Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™

the gameplay is alot better from the previous game

Builds upon the last game. Nemesis system improved, which is nice.
Takes a lot of liberties in Lord of the Rings lore, namely in the Nazgul.

A fun game, developing on many of the ideas that made the first game so much fun. However, in the late game the game becomes very boring and repetitive. The expansions do not add much, and the Galadriel one is positively offensive to the lore, but the Desolation one is arguably much more fun than the base game.
The game feels nothing like Tolkein's world, however, and breaks the canon frequently for the sake of cool gameplay or interesting characters.

good game. good mechanics. good graphics. good storytelling.
Overall decent game.
Love to have it in my steam library.

Genuinely one of the greatest mechanics in gaming ever, good story, fun gameplay. Feels like force unleashed power fantasy type game. Really love it and it being LOTR is awesome. Sure it goes against the story completely but I think the dev team had fun with their creative liberties and it shows. It’s also cool they made shelob a baddie so that’s neat I guess.

This game is amazing and reminds me of first person shooters and has a large free roaming maps

Incredible - grind for an hour or two then the game opens up once you hit Minas Tirith. Having a blast so far where the gameplay is fluid, fun and not repetitive. You can focus on the main quests or go around killing captain, collectible, etc.

Shadow of War delivers a thrilling action-packed experience, set in the richly detailed world of J.R.R. Tolkien. One of the standout features is undoubtedly the innovative Nemesis System, which brings a dynamic and personal touch to gameplay. The system ensures that each encounter with an enemy feels unique, as they remember past conflicts, hold grudges, and evolve their strategies. It adds an extra layer of depth, making each player's journey distinct.

The removal of microtransactions has also been a significant improvement, enhancing the overall experience, since expending money to enjoy a pretty much singleplayer game is a crime. Players no longer feel pressured to spend extra money to progress, which keeps the gameplay fair and enjoyable for all.

However, despite these strengths, the game's narrative falls a bit flat. The main story lacks the compelling hooks needed to make it truly unforgettable, and the secondary characters often come across as one-dimensional and lack charisma. While the Nemesis System adds personal tales of revenge and rivalry, it’s a shame that the overarching story doesn’t quite match up to this ingenuity.

The nemesis system is great, it creates a unique and non repetitive experience doing a good job to diversify the enemies' abilities making you to change your tactics. Also very fun :)

Perfect perfect EVERYTHING.
it can get confusing and missy when starting, having a lot of mission and dont know what to do, but once u learn the hang of it, u'll enjoy every second.

Really fun and satisfying gameplay. I like having to plan around the opponent's strengths and weaknesses, but there are very often characters who simply had few or no weaknesses and made it extremely difficult to fight them. I had one enemy who was arrow-proof, vault breaker, and would also dodge all attacks from the front. It also wasn't easy leading them somewhere else because the area was quite empty.

One issue I had is when an enemy's only weakness is stealth attack, the fight can become extremely difficult. Several times I have encountered such enemies in quests where one simply can't go stealthily.

Also, please play it until you enter the epilogue, then stop playing. The epilogue is insanely long and not worth it at all.

honestly one of the best games ive played in a loooooong time very entertaining the combat is great the revenge system and having any random orc be able to kill you and become a captain is so cool man theres just so many sick amazing things about this game

long intro chaphters but once you get through them the game is much better than the first.

Good fun slaughtering orcs yet again. Wish they did more games that includes the nemesis system.

8/10 Orc heads.

i played all 40 hours i have in the game in a single week. instead of getting a job and spending 40 hours a week like an employed person, i played this, it was worth it.

the nemesis system is one of the best out there for story creation amazing game!
on special this game is worth every penny its a master piece, its quite short but worth it on special!

This game is a boring experience that pales in comparison to its predecessor, it insists on wasting your time until the bitter end and stabs itself in the foot all the while with boring ass characters and a poorly executed plot that had so much potential. Don't bother wasting your time or money on this ill-conceived chore of a game.

