Lord of the Rings is a shadow war game. Middle-earth: Shadow of War review

Attention! This article contains a lot of spoilers. If you want to enjoy the plot of the game and find out all the endings on your own, we recommend that you close this page.

The plot of the game Middle-earth: Shadow of War

In the legendarium of the Lord of the Rings, the gap between Gollum's loss of the Ring of Power and the Nazgul invasion of the Shire is briefly described. We don't know exactly what was happening in Mordor at that time - and this opens up a lot of possibilities for the developers of the game Middle-earth: Shadow of War. What if Sauron had another nemesis, whose unsung struggle and self-sacrifice saved Middle-earth?

Talion

The protagonist of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor returns. The captain of the scouts of the Black Gate, killed by the orc chieftain Black Hand, did not accept death itself: Talion found a way to take revenge on the murderers of his family and is now ready to end the source of evil once and for all by challenging Sauron himself. Or, at the very least, die trying to make the world a better place.

Talion's life story is the story of a man who survived a terrible tragedy, but did not give up.

Talion's plan is simple and elegant at the same time. With the help of Celebrimbor, the former tracker forged a new Ring of Power, devoid of the shortcomings of the former creations of the blacksmith and not subject to Sauron. Perhaps the forces of the newly created Ring will be enough to unite Mordor under the banner of the Light Lord and destroy the evil Barad-Dur forever?

Celebrimbor

The spirit of the elf blacksmith, who created the Rings of Power and was deceived by Sauron, who lost, but did not completely leave, still works in concert with Talion. Celebrimbor, who during his lifetime raised Mordor to fight the Dark Lord and was defeated, was skeptical about Talion's idea to create a new Ring and lead the army to conquer Mordor.

Sauron executed all the relatives of Celebrimbor in front of him, and then killed Celebrimbor himself with his own blacksmith's hammer. But Celebrimbor's fate was chained to the Ring, and he was doomed to exist in the guise of a ghost until it was destroyed.

And yet the elf decided to try. What if he really cannot find peace without trying again to deal with the consequences of a mistake made several hundred years ago? With the new Ring of Power, Talion can exist separately from Celebrimbor, but, unfortunately, not everything is so simple. One very powerful being has plans for the Ring.

Shelob

The last child of Ungoliant, who appeared in Middle-earth even before Sauron, took possession of the ring - the spider Shelob, who appeared before Talion and Celebrimbor in the guise of an ominous beauty. Shelob had a vision: the army of the Light Lord, who had defeated Sauron, did not stop at Mordor and conquered all of Middle-earth. The spider did everything to prevent this vision from coming true.

Mordor was not supposed to win, and for the good of all Middle-earth, she managed to achieve a temporary stalemate between the Dark Lord and Talion.

Shelob returned the Ring of Power to Talion, but she was never completely honest with her temporary allies. And yet in one thing the child Ungoliant did not lie: she really needs to get even with the Dark Lord: Shelob and Sauron were old and close acquaintances. With one shot, Shelob decided to kill two birds with one stone: neutralize the threat to Middle-earth and settle personal scores.

Sauron

The cunning Dark Lord, having lost the Ring of Omnipotence, leaves no hope of conquering Middle-earth. In Shadow of War, Sauron acts as a formidable figure looming somewhere in the background: the Nazgul ring-bearers serve as the guides of his will, obediently following the orders of the master. Without his Ring, Sauron is unable to leave the boundaries of Barad-Dur - this greatly simplifies Talion's task.

Sauron has armies, he has Nazgулыl, but his true strength lies in knowing the weaknesses of his enemies.

The Nazgулыl are powerful, but Talion and Celebrimbor have an unexpected ally: the elven warrior Eltarial. Emissary of Queen Galadriel, she tirelessly hunts the Nazgуловl and tries to delay the implementation of Sauron's plans at least a little, pushing his soulless servants back to Barad-Dur again and again.

Eltariel

The messenger Galadriel knows no mercy, but over time, Eltariel begins to wonder if her task is feasible in principle. The Nazguls, expelled for a while, return again, as if nothing had happened, following the orders of their master. At best, Eltariel only holds back the evil, preventing it from penetrating deeper. Is there no way to solve all the problems at once?

She does not prevail in all fights, but even in case of failure, Eltariel manages to avoid death - and the hunt continues.

What Eltariel cannot - Talion can. With the help of the Ring of Power, skillful use of the sword and such and such a mother, the pathfinder who stood at the head of the army manages to save one of the Nazguls from unlife. The subordinate ghost of the ring could seriously help in the conquest of Mordor, but Talion decided to save the ancient king from new torments. In vain.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War ending

Talion's humanism is not supported by Celebrimbor and Eltariel. A new alliance is being created right at the site of the destruction of the ring-bearer: Celebrimbor invites the elven warrior to become his new repository, take the Ring of Power from Talion, which has not met expectations, and throw it over to Sauron. An excellent idea, but Talion clearly did not appreciate it: without five minutes, the conqueror of Mordor is lying on a cold stone, bleeding and preparing to give up his ghost.

