Recently, I delved into the latest iteration of Tolkien’s Middle-earth in the newly released Shadow of War. There are many aspects of this game that are worth sharing, but none more than the epic new siege events that you’ll find scattered across this sprawling action-RPG. After Ryan conquered the first fortress siege, we thought we’d take this opportunity to return to some classic FinalBoss gameplay commentary, primarily to showcase what this game has to offer, but also to showcase my gaming ineptitude as well.
If you’re interested in picking up Middle-earth: Shadow of War, but haven’t quite decided yet, we recommend you watch our gameplay commentary, to really get a feel for what the game is like.
What is a Shadow of War Siege?
The first instalment of the Middle-earth: Shadow series, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, introduced an innovative new ‘nemesis’ system, which allowed for bosses in the game to evolve and grow depending on how missions, side-quests and global conflicts panned out. It made for a truly unique gaming experience, yet the studio behind the series wasn’t interested in just keeping this as is.
In Middle-earth: Shadow of War, they really wanted to amp up the nemesis system and provide a real sense of orc warfare. In doing so, they created the siege system, where you and high-ranking orc war-chiefs fight for control of fortresses. The result is utter carnage, where you must either defend conquered bases or attack and claim territories in order to wage war on the land of Mordor and take control back from the Sauron, The Witch-King and their minions.
To take a fortress, you must gather an army of orcs with enough power to capture points within the base, while also taking down gates and defences along the way. Once the fortress is all but taken, you must fight the war-chief that has claimed ownership of the fort. In our Shadow of War siege gameplay video, we take over Nurnen, which is part of the story mission and requires no war-chief fight, however, for other forts, you must take on bosses with increasing difficulties, so it’s always a good idea to go in well prepared with a knowledge of who and what you’ll be fighting.
The more fortresses you conquer, the more powerful you become and the greater your influence on the land of Mordor. The siege system is an important part of the game and an excellent addition to the series.
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