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Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor |OT| One Title to rule them all

Unai

Member
I played some more last night and this morning, unlocked some new abilities and it makes things easier however only slightly :p

I'm enjoying the game but it's so frustrating at the same time when you just get swarmed all the time. I have unlocked the Square and X attack now which is useful. Also unlocked the executions available after 5 combos instead of 8.

Hopefully with some more unlocks it will make things easier.

You'll fell like a badass later on when you are able to enter a fortress from the frond door and wreak havoc.
 

Dunbar

Member
I played some more last night and this morning, unlocked some new abilities and it makes things easier however only slightly :p

I'm enjoying the game but it's so frustrating at the same time when you just get swarmed all the time. I have unlocked the Square and X attack now which is useful. Also unlocked the executions available after 5 combos instead of 8.

Hopefully with some more unlocks it will make things easier.
Two things to help with swarms:

Use whatever ability lets you pound on the ground as an area of effect attack (Wraith Flash?). Being able to damage multiple enemies at once and knock them down makes a big difference.

If you're near a stronghold, take special care to recognize the orcs who are going to light signal fires. If you make sure to pick them off with an arrow before they can light the signal fire, it will keep the hordes far more manageable.

Also, you'll eventually get abilities that let you pull off executions and other special moves during the normal course of a fight rather than having to pin enemies down. That helps with thinning the herd.
 
Thanks for the advice guys!

Taking it all on board. One thing I will admit though is that although you can sometimes feel overwhelmed, when you do manage to pull of destroying a whole bunch of enemies or 2/3/4 captains at one time, the feeling of accomplishment is something else when you see their heads loped clean off their shoulders :p

I will admit I have let out a few howls of fuck yeah >.<
 

ArmageddB

Member
I was 4 hours in and I couldn't get access to the main missions. For some reason they weren't showing up on my map (PS4). I had intel on Ratbag and Gimub but for the life of me, I could not find them. I was running around killing random revenge captains thinking I would eventually progress the story.

I started a new save file and now everything seems to be fixed. After 15 minutes I'm farther ahead in the story than I was able to get (0/20 main missions) after 4 hours. I just saw Gollum for the first time.

Anyone else experience this?
 
Thanks for the advice guys!

Taking it all on board. One thing I will admit though is that although you can sometimes feel overwhelmed, when you do manage to pull of destroying a whole bunch of enemies or 2/3/4 captains at one time, the feeling of accomplishment is something else when you see their heads loped clean off their shoulders :p

I will admit I have let out a few howls of fuck yeah >.<

I just need to do a bit more story/power missions to unlock the 2nd tier of the skill tree, i'm not that far in myself but once I sussed out how to play I had a load of fun messing about doing side missions, also riding Carragors is pretty good fun, just bite anyone that stands in your way!
 
I just need to do a bit more story/power missions to unlock the 2nd tier of the skill tree, i'm not that far in myself but once I sussed out how to play I had a load of fun messing about doing side missions, also riding Carragors is pretty good fun, just bite anyone that stands in your way!

I just done a whole load of power missions just to unlock all the Ability Tiers and holy shit I'm wrecking face now.

Nothing stands in my way MWAHAHAHA!
 
This is so annoying. I felt like having a quick go on this game, so stuck the disk in and now it's downloading an 8gb patch for dlc I am never going to buy, now I can't play the single player while it's downloading as it says something about save data no longer working... What the fuck is this shit?

Okay, my save is still there, but being forced to download dlc is shitty, enough for me to wish I never gave my money to them.
 

DrBo42

Member
Yeah makes a big difference!

Spoilers!

Man what was with that ending? One of the biggest anti climaxes I've ever seen. QTE final boss? Seriously?

I enjoyed the game but that ending was so fucking disappointing.

Yeah, welcome to the party. One of the worst endings I've experienced in a long time. All the boss battles were a complete mess.

Edit: Overall enjoyed the game regardless. They really need to step the story up in the next game. Let me see more areas in Middle-Earth.
 

UraMallas

Member
I've played about 5 hours and I'm really not liking it. There are enemies everywhere and I can't get anywhere without having to fight off 20 or more orcs and other baddies. I will typically die before I get to any objective. Is this how the game goes? Is it really this hard or is there an unnecessary trial by fire at the beginning and things become easier after a bit? I don't want to continue if this is how the game is, I would rather play something that isn't so frustrating for me.

