If you’re anything like me, maybe you suck a little at Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor. But I’m here to tell you that that’s okay. You will get better. Shadow of Mordor is not a difficult game, but you do have to approach it with some forethought and patience. For people who like to just jump into a swarm of enemies and start hacking away, you are going to die, and you probably won’t get very far. With a little bit of strategy though, you’ll be sweeping through the Uruk-hai like the Ranger you were made to be.
Do the First Few Story Missions before You Go out into the World
While Shadow of Mordor is an expansive open world ripe for exploring, doing a few story missions right away can be extremely helpful. Shadow of Mordor is light on the hand-holding. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but after the first tutorial/introduction you are set loose to do what you will. It might be tempting to go out and start pummeling Orcs, but hold off for just a bit.
The missions help you unlock, and just as importantly, show you how to use new abilities. The missions are usually designed to help you practice newly learned skills that will be integral to infiltrating Orc strongholds. The missions following the Wraith’s story and Gollum will introduce you to, you guessed it, Wraith skills. The main story missions involving the Orcs focus more heavily on the Ranger. It’s a good idea to play through until you unlock the Warchief Hunt objective. Then make use of your new tools and go start taking out captains, collecting Mirian and doing weapon quests.
Take Your Time
Take your time in approaching enemies. This doesn’t mean you need a solid game plan written out before charging into a stronghold, but don’t just go in sword a blazin’. The best thing to do is take out the archers posted in the high points of a stronghold. Archers are the eyes of the encampment, and they also do some decent damage. Eliminating them right away with a well placed arrow to the head or a stealth kill will save you a lot of trouble later when you’re stirring things up at ground level.
Making the rounds killing archers is also a good way to get acquainted with a stronghold before beginning your objective. Strongholds aren’t small, so it’s a good idea to know where your exits are, where you can lay traps and where the captains are hanging out.
It’s OK to Run Away
It’s easy to get overwhelmed in this game. You might see a captain you’ve been meaning to take down, swoop in for the kill, only to find yourself surrounded by about 80 or so of his buddies. Then some other captains come to check out the ruckus. In about 10 seconds flat you have something of a shitstorm on your hands. Don’t stick around. Climb a tower or run far enough away and your enemies will lose track of you. They’re either not very smart or very lazy, so you don’t have to go too far. They won’t waste much time looking around for you when they could be mocking outcasts or getting eaten by Caragors instead.
You can runaway even in the midst of a challenge within a stronghold. If you’re being chased, climb up high until they give up. This way you can jump right back in without dying or being forced to abandon your objective or mission. It’s always a good idea to avoid this, since captains will level up if you die or fail.
Use Your Environment
Until you gain the ability to brand Orcs and force them to fight for you, you’ll be going it alone for the most part. Coming up against a fortress full of Orcs, your chances of survival are pretty slim. You may have fancy Wraith powers now, but those powers alone aren’t enough. Luckily, most of the Orc strongholds have a bit of a Morgai Fly problem. Shooting a fly nest at the right time will send Orcs into a panicked fit, distracting them for a few seconds.
Shadow of Mordor gives you a lot more to play with. You can shoot out the doors of Caragor pens, letting the vicious monsters loose on the camp. If a particular Orc stronghold doesn’t like to keep pets, shooting at a chunk of drying meat hanging from the rafters will attract nearby, toothy wildlife. The Caragor might even help thin the Uruk numbers a bit. Just be careful you don’t get in their way.
In an early mission you also will be taught how to shoot at fires and barrels to cause explosions to cause widespread damage. Get a mob’s attention, and then let them chase you past a pile of barrels. Shoot it (a careful distance away) and you’ve just taken out 15 or so Orcs. You can also sneak around and poison the Orc’s prized grog (booze), killing some while also causing infighting. It might take some practice to learn how to use all of these tools effectively, but once you figure it out it can make the game extremely satisfying.
Know Thy Enemy
Early on, Shadow of Mordor suggests it might be a good idea to gather intel on the various Uruk captains. It doesn’t really force the issue, though. It’s easy advice to ignore. Doing so can be a huge mistake. Gathering intel on an enemy will unveil their numerous strengths and weaknesses. Some elite captains and Warchiefs might seem nigh invincible. Learn their secret weaknesses, however, and your mission just got a whole lot easier. Some Warchiefs might be intensely difficult to face in head to head combat, but can be killed instantly by a stealth attack. Some might be so desperately afraid of Caragor you can move in for an easy kill after unleashing the hounds.
It’s a good idea to learn about the captains too, not just the Warchiefs. Warchiefs usually roam around Mordor with a posse of one or more “bodyguards” – other captains they’ve taken under their wing (by choice or otherwise). It’s a VERY good idea to find out the best way to kill these captains and take them out before going for the Warchief himself. That way when you’re ready for the main event, the Warchief won’t come with any other challenging friends.
You might find yourself dying a lot in the early stages of the game, especially if you are not patient in your play style. With these tips though, you’ll be on a sure path to success. Happy hunting!
Published: Oct 4, 2014 12:17 pm