I tried 'Shadow of War' again without the loot boxes…

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Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a 2017 action-adventure video game developed by Monolith Productions and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Shadow of War is the sequel to 2014's Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, both of which are based on J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. The game is set in between the events of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings film trilogies, from which the game also takes inspiration. The player continues the story of Talion, the Gondorian Ranger who bonded with the wraith of the Elf Lord Celebrimbor, as they forge a new Ring of Power to amass an army to fight against Sauron. The game builds upon the "nemesis system" introduced in Shadow of Mordor, allowing Talion to gain followers from several races of Middle-earth and command them in warfare.
Shadow of War expanded on the scope of Shadow of Mordor by introducing new game mechanics and extending the nemesis system, which procedurally generates orc characters for players to fight and recruit. Compared to its predecessor, the game features more light-hearted moments, and the five regions were designed to be bigger and more colorful. Locations in the game were inspired by the landscapes of eastern Washington, Alaska, and Iceland. Troy Baker returned to provide the voice of Talion, while simultaneously serving as the game's motion capture director. Other cast members include Alastair Duncan as Celebrimbor, Laura Bailey, and Pollyanna McIntosh.
Announced in March 2017, the game was released worldwide for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on October 10, 2017. Shadow of War had a generally favorable reception from critics, albeit more mixed than its predecessor. Reviewers praised the gameplay and improved nemesis system, while criticizing the game's microtransactions (which was removed in a post-game update in July 2018) and story, including changes to characters seen in Tolkien's books. Many critics noted that the game's increased scope caused it to feel bloated. The game was the best-selling video game in the United States in its month of release. Monolith supported the game post-launch with free updates and two story expansions.
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[@jonathanstorms4530]

The most heartbreaking thing about Shadow of Mordor is the fact that the Nemesis system was trademarked and stored in a safe to die.

[@frenchtoast2319]

From what I've heard,the wonder woman game thats coming is going to use it. My problem is i probably wont play wonder woman lol.

[@NinjapowerMS]

​@@frenchtoast2319 Wonder woman of all things to get the nemesis system wtf? Could have just did Red Hood and made bank.

[@frenchtoast2319]

@@NinjapowerMS yeah i agree. It doesn't excite me at all.

[@devilalastor3320]

@@NinjapowerMSprolly all your potential nemesis candidates are straight white man

[@xavmanisdabestest]

It was a 10 year trademark right means its up this year

[@the_real_Kurt_Yarish]

I remember in Shadow of Mordor having an orc nemesis that returned from death 5 or 6 times and would seemingly always pop back up when I least expected him. It kinda became like an inside joke for me. Having that kind of dynamic, unique relationship with a foe in a game was so powerfully enamoring that I still remember it to this day, despite not playing for years. The Nemesis system is such a fascinating mechanic and could be the recipe to something incredible, and seeing it vanish from the industry is a shame.

[@Kio-Fox]

I had one come back for almost every single mission in my story from third mission coullusium mission I can’t spell

[@roberthansson8222]

The nemesis system with ai assistance would be quite interesting.

[@detach103ff4]

Didn't they patent it? And sued some other game that tried the same??

[@the_real_Kurt_Yarish]

@@detach103ff4 They did patent it, but I'm unaware if any other developer has tried to replicate the system.

[@CorinFriesen]

I believe an upcoming Wonder Woman game by Monolith is supposedly going to be using it

[@bruh4557]

Wish we got another one in this series instead of Gollum

[@MohseenLala]

I wonder where they'd take the story, pretty definitive ending.

[@KratosisGod]

@@MohseenLala They pretty much covered all loose ends with the dlcs as well so it'll have to be a completely new plot setup along with characters.

[@jphineas]

Unfortunately most publishers won't justify investing into a game this expansive unless you can prove ROI and monetization

[@djolegusman]

gollum wasn't made by these people nor is it in the same in game universe

[@NoMansLand98]

I wish we get another gollum, it's game of the year material...

[@ed4348]

At the end of the game you are just kind of handed an overpowered necromancy set as a bit of a "well done you beat the game" and that armor set completely changes how you play the game. Overall the game is amazing with so much to do like turning every orc in an enemy citadel into a spy and then waltzing on in there to no resistance

[@drointhewind480]

I love the necromancy set, basically a sith lord now lol and the mask is sweet

[@comicfan3133]

If I remember correctly with the same reward comes an massive upgrade to the starter weapons, wich was very neat, because his "dagger" was the broken sword of his fallen son, which he used solely in shadow of mordor. At the beginning I thought it was a bit sad, that this Weapon which symbolized the bond between Father and Son got useless so quick. But after it was Upgraded I was more than happy.

[@riplix20]

@@comicfan3133I’m happy to hear this, I also feel dirty using anything other than acharn. Do you get to wear his wife’s cape?

[@Skeleton52925]

@@riplix20yep

[@theoldlore]

The necromancy skill is utterly fantastic. At level 72 I can take down almost any orc that has weaknesses, with different effects on my revenants.

[@benelmore745]

I actually thought the core mechanics were so good that I never even thought about buying anything

[@EH_1995]

Right. He’s over exaggerating how unbalanced the game was, buying the orc packs actually worsened your experience cus you cut out the most interesting part of the game - engaging with the nemesis system.

[@Cryotyde]

Agreed.

[@jonasking9587]

It's so engaging the developers want you to skip it entirely.

[@PersonalBurrito]

@@jonasking9587 not the developers, the publisher... WB

[@jonasking9587]

Corrected, and I appreciate it. You're right. I mean, probably. Still. Not interested in anything from Monolith anymore. Weird how that works.