This game managed to hit all the wrong notes in record time;

The Title has two(!) Trademarks in it, the intro feels like jumping into the second season of a bad netflix adaptation and someone unironically utters the phrase "i have sacrificed everything!".
The game then starts with a bloody stealth section. After that, if you not decide to go into the intended direction there is an invisible barrier where this "epic open-world brought to life" has its not-open-world map boundaries.

The Combat itself is (Imo of course) way too "cinematic" (I.e. too much out of your control) and also seems a tad janky.

And all of it is covered by this viscous corporate layer of Microtransactions and Season Passes.

You want the Icing on the Cake? Developed by Monolith

I'd rather play Blood 2.

Very repetitive and artificially increased gameplay time, unfortunately.

Game will keep you busy for awhile with the fun combat and Nemesis system.

Best way to describe the game is like playing Batman Arkham and the assassin creed series.

I would recommend buying the game when it goes on sale!

this is a kind of super action game in lor dof the ring style with alot of mavel super powers rofl...its fun for 5 dollars this is really okay and the areas are done with love also the music and cinematic szenes are epic moment sint he game

Good mechanics but very repetitive

Dont be reading these feedbacks. I played it cus i like it and already has this game on console. enjoyed every part of it except for the 30 fps trash.

I regret not getting this game years ago Mistakes where made kinda stinks the core mech of the game is locked up behind patton but The GAME? is good. lol pitfights

It started off fine, similar to Shadow of Mordor. Problem is that the game play gets pretty repetitive after a while...

Incredible game, they better do something insane with the Nemesis System in the new Wonder Woman game or give up their patent because this system should be in so many more games than just the two Middle Earth games.

Could be great but lots of bugs. It game keeps crashing on me and the mount taming system is broken. I have died more times pressing the correct buttons to no avail while trying to tame a mount than dying form actual enemies. I even speced into the quick mount option but it still does work. It could be a great game but bugs are holding it back.

screw warner bros for copyrighting such a genius mechanic
very very very good game, cannot recommend it enough

Beat this game on PS4 when it came out, still have it. HOWEVER it runs so much better on PC.

Until it freezes, then it doesn't.

PC controls aren't that bad either, just have to get through all this story slop so I can go back to spamming waters of lorien with you know what.

First played it on a ps4,then bought it on pc,honestly even after you complete the story + story expansions this game just doesnt get boring i mean honestly its like pokemon but u collect Orcs,my favorite orc in myy possesion is currently an Olog,Ar-Karu The Beast

When this game came out with its unique nemesis system it was truly one of the best games on the market. Its an extremely fun game even in 2025, though in some ways it does feel quite dated with its movement systems and at times serious and potentially game breaking bugs.

Revisiting the game I had a blast dominating captains and playing on the hardest difficulty. Only for my game to be broken by a unique bug regarding a story-dependent captain showing up when I entered a new region. I shamed the captain thinking that I had merely forgotten the part of the game in which this happened, only to unfortunately lock the entire main quest line (with many skill quests).

Cant recommend a game made by people that would rather burn the Gaming Industry then to help it evolve into a better thing.

Im sorry but your patent is stupid. If you patent it ATLEAST do something with it.

Much like the shadow of Mordor but with better graphics and much more polished interface.

warner bros patented a game mechanic and just left it to rot. why even bother?

As a fan of *Shadow of Mordor*, I had high hopes for *Shadow of War*, but unfortunately, the game falls flat in several crucial areas. What was once a fresh and engaging formula devolves into a repetitive grind that undermines the series’ potential.

**First, the story**: It's a mess. While *Shadow of Mordor* had a relatively simple but effective narrative, *Shadow of War* tries to go bigger and ends up getting lost in a convoluted plot. The story feels disjointed, with forced cameos from familiar characters and an overemphasis on uninteresting side quests. Talion and Celebrimbor’s dynamic, which was one of the first game's highlights, feels strained and lacks the emotional depth needed to make the stakes feel real.

**The combat** is still fun, don’t get me wrong, but it’s more of the same from the first game with a few new bells and whistles that, honestly, don't add much. The Nemesis System, which was the standout feature of *Shadow of Mordor*, has been expanded, but not in ways that enhance the experience. Yes, it’s satisfying to watch orcs betray and rise through the ranks, but it quickly becomes repetitive, and the novelty wears off fast. Killing the same enemies over and over, just to see them return in a new position, feels hollow after a while.

