Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™

I originally didn't like SoW because I felt it lacked direction and instruction for the player - now I see that these are two of its most charming and enjoyable qualities. Have recently started streaming it to my Youtube channel and am thoroughly enjoying getting wrecked by the most basic of Uruk's even on the Nemesis difficulty setting. Huge thumbs up!

Microtransactions were removed from my single-player game, very good. Nemesis system is great, combat has a ton of builds and options, you get your greatest rival and recruit from the first game, somewhat grindy in terms of jewels and legendary gear, but otherwise, you can progress however you want.

The Story IS ATROCIOUS, so if you care a lot about story over gameplay, don't play this game, it butchered everything story-wise. Small spoiler: Ratbag was somehow more entertaining and less annoying then every single human character added in the story. Get the entire package when it's on sale if possible since half of a game is story, and the story isn't worth it

Leaving a negative review for no reason other than the fact that they patented the nemesis system so no other developer can use it. Get your disgusting practices out of my industry you fucking pigs.

This game has interesting ideas like the raid and the nemesis system but the game progression is slowed down to a painful slog by the game not allowing you to dominate captains that are of a higher level to you, denying you what could have been a great reward for taking on a challenge.

Not to mention that the final mission has a a jump in enemy levels of about 10, which makes you need to grind the the hell out.

If you try to take on the that mission while underleveled, you'll likely get killed as soon as you get touched, the way the combat works makes it so that your most optimal aproach to higher level enemies is to keep your distance and don't get engage directly, which becomes quite difficult due to many immunities that high captains have, and you'll also will have to do your best to have captains that can handle themselves, but if your siege fails and your captains die, you'll have to do an excessively laborious grind to find and get units just to get back to the point where you'll get another chance, which is just another strike against the progression of this game.


Remindeer that this game used to have microtransactions that were removed about months after it's launch due to public outcry. It is very likely that the poor pace of the game was designed entirely so you'd feel compelled to spend real money on stronger units, making any player who doesn't pay extra to have to go through a intentionally poorly paced progression.

Due to that and the fact that Warner bros. patented the Nemesis system despite making a game built with it's inspiration on games that came before it, i cannot recommend this this game.

WB Copyrighted the nemesis system then closed down monolith productions so it's extremely unlikely we'll ever see another game with this kind of features ever again. 100% screw you WB. Thanks for your contribution for making gaming in general worse.

they had to do recent sale because people are boycotting their game since they holding rights to the nemesis system and preventing other companies from making great games with it as well, and they even renwed their patent recentl for it so we have to wait almost 20 years for another great nemesis system game since WB isnt making a new one .....they are no better than scalpers at this point especially after siding with amber turd

WB is an absolute clown company, that ruins every single one of their IPs, from Batman, to Lord of The Rings, to Fear, to Looney Tunes. Great game that had its studio shut down, and due to ridiculous legal problems, the nemesis system cannot be used in other games.

The nemesis system is what made this game good, but I cannot recommend this game since Warner patented it and refuses to allow any other devs use any iteration of it. They're gate-keeping game mechanics and that is a disgrace and entirely why I don't recommend this game.

Reminds me of the days i used to game on the console. recommend if you like open world rpg

Great game but who is the idiot who decided to put sprint, jump, dodge and climb on the same button....MORON....other than that no complaints really very good hack and slash but terain traversal is sometimes a nightmare X100000 during combat

really great game with awesome combat and a great story

The game is fun, although the Ai in the fighting pits are atrocious

Nemesis system is truly one if a kind and is amazing.
The game has its flaws, but the combat and nemesis system are so good that it makes up for it.
The story is ok, not the best not the worst.

could have been remembered as innovative, genre-pushing games. Instead, they will forever be tainted by Warner Bros.' decision to patent the Nemesis System, a move that is anti-consumer, anti-innovation, and downright harmful to the gaming industry.

Why This Patent is a Slap in the Face to Gamers
Stifles Creativity – Gaming thrives on innovation. By patenting a gameplay mechanic, Warner Bros. has set a dangerous precedent. Imagine if Ubisoft patented towers revealing maps, or Bethesda patented radiant AI. The industry would be worse for it.

Pure Corporate Selfishness – The Nemesis System isn’t some proprietary tech; it’s an evolution of emergent storytelling that could have been expanded upon in RPGs, strategy games, and more. Now, we’ll never see its full potential.

Wasted Potential – The system itself is underutilized in Shadow of War, mostly serving as a gimmick rather than a deep narrative tool. Instead of letting better developers refine it, WB hoarded it like Smaug hoards gold.

