There's still the possibility the Black Hand actually is a corporeal incarnation of Sauron, as is widely theorized even in-game. As for the captains, the actual game outright says that the Black Captains are stand-ins for the Nazgul, they aren't really Sauron's primary servants I should think. You start this mission in the same spot as the tenth one and its aim is to defeat one of the Black captains - The Hammer. This boss is not too demanding, although it is better if you learn the information below. Note - You will not be able to take a look at the strong and weak points of the boss.
For more, check out Prima's Beginner tips and best Shadow of Mordor Abilities.
At this point in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, you know how to kill enemies with stealth takedowns, unlock Forge Towers and fire arrows while in Ranged Mode. Now it's time to take your journey to the next level with more advanced tips. In this feature, we'll tell you how to slaughter Captains, make upgrades and control a mighty Caragor.
Do in the Worm: interrogate the slimy Uruk for valuable information
Each Captain in Shadow of Mordor has strengths (impervious to ranged attacks) and weaknesses (terrified of Caragors, for example). The only way you'll learn this information is to track down pieces of intel strewn around Middle-earth. Some of it's out in the open on top of crates. All you have to do is walk up to it and press R1.
Trickier intel resides with Worms, specially marked Uruk that glow green when you enter the Wraith World. We suggest pressing/holding R2 and then tapping Triangle to distract the Worm and separate it from the pack, but don't kill it! Instead, stun the Worm with a few sword slashes, then with the enemy stunned, press and hold R1 to grab the creature and then X to interrogate. If done correctly, you'll receive the intel on a specific Captain. Keep in mind you can also identify a Captain while in Wraith mode.
Tip: Press Options to access Sauron's Army to check Captain stats, view Power Struggles and mark your targets.
Killing Captains: know their strengths, exploit their weaknesses
Although you can kill most Captains by rapidly mashing the attack button, you'll take them out much quicker if you make note of their particular strengths and weaknesses learned after interrogating the Worm. If one of the Captains is afraid of Caragor, for instance, set one or more loose and watch everything unfold from a safe distance. Conversely, if the Captain is impervious to Talion's arrows, you'll need to engage this foe up close. Without this intel, you go into the fight blind.
Tip: Check a Captain's Power Rating to see how tough he is.
Like Talion, Captains regain health over time, so you need to become the aggressor. Some travel with other Uruk, and you should attempt to engage the Captain one-on-one whenever possible. Should more Uruk arrive, parry to avoid attacks and then focus your attention back onto the Captain.
Tip: In our experience, attempting a stealth kill on a Captain is a bad idea the first time around. These are often repelled so the Captain can lock up with Talion and talk a little trash. Then the fight officially begins.
Most Captains will stay and fight regardless of the situation, but others will flee. Don't let him escape! Chase after the Captain and take him down. There's a great chance that putting distance between you and his Uruk buddies will cause them to give up their pursuit, thereby increasing the chances of engaging the Captain mano-e-mano.
Unfortunately the Uruk crave power at all times. Kill one Captain and another will often take his place.
Tip: Dead Captains drop Runes that help Talion power up his weapons. After killing the Captain, walk up to the glowing icon and press R1 to collect it.
Tip: Losing to a Captain may result in this character receiving an increased Power Rating.
Understanding Power Struggles
The old saying there's no honor among thieves perfectly applies to Uruk. These Power Struggles pit two rival Captains and their cronies against each other.
Here's why this is good for Talion:
- You can hang back and let both Captains weaken each other.
- It's a great opportunity to kill two Captains in one location.
- You'll catch the targeted Captain in a potentially weakened state
Do not let one one Captain kill the other, as the victor will immediately grow in power.
Unlock new Abilities
You'll get far without making upgrades, but you should always seek to improve Talion's Abilities. First you'll need Ability Points that you'll earn from gaining XP through killing enemies and completing missions.
Once you have an Ability Point (or hoarded several) pause and head to the Abilities screen, where you'll then spend these points to access new moves for Talion. Only the first tier is available when you start the game, but you'll be able to access additional tiers by completing those aforementioned Power Struggles.
Tip: The Abilities screen tells you when you will unlock the next ability point (earned XP) and tier (Power Struggle).
Here are some examples of Abilities you will unlock:
Execution: After charging Talion's Hit Streak, press Triangle + Circle to execute his target.
Impact: Countered enemies (Triangle) will get knocked backward, stunned or knocked down.
Strike From Above: Aerial takedowns (R2 + Square) on unaware targets become lethal.
