Fixed an issue where an Orc would spawn incorrectly during an ambush, leaving the player stuck and without control for 30-60 seconds.
Fixed an issue where the player could get stuck on an infinite loading screen when starting a Fortress Defense. This includes the Fortress Defense in the quest, “The Best Defense”.
Fixed an issue where the bodyguards the player assigned to an enemy Overlord do not betray the Overlord, and attack the player instead.
Fixed an issue where decoys could get an invisible body after promotion.
Fixed an issue where an assigned Follower would become unassigned after advancing time via a Headir.
Desolation of Mordor Story Expansion: Fixed an issue where rewards were not being given when capturing an Outpost on subsequent runs after the first run.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War Patch Notes v1.15
Desolation of Mordor Story Expansion Now Available
Open a new front in the war for Mordor as Baranor, Captain of the fallen city of Minas Ithil. Travel to the Eastern Deserts of Lithlad and raise a new army of human mercenaries.
As a mortal man, and lacking a Ring of Power or a wraith, Baranor can neither cheat death nor dominate Orcs. Ally with the Dwarven hunter Torvin, master ancient technologies and command loyal allies to stay alive and conquer this new land.
The following content and features will be added to your game upon purchase of the Desolation of Mordor Story Expansion. Please note, if you currently own the Expansion Pass, this content is included with your pass.
Desolation of Mordor Story Expansion includes the following content:
Play as Baranor, the Captain of Minas Ithil and survivor of the cityís demise, in a new story expansion where players can command the forces of Man against a new Orc threat to the East.
Unite with Torvin, the Dwarven Hunter, to craft powerful new combat gear, including the shield, gauntlet, grapple and kite.
Fight to survive in Mordor as a human without the power of a Ring or a wraith to cheat death in a new rogue-like campaign mode.
Fight alongside new friends and allies in the form of human Mercenaries with new Command options.
Complete a host of new outpost missions and overthrow the imposing Marauder fortress of Shindr‚m.
Face new enemies, including the mythical Were-wyrms.
Play as Talion in the new region of Lithlad, expanding your main story campaign to experience all new Shadows of the Past missions as well as Conquests, Sieges, and Vendettas.
Unlockable Baranor character skin for the main story campaign.
Free content updates available today for all Middle-earth: Shadow of War owners, including:
Nemesis System Enhancements Overlords can now have Bodyguards, which function the same as Warchief Bodyguards, including the ability to deploy spies.
Online Fight Pits & Online Conquests Update
Added the ability to search by player name when engaging in Friendly Online Pit Fights and Friendly Online Conquests.
Photo Mode Upgrades New stickers, styles and filters inspired by the Desolation of Mordor Story Expansion.
New Player Skin You can now choose to appear as Baranor.
Brutal Difficulty
Added a new Brutal Difficulty setting, meant to be difficult but unique in its feel. Enemies are as fast and lethal as on Gravewalker difficulty, but your damage is increased greatly, and your Might and Wrath meters fill faster to allow you to use more special moves.
Player Stats Page Updates
Added additional entries to the Player Stats page.
Market Update:
The ability to purchase Gold within the Market will be permanently removed. Players will still be able to spend Gold and receive Gold via in-game challenges up until the Market closes permanently on July 17. For more information, please refer to our recent community update and FAQ.
Additional Fixes:
General Stability:
Fixed various crashes
Achievements:
Fixed an issue where the Forged by War achievement would not unlock if you met the final requirement while replaying a mission.
Fixed an issue where the Everything is Permitted achievement would not unlock if you deranged a Warchief assassin during his Confrontation Mission.
Fixed an issue where The Operative achievement may not unlock when betrayal conditions are met.
Skills/Player Actions:
Fixed an issue that sometimes caused Talion's Ringwraith ability to be too stealthy.
Fixed an issue where pairing the Chain of Souls and Domination upgrades could prevent you from dominating multiple enemies at once.