But where the game truly stumbles is in its **monetization**. The loot boxes and microtransactions are egregious, and they taint the overall experience. They’re pushed heavily throughout the game, and it often feels like you're being nudged (or rather, shoved) to buy them if you want to make any real progress. It’s frustrating that a single-player game of this scale would rely on such shady practices, as it detracts from what could have been a more immersive experience.

**The open world** is another letdown. While visually stunning, it’s filled with repetitive tasks that quickly grow tiresome. The lack of meaningful variety in objectives makes it feel more like a chore than an adventure. And don’t even get me started on the "endgame" – the fortress sieges, meant to be a big highlight, are more tedious than exciting, with a grind for gear and orc captains that feels unnecessarily drawn out.

Finally, **performance issues** were a problem for me. Despite playing on a decent rig, I encountered stuttering and frame rate drops during intense battles, which really took me out of the experience.

In the end, *Shadow of War* feels like an uninspired cash grab that attempts to build on its predecessor's success without really advancing the formula in any meaningful way. What could have been an epic follow-up to *Shadow of Mordor* instead feels like a bloated, grind-heavy game that fails to capture the magic of the original. If you’re looking for an engaging, single-player adventure, you’re better off looking elsewhere.

If it is on sale, buy it.
If you want this to be like the other game, expect that + a lot more bugs.

I strongly recommend Shadow of War to anyone who loves action-packed games with a rich narrative, as it masterfully combines an immersive storyline that delves deep into the lore of Middle-earth with the groundbreaking Nemesis System, which creates personalized and dynamic rivalries with enemies that remember your actions. The game’s expansive open-world design, filled with diverse regions, hidden secrets, and countless opportunities for exploration, is brought to life with stunning visuals and atmospheric details that truly capture the essence of Tolkien’s universe. Moreover, the fluid combat mechanics, along with the ability to recruit and customize your own army of orcs, provide endless hours of engaging gameplay, making it a must-play experience for both fans of The Lord of the Rings and those seeking a unique, replayable adventure.

is fun but if someone could tell me a mod that can fix the more predatory aspects of the game that would be sick

