I then made him my bodyguard and narrowly avoided death on many an occasion thanks to his intervention. I encountered one captain who I fought time and time again before eventually besting him and forcing him to my cause. Orcs can now be dominated and added to your growing army of allies. The recruitment aspect brings a new edge that only served as a short term boon in Shadow of Mordor. However, now there are multiple rivals – assassin’s who attack out of nowhere (often as orcs you’ve already defeated) – and allies to be recruited. As before every orc has a unique name, appearance and set of attributes (all of which can be utilized in a fight, should you plan wisely enough).

Revamped for Shadow of War, the Nemesis System and its occupants have evolved into an ecosystem that’s constantly reacting to your exploits. In its original form, Mordor’s orcish population was a social hierarchy, a web of fate that ebbed and flowed on your every arrow and blade strike. This is all down to the brilliant Nemesis System, which returns from Shadow of Mordor freshly updated and expanded in all the right places.

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