Fixed an issue where the Chain of Souls skill would not contribute progress towards gear challenges.
Fixed an issue where a mounted drake could become unresponsive after releasing prey from its claws.
Fixed an issue where a dive attack from a drake could grab the wrong target.
Fixed an issue where mounting a dying Siege Beast could cause the player to become trapped.
Fixed various movement issues.
Fixed an issue where the mission The Fall could go missing and block player progression.
Fixed various issues with the Player Stats menu tracking events properly.
Fixed an issue where an Overlord's first win in the Online Arena might not register in the win streak.
Fixed an issue where a follower who wins three Online Pit Fights sometimes fails to receive an Epic Trait.
Fixed an issue where winning a Friendly Online Fight Pit could incorrectly grant levels.
Fixed an issue where Beasts in cages could become invisible after using Photo Mode.
Fixed an issue where an enemy fortís poison mines could appear blue, as if they were allied traps.
Fixed an issue where the vendetta cloak could not be earned by performing the requirements, which includes being mounted on a graug or drake.
UWP: Fixed a soft lock that could occur when changing texture quality and disconnecting from the live service.
Fixed an issue with one building in Nurnen where loot from slain Captains could become unreachable.
Fixed an issue during the Invasion Nemesis Mission where it could fail to resolve if a trickster made a tricky escape.
Fixed an issue where dropping Morgai Fly Nests could inflict poison.
Fixed an issue where the wall explosion VFX could fail to appear when a spy Warchief is successful in a fort assault.
Fixed an issue where an ambushing Captain would sometimes not give a presentation correctly, leaving the player stuck in place for a short while.
Fixed an issue where an Outlaw Captainís bolas could be invisible during his showdown.
Fixed an issue where retreating Followers would not present to the player if forced to betray.
Fixed an issue where a gift giver Captain would not correctly face the player during his presentation.
Fixed an issue where running towards the camera could cause ground textures to appear stretched.
Fixed an issue where the fortress gate in Gorgoroth could end up permanently closed after playing a Shadows of the Past Mission.
Fixed an issue where the game could become stuck on the skin selection screen if the game was only partially installed.
Fixed an issue where gameplay progression could become blocked when reaching or completing the The Etten Mission.
Blade of Galardiel Story Expansion:
Fixed an issue where Followers from the Blade of Galadriel Story Expansion could be imported into the main campaign at the incorrect level. They will now always be at least level 15.
Fixed an issue where some story dialog could fail to play in the Blade of Galadriel Story Expansion.
Fixed an issue where Eltariel's Ranged mode would temporarily become stuck during the Poisoned Ground Mission, due to poison mist.
Fixed an issue where the Light infused by the Blaze skill would disappear if any other Light-based attack was then used.
Fixed an issue where Eltariel's hand could animate poorly after being hit.
Corrected the color of Eltariel's Ground Blaze effect.
Fixed an issue where killing a blinded enemy with a Light Bolt could cause a Glaive to inappropriately appear in Eltariel's hand.
User Interface (UI):
Photo Mode:
Fixed an issue with the Photo Mode tutorial that sometimes incorrectly showed pink boxes.
Fixed an issue where the Photo Mode option depth of field didnít function properly at times.
Fixed an issue where the Photo Mode style ìNouveauî could sometimes result in incorrect layering.
The Last Chance PIPs beneath the mini-map now display on Easy Difficulty.
Fixed a persistent error message that could occur if the controller was disconnected during the initial loading of a new game.
Fixed an issue on UWP using GameDVR recording tool that caused the cursor to stay on screen.
Fixed an issue for the "unpack next" feature not operating correctly when highlighting commerce boost items.
Fixed an issue where the Experience Boost percentage indicator could become hidden after a store purchase.
Fixed an issue after Online Fight Pits that sometimes incorrectly displayed a message Network Error, Unable to record results.
Clarified the error message that is displayed when trying to assign a Training Order to a Follower who is currently on a mission.
