Driving orcs crazy has always been a selling point of the upcoming Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. Thanks to a new trailer we get a better idea of how exactly players will be doing that, specifically by learning and exploiting the weaknesses of orc leaders by using the abilities of a powerful wraith.
Shadow of Mordor puts players in the shoes of Talion, a ranger guarding the Black Gates of Mordor who is killed between the events of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of Rings." Talion isn't allowed to go on to the next world peacefully, however. Instead he is possessed by a vengeful wraith, who we now know to be the spirit of the elf Celebrimbor. If that doesn't ring a bell, don't feel bad --- he is a rather obscure character from J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Silmarillion."
He is important because, in Tolkein's high fantasy world, Celebrimbor actually created the legendary rings of power after being tricked by Sauron. That didn't work out so well, with Sauron becoming more powerful than ever and later having Celebrimbor killed, so it is understandable that the spirit of the elf hates Sauron with an undying passion. To get revenge he fuses with Talion to create a deadly celestial fighter on a quest to rid the world of Sauron's dark minions.
This is where Shadow of Mordor's gameplay comes in. Using Talion's wraith powers, players can either dominate or terrorize orcs. Dominating a foe with the power of the wraith allows Talion to learn the strengths and weaknesses of orc leaders. By avoiding a certain enemy's strengths and using their weakness against them (like one orc's fear of ghouls showed in the trailer below) Talion can easily defeat his more powerful foes. Choose terrorize and your enemies will be so afraid that they will actually fight for you, causing chaos among the orc ranks and allowing you to more easily dispatch your enemies.
These two gameplay mechanics combine together with Shadow of Mordor's open world setting and unique nemesis system for a different play experience every time. The nemesis system creates unique orc leaders for you to fight and, should they escape your blade, will remember your past encounters next time you should meet.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor lands on store shelves September 30, recently pushed up a week from its original October 7 release date. Look for it on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.