Elven Swiftness: Time your landing (tap X) when jumping over an obstacle to receive a temporary speed boost and +1 Hit Streak.
Detonate: Shoot fires or barrels to make them explode. Talion is immune to fire and explosive damage.
Wraith Stun: Stun Talion's enemies (press Circle) and then follow up with multiple sword strikes.
Ride Caragors: Press R1 to mount a Caragor from above. Once mounted, you can ride, climb and fight enemies.
Weapons and Runes
You can upgrade Talion's Sword, Bow and Dagger with unlocked Runes. To do this, select the desired weapon and Rune, then spend the required amount of Mirian to equip said Rune. Naturally, you'll need to have enough Mirian to this. You can also convert the Rune into Mirian if you don't want it. This lets you save up for better Runes later on.
Examples of Runes:
Sword
Know No Pail (level 5): 15 percent chance to recover +5 health on any kill
Blade Master (level 8): 49 percent chance to recover full health when hit streak reaches 30.
Bow
Sylvan Arrow (level 5): 30 percent chance to recover +30 Focus for a headshot kill.
Dagger
To the Death (level 8): Recover 49 percent Focus for grab shank kills.
How to earn more Mirian in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Mirian, otherwise known as M, is the game's virtual currency and is necessary for upgrading Talion's weapons and increasing his Maximum Health, Focus and Elf-shot. The best ways to earn it? Track down collectibles, complete side missions and challenges and/or bonus objectives. Check the map to see opportunities to earn Mirian, which the game's developers marked in white.
Use Caragor to your advantage
These ferocious creatures kill without mercy, be it Uruk or Talion. You'll often see them in cages, and it's your choice to free the beasts (hack with Talion's sword or break the chain with an arrow from afar) and let them run amok. You can even shoot bait hanging above to make the Caragor even crazier.
Unlock the Ride Caragors Ability to command one. Stand above a Caragor on a ledge and press R1 to jump off and mount the animal. Complete the mini-game (use the Left stick to move the cursor into the circle and press the desired button) and now you're able to steer the Caragor and perform the following actions:
- Press Square to attack or knock down.
- Press Triangle to bite. Caragor will regain health while munching downed enemies.
- Hold L2 to use Ranged Mode.
- Hold R2 and press Square to attack from above, dismounts.
- Hold Circle to drain your mount and regain Elf-shot. This damages the Caragor.
- Hold X to charge through and knock down enemies.
Tip: If you dismount a Caragor, it will remain loyal to Talian and fight until it's dead.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is available now for PS4, Xbox One and PC. Installing dkms on centos 7.
How to import your Nemesis into Shadow of War is probably one of the first questions you'll have when starting up a new game of Shadow of War, especially, of course, if you played much of its predecessor Shadow of Mordor.
Here in this guide we'll explain exactly how to do that, as well as how to import your Follower into Shadow of War, and explain the Nemesis Forge and how choosing your Nemesis and Follower works, so you can prepare to import them when you get the chance.
For more on Shadow of War, meanwhile, our comprehensive Shadow of Mordor guide and walkthrough has just about everything you need to know.
Nemesis Forge explained - how the Nemesis Forge works in Shadow of Mordor and how to use it for Shadow of War
The Nemesis Forge is a mode that was added to Shadow of Morder just a few months before the launch of Shadow of War.
In brief, it's a mode that's completely distinct from your main Shadow of Mordor playthrough that takes a snapshot of your save, and imports a full roster of the orcs you've interacted with the most (if you haven't interacted with enough to fill out a complete roster on the Nemesis screen, it randomly generates more to pad it out).
In Nemesis Forge, you basically have a free run of the Nurnen area, with all skills unlocked, and just the orcs that were imported into it making up the area's captains and warchiefs.
Most importantly, it's here that you'll be able to manipulate which Nemesis and Follower is imported into Shadow of War.
How to choose which Nemesis and Follower is imported into Shadow of War:
The Nemesis Forge lines up orcs in order of the strength of your relationship, from top left to bottom right. That means the top left will probably be your Nemesis, and somewhere else in the stack of orcs will be your Follower.
Your Nemesis is the orc you've built up the strongest, hidden 'Nemesis score' up with, whilst your Follower is the orc you've built up the strongest, hidden 'Follower score' with.
These are affected by a number of things. For your Nemesis, that could be the number of battles they've had with you, the amount of times they've seen you die or killed you, the number of times they've 'cheated death' (when you kill them without beheading or exploding their head, so they can return), and so on.
