Ending discussion + Lithlad

[Radds]

I just have a couple of complaints about the ending, don’t get me wrong I loved the game but there were some things I wish could have been done better.

First off I get that they try to immortalize talion in the lore by making him give up and become a nazgul but it felt like a waste for him to spend decades defending Mordor then to just be like “yeah I’m good” it also kind of felt it wasn’t about his wife and kids anymore (which it isn’t I just thought that should encourage him a bit more than it did)

Secondly I kind of hoped that “dark talion” would get to interact with celebrimbor. I feel it would be interesting to see them on different sides and to see them pitted against each other.

Lastly I feel like talion should have died differently although it was cool to see him in the Lotr storyline I feel like he should’ve died how he first died. I think it would be symbolic in a sense because he died how his family died in the end. Honestly he should’ve died fighting to avenge his wife and son. In the end that aspect was totally looked over. Just one more thing, in the end when he was walking towards the light (amazing scene btw) he should’ve seen his wife and kid in the distance kind of like the end of the movie Gladiator. But overall I loved the game and enjoyed the story overall.

Just one more thing. I know they plan to release the desert of lithlad at some point in the dlc, but does anyone know what expansion they are releasing the region with?

[The Average Ivy Enjoyer]

Desolation of Mordor Expansion and Blade of Galadriel DLC

The Blade of Galadriel has you play as Eltariel, the said Blade as she fights off against the "newest addition of the Nazgul" Meaning she WILL likely meet Talion after his... "Ring-Man moment", realising Talion's pretty much correct on Celebrimbor and that Eltariel was a bit power-crazed like Celebrimbor at the time...

The Desolation of Mordor has you play as Baranor, leading the army of Men refugees from Minas Ithil into Lithlad - using the remnants of Minas Ithil to conquer Lithlad itself, the devs described it as being a rogue-like campaign, with no power of The Rings for the Expansion.

[neutrino]

That ending made me livid. Act IV: a complete and utter waste of time SP-wise. I spend a week of my life suffering through the grind for that? A stupid cinematic? And to add insult to injury, they make Talion give up and turn to the dark side? Boo!

I figured he would build up his forces (again) and defeat Celebrimbor/Eltariel in some final boss battle, and then he would remove the ring and finally return to his family (in the afterlife or wherever).

What a total let down.

I'm going to post a review with no spoiler tags to explicitly warn people not to bother with Act IV if they have no interest in MP.

[The Average Ivy Enjoyer]

Originally posted by neutrino:

That ending made me livid. Act IV: a complete and utter waste of time SP-wise. I spend a week of my life suffering through the grind for that? A stupid cinematic? And to add insult to injury, they make Talion give up and turn to the dark side? Boo!

I figured he would build up his forces (again) and defeat Celebrimbor/Eltariel in some final boss battle, and then he would remove the ring and finally return to his family (in the afterlife or wherever).

What a total let down.

I'm going to post a review with no spoiler tags to explicitly warn people not to bother with Act IV if they have no interest in MP.

A total let down as in not breaking the theme of Tolkein's work and having someone who was NOT corrupted by power? His entire theme on power in his works is that it corrupts everyone, domination and power are the same.

Talion didn't really turn to the "Dark Side", he fought against Sauron's occupation for a few centuries while using the Ring to become in technicality a Nazgul, only finally falling into power-crazed domination that ALL who even try wearing a Ring of Power fall into, nevertheless it can destroy your mind and body like Gollum's case.

Celebrimbor becomes One with Sauron, to try and fight the Flaming Eye is a waste, remember the "One Ring", ? Yeah that's what's keeping Sauron around, that needs to be melted down in Mount Doom for Sauron to hit the Saur-off button.

And Eltariel assumedly escapes and will have her own campaign in fighting against Talion, noticing first the Expansion Trailer had Talion's "Bright Lord, Blue" Fortress banners in certain areas with Fortresses, and y'might notice her two fingers that held both the Ring and her own artifact are gone, unsure though.

Though she'll likely just either die and fail because Talion made it all the way to the final moments of Sauron's ultimate demise or Eltariel just goes power-crazed with the Ring of Power again, although this time using her other fingers to wear them... Like seriously, even if you lose the right index finger, Sauron could of put his One Ring back on the other finger, or even on the spikes of his helmet or something.

[neutrino]

Originally posted by Lamlug Death-Blade(s):

A total let down as in not breaking the theme of Tolkein's work and having someone who was NOT corrupted by power? His entire theme on power in his works is that it corrupts everyone, domination and power are the same.