[@kinkycarny]

Youre supposed to send your orc on missions and stuff to level them up while you tend to other tasks or help them with their task to ensure they survive. Helping them also aids in your "bond" with your underlings if you choose to engage with the nemesis system in that way. Sure you can grind out a whole new army if your guys are under leveled, but that is only fun for so long.

[@gamesmaster1060]

I agree but if you're orcs are weak in terms of traits/abilities it might be better to go find some legendary ones or something

[@TheMasterMind144]

​@@gamesmaster1060Legendary orcs have random traits but they're not necessarily stronger by default, the most important thing was to have orcs with few weaknesses and preferably a lot of enrages.

[@fernandes327]

This game aged very well. Absolutely love it

[@MrREAPERsz]

Yeah it's really good. The orc captains carry this game

[@Gilmore74]

Great game

[@LIMSAkaRiorulz]

This game deserves the Skyrim reboot. Imagine a reboot with no loot systems. It would sell like hot cakes

[@DrClownPhD]

@@LIMSAkaRiorulz Disagree, you'd have to rework the whole system. It isn't just the monetization. It's that it suffers from an identity crisis. It strives to be one thing while actively doing another and at no point do they ever actually intersect I'd like to expand on this in an edit. Cyberpunk 2077 also suffers from an identity issue, but there are moments where both the immersive RPG it was marketed as and the ARPG that it actually is intersect and creates a really cool, unique experience. I feel like the Shadow of Mordor games are carried now after so many years because of the nemesis system

[@sergiomendoza251]

Even the normal orcs in interactions out of cutscenes give them own opinions about anything like weapons,Talion,routine,ect.

[@matthewjudge3763]

It's a really cool experience if you play in a high difficulty. The nemesis system works incredibly well if you die fairly regularly. This allows you to devep the orcs and create a sort of rivalry with them as they rise through the ranks and gain traits that make them even harder to kill.

[@Foreseer117]

Played it Day 1 and I loved it. Never spent a dime and completed the entire game with the post game battles with only the orcs I got in the game.

[@shadowlLink]

Right? I remember the loot boxes just being ignored and loving everything else about it

[@Charybdis47]

bro me too.Altough the 10 stages of shadow wars were kinda rough. Only realized it after they changed it to 3 for the people who didnt have as much freetime as we did lol

[@matthewrobertson5342]

True but the true ending was worth the grind

[@Charybdis47]

@@matthewrobertson5342 yeah true one of the only videogames that got tears out of me

[@derekhandson351]

Eh, I couldn't get into it since they didn't rebalance it after getting rid of the microtransactions

[@cristiancarbajal2119]

Just picked it up for $2.50 Honestly, what a steal. Im loving the game. Definitely worth it imo

[@alexmottram513]

Same here I got it on summer sale

[@townfuneral4564]

Same lmao I got both games, SOW with all dlc too, for 3$, CD key resellers are a blessing

[@believeinmatter]

The combat in this game and the first one is so satisfying. Only gets better as you progress through the game

[@MrGamemaster-lm3tj]

for me i prefer talions look in mordor and some of his combat animations are not in war

[@teneesh3376]

Biggest issue is that the counter prompt is kinda glichy. Not always working when it needs to. Same goes for the entire game

[@cookdislander4372]

I love when the sword glows blue and you push 🔺️+ 🔵 for one hit kills

[@kowaikokoro]

It definetly had moments with combat but besides those moments the game is shallow and as deep as an water puddle on the road

[@MrGamemaster-lm3tj]

@@kowaikokoro I'll still play 100 times then the gollum game bullshit

[@devalt1]

This game is a masterpiece. The lootboxes were totally unnecessary and you never had to actually use them, so theyre not nearly as egregious as your saying. Let's hope they bring this franchise back!

[@TheMasterMind144]

@@devalt1 IKR there are so many playthroughs on KZbin of people breezing through the endgame of SoW back when it still had loot boxes, without purchasing anything, and here we have Luke stating that purchasing loot boxes was "mandatory" to beating the game. I think Luke is a decent reviewer but he misses the mark entirely with this video and just goes along with the "SoW bad!" bandwagon from 2017 instead of actually doing research. Honestly it's very disappointing.

[@austinrader8135]

Upgrading an orcs level can be done by telling them to kill another captain, and if they succeed they will get like 7-10 levels.

[@TacticusPrime]

They can't level past you.

[@austinrader8135]

@@TacticusPrime I know, he was complaining that his orcs levels could only be raised by pit fights, I was just letting him know.

[@docomega7862]

​@@austinrader8135Yeah, I'm a new player to shadow of war, only something like 15-20h into the game, and I already know that pit fights are kinda the worst way to level up your orcs. They gain less levels, and you need to train the hell out of them if you want them to have a chance (and at my stage of the game, this is quite the investment). And they can die even to characters 10 levels under them just cause they are stupid, which means back to square one. Sending them to kill other captains is far better as you can make sure they don't die like hopeless morons

[@dankmemes7796]

@@docomega7862orc fights are more for like . Hm let me pit all my guys together and see which one survives . He’s worth being in my army

[@TheNeoVid]

That was my favorite exploit besides the infinite lootbox trick in the early days, and the 'recruited by remote' exploit that was recently found! My method for powerleveling Uruks was to find an enemy captain with an easily exploited Terrified weakness, and keep ordering my dudes to kill him. As soon as the mission started, I'd scare him into retreating, which meant my guy won the mission and gained the levels, but the target lived for me to do it again. If the target was enough levels above the guy you sent to fight him, your dude could gain up to 20 levels in a single mission! This also had the useful side effects of getting Talion lots of XP, and gaining a bunch of loyalty with your troops since you were assisting them in missions all the time. Edit: Oh, and the powerleveled one would nearly always gain the Enraged By Cowards trait, which is really good.

