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*If you enjoyed this guide, please consider recommending it at the top!* :)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor FAQ/Walkthrough
Version 1.21 (10/9/14)
Written by Andrew Testa
Email Address:
[email protected]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This document is Copyright (c) 2015 Andrew Testa. All Rights Reserved.
_.-°¯°-._.-°¯°-._.-°¯°-._.-°¯°-._.-°¯°-._.-°¯°-._.-°¯°-._.-°¯°-._
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< ------- T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S ------- >
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¯°-._.-°¯°-._.-°¯°-._.-°¯°-._.-°¯°-._.-°¯°-._.-°¯°-._.-°¯°-._.-°¯
1. What's New?
2. Introduction
3. Basics
3.1 - Story
3.2 - Tips n' Tricks
3.3 - Gameplay Mechanics
4. Walkthrough
4.1 - Prologue
4.2 - The Slaver
4.3 - The Spirit of Mordor
4.4 - An Interested Party
4.5 - Shattered Memories
4.6 - The One Truth
4.7 - The Outcasts
4.8 - Climb the Ranks
4.9 - The Warchief
4.10 - Kill Four Warchiefs
4.11 - The Dark Monument
4.12 - The Black Captain
4.13 - The Messenger
4.14 - Queen of the Shore
4.15 - The Power of the Wraith
4.16 - The Cure
4.17 - The Rescue
4.18 - Big Game
4.19 - Hunting Partners
4.20 - The Great White Graug
4.21 - Brand Five Warchiefs
4.22 - Lord of Mordor
4.23 - Mordor in Flames
5. Upgrades
5.1 - Abilities
5.2 - Attributes
6. Runes
6.1 - Sword Runes
6.2 - Bow Runes
6.3 - Dagger Runes
7. Hunting Challenges
8. Survival Challenges
9. Ithildin
10. Artifacts
11. Bestiary
12. Achievements
13. Credits
14. Contact Information
15. Legal Disclaimer
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. What's New?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
Version 1.21 (10/9/14): Minor update; fixed some embarrassing spelling errors
Version 1.2 (10/8/14): Bulked up the Basics section, adding the "Gameplay
Mechanics" subsection.
Version 1.1 (10/7/14): Added sections 5-11; Upgrades, Runes, Hunting
Challenges, Survival Challenges, Ithildin, Artifacts,
and Bestiary.
Version 1.0 (10/6/14): Walkthrough complete and all achievements covered.
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Introduction
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
Welcome to my strategy guide for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor! In this
guide, you'll find a complete, beginning-to-end walkthrough in addition to
vast appendix sections. The walkthrough is separated by quest for easy
navigation. I hope you enjoy your stay at Mordor a little more with this
guide. :)
But why a guide for Shadow for Mordor? Well, because there aren't any! :)
And since its release, it is a very popular game. It was also well-reviewed,
earning a solid 85 from MetaCritic. So the audience is definitely there, but
if they need help, the help isn't. Hopefully, with this guide, that situation
will be rectified. :)
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Basics
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
Th' basics to Shadow of Mordor.
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.1 - Story
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
"In the land of Mordor, where the shadows lie...
It was here, on the slopes of Mt. Doom, that the Dark Lord Sauron
was defeated by a last alliance of Men and Elves...
It is here that for two and a half thousand years the Rangers of Gondor stood
watch, guarding against a nameless threat they had all but forgotten.
And while the strength of Gondor faded, the power and malice of Sauron grew
in darkness.
He has returned to Mordor.
Shadow and flame have fallen on the Black Gate and no mortal man can stand in
its path..."
Until YOU! :) (Okay, I added that last part.)
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.2 - Tips n' Tricks
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
+ It's not called the SHADOW of Mordor for nothing! Stealth rules in this
game. You do not have to play stealth-like, but it will make the game
tons easier. I know some people hate stealth in video games, and you can
take that head-on, balls to the wall, combat approach. But be prepared to
have a harder game.
+ Just like Morrowind's Eltonbrand, the Brand ability in this game is
awesome. You get it toward the middle of the story, but it allows you to
"Brand" your enemies and command them to do your bidding. As you might
guess, this is a great skill. (More skill than oldtime NBA Brand!)
+ Use Area of Effect attacks to clear enemies swarming around you.
+ Use the environment to your advantage! You can shoot barrels, firepits,
bee's nests, and meat. These can hurt the enemy, stun them, and create
distractions. So, if you are going up against a ton of enemies in a
stronghold, use the environment!
+ Counterattacking is overpowered in this game. Whenever you see that icon
above your head, be sure to press the appropriate button!
+ Take down archers first, then hunters, then normal Uruks, and then
defenders. Archers can cause the most problems, so they go first. It's
best to stealth-kill them to clear the area, or better yet, brand them
when you get the ability. Hunters also have ranged attacks, so they go
second. Normal Uruks are third on your priority list because they are weak
and easy to defeat. And Defenders are last, because they take the most
work to defeat.
+ For Captains and Warchiefs, it's easier if you clear the area before you
engage them. Just as before, try to lure the normal enemies into a trap
(firepit, barrel) to take them down quickly.
+ You can out-sprint enemies. So, if you are roaming around, there is no
reason to stay in stealth. You can get to where you're going, much
quicker, if you just sprint past enemies.
=============================================================================
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3.3 - Gameplay Mechanics
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
There are three primary ways to fight in SoM: the sword, the bow, and the
dagger.
---------------------------
-- Sword (Normal Combat) --
---------------------------
Fighting with your sword is plain ol' combat. You are up against an enemy
(or, sometimes, dozens) and you have your flurry of sword strikes to take
care of them. The combat is very Batman: Arkham City/Asylym, but with swords
instead of fists. This is because one of the central mechanics, that of
counterattacking and blocking, pops up over your head when the enemy is about
to strike.
And, as such, these little pop ups are absolutely crucial to your victory in
normal combat. Heed their advice; when you are told to counterattack,
counterattack, and when you are told to dodge, dodge! You will not only avoid
the damage, but you will also set yourself up to damage the opposition.
For combat attacks, the basic gist is this: swipe at them a few times and
then Talion will knock them to the ground. From here, you can perform a
ground execution, which will kill normal enemies and injure
Captains/Warchiefs. But it can be confusing at first to swipe at an enemy and
not hit them because they are knocked down, so be sure to switch to the
ground when they are on the ground!
-------------------------
-- Bow (Ranged Combat) --
-------------------------
Fighting with your bow is, of course, ranged combat. But unlike in, say,
Fable, you shouldn't use ranged as your primary avenue for damaging the
enemy. Instead, your first priority with the bow should be blowing stuff up
in the environment: barrels, firepits, bee's nests, and Caragor cages, to
name a few.
Using these environmental objects to your advantage will severely increase
your chance of victory in combat. Barrels/firepits blow up, causing damage to
the enemy and also stunning them. Similarly, bee's nests and Caragor cages
act as a stun as well as a distraction.
So, the bow is absolutely pivotal for manipulating the environment to your
advantage. But what else can you do with it?
Well, you might consider using the bow as your primary weapon against
Captains or Warchiefs who are vulnerable to ranged attacks. There aren't many
vulnerable, and it can be considered kind of "cheap," but you have to exploit
the weaknesses that you are given!
With the Pin in Place ability, the bow's usefulness is further amplified,
because you can "arrow in the knee" to keep enemies in place.
-----------------------------
-- Dagger (Stealth Combat) --
-----------------------------
Minus a few missions, you don't have to play stealth in SoM. But! It will
really help if you do. That's because stealth is awesome. And this is coming
from a person who dislikes, almost loathes, stealth in video games. The
stealth combat in SoM is very similar to Assassin's Creed -- basically, you
stealth around, silently taking out enemies with stealth attacks. This "thins
the herd," so to speak, making normal sword combat much easier.
It is given 1/3 of the weapon attributes screen, and depending on your
playstyle, you will use stealth either substantially more than 1/3 of the
time, or substantially less than 1/3 of the time.
But, the basic premise of dagger combat is this: stealth around and stealth
kill the stragglers. This will thin the herd, allowing you to easier defeat
enemies when in normal combat.
---------------------
-- Getting Swarmed --
---------------------
Sometimes, combat just isn't going your way -- you didn't thin the herd with
stealth, you aggro'd everyone in the stronghold, or you let that blasted Uruk
call off the alarm. In these cases, you should take out the area of effect
(AoE for short) abilities to not only damage the swarms of enemies, but also
to give you some breathing room with AoE's knockback effect.
Aside from AoEs, there are two other primary ways to deal with swarms of
enemies. The first is to use the environment to your advantage -- use those
barrels, firepits, bee's nests -- to damage and stun multiple enemies. And
the other is less glamorous: just run away. Seriously, you can sprint off,
get back in stealth, and basically reset your encounter if you find yourself
overmatched. Brave? Not really. Effective? Definitely.
------------
-- Alarms --
------------
You should ALWAYS change your focus to the Uruk going for the alarm. You will
be notified when this happens, and the respective Uruk will have the alarm
icon above his head. Simply take him down to stop the looming threat. And if
you do set off the alarm, see "Getting Swarmed" for what to do.
-----------
-- Focus --
-----------
Focus slows time, allowing for Max Payne-like reflexes. It is useful for
ranged combat, particularly headshots and the like. But you can also use it
to catch up to fleeing captains, as you move at a quicker pace than enemies
while you are in focus mode. So definitely conserve your focus and use it at
the most opportune time!
----------------------
-- Regaining Health --
----------------------
The Uruks in Mordor were kind enough to leave strategically-placed healing
plants through Mordor. When your health gets low, look for them. They are
nearly omnipresent.
--------------
-- Branding --
--------------
In the middle-late portion of the main quest, you will receive the ability to
Brand your target. This puts the enemy under your control, allowing them to
fight with you in combat. Obviously, this is a very powerful ability, and you
should always elect to Brand when you have the option.
----------------------------
-- Captains and Warchiefs --
----------------------------
You might accidentally bump into these guys in combat, or you may gain intel
and be specifically hunting them. Either way, when they're in the battle,
they will "introduce" themselves through a small cinematic. These guys are
MUCH tougher than normal Uruks, and depending on the situation, you should
try to clear the normal enemies before engaging them.
Each Captain and Warchief has their own randomized set of strengths and
weaknesses. You can "gain intel" on this information by interrogating normal
Uruks (or those Uruks with the green intel icon, which can give intel on any
nemesis, including Warchiefs). This intel helps a lot in combat. Of course,
you can always use trial and error. Fire an arrow at a Warchief, see that
they don't get hurt? Yep, one of their strengths is definitely
invulnerability to ranged combat.
-------------------
-- Sauron's Army --
-------------------
This is the much-celebrated, unique, and fun system of SoM. Basically, you
can see all current Captains and Warchiefs on the "Sauron's Army" menu
screen. Each nemesis has a specific name, as well as randomized attributes.
There are weaker nemeses with lower power and rank, and stronger nemeses --
usually Warchiefs -- with high power and rank.
Events like power struggles, the passage of time, and Talion losing in
combat, all effect Sauron's Army. A Captain one day might gain power and
overthrow a Warchief. The next day, there might be a vicious betrayal with a
Warchief's bodyguard. It is a moving, lively system, and very fun to boot,
which is why it has been widely celebrated as a "next-gen" mechanic.
There are two "roadblocks" in the main quest which require you to participate
in the system. The first time, you must simply kill all the Warchiefs, and
the second time, you must have all Warchiefs branded. As you might have
guessed, this can take a significant amount of time! So how do we go about
it?
Well, if you simply want to kill a Warchief, you have to gain intel on their
location. Interrogate (aka grab and "Gain intel") on a green mob (with the
intel icon) to get their location. And if you repeat this process again,
you'll get their strengths and weaknesses. You will also see their
bodyguards, which is really important.
You most definitely want to take care of the bodyguards first! This means
killing them or branding them. If you don't, then you'll face the Warchief
and two or three Captains, all in one fight, which is definitely not an easy
battle.
When you learn the Brand ability, in the middle of the game, you have the
option to "Brand" Captains and Warchiefs. From then on out, you can command
them to do things -- duel against another Warchief/Captain, gain followers,
and if they are a bodyguard, betray their Warchief.
So the easiest, albeit longest, way to brand a Warchief is to actually brand
one of his bodyguards. From there, raise his power by commanding him into
victory against other Captains. Then, when he's strong, have him betray his
Warchief. Of course, throughout this entire process, you'll be "holding his
hand," in combat with him, ensuring that he will be victorious.
Overall, it is a cool, fun, and novel system.
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Walkthrough
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
This section contains a complete beginning-to-end walkthrough for Shadow of
Mordor. The walkthrough is separated by quest, so look for which quest you're
on in the game, and match it up to the subsection in this guide.
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.1 - Prologue
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
"In the land of Mordor, where the shadows lie..."
After SoM's opening cutscene, you are introduced to the combat mechanics via
a quick spare with your son. You spend the first portion of this friendly
fight by simply blocking and parrying his attacks. It's all rather simple --
wait for the button to pop up over his head when he swings, and press the
button to parry the attack. This is a central combat mechanic to SoM, so
you'd better get used to fighting this way.
After a handful of parries, you are finally let loose to swing your sword at
him. This is also fairly easy -- mash the attack button and you'll do a combo
right into him. Now that you've got the bare basics of combat, watch the
cutscene in which you get invaded.
When you have control again, you'll need to perform a ground execution on an
Uruk in front of you. Press the prompted buttons and Talion will execute the
enemy. But your fight has just begin, as their are four more enemies you must
kill in this small area. First, though, you'll learn how to sprint (hold down
the sprint button) and tackle (press the attack button while you are
sprinting).
So, you must kill the remaining enemies. Use the tactics that you've learned
thus far to quickly dispose of them. Counter their attacks, then attack with
a combo right into them, then perform an execution if they are on the ground.
The son is here to make sure they don't gang up on you, and you can even go
two-on-one if you fight the enemy that the son is engaging.
After the fight, there will be another cutscene, and then you have one of the
more sweet and romantic tasks in video games -- stealth up and kiss your wife
from behind. This is an interesting way to introduce stealth, as these are
the same buttons that you would press to do a stealth kill.
After another cutscene, you'll be faced with real stealth as you must stealth
kill the three Uruk in front of you. Simply hold down on the stealth button
and stealth kill the Uruk to the right. Wait for the remaining two Uruk to go
away from each, then take out the Uruk to your left before stealth killing
the one on the right. Both Uruk will be absentmindedly looking for loot on
the ground, so they are easy targets.
With the three Uruk out of the way, we have another cutscene -- this time,
*the* cutscene; that is, the defining cutscene that sets in motion the events
of the game. After the cutscenes, you need to reforge the anvil in front of
you. This will open up the tower to fast travel. So, when you see these
towers in the game, climb up them and reforge so you can fast travel to areas
quickly.
Jump down from the top of the tower in AC-like fashion. You'll grab the
attention of some Uruk in front of you. This time, you are introduced to
ranged combat in the game. Simply press the appropriate button to aim your
bow, then fire charged areas at the Uruk running toward you. You must kill
four of them.
After taking down the Uruk, we have another cutscene which ends with an Uruk
dazed on the ground. Now you're introduced to one of the more interesting
mechanics of the game -- interrogated the enemy. Grab the Uruk on the ground
and press the button to "Gain Intel." Your then introduced to Sauron's army
-- get intel on the slaver in the middle, who happens to be your next target.
This ends the "prologue," which was basically a ton of tutorials strung
together with interesting story. You now have two available story missions,
"The Slaver" and "The Spirit of Mordor." Since "The Slaver" is probably
closer, we'll cover it first.
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.2 - The Slaver
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
Description: "An Uruk Slaver holds a Captive with information on The Black
Captains. Hunt down the Slaver, rescue the Captive and find
out what he knows."
Bonus Objective: Eliminate 4 Archers before attacking The Slaver.
Experience: +600 XP for mission, +50 for Bonus Objective
Enter Wraith World and mark The Slaver. Your Bonus Objective is to kill four
archers before attacking The Slaver. Stealth kills are the easiest way to
accomplish this Bonus Objective.
Climb up the tower-like structure to the left and stealth kill the archer
while he's looking the other way. Cross the rope (well, it's three ropes) at
the corner of the tower to reach another tower will another archer. Don't
worry about alarming the Uruks down below -- you walk "special" when crossing
over ropes. Just stealth-sprint so you go across quickly.