Die quietly and leave Middle-earth to its fate? Not today. Spurred on by the vision of Shelob, Talion decides to take extreme measures and takes possession of the ring of the destroyed Nazgul. Now he is one of the ghosts of the ring, albeit retaining free will for the time being. The idea of ​​Celebrimbor and Eltariel was unsuccessful, Talion will try to hold back Sauron's attacks as long as possible, buying time for all of Middle-earth.

Celebrimbor and Sauron, being equal in strength, clashed in an endless battle at the top of Barad-Dur, turning into an unblinking fiery eye.

From now on, Talion fights Sauron from his stronghold, Minas Morgul. Sooner or later, he will succumb to the influence of the Ring and turn into a Nazgul, but as long as the will of the ranger is strong, Middle-earth still has a chance. It will last just until the end of the fourth act. You can watch the true ending of Middle-earth: Shadow of War in the video below:

A clear evidence of how difficult it is for humans and elves to get along with orcs.

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Difficult times have come for the forces of good in Middle-earth ... Yes, again, but when was Middle-earth generally calm? Gondor is on fire, the Mordorian evil is about to take Minas Itil, and even the Nazguls are attacking this fortress - after all, there is a palantir in it, and Sauron really needs it. The garrison realizes that resistance is pointless, but gathers the last remnants of fighting spirit and holds on, desperately hoping for help.

Not far from this stronghold, the main characters Middle-earth: Shadow of War finally forged a new Ring of Power. Only with his help can you save Minas Ithil and defeat Sauron. But, as usual, it is not so easy to subdue him. A good start would be to take the Ring from Shelob ... oh, don't ask. A real horror is going on around, the reasons for it are a breakthrough, and to disentangle again the semi-immortal company of Talion and Celebrimbor.

Game trailer for Middle-earth: Shadow of War, filmed with the participation of the actors.

Everything is the same

Released three years ago Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor was a game of average merit. Its open world did not shine with either form or content, and only the most patient passed through the unconvincing story campaign and the same side effects. But every first one admired the Nemesis system. She connected the protagonist and the enemy commanders with invisible threads, and those with their relatives, creating unique events and stories. In the sequel, the developers promised to multiply the successful findings of the original and get rid of annoying elements.

Despite this, in the huge first act, we, like a negligent schoolboy, repeat the program of the previous school year. We are allowed into one of five seamless areas, through which we walk without restrictions. We free the towers from Sauron's henchmen, examine the surroundings in search of collectible objects and, of course, hunt down and kill enemy captains. Doesn't it look like anything?

In the hunt for the ringleaders, Middle-earth also did not advance a single step. We again dive into the ghostly world to identify the enemy, or look for information about him in different parts of the map, and then prepare to attack. We have many approaches to creatively shredding the enemy - but nothing new compared to Shadow of Mordor. Battle lovers can still fight dozens of orcs without a clear plan and knowledge of the weaknesses of their commander. The supporters of the secretive passage are still free to arrange sabotage in the ways familiar from the previous part.

Meetings with military leaders happen even if you don't want to. Some of the leaders move freely around the map, others are specifically looking for you. The sound of clanking swords is regularly heard by commanders hanging around nearby. A couple of such reinforcements at the beginning of the game - and the chances of being carried away alive are sharply reduced to zero.

Orcs who killed you traditionally move up the career ladder. The rank and file become captains, and experienced leaders receive the status of the highest, and then legendary warriors. These are an order of magnitude stronger, they have at least one unique ability (self-healing, powerful attack, etc.), but the reward for killing them grows significantly.

True, it is not necessary to kill the offender yourself. He can be killed by a relative or your friend on the network. In Shadow of War, orcs are much more active at war with each other. Most of the secondary tasks are devoted to their rivalry, and Talion often acts as a simple observer in them. However, no one forbids intervening in the showdown and putting everyone down.

If you have not played the first part, the points listed above are unlikely to upset you - this is a huge scope for tactical opportunities! But for those familiar with Shadow of Mordor, the first act can be painful, because they have done these tricks hundreds of times. Advice: just be patient, it will be better. In the meantime, enjoy the plot - here it is much richer in events and unexpected turns. The sequel noticeably added to the harmony of the story and in the production, without losing nevertheless the connection with the original.

Everything is new

The promised improvements to Nemesis are visible even at the very beginning. They are hinted at at least the levels of development of captains, just like Talion's. The only difference is that they do not change without our participation. So, if an orc heard a threat from us, he will become proud and immediately gain a couple of levels. And the defeated, but not killed, will be disgraced and will lose the same amount.