[@snotlicker3191]

It’s a shame we may never get another game in this series but I love Mordor and War even though War was controversial at release it’s one of my favorite games to go back to regularly to this day because of how good the nemesis system is

[@craftingtyre23]

I played shadow of Mordor and didn’t realize there was a sequel until way after they took out all the micro transactions. And looking at the game without ever feeling a micro transaction system, it felt great. Played for like 100 hours

[@Legion12Centurion]

It is a very good game.

[@imnotmike]

The game after the microtransactions was literally exactly the same as before the microtransactions. The microtransactions did nothing. You could buy boxes that had a random orc in them. That's it. You could just go out into the world and take over an orc, or you could buy an orc. So you've played the game, right? Well imagine instead of taking over the orcs in the world, you could just buy an orc. Just a normal ass random orc just like any other orc you'd find in the world and take over. That's literally all the microtransactions did. They were completely unnecessary. I had literally thousands of microtransaction boxes that I got for free through my gameplay by the time they shut down the in game store, because the boxes didn't contain anything that made them valuable enough to waste my time opening them. KZbinrs just lied about this game, because they got a bunch of clicks by trashing it. It's a travesty.

[@justanannepfp9814]

​@@imnotmikei didnt know this game had microtransactions, the core gameplay and leveling normally is great, its one of the best games i played.

[@finesseandstyle]

God, so many wrong things here - The newletter still works as of 2024 and you can send a disposable email and it works - You can easily spend all of your currency but also it's easy to get lots of by doing Celembrimbor missions, Online Stuff like Conquests, Vendettas and Pit Fights. Those last 3 give you tons of upgrades for your orcs that you would have otherwise spent with currency - You don't have to upgrade your orcs to legendary unless they're very good in the first place or you want one as a bodyguard that follows you around in different regions through Garrison. - Orcs *initially* spawn according to the region's level regardless of your level. Orcs only jump massively in level when they kill you. - Orcs being shamed is not really that big of a deal, because you can level up them up again to your level, they don't lose their strengths usually. There's tons of orcs who are lower in level but have better builds. But yeah they should have been made increasing levels upgrades more easy to do as it's pretty clunky in the UI. - You don't have to level up your orcs in your weaker fortresses. You only do that if you're doing Online Conquests which if you do, you would not have problems in upgrading them. There's literally 0 point in upgrading defenses unless you're doing Shadow Wars which is pretty short, swimming in cash and have done everything. And if you really want to speed level up, command your lower level orcs against much higher level orcs and kill them (or make them retreat), you'll see a massive increase in level

[@TheMasterMind144]

@@finesseandstyle Slight correction, orcs only jump massively in level on Gravewalker and Brutal difficulty, in the base game difficulties they only go up a few levels. Also orcs in all areas start to level according to Talion's character level after reaching endgame. But yes, it's very clear from what Luke says in this video that he did not play SoW on release and has no idea how the game was balanced back then, this is just another boring "game was bad because loot boxes were bad but now it's good" video that totally misses the mark.

[@XPSprecken]

I have almost 200 hours on Shadow of War and it is one of my favorite games of all time. The microtransactions were a huge problem, of course, but when you really dive deep in the mechanics of the game you can feel the love Monolith put into it. The nemisis system, massive battles of orcs, RPG mechanics, a great protagonist, an over-the-top story that is nowhere near being canon with the books, and a world full of fun maps to explore just felt like a good time. I'll never forget what I felt after seeing the reveal for this six years ago as a kid and flying through the roof.

[@cynical8464]

The Microtransactions were never a problem. They were so pointless that it made no sense to ever buy a single one. The biggest selling point of this game was the Nemesis system. Everyone loved it so much and they patented it.. So why does everyone claim they tried to pay money to get random orcs with random traits that would just die in their first fight? If you went out and actually played the game. You would find cool orcs. Orcs that could stay with you for ALL your sieges.

[@Paradox-es3bl]

Were they a huge problem? I feel it was incredibly overblown.

[@Pegarexucorn]

@@Paradox-es3bl so true

[@Pegarexucorn]

@@cynical8464 SO TRUE!

[@squishie9714]

@@Paradox-es3bl I think the original "P2W" drama originated not just from the loot boxes (which were completely unnecessary and avoidable anyway) but from the fact that orcs obtained from the loot boxes could be used in the PvP esque mode where you can siege other players strongholds and garrison your own stronghold using orcs from your playthrough. So in short it was massively overblown since it was honestly easier to just brand your own orcs rather than obtain them from loot boxes, although in saying that the very fact that lootboxes were included at all justified at least some backlash.

[@xavierdoesntmatter]

You claimed the game was balanced around the loot boxes. I played it on release and never used a single loot box aside from a couple that it gives for free and I had no issue at all. So I agree that loot boxes suck but I never touched them and thought the game was great.

[@cheesemuffin8129]

I'm so sick of these lame youtubers lying for views.

[@TheMasterMind144]

Judging by the way Luke talks about it he likely never played the game at launch, he just repeats the misinfo that floated around about the game in 2017.

[@Cryotyde]

I only discovered this game about 6-months ago and I really dig it. The gameplay loop is quite satisfying; so satisfying I never thought about buying something.

[@AnupBhatt]

It was always awesome. Did I have to google how to grind efficiently ? Yes ! But it's not so difficult to figure out if one really immerses oneself into the game.

[@sergiomendoza251]

And the personalities of the orcs is even better

[@epicsponge7934]

You can’t buy anything anymore

[@ColdStarr]

What do you mean? They took out the market place completely?

[@elneto927]

Dude, the micro transactions have been reomove from the game since a long ago

[@avb19d6]

One of the best games to just go back into and have fun. It’s always slightly different and unique.