After stealth killing the archer here, go across the rope next to him and
stealth kill the Uruk near here. This enemy is NOT an archer, so it won't
count toward the four archers. Head to the other side of this structure --
ignore the Uruk halfway down the stairs -- and stealth kill the archer
overlooking The Slaver. Now go across the rope near here and stealth kill the
last archer.
With the bonus objective complete, all that's left is to dispatch of the
relatively weak Slaver. He's not tough at all, but you should consider
further clearing the area by stealth killing the Uruk on the ground. Just
stealth around the area, using the various structures and objects as cover,
as you thin the area of enemies.
You can also do a head-on assault. You'll have to face a gaggle of Uruk along
with The Slaver, but it's not too terribly tough. Another thing: The Slaver
could be shot with arrows in my game. So you could weaken him with ranged
assault first. It would, however, alert all the Uruk in the area, so watch
out for that.
Basically, try to avoid fighting all the Uruk in the area, and you should be
fine. The Slaver himself is a pushover -- with only a few Power to his name,
he's not tough at all.
Also, you can "grab" him at around 50% health, gain intel, and kill him on
the spot. This means you only need to get his health around half before you
can claim victory. After defeating The Slaver, pick up the rune on the ground
to complete the mission.
I recommend running around the map and reforging at all the Forge Towers to
open up fast travel throughout the area. This will make traveling to missions
a lot easier, and also get you familiar with the area.
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.3 - The Spirit of Mordor
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
Description: "Sauron's Uruks relentlessly abuse lesser Orcs in their
violent struggles for power. Investigate how the power of
the Wraith can exploit these struggles, piercing weak minds
to bring down the enemy forces from within. One Orc mind
particular shines as a blazing beacon of weakness..."
Experience: +700 XP for mission, +50 M for Bonus Objective
After the cutscene, select Goroth in the army screen, then gain intel on him.
Cycle through the screens to look at his strengths/weaknesses, then mark him
as your primary target. You'll then go for a small stroll with Ratbag, who'll
discuss the ranks of Sauron's army and how things work around here. It seems
we've got to help Ratbag climb the ranks.
First, though, we need to keep him from getting killed. You'll be ambushed by
some Uruk while you're in a small ruined building. There are around five
Uruks to kill, and you must keep Ratbag alive or you will fail the mission.
You're also formally introduced to Defenders, who are pretty annoying in
normal combat because they like to block. Take out the Uruk -- they're about
as tough as any other. You can start with range to kill a few, then counter
attacks before bashing away at them.
Follow Ratbag. He's comic relief. Soon you'll reach an area you have to
infiltrate without being seen. Your goal is to get to the second level of the
right building and stealth kill the archer. Simply stealth up to the building
-- you can stealth kill the two patrolling Uruk or simply stealth around them
-- and climb up the building.
From here, make your way to the center of the structure, and drop down with a
stealth kill on the archer. This will lead to a small scene in which you
learn where Goroth is located. Loose lips sink ships, I guess.
So, you need to head on over to the quest marker, which is behind this
building and past a few camps. All you have to do is get there -- no need to
kill any enemies. Jump down from the back of the building, then stealth
sprint over to the quest marker. Simply stay to the right to circumvent all
the Uruk.
When you reach the green area with the marker, stealth and climb up to the
archer on the upper structure. Stealth kill him, then enter Wraith Mode and
target Goroth. He's right near a Caragor cage, which is like Superman hanging
around kryptonite.
Shoot at arrow at the door of the cage to let loose the Caragor. This freaks
out Goroth (proper term is "Fear") and he begins to flee the area. This could
end up terrible if you aren't quick, because he'll run through the area and
you'll have to fight all the Uruk. However, you are located over where Goroth
will run, so jump down on top of him to knock him to the ground. And since
he's in fear, you can grab him with full health. So, grab him, gain intel,
and kill him to complete the mission. No real fighting necessary.
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.4 - An Interested Party
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
Description: "You have attracted the attention of a mysterious creature.
Track him down, and discover what he knows of you."
Bonus Objective: Free 4 Slaves
Experience: +600 XP for mission, +50 M for Bonus Objective
You need to follow the tracks of the "mysterious creature." To see his trail,
enter Wraith mode and look at the shiny blue line. You simply need to follow
it while freeing four slaves for the bonus objective.
You'll come across your first slave rather quickly. He's around three Uruk,
and you must defeat all three of them to free him. Ranged to start, then take
out any remaining with melee. Continue following the trail and you'll find
three more slaves being overlooked by four Uruk and one Archer up top. Take
out the Archer stealth-like before taking down the Uruk. You have now
completed this very easy bonus objective!
So, you now have to simply follow the blue trail. It will lead up a trail and
into a Caragor cave. Enter the cave and you'll receive a new objective --
"investigate the cave." But you're simply repeating what you just did --
follow the blue trail. Climb up the cave wall, then pick up the objective on
the ground where the blue trail ends. It has a circle of dirt around it, but
it can be hard to spot, so use Wraith to see where the trail ends.
After the cutscene, you're now facing off against a Caragor. Simply follow
the game's directions -- whip out your trusty bow, charge up a shot, and
shoot at the Caragor's face. But this quick battle has given the mysterious
creature enough time to run away!
Quickly jump back down and leave the cave. The creature scampers off, but a
batch of seven enemies comes running toward you. And as the game suggests,
you should take out the Hunters -- the Uruk with the spears -- before the
others. Ranged headshots work wonders here. When the enemy gets close, switch
to melee and cut them down. You'll also have to kill a Caragor, who's lagging
behind. A charged headshot will down it fast.
With the enemies eliminated, head back to the blue trail to reach the final
cutscene.
You now have three potential main quests that you can do -- "Shattered
Memories," "Climbing the Ranks," and "The Outcasts." We'll leave Ratbag
("Climbing the Ranks") for last, and since we're on the Gollum kick, we might
as well go for "Shattered Memories." Fast travel to the nearest Forge Tower
and start the quest.
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.5 - Shattered Memories
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
Description: "This creature, Gollum, is drawn to the Wraith who he calls
The Bright Master. Your fate seems bound to his."
Bonus Objective: Kill 2 Archers with Headshots
Experience: +600 XP for mission, +50 M for Bonus Objective
Time for a 'stroll with Gollum now!
Stealth with him and wait in the bushes as a patrol passes. When it's passed,
Gollum will continue through the area. Follow him; soon, you'll be prompted
with the bonus objective, which is to kill two archers with headshots. Go
around the wall in front of you, aim up at the archer, and blast it in the
head. That's one down.
Continue following Gollum -- he's hilarious at singing -- and you're prompted
to kill the second archer. While you are in bushes, wait for him to patrol
past the second-level opening, then give him a headshot. Congratulations on
completing this very easy bonus objective!
With the bonus objective out of the way, continue following Gollum -- enjoy
the singing! -- and you'll come up to a new area. You need to find the Vision
Artifact here; meanwhile, Gollum decides to wait behind.
Get in Wraith mode and head over to the other side of the highlighted area,
aka the big green circle on the map. You can follow the blue trail, but this
is a more direct route. At the other side of the area, follow the last bit of
trail and pick up the item on the ground.
After the cutscene, you get invaded by Ghuls. There are literally dozens of
them, but luckily we learn the trusty Wraith Flash abilities, which is
basically an AoE attack that knocks back and kills the Ghuls around you. So,
use it when you get overrun. Meanwhile, though, you can shoot the barrels
around this area to take down some Ghuls quickly, too. But stick with Wraith
Flash when they get bunched up and you should have no trouble.
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4.6 - The One Truth
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Description: "Gollum is hungry to lead The Bright Master to the Artifacts.
With each discovery the power of the Wraith grows and his
connection to the Dark Lord becomes clearer."
Bonus Objective: Escape in under one minute
Experience: +600 XP for mission, +50 M for Bonus Objective
Yellow brick road? No way, SoM has the blue trail! And of course, it's
another Gollum mission, which means following a blue trail to find the
bugger. And, well, it's pretty straightforward -- just follow it as it goes
past a Forge Tower and finally up to an upper landing.
After the cutscene, you must distract the Graug and run inside the cave.
Basically, all you have to do is shoot the hanging meat -- the game directs
you to it -- and make a break for the cave. You have twenty seconds, but you
should have no trouble if you sprint.
Inside the cave, follow the linear path and kill the three running Ghuls.
Ranged works well here, as they can scamper really fast. Soon, you're hear
the Graug's roar, indicating that he finished his meal with the Caragors.
Climb up the wall to the right, head over to the area with the torch, and
jump up the wall to the left. Head to the quest marker and the objective
changes to finding another Vision Artifact.
Enter Wraith mode to see all of Gollum's blue trail. It seems he did some
serious moving around. But the vision artifact is up the wall to the right.
Up here, grab the artifact, which is on a type of inclined-ground-pedastal.
After the cutscene, it's time to escape the cave.
You only have three minutes, but it's more than enough time. Especially with
the new game mechanic: Shadow Strike. Basically, you aim your bow at an
enemy, but press the Shadow Strike button instead of the arrow button. By
using Shadow Strike, you teleport over to the enemy, instantly killing weaker
enemies (such as Ghul).
So you'll need to use this teleporting mechanic to warp across the upper
parts of the cave. Thankfully, there are Ghul ideally located to help you
out. Shadow Strike to the Ghul in front of you, then Shadow Strike again to
the Ghul to the upper-right. Follow this upper part of the cave as it goes
through a den area -- you don't need to Shadow Strike to these fleeing Ghul
if you don't want to do so, because it does not teleport you to a higher
place.
But, when you reach the end -- that is, the small cliff that drops down to
the ground floor -- whip out your bow again and Shadow Strike to the Ghul to
the left. Follow the upper path, and Shadow Strike up the wall to save some
time. Now book it to the quest marker to complete the quest. You should be
able to do all of this in well under one minute to get the bonus objective.
It took me around 40 seconds without much hauling.
You just have two available quests now -- "Climbing the Ranks" and "The
Outcasts." Let's tackle "The Outcasts" first since it's really close from
here.
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4.7 - The Outcasts
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Description: "Hirgon has a plan to draw the Black Captain's attention to
Udun, but he is going to need more men to accomplish it.
Infiltrate the Uruk Stronghold and free the Outcasts."
Bonus Objective: Stealth Kill 5 Uruks
Experience: +600 XP for mission, +50 M for Bonus Objective
So, for this mission, we need to free The Outcasts. This will create a small
rebel-like group that can lure the Black Hand out in the open. And Hirgon has
a great idea for taking care of the Uruk in the camp by exploiting their
favorite thing ever: alcohol.
First, though, follow Hirgon as he discusses his plans and his enslaved wife.
Soon, you'll reach the first camp. Here, you must collect three herbs around
the area. Unfortunately, the area is full of Uruk. It's best to clear the
area, but you can also try to stealth to each of the herbs. There are only
four enemies, so it shouldn't be much trouble to clear them. You can easily
stealth kill them by stalking around the area.
Collect the three herbs here -- use Wraith mode to spot them. They'll be
those lit-up plants in green. Once you've collected them, head back to Hirgon
and he'll go to the next area with herbs. But first, you need to stealth past
an Uruk camp. Simply follow Hirgon's lead and stealth when he stealths, move
where he moves. The only time you'll want to do something different is at the
end when Hirgon goes up the ladder. Here, you don't want to hang around the
open, so climb up on the side of the ladder structure and jump down to the
next herb pickin' area.
Before you can go all hippy, you'll need to take out the Caragor lurking this
area. Ranged works best, although you can melee him if things get dicey. With
the Caragor dead, pick the two herbs in this area. One is near the hay stacks
on the ground, and the other is very near the first herb.
Continue following Hirgon as he leads you to the next herb area. Here, you'll
need to find three of them. Walk over to the fire, enter Wraith mode, then
look backward. You should spot two of the herbs. The third is a little
trickier as it is behind a wall to the left. When you enter Wraith mode, you
won't be able to see it through the wall, so just wander around near the wall
until you find it.
Head back to Hirgon and follow him to the camp. Now we finally have a new
objective: we have to poison the barrels around this camp. We also have our
bonus objective: stealth kill five Uruks. For the bonus, you should begin by
stealth killing the archers in each tower at the entrance. This will yield
two stealth kills.
You can stealth kill a third on the ground near the entrance -- he will
patrol near the towers, also. And yet another, the fourth stealth kill, will
come walking over to the entrance if you make enough noise. You can leave the
last one for wherever you need to kill silently as you go around poisoning
the barrels.
At any rate, climb up the tower to the right at the entrance, jump across to
the building's roof, and go across the rope. This will trigger the objective
of poisoning five barrels. Drop down from this building and stay to the left.
You will see a Caragor cage, a patrolling Uruk, and an Archer on the building
near the barrel. Wait for the patrolling Uruk to turn his back and stealth
over to the bushes near the cage. Now wait for the archer to turn his back
before you stealth over to the barrel. Before poisoning the barrel, climb up
and stealth kill the archer.
After poisoning the grog, STEALTH AWAY FROM THE BARREL. Uruk will immediately
come over to drink the grog, but if they see you, you will fail the mission.
There are bushes on the other side of the building that make good cover.
Better yet, if you hop down the ledge from the buildings, you will find
another Grog barrel. Poison it, then go back up to the bushes. You can shoot
at the bee's nest above the barrel to scatter the Uruk.
Afterward, drop back down to the barrel and go over to the next Grog barrel,
which is near the fire. Poison it, then go around the normal barrels to get
cover as the Uruk get the Grog. Climb up the wall near these barrels to reach
an upper level with a plank of wood sticking out. Go on the plank of wood,
then jump to the left. Go up this building, then stealth kill the archer on
the other side.
Right below this archer, there will be another Grog barrel. Drop down when
the coast is clear, and poison it. This is a mid bridge-like level; drop down
to the ground (hang on the bridge, then drop down) and you will see the last
Grog barrel nestled under it. Poison this barrel to complete this leg of the
quest.
Note that if you get detected, at any point, you will have to restart this
part of the mission. These are the instant fail stealth missions that
GameSpot's review was talking about. It is not that hard, though, if you
simply stick to the shadows and you are patient.
With the barrels poisoned, you'll have completed the mission. Time for "Climb
the Ranks," which is Ratbag's mission.
=============================================================================
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4.8 - Climb the Ranks
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=============================================================================
Description: "Ratbag's hunger for power is growing, and so is his
usefulness to your cause. Keep him alive, and he'll bring
you one step closer to the Black Hand of Sauron."
Bonus Objective: Stealth Kill 4 Archers
Experience: +600 XP for mission, +50 M for Bonus Objective
We're like Ratbag's booster, but we won't get banned from college football if
we're found out! :)
Anyway, we first need to stealth kill four archers. If you enter Wraith mode,
you can see where all four are located. They're all on upper levels, as
archers normally are. You have four minutes, so make it quick. Stealth up to
the archer to your immediate right and stealth kill him. Head around the area
and kill the remaining three. You have to be quick but also stealthy to get
the bonus objective. It's not extremely easy, but you *do* have some time, so
wait out a bit if you must. And if you don't get the four stealth kills, you
can restart the mission by, say, dying if you want.
After taking down the archers, clear the area of the enemies near Ratbag.
Brogg, the Captain, is immune to ranged attacks, but everyone else can be
picked off with arrows. With the other enemies dead, the objective changes to
interrogated Brogg. First, though, you must lower his health to around 40%.
Simply counter his attack then hit him hard with attacks. When he's on the
ground, perform the ground execution, which won't kill him but will do a bit
of damage.
When he's around 40%, grab him and interrogate him. Gain intel on "Mogg the
Other Twin" (hahaha!) and watch as Ratbag gains power by "defeating" Grogg.
(Yes, he did a lot of work.) After that, the mission ends.
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4.9 - The Warchief
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=============================================================================
Description: "Eliminate the Warchief and word of your deeds will reach the
Dark Lord himself."
Bonus Objective: Kill 1 Berserker with a Ledge Kill
Experience: +600 XP for mission, +50 M for Bonus Objective
Run over to the Berserker's arena. It's elevated, so climb up, but do not go
up the whole way! Instead, use the "Attract" button, while you are hanging on
the ledge, to attract the Berserker. From here, do a Ledge Kill when he gets
close enough. That's a really easy bonus objective, right there.
Stealth kill the other Berserker, who has his back turned against you because
he's practicing his swings. With both dead, you'll lure out Mogg, the other
white meat. He also has a bodyguard with him -- these guys are Captains, and
just as tough.
