Middle-earth™: Shadow of Mordor™

Middle-earth™: Shadow of Mordor™

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Easy Mode for Shadow of Mordor
By Mr. Platinum
This is how you should build your character for an easy game.

Attributes: Save until you get the Storm of Urfael (This is the sword execution ability, it is absolutely critical and easy to get if you just save the points and get it first). No other ability is worth getting until you get this ability. To get this attribute complete some of the scavenger quest (the wall collectibles and artifacts), do the Hunter quests and the Survival Quests (These are easy and produce good rewards for gain), and do some of the easier outcast quests.

Attribute build
Storm of Urfael => Sword Rune #1=> Sword rune #2=> Health #1=> Focus #1=> Elf Shot #1=> Health #2=> Health #3=> Elf Shot #2 => Focus #2
After this point the game should be remarkably easy and you can pretty much build it however you want. The other two weapon powers aren't really worthwhile. The Flame of Azkar is only useful when hunting the gragour and the Shadow of Acharn I rarely used.

Skill Build (Ranger skills)
Tier 01
Execution, Impact, Strike from Above
Tier 02
Get Throwing Daggers first (these will help you maintain hit combo streaks by throwing daggers. Also they're very useful for killing Ghuls to force the matron to come out.)
Brutalize is also useful for building up combo points easily (But not necessary).
Tier 03
Vault Stun is WITHOUT A DOUBT THE BEST SKILL HERE. (The rest is optional but you should get this skill first, as it does the wraith stun while dodging, which makes it very easy to do the elven swiftness combo builder, which makes executions super easy to get).
Tier 04
Blade master (Best skill here, reduces combo requirements from 8 to 5.)
Resilence is the second best skill here.
Death threat is useless unless you want to go rune hunting.
Tier 05
Double charge (Best skill here, allows you to perform 2 special moves)
Critical strike II (second best skill here, unless you aren't very good at timing these, which in that case I would recommend Flame of Vengence)


Wraith abilities:
Tier 01
Detonate, Elven Swiftness, Ride Caragors, Wraith Stun
(Elven swiftness and wraith stun is going to be the most used)
Tier 02
Wraith Flash (useful against Ghuls)
Stealth Drain (most useful practically, to get more focus and arrows, which is VERY easy to do against archers in high places or patrols)
The rest is pretty much optional and useless.
Tier 03
Wraith Finisher (This is the best one as it is the most useful when combined with runes that give you +focus or +hp after performing a head explosion)
Combat drain if you like dominating and branding orcs in combat. (Useful sometimes when you're overwhelmed and would like some breathing room)
The rest is useless and rarely used.
Tier 04
Wraith blast (Most useful)
The rest is kind of useless.
Tier 05
Quick draw (useful to save focus but if you're using arrows a lot you're doing something wrong.)
Dispatch (kind of useless if you have your sword mechanics down)
Shadow strike chain is pretty but useless most of the time due to camera limitations or lack of enemies nearby.
Wraith burn is neearly never used, but it can be effectively comboed with Wraith Flash => Wraith Burn (which should kill/terrorize a lot of mobs)

Threats/kill order:
Always kill the Archers in the towers first if you can.
If there are no Archers or only Archers in the group this is what you should do.
(1) Defenders (Shield holders)
(2) Hunters (Spear throwers)
(3) Archers
(4) Beserkers
(5) Grunts

Your executes should be used on either Boss mobs (Chiefs/Captains/Etc.) or Defenders/Beserkers.
When you are at half hp use your Storm of Urfael to kill whatever is attacking you.

Your combo builders should be:
Wraith stun/dodge-stun => Elven swiftness (the blade rush looking thing) => execute => execute => wraith stun/dodge => Elven Swiftness => execute => execute
Always counter when you're doing anything, even the Elven Swiftness and then try to go back to killing the orc with Elven Swiftness.
(This way you can kill/execute 3 orcs. 1 From Elven Swiftness, 2 from Executes using Double Charge.)

The Runes you want:
Sword:
Ruination (Increases the Storm of Urfael Duration by 10 Seconds) (Epic)
Blade master %chance to recover full health when a Hit Streak reaches 30 (standard)
Strength of Courage (Recover % health on Flurry kill) (Standard)
(The rest is optional and up to you really, but I believe there is a rune that recharges the Storm of Urfael 2x as fast I don't recall though)

Bow:
Wrath of the Eldar (Increase duration of Flame of Azkar +10 seconds) (epic)
Ascendant (Reduce focus depletion by 50%) (epic)
Fell-handed (Headshot kills recharge flame of azkar twice as fast) (Epic)
Optional:
River of Arrows (% Chance to recover one Elf-shot after firing the bow) (standard)
or
Slyvan Arrow (% chance to recover 30 focus after a headshot kill)
Generally I like River of Arrows x2 over the Slvyan Arrow + River of Arrow
Because I don't run out of focus but rather arrows first.

Dagger:
One with Nature (Immune to poison) (Epic)
Fell Voices (Recover all Focus and Health for killing captain or Warchief (Epic)
Balefire (Recover +2 Elf-shot for head explosion kill, this is great for combining with the wraith skill for head explosions) (Epic)
Worm's Tooth (% Chance to recover 25 health on head explosion kill) (Standard)
Breath of Light (Recover % health on a stealth kill) (Standard)
   
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16 Comments
d3adf1sh 9 Feb, 2023 @ 9:57am 
just wanted to let you know that i couldn't find this guide in the shadow of mordor guide section, i found it through google and tried to log in here to give you a thumbs up but had to go through your profile to find it. anyways, thanks for the guide :steamthumbsup::murica:
JohnJSal 8 Jul, 2018 @ 9:35am 
Very helpful guide, but I think the term "Elven Swiftness" is being used incorrectly. The author seems to mean the Flurry attack instead.
Adeptguy 8 Oct, 2017 @ 6:09pm 
Huh? Someone wants to make the game EASIER??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
What?
Gym Leader Giovanni 12 Sep, 2017 @ 5:07pm 
Add sword run life for death that heals 10 health on combat execution kills
Mr Sergal 29 Jul, 2017 @ 10:19am 
Considering Storm lets you use executes constantly. y e s.
Tronedor 18 Jul, 2017 @ 3:24pm 
Hey just wondering if this build still applies? I just picked up the GOTY and I have a rune that gives me Urfael already right off the bat, is it still worth it to follow this guide then? Not sure if unlocking what you mentioned is just that skill or a totally different weapon. any info would be great thanks :)
Moon☾at 6 Jul, 2017 @ 10:17am 
lol play without runes for max fun
Vanrias 5 Jul, 2017 @ 7:56am 
Useless
Agarillobob 4 Jul, 2017 @ 8:41am 
game is already in easy mode
algemon 24 Jun, 2017 @ 4:57am 
Can you explain why Storm of Urfael is good? There is a rune which just enables this skill and honestly I didn't have the chance to use it because it charges way to slow (it feels you can use this skill once per 20min). Is it really worth it.