[@ChaseSchleich]

The fact that WB has never really used the Nemesis system since War really highlights the problems WB has been having since War launched. Nemesis would fit so many of WB's IP perfectly and they've never done anything with it. They also trademarked the system, meaning other developers couldn't use it either, so we haven't seen it anywhere. Sad to see something that was set to expand gaming just sitting on a shelf untouched all these years later.

[@edot7266]

Honestly hate it. The nemesis system would be beautiful in alot of newer games coming out(Starfield)

[@tgbbegttg5018]

i still think that trademark totally bullshit to this day, like what kind of logic about law can allow this.

[@elvickRULES]

It’s such bs they can patent concepts in games at all. It stifles innovation and progress. I bet we’d have a lot of options if not for that.

[@zachall101]

If people hadn’t hated on a great game then they WOULD HAVE used it in later games that were meant to come after the first one, but that never ended up happening, people only have themselves to blame for that

[@ChaseSchleich]

@zachall101 Shadow of War? It had the great gameplay from Mordor, but the game was a grindfest. I've tried multiple times, but I've never gotten all the way through it (which is rare for me). I always get bored after a while because I'm doing the same thing over and over and over again and the game drags on and on. I had no problem beating Mordor.

[@ShadowElectricity]

Never understood people being upset with the loot boxes. I never spent a penny on those loot boxes. It was so easy to earn what you needed in game.

[@Dizzy_420]

I would literally sell my soul for another game of this series, such an amazing game. Not even LOTR fans myself, watched cuts of the movies but this is something else man... Amazing crafted game imo, from the gameplay to the cinematics. Don't even care about the boxes tbh, has replay value with the Nemesis system, etc etc. What more you want? lmao

[@NoahBerzerk]

you should watch the movies they are amazing

[@Grandmaster-Kush]

Shadow of War is one of the better games from a major studio in a long time, I have replayed it 3 times I think and it's all the nemesis system that carries it, people still crying about the lootboxes they removed what a month after launch or something like that?

[@skye_music]

If I remember correctly you didn't have to even buy the lootboxes and you would enjoy the game the same lmao. It would give you better orcs but that is bypassing the game and making it easier which in the end you are making the game without the earning aspect which is bad. Edit. Oh and one thing people should be more mad about the battle passes. Why? Because it uses fear of missing out and you cant earn items in games just by playing. They are not even respecting our time

[@LiveforHM]

@@Grandmaster-Kush you really dont get it do you? Removing the lootboxes after does not excuse their inclusion in the first place. That is short sighted thinking and is exactly the reason why game companies get away with their egregious practices.

[@a-cutepotatodog4431]

​@@LiveforHM would you rather them keep them in the game? Why are you getting pissy about a feature that is not in the game anymore

[@MichaelKennedy-fk6zw]

Honestly, when I played, I did not find that the end game grind was that bad, and I had no idea loot boxes were in the game until I saw a video

[@cmike123]

I loved this game. I actually did ignore the loot boxes and just played around the systems. I loved how some orcs would just be immune to certain types of attacks or would Rage + Regen if you tried something that is usually OP like releasing a caragor. I also died a ton to randos trying to make certain styles of kills or I'd get crippled by a wild twist like getting hunted by an adversary, or getting betrayed at a fucked up time. It was great. They need another game with this Nemesis system. Probably not another Shadow game, but either a new or at least different IP.

[@realamericanman]

Warner bros has the nemesis system patented, but I’m pretty sure they’re going to make a Wonder Woman game or something similar with the system

[@cmike123]

@@realamericanman them boys are throwing away completed films (the Wiley Coyote one). I wouldnt hold my breath.

[@uglahboi6074]

The orcs ability to adapt was super fun to play around as well. If you spammed a move too much, the game essentially takes it away from you and forces you to approach the fight differently. Granted, there were some times that this system felt oppressive - in a raid I once had the war chief (who was already immune to many of my abilities) adapt to one basically all my sources of damage. I spent 15 minutes fighting this dude to no avail. Luckily I had a savior who finished the overlord just as he was about to kill me, but if I hadn’t it would mean restarting the raid and losing a bunch of time because I couldn’t physically damage the boss. In any case, this game was GOATed

[@EnamoradoRage]

I'm in love with this game, I just can never get enough. Every time I play the time flies completely. Wish they would make like this again.

[@anonymous_dot_com2326]

They are working on a wonder woman game that will feature a more advanced nemesis system

[@robertrollins478]

Ironically enough I just did my first ever full 100% playthrough of this game. What a great game it is at its core. It's truly a shame that monetization killed the hype for it because it's fundamentally representative of how this genre should be developed and improved upon. I loved Shadow of War and felt like it was well worth my time.

[@Shadow30.]

you mean 100% with achivments or without? damn this 11 months old? sorry for this i guess, but im still curius

[@zero11010]

Played this when it came out. Absolutely loved it. I don’t engage in trash like loot boxes. It wasn’t needed to complete the game. The combat system is great. The storytelling is outstanding. The nemesis system is absolutely incredible and really makes for a detailed world. Having enemies and allies show up over and over makes the game feel alive.

[@NoyziNeighborz]

I didn't know about the state of this game at launch... I discovered it in 2020 and loved it. I still go in and defend a fortress a few times a month.

[@justingabriel1765]

I still think the nemesis system is one of the most fun world building things they did. I still remember when I played the first game before this one, and there was a dude who just kept coming back and killing me, and so when I started this game that same orc ambushed me and started messing with me in this game, that was so cool. Creating your own little story lines is the funnest part of this game

[@slay-many-foes1160]

I love this game and the fact they added extra free content like Nazgul Masks really showed that the developers cared I played since day one never had a problem loved every second I truly hope we get another game in the series would recommend gets 10/10 for fun!

