Shadow of Mordor is a story of revenge, redemption, and mystery set entirely within Mordor, the Land of Shadows. At its center is Talion, an ordinary man who loses everything, including his mortal life. Possessed by an immensely powerful spirit, Talion defies death to avenge his family and save Middle-earth. Meanwhile, the Wraith inside him struggles to recall its identity and its enormous Power.
You are Talion, a Ranger of the Black Gate, keeping watch over Mordor which has remained undisturbed for ages. In the blink of an eye, everything is taken from you - your friends, your family, and even your own life. Resurrected by a vengeful spirit, you must now embark on a relentless vendetta against those who have wronged you. Fight through Mordor and uncover the truth of the spirit that compels you, discover the origins of the Rings of Power, build your legend and ultimately confront the evil of Sauron in this new chronicle in Middle-earth.
    Basic Controls:
  • Move
  • Look Around
  • Run (Hold)
  • Dodge (Tap)
  • Stealth (Hold)
  • Wraith World
  • Identify Target (In Wraith World)
  • Map
  • Menu
    Combat Controls:
  • Attack
  • Counter
  • Stun
  • Drain (Hold)
  • Grab (Hold) or Mount (Requires Upgrade)
  • Flurry (Repeatedly when an enemy is stunned)
  • Shank (Repeatedly after grabbing an enemy)
  • Throw (Or release RB after grabbing an enemy)
  • +Ground Execution
    (When an enemy is down)
  • +Execution (Requires Upgrade)
  • +Wraith Flash (Unlock Through Progression)
  • Throw Dagger (Tap)
    (Requires Upgrade)
  • Ranged Mode ( Shoot - Hold to Charge shot)
    Stealth Controls:
    ( While holding )
  • Silent Kill
  • Brutalize (Requires Upgrade)
  • Drain
  • Crouch Run (Hold )
Movement is controlled with the (LS) while the camera is controlled with (RS).

Holding A allows you to run and begin climbing. Pressing A will cause you to climb up when hanging.

Pressing B while climbing or at an edge will cause you to drop down. Holding B will cause you to drop to the ground.

Pressing RT causes you to crouch in Stealth Mode. This makes you harder to detect and enables Stealth Kills on unaware enemies. Holding A in Stealth Mode enables running while crouched.
Press X to Attack. As you strike your enemies your Hit Streak will increase. As your Hit Streak increases you will do more damage with each strike and enable Special Abilities such as Execution and Wraith Flash. (Require Upgrades).

Press Y to Counter incoming attacks when you see the prompt appear above an enemies head. Press Y twice if multiple enemies attack simultaneously.

Press B to stun enemies. While stunned you can unleash a flurry of attacks against them (press X repeatedly) to build your Hit Streak.

Some attacks cannot be countered. If you see a Red icon tap (A) to dodge the attack.

Press RT + X to Execute enemies who have been knocked to the ground.

Hold B to Drain energy from your Enemies and terrify them. This will restore your Elf-shot.

Pressing RB will grab and throw an enemy. Holding RB will grab and hold the enemy.

Grab and Hold enemies to Interrogate or Dominate them (RB + A)

Hold (RT) to Crouch and enter Stealth Mode. This makes you harder to detect. While in Stealth Mode, unaware enemies can be eliminated using Stealth Attacks. Entering long grass undetected will automatically activate Stealth Mode. An outline of the Wraith will display the last known position where enemies lost sight of Talion.

Silent Kill:
While crouching and unseen, press (X) to silently kill an enemy.

Stealth Kill - Ledge:
Press (RT + X) while hidden and hanging from a ledge directly below an enemy to have Talion pull that enemy off the ledge to their death.

Brutalize:
Press (RT + Y) (Requires Upgrade) to brutally stab an enemy, increasing your Hit Streak to enter combat and terrifying Talion's foes.

Aerial Takedown:
Press (RT + X) while above an enemy to dive on them from above, knocking them down. This ability can be upgraded to kill Talion's enemies by unlocking "Strike From Above".

Hold LT to use the Bow. Hold RT to draw the bow and release to fire an arrow. Hold down RT to Charge the bow for a more powerful shot.

Arrows can be regained by collecting Elf-shot or Draining enemies.

When aiming, time will slow down (until focus is depleted), and arrows can be fired by holding and the releasing (RT).

