WARDOGS
WARDOGS
Game
Game2017
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™
Developer Monolith Productions
Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a 2017 action-adventure game developed by Monolith Productions and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Shadow of War is the sequel to 2014's Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, both of which are based on J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. The game is set in between the events of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings film trilogies, from which the game also… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
434 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Mastodon, Bluesky) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
82
LovedLoved
349 positive · 76 negative
95% range 78–85%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 349 | 76 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 3 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
44,228 of 50,239 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Players love the Nemesis system but hate WB's patent on it.
Many players praise the Nemesis system as one of the greatest mechanics in gaming, calling it "the coolest and most unique systems in a video game ever made" and top-notch. However, they also express strong anger at Warner Bros. for patenting the system and not using it further, with some alleging it's "a crime" and that the company deserve all of the failures. [1][2][3][5][6][9][15][16][17][29][30][31][32][33][35]
Some players also criticize the game for being repetitive, buggy, and having poor menu design, with one calling the gameplay loop "mind numbingly repetitive" and another noting a bugged quest that bricks playthroughs. On the positive side, many find the game fun, with improved combat and a great power fantasy, and some note that microtransactions were removed after launch. [4][14][34][36][10][17][18][20][21][26]
Praised Nemesis system · fun gameplay · improved combat
Criticised WB patent on Nemesis system · repetitive gameplay · bugs · poor menu design
Summary drafted by an AI model from the 36 reactions it cites ([n] links open each post), then checked by code: every paragraph cites real posts and every quote is verbatim. Written Oct 8, 2026. Method
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ sits at 82% positive across 425 opinionated reactions from 3 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Middle-earth: Shadow of War received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Many critics noted the game's ambitious scope and its significant expansion of the nemesis system, but criticized the game's story and bloated size. The introduction of microtransactions and lootboxes (war chests) were widely criticized by critics. The game was nominated for Role-Playing Game of the Year at the 21st Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. The nemesis system was often singled out as the highlight of the game. Matt Miller from Game Informer described Shadow of War as "a playground of intense and emergent action scenes" shaped by player's choices. He was impressed by the…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 434 · most liked firstWB should be slapped in the face with a lawsuit to have the Nemesis patent revoked from them for closing down the only studio that ACTUALLY used it. This patent expires in 2036, and Monolith shut down last year, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ give up that patent and let other games fly free with such a great system.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can't wait for the day that the greasy, slimy hands of Warner Bros. no longer have exclusive control over the genius Nemesis System. It deserved to inspire an entire genre, not spend years locked away in a patent vault.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →♥♥♥♥ WB games for putting a patent on the nemesis system and never going to use it ever again one of the worst ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ publishers ever
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Incredible. One of the greatest video games of all time. The nemesis system is the coolest and most unique systems in a video game ever made. I will never forgive WB for locking it behind a patent. WB games has not done anything with it and hasnt released any good games after this and the arkham trilogy. They deserve all of the failures for what they have done. Sadly we will never see another installment of this or anything this unique again because of them. They fired all of the based devs…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The nemesis system is one of the greatest things ever and the fact that its patented is a crime
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A good game. The Nemesis system makes it great. Still can't forgive the devs for locking Nemesis behind patents for a decade and then just... sitting on it and doing basically nothing of note with it. Still a great game but its legacy has been overshadowed by the titanic, historic fumble of the Nemesis system after this game. The game designers deserve accolades, WB and the legal team deserve fates I'm not allowed to describe on Steam.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Overall this game is great, but it is also very annoying. Cons - No respect for your time (run to the same places hundreds of times, no skipping dialogue ). - Menus and management are designed poorly and very time consuming. - Game is buggy. - Gathering collectables is boring and very time consuming. - Gear and skills suck( no respec skills, skills have sub skills to unlock but only 1 can be active at a time, gear is cool but you will get 1,000 pieces and maybe look at 100 and use…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game. It gets an overwhelmingly negative review because they are sitting on a patent for the Nemesis system, under a company that they shut down a while ago. RELEASE THE NEMESIS PATENT! It expires in 2036 WTF!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Orc funny, orc mad. Killed him twice, he came back chad. I can't wait for the day that the greasy, slimy hands of Warner Bros. no longer have exclusive control over the genius Nemesis System. It deserved to inspire an entire genre, not spend years locked away in a patent vault.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Luckily I only bought the Definitive Edition on sale for like $6... But after 8 FREAKING YEARS, THEY STILL HAVEN'T FIXED THE BUGGED "THE ETTEN" QUEST?! When you get this bug, you either have to start a new game and try again and hope it's not bugged, or you just stop playing. I tried numerous times to fix the issues, but ultimately it looks like my playthrough is bricked. I will not be attempting another. I have a lot of good memories with this game but I think this will be the last time I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Painted another Cave Troll for Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game, and a Shaman! Next round of games are coming up and I'm bringing quite a horde of goblins. #MESBG #MiddleEarth #Middle-Earth
