By the end of Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, protagonist Talion was an unbeatable Orc-slaying machine, able to swiftly dispatch crowds of enemies in gloriously gory fashion. That was largely due to the powers granted to him by Celebrimbor, the Elf Lord whose soul became entwined with Talion’s during the course of Shadow of Mordor.
Talion and Celebrimbor are back in the upcoming sequel Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, ready to take up the fight once more against the Orc hordes. So how has Talion’s toolkit improved since his last outing? Let’s take a look at some of the new skills announced so far.
In Shadow of War, Talion’s skills are broken into six distinct trees: Combat, Predator, Ranged, Wraith, Mounted, and Story.
Combat unsurprisingly improves Talion’s basic fighting ability, with skills like Perfect Counter, in which a well-timed button press can knock an enemy to the ground, and Brutal Aggression, which allows Talion to execute a foe in such brutal fashion that nearby enemies flee in terror.
The Predator tree focuses on stealth and is filled with skills like Poison Tendril, which allows Talion to poison grog barrels from afar and cause enemies to fight each other, and Deadly Spectre, which is used to lure enemies in stealth to meet a grim end by Celebrimbor’s hand.
Ranged upgrades Talion’s bow and arrow proficiency. Skills on this tree include Detonate, which allows Talion to Shadow Strike into a fit pit, detonating it and setting nearby enemies on fire.
Next is the Wraith tree, which focuses on Celebrimbor’s abilities. These include skills like Elven Light, which unloads of a powerful blast of light that blinds enemies, and Treasure Hunter, which automatically collects loot from downed enemies.
Then there’s the Mounted tree, which grants Talion the ability to subdue and mount the beasts of Mordor, including Caragors and Drakes.
Finally, there’s the Story tree, which is unlocked as part of the main story campaign. This tree includes necessary skills like Drain, which lets Talion sap health from Orcs and beasts, and Spectral Glaive, which allows Talion to perform a devastating sweep attack with his glaive.
Unlock these and many more of Talion’s skills when Middle-Earth: Shadow of War comes out for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 10.
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