What Order Should I Play Shadow of War?
As an avid gamer and content creator focused on the latest and greatest interactive adventures, I‘ve been asked by many fans recently about the ideal playing order for Shadow of War. After extensive hands-on experience across hundreds of hours delving into Monolith‘s Tolkien-inspired masterpiece, I‘m here to provide a comprehensive overview on the optimal path through the main game and expansions for the richest narrative experience in Mordor.
First and foremost – before even thinking about stepping foot in Shadow of War, it‘s utterly imperative to play its predecessor Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor first in order to fully understand the basics of Talion‘s story, abilities, and enemies. As a direct narrative follow-up, Shadow of War thrusts players into the action assuming they already know who The Gravewalker is and why he‘s on his uniquely personal quest for vengeance. Across Shadow of Mordor‘s main story levels, the key facets explored include:
Shadow of Mordor Main Story Beats
- Introduction to Talion and his family backstory
- Talion bonding with the Wraith Celebrimbor
- Gaining new Ring powers against Sauron‘s forces
- Overarching revenge tale against the Black Hand
- Establishing the distinct Nemesis procedural hierarchy
Without context on these core plot and mechanical threads, much of the escalated stakes and relationships in Shadow of War won‘t hit as hard. I cannot stress enough how incomplete it would feel to jump straight into the sequel without investing in Talion‘s full origin journey first!
Now, with Shadow of Mordor understood top to bottom, Shadow of War‘s amplified adventure across Mordor and new diverse regions like Gorgoroth truly flourishes narratively thanks to building on established events with purpose rather than assuming familiarity. Over the main campaign‘s 10 Acts, players can expect to see meaningful growth extending well beyond "more of the same" – including:
Shadow of War Main Campaign Evolution
- A deeper partnership dynamic between Talion and Celebrimbor
- Introduction of human antagonist figures like the Witch-King
- A wider lens intoinfluential power players across Mordor‘s hierarchy
- More personal loss for Talion to avenge among loved ones
- Elaborate stories qith follower allies woven throughout
- A completely revised gear and player skill upgrade system
- Overhaul of the enemy captain structure with new traits and roles
- A greater sense of living breathing history through expanded tales
This list just scratches the surface of Shadow of War‘s narrative and gameplay innovation compared to its predecessor – and having the context of what came before allows Talion‘s entire dark hero‘s journey to feel cohesive and whole.
After seeing the main questline through, the subsequent DLC releases serve to build upon plot threads in meaningful ways rather than just tacking on disjointed side stories or character missions with no relevance. The Blade of Galadriel campaign focuses specifically on the new assassin character Eltariel – briefly featured in Shadow of War‘s core game with hints to her past – as she moves behind the scenes in parallel with Talion on her own quest dictated by her lineage as one of the last surviving Elven warriors. Through unique skill trees and gameplay mechanics tailor-made for more stealth-focused approaches, Eltariel‘s expanded chapter enriches Shadow of War‘s fiction beyond the main acts to feel truly essential.
Following the events of both the base game and Blade of Galadriel‘s shadowy events, the Desolation of Mordor DLC picks up after the main narrative climax, exploring a new sprawling map region to the East mutated by Sauron‘s unquenchable corruption. This area provides a fresh stomping ground to battle original monstrous Uruk experiments utilizing inventive combat dynamics attuned to late-game dominance – while pursuing epic gear to take builds to even greater heights. All of this wraps into talion‘s lasting legacy against the spread of the Shadow‘s influence.
To ultimately close out the full Shadow series saga including loose threads for our Gravewalker himself, the final Story Expansions use the DLC format to create conclusive epilogue quests centered on old allies and enemies. Without spoiling major plot points, these final chapters reinforce narrative choices made throughout the journey in emotional ways. And for my money, they deliver the most cathartic and epic battles across the entire franchise!
In summary – the Shadow team has crafted a layered Kay narrative where each component builds off the last. My recommended order to properly nurture these connecting story vines is:
- Shadow of Mordor
- Shadow of War Main Story Acts
- Blade of Galadriel
- Desolation of Mordor
- Story Expansions
I hope this guide proves insightful in maximizing your Tolkien action odyssey! Feel free to reach out with any requests for deeper dives into personal build strategies or navigating the Nemesis System intricacies as well. Happy hunting, Middle-Earth friends!
