Chalk up Monolith Productions’ Middle-earth: Shadow of War as the next game succumbing to the "loot box" microtransactions monetization scheme. In an announcement on the official Shadow of War forums, Monolith community specialist "Jared" posted a lengthy explanation of the upcoming Shadow of War microtransactions.
In Shadow of War, gamers will be able to access the "Market," which is the action game’s in-game store where players can purchase Loot Chests, War Chests, XP Boosts and Bundles. These items can be pruchased either by earning enough Mirian which is a type of in-game currency that can be earned by doing various tasks, or by Gold, which, as you can guess, can be bought using real-world money.
• Loot Chests contain Gear (weapons and armor) of varying rarity. Equipping and upgrading these weapons and armor enhance Talion’s character abilities. Loot Chests can also contain XP Boosts that help level up Talion faster.
• War Chests provide Orc followers of varying rarity to help forge a strong army. They can also contain Training Orders to level up and customize Orc followers.
• XP Boosts are consumables that help level up Talion faster. • Bundles package up Loot Chests, War Chests and Boosts together at a great value. To purchase these items, players can spend Mirian or Gold throughout the game as one progresses. Mirian is a type of in-game currency that can be acquired by: • Defeating Treasure Orcs • Destroying Gear for Mirian • Destroying Orc followers for Gear (which can be destroyed for Mirian) • Finding Mirian stashes throughout the game.
Here’s what Monolith has to say on how to earn Gold (there is a way to earn it without using real-world cash).
Gold is another form of in-game currency that can be used to get higher level Loot Chests, War Chests, Boosts and Bundles of the aforementioned content. Gold can be acquired by:
• Purchasing through the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store or by adding to your Steam Wallet using real money.
• Awarded in small amounts at specific milestones.
• Awarded for participating in community challenges.
Monolith notes that no content in the game is gated by Gold, and that all content in the game can be acquired just by normal gameplay. For now, the price of Gold on the PlayStation Store and other digital storefronts are unknown and will "be communicated at a later date."
You can read up on the rest of the FAQ right here.
Thankfully, even if Shadow of War has microtransactions, it won’t be online only as most have been led to believe.