This article contains information about the Nemesis System in Middle-Earth: Shadow of War [ME: SoW]. We’ll update this with better information once the game comes out.
Nemesis System
The Nemesis System is a system where the player has certain relationships with certain characters in-game. Majority of those involved in the Nemesis system are leaders of Sauron’s Army. This includes enemies such as the Uruk-Hai and the Olog-Hai appear in different portions of the game. While the player progresses through the game, these characters are affected by Talion’s actions. Each of these nemeses have a selected set of actions. As Talion ventures deeper into Mordor, the nemeses will either flee from Talion or confront him.
As the nemeses system expands, each nemeses has their own set of characteristics, missions and events, titles, and own names. In Shadow of War, these nemeses are capable of:
- Developing their own weaknesses and strengths.
- Build their fortress based on their rivalry with Talion.
- Utilize Tribe-based skills which also reflect their behaviour.
Their uniqueness is distinguished by a list of traits and categories:
Categories for the Nemesis System
Names
Each nemeses has their own specific name. This also may lead to having clues as to how their behaviour is in-game. Because the characters are more interactive, knowing their name also helps especially in defeating them. To add, some of the nemeses drop special gear which may improve Talion’s combative capability.
Visuals/ Aesthetics
These nemeses are distinguishable among the crowd. They have unique voices, aesthetics, and even unique armor. Because of this, players can set up a particular set of equipment that can defeat the particular nemeses. This allows the player to quickly accomplish missions and easily obtain the special gear it drops.
Power Level
Initially in Shadow of Mordor, the power levels restricted themselves to 20. However, Shadow of War breaks the power level limit. The higher the power level, the stronger the nemeses. Sometimes, the power level also dictates what kind of rank the nemesis will hold upon encountering them in combat.
Hierarchy
In the Nemesis System, the nemesis have a hierarchy in which they rise through the ranks of Sauron’s army. The longer they are left alive, the more they’ll increase in rank. In Shadow of War, the highest known rank is the Overlord Rank in which they rule from a fortress. They have other Warchiefs that function as their escorts and have higher stats than those of Warchiefs.
However, newly promoted nemeses appear to have a lower difficulty compared to those who started out in the particular rank. For example, a newly promoted Overlord may have lower stats than that of a nemesis who started out as an Overlord. As their rank rises, so does the quality of the loot they drop.
Relationships
The Nemeses, because they are in Sauron’s army, often compete with each other. Some Nemeses can die or will not appear in the battlefield due to fighting with their rival. As they fight with their rival, they sometimes either lose their ranking to that rival or gain better rankings. At times, they enter something known as “Power Struggles” in which they would defeat a Nemesis above them and take their place.
Ranks
Ranks are different than hierarchy due to the prefixes it adds. The ranks also change due to the many missions. Players can take advantage of this by either letting themselves get killed to increase that said grunt’s level to captain. In doing so, there are better drops. Or, they can also kill the said nemesis in order to allow a particular enemy to move up and drop the specific loot they are looking for.
Classes
Main Article: Classes in Shadow of War
Classes describe the combat style of the said Nemesis. This combat style also dictates the kinds of attacks they’ll use against the player. It also allows the player to think of multiple means to defeat the said nemesis should they encounter them. Another thing to note is that the Overlord’s class will match that of his Warchief underlings. If the Overlord is of the Berserker class then, all his warchiefs will become Berserkers.
Tribes
The Tribes are what dictate some of the nemesis’ personality and also skills. Some tribes have a particular set of skills and even a particular set of traits they may give priority to. These then translate to a select set of Strengths and Weaknesses which fall under their Traits.
Traits
There appears to have two classifications of traits. One set of traits belong to that of the Tribe. Another set of traits fall under that of the class assignment. Certain classes have certain strengths and also a select set of weaknesses, forcing the player to come up with a variety of strategies while fighting the said nemesis.
Location
Each Nemesis has their own location. If the mission is drawn out in a particular area, the said nemesis may appear. As Talion goes through his missions, he can either defeat the nemesis to earn its loot or let himself get killed to increase its rank. There are times that the said Nemesis will change location after cheating death, intensifying his rivalry with Talion.
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