Middle-earth™: Shadow of Mordor™

Open world game as it is with all its pros and cons. Could become rather monotonous, so would recommend only for LOTR fans. Great time-killer! :) And doesn't take too long to beat (even for 100%)

📌The combat is fluid and satisfying, reminiscent of the Batman: Arkham series, but with its own flair, incorporating swordplay and wraith abilities. Stealth mechanics and exploration add depth, allowing players to approach missions with strategy and creativity.

📌Visually, the game is stunning, capturing the eerie beauty of Mordor with atmospheric landscapes and detailed character designs. The voice acting and sound design further immerse players in the dark and gritty world of Middle-earth.

📌gameplay with an innovative system and compelling story As fans of Tolkien’s works was a memorable gaming experience for me.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 9/10

good game. crazy that straight to the point, all included, complete games are rare now. fun combat, LoTR story.

I want to like this game as it contains solid content. However the mouse acceleration is god awful and the game is clearly designed with controllers solely in mind.

this game was clearly meant to be the prototype for something bigger and better, that being the sequel. it's a fun time, but it's got so much frustrating jank that holds it back. still i recommend it for the nemesis system and the setting (if you like LOTR)

I've played the sequel many times but this is my first time playing mordor. I like it a lot but not as much as the sequel. I recommend buying both games in the series.

If you love Lord of the Rings and Tolkeins world then you'll love this game. The nemesis system is one of the coolest things about this game and is what makes every playthrough of the game different. Would love to see more games have this type of npc uniqueness.

Beat it on PS4 without any DLC. Had to pick it up on PC for a couple bucks. We don't talk about its ugly big brother though.

Absolutely love this game not even two hours logged and im hooked. Its perfect if you love action packed RPG games with a AMAZING story line would recommend.

Assassin's Creed in Middle Earth.

Satisfying combat with good combo system and cinematic finishers including brutal stealth kills, insta-kill archery head shots and the ability to convert Orcs to fight for you mid-battle before exploding their heads to regain health. Has a point system for improving your stats and weapon abilities gained through killing captains which allows for slight customisation for particular play styles. Can complete the very forgettable story in 15 hours or less and the DLCs in 2-3 hours each. Challenge runs are pretty fun (2 needed for 100% completion) and add a further several hours depending on RNG. Definitely a game everyone should experience for the novelty of the nemesis system and joy of eating captains with a Graug.

👍 What I Liked:

Combat system encouraged precision over button mashing — really satisfying

Nemesis system was excellent — started slow but became super engaging after unlocking branding

Stealth mechanics were fun (even if a bit janky at times)

Story was simple and easy to follow, great for picking it up after a break

Graphics held up surprisingly well for an older game

Great soundtrack and immersive setting

Open world gave a real sense of freedom — loved being able to play my own way

👎 What I Didn't Like:

Stealth checks were inconsistent — sometimes they’d work, other times not in the same situation

Jumping and climbing felt stiff and awkward — unclear what could be climbed

Collectibles (like artifacts and Ithildin) got repetitive after a while

Some mission types felt samey — by the end, I was ready to just wrap up the story

🎯 Final Thoughts:
Shadow of Mordor was a really enjoyable game that suited my play style well. The story wasn’t too deep, which made it easy to come back to after breaks. I usually play games in short sessions, so I appreciated being able to jump in and out without losing track. The freedom in how you approached combat — stealth, archery, or straight-up fighting — made it fun and flexible. While some parts felt repetitive, overall it didn’t take itself too seriously, and I had a great time with it.

⭐ Score: 8/10

Great game. It is like a combo of Witcher 3, Arkham City, and Assassins Creed.

This game shows its age. I’ve gotten to a point where I am not enjoying it any longer. All enemy encounters fell the same, controller scheme is whack, enemies spawn in immediately after clearing an area, boring color palettes, etc. Also, I don’t understand the obsession over the nemesis system… queue the clown awards.

Edit: finished the story just now. WOW was that a disappointing ending.