For a quick exploit, you can add a small amount to an orc's Nemesis score by targeting them in that army screen. Do this over and over again - switching target to a different orc with a lower rating, and back again - will gradually boost their score, until they become your Nemesis.
Note that it takes longer to do the further down the order they are, but it's just about always the fastest way to do it when compared to methods like finding them, engaging them, and running away from battle several times.
For your Follower things work similarly. Any orc that you've dominated - shown by them glowing blueish-white from the eyes - can be your Follower, and to choose a new one you'll need to increase the strength of your relationship together. To do that, send them on special Follower missions and help them to make sure they succeed, and likewise help in any Power Struggles they may have, and they'll quickly become your Follower.
Once you've chosen them, simply hop into Shadow of War, get cracking on your playthrough, and as long as you're on the same platform as your Shadow of Mordor save, they'll eventually arrive in-game!
How to import your Nemesis and Follower into Shadow of War
The system for importing your Nemesis or Follower into Shadow of War from Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis Forge is surprisingly simple.
How to import your Nemesis to Shadow of War:
Some minor spoilers here, but your Nemesis will show up as the third and final champion you face in the Arena mission early on in the game.
Some people have claimed to have encountered theirs earlier, but this could either be a mistake on their part (there are an awful lot of similar looking Orcs, after all..) or the game may throw them in earlier at a random or very low probability of encouring them.
Everything you need for every step of Shadow of War.
Shadow Of Mordor Black Captains Game
Need more help? Our Shadow of War guide and walkthrough gives you an overview of everything you need, but if you need something in particular, we have pages on Shadow of War Fortress Sieges, how to earn Mirian in Shadow of War, a guide for how to import your Nemesis and Follower to Shadow of War, collectibles guides like how to get all Shadow of War Legendary Armour and Weapons sets, a list of Lost Artifacts and Web of Fate locations, and Ithildin Door poem solutions and Shadows of the Past, along with how to grind XP in Shadow of War to power through the tricky Shadow Wars endgame and get the true ending. Finally, there's Shadow of War's army building explained and the best skills and how to earn Skill Points.
For your Nemesis to be imported, you need to have played Shadow of Mordor on the same platform as you're playing Shadow of War. From there, whichever orc is your Nemesis, marked within the Nemesis Forge (which we explain below in more detail), will be the one to be imported automatically. You can only import your nemesis once, so be sure to lay down the prep in Shadow of Mordor first if you want something specific!
How to import your Follower to Shadow of War:
Each Captain in Shadow of Mordor has strengths (impervious to ranged attacks) and weaknesses (terrified of Caragors, for example). The only way you'll learn this information is to track down pieces of intel strewn around Middle-earth. Some of it's out in the open on top of crates. All you have to do is walk up to it and press R1.
Trickier intel resides with Worms, specially marked Uruk that glow green when you enter the Wraith World. We suggest pressing/holding R2 and then tapping Triangle to distract the Worm and separate it from the pack, but don't kill it! Instead, stun the Worm with a few sword slashes, then with the enemy stunned, press and hold R1 to grab the creature and then X to interrogate. If done correctly, you'll receive the intel on a specific Captain. Keep in mind you can also identify a Captain while in Wraith mode.
Tip: Press Options to access Sauron's Army to check Captain stats, view Power Struggles and mark your targets.
Killing Captains: know their strengths, exploit their weaknesses
Although you can kill most Captains by rapidly mashing the attack button, you'll take them out much quicker if you make note of their particular strengths and weaknesses learned after interrogating the Worm. If one of the Captains is afraid of Caragor, for instance, set one or more loose and watch everything unfold from a safe distance. Conversely, if the Captain is impervious to Talion's arrows, you'll need to engage this foe up close. Without this intel, you go into the fight blind.
Tip: Check a Captain's Power Rating to see how tough he is.
Like Talion, Captains regain health over time, so you need to become the aggressor. Some travel with other Uruk, and you should attempt to engage the Captain one-on-one whenever possible. Should more Uruk arrive, parry to avoid attacks and then focus your attention back onto the Captain.
Tip: In our experience, attempting a stealth kill on a Captain is a bad idea the first time around. These are often repelled so the Captain can lock up with Talion and talk a little trash. Then the fight officially begins.
Most Captains will stay and fight regardless of the situation, but others will flee. Don't let him escape! Chase after the Captain and take him down. There's a great chance that putting distance between you and his Uruk buddies will cause them to give up their pursuit, thereby increasing the chances of engaging the Captain mano-e-mano.