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is a banger and anyone that tells you otherwise has bad taste. Thats not an opinion thats a fact
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's Challenging, Rewarding, and you have tons of wiggle room to play in the maps they have set up, lot's of ways to engage your enemies and win in a situation. All of that to say it's quite fun. I just wish they didn't patent the Nemesis system, it's because of that, I say buy this game on sale, and give them as little money as possible. No one ever should be allowed to patent game mechanics, systems, or code. The Internet should be Free For All.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →---{ Graphics }--- ☐ You forget what reality is ☑ Beautiful ☐ Good ☐ Decent ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ☐ MS-DOS ---{ Gameplay }--- ☑ Very good ☐ Good ☐ It's just gameplay ☐ Mehh ☐ Watch paint dry instead ☐ Just don't ---{ Audio }--- ☐ Eargasm ☐ Very good ☐ Good ☑ Not too bad ☐ Bad ☐ I'm now deaf ---{ Audience }--- ☑ Kids ☑ Teens ☑ Adults ☑ Grandma ---{ PC Requirements }--- ☐ Check if you can run paint ☐ Potato ☑ Decent ☐ Fast ☐ Rich boi ☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer ---{…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Definitely and improvement over the first game, I really like the territories and the forts, a shame most of the players use cheats for them online lame-ass idiots... Still: ♥♥♥♥ you Warner, ♥♥♥♥ you for patenting one of the greatest mechanics in videogame history.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Like the first one this game is amazing. Overall i like the darker atmosphere the first one had. I like all the added stuff in this one. 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I came for the story, stayed for the orcs… and then accidentally turned this into Pokémon. Hours logged: Unhealthy. Rare orcs hunted: Too many. Sleep lost: All of it. Every fortress defense feels less like war and more like curating a museum of angry, spiky art pieces. I don’t just recruit orcs—I collect them, polish their titles, and arrange them like trading cards. “Flame of War” isn’t just a captain, he’s my holographic Charizard. Shadow of War isn’t a game. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An interesting game series with great reviews was abandoned. It’s been 8 years since Shadow of War was released.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Nemesis system still rocks. Building your own orc army and watching rivals come back for revenge is peak gaming chaos.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Probably the best LOTR game that's been made. It's basically just Assassin's Creed except it's LOTR. The power fantasy is very real. And I gotta say, enemy captains ALWAYS having a cutscene to introduce themselves, and then a second or third little cutscene in the middle of combat is ANNOYING. Sometimes you fight 3-4 captains at a time. That means you get to have your combat interrupted so some unimportant enemy character can babble out some flavor text. Still recommended but ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ do I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →WB patenting the nemesis system makes me feel negative emotions that cannot be described in a calm and rational way. That said, this game undoubtedly has some of the best and most complex AI interactions i've ever seen, even today. Pick it up if you're a weirdo like me and enjoy AI vs. AI battles, and side stories lead by gameplay instead of scripted events (for the most part).
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nemesis System is possibly the best system in gaming, sad that it got patented or whatever happened, because now no other devs can use it. and I don't think there will be any more shadow games.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly, this is the most fun I’ve had with a game in a long time. I couldn’t play it when it first came out because my PC couldn’t run it, but I played through the first game countless times back then. This one is even more fun to play. The story isn’t anything special, but the Nemesis system is amazing, and the gameplay is ridiculously fun. I definitely recommend it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shadow of War is a clear step up from its predecessor. Combat is more fluid, faster, and more expressive, with smoother movement, better parkour flow, and a larger set of viable builds through skills, gear, and runes. The Nemesis system is top-notch: unique personalities, shifting ranks, memorable rivalries, and genuinely hilarious orc lines that made me smile regularly. Regions are diverse, encounters varied, and the whole experience delivers a good sense of momentum. It remains a shame that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Oh what a game Story was amazing and gameplay was amazing everything was peak
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Thinking of doing a top ten of Games Workshop The Lord of The Rings™️ Middle- Earth™️ Strategy Battle Game individually named miniatures ranked by the least screen time they had