Fixed an issue with ranked Conquests where the Orc preview window would not display the correct character.
Fixed an issue with Online Vendettas where the target Orc info could fail to load properly in the UI.
Fixed an issue where completing a community challenge could sometimes result in incorrect information being displayed in the tracking UI.
Fixed an issue where, if deploying a Follower to the Army menu would result in the Follower dueling another Follower, the player might not get a warning.
Blade of Galadriel Story Expansion
Fixed an issue where the Continue/Start New Game prompt would be briefly absent with no functionality in Start Menu when highlighting "Blade of Galadriel."
Fixed an issue where the incorrect characterís abilities could be displayed when viewed in the Options menu.
Fixed the ìBlazeî skill guide entry to not display until the ability has been unlocked.
Fixed an issue where the Broken UI text could remain on screen after a Nazgul is banished by being blinded.
Fixed an issue in the Blade of Galadriel Story Expansion where the screen prompt for Summon Bodyguard incorrectly shows after The Enchanted is killed.
Nemesis System:
Adjusted the rules for camera presentations during Fortress Assaults and Fortress Defenses:
Reduced presentation frequency of nearby Orc deaths.
Fixed an issue where initial meetings do not trigger, except for Warchiefs and enemies the player has met in the past, and then they only triggered on a sword clash.
Presentations do not trigger for Hate, Terror or Retreat.
Walk-out presentations do not trigger for second-stage Warchiefs (at an inner courtyard).
Followers can now set a trap to betray you during rescue missions.
Orc Beastmaster can now sometimes earn the new Caragor Tamer trait, which enables them to convert opposing caragors to their side.
Added white lines in the Army menu to visually indicate Orcs who are Blood Brothers.
Fixed an issue that sometimes prevented a retreating Trickster from leading the player to an ambush.
Globally sped up the length of enemy death presentations.
Fixed an issue which sometimes disallowed players from sending reinforcements to support Followers in a single-Captain nemesis mission.
Fixed an issue where a Follower prisoner could be removed from the hierarchy if his captor was defeated by a deployed Captain from the garrison.
Fixed an issue where a Follower could be assigned as a bodyguard to both Talion and a Warchief at the same time.
Fixed an issue where Undead Followers could level-up when sent to-and-from the garrison.
Increased the likelihood of Gift Givers in Minas Morgul and Cirith Ungol.
Balance:
Increased the variability of levels of Orc Captains in late game. Now, more Captains could appear lower than the player's level, particularly on high difficulty settings.
Significantly increased the damage grunt Orcs deal to Captains, making them a greater threat.
Tuned Gravewalker difficulty
Tuned player damage against Orcs of vastly higher level. They will go down faster.
Reduced rate of Orc power growth in late game.
Reduced animation speed of certain defender spear attacks.
Reduced damage of multi-hit attacks on Gravewalker difficulty.
Reduced life steal on certain Berserker special attacks.
Reduced damage of certain Orc special attacks against other Captains.
Moderately decreased damage of Orc Captains against other Orc Captains at high levels, giving the player more time to intervene.
Corrected too-high Wrath recovery values on certain sword gear properties.
The Frost explosion triggered by the Legendary Bright Lord ranged weapons no longer affects allies.
Fixed an issue in Gravewalker difficulty where Orcs could sometimes allow stealth attacks after spotting the player.
Shadow of War PC Patch Notes v1.14
Bug Fix
<*> Fixed a new issue where some players were encountering an infinite loading screen when trying to launch “The Etten” quest.
Important Free Updates Coming to Shadow of War
Free Game Updates – Coming July 17
We want to thank all of the Middle-earth: Shadow of War players, as we’ve learned a lot from you. Since we released the game last fall, we’ve been listening to your feedback and continue to update and improve the experience. With that in mind, we’ll be releasing a series of free updates in the coming months to offer current fans and new players the best Shadow of War experience we possibly can.
