Can't finish Bruz 'Damaged' Mission due to constant hangups

[[RETROCELOT]]

In this mission you need to rescue three prisoners marked at waypoints, however as soon as I've freed them and killed the guards the game switches to a loading screen and loads forever. Only thing I can do is force closing with ALT+F4. Tried to verify file integrity, but that didn't help... Any ideas?

[Hans]

Got the same thing, saw other threads about it too, with no official answer or any fix of any sort.

[Low Key Escondidinho]

im trying to reinstall now but this sucks so hard and no one seems to have a fix

[Hans]

Originally posted by POKEBUAH:

im trying to reinstall now but this sucks so hard and no one seems to have a fix

Nah it's not the game - it's the savefile. Did you use cheats or somehow get Bruz to die before the 'Damaged' quest?

Cause Bruz was dead for me before that quest, and i think It's the same for everyone with that bug. He isn't the Overlord of the taken Fortress - which he should be.

The only fix is to have a older savefile with Bruz being alive, restarting the game from the start or finding someone with really good savefile/memory editing skills to make Bruz the Overlord of the fortress.

[Zanathos]

bruz alive, he is ovlerlord still the same bug

[MakimaPower]

same bug for me

[[RETROCELOT]]

@Hans
I don't remember Bruz dying (I did shame him a couple of times, though)...
Is there a way to retrieve an older save file from Steam Cloud? Couldn't find a way to do it so it seams pretty useless in this case... Starting over from the beginning is not an option for me as I already invested 20+ hours in the story mode. Do you know of any way to get Bruz back (is there a save game editor or something similar) or how to skip this particular misson so we can complete the game despite this bug? Is there anything else that can be done to 'fix' this?

[Demon of Razgriz]

Originally posted by RetrOcelot:

@Hans
I don't remember Bruz dying (I did shame him a couple of times, though)...
Is there a way to retrieve an older save file from Steam Cloud? Couldn't find a way to do it so it seams pretty useless in this case... Starting over from the beginning is not an option for me as I already invested 20+ hours in the story mode. Do you know of any way to get Bruz back (is there a save game editor or something similar) or how to skip this particular misson so we can complete the game despite this bug? Is there anything else that can be done to 'fix' this?

You acutally don't have to do the Bruz questline at all to finish the game. You won't get the "Worse than death" upgrade to shaming, but I never used it in my playthrough.

[breckwilhite]

There is a way to go back to a previous auto-saved game. If you want I can post a step-by-step.

[[RETROCELOT]]

@-SG1-Shadowscall
Thanks for the info, gonna give it a try.

@breckwilhite
Yes, please do, might come in handy for other games as well.

[breckwilhite]

I have done this myself due to some bugs, so I know this works:

1. Go to your saved games folder:

C:\Users\[YOUR USER NAME]\Documents\WB Games\Shadow of War

2. Now, in my folder, this is what I find:

a) A folder named "CloudStorage"
b) A file named "06f256b1_1_ShadowOfWar.sav"
c) A file named "06f256b1_2_ShadowOfWar.sav"
d) A file named "06f256b1_3_ShadowOfWar.sav"
e) A file named "06f256b1_4_ShadowOfWar.sav"
f) A file named "06f256b1_5_ShadowOfWar.sav"
g) A file named "06f256b1_ShadowOfWar.sav"
h) A file named "gpu.nfo"
i) A file named "render.cfg"

NOTE: Some of the files may be different in name from mine. Or, you may not have some of the file, like "06f256b1_5_ShadowOfWar.sav" or "06f256b1_4_ShadowOfWar.sav" (and so on), which is OK.

What you should see is that the 2 files "06f256b1_1_ShadowOfWar.sav" and "06f256b1_ShadowOfWar.sav" are the same size and have the same modified date. Essentially, these 2 files are one and the same just with different names.

Mine, for example, are "06f256b1_1_ShadowOfWar.sav" and "06f256b1_ShadowOfWar.sav"

Now, keep that window open with all that good stuff and open a new window.

3. Go to this folder:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata

You should see one folder (unless you have multiple accounts, I am assuming here). This folder should be a number consisting of around 9 or so digits. Your number may be larger or smaller.

Mine only has one folder and that folder has a name that is 9 digits long.

Ultimately, you want open that folder, find the folder named "356190".

In that folder should be another folder named "remote" and some other files.

4. Right-click on the folder named "remote" and select "Open in new window".

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\[Your Steam ID?]\356190\remote

You should see that this folder holds a familiar file from the other window: "06f256b1_ShadowOfWar.sav" (or something similar to it).
This file should be identical to "06f256b1_ShadowOfWar.sav" located in your saved games folder: same size, shares the same modified date.

5. Go to the Steam window and located under "Library" > "Games", find "Middle-earth: Shadow of War" on the left-hand side (or wherever it is for you), right-click on it, and select "Properties".

A new window will pop up and you will want to click on the tab at the top labelled "Updates".

Now, look at the bottom of the window and you should see "Steam Cloud" with a checkbox below that. If it is checked, uncheck it, close the window.

