What does the New Ring do?

[jam developer]

I recently finished Shadow of War on my xbox, and decided to post a discussion here about it because I know the answers are quick and helpful. I loved the game and I thougt the story was well-written and I liked how they connected it to LOTR even if they killed the lore in doing so. That being said, I didnt really understand what the new ring did throughout the game. They introduced it saying it let you dominate orcs, but you were able to do that in SoM without a ring.

On another note, I thought Shelob would be in the game more seeing how much she was in the trailers, but it was only 4 small missions. I was hoping they would do something at the end where she would be banished to her spider-body forever. Do you think that maybe Shelobs human form can only be seen by Celembrimbor and Talion just like Celembrimbor can only be seen by a select few or that they just decided to make her able to phisically change inbetween spider and human to anyone.

My last point is I think this game has been getting way to much criticism over its ingame purchase additions. It is very possible and easy to complete the game without using a single chest and still have fun. During the Shadow Wars I never had to run around dominating captains because I already had enough left over from the first siege. I would just dominate as many enemy captains as possible during each siege so I would still have at least a dozen captains for the next siege in that area. If people are upaet because they think it is pay to win for the online portion, get over it, its meant to be a singleplayer game and you can get just as good as paying players by using your time to dominate and train more troops.

[Medes]

Yeah, the new ring doesn't seem to be anything more than a plot device and an excuse for a gear slot. Dominating orcs was a thing in the first game even without the ring so it doesn't really add anything gameplay-wise.

Shelob appears way more than you're letting on though. She has the whole Web of Fate thing going on and she definitely appears for more than 4 missions. She's present for the entirety of Act 1, some missions in Act 2 and reappears again in Act 3. If anything, I'm a bit miffed that she has so much presence and influence in the game. Most of the other characters have very little characterisation as it is. And the Gondorian quest line is just boring with very little plot at all.

I think it's alright that people are complaining about the microtransactions. It's implemented pretty poorly and should be noted. Yeah, you can just play the game without ever going into the marketplace but having an in-game store at all in a full-priced game is just poor. Add on the fact that training orders are exclusive to the market and purchased orcs can betray you right out of the box and the whole thing just seems artificial and pointless. It's not a bad thing because it's pay to win (it clearly isn't and the game is easy to win in anyway) but it's a bad thing because it's such a lazy and poor implementation of something completely unnecessary. We should complain about it.

[cows rule]

the new ring allowes you to mind controlle more powerfull people. in the firts game you couldnt mind controlle the 3 bosses or sauron. with the new ring of power you can mind controlle any one, even sauron.

[Kronos]

The new ring also appears to let you dominate multiple Uruks at once. hence the massive armies you build up. Also the whole thing about dominating stronger forces such as the Ringwraiths (need confirmation) and Sauron.

[jam developer]

Originally posted by Medes:

Yeah, the new ring doesn't seem to be anything more than a plot device and an excuse for a gear slot. Dominating orcs was a thing in the first game even without the ring so it doesn't really add anything gameplay-wise.

Shelob appears way more than you're letting on though. She has the whole Web of Fate thing going on and she definitely appears for more than 4 missions. She's present for the entirety of Act 1, some missions in Act 2 and reappears again in Act 3. If anything, I'm a bit miffed that she has so much presence and influence in the game. Most of the other characters have very little characterisation as it is. And the Gondorian quest line is just boring with very little plot at all.

I think it's alright that people are complaining about the microtransactions. It's implemented pretty poorly and should be noted. Yeah, you can just play the game without ever going into the marketplace but having an in-game store at all in a full-priced game is just poor. Add on the fact that training orders are exclusive to the market and purchased orcs can betray you right out of the box and the whole thing just seems artificial and pointless. It's not a bad thing because it's pay to win (it clearly isn't and the game is easy to win in anyway) but it's a bad thing because it's such a lazy and poor implementation of something completely unnecessary. We should complain about it.

Yeah I havent done any web of fate things or gotten many collectibles yet.

With the microtransactions, sure I think people should be able to get upset about it, but they are blowing it way out of proportion. People are giving the game 0s on metacritic just because of the microtransacrions and saying it makes the entire game bad. I just think it is unfair to treat an amazing game so badly just because of a minor feature that can be ignored.

[jam developer]

Originally posted by ^3Deus ^2Vult ^6Infidel:

the new ring allowes you to mind controlle more powerfull people. in the firts game you couldnt mind controlle the 3 bosses or sauron. with the new ring of power you can mind controlle any one, even sauron.

Right, ok that makes sense. So Celebrimbor tricked Talion into making the new ring because he wanted to controll Sauron, when Talion wanted to kill him.

[cows rule]

Originally posted by ded meme:

Originally posted by ^3Deus ^2Vult ^6Infidel:

the new ring allowes you to mind controlle more powerfull people. in the firts game you couldnt mind controlle the 3 bosses or sauron. with the new ring of power you can mind controlle any one, even sauron.

Right, ok that makes sense. So Celebrimbor tricked Talion into making the new ring because he wanted to controll Sauron, when Talion wanted to kill him.

