

In general, Shadow of War is a complex game, aimed at experienced players. How easy is Middle-Earth: Shadow of War to pick up and play? Giving you the option of sending characters off to complete missions for you, perhaps tasking them with assassinating a rival captain, infiltrating the enemy army or simply training them up for battle, at certain points in the game, you'll have to rely on your orc army to defend your captured fortresses from attack by Sauron's forces, which is where all that training, underhanded tactics and planning is likely to pay off. Later on in the game, Talion will need to raise his own orc army, recruiting his own commanders, grunts and captains to his cause. Beat him, and you'll weaken the enemy forces - but should he defeat you, he might get promoted, making him much tougher for when you decide to try and settle your vendetta later on.

Such information you can use to your advantage, when you come face to face with the commander in question. By using your wraith companion's mind-reading powers, you're able to discover which orcs are immune to arrows, weak to poison, or scared of Caragors, the giant sabre-tooth cat beasts you can ride around on. Groups of orcs are often lead by more powerful orc commanders, each with their own unique sets of strengths and weaknesses.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of Shadow of War is its 'Nemesis system'. Missions generally revolve around travelling from A to B, taking out the enemies on your way, perhaps avoiding some large fireballs along the way, or taking a detour to steal a 'siege beast' for flinging bombs down into the crowds of city-storming orcs below you. Combat is a somewhat button-mashing affair, with a few time-sensitive special moves you can pull off as and when the relevant buttons appear on screen to stealth kill, parry or temporarily stun. Whether you prefer to be sneaky sneaky, slowly picking them off one by one without being detected, or simply diving in, sword swinging madly instead, you have the freedom to approach each situation as you see fit. Walled cities and fortresses crawl with enemy orcs, who you'll need to fight through to reach your next objective. Playing as Talion, most of your time will be spent sneaking around Shadow of War's Lord of the Rings-themed open world, searching for collectibles, side quests and playing through story segments. How do you play Middle-Earth: Shadow of War?