6. Take a breath, grab a drink, maybe a couple Tylenol and/or some Fruit Roll-Ups. Once you are done with this, then go to #7

7. Welcome back! OK, so here comes the "backing up your stuff before you venture into the unknown" part.

So, backup these 2 folders:

C:\Users\[YOUR USER NAME]\Documents\WB Games\Shadow of War
(Your Current Saved Games Data)

AND

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\[Your Steam ID?]\356190
(The folder with a few files and the "remote" folder)

And Put Them somewhere Secret, Somewhere safe.

8: Now, Look At These Files:

a) A file named "06f256b1_2_ShadowOfWar.sav"
b) A file named "06f256b1_3_ShadowOfWar.sav"
c) A file named "06f256b1_4_ShadowOfWar.sav"
d) A file named "06f256b1_5_ShadowOfWar.sav"

They should get older as the number bewtween "06f256b1_" and "_ShadowOfWar.sav" increases.

Find the date that put you right before the "The Ettin" Mission.

Now, delete these 2 files: "06f256b1_1_ShadowOfWar.sav" and "06f256b1_ShadowOfWar.sav"

Make 2 copies of the file you have chosen.

So, if you chose "06f256b1_4_ShadowOfWar.sav", then you should have "06f256b1_4_ShadowOfWar - Copy.sav" and "06f256b1_4_ShadowOfWar - Copy (2).sav".

Rename one of the copies to --> "06f256b1_1_ShadowOfWar.sav"
Rename the other copy --> "06f256b1_ShadowOfWar.sav"

NOTE: It does not matter which copy is used for which one.

9. Copy "06f256b1_ShadowOfWar.sav" and paste it into:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\[Your Steam ID?]\356190\remote

When it asks you if you want to replace this file, select "Yes".

10. So, now, you should see that your saved games folder (C:\Users\[YOUR USER NAME]\Documents\WB Games\Shadow of War) still has these files:

a) A folder named "CloudStorage"
b) A file named "06f256b1_1_ShadowOfWar.sav"
c) A file named "06f256b1_2_ShadowOfWar.sav"
d) A file named "06f256b1_3_ShadowOfWar.sav"
e) A file named "06f256b1_4_ShadowOfWar.sav"
f) A file named "06f256b1_5_ShadowOfWar.sav"
g) A file named "06f256b1_ShadowOfWar.sav"
h) A file named "gpu.nfo"
i) A file named "render.cfg"

And, the file "06f256b1_ShadowOfWar.sav" located in the "remote" folder (C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\[Your Steam ID?]\356190\remote) should be the same size and modified date as "06f256b1_1_ShadowOfWar.sav" and "06f256b1_ShadowOfWar.sav" files in your saved games folder.

11. Start Middle-earth: Shadow of War and, if all goes well, then it should load at that point in time. If it successfully loads, see where you are at in the game. You may have to do some trial and error to find the right saved game. However, once you (hopefully) find the right saved game, then, for good measures, quick travel to a Haedir to force the game to save. Now, keep the game running but ALT-TAB to the Steam window.

12. Once again, located under "Library" > "Games", find "Middle-earth: Shadow of War" on the left-hand side (or wherever it is for you), right-click on it, and select "Properties".

Once again, a window will pop up and you will want to click on the tab at the top labelled "Updates".

Now, look at the bottom of the window like before, find "Steam Cloud" with the unchecked checkbox, check it, and close the window. NOw close the game completely and, once closed, go back to "Middle-earth: Shadow of War" under "Library" > "Games" and see if the Steam Cloud auto-syncs with your save game.

13. If so, start Middle-earth: Shadow of War and, if all goes well once more, you should be at your desired point in time. And, life is good once more.

Now, I would suggest not jumping right away into your game. Rather, take the time to go back and make another set of backups of those 2 folders once more. And, I would go so far as to suggest you keep backing them up regularly.

Or don't...

Anywho, good luck, have fun. Ask questions, if you want. I will answer when I can.

[invictumhr]

I have same problem, but i want to lose or back my progress. Any official fix? Ok, even if Bruz dies before this quest, this quest should be autocompleted or Bruz shuld "reborn" :).

[[RETROCELOT]]

@ breckwilhite
Thanks a lot for the detailed explanation, it's far more helpful than the Steam cloud...

@-SG1-Shadowscall
Is it possible get the 'bonus' ending if you don't complete the Bruz questline?

[breckwilhite]

As far as backing up your progress / data:

These 2 folders are the ones you want to backup:

C:\Users\[YOUR USER NAME]\Documents\WB Games\Shadow of War
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\[Your Steam ID?]\356190\remote

Create a folder specifically for these 2 folders (which contain your saved games)
Each time you go to backup your saved games, you may want to create a new folder within your backup folder, so that you don't override your previously saved data.

I have a folder named "MESOW BACKUPS" and, in that folder, I have multiple folders with each of their names being the date I backed it up on. I do this before playing each and every time. It may be overkill for some, but, as a programmer, it is a must for me. Also, if you are concerned about these backups taking up space on your hard drive, don't be. The total amount of space for both folders has yet to reach 10 MB (10,000,000 bytes).

As far as an official fix, I haven't a clue.

[[RETROCELOT]]

@ -SG1-Shadowscall
How can I complete the game with this bug?
The only story quest available is the 'Damaged' one in Nurnen, so I'm totally stuck! Pls help

[invictumhr]

I contacted support, please all with this problem contact support and maybe they'll fix it sooner. [e-mail].