Played a lot of this game and can safely say..... Fuck this game. This is the second title in the series and it made SOME improvements over the previous.... And then proceeded to ramrod a razor-blade-studded-dildo up it's ass until it bled to death. So first off, your character, Talion, controls like absolute garbage. He is constantly trying to pick the literal worst path to your destination. He will jump onto a wall 8 feet to the left of him when you are simply holding W and trying to run in between an archway. He will, instead of climbing straight up a wall, will instead do a diagonal leap to the outer edges of what you are climbing in order to make you waste time positioning him back to the ledge so you can stealth-kill some random archer grunt.... Instead of climbing a single segment up and doing it like someone who doesn't have brain damage. He also will get "stuck" on nothing unless you hold down the run button, like you can't simply walk down some steps, he will be locked on some invisible corner and unless you hold space to run, he will just slightly lean forward, like this 3 foot drop is a colossal wall. Bad movement aside, the skills are back, but worse than ever. Remember all the cool things you could do in the first one? Well they are back, and now you get to choose just a single skill augment, instead of having all of them at the same time and being rewarded for playing the game. Each skill can only have a single augment active at any given time, when before, you could unlock and use everything without having to manage multiple pause screens in order to unequip and re-equip certain augments to a specific skill, R.I.P. Let's talk about the biggest annoyance in the room, the Orc intros...... Some people really.... REALLY, REALLY love the intros, like, they would want these intros to go on for twice as long as they do, already. These people are mental or just want to watch a movie instead of play a game. This isn't so much of problem starting out, though. There are relatively low amounts of captains you will encounter in groups early on, but when you do- you will be wishing they had the common fucking sense to add a skip button to these intros. The average intro for a single Orc captain is about 30 seconds. Some speeches are short and sweet but others drag on and on AND ON AND ON AND ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fuck, who thought this was a good idea for a single Orc to scream or mumble for a whole minute!?!?! Then right after the intro, you go to do an execution on them- and guess what? Another intro, because you locked blades with him, now he has to make sure you know HE was the one who was screaming like a coked up dipshit for the last minute-long intro, like you didn't already see it. So what's the problem here? Ever had 5 of these fuckwits in a single area at a time??? No? Congrats, you do not know the pure, unadulterated frustration of having ALL agency taken from you for about 3 minutes straight- OH, and best part? They get super angry by lots of stuff, so then you are locked in this never ending, cutscene gangbang, being forced to watch one after another as some get enraged by seeing others enraged... But this isn't even the top of the cake, this cake has layers to it, like an onion. You see, when you get locked into one of these cutscenes, your character can no longer be controlled, duh. But the problem is the delay in which they return control back to you. Enemies can wind up swings right before the cutscene and lock you in place so you HAVE TO TAKE THE HIT, the game says you can't dodge or counter it- it has to get this hit in. So what's the big deal? It's just one enemy. Wrong. When you play on a difficulty higher than normal, these hits can easily kill Talion. But when the game decides to throw multiple cutscenes at you, you will almost always die and there is nothing you can do about it. It's a cheap, unfair death where the game rips the controller out of your hand to slap you in the face with the L card. And it isn't even like the game can take it's cheated victory with some fucking grace, the cheeky bastard will gloat about "How he killed the mighty Gravewalker." and how "It wasn't even that tough of a fight." Yeah, no shit, you had to fucking cheat just to have a glance at what the W card looked like, fucking loser. This "nemesis system" is such a joke. I have never been bested by a captain (much less a grunt) in a straight up fight where Talion wasn't trying to climb up random shit when I wasn't making him do so, or the sneaky-controller-stealing cutscene wasn't being abused to it's absolute limit. Fighting captains isn't hard, they ALWAYS have at least ONE way to kill them at minimum, and balefire is ALWAYS effective (fire and poison mixed). Furthermore, using a few abilities in conjunction with one another, makes killing even the most "difficult" captain trivial. Once you can ground drain enemies, things get a whole lot easier to manage, even in ridiculous situations. Shadowstrike a grunt to the ground, the ground drain him, when he gets back up, he will be terrified and try to run away, then before he can run away, stealth kill him and chain it to the captain for massive damage in BROAD DAYLIGHT even with him already knowing you are there. If they are immune to stealth attacks, do everything exactly the same but instead of stealth killing the grunt and chaining it to the captain, brutalize the grunt to build up your might meter so you can pull off an execute, mighty shot, or AOE. There is no difficulty here, only cheap tactics...

25% of this is same as shadow of mordor and also they are well improved best nemesis system also include
enemy type 9.1/10
graphic 10/10
map design 100/10 havent see map like this one in my whole life
story 8.9/10
character development 8.5/10
skils 9.2/10 maybe 4or 5 of them are same as shadow of mordor but it has like 100
ngl wont see combat system like this one in any other game
thanks to the game developers for this masssive experience that i got from this game so much enjoy
wondering to see u both talion and celebrimbor

One of the most fun single player classics out there where brutal is the ONLY way to play. Truly upsetting they ruined the competition by making it that no one else can use something like the nemesis system...until they can again. ;)

4.5/5 Stars. Shadow Of War is very fun, with the nemesis system creating infinite different orcs to test your blade against. For me personally I think the combat is very satisfying, but it can get a little repetitive. I'd recommend looking at videos of the combat because that's the main thing you will be participating in throughout the game. Honestly one of my favorite games I've ever played.

act 1 is too long and a little boring, rest of the game is fantastic

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War takes everything great about its predecessor and elevates it to new heights, creating a more expansive, thrilling, and dynamic open-world experience. The game’s standout feature is its nuanced Nemesis system, which adds an incredible layer of depth to the game and makes every encounter with the orcs feel unique and personal. Each orc has its own personality, strengths, and weaknesses, meaning that no two confrontations are ever the same. Whether you’re facing off against a vengeful orc who scarred you in a previous fight or encountering a new foe with a fascinating backstory, the Nemesis system ensures that the orcs feel like more than just enemies—they feel like individuals with whom you share a rivalry.