I just beat Ratbag and Gimub, if that is any indication of how far I am. I really hope it's just the beginning and this game is something I'll enjoy.
 

raindoc

Member
I've played about 5 hours and I'm really not liking it. There are enemies everywhere and I can't get anywhere without having to fight off 20 or more orcs and other baddies. I will typically die before I get to any objective. Is this how the game goes? Is it really this hard or is there an unnecessary trial by fire at the beginning and things become easier after a bit? I don't want to continue if this is how the game is, I would rather play something that isn't so frustrating for me.

I just beat Ratbag and Gimub, if that is any indication of how far I am. I really hope it's just the beginning and this game is something I'll enjoy.

this page is full of good advice. read it.
 

UraMallas

Member
this page is full of good advice. read it.

If you insist.

Just shut my PS4 off in frustration. Keep getting surrounded by 40 urochs and then running into control issues:

I want my character to climb up a wall; he stands next to it.
I want him to jump off a cliff; he stands at the edge.
I want to move sideways while climbing a wall; he goes up.

I seem to be the only one having trouble with the controls though, so maybe it's just me. I was really looking forward to this game but it's been a chore sticking with it. Too repetitive and too frustrating.

I'm having big issues as well. Similar to yours. Not a fan but I'll keep with it for a bit longer.
 
I had the same problem back in December. Five hours in and I still was not having fun. Have not played it since. With all the great games coming out shortly, I am not sure when I will be giving this game a second chance.

Cheers
 

raindoc

Member
If you insist.



I'm having big issues as well. Similar to yours. Not a fan but I'll keep with it for a bit longer.

I had the same problem back in December. Five hours in and I still was not having fun. Have not played it since. With all the great games coming out shortly, I am not sure when I will be giving this game a second chance.

Cheers


*don't forget to do red and white secondary missions. red ones help you unlock new tiers of upgrades faster, white ones provide the xp/currency needed to buy those upgrades.
*by doing red ("power") missions, you will also thin out sauron's captains - reducing the chance of running into couples or groups of them at the same time.
*focus on health upgrades first.
*be stealthy
*run away. don't die. (you can and will play with the nemesis system later, first thin out their lines)
*gain and use intel
 

void666

Banned
My advices:

Be stealthy.
Stay on higher ground. Orcs never look up.
Kill all archers if you want to move around strongholds freely. They can see you from farther away.
Plan your attacks. Look out for nearby captains.
Use bonfires, explosive barrels, grog, flies, caragor baits to your advantage.
If you're taking a beating, RUN.

This game is not hard. It's actually pretty forgiving.
 
Sh*t... I enjoy the Nemesis system but it's bugging on me :-/
No captains are respawning anymore in the Sea of Nurnen. I can move forward through time in the Tower but nothing changes, no new captains even if I try to force the system and let an Uruk kill me. I killed everyone in order to force the game but, nope, all the Orc leaders are lying on the ground (not beheaded) and the nemesis system is completely stuck.

I'm playing on PS4. Somebody had the same problem and could solve it? The Sauron army in Udun seems to work normally. Only the Orcish chain of command in Nurn seems totally broken.

:-/
 
Sh*t... I enjoy the Nemesis system but it's bugging on me :-/
No captains are respawning anymore in the Sea of Nurnen. I can move forward through time in the Tower but nothing changes, no new captains even if I try to force the system and let an Uruk kill me. I killed everyone in order to force the game but, nope, all the Orc leaders are lying on the ground (not beheaded) and the nemesis system is completely stuck.

I'm playing on PS4. Somebody had the same problem and could solve it? The Sauron army in Udun seems to work normally. Only the Orcish chain of command in Nurn seems totally broken.

:-/
Well... I didn't have to wait for too long. A patch was released today (v1.07 on PS4) and it fixes my problem with the Uruk captains not respawning anymore in the Sea of Nurmen area. Once the patch applied, I only had to advance in time at the towers and new captains were promoted.

Now I have new green friends to slice! Nice!
 