So you have to defeat Mogg, who is susceptible to ranged attacks. You do not
necessarily need to kill his bodyguard; basically, you just need to kill Mogg
to end the quest. He's vulnerable to arrows, and you can also counter and
then attack. Once he's gone, the quest ends.
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4.10 - Kill Four Warchiefs
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=============================================================================
You have to kill four Warchiefs before you can continue with the main story.
Unfortunately, the Warchiefs are completely randomly generated, meaning it
would impossible for me to walk you through any one Warchief. I can, however,
give you the general strategies for fighting them, as well as tell you what
to do as far as preparations.
First, you should know that every Warchief has bodyguards, who are actually
Captains -- you know, those guys of lower rank in Sauron's Army, that we have
been fighting. As the game notes, you can make your battles against the
Warchiefs much easier if you kill the bodyguards first. So, we need to kill
the Captains that are bodyguards for the Warchiefs. You can see who's who in
the Sauron's Army menu. Simply get intel on the Captains and defeat them.
If you do not kill the bodyguards beforehand, you will have to face them when
you battle the Warchief. As you might guess, this will make for a very hard
battle, as you will have to deal with two Captains and a Warchief all at the
same time. It is better, then, to take out the Warchief's captains so they
are not bodyguards in the fight.
Each Warchief has two Captains, and you need to kill three more Warchiefs.
So, you need to get intel on the Warchief's two Captains, then kill the two
Captains, and then challenge the Warchief. First things first, get the intel
and kill each captain. This is just a normal captain battle, so it should be
no problem.
Then, you need to go to the Warchief's mission and begin it. These missions
are randomly generated, but in all of them, you will need to complete an
objective to lure out the Warchief. Again, these objectives are themselves
random, so I cannot give you a specific walkthrough on your mission as it is
different from my mission.
Generally, though, you have to kill Uruks in some special way. Most of the
time, it's either doing a certain number of executions, ranged kills,
headshots, stealth kills, ledge kills, etc. The objective is random, but
basically you have to kill Uruks in a specific way. Thankfully, you're
already well-versed in the different ways to kill Uruks, so you shouldn't
have much trouble luring out the Warchief.
For the Warchief battle itself, if you have defeated his bodyguards
beforehand, the battle plays out much like a normal fight against a Captain.
The Warchiefs are stronger and they cannot be grabbed (so no insta-win at 40%
health like before), but they have the same tendencies as any other Captain.
It's the luck of the draw as to which weaknesses and strengths your
playthrough's Warchiefs will have. The hardest ones are the Warchiefs who are
immune to mostly everything but explosives, as these environment attacks are
situational. Most of the time, you get a Warchief that is immune to one </pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
central fighting style, whether it be stealth, ranged, or combat.
For stealth vulnerable Warchiefs, you can try to keep re-entering stealth and
repeatedly stealth-hit the Warchief. If the Warchief does not have the regen
strength (most don't), then this is an easy way to kill an otherwise tough
Warchief.
Ranged vulnerable -- simply fire at the Warchief's head.
Combat vulnerable -- simply play out a normal fight.
And that's basically it. Kill the bodyguards, lure out the Warchief, then
kill said Warchief. Do this four times in total and you'll unlock the next
main quest.
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4.11 - The Dark Monument
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=============================================================================
Description: "Destroy the Gorthaur to draw forth the Black Captains."
Bonus Objective: Headshot 3 Archers
Experience: +600 XP for mission, +150 M for Bonus Objective
As is the usual, follow Hirgon to the Grog cart. Of course, you need to clear
the area of Uruk before you can take the cart. There are nine Uruk in this
area. Take out the two Archers on the upper level first, then get to work on
the ground Uruk. You can use the fire to blast some Uruk, or take a stealth
approach since the Uruk are all spread out.
After the clearing the area, Hirgon calls his men in to get the cart, and
then we're back to following Hirgon in stealth. Soon, you'll be ambushed by a
small batch of Ghuls (around 10), but you shouldn't have any trouble with
this small amount.
And yes, follow Hirgon some more. And yet again, we have to clear out yet
another area. Take out the archers first, then fire an arrow at the fire to
clear out the Uruk near it. Clean up the last few enemies, then continue this
Hirgon-follow mission.
Soon, you'll be ambushed by more Ghul, this time while you are on a bridge.
Make sure Hirgon doesn't take too much damage! Use area of effect abilities
to clear the Ghul. They come up from the sides of the bridge, and there are a
few waves of them.
Follow Hirgon to -- you guessed it! -- more Ghuls, and this time they're in a
fight with a Caragor. Defeat both, 'cause Hirgon's stupid enough to run in
and take on the Caragor. After this fight, Hirgon leads you to the final
outpost. Here, you must kill 17 Uruk to clear the area.
This is a lot easier than you might think. Half the Uruk are pretty spread
out, and you can stealth-kill them by walking around the perimeter of the
area. The remainder can be cleared through environmental objects, such as
hanging meat, fires, barrels, etc. This is basically a culmination of the
skills you have acquired. And as usual, take out those archers first!
Once you've cleared the area, we have a cutscene, and then the big event --
rolling the cart into the monument! Only we have to deal with half the army
of Mordor while it's being pushed. Basically, you have to defend the cart
while killing dozens of Uruk. It's not very easy, as they come in packs.
Thankfully, there are several objects in the environment that can really help
you; namely, all of the bee's nests, meat, barrels, and campfires. All of
these can be shot at -- and if enemies are close to the objects, they will
die or become stunned. Use the environment to your advantage here. Also note
that you have some outcasts to help you keep them at bay.
After the cart has been pushed for, oh say, about a minute, the Uruk get
smart and put archers on the job. The bonus objective pops up -- headshot
three archers. Just make sure that you AIM HIGH to complete the bonus
objective. You can often hit their upper chest instead of their head, and
that doesn't count!
Once you've taken out the archers, it's now YOUR TURN for ONE FINAL PUSH! And
I mean literally -- get your butt behind the cart and start pushing! Your men
will hold the ground Uruk at bay as you push the cart. After a little bit,
you'll need to take out another wave of Archers overhead, so stop pushing the
cart, whip out your trusty bow, and take out the new archers.
After that, get back to pushing the cart. One final push, and the job will be
complete. Enjoy the cutscene, the mission is complete!
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4.12 - The Black Captain
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Description: "The Gorthaur has fallen the Black Captains have answered
your challenge."
Bonus Objective: Shank Uruk 10 times
Experience: +800 XP for mission, +150 M for Bonus Objective
This mission is essentially just a boss fight against The Black Captain.
Let's go over his attacks first.
He has his normal combat attacks -- the easier ones can be blocked and
parried. When he does these and you parry, you are open to swipe him with
your sword. This is actually one of your best opportunities to attack him.
He also has stronger melee attacks which you must dodge. You only have a
small window to press the dodge button, or you take a lot of damage.
He has an area of effect attack in which he pounds the ground. Not much you
can do about that one besides dodge away from him.
From afar, he has a move where he slams the ground with his mace, which is a
line attack. Just don't be in the line. :)
Before we tackle him proper, we need to get the bonus objective out the way.
Note how I put "Shank Uruk 10 times" instead of "Shank 10 Uruk"? Well, that's
because if you get multiple shanks in on the same Uruk, the bonus counter
will go up. So, grab an Uruk and shank him as many times as you can!
With the bonus objective out the way, take down the Black Captain. Block and
parry his attacks, then hit directly after. Dodge his more powerful attacks,
and make sure you don't get hit by any of his lackeys.
The Black Captain is also susceptible to ranged attacks! This means you don't
get the "Invulnerable to Ranged Attacks" if you try to fire an arrow at him.
So, if you want, you can try to get in headshots on him, take him down that
way.
In the end, the Black Captain will fall to the ground and you'll have to do a
button execution. Simply get the cursor in the circle and press the button.
After that, we'll have a satisfying cutscene, and the quest will end.
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4.13 - The Messenger
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=============================================================================
Description: "Prepare to accompany Lithariel deep behind enemy lines into
the heart of Mordor."
Experience: +600 XP for mission
New area, yay! At any rate, you'll want to climb up the Forge Tower in front
of you to get the Tower as a fast travel location. Then, jump down and head
over to the quest marker, which is a simple cart. Here, you'll need to switch
to Wraith mode and follow the Ghuls' trail.
Climb up the hill -- it seems the Ghuls' trail goes right through a small
Uruk camp. However, you don't need to fight through it -- simply stealth
around it and you'll find the trail on the other side. Hop down, then cross
the chasm by walking on top of the rope. Climb up the cliff, then take out
the two Uruk overlooking the slaves.
Continue following the trail -- you'll need to kill two more Uruk before you
have to jump down and cross a bridge. Climb up to the cave and now you'll
have to find a -- you guessed it! -- another Vision Artifact.
First, though, you need to get to the treasure room. This required you to
stealth through a cave chalk full of Ghul. Thankfully, you have that nice
blue trail to lead the way. And it is positively exactly where you need to
walk, down to the step. That's right -- just follow right over the blue
trail, while stealthed, and you will reach the room.
It mostly involves staying on the high ground, sprint-stealthing, and walking
on the ground floor when the Ghul aren't looking. But if you just follow the
blue trail, you should have no problem.
When you reach the treasure room, you'll find yourself face-to-face with the
Ghul Matron. This chick's no pushover, and you have to face normal Ghul, too.
Thankfully, she's vulnerable to headshots and fire. You can lure her -- and
her Ghul offspring -- over to the fire to the right. This will quickly take
down the Ghul and severely weaken the Matron. From there, headshot her down
as much as you can, then dodge/parry and take her down with your sword.
After killing the Matron, you have two minutes to escape the cave. Just run
run run -- there's no real strategy. Keep going toward that quest marker. You
can blow up the firepits to clear Ghul, if you like, or you can just sprint
on out.
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4.14 - Queen of the Shore
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=============================================================================
Description: "Discover what Queen Marwen knows of the power of the
Wraith."
Bonus Objective: Brand 6 Archers in under 3 minutes
Experience: +600 XP for mission, +150 M for Bonus Objective
Your off to the races from the beginning -- you must travel to the Sea Fort
in under a minute and a half. Sprint along the right upper level until you
reach the ruins outside the fort. From here, stealth-sprint around the three
patrolling Uruks. They are pretty oblivious, and if you keep your distance,
you won't be seen. Head over to the cart (the quest marker) to clock your
time.
Now you have to brand six Archers, in under three minutes (bonus), without
being detected. This is easier than it sounds, but it does take a little
practice. You have to be quick at going from one archer to the next. I
suggest simply being detected if you are going slow; that way, you can retry
for the bonus, and you'll get that practice.
At any rate, the best archers to get are the ones on the perimeter. Start
with the archer on the tower to the right of the entrance, then get the
archer on the ground just inside the entrance. Stealth left, hiding at the
two bushes, and climb the wall. Brand the archer up here, then stealth brand
the archer back down below. We did the one up top first because we could have
gotten detected had we done it the other way around.
Head to the middle tower -- jump from the upper level with the third archer
-- and climb up this tower. Wait for the archer to walk over to your side
before you stealth brand him. Now jump on the rope and walk over to the last
needed archer. You will probably have enough time to brand him even he spots
you halfway through, so just stealth sprint across and brand him. While
you're there, you should also brand the other archer on this platform.
Now activate your branded archers, and they will start to unload on the Uruk
in the center area. The objective changes to killing 14 Uruk -- there are 14
in the center, and with the archers helping out, you should have no problem.
You can simply watch or fire some of your own arrows.
With the 14 down, you have a cutscene, and then you have to kill 20 more. No,
I'm not kidding! Thankfully, you still have the branded archers, but you'll
need to get a little more creative. All of the Uruk charge from the same
place, and that place has both a bee's nest and some explosive barrels. So,
again, use the environment to your advantage to wipe them out.
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4.15 - The Power of the Wraith
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=============================================================================
Description: "Queen Marwen holds the key to unlocking the true power of
the Ring-maker. The power of command and domination. Forge
an Army to challenge the Black Captains."
Bonus Objective: Keep above the Captain while helping defeat his Challengers
Experience: +1400 XP for mission, +150 M for Bonus Objective
For this mission, you need to brand a Captain and make him bodyguard for a
Warchief. Basically, when you brand a Captain, they are under your control.
You can tell them to fight over Captains, gain power, and even have them
become Warchiefs. And indeed, later in the game, you will need to have all 5
Warchief's branded -- aka, under your control.
But for now, head to the quest marker. We need to get this Captain under our
control. First, though, we should clear the area. There are around seven or
eight Urok around here. You'll want to kill the archer in the tower first,
then blow up the campfire to kill some more Urok.
Once it's just you and the Cap'n, initiate combat. Simply parry his attacks
and counterattack. The blows will end in him on the ground -- do a ground
execution to damage him more (the ground execution won't work on Captain's at
full health, mind you).
When he's in the green, grab 'ahold of him and brand him.
This completes the first part of this mission. For the second, you must go to
the quest marker and defend the branded Captain as he tries to recruit for
his brigade. The bonus objective pops up here -- you need to stay above as
the Captain takes down his challengers.
Simply put, you need to fire down arrows at the Challengers. Headshots, of
course, are preferable. It shouldn't be too tough to clear them -- you have
to do this three times. Each time, the Captain will walk over to another part
of the area, and you'll have to jump across ruins to reach him. Remember to
stay above to get the bonus!
Your new goal is to reach the vantage point in the middle of the stronghold
without raising the alarm. Basically, you need to stealth your way to the
vantage point, which is the tall tower on the other side of the stronghold.
It's much easier to get there than it sounds, as Urok are basically deaf and
blind when you stealth.
Just head to the tower while traversing the left side of the stronghold.
Stick to the walls, and kill those pesky archers with stealth kills. When
you're in deep enough in the stronghold, stealth over to the bottom of the
tower, keeping your distance from the enemies, and climb up it to the vantage
point.
Now for the hard part: you have to lead the betrayal against the Warchief.
For this fight, you must keep the Warchief while keeping your own branded
Captain alive. To help you out, you can shoot at the cage doors behind the
Warchief to let loose some Caragor. This distraction will help you fight the
Warchief without being disrupted by the gaggle of Urok.
For the fight against the Warchief, stick to melee. A combo of sword swipes,
then do a ground execution to damage him further. Do not accidentally hit
your own Captain! And be sure to make sure your Captain isn't getting ganged
up on, either.
After the fight, your Captain gets promoted to Warchief! Woohoo!
=============================================================================
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4.16 - The Cure
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=============================================================================
Description: "After Marwen's possession by Saruman, Lithariel needs your
help to find the elixir and heal her mother."
Bonus Objective: Stealth Brand 5 Urok
Experience: +400 XP for mission, +50 M for Bonus Objective
Time to help for the Return of the King-esque curse! After the cutscene,
you're left with a big objective: clear the three areas in this stronghold.
And for the bonus objective, you must stealth brand five enemies. While doing
all of this, you can't set off any alarms.
Start with the LEFT area first; basically, we're going to leave the area with
the Captain for last. In the left area, you'll see a ton of Urok cooking
marshmallows by the fire. Simply fire an arrow at the fire to blow all them
up. That's one area cleared with no trouble at all!
The middle area is an arena with Caragor cages. Stealth kill the archer
overlooking the cage, then blast open the Caragor cage. With the Caragor
loose, rain fire down at the Urok below. My game glitched here because I
branded the archer, so it did not think I cleared the area.
Speaking of branding, you should brand all 5 before the last area. The
archers on the rooftops are simple to brand, as are the patrolling guards
outside.
For the last area, you can fire at the bee's nest on the rope directly above
the Captain. This will make all the Urok scatter about. Clean up the lackeys
before you take on the Captain. Remember to kill any Urok who have an alarm
symbol over their head because that means they're going to set off the alarm!
If they do, you have to restart the mission.
With all three areas clear, you'll complete the mission.
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4.17 - The Rescue
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=============================================================================
Description: "In her desperation to help her mother, Lithariel has been
infiltrating the Uruk strongholds. She has not returned
since leaving on her last mission."
Experience: +600 XP for mission
You have eight minutes to brand six targets and get to Lithariel's area. This
is more than enough time, but just having a time limit might screw you up
psychologically. Don't let it! It's easy to brand enemies, even if they are
in dyads. Because the fail scenario is raising the alarm -- and not just
detection -- you can brand enemies after they've already seen you.