The orcs themselves are one of the game’s most compelling aspects. Not only do they look and act differently, but their interactions with you are shaped by their history and your past encounters. They’ll remember your victories and defeats, taunting or fleeing based on their experiences with you. This system makes the world feel alive and reactive, with a constant sense of progression as your relationship with the orcs evolves. It’s a brilliantly executed mechanic that keeps you engaged throughout your journey.

The game also shines in its variety of gear and armor. Each set of armor provides more than just aesthetic changes—each one comes with unique abilities that can alter your playstyle and combat strategy. The ability to mix and match gear to complement your preferred combat style or to counter specific enemies adds another layer of customization, giving players a sense of ownership over their build. The armor sets also serve as a nice reward for progression, making you feel like you’re constantly becoming more powerful.

The challenges in the game are another great feature, offering a welcome change of pace from the main gameplay loop. These challenges give you direction and help break up the sometimes repetitive nature of the larger objectives. Whether it’s taking down a particularly tough orc, completing a series of combat trials, or capturing a fort, these tasks provide extra layers of content that help keep the gameplay engaging.

Combat in Shadow of War is smooth, fluid, and satisfying. The core mechanics feel refined, and as you progress, you gain new abilities that make you feel more powerful. The addition of new combat moves and changes to existing ones ensures that you’re constantly evolving as a fighter. This sense of growth makes each new ability feel rewarding and fresh, keeping the combat engaging as you fight your way through the ranks of Sauron’s forces.

In conclusion, Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is a brilliant action RPG that excels in almost every aspect. The nuanced Nemesis system gives each orc encounter a unique and personal touch, while the vast variety of gear, challenges, and smooth combat mechanics ensure that the game remains fresh and exciting. The feeling of progression is palpable as you grow stronger, gaining new abilities and customizing your playstyle. With its deep systems, engaging gameplay, and rich world-building, Shadow of War is a must-play for any fan of the Middle-Earth universe or action RPGs in general.

Yeah i would recommend playing this game but for some reason i crash on the violent nature mission

Game is an excellent sequel to Shadow of Mordor and a great game. However I recently found out that WB copyrighted my favorite game mechanic with the war chiefs and captains, so I can’t enjoy it in other games. For that I must give it a not recommend for being scummy.

Do better WB. Be better.

Great story great fighting just all around fun

Replaying this game has been amazing even in 2024 the graphics are still great

The Nemesis System is very fun.

However, i find myself very frequently turning this game off after an hour or two because of the frustrating movement and controls with about 5 functions per button that easily confuses the game making you jump 100 yards forward and do a little dance alerting every orc in 500 miles when you just wanted to simply hop down quietly or perhaps dodge rolling 2 inches at the speed of a paraplegic cow when you wanted to sprint away quickly
There is also pointless lag on every single action, crap story, and annoying writing/voice acting

Additionally the game has a very drawn out intro made up of tutorial missions and story missions that for me amounted to 6 hours before i could recruit my own orcs which is unnecessary and kills replayability dead because i would never play through that again even under threat of being beaten up and thrown out of my apartment window by a former colleague.

Did i mention the story is crap? oh right i did. well let me say it again, the story is crapity crap that smells crappy and has the worst characters ever. Not really sure what their intention was of making every female in the game a patronizing annoying fuckhead and every man a boring dumb plank of wood with voice acting like they were just resuscitated from a heroin overdose two seconds earlier.
To insult the audience even more, Shelob (a giant spider) has nonsensically been made into an attractive female just to insult the intelligence of the "pathetic desperate gamer" and suspiciously is the only character in the game that looks mocapped. not only that but she whispers asmr when you load into the game and whenever you die, so maybe they were thinking...yknow what i dont know what the fuck they were thinking with that one you got me.

Final thoughts:

Play game for funny orcs only and leave the sound off.

Middle earth Shadow of War is the perfect sequel it improves on the first game in every way Story combat the Nemesis system Open world and also adding new features like fortress Conquests and Defense and much more. The story does deviate from Tolkien canon massively but despite that i think that this is the best lord of the rings game . For new players i would recommend playing on one of the harder difficulties and disabling last chance to make the nemesis system more engaging and fun.