Have you reached the Shadow of War Ending yet? The game offers two endings, one after Act III and another after Act IV. Learn more about them here!
What is considered as “Ending in Shadow of War”
The main story campaign in Shadow of War ends with Act III, which is about an hour long. Well, between 35 and 50 minutes, depending on the difficulty you have chosen and your personal skills and previous experience as a Ranger. It reveals the fate of Talion, Shelob, Eltariel, Celebrimbor and Sauron, of course.
After that Act IV begins, which is an extended EndGame version of Shadow of War. Here Talion will have to conquer and defend all of the Forts in Mordor.
At the very end of Act IV, there is another “secret ending”, which is officially announced by Monolith as optional or additional. It adds a bit more to the story by explaining the fate of the Ranger Talion and is meant to be a reward to the truly loyal and dedicated fans of the game. And that is because Act IV is a grind fest.
To be able to complete all its Stages, you will need to level your followers, gear up properly and fight… a lot! I will show you that secret ending in another video clip.
While watching, you might want some additional information. Here are a few interesting guides for beginners:
- How to fight the Nazgul in Shadow of War
- All Shadow of War Legendary Gear Sets Guide
- Shadow of War: How to earn Mirian Guide
- How to get Legendary Orcs and Gear in Shadow of War
- Shadow of War Fortress Assault and Siege Defense Guide
Thoughts on the Shadow of War Story Ending
While many big media reviewers claimed the Story of Middle-earth: Shadow of War to be mediocre and far from the best feature of this game, I can only agree with one of these statements and not even to a full extend.
I liked the story in Shadow of Mordor and the one Shadow of War gives us is a lot better, longer and way more dramatic. It has plots, different points of view, and an interesting ending with a twist.
I was left satisfied with what the Monolith story team offered us. From a strict Tolkien canon point of view, there are a few weak spots and some strong controversies, but who cares. We know this game is not canon and don’t actually need it to be, really.
Speaking of endings, I mentioned in the first part of the article that there is a normal ending of the story and a special secret one:
- The 1st occurs at the end of Act III. In fact, the game warns you before you begin Act III that this will be the ending of the story.
- The 2nd one is an optional, additional cinematic that shows the true fate of the Ranger Talion. When the video is ready, I’ll share it with you here as well.
While the Nemesis system is by far the best part of Shadow of War (still), I absolutely enjoyed the story arcs. All of them. Sometimes I found myself just rushing from one story mission to the next, not bothered if my followers are getting killed or my Forts are being attacked.
All that just so I can see what happens next with Talion, Shelob, Letariel, Baranor and… a very special orc, whose name I won’t mention. Spoiler alert! He is a returned from Shadow of Mordor and is a mass fan-favorite, my personal one too!
In conclusion – if you haven’t dabbled into Shadow of War’s story, don’t waste time. The game does not include any grind up to and including Act III and if you are a true completionist (like myself), you will grind through Act IV as well to see the extra added bonus ending. Or… you know… watch the video I have made.
Here is the true ending after Act IV, it shows the real fate of the Ranger Talion after his many years of fighting Sauron’s armies in Mordor.
And because you have now experienced or seen the final ending of Shadow of War, don’t you think it’s time to check out what’s planned to come as additional content in 2018? Find out what is included in the Expansion Pass.