The core promise of the Nemesis System is the ability to build relationships with your personal allies and enemies in a dynamic open world. While purchasing Orcs in the Market is more immediate and provides additional player options, we have come to realize that providing this choice risked undermining the heart of our game, the Nemesis System. It allows you to miss out on the awesome player stories you would have otherwise created, and it compromises those same stories even if you don’t buy anything. Simply being aware that they are available for purchase reduces the immersion in the world and takes away from the challenge of building your personal army and your fortresses. In order to fully restore the core promise of the Nemesis System, we’ll be permanently removing Gold, War Chests and the Market from Shadow of War. This means the option to purchase Gold with real-world money and the ability to gain Orc Followers from War Chests will be removed. There will be a specific amount of time given for players to utilize their unused Gold. If players have unused Gold by the end of the time allotted to spend it, any remaining Gold will be converted to in-game items.
Additionally, we’ll be updating the Shadow Wars section of the campaign, where players defend their fortresses against Sauron’s repeated counter-attacks. This portion of the game will be improved with new narrative elements and streamlined for a more cohesive experience. For players who choose to continue with these on-going fortress defense missions, the Endless Siege update released last November will still be available. We’ll also be incorporating many other gameplay improvements that will be detailed in future build notes, including Nemesis System updates, new player skins, skill tree additions, gear system upgrades and progression updates, just to name a few that we’re excited about.
Please note that the above updates are free for all Shadow of War owners. The ability to purchase Gold will permanently cease on May 8, 2018. The permanent removal of Gold, War Chests and the Market will take place on July 17, 2018, at the same time as all other updates discussed above.
The entire team here at Monolith appreciates our dedicated fans, and we feel that these improvements will provide all players with the very best Shadow of War gameplay experience. In the meantime, we’ll keep everyone informed throughout the process as we work through the details associated with these changes. We’ve also posted an FAQ below to provide additional information.
Thank you again for your support.
Monolith Productions
FAQ
Why are Gold and the Market being removed from Shadow of War? The core promise of the Nemesis System is the ability to build relationships with your personal allies and enemies in a dynamic open world. While purchasing Orcs in the Market is more immediate and provides additional player options, we have come to realize that providing this choice risked undermining the heart of our game, the Nemesis System. It allows you to miss out on the awesome player stories you would have otherwise created, and it compromises those same stories even if you don’t buy anything. Simply being aware that they are available for purchase reduces the immersion in the world and takes away from the challenge of building your personal army and your fortresses. In order to fully restore the core promise of the Nemesis System, we’ll be permanently removing Gold, War Chests and the Market from Shadow of War. This means the option to purchase Gold with real-world money and the ability to gain Orc Followers from War Chests will be removed.
When will Gold and the Market be removed from the game? Gold will no longer be available for purchase with real-world money beginning on May 8, 2018. Players will still be able to spend Gold and receive Gold via in-game challenges up until the Market closes permanently on July 17, 2018.
Are there plans to add Gold or the Market back into the game in the future? No, these are permanent changes to the game.
Will players still be able to spend Mirian on in-game items through the Market? Players will be able to spend Mirian in the Market until it permanently closes beginning on July 17.
Will players still be able to earn and spend Mirian in the game? Yes, Mirian will continue to be used to unlock gem slots and increase fortress defenses. We will also be adding the ability use Mirian to acquire Training Orders or upgrade a piece of older gear to your current level, as well as spend gems to reroll gear stats.
What will happen to unused Gold when the Market is permanently closed? Any remaining Gold will be converted to Gold Loot Chests beginning on July 17. Each 150 in Gold will be converted to one Gold Loot Chest, with any balance under 150 Gold being converted to a single Gold Loot Chest. The contents of Gold Loot Chests will remain unchanged.
Can Gold voucher codes still be used after the Market is permanently closed? Gold vouchers redeemed on or after July 17, when the Market closes, will be converted into Gold Loot Chests. Gold vouchers redeemed before July 17 can be used normally.