For a game from 2014 it´s really great.
In terms of gameplay i enjoyed it. I think it has nice combat system, stealth mode and the nemesis system is one of the greatest aspects of this game.
The story + all the dlc´s were super fun. I love medieval type games and movies especially LOTR, so this was must buy for me.
The graphics are pretty solid for that time.
Only thing that i don´t like is the repetetivness of the missions but that´s a small issue a lot of games has...
Also not to mention Sauron had really great voice actor and made me respect the villian more.


To end this review i highly recommend buying this if you´re a LOTR fan or someone who´s bored and doesn´t know what to play. There´s plenty of references, easter eggs and it´s fun. 9/10

good game and is fun despite being a little easy. If you like Lord of the Rings you would love this game.

One of the games that brought something fresh, cool and great onto the industry. One of a kind. 10/10

This game is absolutely fantastic. Definitely qualifies for the Best Game I Suck At award. Don't hesitate.

Absolute masterpiece of a game, funny orks and dialogue and most importantly the combat and graphics are BEAUTIFUL

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

[Overview]

Shadow of Mordor is an open world action/stealth game inspired by similar games such as Batman: Arkham and Assassin's Creed. The story takes place between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. You play as Talion, a Gondorian Ranger whose family is sacrificed by the Black Hand of Sauron in order to summon the wraith of the Elf Lord Celebrimbor. Talion's life is saved by Celebrimbor and they set off to seek revenge against Sauron and the Black Hand. Throughout the game Talion is able to utilize Celebrimbor's wraith powers in order to give him various advantages and abilities, even the ability to cheat death. Shadow of Mordor is most notable for it's gameplay mechanic known as the Nemesis system. This mechanic introduces a hierarchy of rival Captain and Warchief ranked Orcs that have dynamic names, titles, traits, power levels, abilities, classes, strengths, and weaknesses. They have a memory of general events related to them (such as them killing the player, the player killing their guards or mounted caragor/graugs, the player finding them after they successfully flee, etc.) and will reference these events in dialogue. This system was widely praised for making Talion's enemies incredibly dynamic and immersive.

[Positives]

- Good gameplay. It takes a lot of influence from games like Batman: Arkham and classic Assassin’s Creed.
- Great graphics and art style.
- Good soundtrack.
- The Nemesis system is really cool. It’s not quite as advanced as it is in Shadow of War, but it’s still a lot of fun and really impressive.
- Good upgrades/skills. The skills you unlock make a huge difference in how you play the game.
- Decent story. It’s fairly minimal, but it has a much more grounded tone compared to Shadow of War which is nice. The writing and dialogue is much better in this game, far less ironic and campy.
- There are a very reasonable amount of collectibles, it’s not spammy or excessive like in other similar games. Getting in-game 100% completion is very realistic.

[Mixed]

- The controls and the camera can be pretty awkward and buggy, but it’s not completely terrible.
- The two story DLCs are lazy, mediocre, short, and overpriced. They re-use the base game maps (no new locations), barely have any actual missions, can be beaten in two hours each, and aren’t really that fun. The only main positive is that the Bright Lord DLC has a much better final boss than the base game which makes it worth playing at least once.

[Negatives]

- Online servers were shutdown in 2020 making the online missions and features no longer available.
- The game uses pre-rendered cutscenes which is disappointing. In-engine cutscenes would’ve looked great.
- A lot of story missions involve sections of slowly following a companion while listening to dialogue. It’s a real waste of this games time given that there are only 20 story missions for the entire game and some of them are fairly short.
- Some of the best gameplay mechanics are introduced far too late into the game. For instance, by the time you unlock the ability to dominate Captains, there are only four story missions left in the game.
- The final boss is absolute garbage. It’s a lazy QTE sequence instead of an actual fight. The later parts of the story feel pretty rushed as well.
- Failing a side mission doesn’t give you a retry button, instead making you go all the way back to the mission marker to retry. This can get pretty frustrating, especially during the more difficult side missions.
- Weapon runes feel lackluster. It’s all RNG which runes you get by killing Captains/Warchiefs, some runes are great, some are kinda useless. You’ll usually end up equipping whatever just kinda works instead of worrying about truly optimizing them.
- Some slight technical complaints. The only anti-aliasing options on PC are FXAA or super-sampling. The frame rate is capped at 100 FPS, it’s possible to disable this limit through tweaks, but it causes a bug in one of the story missions.

