With Talion and Celebrimbor returning to Mordor to once again wreak havoc against the forces of Sauron, Middle-earth: Shadow of War gives players yet another opportunity to deep dive into the rich world of Lord of the Rings, and take up arms against the Uruk-hai and other threats to Middle-earth. However, while Talion’s expertise as a Ranger and Celebrimbor’s wraith-like abilities give them an edge against the Orcs, players still have to slowly unlock their true potential in order to truly make a difference in the battlefield.
Players who want to speed run their way into maxing out their abilities in Shadow of War may be delighted to learn of a variety of ways they can do this in their gameplay. In fact, some mechanics in the game give players ways to exploit their gameplay loop to maximize their XP earnings.
Grab XP Boosts
As with most other action RPGs, Shadow of Mordor gameplay may also be affected by real-world currency. These come in the form of Gold, a currency that players can earn instantly when purchasing with actual cash, and a currency they can also earn much slower when accomplishing Daily Challenges. Either way, players can use Gold to purchase XP Boosts in the in-game Market, alongside a whole host of other benefits.
Players can buy a 2-hour XP boost for 100 Gold, which doubles the XP they earn for two (2) real-time hours. This is an important distinction, as the effect of this buff only lasts for the next two (2) hours - including the time players stop playing the game. That means the best way to use this XP boost is when players plan on having a two-hour session, particularly when tackling multiple quests to maximize the boosted gains.
Secure The Wealth Gems
Similar to the original Shadow of Mordor game, Shadow of War gameplay with Talion also returns with Gems. These slottable upgrades to Talion’s person give him boosts in damage (Potency), health (Vitality), and even XP gain (Wealth). Not only that but upgrading these Gems to Perfect grade will net as high as 30 percent bonus XP, which can give players ridiculous boosts when paired properly with the right lineup of quests.
This should give Talion room for consistent boosts regardless of what quests he’s doing throughout his journey in Mordor. These Gems also can become a great assist when paired with an XP Booster, and Nemesis Missions.
Skip Captains Not Part Of Nemesis Missions
Given how fluid the Nemesis System works for Talion in Shadow of Mordor, it’s not surprising how players can encounter the occasional enemy ambush in a mission. It’s all the more unsettling once players are ambushed by Uruk Captains separate from the one they’re dealing with. However, regardless of the situation, players should make an active effort to avoid killing Uruk Captains that aren’t part of their Nemesis Missions.
Granted, killing that uninvolved Uruk Captain nets a decent amount of XP. However, players earn significantly more XP if that Uruk Captain is involved in a Nemesis Mission. After all, not only do players earn XP from that Captain, but they also earn XP from that mission.
Fear Is Always Good
Fear is an active component in Shadow of War gameplay, and among Uruk Captains, the sight of another Orc they hate can force them to flee due to being terrified. Players can actually exploit this to their advantage, especially when they use this specifically when securing various locations in the game. To do this, players simply need to find an Orc that is easily intimated by another Orc.
After discovering the target, players should help raise that target’s level by either sending Death Threats to that Orc or having their weaker Orcs get killed by that target. Players should be mindful not to raise that target’s level so much that they remove the intimidation weakness. Afterward, players should send off one of their stronger Orcs to kill that target. It’s very likely that this target will immediately flee the battle regardless, giving the victory to the player.
Help The Regular Uruk Up The Ladder
The Nemesis System returns in Shadow of War gameplay, giving players the opportunity to forge rivalries with the Uruk Captains they meet in combat. However, rivals don’t always come in the form of existing Legendary Uruks. A lot of memorable enemies in Shadow of War often come in the form of unexpected foes, especially when an ordinary Uruk gets the sudden promotion.
However, players can capitalize on this by strategically planning the raising of Uruks to power for that sweet kill. To do this, players should try to Death Threat an Uruk Captain with a weakness to a player specialization (e.g., stealth kills, mortal wounds) to make the eventual combat easier. This threat will boost the Power of said Uruk, especially when they get to kill the player in the process. The act of killing the player grants the player the chance to strike back, which often results in higher XP. The rewards here become all the more worthwhile if players get that same Uruk promoted further down the line.
Farm Through Ordinary Captains, Warchiefs
Similar to its prequel, Shadow of War and its open world also feature a wide variety of Uruk Warchiefs and Captains to fight. While more powerful Uruks of Legendary status indeed net a lot of XP rewards, they often only come as a one-time thing. This means while Talion can definitely get that much-needed XP boost, this won’t ever happen again. In turn, Talion might want to grow through the next best option: Ordinary Captains, Warchiefs.
Due to their rather basic nature, these unimportant enemies usually respawn if players leave their areas alone for long enough. To do this, players simply need to either respawn (through dying) or progress time through the Advance Time feature. This forces all enemies in the area to complete their tasks and even have the chance of a random Orc being promoted to Captain or Warchief. The odds of this promotion happening are much higher when players have just killed other ordinary Captains and Warchiefs. This means players can have a steady stream of Captains and Warchiefs to kill with decent XP rewards.
Maximize Late Game Farm With Nemesis Missions
When players reach the penultimate part of the game in Act 4, they finally get handed their own Fortress to defend in another area in Mordor. This Shadow of War gameplay mode is a series of domination missions where players have to conquer enemy fortresses in order to unlock the final credits of the game. However, those who want to maximize the grind this late into the game can still do so if they play their cards right.
At its core, this involves Shadow of War players only dominating the limited requirement of Captains as often as possible. Theoretically, this should get around 15+ enemy Captains roaming around in an area by the time players start exploring. Kill enough Orcs and their deaths should trigger Nemesis Mission for these Captains, which then force them into the battlefield. Ideally, players should try triggering at least five (5) Nemesis Missions in the area, and then proceed to kill the Captains in sequence. These should net 1,000 XP per Captain and may take only a few minutes to kill.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War was released in 2017 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.