So, don't sweat it if you're seen, but be sure to brand the guy before he can
tell his friends. That said, you should still stick to stealth while trying
to brand six enemies on the sides. There are two loitering near some barrels,
two on the upper deck, and two archers. That's six relatively easy ones.
With that done, head over to the quest marker for a cutscene. (The time
countdown ends.) But you're still far from out of the woods. Lithariel has a
pack of five Urok surrounding her, and your next objective is to kill or
brand all five. I like ranged killing them, but you can also brand them for
help later in the mission.
After killing or branding the five, you now have to bring Lithariel to
safety. But she's hurt badly, so you can only grab her and watch her hobble
along. I guess Talion doesn't have enough strength to carry her in his arms?
Anyway, it's far more epic that we're hobbling along with her.
But we're not done yet. When you reach the quest marker, a wave of Urok come
out to play. Thankfully, your branded Urok come to help out, but you'll still
have to let go of Lithariel and engage the enemy Urok. Use the barrels and
firepits to your advantage here, and be sure to stay near Lithariel so she
doesn't get hurt.
Pick her up again and continue to the quest marker. You'll have two more
waves you have to deal with. The second wave isn't as tough as the third, so
leave some of the environmental objects (firepits, barrels, bee hives) for
the last wave. And boy is it a last wave! Tons come charging through the
gate, but the barrels will destroy them in one fell swoop.
Grab Lithariel again and head over to the quest marker to complete the quest.
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.18 - Big Game
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
Description: "This Dwarf claims to know the location of more Artifacts
from Celebrimbor's past."
Bonus Objective: Kill more Uroks than Torvin
Experience: +600 XP for mission, +150 M for Bonus Objective
This quest is a nice change of pace from the heavy-handed quests with the
queen. You can do this quest earlier if you want, but I wanted to group the
quests together.
At any rate, follow the dwarf (new comic relief!) and he'll teach you how to
catch a Caragor. Well, he doesn't *really* teach you -- instead, the game
finally opens up the abilities to counter a Caragor's attack, leaving it open
to jump on. And that's exactly what you have to do right here. Just wait out
in the open for the Caragor to charge, then press the Counter button.
You'll flip the Caragor on the ground -- press the appropriate button to
mount it and then you'll have to "dominate" it. This is the same button mini-
game as when you kill some enemies, so you should be used to it by now. After
taming the Caragor, ride along with Torvin to the Urok. We have a very The
Two Towers scene here because we are "competing" with Torvin for the most
Urok kills. Fun!
You can hit while mounted and also command the Caragor to bite your foe. In
addition, you can use your regular bow and arrow while riding a Caragor.
There are ten foes in this initial area, so try to kill more than Torvin!
They're all on the ground.
Follow Torvin to the second area with enemies. This time, he tells you to
kill the archers on the upper level with your bow. Basically, the game's
telling you that you can use ranged from your mount. :) Quickly dispose of
the archers, then go back to the ground troops to make sure you kill more
than that dwarf!
For the third area, you'll have to ambush a whole patrol. They're lined up in
very accessible slaughter lines, but if you have any trouble, you can let
Torvin have a few. Afterward, Torvin tells you to kill the fleeing Urok. Ride
on over, whip out your bow, and shoot him down. Head back to Torvin's area,
put on Wraith mode, and follow the trail to the dwarf. Kill his two captors
to complete the quest.
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.19 - Hunting Partners
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
Description: "Torvin has more to teach you about hunting beasts before you
face the Great White Graug."
Bonus Objective: Eat 3 Uroks
Experience: +600 XP for mission, +150 M for Bonus Objective
Ah yes, lesson two! Begin by following Torvin, who's a chatty dwarf that'll
talk a bit about Graug hunting. But it's better to actually do something than
to just hear about it, no? Thankfully, there's a Graug right up ahead. Torvin
tells you to sneak up behind it and bleed its heel (they don't call it an
Achilles-- ahem, Graug's heel for nothing).
So do just that. Wait for the Graug to snack on its prey. It will turn around
making it easy for you to sneak up and slash its heel. This injures the Graug
a lot, but also makes it angry. The blood attracts Caragors, and your next
task is to mount one of them. Three will come -- just wait for the Graug to
bash one away. This Caragor will be dazed, on the ground, and easy to mount.
While on the Caragor, ride over to the quest marker, which is very near
Torvin. With the Graug lured over, Torvin tells you to headshot the Graug
with a charged shot. Remember that this shot has to be fully charged and
square in the Graug's head. His neck or back won't do.
After the headshot, we have a cutscene, and then you have to mount the Graug.
Oh fun! First, you need to dominate it, which is just the same button
minigames you've been doing before. Hold buttons, put cursors in circles,
etc. Yawn.
With the Graug dominated, it's time to go on a rampage. There are tons of
Urok in front of you. The Graug does nasty area of effect attacks on them.
You'll need to eat three Uroks to get the bonus -- just press the appropriate
button when the Uroks are on the ground.
After clearing the Urok, you need to dismount, which means killing your
Graug. Simply press the prompted buttons for a cutscene in which you kill it.
Poor little Graug!
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.20 - The Great White Graug
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
Description: "Torvin is ready to face his past."
Bonus Objective: Shoot 3 Ghuls out of the Graug's hand
Experience: +600 XP for mission, +150 M for Bonus Objective
This is it! Torvin's last quest. We're to face off against The Great White
Shar-- err, I mean Graug! First things first, we need to mount the Caragor
we're currently in battle with. Simply run away to get some distance. It will
then charge at you -- press the counter button to throw it to the ground.
Mount it, which will require one domination button minigame, and then we're
off to the see The Great White Graug.
First, you have a looong ride with Torvin in which he tells you the backstory
about the Graug. Note that (just like in some other instances in the game)
you are on auto-follow. When you reach the cave, you have a cutscene, and
then we have to fight The Legendary Graug.
Unfortunately, all those tactics you learned won't go to use as you can't
sneak up on the Graug. For this fight, you need to get your distance and wait
for the Graug to charge you. When it starts to charge, get out your bow and
shoot at its head. This will stun it to the ground; run over and Talion will
do some serious damage to it.
This is where the bonus objective comes in: you need to shoot three Ghul out
of the Graug's hand. But where are the Ghul? After the first stun-and-blow,
they'll come out of the woodworks. They regenerate the Graug's health if you
let him eat them, so take them out before they reach him. And, of course, let
three get to him. When each is in his hand, blast an arrow at it. Do this
three times to complete the achievement.
And the power of three reigns true for the fight itself, as you'll have to
stun the Graug three times to defeat it. Of course, if you let him regain his
health because you did not kill the Ghuls, you'll have a longer fight. So be
sure to kill those Ghul!
But basically, here's the lowdown: go far away from the Graug to trigger the
charge. The charge is a semi-cutscene of sorts where he roars; if you do not
see this, it is not a real charge. But when he does charge, fire a charged
arrow in his face, then run over and press the button prompted by the game to
lower his health.
And that's it. After a few rounds, the beast will be down.
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.21 - Brand Five Warchiefs
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
Now you have to BRAND FIVE WARCHIEFS before you can complete the last story
mission. Yes, this WILL take some time! This is a very similar quest
requirement to before, where we had to kill four warchiefs. But now we have
to brand them, which is a slightly different story.
First, though, you should note that one is already branded. We did it in the
main story, quite a few missions ago. And this is perhaps the easiest,
although longest, way to brand the Warchiefs. That is, you can brand a
bodyguard, command him to duel the Warchief, and help him defeat the
Warchief. After you defeat the old Warchief, your branded one becomes the new
Warchief.
You can also take a more head-on approach and just try to brand the Warchiefs
themselves. This is much harder, but it can be quicker and less prone to
frustration. When I say frustration, I mean that your prized branded Captain
can die in combat to the Warchief, thus restarting the process all over
again. So you have to be careful and protect your branded Captain while you
face off against the Warchief.
So that's basically it. Brand a Captain, have him duel the Warchief, win said
duel, and you'll have a new branded Warchief. Do this five times (well, four,
because one's already done) and you'll fulfill the requirements for the final
quests.
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.22 - Lord of Mordor
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
Description: "Your forces await your command. The time has come to launch
your assault against The Black Hand."
This is it, skippy! The final assault on The Black Hand! After the armada of
cutscenes, we have our first epic battle -- you against your nemesis and a
bunch of his minions. Just jump right in the middle of them, combo away, and
try to single out the nemesis. Bash away at the nemesis, pushing him away
from the main fight, and take him down.
Head inside the stronghold and climb up to the bridge. Go inside the castle
for a lengthy, spoilerific cutscene. Afterward, you have to "Stealth Drain
the Black Captain," which is actually quite easy. It's an interesting "boss
fight" (it's hard to even call it that), and somewhat underwhelming, but
still unique.
See, you have to stealth around, looking for The Black Captain, and drain him
when you get close. You have to do this at least a few times. The important
part is to STAY STEALTHED and stick to hiding behind structures. Aerial
stealth drains are probably the easiest, but you can also just sneak up
behind him and perform a stealth drain. It's all rather straightforward; find
him, stealth up, and drain him.
With his health low, head back up to the castle entrance for another
cutscene. Perform the button minigame, watch the cool cutscene, and you'll
have completed this quest.
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.23 - Mordor in Flames
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
Description: "You have returned to Nurn to discover that the Black Hand has
been here before you."
Finally, the final quest of Shadow of Mordor! And it starts really epic: your
branded Warchiefs against the five Talons of the 'Hand. It's seriously a
mano-y-mano assault!
This battle plays out almost identical to "Lord of Mordor," except now you
need to kill five Warchiefs instead of just one. It's not as hard as it
looks, though, because you'll have a lot of support. Start by thinning the
herd with some area of effect attacks, then take on each Talon one by one. It
is absolutely key that attack each Talon so that they get pushed away from
the pack. That way, you can take each down without getting backstabbed
repeatedly. So, thin the herd with AoE, single out each Talon, and you should
be good to go.
After the epic battle, you simply need to climb the Black Gate. Head over to
the quest marker and climb the series of ladders that lead up to the top.
Here, you'll have the final, epic cutscene, with a nice twist at the very
end.
Congratulations on beating Shadow of Mordor! :)
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Upgrades
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
This section contains a list of all of the upgrades in SoM, as well as the
in-game descriptions of what they do.
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.1 - Abilities
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
------------
-- Tier 1 --
------------
Name: Execution
Description: When your hit streek is charged, press <> to execute your
target. Hit Streak Charged: Every x8 consecutive hits the Hit
Streak counter will turn red and your sword will glow
Name: Impact
Description: Countered enemies will be knocked backward, stunned or knocked
down
Name: Strike From Above
Description: Aeriel takedowns on unaware targets become lethal
Name: Elven Swiftness
Description: Time your landings when mantling over obstacles to gain a
temporary speed boost and +1 Hit Streak
Name: Detonate
Description: Shoot fires or barrels to cause them to explode. You are immune
to damage from fires and explosions
Name: Wraith Stun
Description: Stun enemies then follow with a flurry of sword strikes
Name: Ride Caragors
Description: Press <> to mount Caragors from above. Once mounted, you can
ride, climb, and fight with them
------------
-- Tier 2 --
------------
Name: Critical Strike
Description: Double Hit Streak gains on well-timed attacks. Tap <> only once
as each strike connects to receive the bonus. Other well times
moves such as Throw Dagger can be critical strikes
Name: Last Chance Finisher
Description: The abilities to deal a lethal finisher in a Last Chance
Struggle
Name: Poison
Description: Press <> to Poison grog barrels
Name: Throwing Daggers
Description: Tap <> to throw a dagger that deals light damage and causes
enemies to stagger backward
Name: Brutalize
Description: A terrifying stealth kill that causes nearby enemies to flee and
builds the Hit Streak
Name: Shadow Strike
Description: Spend 2 Elf-shot to teleport to a targeted enemies and knock it
down
Name: Pin in Place
Description: Bow attacks aimed at an Uruk's legs will pin him in place. Use
quick pinning shots to keep a fleeing Uruk from escaping or
immobile tough Uruks in a fight
Name: Wraith Flash
Description: When your Hit Streak is charged, press <> to perform a blast
that stuns enemies and inflicts damage.
Hit Streak Charged: Every x8 consecutive hits the Hit Streak
counter will turn red and your sword will glow
Name: Stealth Drain
Description: Drain from stealth
Name: Caragor Hunter
Description: Gain the ability to Counter Caragor attacks. Caragors stunned by
the Counter can be mounted. Also gain the ability to sword a
deadly counterattack from Last Chance Struggles with Caragors
------------
-- Tier 3 --
------------
Name: Swift Finisher
Description: Reduces the time required to perform a Ground Execution against
a downed enemy
Name: Vault Stun
Description: Vaulting over an enemy will now leave it stunned
Name: Brace of Daggers
Description: Upgrades Throwing Daggers so that three can be thrown in quick
succession. Fleeing enemies can be slain by thrown daggers
Name: Shoulder Charge
Description: Upgrades dash attacks to sprint then tap <> so that they will
damage wooden shields and knock enemies down. There is a two-
secound cooldown after activation
Name: Lethal Shadow Strike
Description: A lethal version of Shadow Strike
Name: Wraith Finisher
Description: Victims of Drain and Flurry Kill will explode
Name: Combat Drain
Description: When your Hit Streak is charged, press <> to instantly Drain an
Uruk, which recovers Elf-shot and terrifies the target.
Hit Streak Charged: Every x8 consecutive hits the Hit Streak
counter will turn red and your sword will glow
Name: Graug Hunter
Description: Press <> to mount and ride stunned Graugs. Sneak up behind
Graugs and tap <> to bleed them, causing massive damage and
attracting Caragors
------------
-- Tier 4 --
------------
Name: Blade Master
Description: Reduces the Hit Streak threshold for Execution, Wraith Flash,
Combat Drain, Wraith Burn, and Fire Arrow from 8 to 5
Name: Resilience
Description: The ability to absorb one hit without the Hit Streak being
reset
Name: Death Threat
Description: Issue a Death Threat to a Captain through Interrogation. Death
Threats greatly improve the odds of Epic rune drops from
Warchiefs and add a 40% chance for Captains to drop them as
well. Your target will increase in Power and acquire a gang
Name: Fire Arrow
Description: When your Hit Streak is charged, you can unleash a Fire Arrow.
Fire arrows will cause huge explosions if used on barrels or
campfires. Hit Streak Charged: Every x8 consecutive hits the Hit
Streak counter will turn red and your sword will glow
Name: Wraith Blast
Description: Upgrades Wraith Stun so that all enemies in a cone around your
target are hit. The higher your Hit Streak, the larger the cone
Name: Brand
Description: All Drain moves now Brand the target. Branded enemies will
automatically fight by your side in combat. Or you can Activate
them from stealth with <>
Name: Shadow Mount
Description: Instantly mount a Graug or Caragor with Shadow Strike
------------
-- Tier 5 --
------------
Name: Critical Strike 2
Description: Triples Hit Streak gains on well-timed attacks. Tap <> only once
as each strike connects to receive the bonus
Name: Flame of Vengeance
Description: Striking enemies with a flowing sword will deal double damage.
Your sword will glow whenever your Hit Streak is charged
Name: Double Charge
Description: When your Hit Streak is charged, you can perform two special
attacks instead of one. Applies to Execution, Wraith Flash,
Combat Drain, Wraith Burn and Fire Arrow
Name: Shadow Strike Chain
Description: Chain together Shadow Strike attacks. During the attack, push <>
in the direction of your next target and tap <> or <> to
continue the chain
Name: Quick Draw
Description: Greatly reduces the time it takes to charge a bow attack
Name: Wraith Burn
Description: When your Hit Streak is charged, press <> to kill any Uruks that
are stunned or knocked down while others caught by the effect
may flee in terror. Hit Streak Charged: Every x8 consecutive
hits the Hit Streak counter will turn red and your sword will
glow
Name: Dispatch
Description: Press <> to kill all branded Uruks and Monsters
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.2 - Attributes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
---------------
-- Resources --
---------------
Name: Max Health Up
Description: Increase your maximum Health by 20
Name: Max Elf-shot Up
Description: Increase your Maximum Elf-shot by 2
Name: Max Focus Up
Description: Increase your maximum Focus by 20. Focus allows you to slow time
while aiming your bow
-------------
-- Weapons --
-------------
Name: Sword Rune Slot
Description: Unlocks a Rune slow on your sword
Name: Bow Rune Slot
Description: Unlocks a Rune slow on your bow
Name: Dagger Rune Slot
Description: Unlocks a Rune slow on your dagger
Name: Storm of Urfael
Description: Charge this power with Melee Kills. Press <> to enable 20
seconds of unlimited Executions. You must have the Execution
Ability unlocked to use this power
Name: Flame of Azkar
Description: Charge this power with Ranged Kills. While in Ranged Mode,
press <> to enable 15 seconds of unlimited Elf-shot, Focus, and
Fire Arrows
Name: Shadow of Acharn
Description: Charge this power with Stealth Kills. While in stealth mode,
press <> to disappear for 20 seconds, enabling unlimited Stealth
Kills
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Runes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
This section contains the factual information about each rune in the game.
