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Middle-earth: Shadow of War |OT| Attempted Mordor

Kuldar

Member
Of course, with training scrolls. You can add a single special ability and he'll become an epic. If you want him to have two the only option is a Legendary Training Scroll which is a rare one
Oh ok, I didn't knew there were training scrolls (I just started Act 2).
 

DrBo42

Member
Any reason you're getting these Lvl 1 gear pieces after moments in the game transpire? Just cosmetics if you want more of a challenge?
 
I'm getting my fucking ass kicked in my first overlord fight. Do I just need to level up more? I'm at 23 and he's 35, took the castle with ease since I wiped out all the warlords.
 

Pheace

Member
I'm getting my fucking ass kicked in my first overlord fight. Do I just need to level up more? I'm at 23 and he's 35, took the castle with ease since I wiped out all the warlords.

If they're not arrow proof take him down with arrows, they respawn constantly there and you can climb the ledges on the sides, they never go up there (though there might be archers/hunters there, just kill them). If he's not beast proof/slayer summoning a Graug usually works wonders

I am *loving* the explosive armor that lets you summon sappers instead of your bodyguard.
 
Any reason you're getting these Lvl 1 gear pieces after moments in the game transpire? Just cosmetics if you want more of a challenge?

I'm not sure why they force you to have level 1 equipment in your inventory but it is the same stuff Talion wears in cutscenes. Maybe they didn't want to worry about clipping issues or whatever by allowing the player to wear whatever into a scene (I can see hoods being a problem, potentially) but I don't really know why that requires they stay in your stash.
 
I'm not sure why they force you to have level 1 equipment in your inventory but it is the same stuff Talion wears in cutscenes. Maybe they didn't want to worry about clipping issues or whatever by allowing the player to wear whatever into a scene (I can see hoods being a problem, potentially) but I don't really know why that requires they stay in your stash.
With swords it makes sense because that can be broken.
 
With swords it makes sense because that can be broken.

Jesus I still remember the first time that happened to me. It was an epic level upgraded sword, my strongest one yet. I was so pissed until the game told me I could get it back. That's one Orc who didn't get dominated let me tell you.

Can any other equipment be broken or is it just swords?
 

JPS Kai

Member
I'm not sure why they force you to have level 1 equipment in your inventory but it is the same stuff Talion wears in cutscenes. Maybe they didn't want to worry about clipping issues or whatever by allowing the player to wear whatever into a scene (I can see hoods being a problem, potentially) but I don't really know why that requires they stay in your stash.

There's a major story reason for that just before The Shadow Wars.
 
Jesus I still remember the first time that happened to me. It was an epic level upgraded sword, my strongest one yet. I was so pissed until the game told me I could get it back. That's one Orc who didn't get dominated let me tell you.

Can any other equipment be broken or is it just swords?
I got my legendary sword upgraded by 20 levels, it's still 10 levels above me right now, couldn't be happier.

It was an olog with an orange loot symbol, the hexagon with the star inside, that did it.

Legendary boni seem real crummy and the perks of legendary equipment is worse than my regular gear at times.

Only wearing my current legendary coat because it has a hood.
 

Dmax3901

Member
Played 30 mins of this game tonight and holy shit you just gotta switch off any part of your brain that enjoys/respects Tolkien's work hey.

Also every element of the game fatigued me a little more as it was introduced. A skill tree, loot, towers, collectables, side quests. Just generic with overbearing button prompts and unengaging combat and characters.

I'll keep at it but having just finished TEW2 and with Mario/Wolfenstein so close this may get shelved hard.
 

Jintor

Member
wow i want to meet the person who designed these fucking missions and brainbend them into making better missions because jesus fuck. Who thought that the best way to showcase a (act 2 elatriel path)
nazgul mission was to have you fight them in a field as two drakes rain unblockable artillery fire down on you and he constantly summons ghuls that frenzy on your ass and he just spits out unblockable hammer attacks every fucking second and your dodge as complete fucking ass

let's not even get into how absolutely no factor of the nemesis system makes it into this, or that i just did a fortress defence where none of my fucking orcs mattered in any way whatsoever
 

Jintor

Member
can't skip shitty cutscene for the third time when you step in and asshole makes the same taunt

layering unblockable attacks over other unblockable attacks so you dodgeroll out of a frenzied hammerstrike and a drake bites your head off

this is fucking idiotic
 
wow i want to meet the person who designed these fucking missions and brainbend them into making better missions because jesus fuck. Who thought that the best way to showcase a (act 2 elatriel path)
nazgul mission was to have you fight them in a field as two drakes rain unblockable artillery fire down on you and he constantly summons ghuls that frenzy on your ass and he just spits out unblockable hammer attacks every fucking second and your dodge as complete fucking ass

let's not even get into how absolutely no factor of the nemesis system makes it into this, or that i just did a fortress defence where none of my fucking orcs mattered in any way whatsoever

It’s frustrating. The nemesis system is really the hook of the game and you get forced into these awful missions. I’d say the same for the first. I absolutely love playing both games until I’ve gotta do a mission.
 

bugulu

Member
wow i want to meet the person who designed these fucking missions and brainbend them into making better missions because jesus fuck. Who thought that the best way to showcase a (act 2 elatriel path)
nazgul mission was to have you fight them in a field as two drakes rain unblockable artillery fire down on you and he constantly summons ghuls that frenzy on your ass and he just spits out unblockable hammer attacks every fucking second and your dodge as complete fucking ass

let's not even get into how absolutely no factor of the nemesis system makes it into this, or that i just did a fortress defence where none of my fucking orcs mattered in any way whatsoever

The difficulty spike in that encounter is insane. I didn't have many problems in previous fights, including smacking down the
Balgrog, but Hammerhand is a different issue. I had to cheese him in the previous encounter in the fort my tricking him to get into a battle with my other followers, but the setup in this fight leaves you no option but to engage him.

