Middle-earth: Shadow of War presents a challenging, yet rewarding, trophy list for PlayStation players. This guide offers a roadmap to platinum, detailing each achievement’s requirements.
Expect a mix of story progression, Nemesis System manipulation, combat prowess, and exploration tasks. Online vendetta trophies add another layer of complexity to the hunt.
Resources like PlayStationTrophies.org provide detailed walkthroughs and community insights, aiding your journey to unlock all Shadow of War’s secrets and earn the platinum.
Overview of Trophy Difficulty
Shadow of War’s trophy difficulty is generally considered a 6/10, leaning towards moderate. While no trophies are exceptionally difficult, the sheer number of them, combined with the time investment required for certain tasks, elevates the challenge. The Nemesis System plays a crucial role, demanding strategic engagement and exploitation for optimal progress.
Several trophies are tied to completing specific tasks within the Shadow Wars section, which can be time-consuming and require careful planning. The online trophies, while not overly demanding, necessitate finding opponents and engaging in vendetta missions.
Collectibles and achieving gold ratings on missions add to the grind, but are manageable with a dedicated approach. Overall, patience, strategic thinking, and utilizing available guides are key to conquering this trophy list.
Estimated Platinum Time
The estimated platinum time for Middle-earth: Shadow of War typically ranges between 50-75 hours, depending on player skill, familiarity with the Nemesis System, and chosen difficulty. A significant portion of this time is dedicated to completing Shadow Wars, online vendettas, and collecting all the various in-game items.
Optimized playthroughs, utilizing efficient strategies and guides, can potentially reduce this time to around 60 hours. However, players unfamiliar with the game or preferring a more thorough exploration experience should anticipate a longer completion time.
Skill-based trophies and achieving gold ratings on missions also contribute to the overall time investment, requiring practice and strategic planning.
Story-Related Trophies
Story-related trophies are earned through natural game progression, focusing on key narrative moments like defeating the Witch-king and reclaiming Minas Morgul.
Completing main missions automatically unlocks these achievements, requiring no specific actions beyond finishing the campaign’s core storyline.
The Lord of Gondor
The Lord of Gondor trophy is a pivotal story achievement, unlocked upon completing the main questline and reaching a specific point in the narrative.
This signifies Talion’s significant impact on Gondor’s fate, demonstrating his growing power and influence within the realm. It’s a non-missable trophy, earned through dedicated story progression.
Players will naturally obtain this trophy as they advance through the game’s central plot, battling Sauron’s forces and forging alliances with key characters.
Successfully navigating the political landscape and military conflicts of Gondor is crucial for unlocking this achievement, marking a turning point in the war against darkness.
Ensure you follow the main quest markers and engage with all critical story elements to guarantee you receive The Lord of Gondor.
The White City
The White City trophy is awarded for liberating Minas Tirith, the majestic capital of Gondor, from Sauron’s encroaching darkness. This achievement represents a major victory in the campaign against the Dark Lord.
Players must successfully defend Minas Tirith during a lengthy and challenging siege, utilizing strategic defenses and Talion’s combat skills to repel the enemy forces.
Completing all objectives within the Minas Tirith siege sequence is essential for unlocking this trophy, demanding careful planning and effective execution.
Successfully reclaiming Minas Tirith not only grants the trophy but also unlocks new opportunities and strengthens Gondor’s position in the war.
Prepare for a demanding battle and focus on strategic defense to earn The White City and restore hope to the realm of men.
The Witch-king’s Fall
The Witch-king’s Fall trophy signifies a pivotal moment in the story – the defeat of Sauron’s most terrifying lieutenant, the Witch-king of Angmar. This is a story-related trophy, earned through progression.
The battle against the Witch-king is a multi-stage encounter demanding mastery of Talion’s combat abilities and strategic exploitation of the Nemesis System.
Players must overcome the Witch-king’s formidable power and resilience, utilizing weaknesses and capitalizing on opportunities to inflict decisive damage.
Successfully vanquishing the Witch-king not only unlocks the trophy but also dramatically shifts the balance of power in the war against Sauron.
Prepare for an epic confrontation and demonstrate your skill to claim The Witch-king’s Fall and weaken Sauron’s grip on Mordor.
The Sacking of Minas Morgul
The Sacking of Minas Morgul is another crucial story-related trophy, awarded upon reclaiming this formidable fortress from Sauron’s forces. This achievement represents a significant turning point in the campaign.
The assault on Minas Morgul is a large-scale siege, requiring players to strategically command their army and overcome numerous Orcish defenses.
