Middle-earth: Shadow of War. The sequel to the acclaimed Shadow of Mordor, Shadow of
War brings us back into the boots of Talion, former Ranger of Gondor and vessel for the
Elven wraith, Celebrimbor. After thwarting the plans of the Dark Lord Sauron, Talion
returns with a New Ring, and a new quest to bring war to all of Mordor.
Talion wouldn’t be much of a Ranger if he couldn’t use a bow. Of course he can – apart
from the original bow Azkar, Talion can equip a selection of other bows which are identical
in function, but differ in stats and appearance. For those who wonder, these are all functional
bows, though their shape and design are more similar to modern reflex bows. As with the
previous game, Talion’s bow uses magical Elf-shot, which is replenished by picking
up batches of arrows scattered around the world. We also see glimpses of Celebrimbor’s
greatest moments in flashback missions.
For those unfamiliar with the series, the combat system is sort of a mix between Assassin’s
Creed and the Batman Arkham series. Most of the fighting is centred on well-timed button
presses and combinations, mostly countering enemies and using execution moves until all
foes are dead, with some tactical boss battles through the game’s Nemesis system.
The archery in the game is mostly a utility role, though many skills enhance its usefulness.
The basic functionality is a single shot that can be charged for more damage, typically
killing grunts in a single headshot. By default, using the bow activates focus, which slows
down time. The main use for this is to hit difficult targets while on the move, and taking
out multiple grunts.
The basic arrows are also used to trigger environmental hazards, such as exploding grog
barrels, or attracting beasts by shooting down bait. Hitting these can swing a battle
greatly in your favour, especially in exploiting weaknesses.
A unique ability in the series is pinning an enemy. By aiming at an Orc’s leg, the
target is unable to move. This temporarily puts them out of battle, or it can stop a
fleeing opponent in his tracks for you to chase down. Some Captains are particularly
vulnerable to pinning shots or arrows, causing extra damage or dazing them, allowing you
to nullify their strengths for a quick kill. On the other hand, many Captains are also
Arrow-Proof, forcing you to think of more creative ways to bring them down.
As you unlock more skills and items, things begin to get quite interesting for ranged
playstyles. Upgrades allow you to focus while jumping, giving you hawk-like accuracy in
slow motion. The ranged mode is used to aim the Shadow Strike ability, which instantly
teleports you to the targeted opponent for an instant kill. With a full Might meter,
you can unleash a Mighty Shot, which does a decent amount of upfront damage. Items and
item sets may also give extra stats to your arrows, such as freezing enemies or exploding
on headshots.
Finally, the Elven Rage ability allows you to spam unlimited attacks for a short time,
peppering foes with arrows, and some of the chain execution moves feature an awesome close-range
kill shot.
The DLC expansions unlock two new characters and mini-campaigns: Eltariel, the Blade of
Galadriel; and Baranor, a Haradrim turned Captain of Gondor.
Eltariel’s equipment and gameplay is very similar to Talion’s. She uses an Elven bow
in the same manner, with slow-motion focus mode, charged shots and so on. She can unlock
the Quick Shot skill, which is effectively her version of Talion’s dagger throw. The
main difference is her use of Light skills, with very versatile abilities that blind enemies
and act as both ranged and close-distance skills. The campaign missions feature some
novel uses of the bow. While the main function is the same, the legendary items that are
easily unlocked offer a huge amount of specialisation, as many of the elemental sets are triggered
by arrows, allowing the player to cause chain explosions or instantly freeze enemies.
The real hero, however, is Baranor. As a mortal Man, Baranor lacks the supernatural abilities
of the other characters, a fact reflected in the single-life limitation in the campaign.
To make up for it, Baranor gains the most badass tool in the game: a Numenorean gauntlet
that doubles up as a shield and a crossbow. From a canon perspective, this is extremely
odd, but I can live with ancient technology as interpreted by the game, and it’s really
fun to use, turning Baranor into a Gondorian Commando.
By default, the crossbow shoots steel bolts, which can instant-kill grunts with a headshot,
and with enough upgrades and bonuses it can one-hit kill most regular enemies, and even
bring down Captains with several headshots.
After finding Numenorean artifacts, the player can upgrade the crossbow to use fire and poison
bolts, as well as area-effect bombs. It’s weirdly modern in a fantasy universe, but
it is so fun to use. A rapid-fire wrist crossbow, with an easy-to-use ammo switching wheel,
allowing you to change ammunition on the fly in the middle of combat – it’s really
smooth and satisfying, and rewards you for paying attention to enemy weaknesses. Given
that Baranor is fragile, it’s fair to give him the most firepower.
Even the mercenary bodyguards are surprisingly effective with their bows.
The best move, in my opinion, is Baranor’s chain kill. While Talion and Eltariel could
execute several enemies in a row with their Ring powers, Baranor achieves this to a greater
extent with his crossbow. After a stealth kill or execution, Baranor can tag multiple
enemies, bringing them down with a single shot each in a technique reminiscent of gun
kata. This was easily my favourite technique.
From a gameplay perspective, Shadow of War was very enjoyable. The combat was smooth
and the game encouraged you to maximise all your abilities and use them in the heat of
battle. The Nemesis system is the real treasure – with bosses bearing a mix of strengths
and weaknesses, you always had a reason to use your bow. If a Captain was weak against
arrows, you turned them into pincushions. If they were afraid of pinning, you made sure
they took an arrow to the knee. Immune to arrows? A shot to a spider’s nest or caragor
bait might do it. For a fantasy game, it boasts some of the smoothest uses of archery that
made you think about your tactics, and punished you for being too reliant on the same skills.
If you haven’t played Shadow of War, it’s definitely worth checking out, along with
the story expansions. As a fan of these games, of the Lord of the Rings universe, and of
archery, I felt that Shadow of War definitely hit the mark.
Thank you for watching this episode of Archery Popshots. This is NUsensei, and as always,
shoot straight and aim for your best.