This information is humbly borrowed from the IGN wiki and corroborated
through my playthroughs of the game.
As far as the runes: they are random drops. You can raise your chances of
getting a better rune by defeating Warchiefs and sending death threats. It's
basically RNG. Which sucks. A lot.
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.1 - Sword Runes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
-----------------
-- Basic Runes --
-----------------
Name: Betrayer
Description: Increase all weapon damage by <>% when hitting an enemy from
behind
Name: Blade Master
Description: <>% chance to recover full health whena Hit Streak reaches 30
Name: For Vengeance
Description: Increases melee damage by <>% during a high Hit Streak
Name: Grim Resolve
Description: <>% defense versus ranged attacks
Name: Know No Pain
Description: <>% chance to recover +5 health on any kill
Name: Power of Earth
Description: Recovers <>% Focus on ground execution
Name: Quick to Anger
Description: <>% chance to recover +5 health on each Critical Strike
Name: Savage Onslaught
Description: Increase melee damage by <>% at mid-Hit Streak range
Name: Smite
Description: Recover <>% Focus on a Flurry kill
Name: Strength From Courage
Description: Recover <>% health on a Flurry kill
----------------
-- Epic Runes --
----------------
Name: Bones of the Earth
Description: Recover 3 Elf Shot on a Flurry kill
Name: Burning Pitch
Description: 15% chance to ignite enemies on a counter
Name: Elven Grace
Description: 50% chance to reduce melee damage received by half
Name: Evenstar
Description: Recover full Focus when a Hit Streak is charged
Name: Foe Hammer
Description: Recover 2 Elf-shot with Combat Executions
Name: Mighty Rage
Description: Increases the stun and knockdown durations on melee attacks
Name: Ruination
Description: Increases the Storm of Urfael duration by 10 seconds
Name: Stand and Fight
Description: Do 2 times sword damage when Talion's health goes below 25%
Name: Storm of Battle
Description: Increases all sword damage by 50%
Name: The End Comes
Description: Uruks' heads will explode on Wraith Blast kills
Name: The Undying
Description: Recover all Focus and Elf-shot on any Last Chance success
Name: Tower of Defense
Description: Increase Hit Streak reset time 10 seconds
Name: Wraith and Ruin
Description: Increase stun/knockdown durations of Wraith Flash
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.2 - Bow Runes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
-----------------
-- Basic Runes --
-----------------
Name: Aura of Dismay
Description: <>% chance that unaware Uruks near a headshot will flee
Name: Broken Mind
Description: <>% chance to recover 4 Elf-shot on a Drain or Brand
Name: Holwing Storm
Description: All weapon damage increased by <> when riding a monster
Name: Keen Eyed
Description: Recover <> Focus for killing with the bow from stealth
Name: River of Arrows
Description: <>% chance to recover one Elf-shot after firing the Bow
Name: Sylvan Arrow
Description: <>% chance to recover 30 Focus after a headshot kill
Name: Unbreakable Bond
Description: Recover <>% Focus after immobilizing an enemy with Pin in Place
----------------
-- Epic Runes --
----------------
Name: Ascendant
Description: Reduces Focus depletion rate by 50%
Name: Bow Master
Description: Increase bow damage by 50%
Name: Explosive Demise
Description: 20% chance of an Area Blast around a charged headshot target
Name: Fell-Handed
Description: Headshot kills recharge Flame of Azkar twice as fast
Name: Knight of Eregion
Description: Recover 1 Elf-Shot on Shadow Strike kills
Name: Stand Fast
Description: Increase all bow damage by 100% when Talion's health drops
below 25%
Name: Wrath of the Eldar
Description: Increases the duration of Flame of Azkar by 10 seconds
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.3 - Dagger Runes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
-----------------
-- Basic Runes --
-----------------
Name: Bare as Bones
Description: <>% chance for an automatic Critical Strike on the first hit in
a Hit Streak chain
Name: Breath of Light
Description: Recover <>% Health on a stealth kill
Name: Chill Soul
Description: <>% chance to recover 50 Focus on a head explosion kill
Name: Choking Horror
Description: <>% chance to Terrify more than two Uruks on a Brutalize kill
Name: Favor of the Lady
Description: Recover <>% Health when completing a Drain or Brand
Name: Harbinger of Doom
Description: <>% chance to recover 50 health for each Drain/Brand from above
Name: Rule Through Fear
Description: Recover <>% Focus on a stealth kill
Name: Sylvan Doom
Description: <>% to recover 5 Elf-shot from a Brutalize kill
Name: To the Death
Description: Recover <>% Focus on grab/shank kills
Name: Worm's Tooth
Description: <>% chance to recover 25 health on head explosion kill
----------------
-- Epic Runes --
----------------
Name: Bane of Mordor
Description: Increases the duration of the Shadow of Acharn by 10 seconds
Name: Balefire
Description: Recover 2 Elf-shot for a head explosion kill
Name: Fell Voices
Description: Recover all Focus and all Health for killing a Captain or
Warchief
Name: Forge of War
Description: Recover 4 Elf-shot with each Drain/Brand
Name: Heart of the Mearas
Description: Doubles Elven Swiftness speed burst duration
Name: Lure of Power
Description: 33% Chance any enemy near a Stealth Brand target will also be
branded
Name: Oathbreaker
Description: Stealth kills recharge Shadow of Acharn at two times the normal
rate
Name: One With Nature
Description: Immune to poison
</pre><pre id="faqspan-3">
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Hunting Challenges
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
Challenge 1
-----------
Beast: Ungol Spider (3)
Reward: 100 Mirian
Challenge 2
-----------
Beast: Flying Creature (5)
Reward: 105 Mirian
Challenge 3
-----------
Beast: Caragor (3)
Reward: 115 Mirian
Challenge 4
-----------
Beast: Mordor Rat (4)
Reward: 130 Mirian
Challenge 5
-----------
Beast: Ghul (8)
Reward: 150 Mirian
Challenge 6
-----------
Beast: Morgul Bat (3)
Reward: 180 Mirian
Challenge 7
-----------
Beast: Graug
Reward: 220 Mirian
Challenge 8
-----------
Beast: Dire Caragor
Reward: 270 Mirian
Challenge 9
-----------
Beast: Ghul Matron
Reward: 330 Mirian
Challenge 10
-----------
Beast: Horned Graug
Reward: 500 Mirian
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Survival Challenges
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
Challenge 1
-----------
Items: Niphredil (2)
Reward: 100 Mirian
Challenge 2
-----------
Items: Pipeweed (3) and Lothrond (1)
Reward: 105 Mirian
Challenge 3
-----------
Items: Azuradan (2) and Remmenthond (2)
Reward: 115 Mirian
Challenge 4
-----------
Items: Azuradan (1), Lothrond (2), and Niphredil (2)
Reward: 130 Mirian
Challenge 5
-----------
Items: Blue Milk (4) and Mallos (2)
Reward: 150 Mirian
Challenge 6
-----------
Items: Elgaran (3) and Earthbread (3)
Reward: 180 Mirian
Challenge 7
-----------
Items: Alfirin (4) and Gwinuial (3)
Reward: 220 Mirian
Challenge 8
-----------
Items: Carandol (3), Naugrimbas (2), and Orchamarth (2)
Reward: 270 Mirian
Challenge 9
-----------
Items: Athelas (7)
Reward: 330 Mirian
Challenge 10
------------
Items: Blue Milk (3), Elgaran (2), and Gwinuial (2)
Reward: 400 Mirian
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Ithildin
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
The poem:
"The Lord of Light
I am The Bright Lord of Mordor
The silver hand that drives back the darkness
Reaching through the fog of night
To avenge those long betrayed. Arise from fields of death
And march forth from the shadow
Through the purifying flames of war
You who were once elder shall be reforged
Beneath my hammer
The Bringer of Gifts, the Betrayer shall be un-made
I renounce the Blessed Realm
To redeem the Land of Shadow
And bind the walls of Arda
In place of the Dark Lord
You shall have light undiminished
All shall fear me and rejoice."
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Artifacts
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
There are 42 Artifacts in Shadow of Mordor.
Mortar and Pestle
-----------------
Memory Location: Handle
Description: "A remarkable find, this artifact may date back to the Second
Age, to the great Numenerean incursion wherein the Dark Lord Sauron willingly
fell into captivity. it would likely have been used by a healer to grind
roots and herbs in the creation of poultices and unguents required to keep an
army hale and (relatively) healthy."
Memory: "The first messengers have rolled in to camp. They're reporting
few casualties. We've struck a mighty blow against the forces
of Mordor aligned against us.
Let it be so, and not fools' idle chatter. Hegadorn! What news?
Haha! They say we have won a monumental victory! You'll not
be needing all that Athelas you've been grinding, my friend.
Few need healing on this day! And more's the wonder! They
say the Golden King has brought back a prize - Sauron
himself, wearing the heavy chains!"
Graven Idol Representing Morgoth
--------------------------------
Memory Location: Top of head (aeriel view)
Description: "Before Namenor's fall, its priests and dark acolytes
held sacrifices to strange gods in the temples, and
graven idols such as these were freer worshipped.
This idol represents Morgoth, the first Dark Lord of
Middle-earth, and was likely carried to the mainland
by missionaries seeking to spread his vile message.
Use to find the Memory Point"
Memory: "Pharazon!
He's been sold a bill of goods, all right! And what do we get?
More war! More taxes! Ha! Human sacrifice in the town
square! You can hear the screams, all day and all night, and
we're made to worship this, this hideous thing. The great tree,
kindling! The king's ears filled with rubbish from his...
..his advisor, the great chained wonder, Sauron. now princely
Sauron.
Eilindel is right! Numenor is ruined, and the boats can't take us
away from this charnel house fast enough!"
Strange Rock
------------
Memory Location: Back of rock in center
Description: "Orodruin's eruptions are sudden and violent. When
the mountain awakes in fire, none are safe. The skies
darken with smoke and ash, and fiery rocks are shot
high into the air before landing with deadly force.
This glassy, obsidian stone is one of those volcanic
rocks; it dates back to the Second Age, perhaps to
when the Dark Lord formed his initial bond with the
volcano. These remnants of Orodruin's fury are prized
for their hardness. They are often sharpened to make
weapons."
Memory: "Where'd you get off to, child?
I found this, daddy.
This kind of rock is very rare. it comes from the volcano.
There!
Now. Doom is a foul place, angry and mean. It will explode
when Sauron is near and plotting, spitting all manner of
foulness into the air: smoke and dust and rocks that burn the
ground. It does this as a warning: I will not stay silent for long!
Sort of like your mother.
Dont tell your mother I said that.
So this rock is..."
Excavator Cog
-------------
Memory Location: Between the cog pegs
Description: "This cog was spit from one of the great Uruk war
machines, perhaps an excavator. As the Uruks push
farther and farther into Mordor, they have torn up th
land seeking resources to fuel their Dark Lord's
massive war effort.
Excavators churn the ground to uncover metal forth
forges, clay for the kilns, and any artifacts. weapons,
tools that might be of use."
Memory: "Here! Found it in Ude.
What is it?
They got these machines, see? And they're digging up
everything in Udun. The thing tears the land up, then the
slaves pick through everything. Clay and mud go to the kilns. If
they find metal, that goes to the forges. Anything they can use
they take back. And if they find an old weapon or piece of
armor, they hand it off to the Uruk-hai, the big'uns. Maybe to
study, maybe to wear, I don't know.
Hm...
They're on the move for sure."
Hoe Blade
---------
Memory Location: Under iron top
Description: "Namenoreans carried a great many things with them
in their great diaspora. Their journey was long and
perilous, and not all who undertook it lived to see their
new homes.
They carried with them what they could; beyond their
physical possessions, the tools and the trinkets, they
also carried with them their shared dreams for a better
life. Their land was consumed, but they would live on.
And their relics are spread throughout Middle-earth."
Memory: "He's in gaol for a reason.
For saying what we're all thinking?
You want to live forever? Plowing this field?
The Elves lord it over us! Don't they just? Sauron's right. We
can live without pain, without growing old.
And you want to go to war to make that happen?
I want the king to listen to good ideas!
Well. then, he should have nothing to do with Sauron. Fighting
with the Elves is not a bad idea. It's the worst idea imaginable."
Rusted Horn
-----------
Memory Location: Lip of horn
Description: "This horn heralded the great victory at the end of the I
Second Age by the Last Alliance at the Battle of Dagorlad. It blew in
defiance of the Mouth of Sauron; an assembled army of more than three hundred
thousand Orcs; and the Dark Lord himself who ruled over the forces aligned
against the Men and Elves. It sounded the charge on the battle plain and
serenaded the fallen dead, those unfortunate souls who would be forever
doomed to haunt the Dead Marshes."
Memory: "They say the enemy is weak on the left. and that the Dwarves
will tear through them there. Maybe then we can leave these
filthy marshes and go home.
Yesterday, the enemy made a call for parley. We saw the
emissary's party ride out, a terrible black figure atop a black
horse and flanked by two huge men similarly clad in black.
They were not allowed to ride among our lines amid suspicion
they would scout our disposition and report back to their vile
master. instead, a small group of Elves and Men rode out to
meet him. We could not hear what was said. but... there will
be no peace.
Around the camp there are whispers. They say the emissary's
mouth blackened and burned with Sauron's words and that
saying them caused the emissary great pain. He promised
only slavery and toil - and I am compelled to believe it. I
cannot help but think we will never make it into Mordor. Only
death awaits us here."
Pickaxe
-------
Description: "Uruk refer to mining as "working the black seam," as
they extract iron and adamant from the earth to fuel
their war machine. They are adept miners, and
oftentimes use steel pickaxes such as this one to
extract ore. Now, however, the pickaxes are in the
hands of slaves. and the Uruks serve as overseers."
Memory: "Black Captains and Uruk-hai. Damned if l can't tell who's
worse. and why are we working for these fools in the first
place? We should be in charge.
Come on! Don't you want to crack the whip instead of having
it cracked over you?
You'll be the death of us, talking like that.
Here. now. Think l'm talking about talk? l'm talking about...
Less whining, more mining!
And there's the first throat l'll cut!"
Grog Bowl
---------
Description: "The myth of the filthy, crud-encrusted Uruk grog bowl
is just that. Uruk trainers beat it into their charges to
keep their grog bowls as clean as possible to avoid the
old soldier's disease.
These bowls are commonly made of clay and baked in
huge kilns, but Mordor has proved a fruitful realm for
the Uruks, and now some bowls are made of metal or
wood."
Memory: "We'll go tonight. No more being bossed around by that
damned Uruk-hai. We'll sneak into the barracks and bleed that
shrakh dry. He won't be so high and mighty when he's dead.
And we'll run the place. You and me. Ali's for us.
Fresh meat? More grog?
We won't be going hungry, that's a fact."
Serpentine Blade
----------------
Memory Location: Bottom of blade handle
Description: "A deadly shiv, this serpentine blade has played a role
in many betrayals. Uruk power struggles are legendary,
weakness is not tolerated, and warriors move up in
ranks by murdering their superiors. The Uruks have
been roused by their recent successes in Mordor, and
as the soldiers' ambition grows, weapons such as
these are becoming more and more common."
Memory: "Remember me, filth?
What the -
Change of plans, lads. I'm in charge, and we're gonna tear the
Black Hand up.
Don't you forget about me!
Ah. yeah, right. My, uh, memory's not that good."
Ranger's Reading Primer
-----------------------
Memory Location: Side binding of book
Description: "The Rangers of Condor are not just powerful warriors,
they also perform a host of duties throughout the
Kingdom. Depending on the circumstances, a Ranger
may be called upon to serve as a mediator, a judge, a
medic and, on occasion, even a teacher.
