Shadow of War is a much bigger game, featuring numerous zones for players to explore and conquer (Shadow of Mordor just had two). This includes familiar locations for fans of Middle-earth, including the fallen Gondor city of Minas Morgul (formerly Minal Ithil before it turns all evil) and the tower or Cirith Ungol (the place Sam rescued Frodo from in The Return of the King after their encounter with the giant spider Shelob).
Shadow of War continues the previous game's narrative, based on J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium with events
occurring between those of director Peter Jackson's film adaptations of
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings - we can actually tell a story that can shine some interesting new light on things that you think you knew. I’m not to give anything away, but the Nazgul in particular – that’s really a fun place for us to focus.”
When asked if there will be any appearances by fan-favorites, de Plater simply smiles and responds, “Yes.”
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Battles are tense and chaotic with enemies all around, allowing you to approach them however you see fit, whether it’s brute force, stealth, or a mix of the two. Everything is an opportunity on the battlefield, from destructible objects to buildings you can scale. But beware the breadth of enemy abilities is larger for this entry, with an additional focus on different elements, such as fire, poison, or curse. These can debuff you, affecting the way you play. For instance, Thrak has a weapon with the cursed ability, which prevents us from using the power of our new ring. “Enemies now have advanced classes which changes how they play, whether they’re marksmen, assassins, or slayers who are like combat masters, so you have to adapt to that,” de Plater adds.
Mounts can help you navigate a variety of situations. At one point in the demo, we use an armored cavalry to ride through the fiery backdrop unharmed. Later on, we release and dominate a drake, allowing us to surprise enemies with an airborne attack. Breathing fire at enemies gets them down in a jiffy. Soon, another large foe attacks the drake and the creatures battle while we try to ward off enemies with our bow. Sadly, the drake doesn’t make it, but at least he takes out the massive foe with him in the process. Later on, when we finally reach the overlord, he comments on us stealing his drake, as if that’s pushed him over the edge.
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- There are over 100 skills in the skill tree.
- Each fort has a area that is open world and all forts are bigger than first.
- Celebrimbor has new weapons, including a spear for heavy attacks and caragor riding and a hammer presumably for executions.
- Control during events. The example used was the return of Thrak Storm-Bringer after he cheated death. When attempting to kill Talion, the player would be given the option to react (likely through a Quick Time Event) rather than hope an ally will intervene.
- There are characters from Lord of the Rings in addition to Gollum.
- There are many bosses, including the Nazgul
- The game has new unique characters. The DLC will be centered around new unique characters not from the main game.
- Injured allies, such as Az-Laar the Demolisher in the walkthrough when he was lit on fire, can be saved. Normally the hp bar would be bleeding out player would be given the opportunity to save their ally. Monolith did not include show this off in the demo and instead opted to have Az-Laar insta killed by the fire.
- There are now multiple difficulties. Three were mentioned, those being easy, normal, and hard. Hard mode involves changing the aggression and the attacks of enemies.
- We will be able to use siege equipment such as the troll artillery when assaulting a fortress. Talion can personally take control of the siege equipment if the player wishes.
- Necromancers can bring back dead enemies; necromancers don't just curse you, they also bring back dead orcs to fight you.
- Shunning someone after dominating them is essentially releasing them from your control. Released units will become enemies.
- Not all enemies can be branded. Enemies that are significantly higher level than Talion cannot be branded.
- Shaming an enemy is essentially mind raping them after you dominate them. This lowers their level, but also runs the risk of wrecking their mental state, potentially turning them into psychos that just scream at you when they see you.
- Failing missions can result in one of your allied captains being captured. If this happens, you will be given an optional mission to attempt their rescue. If you succeed, it cements their loyalty to you. If you fail or don't attempt to save them, they will either die or betray you.
- Orcs have different tribes each with their own culture. The regions that tribes control will reflect that culture. Additionally, the tribe and class of the overlord will significantly effect not just the fortress and the surrounding area, but the region as a whole as well. The example used is that marauders tend to have fortresses with gold aesthetics and a sunny environment, whereas necromancers will have fortresses with mystical aesthetics and a more wintery environment.
- Allies that are loyal will look out for opportunities to save you, but some allies can be summoned to save you if you set them as your bodyguard.
- Just as allies that are loyal will look for opportunities to save you, allies that hate you will look for opportunities to betray you. They will do their best to time their betrayals for when it will harm you the most.
- With the new dismemberment system, orcs that lose their limbs fighting you but return can have prosthetic limbs or weapons.
- Fortress can be counterattacked after you have taken it. Losing a fortress that you failed to defend results in a change in the region's scenery and culture, just as it did when you took over the fortress. It will also open up the regular (varying by circumstances) amount of missions involved with capturing the fortress.
- Assaulting a fortress that you have lost or previously assaulted and failed to capture will lead to taunting by enemies. They will taunt you based on the context.
- Drakes can not be immediately branded. Like most captains, you must first bring their health down until the indicator above their hp bar is green, at which point you can brand the drake and ride it.
- Enemies now have advanced classes in addition to the regular classes. Advanced Classes mentioned so far (including the ones from the gameplay trailer) are Assassin, Trickster, Necromancer, Beastmaster, and Marauder.
- Enemies will be made up of Uruk-hai (the regular soldiers encountered in SoM) and Olog-hai (a larger, more troll-like species). Examples of Olog-hai include Az-Laar the Demolisher and Ur-Hakon the Dragon.