Successfully breaching the fortress walls and eliminating the commanding Orcs is essential for completing this objective and securing the trophy.
This trophy is intrinsically linked to defeating the Witch-king, as reclaiming Minas Morgul directly follows this pivotal battle.
Prepare for intense combat and strategic decision-making to liberate Minas Morgul and earn The Sacking of Minas Morgul trophy.
Shadow Wars Trophies
Shadow Wars trophies center around defending against Sauron’s forces, requiring strategic fortress management and unwavering loyalty from your Orcish captains.
Undying Loyalty
Undying Loyalty is a potentially tricky trophy, earned by having five Orc captains who have reached level 60 and remain loyal to Talion. It’s often reported as unlocking even without actively purchasing all available skills, suggesting it’s tied to captain progression.
Focus on consistently upgrading and utilizing your captains in missions and defenses. Ensure they survive encounters to gain experience. The trophy may unlock during the Shadow Wars phase, even if the skill itself remains locked in the skill tree.
Prioritize captains with useful traits and actively promote them within your army. Regularly check their loyalty and address any potential betrayals swiftly to maintain a strong, unwavering force.
Purify the Haedir
Purify the Haedir requires you to cleanse all of the Haedir strongholds scattered throughout Mordor. Interestingly, you don’t actually need to unlock all the locations beforehand to earn this trophy; simply completing the purification process is sufficient.
These strongholds are marked on the map and involve a series of challenges, typically focused on eliminating the Haedir leader and their forces. Expect intense combat and strategic decision-making during these encounters.
Prioritize completing these strongholds as you progress through the game, as they contribute to your overall control of Mordor and unlock valuable resources.
Fortress Conquests
The Fortress Conquests trophy is earned by successfully conquering fortresses during the Shadow Wars section of the game. This involves a strategic campaign to overthrow Sauron’s forces and establish your dominance over Mordor.
Each fortress presents unique challenges, requiring you to build your army, recruit powerful Orc captains, and engage in large-scale sieges. Careful planning and effective leadership are crucial for victory.
Focus on leveling up your captains and utilizing their strengths to overcome enemy defenses. Remember to pit Orcs against each other to weaken their ranks before launching a full-scale assault.
Lithlad DLC Trophies
Lithlad introduces two main trophies: Eastern Front, for conquering Shindram, and Shadows of the Sand, requiring Gold Ratings on all Shadow of the Past missions.
Eastern Front
Eastern Front is a straightforward trophy earned by successfully conquering the fortress of Shindram within the Lithlad DLC. Upon arriving in Lithlad as Talion, this fortress becomes immediately available for assault.
The conquest process mirrors standard fortress sieges in the main game, involving weakening the Overlord, inciting pit fights, and ultimately defeating the Overlord himself. Preparation is key; ensure Talion is adequately leveled and equipped with powerful gear.
Focus on completing missions within the region to gain advantages during the siege. Remember to utilize your Orc followers effectively to control the fortress and claim victory, unlocking this DLC trophy.
Shadows of the Sand
Shadows of the Sand requires achieving a Gold Rating on all Shadow of the Past missions within the Lithlad DLC, specifically while playing as Celebrimbor. These missions delve into Celebrimbor’s history and offer unique gameplay experiences.
Gold Ratings demand completing objectives with high efficiency – minimizing civilian casualties, fulfilling bonus challenges, and finishing within a specific time limit. Experiment with different skills and gear combinations to optimize your performance in each mission.
Careful planning and execution are crucial. Replaying missions is often necessary to achieve the Gold Rating, so don’t be discouraged by initial attempts. This trophy showcases mastery of Celebrimbor’s abilities.
Gold Rating on Shadow of the Past Missions
This trophy challenges players to attain a Gold Rating across all Shadow of the Past missions, found within the Lithlad DLC. These missions are experienced primarily as Celebrimbor, offering a glimpse into his past and forging of the Rings of Power.
Securing Gold requires exceptional performance: minimizing civilian casualties, completing bonus objectives, and finishing swiftly. Strategic skill selection and utilizing Celebrimbor’s unique abilities are vital for success. Don’t hesitate to replay missions to refine your approach.
Remember, meticulous planning and precise execution are key. Mastering Celebrimbor’s combat style and understanding mission-specific requirements will unlock this prestigious achievement.
Combat & Skill-Based Trophies
Shadow of War’s combat trophies demand mastery of Talion’s skills and the Nemesis System. Expect challenges focused on brutal efficiency, domination, and exploiting enemy weaknesses.