The Bow can also be used to exploit opportunities in the environment:

  • Shoot barrels and fires to make them explode (Requires Upgrade)
  • Shoot Morgai Fly nests to terrify enemies.
  • Shoot cages to release Caragors.
Game Hud

1. Map
2. Health
3. Focus
4. Elf-shot
5. Hit Streak
6. Prompts
7. Hints
8. Mission Objective

Alarm States
  • Map flashes Red if in a Stronghold that's in high alarm

Awareness Icons
  • The icons above enemies heads fill Yellow as they become aware of Talion.
  • The icon becomes Red when they are fully aware of Talion.
  • An outline of the Wraith shows Talion's last known position when you become undetected.
Captains
  • Captains are the leaders of Sauron’s Army.
  • Their Icons change to indicate their status.
  • Green indicates that they can be grabbed and held.
  • Blue indicates that they have been Dominated and are Talion's followers.
The Uruk of Mordor are a tribal and violent race as much at war with itself as it is with the rest of Middle-earth. The only thing they hate more than each other are the Free People of Middle-earth. The Nemesis System tracks every interaction between Talion and the Uruk he meets, as well as their interactions when they are not near him. As Talion turns Sauron’s troops against each other, he will interact with the Nemesis System in several key ways.
Captains and Warchiefs are the leaders of Sauron's Army. They each have a unique combination of Traits.

To learn their Strengths and Weaknesses you need to obtain Intel. Intel can be gained by:

  • Interrogating a Worm. Worm Icon
  • Collecting an Intel pickup.
  • Interrogating a Captain.
You can select a Captain as your Marked Target. He will then appear on your map and minimap.

When Talion reaches the area his target is located in, enter the Wraith World (LB) to identify him (RS).

Warchiefs are the Bosses of the Uruk Hierarchy. They have some features which differentiate them from Captains:

  • They must be drawn out to face Talion by starting a Showdown Mission.
  • They may be accompanied by Bodyguards, Captains who will fight alongside them.
Talion is not powerless against the might of his enemies, however. As he increases in Power, he will learn to manipulate his enemies in a number of ways. When grabbing an enemy, he is able to:

  • Interrogate them. If Talion grabs a Captain, his will reveals another Captain's strengths and weaknesses in addition to their location.

  • Talion can issue a Death Threat (Requires Upgrade) – he sends his victim to tell his target that Talion is
  • coming. This increases his enemy’s Power and ensures that many more Uruk will be nearby when Talion arrives, but it also increases Talion’s rewards for defeating his enemies.

  • If Talion has grabbed a Captain, he can also issue a Command – ordering the subvert Captain to betray his fellows or superiors. This will initiate a Power Struggle mission which Talion can intervene in, allowing him to catch his target unaware or otherwise occupied. (Unlock Through Progression)

There are also Vendetta Missions, if you are connected to Xbox Live. As your friends play Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and die, you will discover missions in your game where you can get revenge for them. Vendetta Missions allow you to avenge your friends and earn rewards.

Abilities:
Gaining XP through Combat and completing Objectives unlocks Ability Points. These can be spent to gain powerful new Skills.

Ability Tiers:
Completing Power Struggles and defeating Captains earns Power. Power unlocks higher Tiers of more powerful Abilities.

Runes:
Killing Captains earns Runes which can be slotted into your Weapons for powerful Buffs.

Vulnerabilities:
Instant killing a Captain by exploiting his Vulnerability guarantees he will drop a Rune for that weapon, for example a Stealth Kill against a Captain with a Stealth Vulnerability guarantees a Dagger Rune.

Epic Runes:
Sending Death Threats (Requires Upgrade), taking Revenge, playing Vendettas and defeating Warchiefs gives you the chance to earn Epic Runes. These are unique, powerful Runes.
The Power of Talion's weapons will grow as the legend of their deeds and kills spread across Mordor. Each weapon – Sword, Bow, and Dagger – begins with one of five attainable slots unlocked to add a weapon-based Power at the start of the game. Additional weapon slots can be unlocked by earning Mirian. These Powers, called Runes, are earned by killing enemy Captains and Warchiefs. The more Talion effectively exploits their fears and strengths, the more powerful the Rune he will earn upon their death.

Runes are powerful, and can easily make the difference between success and failure in a fight.
Mirian is a currency that is used to purchase Resource and Weapon Attributes.

Gain Mirian by picking up Collectibles, completing Side Missions, and completing Objectives.

Spend Mirian to purchase:
  • Additional Rune Slots.
  • Additional Health, Focus, and Elf-shot.
  • Weapon Powers (LS + RS)
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