[Conclusion]

Shadow of Mordor is easily one of the best Lord of the Rings games out there. It’s like if Ubisoft were capable of making a quality game. The gameplay is solid and the Nemesis system makes the world feel alive, dynamic, and replayable.
8/10

The story is kinda confusing for me but its okay! Beside that the nemesis system is amazing and the fighting animation is very fluid and cool!

Great story with great gameplay. Obviously the nemesis system carries, but it never hurts to be a great game without it. Shadow of war is more in depth with the system, but has a more lighthearted tone to it, while this game is grittier and feels more like it takes place in the LOTR universe. 10/10 experience.

Amazing game, so many quests and things to do, once you get a hold of it you can't stop playing. I finished the game entirely, the story and the DLC's with 100% of achievements. It was really hard but also fun to achieve.
I recommend getting the game because it is really worth it.

Good combat system that fleshes out pretty well during progression. Obvious star of the show has to be the nemesis system that will never ever be used again because Warner Bros is a comically evil corporation that hates fun and whimsy. Talion and Celebrimbor are good characters but literally every other npc is so forgettable to the point I was remembering my randomly generated orc follower names before the dedicated story npc names. Other than that this game and its' sequel are steals I 100% recommend

The DLC Lord of the Hunt and The Bright Hunt are available in Japan.

DLC「Lord of the Hunt」と「The Bright Hunt」が日本で発売されました。

This game was great at the time of its release. Having re-visited it, I realized it has not aged well. If you have played the Batman: Arkham games, the gameplay in this is very similar.

The biggest problem with this game is that it is way too easy, and there is no way to change the difficulty. At first it's really fun, but once you unlock some abilities, it becomes so easy that it is boring. Shadow of War is better in every way, so there is very little reason to play this. If you can get this for very cheap, I'd say play through the story because it is very good, but don't bother with the side stuff.

Also, the boss fight with The Tower is really stupid, and the final boss fight with The Black Hand is even more stupid (it's literally just a quick time event).

Talion is the Starkiller of the LOTR universe and they are cowards for not making him canon.

The game is really fun still though, so that's nice.

Good game. Nothing revolutionary, but if you enjoy Ubisoft-like open world games, you will enjoy this as well.

Gameplay is fun with a lot of approaches possible. The abilities are all fun to use and kill orcs. I liked the enemy systems that they created for the game.

Story wise it's okay. Nothing groundbreaking, but not bad as well.

Graphics is okay as well.

7/10

Great game. Its sad they patented the nemesis system many other games could have benefited from it

Having 100% completed Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, I can confidently say it’s one of the most rewarding action-adventure games I’ve played. The story, centred around Talion and the spirit of Celebrimbor, is engaging, and the innovative Nemesis System kept every encounter fresh by allowing enemies to remember past battles and evolve. The combat feels smooth and satisfying, with a skill tree that gives a real sense of progression.

Achieving every achievement in the game was a challenge, but it was one I gladly took on. Between the exploration, side quests, and collectables, there was always something to keep me hooked. The world of Mordor is beautifully realised, and the dark atmosphere really pulls you into the experience. Completing everything felt incredibly rewarding, and it’s a game I would definitely recommend to any fan of Tolkien’s world or action-packed game play.

Most excellent game. This was my 2nd playthrough so didn't bother with the side objectives. Hence the short playthrough. My 1st was on ps spent 50hrs doing everything years ago

The nemesis system is just phenomenal on it's own and with the amazing story of the Lord of the Rings this is a really amazing game to experience.