[@MrCovi2955]

I loved Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War. The nemesis system is the exact type of procedural content that normally consumes my life when I encounter it. But I felt that the nemesis system lost some of what made it good in Shadow of Mordor. In SoM you had a very small roster of captains to interact with, which meant you got to know them better. With SoW there were so many maps each with their own list of captains plus the captains related to the fortress that it felt like it was almost impossible to "get to know them." I knew more captains in SoM than in SoW. I think the stories were a little better in SoW, but there was so much static from so many captains that I lost track of stories all the time. "Wait, why are you mad at me? Have I killed you before" was a fun moment for me when it happened in SoM. However, there were so many captains in SoW that it became the standard for how stories played out for me. Which sapped it of some of it's value. Like a fantasy novel with so many plots going on that none of them stand out or are relevant.

[@wetnoodleman]

just a tip for anyone, dont kill or dominate every orc you see because that basically ends their story. Yes if you kill them they have a chance to come back and if you dominate they can betray you but you get more story from an orc the more interactions you have with them.

[@PentaHousen]

What's other choice? I find every orc text kinda boring after 10h

[@matthewrobertson5342]

Also you can't recruit higher lvl then your character

[@justwatchinfunnyvids]

Yea so what should you do just run away?? Or what?

[@matthewrobertson5342]

@@justwatchinfunnyvids shame shame! Shame!!!!

[@someclevername8167]

I once had one of my captains die once and then he came back, but he was still on my side. Made me very happy lol

[@slabjack1433]

I love Shadow of War. Got around 270 hrs in and haven't 100%. I get tucked in to messing with the orcs and next thing I know hrs have flown by. I got the game after the loot boxes so I don't know what it was like before.

[@darkron288]

Here is the thing with shadow of war in comparsion to alot of other loot box trash, the game is solid and was clearly design around not having loot boxes in the game, you can tell it was wb's decision to force loot boxes in, so the second loot boxes were removed nothing really changed, Shadow of war at base is pheonimal and if it launched without loot boxes it would been praised as one of the greats of the generation.

[@TheMasterMind144]

Spot on. The entire loot box argument falls flat when you realize one simple fact: this game has difficulty settings. Is something too hard or taking too long? Just lower the difficulty. No other game that wants to persuade you to buy loot boxes has difficulty settings. The game was likely already finished when WB came up with the shop, you can tell by how the whole game is designed.

[@juniorn8279]

Shadow of War was never terrible

[@mattfarr137]

I luckily never played it until about 3-4 years ago after they had ended the micro transactions and I thought it only Improved from the first one. A perfect sequel

[@JMNK17]

Honestly I didn't even notice the microtransactions that much. You don't actually need them at all, it can get a bit grindy, but the different enemies who are almost never the same were good enough for me. I think a 9/10 game for sure.

[@myrvharon4775]

I have to be honest, I played this game to DEATH. From the beginning till the time lootboxes were completely removed. I have never noticed much about the lootboxes or about the aggressive lootloop. It was an absolute blast for me. This reminded me that I will have to play this game again someday. Great game all around for me even back in the day!

[@anonymous_dot_com2326]

Thats because most people who complained about the lootboxes didnt even play the game... Luke Included... As soon as they heard loot boxes, they never even gave the game a chance.

[@shakalaka1477]

its 0.79p on cd keys right now lol defo worth it

[@firstnamelastname4752]

My biggest issue with War was that the Nemesis system from Mordor was mostly just repeated over and over. They did add a little bit, but really it’s 90% the same and then do it again and again like 5 times.

[@jasonstiles7672]

“Shame him so you can grind against him in the future.” -words to live by.

[@RacingSnails64]

LMAOOOO

[@Doctor-Stoppage]

I loved "Shadow of Mordor." I bought " Shadow of War" in 2023 and I loved it. I don't think it ever asked me to buy anything. I got the version that came with the DLC, Eltariel, Baranor.

[@Chamber37]

I've just started playing this game after Shadow of Mordor and its top 10 game for me personally. Love the Nemesis and the developed orc classes. Talion the strongest mf in Middle Earth after Sauron 😅

[@CaptainIsNasty]

The pit fights for upgrading orcs is the way to go because you can go in their and send the weakest orc you have and then get free info on another orc to recruit if yours fails to win and level up. Best way to quickly level your army

[@spartangaming1159]

For me the loot box system wasn’t even that big of an issue cause for me I can roam around the area finding recruits and not to mention with the shadow wars you could just recruit them so I never fully understood the problem. Sure it might’ve been a grind but I felt it was fair and I never spent a single penny on the game cause it was so fun to find enemies rather than buy them.

[@zerg0s]

The problem was that the entire customization of the orcs was locked behind the loot boxes. The loot boxes had stuff like giving your orcs a posse, or flaming weapon, or even traits like “can’t be grappled”, stuff like that. The orc system could have been so much deeper if they put ways to customize your orcs into the actual game, rather than just into the loot boxes.

[@matthewrobertson5342]

You get those on online modes

[@elvickRULES]

Glad you don’t make decisions. The game is better without them. Though would’ve been even better if it never had them.

[@thedudeabides3138]

I absolutely loved this game. It’s beautiful looking, plays really smoothly, has interesting mechanics and challenging enemies. It’s easily one of the best games I’ve ever played.

