
There are orcs on the map, marked with a white symbol. Defeat them to collect the treasures they carry.

Besides Mirian, there was gold in Middle-earth: Shadow of War, which you could use to buy special chests (the war chests) with strong allies. However, this currency was removed by the developers. Now you can either find the legendary orcs in the world, or earn them through achievements in one of the online modes. You have the following options:

Set up an online fortress and occupy every post. This will earn you a one-time reward.
Complete daily challenges or community challenges for recurring rewards.
Successfully defend your fortress online.

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