Turnstyle

Member
We did a LTTP podcast on this game:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i3OSfAuqq4

The reception it got from our crew was 75% positive...with a very strong 25% disagreement.

I cannot get my head around why this game is open world...I felt like there was literally nothing to see or do outside of the main missions.

Also, I look forward to playing a game at some point in 2015 where I'm not required to scale a tower...
 

StoOgE

First tragedy, then farce.
So,

I bought this game last Xmas on a sale and am getting around to playing it now. I just
finished killed the 4 warlords and am about to get to the second area from what I can gather

I really, really want to like this game. Sometimes, I do like it. Sometimes I think it's a fantastic sandbox. But othertimes I think it's just shoddy as fuck.

I have killed the same captain 4 times. But then 5 minutes later I look at the stupid rankings and there he is again, still a body guard for the warlord I want to off. I want to kill him separately because he shoots poison arrows and is a pain in my ass during the big battle, but cant.

My warlord doesn't like explosives or stealth finishers. So, I lure him into an area with tons and tons of explosives and just rock his world. He's almost dead, so I drop down from my perch and go in for the kill.... only to have him start running. Which wouldn't be a huge deal if he didn't run all over the damed map for 10 minutes.. and REGAIN all of his health that I spent 20 minutes draining.

It's also way to easy to stay hidden. I mean, I keep shooting guys and they don't see me. The combat system is really fun, but the number of bosses that have weird power combos that prevent hand to hand combat is staggering. Oh, I'm a giant shield dude and a bezerker, but I also have the ability to stop you from vaulting over me and if you try and use any finishers I have an ability that blocks that too.

It's just such a frustrating game that really punishes you for liking it.

Glad I'm playing it, but I really don't think it deserves the hype it got last year because of general jankiness.
 

Theorymon

Member
Ok so I'm finally getting to this game in my backlog because I'm probably not gonna be able to get Bloodborne for a while.

I'm liking it, but I may have come across a really lame game breaking glitch.

So I've been messing around for quite a while, so I decide "maybe I should go do a main mission". Theres a main mission marker over Ratbag and some other warlord, and when I select them, it's like "go to the icon thats marked main mission."

This icon never shows up for me ANYWHERE.

I've played this game for about 3 hours or so, and these main mission markers have never popped up for me. Am I screwed, should I start a new file, or am I just doing something wrong? If it means much, I've reforged all the towers I could in the begining, and I've done some of those side quests too. Also killed quite a few warlords.

EDIT: Just noticed that someone above me had a similar issue. Really hope I don't have to fix it by starting over...
 

Hystzen

Member
How do I make this game hard? Should I keep advancing time or what?

Start game with zero upgrades for health runes etc. only buy basic execution so tier 1 stuff and Turn off indicators. I been doing a zero upgrade run and it fun having to choose ruins carefully.

Also advance time
 

Sagitario

Member
I have been playing this for the last 3 days and it's definitely starting to become a bit repetitive. Are the missions in the second map the same?

Quick questions:
What upgrades do you guys recommend?
Does the exp requirement to get points increase as you "level up"? (right now, I need around 5K for 1 point)
How do you guys access the The Blood Hunters and The Flesh Burners DLC?
 

Levyne

Banned
I finally beat the Bright Lord DLC. It's okay, but more of the same and you start out with the execution spam ability which makes the challenge evaporate from the start. I did die once when I went to take on a Warchief and his 4 body guards at once though, ha.

I beat it in just over 2 hours. I didn't do the side missions, of which I guess there are 4. I was planning to go back to them but forgot that since the dlc maps are completely separate from the main game, there was no way to go back to it.

So yeah, none of the DLC is good, and the game loses a lot when you don't have to work your way up the upgrade tree for the cheese abilities. There was dispute when this game launched about how easy it is. For the DLC it's pretty much unquestionable since you're in endgame mode from the get go.

At least it was fun to revisit the gore and flashy animations.

Oh. And it has something resembling a boss fight, which is nice. It's not great, a lot of minion spam, but better than the base game. Not that that is hard to top.
 

educator

Member
I've played about 5 hours and I'm really not liking it. There are enemies everywhere and I can't get anywhere without having to fight off 20 or more orcs and other baddies. I will typically die before I get to any objective. Is this how the game goes? Is it really this hard or is there an unnecessary trial by fire at the beginning and things become easier after a bit? I don't want to continue if this is how the game is, I would rather play something that isn't so frustrating for me.

