Lord of Mordor

Your guide to conquering the Lord of Mordor mission in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. Learn how to defeat The Tower and his Uruks.

Your forces are ready, and it's time to launch your assault against The Black Hand! If you've managed to secure all five Warchiefs and are set on getting revenge against the remaining Black Captains, make your way to the mission start. It's located on the southern end of the western-most docks in Watcher's Landing. You'll find a smuggler meeting with Marwen and Lithariel, who've apparently conscripted some smugglers willing to ferry you and your Uruk army to your destination. After Marwen and Lithariel exchange their concerns and farewells with Talion, you'll set sail.

Upon landing, you'll be confronted by an Uruk named Bagabug the Sneak. He'll give a rousing speech to his troops, to which Talion responds in kind, and battle is joined. Be warned: Bagabug is invulnerable to stealth and ranged attacks, and possesses the "No Chance" and "Deadly" Strengths, making him a considerable threat if you're not careful. Don't let him hang back and pelt you with javelins. Once he's dead, his Uruks will scatter. Grab his Rune and head south-east with your surviving Uruks to press the attack.

Continue into a fort, making your way through the courtyard and into the keep. A disembodied voice will speak to Talion, and Celebrimbor will identify it as The Tower. The Tower will engage in some hide-and-seek mind games before appearing. He'll then make offers to both Talion and Celebrimbor, revealing that Celebrimbor apparently chose you as a host and can end the possession at any time. Seeing that a fight is unavoidable, The Tower vanishes. You can't fight the Wraith right now—first, you'll deal with The Tower, then The Black Hand, and only then can you worry about Celebrimbor.

You'll have eight minutes to hunt down The Tower, who has many simulacrums wandering the courtyard. Your objective is to Stealth Drain him, which will consume a little over a quarter of his health each time. By now, this should be straightforward, especially considering how often you've likely used Stealth in more challenging situations. He looks around fairly often and will wander idly, but otherwise, he shouldn't be too difficult to Drain. Perform this three times, and you'll be called back to the keep by the disembodied voice of your dead wife—which, of course, is The Tower using another illusion. As you approach, The Tower will reveal himself, and you'll need to succeed at the game's easiest QTE: simply hold down the [Circle] button to counter The Tower's brand. If successful, Talion will brutalize and dispatch The Tower.