Experience is a key concept in Shadow of War. Talion's bar of experience grows both in battle and after the end of missions, tests, finding artifacts and other activities. We still get a skill point for each level, but the leveling system here is completely different. Now abilities are sorted by type - ranged attack, taming animals, etc. In addition, each has three modifiers that enhance the skill or add a new effect.

Thanks to such a system, the player can customize the character in different ways - and thanks to this, the combat system is transformed beyond recognition. In addition, modifiers can be changed even during the battle, choosing combinations according to the enemy's weaknesses. Let's say the opponent has an intolerance to poisons. We buy the corresponding modifier, and from now on, the touch of a poisoned weapon will bring him terrible suffering.

The equipment system has also changed - now we equip Talion with everything from swords and bows to armor and cloaks (the latter are responsible for stealth). Where does all this come from? Yes, from the same commanders and falls, and the value of the item directly depends on the level and status of the deceased. By and large, that's why it's worth chasing high-level psychopaths all over the map. And, of course, to test your strength.

Orcs with treasures and other dangerous creatures also sometimes drop valuable items. Including gems - an alternative to the runes from the first part, increasing the performance of equipment. There are three types of such stones, each with five power levels. You can pump them too. To do this, combine three identical gems and get a pebble with a higher rank. This simplest technology provides a significant increase in the health and strength of attacks, and also replenishes the wallet.

By the way, about money. In the world of Shadow of War, the Silver Mirians are still in use. In the local store, they give chests with equipment (which one is determined by a blind lot) and companions (about them below). Rarer goods are sold for gold, that is, for real money. The good news is that micropayments are unobtrusive and easy to do without. Moreover, the developers claim that sooner or later the player will be able to get all the "premium" items on his own.

You are my friend, I am your enemy

Those same captains from an uninterrupted source of equipment become valuable allies. An example from our walkthrough: we recruited a morally broken leader with the help of the Ring of Power and sent an enemy commander to help - he was just about to fight a sworn enemy from the same garrison. At the appointed hour, they met in battle, and when both were sufficiently weak, we subdued both of them. That is, in two actions, they got three spies at once in the fortress, which they were going to capture.

But even if you subdue all the commanders (and there are nineteen of them) from one stronghold, this does not guarantee a successful assault. After all, on the next step of the hierarchy, the leaders are waiting for us - the orcs closest to the ruler of the fortress. Each of them is responsible for a specific defensive fortification: gates, walls or towers. Sabotage will not work here, murder or recruitment solves the problem.

But how to get to the leaders? The most difficult, but quickest option is to lure him out of hiding by killing the required number of his soldiers in a certain way. But then he will fight alongside his bodyguard captains. Hence, the second option follows: to preliminarily eliminate the guards or replace them with your henchmen, who, at the right time, will stab the leader in the back.

Ultimately, the more carefully you prepare for the siege, the more of your soldiers will get to the gates of the fortress. And similarly, the more commanders remain loyal to the forces of evil, the stronger the rebuff will be. But, regardless of these variables, the tasks in each fortress are the same - to capture control points and overthrow the ruler.

But it will not be possible to feast for a long time in the conquered fort - sooner or later the enemy will try to recapture it. Here you will have to show miracles of defensive tactics. You need to choose improvements to protect the fortress, buy them for silver, assign leaders and give everyone a zone of responsibility. A competent choice of a ruler will not hurt either - and do not forget to invest in his guard, this investment will pay off handsomely. In addition, the commander can be quickly pumped to the level of Talion, putting him in the arena against AI rivals. The power of the fort will grow from the progress of the wards. Finally, when the attack begins, take your time to go outside the walls. In addition to the obvious security, here you will have more time for maneuvers and decision-making.

However, even without being defeated in a large-scale battle, it is very easy to lose everything in Shadow of War. Orcs are insidious, a faithful ally may one day turn over. And it’s not so bad if one of the military leaders, who now thirsts for revenge, woke up from the spell. It is more terrible when the chosen ruler of the fort betrays - here you can only blame yourself. This happened to us twice, and both times we had to re-hit entire areas. Fortunately, in almost every fortress and region, the game allows you to skip the preparatory stage and go straight to the assault.

Technically, Fortress Hold is post-game content called Shadow Wars. After the end of the story, the armies of Sauron come for you and a full-scale war begins, with the pumping of fortresses and commanders and other joys of hostilities. This is how the developers decided to answer the players' complaints about the sudden finale of the first part. There is really a lot to do, and until the complete conquest of Mordor, you can spend dozens hours. Of course, if you do not invest money in the game. It is in this part of the game that you unobtrusively begin to push you to buy premium chests with the coolest loot and allies. You can go through the game without them - as the developers said, you can get all these items without money. It just takes a few extra days. Or weeks. And buying premium chests will seriously save your time.

Why spend money if the final has already been passed? Very simple. Only correct the passage of the finale (that is, the conquest of all Mordor) will lead us to the so-called real ending, which will connect the events of the game with the canonical text of The Lord of the Rings.