Will these game updates change how players can recruit Orcs? There will now be more ways to recruit and upgrade Orcs, including recruitment during Online Conquests and Online Vendettas, as well as having more Legendary Orcs present in the game.
Will players still be able to purchase or earn War Chests? No, the ability to purchase or earn War Chests will be removed from the game when the Market permanently closes beginning on July 17. However, all unopened War Chests that a player has obtained will still be available in the Garrison.
Will players still be able to earn or purchase Loot Chests? The ability to purchase Loot Chests will be removed from the game when the Market permanently closes beginning on July 17. However, Loot Chests can still be earned in-game through Online Conquests and Online Vendettas. Loot Chest contents will remain unchanged.
How are the in-game chest rewards going to change going forward? Online Conquests and Online Vendettas will continue to award Loot Chests. Online Fight Pits will continue to award Training Orders through chests. Community Challenges will award chests. Spoils of War chests will now contain Training Orders instead of Orcs, including a guaranteed Legendary Training Order.
Will the Garrison remain in the game? Yes, unassigned Followers, unopened chests, unused Boosts and unused Training orders will continue to be available in the Garrison.
Will weekly Market updates continue to be released until the Market is closed? The Market will continue to update as normal until May 1. On May 1, the Market will still be available, but no longer feature any new content or promotions. The Market will be permanently closed beginning on July 17.
Will Daily Challenges continue to reward players with Gold? Gold will continue to be available as a reward for Daily Challenges until the Market is permanently closed on July 17. After that date, challenges that awarded Gold will now award Legendary gear.
How can Gold be used between now and July 17? Players can continue to purchase items in the Market with Gold until the Market is permanently closed on July 17.
What will happen to unopened chests that have already been purchased when the Market is closed? After the Market is permanently closed on July 17, all unopened chests will continue to be available for use in the Garrison
What will happen to items in the Garrison once the Market is closed? Nothing will change. All Orcs and in-game items that were in the Garrison prior to the Market closure will continue to be available after the Market is closed.
Why is the Shadow Wars portion of the game being changed? With the addition of the Endless Siege mode, we are now able to streamline the Shadow Wars and add a number of improvements to the presentation, along with new narrative elements to provide a more cohesive experience.
When will the Shadow Wars updates be implemented? The Shadow Wars updates will be available on July 17, along with other game updates.
What will happen to players who have already started the Shadow Wars when the update goes live? For players who have already started the Shadow Wars, it will restart upon receiving the update. For players who have already completed the Shadow Wars, it will remain completed. For players who have yet to begin the Shadow Wars, the new version will be available when they arrive at that point in the game.
What other game updates are being planned? We will be incorporating many gameplay improvements that will be detailed in future build notes, including Nemesis System updates, new player skins, skill tree additions, gear system upgrades and progression updates.
Will these changes be implemented in all regions? Yes, all game updates will be available in all regions and platforms globally.
The Desolation of Mordor DLC Releases May 8
The Desolation of Mordor Story Expansion includes:
• NEW Story campaign
• NEW Side missions featuring Torvin
• NEW Human Mercenaries and Bodyguards
• NEW Region of Mordor - The Desert of Lithlad
• NEW Beasts: Were-wyrms
Play as Baranor, the Captain of the Tower from Minas Ithil, and travel deep behind enemy lines in the Eastern Deserts of Mordor.
Raise an Easterling Army to open a new front in the Shadow War.
Rendezvous with Torvin, the epic Dwarven Hunter, who journeyed deep into the Desolation of Mordor in pursuit of the legendary Were-wyrms.
Join Monolith every Thursday at 3PM PDT on twitch.tv/monolithlive to get a first look at the new DLC.
Conquer the Final Week of Tribal Wars
Some of you have been asking for prizes in Tribal Wars and we've heard you. So for the final week, we’re asking you to send us a screenshot of your favorite tribal champion. We'll do random drawings this week and next over on Twitter @ShadowofWarGame, giving away Mithril chests. All you have to do is Tweet us a screenshot of your favorite Captain from the current winning tribe with #Sweepstakes and #ShadowofWar to enter. (This week it’s Terror. Next week, who knows? But maybe Terror.)
