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Shadow of War: 5 things you need to know about new Middle-Earth game leak

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Shadow of War leak lifts lid on Mordor sequel

Monolith’s Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor looks set to receive the sequel treatment in the not-too-distant future, if a listing by retail giant Target is anything to go by. Considering the original game proved not only to be one of the best videogames based on Professor Tolkien’s sprawling Lord of the Rings mythos, but a brilliantly compelling action-RPG in its own right, we’re utterly stoked at the prospect of stepping back into the world of Middle-earth and slaughtering some more Orcs. 

So, what can we expect to see from Middle-earth: Shadow of War? It’s still very early days, but we’ve picked through the initial leak to bring you everything we’ve learned on the much-anticipated sequel so far. 

  1. Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a fully-fledged sequel to the critically acclaimed Shadow of Mordor, which ended with hero Talion temporarily vanquishing Sauron and destroying the Black Hand. He then reveals his intention to forge a new Ring of Power, gazing moodily at Mount Doom before the credits roll. Shadow of War will chronicle the next chapter of Talion’s journey leading up to the events of Lord of the Rings.
  2. Shadow of Mordor has been confirmed to utilise the innovative Nemesis system from the original game. Not only that, according to early leaks, Middle-earth Shadow of War gameplay will now incorporate huge battles as Talion wages war on Mordor using his own personal Orc army, conquering fortresses and enemy strongholds along the way.
  3. Monolith is planning two story expansion for Shadow of War. The first one, Blade of Galadriel, presumably sees Talion attempting to get his hands on the mythical blade wielded by the Elven priestess, while the second is known as Desolation of Mordor.
  4. Shadow of War will receive a Gold Edition containing the following items: Slaughter Tribe Nemesis expansion, Outlaw Tribe Nemesis expansion, Blade of Galadriel Story expansion, Desolation of Mordor story expansion, and the Gold War Chest. Target’s leake notes that this version of the game includes over $125 worth of content, though the Gold Edition asking price is listed at $99.99.
  5. The Middle-earth Shadow of War release date has been listed as August 22, 2017, although we’re still waiting for an official announcement regarding this from publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The standard edition of the game is priced at $59.99.