Unfortunately the Uruk crave power at all times. Kill one Captain and another will often take his place.
Tip: Dead Captains drop Runes that help Talion power up his weapons. After killing the Captain, walk up to the glowing icon and press R1 to collect it.
Tip: Losing to a Captain may result in this character receiving an increased Power Rating.
Understanding Power Struggles
The old saying there's no honor among thieves perfectly applies to Uruk. These Power Struggles pit two rival Captains and their cronies against each other.
Here's why this is good for Talion:
- You can hang back and let both Captains weaken each other.
- It's a great opportunity to kill two Captains in one location.
- You'll catch the targeted Captain in a potentially weakened state
Do not let one one Captain kill the other, as the victor will immediately grow in power.
Unlock new Abilities
You'll get far without making upgrades, but you should always seek to improve Talion's Abilities. First you'll need Ability Points that you'll earn from gaining XP through killing enemies and completing missions.
Once you have an Ability Point (or hoarded several) pause and head to the Abilities screen, where you'll then spend these points to access new moves for Talion. Only the first tier is available when you start the game, but you'll be able to access additional tiers by completing those aforementioned Power Struggles.
Tip: The Abilities screen tells you when you will unlock the next ability point (earned XP) and tier (Power Struggle).
Here are some examples of Abilities you will unlock:
Execution: After charging Talion's Hit Streak, press Triangle + Circle to execute his target.
Impact: Countered enemies (Triangle) will get knocked backward, stunned or knocked down.
Strike From Above: Aerial takedowns (R2 + Square) on unaware targets become lethal.
Elven Swiftness: Time your landing (tap X) when jumping over an obstacle to receive a temporary speed boost and +1 Hit Streak.
Detonate: Shoot fires or barrels to make them explode. Talion is immune to fire and explosive damage.
Wraith Stun: Stun Talion's enemies (press Circle) and then follow up with multiple sword strikes.
Ride Caragors: Press R1 to mount a Caragor from above. Once mounted, you can ride, climb and fight enemies.
Weapons and Runes
You can upgrade Talion's Sword, Bow and Dagger with unlocked Runes. To do this, select the desired weapon and Rune, then spend the required amount of Mirian to equip said Rune. Naturally, you'll need to have enough Mirian to this. You can also convert the Rune into Mirian if you don't want it. This lets you save up for better Runes later on.
Examples of Runes:
Sword
Know No Pail (level 5): 15 percent chance to recover +5 health on any kill
Blade Master (level 8): 49 percent chance to recover full health when hit streak reaches 30.
Bow
Sylvan Arrow (level 5): 30 percent chance to recover +30 Focus for a headshot kill.
Dagger
To the Death (level 8): Recover 49 percent Focus for grab shank kills.
How to earn more Mirian in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Mirian, otherwise known as M, is the game's virtual currency and is necessary for upgrading Talion's weapons and increasing his Maximum Health, Focus and Elf-shot. The best ways to earn it? Track down collectibles, complete side missions and challenges and/or bonus objectives. Check the map to see opportunities to earn Mirian, which the game's developers marked in white.
Use Caragor to your advantage
These ferocious creatures kill without mercy, be it Uruk or Talion. You'll often see them in cages, and it's your choice to free the beasts (hack with Talion's sword or break the chain with an arrow from afar) and let them run amok. You can even shoot bait hanging above to make the Caragor even crazier.
Unlock the Ride Caragors Ability to command one. Stand above a Caragor on a ledge and press R1 to jump off and mount the animal. Complete the mini-game (use the Left stick to move the cursor into the circle and press the desired button) and now you're able to steer the Caragor and perform the following actions:
- Press Square to attack or knock down.
- Press Triangle to bite. Caragor will regain health while munching downed enemies.
- Hold L2 to use Ranged Mode.
- Hold R2 and press Square to attack from above, dismounts.
- Hold Circle to drain your mount and regain Elf-shot. This damages the Caragor.
- Hold X to charge through and knock down enemies.
Tip: If you dismount a Caragor, it will remain loyal to Talian and fight until it's dead.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is available now for PS4, Xbox One and PC. Installing dkms on centos 7.
How to import your Nemesis into Shadow of War is probably one of the first questions you'll have when starting up a new game of Shadow of War, especially, of course, if you played much of its predecessor Shadow of Mordor.