I just beat Ratbag and Gimub, if that is any indication of how far I am. I really hope it's just the beginning and this game is something I'll enjoy.

I know this a late reply, but someone else out there might happen to have the same issues as you. Oh well, here is some advice!

  • Run away when you're losing a battle. Seriously, get the hell out of there. It's not worth sticking around and trying your luck. Do something else and come back after a while. The important part is not getting killed since that increases your nemesis power. It can easily spiral out of control and make the first few hours more frustrating than it has to be.
  • Use combos and skills! Execute your enemies when they are downed and make sure to always parry and counter attacks.
  • Getting chased by 20 drooling orcs? Keep running and look for barrels or bonfires, turn around and bow the living flames out of it. You can easily kill 20+ enemies this way.
  • Incorporate stealth in your gameplay! Stealth is really useful when you want to kill an enemy undetected, set an example by brutalizing your foe (the rest will run away in fear) and/or just move without getting noticed.
  • All in all, try to enjoy the game as much as possible and do not let it frustrate you. Be cautious in the early stages of the game and it'll work itself out!
 
Picked this up recently and it's so good. The smooth combat from Batman, with more decapitations and brutality, with the traversal and stealth of Assassins Creed. Once you start unlocking more abilities, you feel so powerful and the combat is so satisfying. The Nemesis system works wonderfully; I'd love to see an Assassins Creed with a structure like that. Tracking down Templar lieutenants, establishing moles and double agents, gaining intel to take down targets.
 

Purkake4

Banned
Also picked it up recently. Some stuff like the combat and the procedural stuff is really nice, I especially love how well integrated the brand ability is. On the other hand the story is straight trash, Talion just looks bewildered in every scene and the best character the middle of the second map is Gollum. Also the collectibles are just lazily done.

Feels like a sweet tech demo that someone threw a game on top of in a hurry.
 

Montresor

Member
Is it possible to easily get the Level 25 Rune achievement using one of the DLCs? I just finished off the main campaign and I'm at 990/1000 gamerscore. The only achievement left is the Level 25 Rune achievement and I read somewhere that ONE of the DLCs has all level 25 warchiefs which should make this easy, no?
 

UraMallas

Member
Okay. So, I decided to give this game another chance and I started to get the hang of it and really enjoy it at about the 10 hour mark. I'might 49% done according to the game and I think I'm about to open up the second area.

My question is, has the DLC ever gone on sale on Xbox One? I think I might enjoy the DLC but I don't want to pay full price since I only paid $25 for the game itself.
 

Cormano

Member
Just got the plat, and im about to start the DLC, this has been a really enjoyable game so far I can see why it won several GOTY awards.

Hopefully the DLC trophies wont be a bitch to get.
 
So monday i'll have back My internet connection (just in time For tgs)... Does the only one online trophy of the game require ps+? Please tell me it does not.
 

Brizzo24

Member
I knew it was only a matter of time before the price was low enough to entice me to pick this up. The reviews read well, the LotR lore is one of my personal favs, and I was looking for a third-person action type game. Well, that day finally arrived and I picked up brand new physical copy for $19.99.

The tutorial built early into this game is leaving me confused. Before I get into it, I feel compelled to say that I've played Ass Creed's II thru Black Flag, and have many hours logged for all sorts of games similar to Shadow of Mordor, like Batman Arkham series. Yet after the very brief tutorial where you learn to attack, parry, and sneak/stealth
within the prologue--your son and wife are murdered right before your eyes, etc.
I'm left wondering what I do after that.

The open world, or mini world, that opens to you after the prologue drops you into the "action," yet doesn't fully explain what things are and what I am supposed to do. Yes, I understand I am to advance the story with the gold icons on my map, but the game just doesn't explain much after that. It's almost as if the dev are like, "they'll totally understand how to climb, traverse, obtain health, explore their crazy left-handed powers with ease." "No sense in telling the player any of that stuff."