[@geraltofbolivia9428]

This game is so incredibly fun I still come back to it for the gameplay alone. Even though they went and changed the lore I still enjoy this game as pretty good fan fiction

[@HeyItsRykon]

Hey, I'm one of the few Speedrunners for this game. First I wanted to say you touch on a lot of the problems that still exist with this game and I really enjoyed the video. Couple of quick things I hope I can help clear up: The game is balanced around that 3% XP gain and using certain gems in your gear to increase XP gain, since your still at level 38 and (I assume based on the way you talked) you've have finished the Shadow Wars (EG:true ending) your level is really low, for example the current True Ending WR is the same level as you when they finish the game avoiding as much of the content as possible. The WB play XP signup it still works but you need to just enter any email into the actual game under the 'WB Play' game, it doesn't even need to be the one your steam/xbox/PlayStation account is assigned to. The loot boxes are still sort of in the-game, while you can no longer buy them, they are used as rewards for the online content (not the good ones sold for real money, just the cheaper ones), the garrison is also other hangover from the system which ruins the flow (IMO) of most of the game. The Nemesis system is returning the developers are making a Wonder Woman game and have stated it will be in it, however we don't know how cut down or changed the system will be for that game. There is multiple online components to this game which provide some variety, however its filled with 'hacked' orcs at the top end making it nearly unplayable. Thanks again loved the video please don't take any of the points above as negative, just trying to help clarify a few things.

[@bigtnaples]

This game is incredible. Was the first game I played start to finish on my Steam Deck. And well worth it. Would love a sequel to this.

[@sampound6062]

I think they should make a new character.Not something already written.I think it would have been cool in a medieval times game.Maybe you play a a knight or something and the warchiefs are nobels.There bodyguards are knights.The captains would also be knights.The commanders or overlords of the places are kings

[@1GNUN0N]

The reset password error on WBplay has been going on for almost 5 years now...

[@riotdrone]

i remember playing this game without buying any loot boxes and having a great time

[@mohammadrezamirzadeh4589]

I played it last year . One of my favorites . I had alot of fun. But The main story was so rushed in the end part if you know you know..

[@umphreak9999]

I'd bet good money the whole epilogue was originally an outline for a 3rd game that WB axed in favor of live service loot boxes, which they ironically had to remove due to the intense and justified backlash

[@mohammadrezamirzadeh4589]

@@umphreak9999 that actually makes sense

[@aryantaneja3192]

Started playing it again a few weeks ago while waiting for Baldurs Gate. I ended up assigning a legendary orc with legendary bodyguards at every outpost and I just had a blast playing online conquests. Sucks that a great developer like Monolith is stuck under WB's greedy thumb

[@redshirt49]

I think people are misremembering. The loot box system wasnt integrated with the gameplay at all. Yeah, you could use it to get guaranteed legendary orcs but in no way shape or form was that ever necessary. All that separated legendaries from regular orcs anyway is two additional random traits they may have. And it's not like you couldn't get higher level orcs easy if you wanted to. If you let a grunt kill you, they match your level. Then you can go and recruit them. You can also poach orcs from other players by doing online conquests.

[@AntiSocialismo50]

It was, the game was grind as hell for people to buy them

[@big-wood196]

This is hella weird literally just got back into this game after a good while literally 2 hours ago and you uploaded a video about it now 😂

[@EM0RYTATEllll]

Always happens

[@Philboh8]

I literally re-downloaded it a couple of days ago on Game Pass

[@TheUltimateHacker007]

Algorithm telling us what we want to think and do. Quite fascinating

[@GantaaOhime]

My experience replaying this recently was largely... I loved the core, but it quickly felt like a tredmil of sameyness. I think the fact that on the hardest difficulties, even just nemisis, major orcs become just tedious healthpools with swarms around them

[@SolidSnake240]

Yea it's a solid game but I just got bored before I ever finished it

[@garmmermibe5397]

If the orcs have to much health for you, you might try either an easier difficulty, or ironically, a harder difficulty. That harder difficulty being "brutal." Nemesis and Gravewalker difficulty both effectively increase the orcs health and damage while reducing yours. But brutal difficulty decreases health for both you and the orcs while also making you and the orcs do more damage. So both you and the orcs end up being highly lethal to each other. The orc captains do still have more health than an average orc, but it doesn't take as long to melt through, especially if you're using their weaknesses against them.

[@rocketscientist14]

This was my favorite game the year it came out. I still go back and play it from time to time because the nemesis system is so badass

[@haydenmorgan8156]

When I played Shadow of War for the first time in 17 I didn't have Playstation plus on my PS4 account. I had no idea the Game was full of Loot Boxes and Monetization. I just played the game as I played Shadow of Mordor and Loved Every second.

[@nunocorreia671]

i got shadow of war after the microtransations were removed, good sequel to shadow of mordor, nemesis sistem is better and its fun to play, i usually play until the true ending then i just start over

[@Momoka7]

13:29 Trust me, that game having such a predatory store blew up back in the day when it launched. There are just not many videos SHOWING the store... but there was definitely enough talk going on. Which is why I never touched it to this day. The first one was much better. 14:50 It didn't get "bullied out of existence" at least for Shadow of War, they kept it running a couple years and then shut it down when it wasn't worth running the servers for it anymore.

[@Devon_38]

I played it a few years after it came out and absolutely loved it.

[@alexanderivarson856]

I was just thinking about going back to this game. The first one I beat on PC and PS4 and even platinumed on PS4. I loved it so much my sons name is Talion. But the microtransactions kept me from going deep into this game. You are my favorite gaming KZbinr and I believe you just reinforced my desire to return to it 😁 thanks bro.

[@slain1930]

I 100%ed this game during quarantine and can def see someone finding it too bloated but I actually wanted as much end game as possible, the combat and nemesis system on harder difficulties was fantastic

[@pb602]

I have over 1000 hours in this game and still love playing it till this day. Also Gravewalker mode is the best!