Rangers have been known to carry basic Reading
Primers and, during their stays in villages where
opportunities for learning are scant, to select a few
favored pupils and show them how to read and write."
Memory: "Sound it out now...
FEE-AH-NOR.. Feanor. Why must you put me through this,
Hirgon?
There's no one to blame but yourself. You begged me to
teach you the words in my books.
I regret that now. What use is the page here in Mordor?
Here. Look at this. A note for you.
My love. Be... my... knife...
Try again.
Life?
Or wife?
Wife? Yes, Hirgon. I am yours."
Musty Tome
----------
Memory Location: Bottom of book
Description: "This almanac has been bound in leather and appears
to be more than a century old. The writing within is a
compilation of history, poetry and translation from
across Middle-earth. lt gathers together works of
antiquity from the Great Realms of Condor, Arnor and
Namenor and even some samples of songs from the
distant Halflings.
The most curious entry is the "Lament", a work of
metered verse whose controversial origin has been
debated among scholars for many years; it has been
suggested by some that its author was an Ent, one of
the ancient Shepherds of the Trees."
Memory: "Are you Athelas or Hithlas? Why can't I find anything in this
almanac? Well... only one way to be sure. Cheers. *swallows*
And now I wait. This'll either cure my fever or I'll be dead in
seconds.
It shan't do either. You'll need to ground it up for its healing
properties.
You... the Outcast woman...
l'm Eryn. I never got to thank you. Ranger. There are but few of
your kind on the Black Gate.
Duty clouds kindness in these parts. it's why I deserted. l'm
Hirgon."
Horned Helmet
-------------
Memory Location: Back of helmet
Description: "This helmet was once used by the Outcasts of Ude
for secret rituals. The horns and the leather were taken
from the wild kine of Araw, hunted far from Mordor in
the fields of Rhun. lt dates from a distant time when
these men were prisoners of Condor, made to toil on
the construction of the Towers of the Teeth.
Even now, the Outcasts remain mistrustful of those
wearing metal armor. This helmet is a reminder of dark
times past, a harbinger of darker times to come and a
symbol of the Outcasts determination to never again
live under the yoke of slavery."
Memory: "You've let me into your homes, you've let me into your lives.
and now you bestow upon me your greatest honor.
Though i come from The Black Gate, though I was once
known to you as the enemy, i turn my back on Condor. You
people, you Outcasts, as youve been named, are people of
honor, people of strength. I have found love within your tribe,
but for your tribe as well. And you have taught me of a life I
thirsted for, but never knew existed.
Now it is my time to teach you. i will impart to you all my
knowledge of war. The Orcs push us, but we will find strength
and push back. And this land will be ours!"
Tattered Note
-------------
Memory Location: Behind note, lower end
Description: "A parchment letter, sent from the Outcast Eryn, details
her imminent capture by the Uruks. The note is clearly
intended for Hirgon, her husband and leader of the
Outcasts. Whether it has reached its intended
recipient is another matter entirely."
Memory: "My Dear Hirgon:
I hide outside the camp, and pray they do not find me. They
are taking anyone they find into slavery.
If only you were here. but I know you must fight the Uruks or
there will be no chance any of us will ever be free.
I fear I will never see you again.
If they find me, i do not know how long I can survive.
Your beloved wife, Eryn"
Ranger's Cloak Clasp
--------------------
Memory Location: Behind glasp, left wing
Description: "These decorative metal bands were used by Rangers
primarily to keep their cloaks closed. As guardsmen of
Condor, Rangers were held to exacting standards by
their masters. and this meant keeping their clasps
polished.
Rangers would use the clasps as makeshift signal
devices, catching sunlight to create reflective flashes
to communicate with their comrades over long
distances."
Memory: "The towers will be up soon. Don't know why we're calling
them the teeth. They should be called the jaw.
Because they'll be hitting us there?
lndeed. Right on the jaw, and as often as they can.
That's a grim outlook. brother. We'll be able to see into
Mordor here. And bite if necessary."
Iron Shackle
------------
Memory Location: Bottom of one of the shackles
Description: "These are prisoner's shackles, leg irons to be specific. They
date back to the Second Age and were most likely worn by Gondorian captives,
men and women whose involuntary servitude built the Towers of the Teeth
flanking the Morannon.
These captives would later throw off their shackles and begin a new life as
Outcasts in Udun. Some would keep their shackles to remind themselves of
their hardship."
Memory: "All right, worms. Welcome to The Black Gate. You'll be
building our watchtowers for us. Hard work will be rewarded.
Sir, do you mean hard work will be rewarded with a shorter
sentence?
You're traitors, the lot of you. Murderers and thieves. When I
say rewarded, I mean I won't throw you to the Caragors."
Coded Journal Entry #1
----------------------
Memory Location: Back neck of dead crow
Description: "The skies over Mordor are being cleared by fell beasts,
the Hell-hawk. Crows such as this poor fellow are
hunted relentlessly, but not as food.
No, crows are hunted because each of the oversized
black birds is a potential spy, a messenger who might
be carrying news to a master outside of Mordor. This
crow met its doom trying to deliver a coded note."
Memory: "Here's what I saw: i told you the Orcs are digging everywhere.
Well. they dug huge caves into the ground in the side of the
hills and into the mountains where they do their work. Some
of it is forges, and they've got blacksmiths making armor and
all kinds of weapons. They save on metal by making their
armor for the front only, like they're not planning on retreating
anymore.
Oh. and they've got these huge pits, too, bigger'n l've ever
seen. They pull the new Orcs, maybe a hundred or so a day,
and some of them are those Uruk-hai. You can tell them right
away because they've got a head or so on other Orcs, they
come out fighting, and immediately start bossing everyone
else around.
No-one's the wiser about me spying. But don't send no more
crows! The other Orcs might get suspicious."
Lockpick
--------
Memory Location: Behind middle, on rope-like part
Description: "This simple metal prod is a burglar's best friend. The
pick is small and easily concealed; it can be palmed or
even hidden under the tongue with minimal effort. In
the hands of a skilled thief, the pick can be used to
quickly and quietly defeat most locks of non-magical
origin."
Memory: "Sir, the situation is very confused...
How is it confused? I see the prisoners escaping. running
towards the gates, which seem to have flown open by sorcery
or sabotage.
Archers, stand down!
Sir?
We're not wasting good arrows on those people. They've
served their purpose: They're damned, they're damned well
out of my hair. Mordor can take the whole stinking lot of
them.
And send my compliments to the captain of the gates. I
suppose he sent me this lockpick as some sort of joke."
Branded Iron
------------
Memory Location: Top of iron
Description: "Not Old Scorchy!" is a common refrain among the
Orcs of Udun. It is interesting to note that while
branding with red-hot irons as punishment is
commonplace, with the Orcs searing the flesh of their
unruly brethren as much as they do their slaves, Old
Scorchy is unique, used only on the most recalcitrant.
The Orcs believe Scorchy holds sorcerous powers
enabling it to burn longer and hotter, and to scorch
with such intensity the pain can be felt for weeks after
the branding."
Memory: "All right, you. You're not so brave now, are you? Hold 'em,
boys.
Get your filthy hands off me!
It's simple, see? Do unto others quicker and harder than they'd
do unto you. But at least you tried. Next time, try harder. This
is going to hurt. A lot. But you'll learn who's in charge.
No! Not... not Old Scorchy! Anything but Old Scorchy!"
Herald's Scroll
---------------
Memory Location: Back and bottom of scroll
Description: "Bad news has wings," the saying goes. So it was with I
the dispatches from Erebor. heralding the Orcs' great
defeat at the Battle of the Five Armies. This particular
scroll made its way into Mordor carried by a
messenger whose ill tidings were received less than
warmly by his comrades. Though the courier's identity
was never revealed, he was referred to by the Uruks,
with great affection, as 'dinner.'"
Memory: "It's never good news.
Naw, and I saw to it he didnt...
All right, you stinking lot. Shut your gobs.
SHUT lT!
Got some terrible news, here. Terrible. Once again the filthy
Humans sided with the Dwarves who had help from those
sanctimonious bastards the Elves who were rescued by - and I
am not making this up - the damned giant Eagles to slaughter
thousands of our brethren in what we should all be calling the
battle to unfairly gang up on the Orcs.
Our lands get invaded. our Chieftains killed, and our people
murdered. Where does it end? Well, I tell you, it ends here.
M it ends right now! They can't stop the march of progress."
Weathered Azurite Figurine, The Two Istari
------------------------------------------
Memory Location: Middle back of taller man
Description: "This crudely carved figurine depicts two enigmatic
wizards who came to Mordor hunting a great evil.
Although the pair likely never escaped the cursed
realm, their exploits were well detailed and may have
inspired the creation of magical cults throughout
Middle-earth."
Memory: "See, there were two of them, and they both came in from the
road with a hard look in their eyes, as if they'd traveled too far
and seen too much. They were Wizards, true, both of 'em
caked in dust, and when one'd talk he'd stop to think and
there'd be the other to finish right up, like they had one brain
and two mouths. It was creepy for sure, but neither seemed to
notice.
I heard them say they were hunting the darkness. Damned if I
know if they found it. But I guess those fellows can find
trouble when they're looking for it."
Medallion Half 1, The Two Trees of Valinor
------------------------------------------
Memory Location: Flat part of medallion at top end
Description: "Across Mordor the Two Trees of Valinor are
recognized as a symbol of the light of creation and of
the ancient bond between Elves and Men. This
medallion half, crafted by the Elves, commemorates
the original two trees of legend, whose scions now
survive only in the White Tree of Condor."
Memory: "All right... hold Still. I'm afraid to say, it's going to...
Aaaaaaggggh!
..it's going to hurt.
I've done all I can. We've called for one of your people, but I
don't... in the meantime, why don't you tell me about that?
The medallion you're holding...
You just want to distract me. Very well. These are the Two
Trees of Valinor... a symbol of the endless cycle: Life, death,
and rebirth. Come closer. and I will tell you their tale. We
must...
I fear we must distract ourselves from the grim happenings
of this day."
Medallion Half 2, The Two Trees of Valinor
------------------------------------------
Memory Location: Back of medallion in middle
Description: "The Elves of Eregion crafted wonderful medallions,
tokens they carried into battle for inspiration and to
remind themselves of their history. This particular
artifact. representing the fabled Two Trees of Valinor,
appears to have been split by a particularly wicked
blade wielded by a powerful foe. lts missing half may
have been carried off to distant lands."
Memory: "I'm sorry. His wound was too great. 1 had thought...
You stayed with him. It is enough.
Here. He'd probably want you to have it. it's broken, but...
No, human. You keep it. These are ancient things, those trees.
We watch them wither and die with the cold, but always they
return. We see strength in their roots and hope as they stretch
into the light. Let this token remind you of the Elf you tried to
save, and of the bond between your people and mine."
Coded Journal Entry #3
----------------------
Memory Location: Back of note, on tattered side
Description: "This parchment contains a note, but its author and
intended recipient remain, ultimately, unreveaied. is
this a dispatch of some kind? A recounting of great
deeds? Poetry? The note is coded and its message
remains indecipherable."
Memory: "The damn flies seem to be following me. I can't hardly go
nowhere without them buzzing around.
I was going to scout Thaurband, the slave city. The Orcs got a
prison there, and enough people in chains to run the mines
and the mills and make the city go. But there it was, one
stinking fly. I could hear it buzzing, but couldn't see it or
squash it.
Thing was following me. I swear. I was out on a skiff, middle of
the Sea of Nurnen and the fly was coming along for the ride.
Like it knew! Following me, like. All the time: ZZZZZ ZZZZZ.
I can't get the buzzing and humming to stop. it don't matter
whether l'm sleeping or eating or squatting. I can hear 'em.
They're in my damned head!
MAKE... 'EM... STOP!"
Cook's Knife
------------
Memory Location: Upper end of knife
Description: "This Sigil (Knife) has seen much use. Originally it
served an important ceremonial function in preparing
ritual feasts. However since the invasion of Nurn by
the Uruks every blade that can be turned into a
weapon has been used by the Tribesman in their
resistance. The owner of this knife held it defiantly until
the end."
Memory: "Here, take this. I want someone watching over Queen
Marwen at all times. I am afraid she may do harm to
herself. Now go.
Mother, what is happening to you? Is this gift worth the price
you are paying?
The end of Darkness is worth whatever price. Such is the spirit
of Nurnen, Lithariei.
Narnen needs you, mother. These visions do not bring us
enough benefit to befit your loss.
But they do. my child. I have seen a vision of the Ring-maker,
Celebrimbor himself. it is through him alone that Nurnen may
be saved."
Ornate Cameo
------------
Memory Location: Back, lower part
Description: "This piece may have been commissioned by Men and
crafted by the Dwarves. It is known the races traded
freely between each other and, in turn, with the Elves.
Many fine wares would find their way into Mordor via
trade facilitated by the Sea of Nurnen. Such trade
routes have closed, possibly with finality, with the
return of the Uruks."
Memory: "Isn't it lovely, dear? The Dwarves made this!
You've been drinking. You smell like a mule whos gotten into
the rotgut.
It's a fine anniversary present! Look at the craftsmanship!
Our anniversary was last week.
it was brought in from the sea!
You mean you won this at the tavern. My husband. Get in the
house."
Whetstone
---------
Memory Location: Back of stone, lower part
Description: "Among the millions of volcanic rocks to be found
within the mountainous borders of Mordor, this stone
is unique. It is a Dwarven Whetstone, used to sharpen
axes, knives and swords to a keen edge that will cut
through even the toughest Uruk armor or the stony
skin of a Troll.
It's the keen edge what cuts the mountain," as the
saying goes. Whoever the stone's user was, he was
most thorough in his efforts."
Memory: "Keep sharpening! You've got to hone yer axe until its edge
can split one of yer beard hairs in two.
Aw, it's sharp enough to kill a Graug. Now, pass me the pipe...
Sharp enough" ain't what the hunt's about, little brother!
You've got to learn to respect the hunt. A keen blade for a
clean kill. Without respect for the beast, we're no better than
the Orcs. Now, let's give 'er a test...
Fer Durin, give a Dwarf fair warning when ya yank hairs from
his beard!
Look, at this, Torvin! Split the hair in two! There's hope for you
yet!"
Scrimshaw, Mumak Tusk
---------------------
Memory Location: Upper end of tusk
Description: "This carved tusk commemorates the conclusion of an I
epic hunt. Here we see two Dwarves: the first is
wielding a mighty axe and striking a deadly blow
against a giant Mumak. The other. who appears to be
his twin, flees from the beast in a panic. The quality of
the workmanship indicates that the artist was a master
craftsman under the influence of strong ale."
Memory: "There, it's finished... a true masterwork. What a fine carving.
The front, l etched us killing this here Mflmak. And the back...
our next prize, The Mighty Graug! A beast like that is a hunter's
legacy.
Show me the carving...
Isn't it magnificent? Such detail! Look at me striking the mighty
beast. Blood everywhere.
And why am i etched running away from the Mfimak in terror?
Artistic license, brother Torvin! if you want to be the hero, I
suggest next time you make the carving!"
Pipeweed Pouch
--------------
Memory Location: Behind, big part of pouch
Description: "The pleasant smell of Pipeweed emanates from this
oversized pouch. The owner of this pouch harvested
both the leaves and flowers of the Pipeweed plant in
equal measure; the leaves are commonly dried and
smoked in pipes and the flowers chewed to create a
potent narcotic. As for the pouch itself. it appears to
have come from the poison sac of an Ungol."
Memory: "Careful with the pouch, Torvin! it almost went in the fire.
Bah, that old thing. Time to get rid of that rag. Barely keeps the
Pipeweed dry.
It is a rag, brother... and I'll keep this souvenir from our first
hunt till it turns to dust. Remember us tracking that Great
Spider through Mirkwood nearly sixty years ago - then
drawing her out using live bait.
Yes, but, why do I always have to be the bait?
You have a quality. You make things want to kill you. It's a gift
really.
But Torvin, this was your first kill. Ours together. It's what made
you a hunter. And I'll treasure it always, brother!"
Blood-Stained Buckler
---------------------
Memory Location: One of the back handles of buckler
Description: "Dwarven-made and built to withstand great amounts
of punishment, this wood-and-steel buckler served its
user well. Many marks and scorings hint to its
usefulness in combat, but the blood stains are perhaps
an indication of a grim outcome for the Dwarf who
carried it into battle."