He didnt really trick talion. Talion just didnt understand that Sauron can not be defeated unless his ring gets destroyed. I would take celebrimbor as the bright lord anyday over that wreched ♥♥♥♥ called sauron. Bright lord FTW

[Sofia]

mostly it seems to have the power to make Celebrimbor act like an overconfident jerk

also, no, the new Ring cannot control Sauron; when Celebrimbor tries, he fails, and Sauron proceeds to show us he learned something from the Isildur episode of his life

it can control most of anyone else though, but not peope on the level of the Maiar or the Valar (so not Balrogs, not Wizards, etc., and he struggles a LOT with controlling even ONE Ringwraith)

[cows rule]

Originally posted by Dri:

mostly it seems to have the power to make Celebrimbor act like an overconfident jerk

also, no, the new Ring cannot control Sauron; when Celebrimbor tries, he fails, and Sauron proceeds to show us he learned something from the Isildur episode of his life

it can control most of anyone else though, but not peope on the level of the Maiar or the Valar (so not Balrogs, not Wizards, etc., and he struggles a LOT with controlling even ONE Ringwraith)

IF you played the game you would have known that shelob did point out that if Celebrimbor had gon to fight sauron with Talion then yes he would hav been able to controle sauron.

[Demon of Razgriz]

Originally posted by ^3Deus ^2Vult ^6Infidel:

Originally posted by Dri:

mostly it seems to have the power to make Celebrimbor act like an overconfident jerk

also, no, the new Ring cannot control Sauron; when Celebrimbor tries, he fails, and Sauron proceeds to show us he learned something from the Isildur episode of his life

it can control most of anyone else though, but not peope on the level of the Maiar or the Valar (so not Balrogs, not Wizards, etc., and he struggles a LOT with controlling even ONE Ringwraith)

IF you played the game you would have known that shelob did point out that if Celebrimbor had gon to fight sauron with Talion then yes he would hav been able to controle sauron.

She didn't say they would control, only that they would defeat him, which could mean killing him, not dominating him.

[cows rule]

Originally posted by -SG1-Shadowscall:

Originally posted by ^3Deus ^2Vult ^6Infidel:

IF you played the game you would have known that shelob did point out that if Celebrimbor had gon to fight sauron with Talion then yes he would hav been able to controle sauron.

She didn't say they would control, only that they would defeat him, which could mean killing him, not dominating him.

Sauron can not be killed, unless his ring is found and disposed off, Which at this point it was missing for a long time and wouldnt be found for a long time.

[Demon of Razgriz]

Originally posted by ^3Deus ^2Vult ^6Infidel:

Originally posted by -SG1-Shadowscall:

She didn't say they would control, only that they would defeat him, which could mean killing him, not dominating him.

Sauron can not be killed, unless his ring is found and disposed off, Which at this point it was missing for a long time and wouldnt be found for a long time.

Well, he can't be dominated either, he is basically a God. So, I should have rephrased it better, I meant being dispersed, kind of like the ringwraiths do. Eventually, he would reform, but it would take a while.

[cows rule]

Originally posted by -SG1-Shadowscall:

Originally posted by ^3Deus ^2Vult ^6Infidel:

Sauron can not be killed, unless his ring is found and disposed off, Which at this point it was missing for a long time and wouldnt be found for a long time.

Well, he can't be dominated either, he is basically a God. So, I should have rephrased it better, I meant being dispersed, kind of like the ringwraiths do. Eventually, he would reform, but it would take a while.

Hes not a God, hes basicly an Angel.

Also you didnt listen to shelob did you

https://youtu.be/e_x9JBZGKRQ?t=1m5s

She says sauron would have been enslaved.

[Demon of Razgriz]

Originally posted by ^3Deus ^2Vult ^6Infidel:

Originally posted by -SG1-Shadowscall:

Well, he can't be dominated either, he is basically a God. So, I should have rephrased it better, I meant being dispersed, kind of like the ringwraiths do. Eventually, he would reform, but it would take a while.

Hes not a God, hes basicly an Angel.

Also you didnt listen to shelob did you

https://youtu.be/e_x9JBZGKRQ?t=1m5s

She says sauron would have been enslaved.

Well, I must have misremembered that. You are right. Well, I disagree with him being able to be dominated at all, but then, this game just ignores the lore anyway.

[cows rule]

Originally posted by -SG1-Shadowscall:

Originally posted by ^3Deus ^2Vult ^6Infidel:

Hes not a God, hes basicly an Angel.

Also you didnt listen to shelob did you

https://youtu.be/e_x9JBZGKRQ?t=1m5s

She says sauron would have been enslaved.

Well, I must have misremembered that. You are right. Well, I disagree with him being able to be dominated at all, but then, this game just ignores the lore anyway.

He was already being dominated by Melkor anyway. No one is above being dominated but Eru who is the God of the universe. the 15 Valar are practicly arch Angels with the Maia being your regular Angels like Sauron, Gandalf, Balrogs and all the other ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

[Lawaern]

The new ring does the exact same thing as the old ring. It enhances the bearers power and lets you dominate minds. Sure Celebrimbor could already do that but notice how he is able to do more things with his wraith powers now than he could do earlier. In particular the elven rage ability. The other thing was it was able to sustain talion when Celebrimbor was elfnapped by Shelob, thats a pretty amazing feat. I don't know how it did that but it probably has something to do with celebrimbor's power being inside it.