[@Memu_]

I kinda miss the old system because of how hard it made the game. The late stage where your forts are constantly under attack was actually really challenging and I would often lose orcs and sometimes my forts entirely. With the new more balanced system the sieges are much easier.

[@DrasticSkuba]

Gameplay of Shadow of War was fun. There was a much more dense population of orcs and goblins that made it really feel like there was a civil war going on. It's a shame it suffered. I was one of the people that didn't finish it. I finished ~50% of the story, then fell away to other games and never came back

[@siah8906]

Best game system ever

[@maineman5757]

Too bad it will never be used again.

[@stephenthedude4383]

​@@maineman5757😭

[@awsomeboy360]

@@maineman5757 Wonder Women game.

[@NSDeepDish]

ACT 3 SPOILERS I replayed this game recently on Brutal difficulty. The first orc to kill me was a grunt. I forgot his name, but his title was "Tark Slayer" Upon sieging Barad-dûr, he was part of the second group of opposing orcs and I had so much respect for him that I couldn't just kill or dominate him, I had to continue our vendetta. I shamed him and he has returned to Minas Morgul, waiting for our next encounter

[@oukeith]

Never understood the appeal to this game I played about 15 hours of it on playstation plus a couple years ago got bored and haven't touched it or thought about it since seeing this video

[@gamer-px5cu]

You have to get over your own tastes to understand some things.

[@ElOsoMarino]

I also had the pleasure of playing it after the loot box fiasco and it was great, you can also get the real ending without a massive grind now lol

[@jaredvillaire2944]

There was no loot box fiasco, this youtuber and everybody else commenting saying that the "loot boxes" were such a huge problem even though plenty of people have had this game since day 1 including myself and it was never an issue..... never, you could play and beat the entire game and not get a "loot box"

[@LadWithNoDad]

I really love the Shadow games, some of favorites that I always find myself going back to every few years

[@kingofpkf]

The loot boxes were never that bad to me in shadow of war as they weren't never necessary just expedient...The advertising is annoying but advertising is annoying in most forms of media. The big thing is also to remember that killing basic orcs gives no exp. So, killing captains to get loot and levels is very much worth it. Don't get me wrong, the end game is very grindy. I just think its designed that way because so many people love just f-ing around with the orcs and the nemesis system. The issue is when games get popular it attracts more people who don't like the grindy nemesis end game. Also their solutions (probably due to the "higher ups" influence) to the above problems and a rising trend in the video game industry led to a massive backlash about micro transactions. Shadow of War wasn't the first or worst of these things by far. It just was the straw that broke the camels back.

[@snbks4ever]

IBefore watching the video, I was there playing Shadows of War day 1 and then once loot boxes were taken out I've done a few more play throughs of the game and to me it never needed loot boxes and wish they were never introduced. I love the game as it took Shadows of Mordor and just took everything and expanded so much. The game is so enjoyable to play.

[@MarcCaladoFitness]

What’s funny about the loot box system is that it would’ve worked if it was multiplayer. People aren’t willing to participate in gacha mechanics for PVE games but are much more inclined if they can spend money to beat other players.

[@austinrader8135]

I love this game so much, I wish they would make a 3rd

[@zackbrock6031]

Let's keep it real The game was never trash, yeah the loot boxes in monetization was excessively unnecessary but it in no way to away from the core game and was over dramatized in blown way out of proportion. The game is easily a 9.5-9.8/10. It's the only game besides the Skyrim and Red Dead redemption 2 that is managed to steal hundreds of hours of my playtime and still keep me entertained

[@scuproductions]

This is one of my favorite games of all time, and one of the only RPG style games I enjoy

[@FUNFUN_101]

I just started playing this game again slaughtering orcs and having them return as well as them all having unique personalities makes this game so awesome

[@TheJ_G]

I’ve tried to finish Shadow of War several times now, and there’s just something about it that wears me down before I can even get halfway through it. Which is really a shame because there’s definitely some cool stuff in it that appropriately expands on the first game. And I love the first one.

[@JamesEDonaldson]

I started this past weekend and you're exactly right, it's relentless and wears you down. Clear camp- look away, it's fully repopulated Die- every named orcs gets stronger and you respawn across the map, where you'll get ganged by 7 named Orcs along the way back. Wondering why this Castle is still full of Orcs after you've been clearing it for 2 hours -read online the game hasn't started yet and you've been breaking your hands for nothing. Rush story to get to main game -still takes 4 hours running to markers and ignoring everything else. Get to Act 2 and start building army - all your Orcs vanish every time "time advances" making clearing the map completely pointless (only want Captain and War chiefs). This game needs to be played differently from every other open world game it's crazy.

[@fakjbf3129]

Imagine if you were allowed to recruit higher level orcs but they had a higher chance of rebelling. That would be a neat mechanic where you want the powerful orcs but you also want them to be loyal and do you push your luck and hope to out level them before they turn on you.

[@-Chadnik]

Really interesting to hear how the game was recieved when it first came out as well as the state it was in. I played it way after it came out and it ended up being one of my favourite games I ever played.

[@aaronr.k.9707]

The Nemesis System is the sole reason I revisit this game once a year for a handful of hours. Such a sweet mechanic that I wish was in more games.

[@Blue_V_Courier]

Controversial opinion, i loved the lootboxes, but i didnt like the fact we had to purchase coins (i didnt want to purchase the lootboxes with real money) other than that it was okay, i also liked talion's crown wraith before they removed it. I wish it was kept in. Including nemesis forge I ABSOLUTELY loved that

[@TheMasterMind144]

Yuo, and you could purchase as many loot boxes as you wanted with the silver currency (which was only in-game and couldn't be bought with real money), I remember back in 2017 when people were organizing fight pits with these orcs and then only selecting the winner to join their army to give them a backstory since they came "pre-dominated". Fun times.