neutral · AI labelView post →At time of writing, Shadow of War is available for $4.99 because it's ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ irrelevant. Did you know you can patent game mechanics and keep anyone else from making a game that does what your game does? It's ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ stupid but true! As a result, WB has gated a system that everyone clearly enjoys behind a game that is quickly losing relevance. This isn't a matter of WB not making more games that use it - are you really so naive to think indie devs wouldn't immediately make vast, sweeping…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →ten year old game better than new game. they removed mtx after launch and fixed the endgame and a lot of the problems you may have read about could be from earlier versions of the game. Also it's funny. the dialogue is great, its balanced and hard on hard modes and fun on easy modes to be overpowered after you level up and get sick ass abilities. also dying in this game is kinda fun/semi rewarded so even when you lose, it's cool and interesting. I got wwe powerbombed and the guy didnt even…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Build me an army worthy of Mordor... If you haven't played this 2017 game yet, it is the best thing I've ever played in my entire life. Words alone can not express my pure love for how awesome this game is. If you see any negative comment talking about microtransactions, they are outdated, the microtransactions were removed.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pokemon but for Adults... and also much cooler! Now WB/NETFLIX please make a batman game using the Nemesis system!!!!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Even after 300+ hours on Xbox, Shadow of War is still my favourite Licensed game of all time. Does it break the major Middle-Earth canon? Abso-f#cking-lutely. Is Warner Bros stupid enough to patent the Nemesis System so that no other companies can use it? Yes. Am I sad the studio behind the games shut down? Yes.. :( Is it addicting? Hell yes, I genuinely love this game, with all it's flaws and that's coming from a Day 1 veteran of this game that witnessed the absolute hell that is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →actually this game is pretty good but it has a way of making you realize and appreciate why the first one was so short
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Talion’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Orc-Infested Week You, a Ghost Elf, and a Corporate Hostile Takeover of Mordor Shadow of War is an open-world action game where Talion and Celebrimbor decide that the best way to fight Sauron is, naturally, to start their own evil startup and out-management the competition. The official pitch is all about forging a new Ring, building an army, dominating captains, and taking fortresses, and that is basically the game in a nutshell: stab people, brand…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Middle-earth: Shadow of War I don't know if there are still people playing this game in early 2026, but when I have nothing to do or I feel like I don't know what to play because the gaming industry is such a mess, I always end up playing this game. I've played all 3 different stories, I've deleted everything, started over, and had a super powerful army several times. If I counted, I don't know anymore, but I think it's my 4th time doing this. This game is addictive. With so many games…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This was the first Lotr game I ever played, and the feeling of controlling my army and riding dragon in the game was truly amazing
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An absolute must play, really love this game, good story, great combat and the nemesis system of the enemies....holy ♥♥♥♥♥ really keeps you on your toes, forces you to bear grills it and improvise adapt overcome
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One day, the nemesis system will be free from warner bros clutches, and i will still be sad because monolith wont be there to make use of it (This game is awesome btw)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ive had this on my wishlist for literal years, finally jumped the gun and bought it at 90% discount. I really wanted to like this game and its a fine game, no doubt about it. But I was pretty quickly reminded why I never managed to finish the first game, the gameplay loop is so mind numbingly repetitive and controls are straight up awful, with so many actions bound to the same key. I could maybe spend a few hours tweaking controls, but I just dont want to spend that amount of time tweaking the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Where do I start with this one... SOW, along with SOM, will probably appear on the surface as yet another open-world ubisoft-esque copy+paste side-quest side-objective laden slogfest with a limited amount of weapons/playstyles at your disposal to keep them fresh. You would otherwise be correct if you had not even a MODICUM of knowledge and more importantly appreciation of the source material. I wholeheartedly believe you will get the most out of both these games if you have, at the very least,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Middle-Earth: Shadow of War was the second and final entry in the duology; it still holds up nearly a decade after its release with tons of improvements and expansions on the base formula. The unfortunate closure of Monolith Productions and the corporate patenting of its main system are the sad legacy of a solid game. Shortly after Shadow of Mordor, the Gravewalker Talion continues his never-ending battle against the forces of darkness, teaming up with fellow humans and elves to protect the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun game, very Arkham like, and the nemesis system is quite fun. Great on both Windows and Linux, and it runs quite well on the Steam Deck.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I’ve already played this before on the PS4 but ended up buying it again on Steam, which probably says enough on its own. The Nemesis system is still the standout. No other game really makes random enemies feel personal. Getting ambushed by some Orc you thought you killed 5 hours ago never really gets old. Combat is satisfying once you get back into the flow of it. It’s got that Arkham style rhythm but with more chaos once you start dominating captains and building your own army. The fortress…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of my favorite game in all time ,the game is better then the it's Movei ,fully optimised, scale resolution upto 8k without lag if you have good system. Game is like Assassin's creed but it's better then that. Movement are great. Music are great. Ai system great. Side by side different story. Rpg and open world. Good controls. Photo mode. WB games are always. Achievements Skills not good like middle Earth required every time what type of skill do you want. Ui better