Memory: "Brother...? Brother, where are you...?
The bloody Graug knocked me senseless... and... brother... By
Durin's beard, no. No, no, this shouldn't be...
This is my fault. I should've been more prepared... I should've
listened to you... l shouldve been a better hunter.
I will avenge you, brother. I will hunt this Graug in your name.
And I will be the hunter you always wanted me to be."
Coded Journal Entry #2
----------------------
Memory Location: Back of note, top-center
Description: "Clever, most clever... this note, written on parchment,
seems to have been written with a previously
heretofore undiscovered code. It appears to be
neither a skip - nor a substitution code... could it be
the note is ensorcelled?"
Memory: "I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it. But the Orcs here have
an ally in the stinking flies.
Mordor has its share of stiffs, and I had thought the flies were
just getting their fill. But they're moving and attacking like one.
Like they got a brain.
I've tried to avoid 'em. They build nests everywhere and you
can hear their buzzing all the time. The Orcs here seem to
worship the pests, except, of course, when getting stung by
em. The Orcs say they're spies? But who're they spying for?
They aren't yours, are they?"
Ritual Cup
----------
Memory Location: Bottom part of cup
Description: "A relic of the free Men of Nurn, this cup would be I
used in many rituals, including consecration
ceremonies and matrimonies.
Traditionally, the cup would be filled with bitter waters
from the Sea of Nurnen, waters which would then be
poured on an item or person as a blessing, or on the
ground to give thanks. With Queen Marwen's
mysterious malaise, the cup has been used in
increasingly more bizarre and disturbing rites."
Memory: "By the white waters of the river Anduin,
By the colors so many they burn bright,
May Narnen now look to Marwen,
To my gift of second sight.
May the elements of earth, fire, air,
Form gateway to worlds unseen,
Spirits of Valinor hear my prayer,
And grant great power new to the Shore's Queen."
Apothecary Jar
--------------
Memory Location: Bottom of jar
Description: "This jar once held the elixir which sustains and
corrupts the Queen of the Shore. When Marwen
awoke screaming from nightmares showing her The
Tower of Sauron approaching Nurn she sought
wisdom. She traveled to the Grey Mountains seeking
answers.
When she returned she brought the elixir with her, and
under its influence she spent many hours staring into
the sacred flame. In it she heard a calming voice and
found hope for her people, if not for herself."
Memory: "The North collapses upon us. A Tower of nightmare builds in
Nurnen. The Nameless One returns.
Mother, take this.
Thank you, my child.
These visions corrode you. And what medicine we still have is
fast done away.
My visions are the hope of Nurnen. If I must sacrifice myself
for my people, so be it.
What happened in the Grey Mountains, mother?
What happened, Lithariel? I left with the strength we need."
Frolum's Ring
-------------
Memory Location: Inner part of ring
Description: "This ring was given to the unhappy bandit Frolum by
his beloved wife as a symbol of their undying love. It
was violently pulled from Frolum's hand, along with his
index finger after his capture by the Dark Lord Sauron's
minions. Sauron would use this ring to torment Frolum
into betraying his comrades."
Memory: "Who's this now?
Some unhappy bandit. Name's Forlun or Gorfab or something.
He was screaming for his wife. The boys laid into 'im a bit.
More'n a bit. He dead?
Naw. The boys know the big man's powerful livid and wants a
word. This sack of dung might know where his thief pals are
hiding.
Strip him down. Take the ring, too, and give it to the boss; he
likes that stuff. And when he wakes up..."
Star Chart
----------
Memory Location: Handle; side of it
Description: "Carved from the bone from an unknown animal of
immense size, this map of the heavens was no doubt
used by a Lore Master of some skill. Only a few select
individuals would have been able to use this chart to
track the course of the stars in the skies, using
complex and, possibly, arcane computations to
predict the future."
Memory: "By that time we'd grown used to seeing them, but the
shorter one had grown cold, distant. He could read the leaves,
the lines in a man's hand, the bumps on his head. He could
see, you know? And I guess it got to him. The knowing.
They'd go off together. and you could tell when they met up
with the Orcs. The sky would darken and there'd be hail, or
rain, or winds that shook the trees. And then, sure enough,
everything would clear. They never spoke about any of that.
although we'd always want to know. "Best not," they'd say.
The two left without saying a word. Only it was funny, like,
because the shorter fellow left behind all his maps and the
odd little board he used to see into the future. Traveling light,
maybe, or maybe... l don't know, maybe he thought he'd have
no more use for it."
Broken Staff
------------
Memory Location: Back; upper part of staff
Description: "Some great force rent this Wizard's staff asunder.
Fashioned from a sapling. this gnarled staff served as
walking stick, magical rod and weapon for a
wandering Wizard. What became of its owner and
how it was broken is a mystery."
Memory: "Funny thing, that. They told us their names, plenty of times. But
we all forgot. To a man, we forgot. it was like they didn't want
us remembering. After a while, they were just the two lstari,
and sometimes, the big one and the little one.
Can't say how I can't remember. I remember the bigger one
telling us stories of a Goblin city, of a man who could turn
himself into a bear, of the time when... well, l guess it didn't
matter too much to him that some of his stories needed some
cleaning up, or would scare a dead man out of his grave.
When the bigger one left, he took his cane. But he left a
walking stick behind, with all these little notches cut into it. He
was keeping track of something, for sure."
Crushed Spider Egg
------------------
Memory Location: Most visible inner part of egg
Description: "This Ungol egg has clearly been kept as a memento,
but for what reason? Does it represent yet another
casualty in the burgeoning war in Mordor, the one
being fought between the forces of Sauron and the
children of Queen Shelob? Or is this just a remnant of
some Uruk's supper?"
Memory: "I speak with the Mouth of Sauron, the second Dark Lord of
this Middle-earth. Our will is his will. Mordor is ours, and fairly
won. You will take this message from Sauron back to your
spider Queen Shelob, the last daughter of Ungoliant.
Your eggs will not be allowed to hatch in Mordor. Your
children will no longer prey on the Morgai Flies. You will
depart this realm. abandon your nests in Nan Ungol.
You have grown fat on our generosity. We have fed you as we
would a pet, allowed you to run unfettered. This ends now.
Our union, as it was, has ended. Our will is irresistible. We
have spoken."
Gondorian Coin
--------------
Memory Location: Back of coin; lower part near engraved wing
Description: "Merchants across Middle-earth know if it's Gondorian,
it's good. And they freer accept these silver pieces
(known as Castar) as currency, trading them across the
civilized realms and with almost all the races of
Middle-earth. This particular coin likely made its way
into Mordor through that realm's primary trade route,
the Sea of Nurnen."
Memory: "It's good. Coin of the realm.
Sure, but it's the coin of Gondor's realm.
if you don't want it...
I didn't say that, Cap'n. But how about a few less of these and
a little more of that Elvish cloth you brought over from
Eregion?
I think we can do that."
Orcish Dagger
-------------
Memory Location: Back; upper part of blade
Description: "'Dagger' may be a generous application of the word. I
This is a crude shank and it will never be used for
anything but skullduggeiy.
Uruks generally carry blades of this ilk when engaging
in their misdeeds, and the blades are often coated
with crude poisons to ensure a victim's painful death.
Uruks will often carry daggers like this one into
combat. but only employ them as a last resort."
Memory: "You've been recalled?
Aye. To Osgiliath. They're burning the bodies there.
Ehh. it's that bad?
It's worse. We've abandoned Durthang, either to the Orcs or
the Outcasts. I can't imagine which is worse. And we're thin on
the ground here.
Two regiments' worth called back home. Maybe a dozen
more down with the sweats.
Maybe even more than that. And I don't think we can hide it
anymore. no matter how they change up the patrols. The Orcs
may have already smelled it out, too. They're getting uppity in
momma" Look at this."
Lockbox Key
-----------
Memory Location: Back; wide part of key
Description: "This key was crafted long ago by the locksmiths of I
Khazad-Dum. It is able to open a wide array of locks. It
would be of great value to a burglar or spy."
Memory: "The Orcs are making things mighty difficult. This might be my
last run in a long while.
My wife and l... we need to... be... elsewhere.
The lockbox. Open it. Now.
Wh-why?
These are hard times. and I need to know you can pay. Up
front.
Well, now. That's hardly enough for both.
We've always... that's all I have! Please, my wife!
Should've saved more. Now: Room for one on the boat."
Frowning Skull
--------------
Memory Location: Top of skull
Description: "For a thousand years this skull has been a sacred relic I
of the most feared Orc Assassin cult within Mordor,
the Death's Head. They hold it as a symbol of their
glorious future free of the scourge of Man."
Memory: "Please... my wife.
Yes, the Uruk have told me you do go on about her.
Tell us what we need to know. Where are the bandits? Where
are your friends?
I need to see her! I need...
Yes, your wife. Again. It has been a long time. And while the
physical pain of your torture will pass. you will always hurt
inside. The loss is like a gaping wound...
You have suffered quite enough torment, and it is time for
your misery to end. Your wife is waiting.
Damn you. They're in the woods. The hidden woods.
Take him away...
But you said...
Yes. Our promise. You will be reunited with your wife. now
long dead. Know you have betrayed your friends and doomed
yourself over a distant memory, a phantom. And when you
are reunited with your wife, know that we will also carry your
skull as a trifle and a reminder that our will is irresistible. Now,
go.
Your wife awaits."
Torn Banner
-----------
Description: "Ungol have set upon and partially consumed this
crimson banner representing the Dark Lord Sauron.
This is not merely a symbolic act; the oversized
children of Shelob are organizing against the Uruks,
forming raiding parties to bring down what they
consider to be invaders into their lands. Whatever
truce may have existed between the factions has now
ended."
Memory: "Damn. They got the whole raiding party. And et the flag.
See the webs? lt's Spiders. Filthy creatures. Likely coming up
from the valley down south.
We should clear it out.
You should shut your big yap. Don't nobody come back from
that place.
Wonder if they're working for Shelob? Sauron used to feed
her, and I guess she don't remember whose pet she is. It
might be time for a reminder."
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. Bestiary
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
The complete list, with descriptions from the completed in-game "Nature"
list.
Ghuls
-----
These feral, nocturnal beasts inhabit (or more accurately, plague) Mordor.
They live in damp, fetid places or underground lairs, and only emerge from
their nests at night when they swarm in packs to bring down prey.
Ghuls are carnivorous and not at all picky; they will feast on dead, rotting
flesh and innards, or one another if the situation calls for it. They do not
speak, but are clever creatures and their attacks make use of numbers to
ensure a foe is overwhelmed.
Targets unfortunate enough to be chosen by them are also assaulted by the
Ghuls' acidic and deadly venom, which the creatures can spit over great
distances.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Ghul Matrons
---------------
"These toxin-spitting Ghuls are taller than their brethren, growing up to
nine-feet tall. Their size is used primarily to bully and intimidate the
lesser Ghuls into submission; they serve as the hive leaders for their kind.
They also crave blood and living flesh to an extent not seen with the other
Ghuls, and are constantly driving their minions out of the safety of their
disgusting underground lairs, commanding them forth in massed assaults for
fresh meat."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Olog Graug
-------------
"The oversized Graug is a nigh-unstoppable juggernaut of wanton destruction,
crushing, and mayhem. These behemoths grow to fifteen-feet tall or more, and
their skin grows tough and leathery, making them extremely resistant to all
manner of arrows, bolts, and bladed or blunt weapons.
They're feral beasts, naturally combative, highly territorial, and ill-
mannered. Graugs are uncommon in Mordor but pose a genuine threat to the
Uruks, especially when their lairs are encroached upon. Even Trolls steer
clear of the giant beasts, and when they do not, they tend to die horribly.
Sauron has begun to use Graugs to cross-breed powerful Hill Trolls; scaly
monsters able to tolerate even noonday sunlight."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Horned Graug
---------------
"Horned Graugs are rare, and they grow twenty-feet in height. Few of these
monsters currently exist in the wild and fewer still roam freely in Mordor.
They are feared above all other beasts in Mordor for their size, brute
strength, and ferocity. Bringing one of these giants down requires a supreme
effort (if indeed it is possible at all), as they are extraordinarily hardy
and resistant to all manner of weapons.
Their might enables them to claim Mordor's dank, fetid caves as lairs, and
they defend these with a single-mindedly vicious fury."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Legendary Graug
------------------
"The legends tell of a Graug towering over all others, a thirty-foot tall
monstrosity whose shadow covers half of Mordor and can grasp an entire forest
in its fist. Perhaps, as those who speak of it have suggested, this is no
monster at all but a demon of stone and fire, a Balrog, given flesh.
If such a monster exists it would be a magnificent prize for the Uruk
Warchiefs gathering in Mordor. The Dark Lord knows of its existence and plans
to harness it for his armies. A Graug of that size could turn the tide of any
battle."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Ungol
--------
"These are oversized spiders; the evil, intelligent children of the Spider
Queen Shelob.
While they've taken Nan Ungol (Sindarin for "Valley of the Spiders") as their
primary home, they've since spread across Mordor taking residence in its
caves and other dark places, and are actively reporting back to their queen.
Their nests and lairs are littered with the crushed bones of their prey. They
are not afraid to make victims of the encroaching Uruks.
The recent stirrings in Mordor have emboldened the Ungol and piqued the
curiosity of the Spider Queen, but to what end remains a mystery."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Morgai Flies
---------------
"With Mordor's predilection for unburied corpses, Morgai Flies have become a
mainstay. Their nests can be found hanging anywhere there might be flesh, and
any disturbance sends the insects into a frenzy. When this happens, the
malevolent creatures swarm, working in concert with one another creating a
relentless, stinging mass powerful enough to overwhelm even an armor-clad
Uruk.
The red markings on their back are reminiscent of the blazing Eye of Sauron
and these creatures are extensions of his dark spirit."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Hell-Hawk
------------
"Mordor's skies have seen their share of sparrows, finches, eagles, falcons,
and crows, but the Hell-hawk is a relative newcomer. They are smaller cousins
to the winged Fell-beasts in the eyries of Nan Morlith.
These carnivorous reptilian creatures fly on leathery wings and use their
elongated necks to clear the sides of other flying creatures.
And, as the Uruks are being bred to ensure dominion over Mordor's land, so
are the Hell-hawks being created to ensure the Dark Lord's will is exerted
over the sides. The Hell-hawks patrol the air day and night, guarding against
spies, keeping a watch against invasion, and seeking out their master's
enemies."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Mordor Rats
--------------
"The Rats of Mordor are multiplying. They have always feasted gladly on
corpses, but they've recently become more daring and have begun to attack the
weak and the sick. They don't care if the victim is Orc, Man, or Ghul. All
flesh is food to them."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Caragor
----------
"The common Caragor is vicious, disgusting, and a relentless killing machine.
It is native to Mordor, and the realm's top predator.
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Their powerful legs make them excellent sprinters and fair climbers. Their
jaws are powerful enough to snap through bones and cut through all manner of
armor. They attack and kill any competing predator, such as Wargs, on sight.
Orcs have begun to capture and cage these animals, although their attempts to
domesticate them as cavalry mounts have been largely unsuccessful. The
Caragor has proven remarkably stubborn and resistant to training."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Dire Caragor
---------------
"The Caragor (Sindarin for "Row of Teeth" and "Bringer of Fear") is the
ultimate predator within Mordor having driven every rival species from Wargs
to Lions, into extinction within their territory. Like the Lion, this
enormous hunter lords over Mordor striking terror into even the Graugs and
Great Beasts of the Lithlad plains.
Since the return of the Dark Lord Sauron to Mordor, even more powerful and
savage examples of Caragors have appeared. These Dire Caragors can be
recognized by their pale color and superior cunning. Many Uruk Beastmasters,
who gain status by hunting and exterminating wild Caragors, have ended their
days in the jaws of these fearsome creatures."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Morgul Bats
--------------
"The corrupted and bloated Bats of the Mountains of Shadow have held vigil in
Mordor since the Dark Lord's defeat.
These bats leave their caves at night to suck the fluid putrescence from the
corpses littering Mordor. Rotten flesh sticks in their teeth, decaying and
creating a lethal toxin which is prized by the Uruks. The bravest of them
journey into the caves to harvest the poisons and coat their weapons.
Those Uruks that get poisoned become horribly diseased and bloated, wearing
their deformities as marks of honor. The poison slowly eats at their minds,
sending them nightmares of a demonic man-bat who preys on fear.