The game Middle-Earth: Shadow of War based on the universe of Tolkien's novels. Events unfold before the main story "Lord of the rings", however, have a direct connection with her.

There is a continuity of books in the game, but the main inspiration comes from the films of Peter Jackson, especially regarding the appearance. This is an understandable creative choice, given that many people love film adaptations. Nevertheless, Middle-Earth: Shadow of War in some places violates the canon familiar to fans from books The Silmarillion or "Lord of the Rings".

Below will be considered the main points that do not fit into the overall plot. There are spoilers, of course.

TIME LINE

The Shadows of War story centers on the fall of Minas Ithil, the last Gondorian stronghold near Mordor. After the fall of the Overthrow of Numenor, co-founder of the kingdom of Gondor along with his brother Anarion. He created a bastion of the new kingdom on top of a mountain adjacent to Mordor. After the fall of Numenor, Sauron returned to Mordor to recuperate, before eventually carrying out his invasion of Minas Ithil in 3429 CE (second century). Gondor lost the battle, and Sauron renamed the fortress Minas Morgul. The city was captured by Sauron's forces thousands of years before the events The Hobbit and "The Lord of the Rings", as well as before "Shadows of War", for that matter. The game radically alters the main timeline of Tolkien's nearby lands by thousands of years and effectively diminishes the importance of one of the defining moments of Gondor.

ONE RING

V The Silmarilline Tolkien explains that Sauron himself forged the "One Ring" and taught him the methods of the elves of Eregion, who created the Seven (for the Dwarves) and the Nine Rings (for the mortals). Celebrimbor, who was one of the elves of Eregion, created the three rings (for the elves) on his own, without Sauron's guidance. So, the Rings were never corrupted by the Dark Lord, which meant that Sauron could not control the elves without corrupting their Rings. However, the three were still bound by the fate of the One Ring, like all the other Rings of Power. When Frodo destroyed the One Ring in The Return of the King, the power of the Three Rings also diminished.

The story of The Ring of Power is vital to the Tolkien stories, and in particular to the trilogy "Lord of the Rings", but the game breaks the point by changing the creator to Celebrimbor. In the game, Celebrimbor created the "One Ring", which allowed him to dominate the Dark Lord and all other rings and thus questioned several aspects related to the Ring. If Sauron did not create the One Ring, is his soul still connected to him? In addition, it is illogical to believe that Talion and Celebrimbor could create another Ring of Power that would be invulnerable to Sauron.

Nagging

The nine rings worn by humans associated them with the One Ring and therefore with Sauron. They succumbed to the power of the Ring and were eventually enslaved by Sauron as his servant of the Nazgul. The Nazgулыl consisted of nine Great Human Lords, one of whom was Khamul Easterling and the other was the Witch-king of Angmar. Three more were people from Numenor, although their names were never revealed. It was never stated who else was among the Nazgуловl in the books and films, and this is exactly what is used "Shadows of War".

The game rewrites history and claims that Isildur (ancestor of Aragorn and second king of Arnor) was saved from death - after being shot with an arrow and plunged into the river - and received one of Sauron's Nine Rings. The ring saved his life, but instantly turned him into one of the Nazgуловl. It didn't happen in books or movies. Moreover, the game also mistakenly assumes that Helm Hammerhand (former King of Rohan) and Suladan (Haradrim mentioned in "The Return of the King") were two more Nazgul. Talion became the fourth Nazgul in the story's finale.

We've covered 15 big differences between the game and the books.

"The Lord of the Rings" is undoubtedly a cult work that gave birth to a huge fantasy universe, which inspired, and is still inspired to this day, thousands of authors of different generations and genres. Not only in literature, but also in movies, music, comics, video games. Everywhere you can find works, in one way or another, inspired by Middle-earth, the adventures of the hobbits, the atrocities of Sauron, and endless war. So the Monolith studio decided not to stand aside, not forgetting to be inspired by the "Arkham" series about Batman, created by colleagues from Rocksteady. In 2014, the team released "Shadows of Mordor"- action in the open world, which introduced a unique system "Nemesis", forcing enemies to evolve, become stronger, take revenge and actually exist independently of the total scripts.

The first strike is the unchanging basis

Three years have passed, and now we have a continuation - Middle-earth: Shadow of War... The sequel continues to turn the universe of J.R.R. Tolkien, telling us about the events that supposedly took place between the adventures told in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. However, familiarity with the original is not a prerequisite for immersion in the game world. Talion - the hero of the first game, the deceased tracker, whose spirit united with the ghost of the ancient elven blacksmith Celebremore, continues his path of destruction and revenge, in order to stop the outrage that the orc troops are doing under the leadership of the Dark Lord.

There are more characters in this game, including women - the spider Shelob, the elf Eltariel, the spirit of the forest Karnan and the girl knight Idril. I hope that at least Elatriel and Idril DLC skins will appear in the game, as in the first part it was with Litariel.