After several tries, I notched down the difficulty to normal as I didn't see myself beating him on Nemesis.
 

Jintor

Member
I got him eventually (on nemesis) through pattern memorisation and not going anywhere near him if he was standing in a drake shadow
 
Regarding Bruz line.

Just finished the Bruz line. I know he betrayed you and all, but I really liked his character, really fucked up how broken he is at the end. I noticed you can recruit him after the fact. He's still broken, keeps talking about not wanting the fort and how it's yours

Feels bad man.

Seeing what Orcs are generally like after you shame them is a real gut-punch. I made Bruz an Overlord...
 

Jintor

Member
I wonder if Austin Walker thinks playing as an Orc would somehow make the depiction better?

okay in a surprise move i have found the literal answer to this question

xHPqolb.png
 

Weebos

Banned
Went from Level 31-41 last night thanks to a two hour XP boost I got from a chest reward.

I mainlined the story quests so I could finally take this Seregost guy down. I'll have to take a screenshot of some of his abilities because he is very combat focused. He isn't impossible to fight, but if I make mistakes he chunks me for like half health.

The story isn't that bad so far. I went in with pretty low expectations based on reviews and impressions, but most of the missions have been totally competent. I really enjoyed the Bruz questline.
 
I gotta say, after what I heard about Act IV I expected it to be a lot worse. I haven't had to grind at all, and I'm on Nemesis difficulty. I'm not trying to marginalize anyone's experiences, but this is what's worked fine for me:


The first fort I defended, I literally defended with just an Overlord and some random low-level captains. I Dominated every orc captain that attacked, then repeated for the next fort. The second time I had to defend those forts, I used the guys I stole from the first invasion, repeat. I'm getting free orcs just by defending, and it's been easy as pie.

I'm on Stage 7 now, and I did Stages 1-6 in about 3 hours back-to-back. I really expected it to be a lot worse, but honestly, as long as you know how to dismantle a captain quickly and Break them to your side, you can easily defend a level 100-200 fort against a 300-400 invading force. I start every invasion by sniping the siege Graug, then I beeline to the first invading Captain and their bodyguards. Steal them, have them help defend against Wave 2. Mind-control them [or shame the ones higher than me, which is semi-frequent now] and use them against 3, etc. Call in a drake if I need to, or a bodyguard for backup. I might lose 1-2 of my level 25-30 Captains fending off level 40-50, but it's surprisingly rare and I can usually save 'em before they bleed out.
 
okay in a surprise move i have found the literal answer to this question

xHPqolb.png

Lol damn that answers that. I wish you could play as the Orcs you dominate, at least in free roam, similar to MGSV. Especially if they got to keep their skills and such (though, admittedly, dying instantly to an attack sounds annoying to be on the receiving end of).
 

semiconscious

Gold Member
It’s frustrating. The nemesis system is really the hook of the game and you get forced into these awful missions. I’d say the same for the first. I absolutely love playing both games until I’ve gotta do a mission.

bingo! having a good time with the rest of the game, but the friggin' missions? terribly written, painful, & not fun :( ...
 
Tbh if Talion was an Orc, the whole plot would be a lot cooler. Celebrimbor forced to work with an orc would be a nice added bonus.

"We have to fight, elf! They killed my family!"

"Silence fool, you were born fully grown. You don't have a family."

"Yeah I do! 200 brothers in the same spawning, in the pits of Barad-Ur! I remember them like it was yesterday *sniff*"

"It WAS yesterday!!"
 

Nut

Neo Member
"We have to fight, elf! They killed my family!"

"Silence fool, you were born fully grown. You don't have a family."

"Yeah I do! 200 brothers in the same spawning, in the pits of Barad-Ur! I remember them like it was yesterday *sniff*"

"It WAS yesterday!!"

This is a DLC which I would purchase.
 

Calderc

Member
Where does it tell you what level an orc is? Also should I not be shaming captains before recruiting them? Every one I've tried to dominate needs shamed before they can be recruited.
 
Where does it tell you what level an orc is? Also should I not be shaming captains before recruiting them? Every one I've tried to dominate needs shamed before they can be recruited.

Their level appears in that little box above their heads, and if they're higher level than you you should be shaming them, yeah. Or juts killing them.
 

Seijuro

Member
I got 4 legendary orcs from a code in the box. How do I retrieve them in the game though? Or do they appear at random ingame?
 

