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The former influences Mordor‘s stealth and movement Talion can scramble his way up nearly any vertical surface and he can sneak around hostile territory in plain sight by using his Wraith sense to see all nearby enemies, even through walls. Wrapped around all of that is a third-person, open-world adventure that’s colored in shades of both the Assassin’s Creed and Batman: Arkham series’. Nemesis lays out the strengths, weaknesses, fears, and hates of key individuals serving in Sauron’s army. For the better part of Shadow of Mordor‘s running time, you’re working the social hierarchy of Sauron’s forces in a way that would make Niccolo Machiavelli proud. It’s not something scripted into the game, it’s a story that emerges out of your own, unique experiences. This entire narrative unfolds in the mind of the player. And, when the higher-ranking orc is sufficiently weakened, you can step in and finish the job.
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And so you send Mugluk off to duel with his boss, Amug. He’d be a good fit for Warchief, especially after you use Talion’s Brand ability to bring him over to your side. Where Amug just got lucky, Mugluk showed wisdom in battle, retreating from a superior foe. Talion scrapped with Mugluk once before in a one-on-one fight, but the orc slipped away. You do, however, have a grudging respect for his lone Captain follower, Mugluk the Cook. You remember Amug well, and you don’t like him one bit.
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He’s terrified of Caragors, four-legged carnivores that roam free in Mordor, but he can’t be harmed by ranged attacks.
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He was elevated to Captain then and there, and he eventually, through successful power struggles with other orcs, climbed to the rank of Warchief. That’s Amug the Sickly, who was just a basic grunt in Sauron’s army until he landed a lucky strike one day that cut down the great ranger Talion. You’re not going after some generic boss. Shadow of Mordor is more organic than that.
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In most games, that would mean taking on a series of five “bosses,” maybe with some optional sidequests peppered in to give you an advantage in one fight or another. Say the basic goal of unseating five ruling Warchiefs is laid before you. More than that, though, Nemesis seeps into your own thought process as you play. You need to ally with locals, then use your not-insignificant stealth and combat abilities to let your followers rise through the ranks on the backs of their enemies. Your path to victory is shrouded in shadow and deceit. Talion and Celebrimbor have similar reasons for seeking vengeance in the land of Mordor, but Sauron’s forces are far too entrenched for a one-versus-many approach to an all-out assault. More than just a throwaway feature bullet point, Nemesis progresses the plot. If a Captain cuts you down, he’ll be marked in the menus as a potential revenge target and – more importantly – he’ll use your next encounter to pepper you with insults. It also manages rivalries between these individuals and tracks Talion’s connection with each one. Thank the Nemesis System, which defines Mordor‘s social stratum. The bigger attraction will be an open world populated with a living community. Don’t worry, it is absolutely inconsequential for more casual fans. A resurrected ranger named Talion, with the help of Celebrimbor, a long-dead elf-turned-wraith, seeks vengeance in Sauron’s kingdom. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is the rare video game that breeds stories.Įven for devoted Tolkien fans, the overarching plot in Shadow of Mordor is a significant lore dive, digging deep into a period of Middle-earth history that is only explored in the book The Silmarillion.
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