This time, our couple does not do with sowing chaos and shredding orcs in two locations, instead, the game offers five areas, with different climates, atmospheres and features. Although, the atmosphere is similar everywhere - it "sa war an endless fight between darkness and light, to quote the Rebellion group. Each locality has its own fortress that will need to be captured and protected from attacks. Fortresses differ from each other by their size, capacity and location. key points, which, together with the characteristics of the areas, provides the game world with a good variety.

Second Impact - Introducing New Engraving

However, from a functional point of view, all areas are no different from what we highlighted in "Shadows of Mordor". The volcanic terrain of Gorgoroth will not burn Talion's heels, the swamps of Nurnen will not stain them, and the snow of Sergost has little to do with the protagonist. Or his opponents. All these are just visual effects and decorations, nothing more. In all areas, we kick asses on the orcs, who in the first twenty to thirty hours of the game will delight as hell with their diversity: in Shadows of War, the number of enemy classes has increased, they have become more diverse in appearance, and the number of replicas has increased significantly. Not without humor - there is an orc rhyming that speaks in verse, there is an orc bard who is ready to sing a greeting song.

There are several orcs in the game that will become our indispensable companions, for a long or short time. These characters are just superbly worked out, the dialogues with them are great, have charisma and good humor. Overall, the sequel's Orcs do even better work than the main storyline, which, while interesting enough to keep you close to the screen, is still too stretched to make it feel like a coherent narrative. On the other hand, this is the problem with most open-world games - the player is very keen on exploring areas and performing all sorts of side tinsel, which are often necessary to advance through the script.

Even foolish orcs are surprised at amazing wanderings. Like this one in the picture above.

The third blow - close the ring

In his wanderings through Mordor, Talion seeks not only to wreak havoc in the ranks of Sauron, but also to create his own strength. Here companions come to his aid - we can assign to the hero one or several bodyguards who will save in a difficult situation, take a detachment of tamed orcs with us and order them to storm the camp, summon a graug or tame a dragon flying nearby. Locations are filled with objects for interaction and profit: chests with money, collecting items that reveal the secrets of the world of Middle-earth, hives with evil flies, spider nests, barrels of grog, ice icicles and carcasses for luring Karagor. All this can be used against your enemies. Many Orc commanders can be killed with one such action!

Thirty hours later, and I have played more than fifty and have not yet received the platinum trophy, meetings with the orcs are starting to tire a little. The greeting remarks are repeated several times already, the types of orcs are also not endless, and you cannot miss all this. You just want to grind tasks for the sake of experience, money and recruiting officers, because the fourth act leading to the secret true ending is sheer mockery of a loyal player. And the game seems to say to you: “No, my friend. Don't be in a hurry, meet the orc Pushkrimp for the fiftieth time, albeit now in a new type, listen to the 101st time a line about the orc that speaks in verse, and then watch a few dozen battles in the pit. And all this cannot be missed. "

Orcs know how to cheat death, that is, to return from the afterlife, betray us, run away from the battle for a second before the final blow, escape from the finishing move and replenish health. All this works under the control of a random generator.

Fourth hit - laying the groundwork for special touches

Fighting in the pit is a new and cool feature, with which you can actually pump your orcs, raising their level, practically win-win. There are three types of pits in almost every area: for worms, warriors, and conquerors. In the first, fighters of a low level participate, in the second there are middle peasants, but in the latter - real monsters. The pits are a way to make your captain a leader by introducing a spy into the fortress. It is enough for him to defeat the other captain. The probability of victory depends on a number of factors: the level of the orc, its strengths and weaknesses. For example, I put an orc level 30 against a level 39, and he won a fairly easy victory due to the fact that his strengths gave a powerful advantage over the enemy. He was agile, and the enemy was clumsy.

The Overkill trophy drops when we send two of our subordinates to fight in the pit. Against each other
of course. And then there is the cool Brother for Brother trophy, but it is performed in a normal game.

When the area comes under the control of the player, the pits become the main tool for pumping. We choose our orc that we want to pump, we send it to any of the three pits and watch how he fights with a random enemy. Winning? Great, gets a level, brings us bonuses. Loses? It's a pity, poor fellow, but now is the time to personally go down into the pit and recruit the winner. Who needs losers ?! The player has no physical influence on the battles in the pit, and cannot intervene in the battle. So, the classic scheme of "combining business with pleasure" works here: we go about our business, read "The Lord of the Rings", watch "The Hobbit" and simultaneously click on the orcs, sending them into the pits. Don't waste your valuable time.

The fifth blow - the ring will be for the rich?