I had SO MUCH FUN playing this game! The combat and stealth are fantastic!!! Every time I'd play, I'd be like "one more duel, one more main mission, one more side quest" and then it'd be 3AM. Amazing story, setting, and characters. The Nemesis System made interactions with NPCs feel alive and consequential; I need more games with this mechanic. This is a must for LOTR fans and epic fantasy lovers <3

I will NEVER forgive Warner Bros. for owning the patent to the Nemesis system and then never doing anything with it ever again beyond these games. Absolutely phenomenal games that I can't recommend enough!

I recommend it for people who love the lord of the rings and its world.
I don't recommend it for people like me, who don't care about it.

It's too easy, it's too tedious, I find it very uninteresting all around. However.. the game does succeed at making you feel like a badass (I cannot deny that it's funny you can one-man-army a bunch of gooners in their stronghold), and the stealth can be fun (again, strongholds make for funny places). I unfortunately couldn't care about anything else, I did not want to play through the story, I did not want to do any sidequests for characters or saving slaves, that's fine, it just means the game wasn't for me, I had my bit of fun playing it, but weirdly I felt like I was wasting my time, when I could've played something else that I trust I WOULD ENJOY, but hey, I bought the game, the least I can do is give the game a fair shot.

even tho i have not watch a single thing of lord of the rings this game is still amazing to play love the combat feel like in the batman arkham series

Good graphics, mechanics and story line

Got this game during the Steam Spring Sale (2025) and I thought it was gonna be lame, I am pleasantly surprised. If you're playing with M&K controls, its a bit funky at first but it gets easier. Luckily you can remap the key bindings, but I promise, its good the way it is. It's very satisfying to play. There's a decent amount of side missions. I highly recommend this game from someone who doesn't play these types of games. The movement if fluid and easy to grasp but still challenging at times. I've sank 15 hrs in this game and im only 38% done.

Here's the deal: Shadow of Mordor is like Assassin’s Creed had a wild night with Arkham combat, and the result was an orc-smashing power trip in Middle-earth. The Nemesis System is the real MVP—turning random Uruks into your personal arch-nemeses (or unwilling minions). The combat? Satisfyingly brutal. The parkour? Surprisingly smooth. The story? Well… it's there, but let’s be honest, you're mostly in it for the epic revenge arcs and stylish decapitations.

Shadow of Mordor is not bad, not great, it's just mediocre. Wish I could give it a neutral recommendation.

The combat is the best part, a reskin of Batman Arkham’s system but with some solid additions that make slicing through Uruks satisfying. Unfortunately, the stealth is laughably poor, the enemies have the awareness of a brick, and the parkour is clunky at best. Expect to get stuck on objects or fail jumps that should be simple.

The quests are repetitive and forgettable, the characters are shallow, and the protagonist is as dull as a rusted sword. His connection with the Wraith lacks depth, and even when the story tries to introduce twists, they lose impact within minutes. The plot is basic, with little meaningful development.

On the technical side, I encountered no bugs or glitches, which is a plus. However, the pre-rendered cutscenes are bafflingly terrible. Low resolution, jagged edges, and inexplicably running at 15 FPS. It’s like watching a bad YouTube upload from 2008.

That said, the game nails the fan service. If you’re a Tolkien fan like me, you’ll enjoy roaming Mordor and decapitating orcs, then it will be fun for you. The Nemesis System is a cool touch, but everything else is average. Worth a play if you love Middle-earth, but don’t expect a masterpiece.

it's really good, the fighting is really well put together, the graphics are amazing and the story is very fulfilling. one problem though. i try doing a few early game missions and half of the bosses show up, no joke. half of all the bosses out of nowhere.

Assassins Creed parkour with Arkham Asylum combat, what's not to like? Fun core loop, the orks had a ton of personality and the whole system behind them was really good. Got a little dull near the end once your abilities get levelled up and the last two bosses were really anticlimactic, but hey still a good game.

