Middle-earth: Shadow of War

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is an open-world action-adventure game set in Mordor. Ranger Talion and the spirit Celebrimbor join forces to build an army against Sauron, while combat, stealth and the Nemesis System connect encounters with Orc captains to the larger campaign of recruiting followers and capturing fortresses.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War continues the story of ranger Talion and the wraith Celebrimbor in a version of Mordor shaped by Sauron’s forces. Their alliance gives Talion access to abilities beyond ordinary swordplay as the pair seek to oppose the Dark Lord and assemble followers behind enemy lines. The open world is divided into regions, each with its own settlements, enemy captains and points of interest. The campaign moves through story missions and region activities, while the player can also pursue captains and develop an army. This structure ties personal encounters with individual Orcs to the broader goal of weakening Sauron’s control and turning his strongholds against him.

On foot, Talion combines close combat, ranged attacks, stealth and movement across the environment. Sword strikes and counters handle nearby enemies, while a bow can hit distant targets or trigger useful objects. Stealth allows Talion to approach guards and captains without starting a large fight, and movement skills help him climb, cross rooftops and reach elevated routes. The world contains objects such as grog barrels, beast bait, Morgai flies and ghul eggs that can be shot to create distractions or damage nearby enemies. Ranged aiming highlights these destructible features, making the environment part of combat decisions. The player can choose to start a fight directly, thin a group from a concealed position or use nearby hazards to disrupt it.

The Nemesis System organises Orc captains as a changing hierarchy of enemies and followers. The Army screen shows the captains active in the current region, including information that can shape how Talion approaches a fight. Green-marked Worms can be dominated and interrogated for a captain’s strengths, weaknesses and fears. That intel turns preparation into a tactical step: a captain who fears a particular attack may be easier to break when confronted with it. During combat, reducing a captain to a broken state creates a choice to kill or dominate them. A dominated captain can join Talion’s side, serve as a bodyguard or receive orders through the Army interface, linking an individual duel to army management.

Recruitment and defeat can change the hierarchy over time. A captain who is stronger than Talion cannot be dominated immediately; the player can lower that Orc’s level through the Shame option before trying again. Followers can receive Training Orders bought with Mirian, raising their level or granting traits such as elemental resistance, mastery, a gang or a caragor mount. These investments can make an ally more useful in later fights, but allegiance is not guaranteed: a follower may betray Talion and reappear as an enemy. If Talion is defeated, the Orc responsible can gain a promotion and return as a more powerful captain. This feedback loop gives victories, failures and recruiting decisions persistent consequences in the regional enemy hierarchy.

Talion’s own development runs alongside the army system. Skill points unlock or improve abilities, with availability changing as the campaign progresses. Gear can be equipped and improved through challenges, while weapons and armour provide another layer of character progression. These options support different approaches to the same encounters: a player can invest in combat skills, ranged attacks, stealth or ways to command followers. The Character and Inventory menus let the player assign skills, equip gear and track challenges, while the Army and Garrison screens handle Orcs and their upgrades. Progression therefore involves both a controllable hero and a roster of followers whose levels, traits and loyalties affect the possibilities in later missions.

Capturing fortresses turns recruitment and preparation into a large-scale objective. Talion’s army can assault a stronghold held by Sauron’s forces, with recruited captains serving as part of the attacking force. The fortress represents the regional power structure that the player has been undermining through missions and Nemesis encounters. Conquest changes control of that stronghold and allows a follower to become its Overlord. Fortress defence is also part of the main campaign’s Shadow Wars, where Sauron launches counter-attacks that the player must repel. The sieges bring individual captain relationships into a broader battle: the Orcs previously recruited and developed can take part in the effort to seize or protect a region’s central fortress.

Exploration provides routes into this cycle without requiring every activity to be a story mission. In a new region, purifying a Haedir tower reveals points of interest and creates a fast-travel point, helping the player orient themselves before choosing the next objective. The Army screen can then identify captains and Worms, while quests and map markers point toward story or regional activities. Fast travel is unavailable during combat, so reaching a new objective requires first escaping active danger. This small rule makes pursuit and retreat part of navigation, particularly when the Nemesis hierarchy produces an unexpected encounter. Together, regional travel, captain intelligence and fortress battles make Mordor’s map serve both as a place to explore and as a changing military landscape.