The Ghfils are the only predators of the Bats. Those that survive naturally
mix the poison with their caustic digestive juices, creating a deadly
cocktail of projectile vomit."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Great Beast
-------------
"A monster of this strength and size can, without reservation, be referred to
as a great beast. A distant cousin to the Milmakil, these enormous quadrupeds
can grow to thirty-five feet tall and make unrivaled beasts of burden for the
Dark Lord's armies.
They are powerful enough that no creature, except perhaps for a Graug or a
huge Caragor pack, can hope to bring them down.
In the coming war, they will prove invaluable to the Dark Lord's growing
armies as both transport and a weapon."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Niphredil
------------
"The small flowering plant Niphredil may have been born of magic in Middle-
earth's distant past. Its appearance is indeed otherworldly; seen from a
distance, a patch of its pale white flowers in bloom will appear to be
shimmering as the stars do.
Medicinally, Niphredil flowers, when consumed, function as an agent to soothe
the humors and calm a nervous temperament. Its greenish stalks can be crushed
and made into a thin paste to staunch blood flow. The plant has flourished
across Middle-earth, and now can be found in even its most inhospitable
locales."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Pipeweed
----------
"Known by many different names, this fragrant herb can be found throughout
Middle-earth. Its leaves are commonly dried, cut, and smoked in pipes by
Humans, Hobbits, and Dwarves. Because of the weed's popularity as a smoked
agent, farmers have taken to devoting portions (or all) of their fields
specifically for its growth and sale.
The flowers of the Pipeweed plant are less in demand and almost bitter
tasting, but there is some evidence that these too, have some value. Skilled
herbalists have suggested the flowers, properly applied, can dull pain and
inspire the senses."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Lothrond
-----------
"A segmented fungus sometimes referred to as a cave flower, Lothrond tends to
grow in dark and ding places. It is remarkably hardy, can tolerate great
shifts in temperature, and is something of a delicacy for both the badger-
and Hobbit-folk.
Healers traditionally boil the fungus, stalk and all, and create a broth to
clear one's air passages. It is also possible to combine Lothrond with other
common herbs to brew potions and salves which can, among other things, create
a temporary (and inflated) sense of heroism."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Remmenthod
-------------
"'Beware the snare,' goes the old wives' saying, but the old wives (at least
in the case of Remmenthond) have been horribly misled.
The tangle root known as Remmenthond received its bad reputation because of
its persistence as a crop-wrecking weed and its ability to stand firm against
even the most energetic attempts to pull it from the ground.
The trick here, is to cut the roots at the surface and then squeeze the sap.
Its sap can be used to bind wounds and soothe burns. Remmenthond is
intractable, true, but invaluable."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Azuradan
-----------
"Known to most as Azuradan (or "Blue Mist"), this rooted plant grows tall,
hale, and hearty across Middle-earth. Its persistent growth and resistance to
all attempts to remove it from tilled soil has also gained Azuradan the
nickname, "Farmer's Sorrow".
It may be burdensome as a weed, but its medicinal value is significant. Its
beguiling and sweet azure shoots are often added to draughts to alleviate the
pain from kidney stones. Azuradan's ground roots, when chewed, diminish the
pain of a headache, and healers have noted the plant's therapeutic value in
the balancing and restoration of the humors."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Blue Milk
------------
"It would be hard, if not impossible, to mistake the Blue Milk. This rare but
delicious mushroom sports a blue cap and stalk. When cut, it produces a blue-
hued, milky substance that is commonly employed in a variety of medicinal
concoctions.
A single Blue Milk, when consumed, will quell hunger for up to half a day and
can instill a sense of heightened awareness. The mushroom cap and stalk can
be separated and dried, then ground into flakes that are used in soups, or
employed by healers medically in salves and unguents to treat sores."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Mallos
---------
"A bell-shaped, yellow-colored flower, Mallos is sometimes mistaken for the
Never-Fade, Alfirin. This is only from a distance, however. There is no
mistaking the two up close. The great difference between Alfirin and Mallos
lies in their fragrances; Alfirin's is pleasant, whereas Mallos has a musty,
skunky odor about it.
Healers can employ Mallos in combination with other roots, tubers, and
flowers. Its primary usage is in lozenges and draughts that will effectively
stop a cough or soothe sore throats.
Mallos is native to Gondor, but likely has spread as a result of the
Outcasts' exodus into Mordor."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Elgaran
----------
"The blood-red flower Elgaran may have grown in Middle-earth for centuries,
perhaps since its First Age; ancient texts suggest it was an evil omen,
flowering where the bones of dead Men rest. According to legend, Elgaran also
thrives on mishap, death, and the suffering of others.
The Uruks despise the plant because of its striking beauty and have targeted
it for extermination to the extent that they have ignored the plant's
usefulness as both an antitoxin and antivenom."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Earthbread
-------------
"A starchy potato-like root, Earthbread must be plucked from the ground,
washed and peeled, and then cooked with salt to bring out its natural flavor.
When prepared properly, its roots taste like a fine milled bread. When
improperly prepared, it tastes like something far less palatable.
Because the plant is something of a rarity in Middle-earth, little is known
about its effects as a healing agent. But the Rangers of The Black Gate have
sworn by this mysterious "bread" for years, and are able to make use of it in
their travels."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Gwinuial
-----------
"Gwinuial is more commonly known as "The Twilight Vine". Its delicate, white
flowering blooms are five-pointed and remarkably starlike.
It's interesting to note Gwinuial is common throughout Middle-earth, but
never grows to a height taller than a Dwarf. It also never grows where ivy
does, although this peculiarity may be entirely coincidental.
Herbalists know to collect the plant's flowers before they are in full bloom
to use them in concoctions to cure colds and unblock stuffed noses. The vines
themselves have some value as a binding agent as well. Properly stripped, the
vines can be cut and applied to wounds as makeshift bandages."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Alfirin
----------
"The Never-Fade, Alfirin, is a remarkably durable plant with a year-long life
cycle.
In bloom it produces a brilliant gold-yellow and bell-shaped flower that
loses neither its color nor its petals for the duration of its life.
Alfirin's nectar is delightful and said to attract bees for miles; further it
is also prized by Elves and Hobbits because it can be made into a fine,
delicious syrup that is said to promote vigor and robust health. Some eschew
the eating of the syrup and instead use it medicinally as it can be applied
to wounds to aid in healing and eliminating scars."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Naugrimbas
-------------
"Hobbits love mushrooms. Being discerning about mushrooms, they would not eat
Naugrimbas. This foul-tasting toadstool holds little appeal as a foodstuff;
it is edible, filling, and little more.
The Dwarves use Naugrimbas as a ration for troops on long marches, but only
as a last resort. As a result, some call it "Dwarves' bread," but only as an
insult to both bread and Dwarves.
The cap of Naugrimbas can be applied to burn wounds, and its consumption can
temporarily increase one's stamina. Otherwise, this fungus is best left to
Ores and, perhaps, starving Ghuls."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Carandol
-----------
"Brightly colored and cheery, this undersized and crimson-colored mushroom is
a fine addition to soups, stews, casseroles, pies, cakes, cookies, crumbles,
biscuits, breads, and pastries. It functions perfectly well as a meal on its
own, as a flavor additive, or as a dye for both food and clothing.
Carandik works well in medicinal applications, with its peculiar specialty
being it serves to bolster a particular mixture or application's effect on an
individual.
This mushroom can often be found growing in the damp soil of Mordor and
Mirkwood, taking refuge at the foot of the trees there."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Orchamarth
-------------
"This sickly green fungus stinks of rotting meat and is the one vegetarian
staple of the Lira diet. It's eaten raw by the Uruks, who swear by it as a
means to increase bloodlust and maintain a killing frenzy.
Harvested when it is at its most putrid, Orchamarth is also one of the
primary ingredients in both the horrid-tasting Orc-draught and Orc grog.
Morgai Flies can often be seen hovering near these plants; they are, one
supposes, the primary means by which this plant is pollinated. Other animals
and races give the Orchamarth a wide berth."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Athelas
----------
"The ancient NumenOreans were enamored by "King's Foil", or Athelas, and its
presence in Mordor is no great mystery. The Nomenoreans brought it with them
when they assaulted Barad-dur as part of the War of the Last Alliance in
Middle-earth's Second Age.
The blue-flowered plant has thrived on the continent ever since, and is now
employed by remedy makers in a variety of therapeutic potions.
More importantly, the commoner can use Athelas without any knowledge of
herblore by chewing the flower petals to create a numbing agent to apply to
sore muscles or wounds."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Hithlas
----------
"The flowering bush Hithlas can be found in Middle-earth's southern realms.
Its festive, almost beguiling appearance belies its deadly nature; the entire
plant is toxic and deadly if ingested, or even handled improperly.
The Uruks refer to Hithlas as "Sauron's Gift," and steer clear of the plant.
Assassins across Mordor use special gloves to collect Hithlas berries. Ground
and dried, the berries produce an odorless, colorless poison. Introduced into
a victim's drink, it will produce the same deadly effect as Nightshade and
Belladonna."
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
Name: A Graug's Heel
Description: Capitalize on a Warchief's Fear
Value: 10/Bronze
---
Name: A Mighty Doom
Description: Acquire a level 25 Rune
Value: 10/Bronze
---
Name: A New Master
Description: Brand a Captain while in combat
Value: 15/Bronze
---
Name: And it Burns, Burns, Burns
Description: Use the Detonate ability to burn 50 uruks
Value: 15/Bronze
---
Name: Bearer of the Shining Lamp
Description: Collect 100% of the Ithildin
Value: 20/Bronze
---
Name: Beyond Hope
Description: Save Lithariel's life
Value: Silver
---
Name: Black Celebration
Description: Poison a Captain at his own Feast
Value: 15/Bronze
---
Name: Burning Vengeance
Description: Perform an Execution on a flaming Berserker
Value: 15/Bronze
---
Name: Crowned with Living Light
Description: Collect 50% of the Ithildin
Value: 10/Bronze
---
Name: Divide and Conquer
Description: Eliminate the bodyguards of two Warchiefs, then draw them out
and kill them
Value: 15/Bronze
---
Name: Fire of Justice
Description: Complete all Urfael Legend Missions
Value: 30/Bronze
---
Name: Fly you fools!
Description: Make 20 uruks flee by dropping Morgai Fly nests
Value: 10/Bronze
---
Name: For My Brother
Description: Kill the Great White Graug
Value: Silver
---
Name: Gorthaur the Cruel
Description: Destroy the Monument Gate and topple the statue of Sauron
Value: Silver
---
Name: Height of Despair
Description: Use Strike From Above while at least 60 feet above your target
Value: 10/Bronze
---
Name: Iron of Death
Description: Issue a Death Threat, and then successfully kill the target
Value: 10/Bronze
---
Name: Legend of Shadow
Description: Complete a Dagger Mission and begin growing the legend of Acharn
Value: 10/Bronze
---
Name: Legend of the Maker
Description: Complete a Bow Mission and begin growing the legend of Azkar.
Value: 10/Bronze
---
Name: Legend of Vengeance
Description: Complete a Sword Mission and begin growing the legend of Urfael
Value: 15/Bronze
---
Name: Liberator
Description: Complete all Outcast Rescue Missions
Value: 30/Silver
---
Name: Lord and Master
Description: Brand all 5 Warchiefs
Value: 10/Bronze
---
Name: Master of the Wilds
Description: Complete all Hunting Challenges
Value: 20/Silver
---
Name: Memories of Eregion
Description: Activate all Forge Towers
Value: 20/Silver
---
Name: No Power in Numbers
Description: Help a Captain survive a Recruitment Power Struggle, and then
kill him and all his new recruits
Value: 10/Bronze
---
Name: Paid in Blood
Description: Unlock 4 Dagger Rune slots
Value: 20/Bronze
---
Name: Paths of the Dead
Description: Collect 25% of the Artifacts
Value: 20/Bronze
---
Name: Power Vacuum
Description: Kill all 5 Warchiefs before any uruk take their place
Value: 10/Bronze
---
Name: Ranger of Ithilien
Description: Complete all Survivalist Challenges
Value: 20/Silver
---
Name: Ratbag the Great and Powerful
Description: Get Ratbag promoted to Warchief
Value: Silver
---
Name: Repaid in Blood
Description: Complete a Vendetta Mission
Value: 10/Bronze
---
Name: Rise and Fall
Description: After an uruk kills you to become a Captain, help him become a
Warchief, then kill him
Value: 20/Bronze
---
Name: Scout of the Morannon
Description: Successfully complete a Survivalist Challenge
Value: 2/Bronze0
---
Name: Shadows of the Ancient Past
Description: Collect 100% of the Artifacts and listen to their memories
Value: 30/Silver
---
Name: Stinking Rebels
Description: Brand 5 Bodyguards of a Warchief, turning them against him in
combat
Value: 20/Bronze
---
Name: Strike True
Description: Unlock 2 Bow Rune slots
Value: 20/Bronze
---
Name: The Bright Master
Description: Discover some of the Wraith's past
Value: 20/Bronze
---
Name: The Cold Light
Description: Unlock 3 Sword Rune slots
Value: 20/Bronze
---
Name: The Free Folk
Description: Complete an Outcast Rescue Mission
Value: 15/Bronze
---
Name: The Hammer Falls
Description: Kill The Hammer
Value: Silver
---
Name: The Hand is Severed
Description: Kill The Black Hand
Value: Gold
---
Name: The Last Shadow
Description: Complete all Acharn Legend Missions
Value: 30/Silver
---
Name: The Maker's Bow
Description: Complete all Azkar Legend Missions
Value: 30/Silver
---
Name: The Spirit of Mordor
Description: Start a Riot by commanding a Warchief to attack another Warchief
Value: 20/Bronze
---
Name: The Tower Crumbles
Description: Kill The Tower
Value: Silver
---
Name: The White Rider
Description: Liberate 30 slaves in 180 seconds while riding a caragor
Value: 15/Bronze
---
Name: The White Wizard
Description: Lift Lady Marwen's curse
Value: Silver
---
Name: Thrill of the Hunt
Description: Successfully complete 4 Hunting Challenges
Value: 20/Bronze
---
Name: To Rule them All
Description: Witness the creation of The Rings of Power
Value: Silver
---
Name: Unleashed
Description: Free 5 caragors from cages
Value: 10/Bronze
---
Name: You Will Obey
Description: Make an uruk yours
Value: 20/Bronze
=============================================================================
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13. Credits
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
* CJayC for creating GameFAQs.
* Sailor Bacon and Devin Morgan for continuing, maintaining, and
administering GameFAQs.
* IGN's wiki, for helping me on my playthroughs of the game, as well as
being a great source for the factual information about the challenges.
* You! For reading this guide, of course. :)
Some FAQ statistics:
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Pages: 76
Words: 25,694
Characters (no spaces): 137.260
Characters (with spaces): 165,880
Paragraphs: 3,173
Lines: 4,315
Therefore, please do not print this guide! It's way too many pages to print!
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
14. Contact Information
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, inquiries, spam, additions,
grievances, hate mail, and general overall concerns, please email me at:
"andrew.c.testa(at)gmail(dot)com" <
[email protected]>
All I ask is that you put "Shadows of Mordor" or "LoTR Game" or "SoM" in the
subject line so I know what the email is about. I don't mind if u talk liek
dis 2 me or whatever, so long as I can understand you.
=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
15. Legal Disclaimer
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
This document is copyright © 2015 Andrew Testa. All rights reserved. This
document may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. It may not be sold, altered, or published in any way without the
advanced permission of the author. It may not be placed on any website or
otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of
this guide on any other website or as a part of any public display is
strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by
their respective trademark and copyright holders. All sources which have
contributed to this document are cited and/or credited in some form.
The only sites that I allow this document to be viewed at are GameFAQs
<
http://www.gamefaqs.com>, IGN <
http://www.ign.com>, and Neoseeker
<
http://www.neoseeker.com>. If this document is found on another website,
please contact me and I will promptly DMCA the host of the website on the
legal grounds of copyright infringement. Under 512(c) of the U.S. Copyright
Law, it is illegal to host this document without advanced permission.
---
Thanks for reading this guide! :) You can see some of my other work at:
<
http://www.gamefaqs.com/users/TestaALT/contributions/faqs>
_____________________________________________________________________________
Copyright © 2015 Andrew Testa