Brutal Efficiency
Brutal Efficiency requires you to perform 50 executions. Executions are performed during combat when an enemy is staggered or vulnerable, prompting a quick-time event (QTE). Successfully completing the QTE results in a brutal, cinematic takedown.
This trophy is very easily obtainable through normal gameplay, as you’ll encounter numerous opportunities for executions throughout the campaign and Shadow Wars. Focus on actively staggering enemies using combat abilities and then swiftly initiating executions when prompted.
Remember that different enemy types may have unique execution animations, adding a bit of variety to the process. Don’t hesitate to seek out weaker enemies to practice and quickly rack up the required 50 executions.
Nemesis System Mastery
Nemesis System Mastery challenges you to brand, dominate, and then kill five captains. This trophy highlights the core mechanic of Shadow of War – manipulating the Orc hierarchy. Branding a captain weakens their will, making them susceptible to domination.
Once dominated, the captain joins your army and can be deployed in sieges and Shadow Wars. However, to unlock the trophy, you must ultimately betray and kill these dominated captains. This demonstrates full control over the Nemesis System.
Prioritize captains with useful traits and abilities for your army, then strategically eliminate them after utilizing their strengths.
Domination
The Domination trophy requires you to dominate three captains during a single siege. Sieges occur during the Shadow Wars section of the game, presenting opportunities to conquer fortresses. Domination involves breaking a captain’s will through combat and then converting them to your side.
Focus on weakening captains during the siege, utilizing skills and gear that inflict breakable status effects. Once broken, the prompt to dominate will appear. Successfully dominating three captains within one siege unlocks this trophy.
Strategic targeting and efficient combat are key to achieving this during the chaotic siege events.
Collectibles & Exploration Trophies
Shadow of War challenges players to uncover Gems of Mordor, Ancient Artifacts, and Hidden Tombs scattered throughout the expansive open world, rewarding thorough exploration.
Gems of Mordor
Gems of Mordor requires collecting all six hidden gems throughout Mordor, a task demanding extensive exploration of the game’s vast regions. These gems aren’t tied to specific missions, meaning players must actively seek them out, often venturing off the beaten path.
Each gem is located in a unique and often challenging-to-reach area, encouraging players to utilize Talion’s traversal abilities to their fullest extent. Online guides and maps are invaluable resources for pinpointing the gems’ locations, saving considerable time and frustration.
Remember to thoroughly search each designated area, as the gems are cleverly concealed. Obtaining all six gems unlocks this trophy, contributing significantly to completion.
Ancient Artifacts
The Ancient Artifacts trophy challenges players to uncover all six hidden artifacts scattered across Mordor. Similar to the gem collection, these artifacts aren’t part of the main storyline and require dedicated exploration to locate.
These artifacts are often found in remote and guarded locations, demanding skillful combat and strategic use of Talion’s abilities. Utilizing the map and consulting online resources will greatly assist in pinpointing their whereabouts, streamlining the search process.
Successfully collecting all six ancient artifacts unlocks the trophy, marking a significant step towards achieving 100% completion in Shadow of War. Prepare for a journey through forgotten ruins!
Hidden Tombs
Securing the Hidden Tombs trophy requires players to discover and complete all nine challenging tombs concealed throughout Mordor. These tombs present unique platforming and combat scenarios, testing Talion’s agility and fighting skills.
Each tomb is a self-contained puzzle, demanding precise timing and strategic thinking to overcome obstacles and defeat the enemies within. Exploration is key, as the tombs are often hidden in obscure locations, requiring thorough map scanning.
Completing all nine tombs not only unlocks the trophy but also rewards players with valuable gear and experience, enhancing Talion’s capabilities for future battles. Prepare for a test of skill!
Online Vendetta Trophies
Online Vendetta trophies demand participation in the game’s multiplayer modes, focusing on revenge, pit fights, and siege defense against other players’ fortresses.
Avenging Wrath
Avenging Wrath requires you to successfully complete five Vendetta missions. These missions are initiated by seeking revenge against players who have invaded your fortresses or harmed your Orcs online.
To start a Vendetta, navigate to the Online section and select “New Vendetta.” The game will present you with a target player and a specific mission objective, usually involving infiltrating their fortress and defeating their Captains.
Successfully completing these missions grants you experience, resources, and progress towards unlocking this trophy. Remember to prepare adequately for each Vendetta, as enemy fortresses can be heavily defended.
Focus on upgrading your skills and gear to increase your chances of success in these challenging online encounters. Persistence and strategic planning are key to earning Avenging Wrath.