This game sure is a lot of fun. Not only does the combat look super cool, but you feel super cool while engaging in it. I'm also impressed by how good the graphics look, as well as how well it runs. Not the most lore-faithful game, but definitely a must-try for any fan of the LOTR franchise that just wants to drop into the universe and kick some ass.

With the Nemesis system, this game is literally everyone's own unique Game of Thrones with orcs (Betrayals, Great Epic orc Battles, Epic moments and etc). Greatly recommend!

One of the nicest game i have ever played , i bought the bundle with shadow of war too gonna play both.
I read it somewhere that there wont be a third game for this which honestly its needed.
Love nemesis system.
Hate to WB.

An exceptional open-world game, with flow-state combat and fun stealth mechanics.

The Nemesis system is a blast, and it's always fun to hear the background chanting of whatever random name is coming to fight you. Every boss is a dice roll of strengths and weaknesses, and it creates a lot of fun chaos as you adapt to that particular subset of talents.

Let me tell you though, once you've unlocked and experienced your first combat execution, you will not put this game down. There are just so many variations that it is pure joy to smash through hordes of orcs just to witness them.

An easy recommendation and a must-play if you own a Steam Deck, as this runs at a beautiful 60 fps on it.

A masterpiece. Must have for RPG and LOTR lovers

Thankyou Monilith for your contribution in gaming. Unfortunate that we won't be seeing Nemesis system again anytime soon.

Pro's
- True to LOTR lore
- Nemesis system
- Amazing gameplay
- Combat is smooth, just like Arkham games. Every execution is smooth.
- Well written characters and dialogues
- Graphics still looks lood

Con's
Nothing of sorts that takes you away from the game.

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☑ Beautiful
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS

---{ Gameplay }---
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't

---{ Audio }---
☑ Eargasm
☐ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf

---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma

---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☐ Decent
☑ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Game Size }---
☐ Floppy Disk
☐ Old Fashioned
☐ Workable
☑ Big
☐ Will eat 10% of your 1TB hard drive
☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it
☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data

---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☑ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls

---{ Grind }---
☐ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☑ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding

---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☐ Good
☑ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life

---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☑ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond

---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☑ Worth the price
☐ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{ Bugs }---
☑ Never heard of
☐ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☐ 8
☐ 9
☑ 10

---{ Author }---
☑ https://vojtastruhar.github.io/steam-review-template

I jumped into Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and honestly, it was a wild ride. From the very start, I was hooked by the mix of action, stealth, and all that epic fantasy vibe. Overall, I'd rate it about an 8.3 out of 10.

Gameplay (9/10):
What really blew my mind was the Nemesis system. The fact that enemies could remember my moves and adapt just made every fight feel personal and fresh. Sure, there were moments when the enemy AI got a bit too predictable, but the dynamic combat and stealth mechanics kept things exciting for me.

Visuals (8/10):
The game world is packed with detail. I loved how the lighting and shadows could flip the mood from chill to creepy in no time. Even though some textures didn’t feel as sharp as what you might see in today’s games, the overall look and atmosphere pulled me deep into Middle-earth.

Story (7.5/10):
Playing as Talion, I got drawn into a tale of revenge mixed with a dash of inner conflict. The story definitely had that epic, Lord of the Rings feel I adore, even if it wasn’t the deepest narrative I’ve experienced. It did its job of setting the mood and keeping me invested.

Audio (8/10):
The soundtrack was epic and really ramped up the intensity during battles and exploration. I did notice some sound effects getting a bit repetitive over time, but overall, the audio design added a ton to the experience.

Replayability (8.5/10):
Every playthrough felt a little different thanks to the Nemesis system and all the side missions. It made me want to dive back in and see what would change.

RIP Monolith. This game you made is one of my favorite games, and my favorite Lord of the Rings game, of all time. Despite not being exactly canon and changing some things, this game still is very faithful to and very respectful of the source material of the great works of J. R. R. Tolkien, more so than any other recent or even upcoming so-called "LOTR game" lore vandalization-fest will ever be. Thank you for creating and sharing this amazing LOTR game experience with us.