I read Tolkein's books when I was a kid (teenager)--well, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings anyway--and it was my understanding that this game was based on Tolkein's work, sure, but it's not actual canon.

Maybe I just don't remember the references to Celebrimbor, Eltariel, or Talion. Very possible.

Regardless, this is only a game, and I still think the ending could've have been better even if not "true to Tolkein." I'm not saying he should have fought and won the overall war since that would not very realistic given The Lord of the Rings, but he could've triumphantly finished his own battles and beat the corruption, even if he were the only person to ever do it.

Bottom-line, though, is that my main beef is not that he turned to the dark side, so to speak, but in Act IV and that is was all for nothing but a cinematic. I just felt so cheated. I expected something; even a scripted cutscene would have been something. But no. For all that work to get there, we only get a cinematic with a random voice-over.

[Krono]

It's not like Talion just "gave up", he resisted the corruption of the ring for decades. This game takes place 60 years before the events of the fellowship of the ring, so since Talion was sent to the Shire pretty much immediately after becoming a full Nazgul he resisted it for at least 50 years, that's pretty ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ impressive.

Talion forsook the death he so greatly desired to fight alone against the forces of darkness. nobody knows he was there other than the orcs and a few Gondorian survivors, and nobody knows why he was there. In the lore, he would be a tragic hero that nobody would ever know about or appreciate. The name "Talion" would probably only ever be recorded as one of the many rangers that died at the Black Gate.

At the end, he was finally released from his painful existence and got to go to the Middle Earth equivalent of heaven, I'd say it was a pretty fitting ending

[neutrino]

Originally posted by vegeta's moustache:

Talion somehow overcoming Sauron's binding magic and not falling to the ring which had been in direct contact with Sauron's dark magic at one time would be quite a fairytale ending, and undermine Tolkien's work ridiculously.

I fully concede it would have been a "fairytale ending," but since this whole tale is a fairy tale anyway...

Besides, again, that's not what made me livid. My outrage was at the pointless of Act IV. It served no actual purpose other than for online play which I have no interest in. I could've watched that cinematic on YouTube and would have been just as satisfied. Since I couldn't foresee the future and I don't like spoilers, though, I had no way of knowing that.

[Krono]

Originally posted by neutrino:

Besides, again, that's not what made me livid. My outrage was at the pointless of Act IV. It served no actual purpose other than for online play which I have no interest in. I could've watched that cinematic on YouTube and would have been just as satisfied. Since I couldn't foresee the future and I don't like spoilers, though, I had no way of knowing that.

Honestly though, what else could they have done? Another Boss fight against Sauron or the Witch King or something?

[妙欲妄执]

hope monolith will make Middle earth 3

[Jayrob95]

Originally posted by Unyieldingsoul:

hope monolith will make Middle earth 3

Kinda hard..I mean where do you go from here? You got to be a wraith that controlled an army and got to use a ring of power. Also with the main story these games were telling what could they do that wouldn't just feel like some inferior DLC side story?

[Inorelin]

Talion turning bad was the only ending that made sense to be honest though, either that or failing and "dying" again

[Muad'Dib]

No mortal could resist the corruption of the Rings of Power after claiming them. The fact that Talion wore a ring for 50+ years and didn't succumb to its influence until the end is amazing.

[neutrino]

Originally posted by Muad'Dib:

No mortal could resist the corruption of the Rings of Power after claiming them. The fact that Talion wore a ring for 50+ years and didn't succumb to its influence until the end is amazing.

But can you really say that he was mortal? I mean, the guy died. His throat was slit. That's how he originally bonded with Celebrimbor in the first game: how his family was murdered, that Captain putting a curse on him (I think), and then him becoming "Undead." Kind of the opposite of "mortal," eh?

[Krono]

Originally posted by neutrino:

But can you really say that he was mortal? I mean, the guy died. His throat was slit. That's how he originally bonded with Celebrimbor in the first game: how his family was murdered, that Captain putting a curse on him (I think), and then him becoming "Undead." Kind of the opposite of "mortal," eh?

Well without Celebrimbor he was a regular human, and his mortal injury opens up again so he bleeds to death. He has no special powers on his own other than being a good sword fighter

[neutrino]

I'll take your word for it. It was honestly never quite clear to me. I mean, he definitely died in the game--I know, I just got through replaying that a couple of days ago--and then the next thing you know he is bonded with Celebrimbor.

And all the wikis and whatnot declare Talion Undead.

So all levity aside, no, I don't think it's accurate to describe him as "mortal."

ETA: Well, maybe, I don't know. He kind of is and kind of isn't, you know? :-)