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sure it's getting a little dated now, but it's a game made with love, care and damn if it's not in my top 5 games of all time. Best bargain (especially on sale) on steam right now.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Some games entertain you. Some games impress you. And then there are games like Shadow of War that genuinely surprise you with how ambitious and addictive they are. The Nemesis System = Pure Genius The first, and most impressive feature is the legendary Nemesis System, first introduced in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. But here? It’s bigger, deeper, and even more dynamic. The Uruks aren’t just random enemies. They remember you. They mock you. They betray you. They cheat death. They evolve.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →a bit repetitive after a certain point towards the endgame but overall a really good game. More so if you're into LOTR franchise . (which you should be)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →game is nice but they dont let u crack shelob or eltrial, also celembrimor was inside me for too long the amount of times i crashed out because he was talm bout some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ palantir
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I tried so hard to like this one. Shadow of Mordor was so good and fluid but this is just horrible. Every 3 seconds you're pulled out of the action by some forced cut scene or cut to an inventory menu or explanation of something. It's so jarring and un-fun to lose control of your character in the middle of the action to watch some stupid orc say things for 20 seconds. Combat feels way more janky with a focus on gear level and AOE attacks and powers as opposed to actually using your sword. It's…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Monolith no longer existing is one of the games industries biggest sins. Shadow of War holds up incredibly well in 2025 due to the Nemesis System, the best arkham style combat, and a well crafted setting that uses the LOTR license to its fullest.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →+ Tons of different options and ways to approach combat encounters. + Decent graphics (although it seems like there's no proper ambient occlusion?). + Very cool main protagonist progression power-wise. + Fightning hordes of enemies while riding a graug/drake feels satisfying. + Nemesis system. + Pit fights are ridiculous! - Controls. Wow. Haven't played a game with worse controls than in this one. All but 2 of my deaths were due to either being stuck on terrain, or Talion suddenly doing…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A fundamentally decent game forever scarred by its original predatory design. While the developers eventually stripped out the microtransactions and rebalanced the grind, the core experience still feels like it was built around a paywall. Some design choices are too deep to be patched out—the vestigial in-game currency being a constant reminder of its greedy origins.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A great game with visually varied areas, a fun combat system (admittedly copied straight from the arkham games, but better to copy well than to make something rubbish yourself!) and, of course, the nemesis system. Im still surprised that the nemesis system has never found its way into other games apart from the two LotR "Shadow of" titles. The gameplay itself is like a mix of assassins creed in terms of climbing and movement and the arkham games in terms of fighting. The quests themselves are…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Improves on nearly everything Shadow of Mordor did. More lands, longer story, more enemies, more skills,. Hundreds of hours of fun. Unfortunate we never got a third game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fantastic game, looks great and plays great with controller. my biggest gripe (and maybe this is because i played on a harder difficulty idk) is that enemies respawn way to fast. Like if I'm clearing out a huge fortress and meticulously stealth kill every orc on one side of the place; then move like 50 meters away all those enemies respawn like nothing happened. In Shadow of Mordor, if you took out an enemy camp those enemies would stay dead until you went super far away on the map. They just…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game was fine, but I'll be honest, the Collect-a-thon elements and repetitiveness meant it got stale rather quick. DNF By hour 9, I'd captured my first fortress with my orc army, moved to another new region, and realised I had to do it all again, probably 3-4 more times at least before the end... I'd had enough. I'd say it no longer holds up to more modern gaming standards. Far too padded out with filler, for me. If your tolerance for that sort've stuff is low, give this a miss.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After coming back to this game in 2025 (no lootboxes, free upgrade to the ultimate edition including all DLCs) - I gotta say, this game is kind of epic! Learn how it works and you will have a ton of fun. Story is lore friendly and well made. Ignore the online quests and play story first. Anything else is more endgame and can be a bit overwhelming at start! Bonuspoints for the synchros of the orcs - they are hilarious.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What an unbelievable game omg. Start to finish the game was incredible.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I thought I was finishing the game. Turns out I was just signing up for a lifetime appointment as Mordor's least appreciated fortress manager. Would do it again.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It has been almost a decade since Middle-earth: Shadow of War came out. To this day, it remains an extremely unique game that no other title has been able to replace for me, and sadly, not for a good reason. The main reason is the Nemesis System, which is absolutely phenomenal and one of the best and most addictive emergent storytelling mechanics in modern gaming. Unfortunately, Warner Bros. copyrighted it (or “patented” it, if you want to be annoying) until 2036. Funnily enough, they also…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This one was harder for me, because I was a huge fan of the first entry, where everything just clicked. Unfortunately, my time with Middle-earth: Shadow of War didn’t land the same way. A big part of that, I think, comes from how much of the game was originally designed around loot boxes and monetization. Even though those systems were later removed, the game still feels awkwardly shaped around them. Character progression through gear feels clunky and unintuitive. I can see what they were…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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