Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Topple Sauron’s army endlessly with free ‘Middle-earth: Shadow of War’ DLC

Steven Petite
By

middle earth shadow of war dlc timeline review 014209
Middle-earth: Shadow of War already has a substantial amount of exciting content, but we’d never complain about new content for a great game — especially when it includes free content. Warner Bros. has outlined Shadow of War‘s post-launch content, some of which arrives very soon.

On November 21, a trio of free updates arrives in the open world action game.

Recommended Videos

The previously announced Endless Siege mode arrives, which tasks players with defending fortresses from Sauron’s army. Sieges have been a part of the Shadow Wars endgame since launch, but the update will remove the restrictions on the number of Shadow Wars events players can participate in.

Related

Along with Endless Siege comes Rebellion. The description from WB reads: “Crush the rebel Ologs and Uruks in your forces as they seek to undermine the Bright Lord.”

The third November 21 item isn’t new content but a new feature. Shadow of War will receive an enhanced photo mode to let players apply filters, enhance textures, and change frames to in-game screenshots.

Two weeks later, on December 5, a pair of additional free updates arrive. Online Fight Pits will let you challenge other users’ Orc followers in arena fights to the death that net upgrades and “powerful rewards.” And if you’re feeling brave, a new Brutal difficulty level will feature “no last chances,” making it harder than Nemesis difficulty.

WB also hinted that more free content would be on the way next year.

As for paid content, WB revealed that the game’s first expansion pack, “Slaughter Tribe,” will be available alongside the first wave of free content on November 21. On December 12, the “Outlaw Tribe” expansion pack arrives. Both of those two pieces of paid DLC add a new tribe, missions, fortresses, challenges, conquests, and legendary gear.

Owners of the game’s $40 season pass will gain access to both of those tribe expansions, as well as the two story expansions that arrive next year. “Blade of Galadriel” launches in February, while “Desolation of Mordor” rounds out the season pass in May. Each of the story expansions put players in the shoes of someone else other than Talion (Eltariel and Baranor, respectively).

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Steven Petite
Steven Petite
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Steven is a writer from Northeast Ohio currently based in Louisiana. He writes about video games and books, and consumes…
Fans will have to wait a bit longer for ‘Middle-Earth: Shadow of War’
Shadow of War: Gameplay, Release Date, and Everything We Know So Far

Monolith Productions says we'll have to wait a bit longer to return to Tolkien's fantasy lands in Middle-earth: Shadow of War. The follow-up to Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor will now launch on October 10. Shadow of War was originally slated for an August 22 release.

"As with Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Monolith is committed to delivering the highest-quality experience," Andy Salisbury, Monolith Productions community manager, wrote in a post. "In order to do this, we have made the difficult decision to move our launch to ensure that Middle-earth: Shadow of War will deliver on that promise."

Read more
A fallen monster has ‘Middle-earth: Shadow of War’ fans grieving
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War

Last week, Warner Bros. and developer Monolith Productions showed off the first gameplay from Middle-earth: Shadow of War. The sequel to Shadow of War looks nothing short of stunning, with an advanced "Nemesis" system, new combat abilities, and flying mounts that completely change the course of battles. But a character only briefly visible in the footage -- the late Az-Laar The Demolisher -- has fans pouring out a pint of grog and shedding a few tears.

YouTube users have already begun uploading their own Az-Laar tributes, showcasing the best moments of the warrior's short life before he was cut down in a shower of oil and fire. One video, which couples his death with a somber black and white filter and sad piano music, even features a comment from Az-Laar himself.

Read more
‘Middle-Earth: Shadow of War’ dynamically designs entire armies bent on your demise

Building on the success of Shadow of Mordor, developer Monolith Productions is doubling down on Orc mastery and manipulation in the sequel.
More than just doing right by J.R.R. Tolkien's tomes, developer Monolith Productions' open-world take on The Lord of the Rings, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, became the surprise hit of 2014. The game’s crown jewel was its proprietary “Nemesis System,” a ground-breaking feature that generated unique “boss” characters, and used your encounters with them to create personalized relationships and storylines throughout the game. This could mean bending a low-level lieutenant to your will, and having them do your bidding, or watching a thin-skinned baddie you'd bullied at the start of the game rise to power and come after you several hours into the campaign.

For the recently revealed sequel, Middle-earth: Shadow of War, Monolith plans to evolve and expand the Nemesis System beyond one-on-one enemy encounters. Where Nemesis System 1.0 was, according to Monolith VP of Creative Michael de Plater, about “making every player have unique personal enemies and unique stories they could create with those enemies”, he said the new version will apply that same idea to the entire game world.

Read more