Of course, if you just want to go through the game, and then watch the true ending on YouTube, as many will definitely do, then there is no need to grind dozens of orcs for monotonous, boring and incomprehensible why the events of the bonus act are made. You won't really need the pits. But through the thorns of the final chapter, it is almost impossible to break through without them. Unless you have enough extra money to purchase golden chests, where you come across the highest and legendary orcs. They can also be obtained in silver chests, which are bought for in-game currency, but the chances of this are much lower. For example, I bought several gold chests, each had a guaranteed legendary orc, one had two. Out of ~ 100 silver chests, I came across about five or seven legendary orcs.

Did it ruin the game? No. Despite all the negativity that many of us feel about "loot boxes" and other microtransactions, players who flood real cash only get the opportunity to save real time, which, as you know, is money. They do not get any real advantage over ordinary players, and the network interactions in Shadows of War are asymmetric, and more often depend on the skill of the player himself than on the toughness of the fortifications of the owner of the world into which you are invading.

Sixth blow - sparks burn the skin

As you progress through, you experience much more "burns" due to basic game mechanics than from forced microtransactions, which you stop paying attention to when you go outside the Internet and forums. In particular, the combat system of the new game suffers from all the same poignant moments that were in the first part, and are also integral features of the Rocksteady combat. All of these can be grouped into a category called "game recognition of player intent."

I can't do without examples, because they are so important (not sarcasm). When a player fights a captain or chieftain, ordinary orcs have a bestial property of appearing out of nowhere and getting underfoot. And often they are joined by any intelligent and semi-intelligent living creatures: olog-hai, they are trolls, karagoras, graugs and dragons. You just deal with all of them and focus on your target, when an arrow suddenly flies in, and then the counter-attack indicator lights up. “Your mom this way and that,” you think, and you try not to waste time on husk anymore. This is where trouble comes in.

Controlling each animal is unique, but not always convenient. Especially when playing as a dragon in confined space missions. You need to get used to everyone - the clumsiness and sluggishness of the graugs, the agility of the Karagors and the drunken flights of snakes.

Firstly, the game often does not understand what kind of technique the player wants to do - to jump over the enemy, or to ride between his legs (in the case of a troll, which cannot be jumped over, but Talion persistently tries!). Secondly, the conquest of the enemy (holding the "circle"), the game is often confused with the movement, which is prescribed for pressing the "circle" - in my case, it is a freezing punch with a fist. Thirdly, the game often does not understand what kind of enemy you are trying to conquer. Not only is the conquest triggered with a delay, but also on an ordinary stupid orc, instead of a broken captain! I deliberately dabbled with this tonight and checked. Situation: two captains, one is broken and stands closer to me, the second is aggressive and is several meters further than the first. Whom does the game try to conquer while holding the "circle"? You understand ... It was possible to prescribe adequate priorities.

Seventh Impact - Whipping Ring?

The rest of the combat system also remained the same. Talion knows how to swing a sword, parry blows, carry out powerful counterattacks, jump over enemies, tame animals, and beautifully cut everything that is cut. The mechanics are the unchanging "Arkham" Batman series of adventures, with all its features, spiced with an additional layer of submission to absorption and instant execution. The hero has a bow, with which he skillfully handles, thanks to the ghost of Celebrimor, and knows how to briefly slow down the flow of time while aiming. Most of Talion's moves can be upgraded and provided with additional features: freezing, poison, ignition, increased stealth, jumping shooting, and much more. There are a lot of skills, and in order to pump them all, you have to grind well.

Eighth Impact - Sudden Madness?

Talion also knows how to kill secretly, or savagely destroy the enemy, dipping the surrounding orcs into a vat of horror. This stealth mechanic is implemented in Shadows of War as tortured as in Shadow of Mordor. It exists for added variety, a few key missions, and numerous secondary tasks. But in fact, it works not as stealth, but as a surprise. It seems to me that this is exactly what it should have been called when translating. The fact is that when you rush through the entire camp at elven speed, two dozen opponents jump away from you, and you sharply attack one of them - this is not stealth, but surprise. Moreover, for a particular orc who received a lethal dose of steel in the liver. But the game considers this to be stealthy. Thus, the tasks of stealth + time are solved by a banal run through the camp of enemies with the sudden destruction of several. And do not care that the dragon of the orcs rushes after you with three heads-captains.

Eltariel's missions seem to me to be the most interesting. And not because of the blonde elf, but because they show the stories of the Nazgul. Even if not as much as we would like.

Nevertheless, despite the torture, I would even say the caricature of stealth, the awkward moments in the combat system and the protracted narrative, "Shadow of War" is played very cool. The project is naturally captivating, and its performance on the PlayStation 4 is extremely satisfying. Good drawing range, pleasant animation of enemies, cool original voice acting, stable frame rate, which only occasionally allows itself to sink a little. On a regular console. All sorts of mechanical flaws in the best traditions of Assassin's Creed have already become so ingrained in open-world and parkour games that you pay attention to them, but you are no longer angry as before. We are talking about problems when a character clings to an unnecessary ledge, refuses to unclench his fingers and jump, clings to some invisible texture, and so on. This is all there, as in the first part.