Impulsor

Member
I got 4 legendary orcs from a code in the box. How do I retrieve them in the game though? Or do they appear at random ingame?

When you reach certain point in act 2, access the market menú, go to the top left of that menu, where you will be able to see your "loot orcs" and highlight the one you want to deploy. Press deploy, and the game will let you choose in which region to deploy the chosen orc.
 

KorrZ

Member
Nemesis system is still really cool.

I get this meandering feeling from the gameplay where I constantly think about just turning the game off whenever I complete one map objective and have to arbitrarily jump to another one, but inevitably some cool Nemesis thing happens that keeps me playing. It's the saving grace of the whole game really.

Yesterday I picked a new target to go after, as soon as I left the menu he IMMEDIATELY ambushed me commenting that I had picked him as a target, so I call my Bodyguard and he betrays me on the spot because this dude turns out to be his Blood Brother! Fuck!

So I ended up murdering the betrayer (no second chances) and enslaving his brother. Who then proceeded to get himself killed in my fort assault. Oops.
 

DrBo42

Member
Does the game build on the mechanics after act 2? Feel like I've experienced everything the game has to offer other than a defense scenario in act 2.
Just took every fortress solo on Nemesis, at level 35 or so. Story is gated since I haven't done the Carnan quest line.
Am I pretty much done?
 
So how exactly do you advance to act 3? I've done every available story quest except the Carnan ones and captured all the available fortresses. It seems like a final Eltariel quest is supposed to unlock, but it's not available right now.
 

bugulu

Member
I wish they could give us a way to see in Wrath mode whether an enemy is an "epic" silver enemy. Majority of the enemies just have the silver box over their heads, but Ulugs seems to have a higher chance of becoming epic and either to drop a higher quality gem or 1 000 currency.
 

wamberz1

Member
Met an orc who did the old "write marks on my body for every time I kill someone" cliche.

Decided, you know what? No. You don't get to get away with that. I hate that stupid Confidence. LOOK AT ALL THE PEOPLE I KILLED HEHE. Don't know why but it just pissed me off.

Shamed him until his mind broke. Now all he does is count in random numbers.
 

Novocaine

Member
Is it just me or do the drakes control like total shit?

Trying to do the challenge to kill 35 orcs and a chief. It’s just so clunky.
 

Staf

Member
Man, i was really looking forward to the fight with the
Balrog
after the trailer. Only for the falling debris making it super unfun and frustrating.
 
So how exactly do you advance to act 3? I've done every available story quest except the Carnan ones and captured all the available fortresses. It seems like a final Eltariel quest is supposed to unlock, but it's not available right now.

That final Eltariel quest is act 3. I don't know why it hasn't unlocked, perhaps you have to finish the Carnan quests or do a zone transition?

Is it just me or do the drakes control like total shit?

Trying to do the challenge to kill 35 orcs and a chief. It's just so clunky.

They kinda suck but they build up might pretty fast. Turn on ghost sight to see groups of baddies from afar more easily and spam your fireballs.

I wish they could give us a way to see in Wrath mode whether an enemy is an "epic" silver enemy. Majority of the enemies just have the silver box over their heads, but Ulugs seems to have a higher chance of becoming epic and either to drop a higher quality gem or 1 000 currency.

Isn't it all Ologs and only Ologs that can be like that? Any time I see a massive white shape in wraith vision I beeline to them.
 
That final Eltariel quest is act 3. I don't know why it hasn't unlocked, perhaps you have to finish the Carnan quests or do a zone transition?

It's not a zone transition as I've moved around a ton. Can anyone confirm that the Carnan quests are required to advance in the main story?
 
It's not a zone transition as I've moved around a ton. Can anyone confirm that the Carnan quests are required to advance in the main story?

I take it the Eltariel quest doesn't appear in the quest list though? It's just sitting at 90% with no last quest? If it were to show up on the map it'd be south of
the fort in Gorgoroth
.
 

Jaraghan

Member
Just beat Shadow Wars Act IV. Spoilers for entire story follows.

What a lame ass ending. I was hoping for a cliffhanger of sorts, something for a sequel. I was hoping for a trilogy, but I have no idea if they can pull that off anymore.

Also, how the fuck is Talion alove at the end? The dude goes back to his throat cut stage whenever he doesn't have a ring on, so when he becomes a Nazgul... how does he live? Shelob states he dies when the One Ring gets destroyed, yet then we see him perfectly fine in a field.

I was also hoping for a reunion between Talion and Celebrimbor, but who knows. I am guessing Celebrimbor isn't dead because I saw a blue flash escape the Eye of Sauron. I guess Celebrimbor's ring still lives?

What a mess of a story.

The Shadow Wars Act wasn't that bad tbh. I didn't find it that grindy. But it did get annoying at times. I ended up cheesing so many fights with Shadow Strike.

Time to mop up the rest of the achievements now.
 
I take it the Eltariel quest doesn't appear in the quest list though? It's just sitting at 90% with no last quest? If it were to show up on the map it'd be south of
the fort in Gorgoroth
.

Yeah, it's at 90% with no other quest listed. I'll double check that it isn't on the map anyway, but I don't think it's there.
 
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