Amazing game

[hr][/hr]
Playing this game on Steam was an obligation and a cause of nostalgia to me as I played this almost a decade ago. But for what its worth, this is one of the best games out there.

I have never been a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings series, in fact back when I played it for the first time I didn't even know the lore behind LOTR so I couldn't understand most of the references, I was only aware that the setting of this game is in the LOTR universe. This year I finished the trilogy so coming back to this game was a gamechanger to me as now I was way more informed about the lore and I could catch majority of the LOTR references and plot points in this game. In a sense I enjoyed this game this time better.

The game itself is well designed, its side quests and main missions are not too far off and so its quite easy to follow. There are many challenges in the game as well so that keeps the game mechanics from getting monotonous. The graphics is really good (both today and for its time as well) and the character designs are super sick. The combat in the game and skills are one of the best I have ever seen, although the movement is not as fast paced as to my liking (its not a dealbreaker). The soundtracks in the game completely complement the setting of the game and the plot is damn good (I believe its set between Hobbit and the trilogies ).

The biggest game mechanic and perhaps the only one of its kind is the Nemesis system where the enemies would interact with you based on your previous interaction, if killed will develop a grudge against you and automatic promotion (after they kill you) to certain ranks based on their reputation is the best aspect of this game. Monolith absolutely cooked with this one and its a shame it was never introduced in any other games (heard WB patented it so its a bummer).

All in all, this is a damn great game to experience and for every penny it gives you the joy of living in the Tolkien verse and how it feels to best the closest allies of Sauron.

🎮 Gameplay
🔲 Excellent
✅ Good
🔲 Average
🔲 Poor
🔲 Staring at Walls is better

🌄 Graphics
🔲 Beautiful
✅ Good
🔲 Decent
🔲 Bad
🔲 Paint.exe

🎵 Audio
🔲 Eargasm
✅ Amazing
🔲 Good
🔲 Not too Bad
🔲 Bad

📖 Story
🔲 No story
🔲 Text or Audio Floating Around
🔲 Average
✅ Good
🔲 It will replace your life

🛡️ Difficulty
🔲 Just press "A"
🔲 Easy
🔲 Average
✅ Easy to Learn / Hard to Master
🔲 Difficult

🔁 Replayability
🔲 No replay value
🔲 Maybe Once
✅ A few times
🔲 Many Times
🔲 Infinitely replayable

⏳ Length
🔲 Short (4 to 10hr)
🔲 Average (10 to 25hr)
✅ Long (25 to 50hr)
🔲 Very Long (50 to 150hr)
🔲 To infinity and beyond

🖥️ Hardware Requirement
🔲 Check if you can run paint
✅ Potato
🔲 Decent
🔲 Fast
🔲 Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

🪲 Bugs
✅ Never heard of
🔲 Minor bugs
🔲 Can get annoying
🔲 Game-breaking bugs
🔲 The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

💸 Worth Buying
🔲 It’s free!
✅ Worth the price
🔲 Minor sale (<30%)
🔲 Major sale (>70%)
🔲 You could also just burn your money

📝 Rating
🔲 1
🔲 2
🔲 3
🔲 4
🔲 5
🔲 6
🔲 7
🔲 8
✅ 9
🔲 10

Description:

Shadow of Mordor is a third-person action game set in J R R Tolkien's Lord of the Rings universe.

The game features good graphics, a solid soundtrack and a great open world core loop where you farm orcs to progress through the story.

The combat is good for an action game and slowly turns into a power fantasy as the player levels up. Enemy variety is fairly limited but the "trait" system for commanders along with the fantastic "nemesis" system makes the gameplay fun for many hours.

The writing while decent is not cannon to the books but the atmosphere is solid. The soundtrack and audio ques of various weapons and attacks is also superb

The weak aspects of the game are the lore inconsistencies and lack of enemy variety which holds the game back from infinite replay-ability. The core loop could have been much more fun if these aspects were better.

TLDR: Shadow of War is a solid action game for fans of the franchise but even better for newcomers to the LoTR universe!!