Here in this guide we'll explain exactly how to do that, as well as how to import your Follower into Shadow of War, and explain the Nemesis Forge and how choosing your Nemesis and Follower works, so you can prepare to import them when you get the chance.
For more on Shadow of War, meanwhile, our comprehensive Shadow of Mordor guide and walkthrough has just about everything you need to know.
Nemesis Forge explained - how the Nemesis Forge works in Shadow of Mordor and how to use it for Shadow of War
The Nemesis Forge is a mode that was added to Shadow of Morder just a few months before the launch of Shadow of War.
In brief, it's a mode that's completely distinct from your main Shadow of Mordor playthrough that takes a snapshot of your save, and imports a full roster of the orcs you've interacted with the most (if you haven't interacted with enough to fill out a complete roster on the Nemesis screen, it randomly generates more to pad it out).
In Nemesis Forge, you basically have a free run of the Nurnen area, with all skills unlocked, and just the orcs that were imported into it making up the area's captains and warchiefs.
Most importantly, it's here that you'll be able to manipulate which Nemesis and Follower is imported into Shadow of War.
How to choose which Nemesis and Follower is imported into Shadow of War:
The Nemesis Forge lines up orcs in order of the strength of your relationship, from top left to bottom right. That means the top left will probably be your Nemesis, and somewhere else in the stack of orcs will be your Follower.
Your Nemesis is the orc you've built up the strongest, hidden 'Nemesis score' up with, whilst your Follower is the orc you've built up the strongest, hidden 'Follower score' with.
These are affected by a number of things. For your Nemesis, that could be the number of battles they've had with you, the amount of times they've seen you die or killed you, the number of times they've 'cheated death' (when you kill them without beheading or exploding their head, so they can return), and so on.
For a quick exploit, you can add a small amount to an orc's Nemesis score by targeting them in that army screen. Do this over and over again - switching target to a different orc with a lower rating, and back again - will gradually boost their score, until they become your Nemesis.
Note that it takes longer to do the further down the order they are, but it's just about always the fastest way to do it when compared to methods like finding them, engaging them, and running away from battle several times.
For your Follower things work similarly. Any orc that you've dominated - shown by them glowing blueish-white from the eyes - can be your Follower, and to choose a new one you'll need to increase the strength of your relationship together. To do that, send them on special Follower missions and help them to make sure they succeed, and likewise help in any Power Struggles they may have, and they'll quickly become your Follower.
Once you've chosen them, simply hop into Shadow of War, get cracking on your playthrough, and as long as you're on the same platform as your Shadow of Mordor save, they'll eventually arrive in-game!
How to import your Nemesis and Follower into Shadow of War
The system for importing your Nemesis or Follower into Shadow of War from Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis Forge is surprisingly simple.
How to import your Nemesis to Shadow of War:
Some minor spoilers here, but your Nemesis will show up as the third and final champion you face in the Arena mission early on in the game.
Some people have claimed to have encountered theirs earlier, but this could either be a mistake on their part (there are an awful lot of similar looking Orcs, after all..) or the game may throw them in earlier at a random or very low probability of encouring them.
Everything you need for every step of Shadow of War.
Shadow Of Mordor Black Captains Game
Need more help? Our Shadow of War guide and walkthrough gives you an overview of everything you need, but if you need something in particular, we have pages on Shadow of War Fortress Sieges, how to earn Mirian in Shadow of War, a guide for how to import your Nemesis and Follower to Shadow of War, collectibles guides like how to get all Shadow of War Legendary Armour and Weapons sets, a list of Lost Artifacts and Web of Fate locations, and Ithildin Door poem solutions and Shadows of the Past, along with how to grind XP in Shadow of War to power through the tricky Shadow Wars endgame and get the true ending. Finally, there's Shadow of War's army building explained and the best skills and how to earn Skill Points.
For your Nemesis to be imported, you need to have played Shadow of Mordor on the same platform as you're playing Shadow of War. From there, whichever orc is your Nemesis, marked within the Nemesis Forge (which we explain below in more detail), will be the one to be imported automatically. You can only import your nemesis once, so be sure to lay down the prep in Shadow of Mordor first if you want something specific!
How to import your Follower to Shadow of War:
Similarly to your Nemesis, your Follower is also imported automatically in Shadow of War. This Orc will be one of those you rescue during the Damaged mission, early on in Act 2.
Shadow Of Mordor Black Captains
So with that in mind, make sure you have everything straightened out how you like it in Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis Forge before diving into Shadow of War, because once you do it's all automatically handled from then on!