[@Blue_V_Courier]

@@TheMasterMind144 They should of just sucked it up, but remove the (outside)-game store microtransactions. and added another way to get gold coins and should of kept nemesis forge..indeed was fun times

[@TheMasterMind144]

@@Blue_V_Courier You could get the gold currency through weekly events if I recall correctly.

[@Blue_V_Courier]

I think so @@TheMasterMind144, it's been a while tbh. I feel like the game has been dead since they removed the lootboxes and nemesis forge specifically

[@mrmeow6415]

I got this game without knowing anything about the loot boxes and never found I needed them. One of my top games of all time.

[@jrrocha532]

I’ve loved these games so much since they came out, it’s literally the first games I’ve ever wanted to 100% especially shadow of war

[@Juicexlx]

That game is absolutely superb. I never played it when it was monetized, hence that never factored in my playthroughs. The game becomes so hard overtime, it's insane. When you're trying to do the challenges to upgrade legendary gear, that's when the skills & dedication really kick-in. Building armies of top notch Orcs is also very interesting & the fact that you can loose top lieutenants, maybe get them back. The strategy, luck makes that part very fun. Definitely a gem.

[@ChipMatthews]

I played this after the loot boxes had already been removed. I never finished it but I loved the mechanics. The combat is so fun that it's a perfect sandbox to just jump into for an hour or two when you feel like taking out some frustrations after a rough day. The core of the game is fantastic. It's a shame they nearly ruined it with excessive greed.

[@drogosyellaw7890]

Its such a shame that they didnt continue this series. So much potential wasted, just because no one wanted their stupid monetization system. "If you dont want to play by our rules, you are not going to play at all" Modern gaming in a nutshell. Disgusting.

[@rossboorman1560]

I feel the biggest mistake I made was playing this straight after finishing the first game, only played for a few hours to realise it's just the first game again with some extra bells and whistles. I'm not saying that either are bad, but it's one of those games that are so easy to burn out from.

[@daelinproudmore5068]

The developers never understood why we played the game. if they did they would've nixed the story and stupid fetch quests and just let us build orc armies.

[@tonydeluna8095]

Shadow of Mordor was a gem for its time. Shadow of War was ok not a great game, but not a bad one either. Unlike 2014’s Lords of the Fallen. That game has major bug issues

[@EM0RYTATEllll]

I like the game I played it and I don’t buy in game purchases I completed the story and I’m Xbox player and I enjoyed it

[@theepicduck6922]

Weirdly prefer the gameplay of the 1st until the later game of shadow of war then you really get to play w/ the bells and whistles. Play the pc version to play w/ all the upgrades.

[@awsomeboy360]

Lmofa. Shadow of War is ABSOLUTELY superior to the first game. It's not even close. It has the better story and mechanics. What are you on?

[@marcyy6192]

battlefront 2 has a pve mode that levels your cards and characters extremely quickly to get on par with current players

[@sikevillain]

Loved the gameplay in these games.. the second one I obsessed over hours just putting orcs to kill each other in death bouts.. oddly fun 😅

[@j800r_aswell]

I think calling it an unfair predatory grind at the end is a bit harsh seeing as the "grinding" is essentially the gameplay that has existed throughout the game. Killing Orcs, recruiting Orcs and experiencing the Nemesis system. Take the Orcs through the pits a couple of times and they'll catch up in levels. If they get themselves killed you can just recruit the victor. Getting the currency in the end game isn't so bad then as you'll be wearing exclusively legendary gear so any other gear you can destroy for currency and use that to fortify your base. It's not worth wasting on upgrading to Legendary as it does not make that much of a difference. Level and general class/abilities are far more important and other than level this is all random chance. On a side note. As for Cyberpunk, nothing heartbreaking about that. They redeemed themselves and then some. Cyberpunk isn't perfect but it's still a masterpiece as far as I'm concerned.

[@thePaloo]

This was perfect timing because I've been playing this for the first time after only playing for 5 minutes a year ago and i might be my GOTY before Spider-Man 2

[@ArkhamJacks]

It came out 2017

[@thePaloo]

@@ArkhamJacks sorry meant game i've played that i enjoyed the most this year

[@DanteMayCry-qv5kf]

​@@ArkhamJacksthat's why he said his goty. His favorite game

[@viktorgenchev4982]

In my opinion, shadow of war has never been and will never be a bad game. I wouldn't say it's one of the best games ever, but it's a solid 8-9/10 and definitely the best game based around lord of the rings

[@OfficerHuey]

Shadow of war is hands down on of the best games I’ve ever played. The story is fine, but the gameplay is spectacular, it’s so fun. I’ve replayed it too many times to count. Lootboxes really weren’t an issue at launch, but I’m glad they got rid of them anyway. Great game, always goes on sale, I recommend everyone play it.

[@liam4606]

I played the game at launch and didn't even feel any pressure to spend money. There was literally no purpose, the in-game mechanics were fine, the end of the game felt good, I never for one second thought "damn, I'm too weak to do this fortress, better spend money!" I think it's disingenuous to even say that the game was built around micro-transactions, it was literally one screen which was so separated from the game that the developers were able to just turn it off without changing a single fundamental thing about the actual game. I have no doubt that all the micro-transactions were forced to be added to the game by Warner Bros executives. But if I hear anyone say that it was originally built around micro-transactions that just tells me you didn't actually play the whole campaign at release.

[@swiftchancellor159]

I never even knew about the loot boxes until after i beat the game lol. game is a solid 9/10 for me

[@Ramotttholl]

My main issue with the game even after removing the monitization is the gameplay gets pretty samy over time. And grindy if you dont want to get your orc in another fortress to get steamrolled.