I learned thru trial and error that you get health from the herbs, yet I feel like such a novice in a big world. Enemies on the map adhere to certain criteria:
  • Intel -- indicated with a blue icon?
  • Captains -- you can lock onto them with R3?
  • General cronies -- enslave humans and walk around casually, yet can call for backup?

I guess what I am asking, is it common to pick a fight with a higher level captain (or any enemy for that matter), only to have a frickin swarm of orks and urucks suddenly surround you? Are you constantly having to utilize stealth in this game just to avoid a bombardment of enemies?

Can someone explain the HUD? Red is health, white is my power? And I am supposed to hold down the circle button near an enemy to refill my bow and arrow power?

Any tips for a brand new player would help me greatly! Thank you.
 
Any tips for a brand new player would help me greatly! Thank you.
A lot of the contextual tooltips/messages that pop up during normal gameplay help to learn this sort of stuff- are they not appearing for you?

To answer your questions:

  • You're very weak at the beginning of the game. You'll have to use stealth, end fights quickly, or just run away in order to survive. Stealth is very forgiving in this game, so I'd recommend sticking with that for a bit.
  • Intel is a green icon if I'm remembering correctly. I'm not sure what blue icon you're referring to. You can grab (RB) an Uruk and then dominate him (hold A), then press him for intel if he has it (press A).
  • You can zoom onto captains while in Wraith Mode (LB) by pressing R3. It'll show you intel on them if you have it, and if you don't, it'll also make them show up in the "Sauron's Army" section of the pause menu so you can tag them/query an Uruk for intel on them later.
  • Most Uruk can call for backup. The longer the fight, the more Uruk that will show up. Later on, ending fights fast becomes easier, so you won't be worried about a small pack of Uruk.
  • Red is health, white is your "Focus" which is basically how much "slow-mo" you have when you're in Archery Mode (hold LT).
  • Draining enemies refills your Arrows (blue notches next to the Focus meter), which is either holding B (you can also do this when grabbing an Uruk), or dominating them counts as well (grab and then hold A). You can also find arrows in the world and just pick them up.
 

Fonz72

Member
I knew it was only a matter of time before the price was low enough to entice me to pick this up. The reviews read well, the LotR lore is one of my personal favs, and I was looking for a third-person action type game. Well, that day finally arrived and I picked up brand new physical copy for $19.99.

The tutorial built early into this game is leaving me confused. Before I get into it, I feel compelled to say that I've played Ass Creed's II thru Black Flag, and have many hours logged for all sorts of games similar to Shadow of Mordor, like Batman Arkham series. Yet after the very brief tutorial where you learn to attack, parry, and sneak/stealth
within the prologue--your son and wife are murdered right before your eyes, etc.
I'm left wondering what I do after that.

The open world, or mini world, that opens to you after the prologue drops you into the "action," yet doesn't fully explain what things are and what I am supposed to do. Yes, I understand I am to advance the story with the gold icons on my map, but the game just doesn't explain much after that. It's almost as if the dev are like, "they'll totally understand how to climb, traverse, obtain health, explore their crazy left-handed powers with ease." "No sense in telling the player any of that stuff."

I learned thru trial and error that you get health from the herbs, yet I feel like such a novice in a big world. Enemies on the map adhere to certain criteria:
  • Intel -- indicated with a blue icon?
  • Captains -- you can lock onto them with R3?
  • General cronies -- enslave humans and walk around casually, yet can call for backup?

I guess what I am asking, is it common to pick a fight with a higher level captain (or any enemy for that matter), only to have a frickin swarm of orks and urucks suddenly surround you? Are you constantly having to utilize stealth in this game just to avoid a bombardment of enemies?

Can someone explain the HUD? Red is health, white is my power? And I am supposed to hold down the circle button near an enemy to refill my bow and arrow power?

Any tips for a brand new player would help me greatly! Thank you.

Glad I decided to check this thread, I was having the same issue with getting swarmed and traversal.
 

UV-6

Member
Picked this up recently and it's so good. The smooth combat from Batman, with more decapitations and brutality, with the traversal and stealth of Assassins Creed. Once you start unlocking more abilities, you feel so powerful and the combat is so satisfying. The Nemesis system works wonderfully; I'd love to see an Assassins Creed with a structure like that. Tracking down Templar lieutenants, establishing moles and double agents, gaining intel to take down targets.

