Middle-earth: Shadow of War

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a 2017 action role-playing game developed by Monolith Productions and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It continues the story of Talion, the Gondorian ranger introduced in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. Talion remains bound to the spirit of Celebrimbor, the Elven smith who helped forge the Rings of Power, and together they attempt to create a new Ring capable of opposing Sauron.

The campaign begins after Talion and Celebrimbor obtain a newly forged Ring. Their plan changes when the spider Shelob, portrayed in human form as well as her monstrous form, steals it. She gives Talion visions of the future and eventually returns the Ring, while warning him about the coming destruction of Minas Ithil. The city falls to Sauron’s forces and becomes Minas Morgul, setting the stage for the game’s wider conflict.

Unlike its predecessor’s relatively focused journey through Mordor, Shadow of War expands the setting into several open-world regions, including Cirith Ungol, Gorgoroth, Nurnen, and Seregost. Talion recruits followers from the Uruk armies and captures enemy fortresses. These fortresses can then be defended against assaults, making army preparation and the relationships among individual captains central parts of the game.

The Nemesis System returns with considerably greater scope. Uruks remember encounters with Talion, gain strengths or weaknesses, betray their leaders, and sometimes return after being apparently killed. Talion can also dominate selected enemies, promote them through the hierarchy, and assign them to bodyguard, spy, or assault roles. Personal rivalries created by the system can therefore alter missions and battles in ways that are not entirely scripted.

The game’s story eventually separates Talion and Celebrimbor. Celebrimbor chooses an alliance with the elf Eltariel and seeks to control Sauron rather than merely resist him. Talion uses one of the Nine Rings to continue defending Mordor, but the Ring gradually corrupts him. This connects his fate to the Nazgûl and supplies a direct link to the history surrounding The Lord of the Rings.

Shadow of War launched for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows on October 10, 2017. Its post-release content included the story expansion Blade of Galadriel and the region-focused expansion The Desolation of Mordor. The game also attracted criticism for its original loot-box marketplace, which Warner Bros. removed in 2018 after acknowledging concerns about its effect on progression.