Better than Shadow of Mordor in every aspect, story, gameplay, exploration, nemesis mission, dlc, etc. Great nemesis system makes every mission feel unique and different from other missions. Like Shadow of Mordor, this is the type of game that is easy to learn, hard to master. 10/10

i love this game and nemesis system that is so fascinated for long term game

I'll let the number of hours speak for itself....I was scrolling through the reviews and was a little bit surprised as only a couple came close to mine with 300+ odd hours in the game. But then I came across Painmaker! (1800+ hrs), I take a bow :)

The Nemesis system is really fun to play around with. Great combat system and variety of opponents. The adaptability system is kinda running rampant in my opinion and sometimes Uruks will adapt to my moves after just one or 2 vaults/dodges off them.

really really good. can sink hours upon hours upon hours without even touching the story of the game, and that, is the nemesis system for you. sucks the copyrighted it, but im just glad i get to play it here

This is a amazing game, not much else to say the game speaks for itself

Improves on the first game in almost every aspect, I cannot stop playing this game

I highly recommend this game, it allows you to truly understand the art of war. With the nemesis system, you truly get to know your enemies, and you get to make wonderful friends! If you do end up playing this game, you should shame all your orcs, it'll be beneficial no matter what

I've played Shadow of War for over 20 hours, and I can honestly say it's one of the best story experiences I've had in a solo game. The story is suspenseful and constructed in an emotional and epic way at the same time, especially the relationship between Talion and Celebrimbor, and the events that make you think about the meaning of power and control. The most creative thing the developers have been with is Nemesis — in fact, this system has redefined encounters in action games, and gives you a sense that every enemy has a story and history with you. Every Orc you meet can become a sworn enemy or ally later, depending on your decisions. The game is large, varied, and each region has its own character and challenges. The combat is fun and smooth, and the mechanics of controlling the forts give you a real sense of accomplishment.

My message to the developers: This type of game is what we miss a lot in the market today. Games with a powerful story, drawing you from start to finish. Great work, and deserves to be an example for other companies to follow. I would recommend it to anyone who loves action and adventure, or just wants to live an epic story in the true sense of the word. Thank you and the team

Killed one uruk 5 times in shadow of mordor. The basterd came back to haunt me in this game. 11/10

Insane replay value, really good game, recommend to every tolkien fan.

the first few hours of this game suck because it locks you out of the nemesis mechanic, but after that it's pretty good

After playing this game for 100+ hrs i broke up with my gf because my Orcs showed more love than her + Orcs don't say to me your not man enough every night.
The Nemesis system gives each Orc a unique personalty (Better than mine IRL)
The Gameplay and Graphics are more than perfect.
I enjoyed playing the side missions more than the main missions. I highly recommended Buying Baranor DLC it's awesome.

This game is the definition of PERFECTION. 10/10

The "Nemesis System" is very awesome and something that makes this game not only unique but Very enjoyable for replayability something that reminds me of Witcher 3 and Fallout New Vegas but it more "enemy focus personality" on top of that having your own Orc army is awesome!

Truly recommend it, get the game when its on "special offer" sale like i did in order to save money.

this does nothing to upgrade the SoM experience
its like this is a game from a different universe and somehow made it here

The nemesis system in this game is BEYOND fun with a different interaction and play style every time. The story is also amazing in my opinion. The orcs always look different, some plain and some so unique it might be the only time you'll see him, although Shadow of MORDOR orcs i think look overall SCARIER, this games orcs look so cool.It takes a lot of grinding especially with its max level being level 80, but its a fun grind at times.

The only thing that annoys me at times is the movement, NOT the combat, but the movement can sometimes be faulty and makes me mad but its not an enormous glitch and doesn't happen all the time, just sometimes can be annoying.

---{ 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

---{ 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

As a lord of the rings mega fan, this game does a huge service to the books and movie. The voice acting is honestly fantastic. The gameplay feels a bit clunky, but it's perfectly fine for adventure game. And I gotta give extra marks for including my goat Sauron.

Criminally underrated game. Way ahead of it's time from combat fluidity to the infamous Nemesis System.

By the way, locking Nemesis System behind a patent and never using it again is the greatest disservice to the gaming in history.

Really a gem of a game. The Nemesis system is great and really keeps you on your toes as they can show up at any time. The graphics still hold up great after all these years. Was really hoping for a 3rd game in the series.

Great game with a couple of annoying glitches. Play if you liked the first.

Amazing game. Love the nemesis system and the combat skills.

Its easier to say what I dont enjoy with this game rather than list everything I do enojoy so I will just do that.