I was browsing Amazon and saw the GOTY edition for £17.99 and decided to give it a shot. So glad that I did. Completely agree with what you said.
 
I started playing this game again recently after not having played it in a long time. One day, I uninstalled the game data to make room for another game and so I had to re-install it. I noticed that one or two costumes I used to have unlocked are gone. I believe they were a black outfit for Talion and one that made Talion look like the Black Hammer.

I restarted the game when I realized it had kept my story progress but not my character upgrades (it wasn't a big deal because I didn't get very far into the story and now I'm caught up anyway). I thought I would re-unlock them once I got to a certain point in the story but they're still gone.

The weird thing is I still have an alternate costume unlocked that makes Talion look like the woman you meet halfway through the main story. Had anyone else had this problem? Were my missing costumes actually pre-order bonuses (I can't even remember whether or not I pre-ordered)? Is there a way to get them back?

EDIT: The missing content is DLC. I found the DLC codes from pre-ordering. They gave the Dark Ranger Pack, the Blood Hunter Warbrand missions, and the Flesh Burner Warbrand missions. How do I re-download DLC from redeemed codes? I followed a guide telling me I had to go to the system library, but the My Add-Ons option under Middle Earth's add-ons isn't showing up. How do I re-download my DLC without paying extra for something I already had before?
 
Hello there. I started the GOTY edition and I have a few questions:

1. I found some epic runes in my inventory right from the start. Are these really supposed to be here or are they freebies for the GOTY edition?
2. Can I actually clear an area? Seems like enemies respawn all the time. I'm finding that hunting enemies is fun but if they respawn indefinitely then maybe I'm better off finding missions to do than killing every Uruk in sight?
3. Will I eventually be able to unlock every skill there is?
4. How do I kill those darn spiders?
 

Tsukumo

Member
Hello there. I started the GOTY edition and I have a few questions:

1. I found some epic runes in my inventory right from the start. Are these really supposed to be here or are they freebies for the GOTY edition?
2. Can I actually clear an area? Seems like enemies respawn all the time. I'm finding that hunting enemies is fun but if they respawn indefinitely then maybe I'm better off finding missions to do than killing every Uruk in sight?
3. Will I eventually be able to unlock every skill there is?
4. How do I kill those darn spiders?

1- Comes with the GOTY edition.
2- They respawn. The game is about completing missions and side missions.
3- Yes. Side missions will give you plenty of Mithril.
4- Focus, time slows down, then snipe them with the bow.
 

Theorry

Member
Anyone has any combat tips? I am struggeling alot and getting killed easily.
I am countering but i have the feeling i am doing alot of damage and more then 4 enemies and i am usually dead. There is also a finisher move? I need to hold B and Y. But it never works. When do i need to press that?
 

Tsukumo

Member
Anyone has any combat tips? I am struggeling alot and getting killed easily.
I am countering but i have the feeling i am doing alot of damage and more then 4 enemies and i am usually dead. There is also a finisher move? I need to hold B and Y. But it never works. When do i need to press that?

The tutorial in the option menu has plenty of explanation for each type of attack at your disposal, with video examples on top of it. Check that out.
General tips are so many:
- Use brutalize stealth kills to create breathing room in case you need to pick a plant, free an hostage or collect an item.
- Use brutalize kills (they are called flurry kills in combat) to disperse big mobs when facing twenty or thirty orcs.
- Spam the jump over enemies.
- Adjust the bow aim to your liking, so that it won't feel sluggish for you. If you find runes which upgrade or enhance or replenish focus (slow-down time when aiming the bow) equip them immediately.
- Prioritize branding and/or killing archers.
- Don't stress over dying. It sort of supposed to happen from time to time.
- Don't go for stealth finishers during combat, they are too slow.
- Counters aren't essential. They are more suited to small groups of three to five enemies.
- Learn weaknesses before tackling a warchief.
- When infiltrating a stronghold, randomly target all caragor baits, flies nests, bonfire and grog stocks you see. Often they'll terrorize a captain you didn't even know was there. Rarely, very rarely, they'll trigger some captain rage state. Still, if you are on a rooftop shooting random targets, even enraged captains will have a hard time reaching for you.
 
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