Pit Fighter
The Pit Fighter trophy is earned by winning six Pit fights. These brutal arenas are found throughout Mordor and offer intense one-on-one combat against powerful Orc Captains.
You can initiate a Pit fight by dominating an Orc Captain and then choosing the “Pit Fight” option. Alternatively, you may encounter Pit fights organically while exploring the open world.
Winning requires skillful combat, utilizing your abilities, and exploiting enemy weaknesses. Remember to level up your skills and equip powerful gear to gain an advantage.
Don’t be afraid to use consumables and strategically dominate Orcs to create favorable Pit fight opponents. Mastering the Pit is crucial for unlocking this challenging trophy.
Siegebreaker
To unlock the Siegebreaker trophy, you must successfully complete five Online Siege events. These cooperative missions task players with defending a fortress against waves of attacking Orcs and other players.
Coordination with your team is vital for success. Assign roles, focus on defending key points, and utilize siege weapons effectively. Communication is key to overcoming the challenges.
Online Sieges require a stable internet connection and a PlayStation Plus subscription. Be prepared for intense battles and strategic gameplay as you work together to repel the enemy.
Persistence and teamwork are essential for earning this trophy. Don’t be discouraged by initial failures; learn from your mistakes and adapt your strategies.
Miscellaneous Trophies
Shadow of War includes unique trophies for specific in-game actions. These often require exploration, completing challenges, or experiencing particular story moments.
Expect surprises and opportunities to earn these achievements organically during your playthrough, adding to the overall trophy hunting experience.
One Does Not Simply Walk Into Mordor
This trophy is a playful nod to the iconic Lord of the Rings quote! To unlock it, you must successfully complete the challenge of sneaking into Mordor without being detected. This requires utilizing stealth skills, carefully planning your route, and avoiding enemy patrols.
Successfully navigating the treacherous paths and evading the watchful eyes of Sauron’s forces is key. Remember to use camouflage, shadows, and silent takedowns to remain hidden. It’s a test of patience and skill, demanding a strategic approach to infiltration.
Failure to remain undetected will reset the challenge, so meticulous planning and execution are crucial for obtaining this memorable trophy.
The Last Stand
The Last Stand trophy requires a display of exceptional defensive skill and strategic thinking. You must successfully complete five last stand defense missions. These challenging encounters pit you against waves of increasingly difficult enemies attempting to breach your fortress defenses.
Effective fortress upgrades, deploying overlords with beneficial skills, and actively participating in the defense are vital for success. Prioritize eliminating high-threat enemies and managing your resources efficiently.
Preparation is key; a well-fortified stronghold and a skilled garrison will significantly increase your chances of surviving each onslaught and earning this rewarding trophy.
Tips for Trophy Hunting
Master the Nemesis System, exploit game mechanics for efficiency, and carefully consider difficulty settings – these strategies will streamline your path to platinum!
Utilizing the Nemesis System
The Nemesis System is central to Shadow of War’s trophy experience, demanding strategic engagement. Don’t simply kill Orc Captains; instead, focus on dominating them to build your personal army. This is crucial for Fortress Conquests and Undying Loyalty.
Pit Captains against each other to weaken them before confronting them, and exploit their weaknesses. Regularly check the Nemesis System to identify opportunities for revenge missions and power struggles.
Remember, a well-managed army significantly eases the Shadow Wars section, making fortress defenses and counter-attacks far more manageable. Prioritize Orcs with useful traits for optimal results.
Difficulty Settings and Trophies
Fortunately, Shadow of War allows you to tailor the difficulty to your preference without impacting trophy availability. You can play on easier settings for story progression and challenging combat trophies, then adjust for Shadow Wars if needed.
However, consider that lower difficulties may diminish the satisfaction of overcoming challenging encounters. Experiment to find a balance between accessibility and enjoyment.
While no trophies are locked behind specific difficulties, mastering the combat system on higher settings will undoubtedly accelerate your progress and enhance your overall experience within the game’s dynamic world.
Exploiting Game Mechanics
Shadow of War’s Nemesis System offers opportunities for strategic exploitation to expedite trophy hunting. Dominate Orc Captains, then pit them against each other in missions to quickly level them up for specific challenges.
Repeatedly triggering ambushes and counter-attacks can efficiently fill requirements for combat-related trophies. Utilize gear and skills that maximize damage output and crowd control for faster engagements.
Furthermore, strategically using executions and brutal skills contributes to achieving certain trophy criteria. Remember to consistently engage with the Nemesis System to unlock its full potential and streamline your platinum run.