- The magnetic movement makes your character hard to control on PC
- The Legendary Enemies scale way to hard on brutal difficulty (you can barely beat them if you are lucky enough that they are close to your own level, if not and they are 10+ above you. GG)
- Gear rolling is too expensive I didnt even get to reroll my gear once whole game since its 10x easier to just farm new legendary gear instead of rerolling (i was even using the bonus loot to gems)
- Max prestige takes too long to get (600 levels and you can get 2.5 per 10 min if you are running a XP fort settup it will still take 40-50 hours of NONSTOP grinding)

The earlygame experience on brutal was very brutal and became managable by skill and gear. Would recommend doing it on brutal first playtrough. Satisfying

After completing Middle-earth: Shadow of War and unlocking every achievement, I can confidently say it’s a worthy follow-up to Shadow of Mordor. The game expands on the Nemesis System in incredible ways, making enemy interactions even more dynamic and personal. The story, while epic, feels even grander with the introduction of fortresses and the ability to command armies, adding layers of strategy to the gameplay. Combat is just as fluid and enjoyable as its predecessor, with a deeper skill tree and more customisation options. Achieving 100% completion was no easy feat, but the variety of challenges, collectables, and side missions kept me engaged throughout. With stunning visuals, an immersive world, and hours of content, Shadow of War is an incredible experience for any fan of action-adventure games or Tolkien’s universe.

This game has a great deal of potential behind all the jank with the nemesis system. Some of the best enemies I've fought in video games are in here, the way the nemesis system is capable of weaving mini stories of its own in a myriad of ways and imbuing the orcs with personality was genuinely intuitive.
Check out Game makers toolkits' video on yt for an in-depth explanation of the nemesis system.

Great game.

You know the new "ninja" Assassin Creed game, based in Feudal Japan?

Its a reskin of this game. Except this one is better.

Very good singler player game the fact that you can make your own orc amy is soo cool the story is MID not much there the NPC are TRASH damn they just walk all over the place

but the combat is very good and it feels good to fight captains and get them on your side and you can opgrade forts
overall just very funny

one of the coolest games i have ever played in my 21 years of living. the nemesis system is one of the best features in gaming. and yet, WB not only patented it to where nobody can use it till 2036 but then they shut down monolith which were going to use the nemesis system for the scrapped wonder woman game. fuck you WB.

RIP monolith, you will be missed.

This game is amazing! Between the graphics and story line I quickly got involved in this game. No lag even in big battle scenes, truly wish I could find more games that play this well.

Great game, Summon beasts, Recruit orcs, Kill orcs

I should preface by saying I've never watched any of the Lord of the Rings movies or read any of the books, so I came into both Middle Earth games with no context. The open world concept paired with taking down armies seemed like an interesting concept. The first Middle Earth game I found fun (though a little repetitive towards the end) and this one matches the same level of fun, though some small extra features that indicate its a successor to the first. I would recommend playing the first one, but if you don't care - certainly go for the second.

The gameplay of Middle Earth: Shadow of War (SoW) is extremely similar to Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor (SoM). In fact, the gameplay from the Batman series can be comparable to how the characters combat from both SoW and SoM. There is a bit of button mashing with repeatedly pressing "X" to attack, but as the player gains experiences for their character, other special abilities become available. Some special abilities allow players to execute enemies, bump them back with special powers, or even perform acrobatics to evade and attack. This is nice that they added these variations in combat, however there are times (especially early in the game) I wish they added a few more ways to either kick, shove, or even do a power swing. In essence it seemed they wanted to push their special moves unlockable rather than add more manoeuvrers to attack in the game. Players that are swarmed by enemies can be overwhelming at first, but as the player masters the countering system and familiarizes themselves with the environment the impossible doesn't seem to farfetched. Exploding objects become crucial in these situations. Additionally, the player can also use stealth to sneakily take out enemies and even gather intel on their enemies.

This game, compared to the previous one, focuses more on building an army for defending against raids and planning raids. I believe the devs called it the "Nemesis System" where the player has a dynamic (almost AI) relationship with the Orc captains. If an Orc captain (or regular Orc) takes out the player, they can get promoted and become even stronger (in which nemesis missions come up to take revenge). The player gathers information to figure out which orcs could possibly make the game a little easier, such as "dominating" an Orc whose a personal guard to a garrison unit in the castle. The new addition to the game series is the garrison and sieging castles systems. It's cool to do a few times but because it's a little redundant (as in run to this checkpoint, then this one, then this one, then a final little boss mission) it can get boring. The chaos of raiding a castle is there, but soldiers simply continue to spawn until the checkpoints are completed. This sort of ruins the fun of taking out opponents dynamically with a purpose, which again, takes away from the chaotic situation happening.

The graphics and visuals do certainly illustrate chaotic and cinematic situations quite well. This realm was certainly well done and borrows similarly to Mortal Kombat animations, both in the cinematic realm and the gameplay realm. The in-game fighting resembles and borrows from the Batman series control scheme. The actions are decently varied and since more actions can be unlocked it doesn't get too repetitive. The environment and atmosphere also further immerses the player in Mordor. The sounds and music were also well done. The Orcs can be heard talking about whatever random thing going on in their lives and dialogue in the cinematics were done well. This part of the game does a good job further immersing the player into the crazy world of Mordor. The music during the game doesn't get annoying and can slightly alter according to the location.

