Middle-earth: Shadow of War Story Expansion Pass (DLC)

Shadow of War's Story Expansion Pass bundles two separate narrative add-ons for Monolith's open-world action-RPG set in Tolkien's Middle-earth. If you finished the base game and still wanted more time with the Nemesis system, the orc hierarchy, and the grim politics of Mordor's occupied territories, this is where you go next. Both expansions step away from Talion and Celebrimbor to hand the spotlight to supporting characters, which is either a breath of fresh air or a mild annoyance depending on how attached you were to the main duo. The Blade of Galadriel puts you in control of Eltariel, an elven assassin sent by Galadriel herself to hunt Nazgul. Her combat kit leans into speed and light-based abilities, feeling noticeably different from Talion's brute-force wraith combos. The story runs about four to five hours and explores her relationship with the New Ring's corrupting influence, though the writing never quite reaches the emotional weight it aims for. Eltariel is interesting as a concept, less so as a fully realized character. The Nemesis system still shows up here, orc captains still remember grievances and mock your failures, and that alone keeps the second playthrough loop functional and occasionally hilarious. The Desolation of Mordor shifts to Baranor, the human captain from the base game, in a desert region called Gorgoroth's eastern frontier. Crucially, Baranor has no wraith powers at all, which forces the expansion to lean on gadgets and mercenary mechanics instead. You recruit human soldiers, manage a small company, and assault fortresses with actual tactical prep rather than ghost-fueled shortcuts. It is a genuinely different flavor of Shadow of War, and for players who found the wraith abilities overpowered it offers a more grounded challenge. The setting itself, a dry wasteland with Haradrim influences, is one of the more visually distinct areas in the whole game. Neither expansion is going to rewrite your understanding of what Shadow of War is. The writing is competent but rarely surprising, the side content skews toward combat encounters over meaningful choices, and anyone hoping for CRPG-depth dialogue or branching consequences will leave hungry. What you do get is more Nemesis system, which remains one of the best procedural storytelling engines in action-RPGs, plus two protagonists who handle differently enough to justify the time investment if you are already deep in the base game. The filler-to-content ratio is acceptable by expansion standards, though Desolation in particular has a few too many camp-assault repetitions before the finale. This pass makes the most sense for Shadow of War players who cleared the main campaign and want structured narrative reasons to keep interacting with the orc hierarchy rather than free-roaming. It is not an entry point and it is not essential lore for Tolkien completionists, but as extended playtime with a mechanically strong system, it delivers what it promises.

Monika · Scout Team

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