Ninth blow - the omnipotence that unites Mordor

The game also works well online, and there are three types of Internet interaction: completing tests (including for obtaining premium gold), revenge for other players, and sieging their castles. Challenges change daily and are easy to perform, revenge on the network does not differ from a regular vendetta, just as the siege of the fortress is almost identical to the local one: we must get to the throne room and defeat the lord of the lands. The player whose world we are invading does not suffer from our actions! As well as we from the actions of others. Just for fun, and for the sake of war trophies, for every thousand of which a chest with bonuses is provided. Also, the net is a great way to find a lot of legendary gear.

Finally, I would like to say a little about trophies Ќ I took the platinum cup in Shadows of Mordor in 38 hours. In this game I am already under 60 hours, and there are still unreceived trophies. Just a few, but I don't want to grind them yet. Hypothetically, during this time it was already possible to get platinum, if not sprayed on the destruction of captains, full domination in all locations, and network tasks. If you buy gold chests, that's right. But do not forget that the orcs in "Shadows of War" are mean bastards, and often betray. This fact also applies to legendary fighters from purchased chests, so think twice before pouring additional funds.

On a dark path!

Tenth Impact - a ring worthy of a new Master

Middle-earth: Shadows of War is a worthy sequel to Shadow of Mordor, Monolith's lavish narrative of events that were lost between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The game world has become many times larger and richer, the "Nemesis" system has been brought to a qualitatively new level, gladiatorial battles between orcs and the capture of fortresses have added variety to the gameplay. However, it was not without a fly in the ointment: the narrative feels drawn out, the control is replete with the same inconveniences as in the original, and the path to the true ending is like a slow defile naked through a thorn bush, in which a nest of angry wasps is hidden.

The review is based on the digital version of the game provided by the publisher.

Talking about "Shadow of War" ( Middle-earth: Shadow of War) is perhaps dominated by the question of how many loot boxes and microtransactions affect the experience (namely, not at all), but in terms of "stuffing" it is a skillful, innovative and rather original game.

"Shadow of War" is based on the "Shadow of Mordor" Nemesis system, where any random enemy can kill you and increase your rank (during missions of revenge and other confrontations between enemies). You are now recruiting new orcs (recruited in-game or possibly purchased from The Headhunter) and pitting them against a number of fortresses in need of capture.

You can assign spies to outrun some of the high-ranking warlords when the siege begins, deploy your friendly orcs to trim ranks altogether, and even summon others to act as active bodyguards in the game.

There are many things to use here, but if you go to Mordor make sure you know how to get to the other side.

12. How to automatically select items

Shadow of War requires an awkward hold on R1 / RB to select items or equipment. It's the same button as capturing orcs or activating missions, and it ... gets in the way a bit, to be honest.

But there is nothing to be afraid of - there is a way to navigate and select items, just like in any other game. Just go to the character screen, then scroll down to the Wraith line and next to the four icons you will see "Treasure Hunter".

Grab it and that's it - when you go through the items, they are added to your inventory. Of course, these four icons mean you will need to quadruple your level to get the points you need, but the Treasure Hunter is a level of living that removes one of the game's biggest drawbacks.

11. Deliberate death has its advantages

The very foundation of the Nemesis system is based on the fact that Talion cannot die, and makes the orcs regional antagonists, allowing them to collect abilities and armor to boot.

But this also has its benefits.

Let's say there is a specific Orc with a specific skill set that you would like to recruit. Set up a mission to trigger their arrival, or search the world and then specifically fail.

They will immediately receive a level / ability boost, some new equipment and a new rank - all that you will then receive if you find them and defeat them in this new form.

Of course, the fight will be harder, but otherwise you cannot pump your orcs so quickly, and although this may sound like an excuse, it is a much more effective and quick way to create a strong army.

10. Return a stolen / broken sword (even at its best)

Wondering why you can't remove your starting gear from your inventory? This is because the game keeps it just in case the orc decides to break your new kit.

In fact, during any meeting with a captain / warlord / overlord, you can face an enemy who (if you are knocked down and left alive) will literally take your current blade and break it in half.

Although you decided that he was gone forever, find the new mission "Vendetta", which appeared with the mentioned orc, and go through it.

After defeating a new enemy (don't recruit them), they'll drop the stolen gear again - thankfully with additional levels to match whatever upgrade they get to kill you.

9. You can assign several assassins to the voivode

Tiny statistics on the army screen - assigning orcs / captains to capture the warlord and assign spies.

Shortly after you have dominated a certain orc and set a target for him, press the "Command" option on the other and hover your mouse over the same Warlord whose days are already numbered.

With a few traitors assigned, start this mission and watch as your orcs unleash their true commands, undermining the Warlord's health so you can get an easy kill.