So why the average review? Well, I encountered quite a bit of bugs while playing - such as getting stuck between rocks, buildings, and other random objects. This includes beasts (the character can call up during the game), Dragons, and other ally type units. The controls really drove me nuts at points, especially when trying to run away from the oppoonents. Instead of smoothly jumping up on the wall, often times, even on little ledges, the character would get stuck on small slopes that simply require a step to get up. This portion of the game I found absolutely the most frustrating. Lastly, once the game is done there is some replayability, if you like repeating AAA game side mission quests that don't feel rewarding. The online aspects are cool and try to give a little more motivation to come back, but again, how the gameplay is paired with the story being completed doesn't give me motivation to keep going. I'll recommend it, but knowing it's an okay game when it's on sale at an okay price.

RATING: 7.9/10

My god, I want to recommend this game, but it's one of the most frustrating experiences I've ever had with gaming. Very little is more frustrating than when you're trying to play the game and you get interrupted by popups of some sort. Well this game has a pop of for every single thing. You'll get a 10 - 45 sec cut scene introducing an enemy captain when they show up on the battlefield, then again when they spot you, then again when/if you kill them, and that goes for every single captain on screen, which can be up to like 15. There's no skipping these cut scenes either. It's an infuriating element of the game where you ahve to sit and wait to jump right back into the action, hopefully remembering your surroundings before the cutscene plays, and then you might get a few seconds of gameplay before getting another cutscene. If this sounds redundant, just wait until the game interrupts you for everything.

Playing as Eltariel is not fun. Basically every captain is immune to the only class counters that the game gives you. Everything is immune to light, and good luck if you fight a shield bearer with vault breaker. You'll be locked only win the fight based on luck of RNG. It's crazy to me how these things are built into the game.

Decent Game I like it but missions do not load properly even after uninstalling & reinstalling more than 5 times and restarting saves more than twice.

I was never a fan of LOTR, This game is an absolute gem, its sad the studios of this game has been shut down.

everything is upgrade from previous game

This is a very good, high-quality game that absolutely loves to waste your time on small, tedious details. If you're wondering whether to buy this game or not, my answer is a definite yes. It’s an excellent game with dynamic, albeit sometimes overwhelming combat, fast and fluid parkour, satisfying bow shooting, a fantastic Nemesis system, and engaging interactions with your army of orcs. The story is fairly weak, but to be honest, there isn’t much of it, and it’s not the main focus of the experience.
That said, the most frustrating aspect of the game is how much the developers seem to enjoy wasting your time. Want to assign something from your garrison? Hold a button and wait for three seconds. Want to purchase a character upgrade? Hold a button and wait for three seconds. Need to dismantle an item in your inventory? Hold a button and wait for three seconds. Want to fight an orc captain? Wait for him to finish his monologue. Planning to capture a fortress? Wait for the fortress leader to taunt you for a couple of minutes. Attempting a Celebrimbor challenge? Wait for him to explain what it’s about. And these are just a few examples - there are countless moments like this throughout the game. I don’t know why this is the case or what purpose it serves, but the game insists on dragging out actions that could easily be handled with a single button press or a skipped dialogue. This is my biggest issue with the game.
I didn’t play it at launch, so I’m not familiar with all the controversies surrounding microtransactions and other launch issues. Yes, the garrison menu feels like an afterthought, and the online conquests and battles seem tacked on, but they don’t interfere too much with the core gameplay. I participated in online vendettas to earn and upgrade some cool gear, but I didn’t engage much beyond that.
The game’s pacing is a bit odd, especially when it hits a major turning point in the story that changes your character and some of the abilities. This shift is visually and gameplay-wise impressive, but it’s a shame you can’t choose between the two modes. Credit to the developers, though, for reworking the animations and abilities to align with the narrative.
As I mentioned earlier, the story isn’t particularly remarkable, but the game fits relatively well into the lore of Peter Jackson’s films, leaving just enough room for its own creative liberties. I did appreciate the conclusion of Talion’s story arc - a character who finally finds peace and reunites with his family. It’s a touching and emotional moment.
Overall, Middle Earth: Shadow of War is an excellent game filled with parkour, warfare, and alliances with various orcs. However, be prepared to spend a fair amount of time dealing with minor annoyances. Despite its flaws, I personally enjoyed it a lot.

The best part of the game is definitely the Nemesis System. Watching orcs remember you and adapt to your fighting style is incredibly satisfying, and the power struggles between orc leaders can create some truly memorable moments.

Enjoy this game because you will never see the system used in any other game. How patenting game mechanics is a thing just leads to worse and worse games.