When "Middle-Earth: Shadow of War" was announced, fans of the interactive "Lord of the Rings" universe rejoiced. There were also a lot of questions about how the sequel would expand on the successful formula which won gamers over despite being very unlike the phenomenally popular Peter Jackson films. The visual style broke from the often brightly lit and colorful world of Middle-Earth, leaving players in a very desolate environment populated primarily by buildings in disrepair, and human-hating orcs and Uruks.
With an environment like that, it was the gameplay which really shined.
The ability to cross distances using Celbrimbor's wraith powers combined with brutal kills and stealth tactics which proved, once again, that video games are often full of blind guards. Admittedly, the tower climbing and stealth tactics felt somewhat borrowed from the "Batman: Arkham" series and "Assassin's Creed," but it was the almost magical feel of Middle-Earth which gave the game its unique feel.
Now Celebrimbor's wraith powers have become even more useful
Previously in "Shadow of Mordor," some of the admittedly nicer parts of combat often had Talion using the wraith to cross distances and kill enemies before they even had a chance to scream. There was also the combat mechanic which incorporated dashing between targets and slicing their throats or worse for a string of brutal kills.
This ability is back in "Shadow of War," but more expanded. Now using the predator skill tree, Talion barely moves at all while Celebrimbor takes over and kills orcs, and Talion simply watches and waits.
Another new ability, which was seen in the previous video update, was Talion's sword being nearly doubled with the wraith energy in a sort of charged sweep attack, spinning him in place and taking out orcs and Uruks alike within range.
This attack could come in handy if you're in a heated battle with multiple targets surrounding you.
Celebrimbor and Talion can now separate for more stealthy moves
As suggested in the initial "Shadow of War" gameplay footage, the new ring apparently allows the joined heroes to separate without breaking their bond. When the ring "exploded" and threw Celebrimbor clear of Talion's body, that was the first indication of how the wraith power would be expanded.
In the new gameplay video, we can see Talion initiating an attack while Celebrimbor dashes about and adds more kills to the streak before returning to Talion. We also see Talion hanging from a ledge as Celebrimbor climbs and takes out an orc by himself.
As in the first game, we can expect the Uruks to evolve as well, with some being immune to the new Wraith abilities. Don't expect things to get too easy just because Celebrimbor learned some new tricks.