Remember to use hashtag #sweepstakes with your post. (Seriously, if you do, you’re already waaay ahead of the competition.)
So the final challenge is upon us. It's an online pit fight battle royale:
And we’ll be diving into Pit Fights today (Thurs.) on our livestream to kick things off. Join us at 3 PM PST / 6 PM EST to challenge our champions or just to laugh at the random carnage. http://go.wbgames.com/MonolithTwitch
And once more for posterity – congratulations to Terror tribe for their back-to-back wins. That's impressive but it would cool to see a new challenger enter the fray for the final round.
Raise The Strong
Overlords look down on the rank and file. That’s a perk of the job - right up there with getting to toss the head of a spy off the top of their balconies.
But only the strong stay on top –there’s always room at the bottom. This week, keep your Overlords on their toes AND give your favorite tribe a chance to climb to the top of the Tribal Wars by promoting as many Overlords from your favorite tribe as you can.
Every promotion counts. You can promote and demote a single Captain as many times as you want.
It’s time to topple the pretenders.
And the results of last week are in – all hail the Terror tribe! Fittingly, the Masters of Pain dealt the most punishment to their foes in week 2’s Assassinations and Pit Fight missions. Will they stay on top? That’s up to you…
Make Your Tribe Stronger - Tribal Wars Week 2
Week 1 of Tribal Wars is in the books and the Marauder tribe proved triumphant. The Captains of Bling dominated week 1, swelling their ranks with an impressive 443,430 new recruits! With a late surge, the Marauders were able to hold-off rival Terror tribe and secure victory. Terror was barely edged out, though, with 443, 055 of their own Followers added - a mere 375 Dominations off the lead.
Still, the ultimate winner (or "Uber" winner as we said confusingly last week) will be the tribe with the most weeks won throughout the entire month. In case of a tie, we’ll aggregate all four weeks results to crown our champion.
Now it's time to take those newly Dominated Followers (and old favorites) from your adopted tribe and send them on Assassination or Pit Fight missions from the Army screen. Remember, we’re counting Follower vs. Follower Pit Fights this week – online Pit Fights will be scored in week 4.
Every victory earned in either of those mission types will be tallied community-wide to determine the winning tribe.
The more you send your tribal champions out, the more you add to your tribe's final tally.
Prove your tribe is a cut above the rest.
One Tribe Will Rule Them All
Everybody has a favorite tribe. Or maybe you love every pierced, scarred, horribly burned and/or mutilated, pustule-covered Captain to ever march beneath the 9 banners of Mordor. That works for us.
Because this month, we’re asking you, our community, to decide which tribe should rule the accursed roost (for a month at least).
Each week, we’ll have a new community-wide challenge which we’ll be tracking by tribe. We’ll announce the winner for each week’s challenge and the uber tribe will be crowned at the end of the month.
If you don’t have a caragor in the race, no worries! Be a free agent, sow discord, play kingmaker - just have fun.
And join us Thursdays on @MonolithLive at 3 PM Pacific/ 6 PM Eastern on Twitch, YouTube Gaming, or Mixer to hear the latest results from the War front.
See you in Mordor!
Monolith, Live! 2/22/2018
Cosplay takes serious talent.
It takes hard work. It takes time, dedication, and discipline to learn the skills necessary to craft a costume all your own - and many more still to hone them. That’s why this week we’re thrilled to be joined by Stef Sharp (@SharpStef), a coder by day and an overwhelmingly talented cosplayer by the-rest-of-her-day! She’ll talk us through some of the skills she used to build the latest version of her insanely detailed Eltariel cosplay.
From there, we’re going to go head-to-head with some of your strongest Fortresses, and give you a rundown on the week’s Community Challenges.