8. How to effectively use the fighting pits

Fighting Pits - One of the coolest features in Shadow of War - is where your best orcs fight random creatures in the game, with only AI to control their animations.

But while you can order any recently captured captain to infiltrate the upper echelons of the fortress as an assassin, you will always return to the same location (the battle pits themselves) for the fight to take place.

To get around this, capture the orcs and lure them to your side, but wait with the mission assignment until you literally fall into place in the pit. Once you're there, tap on the Army screen and then tell your orcs who is fighting whom. A mission will appear next to you and you can start it.

Repeat this for all your captured orcs, and you will save a lot of time. Just remember: capture / dominate as many orcs as you need and then fight.

7. Only quests and killing the captain give experience

It's unclear how they got it so wrong, but Shadow of War literally forgets to tell you how XP works.

In other words, if you think you can roam the open world, killing thousands of orcs and increasing your rank, then don't expect an increase in XP.

But there are only ways to gain experience - it is to kill the captain (found in the world) or through missions. Yes, kills of Warlords and Overlords give XP, but they are triggered from the map in the form of icons.

Note that story missions are worth over 10,000 XP once you hit Act 2, so if you need to increase the rating of your entire army, prioritize those missions and objectives. The strength of your army is equal to the level of Talion, so sometimes you need to participate in a battle, history or something else.

6. Ghost Sight Reveals Rats That Give Health

Recovering health is much more difficult in Shadow of War, mainly because there are no items to recover it, and your counter will only recover to the gray part.

Basically, rats will spawn side by side as soon as health is low enough, so back off, hold down circle / B and poke at the little tiny heads.

5. It is necessary to jam properly in order to saddle Olog

A small but significant difference, although the game suggests that the stunned Olog will give you a ride on top of him, and here the circle / B button will not help you. You will be flattened while you try to achieve this.

Better wait for Olog to start attacking, a tooltip appears with a button icon above his head, and then press the circle to stun him. Press then R1 / RB, and you will successfully saddle the beast, now you can control it to clear the territory.

The same goes for missions where you need to "quietly kill" or "quietly dry" enemies. Shadow of War only wants you to see melee animations, not long-range headshot.

Hopefully this will be fixed in the post-launch patches, but just remember: this is most likely not you, but the game is finicky.

4. Reinforcements and stones

These are two extremely important components of the game and can be easily viewed in the pile of menu prompts that make up the first act of the game.

Gains: Perhaps when you take part in the first Siege, or when you tell an orc to kill another, you noticed the Training Orders option and found a couple of buffs there. As a rule, this is elemental damage, a troupe of additional orcs or a special weapon change, etc., that the orc uses in each next battle, but then ... they disappear from the same equipment screen.

The reason is that these are add-ons locked in loot - drops of equipment from the market, which you can purchase with real money or gold coins, which are given for daily tasks. Extremely Helpful: Try to complete multiple challenges before putting on your favorite Borgface The Stab-Lover with the best buffs.

Stones: you might think that they need to be collected again, first you want to spend a little Mirian to open the necessary slots with "precious stones" for each weapon, because they greatly affect the gameplay.

They work like this: (besides the fact that "red" = "damage", "green" = "life" and "white" = "XP / recruitment level") all stones of a lower level can be given to a higher one. You will need three first levels to create one second; three second for the third, and so on. Therefore, do not let go of the orcs who collect gems (indicated by white arrows on the minimap), kill them, and even if you get a standard stone, combine them all together in sequence for the best buffs.

3. Distract the orcs with noise

The Distraction ability in Shadow of Mordor has been updated so you no longer need to aim at the orc for the tooltip to appear.

Now, instead of looking at who's ahead, just hold L2 / LT and aim. Whether you are in ghost mode or normal mode, use this to create a triangle / Y noise distraction at the location your crosshair is pointing to.

A very useful thing for the destruction of Captains who have moved away from their bodyguards. This can also be used to lure enemies out if you have the same annoying mission where you can't be found.

2. Orcs can serve as a human shield

In normal combat, we all run out of supplies. And when the screen quickly fills up with many orcs from different factions, hold R1 / RB to grab one.

This can be done on any part of the group, then leave with the loot, and every other orc that will strike deals damage to him.

This is a great way to get out of a mess, especially if the captain can be grabbed without giving in. Take advantage of the chaos: When more bodies appear on the screen, hit your target and then take it back.

1. Instant dominance and recruitment of multiple captains

One of the deliberately designed cons is cutting your side by side. Before you manage to dominate / recruit the captain, when you hold circle / B, it is almost always interrupted by another enemy.

To fix this, use the Combat Drain ability (press X + O / A + B at the same time), which allows you to grab someone immediately, rather than after 5-6 seconds.

And when combined with Double Charge (an ability that allows you to take on two enemies at the same time), you can dominate two captains at the same time. Both cutscenes will dissolve one after the other, and even if there are no captains in sight, grab a regular orc for the reserve.