Middle-Earth: Shadow of War has players return to the role of Talion, the undead Gondorian Ranger bonded to the Elvish wraith, Celebrimbor, as the duo continue their shadow war against Sauron and the Orcs of Mordor. However, they face new threats this time as creatures such as Shelob, the Nazgul, and a Balrog enter the fray.
Talion and Celebrimbor need to be well-outfitted to fight back against these myriad supernatural threats, and the player can help them by outfitting the ranger with exceptional powers and skills. To survive Mordor, Talion will need the best skills in Shadow of War.
Updated on September 21, 2021 by Josh Davison: The world of Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is vast and brimming with deadly and dangerous threats. From Orcs to Graugs to Nazgul, Talion will need everything in his arsenal to survive what's coming. Furthermore, the story is long, and the challenges are many.
Thankfully, Shadow of War allows players to switch between active skills in the vast skill tree. Different skills are ideal in different scenarios, but, even then, some skills are still just outright better than others. Finding the best skills in Shadow of War isn't easy, and it requires studying the different skills and evaluating how they would work in an active combat encounter.
15 Strike From Above Allows Talion To Bring Justice From The Sky
Strike from Above is a Ranger Ability that gives Talion the ability to kill foes while positioned above them. In essence, it's an air assassination akin to Assassin's Creed or Batman's Inverted Takedown in the Arkham series. It also allows Talion to accomplish Brutalize, Stealth Drain, and Brand attacks from the same position.
This one makes it to the list of best skills in Shadow of War because it adds another dimension to Talion's combat tactics. It's not always easy to stealthily sneak up behind an Orc from the same level as them, so being able to drop from above to eliminate an Orc target is highly valuable.
14 Hammer Of Eregion Is Downright Devastating
Hammer of Eregion is among the skills that Talion and Celebrimbor are able to unlock through story advancement. This means that a player doesn't have to worry about unlocking the skill themselves, but they still have to advance to the prerequisite point in the story to get the skill.
Regardless, Hammer of Eregion is still among the best skills in Shadow of War, and it's simple to use. With this skill, when Talion vaults over a foe while in combat, that foe will be frozen for a time. This temporarily pacifies an Orc, while also making them more vulnerable to Talion's next attack upon them.
13 Blade Master Allows Executions Sooner And More Frequently
Blade Master doesn't actually add a new move, attack, or ability to Talion's repertoire, but it's still highly valuable for making some of Talion's moves easier to acomplish. Blade Master reduces the cost of Talion's combat finishers from eight consecutive hits to five. This allows Tallion to unleash devastating finishers much more quickly and more often.
It feels peculiar to highlight what is essentially a skill booster as opposed to an independent skill. However, Blade Master makes Executions, Combat Drains, Elven Lights, and other finishers so much more accessible in the chaos of combat.
12 Treasure Hunter Helps Talion Get Resources
Treasure Hunter is another passive upgrade that actually isn't focused on combat in any way. However, it makes playing the game all-around quicker and more expedient. Treasure Hunter allows Talion to automatically pick up loot from slain enemies in the field.
Treasure Hunter also opens the path to the Discerning Eye skill. This allows Talion to pick up better gear from Captains and Warchiefs, further maximizing loot potential.
11 Brutalize Thins Out Orcs With Little Effort
Brutalize is another that one might consider fundamental a skill in the Middle-Earth games. It allows Talion to turn a stealth takedown into a spectacular and more noticeable execution that has a high chance of terrifying nearby Orcs into retreating.
It's also cathartic and visceral, as the game shows the player all the most creative ways Talion can take apart an Orc. It's incredibly useful, fun, and easily among the best skills in Shadow of War.
10 Bird Of Prey Grants The Ability To Rain Arrows Down On The Orcs
The Bird of Prey ability, which is in the Ranged skill tree, allows Talion to aim his bow while jumping through the air. Talion's supernatural abilities granted through his Wraith powers make it so that he can make tremendous leaps and survive falls from great distances unharmed. The Bird of Prey slows time so that Talion can line up and make bow shots.
The Bird of Prey ability, admittedly, is difficult to use without upgrades. Eagle Sight slows down the considerable Focus drain that happens while Bird of Prey is active. Talon Strike allows Talion to make a powerful bow shot at the ground while falling which causes a large and damaging shockwave. Regardless, it's easily among the best skills in Shadow of War.
9 Deadly Spectre Can Draw Out An Unsuspecting Orc Target
This of the best skills in Shadow of War comes from the Predator skill tree, which focuses on the abilities that Talion and Celebrimbor can accomplish from the shadows to kill, stalk, and torment the Orcs of Mordor. This particular ability upgrades Talion's ability to distract and lure foes to a certain location.
The Deadly Spectre allows Talion to leave Wraith's copy of Celebrimbor at the location that he lures an Orc to in order to kill them. This allows Talion to stay on the move and keeps Orcs guessing as to his true location. This ability can be upgraded so that the Wraith can Brutalize the Orc in a spectacular fashion or Drain the Orc for energy.
8 Poison Tendril Can Slay Orcs With Their Own Drink
This is another Predator skill that can be used from a distance. Talion can use his spectral bow to poison grog barrels at an Orc camp. The Orcs frequently inebriate themselves with wretched grog that they brew and keep at almost every camp. This ability also allows Talion to shoot and detonate grog barrels.
The poisoned grog will kill an Orc in little time. This ability becomes doubly effective in an upgraded form. The Bursting Toxin upgrade makes it so that poisoned Orcs will explode upon death and poison other nearby Orcs. The Contagion upgrade makes poisoned Orcs frenzy and attack their comrades, spreading the poison in the process.
7 Wraith Chain Tears Through Orcs In Brutal Succession
Wraith Chain is yet another Predator skill that can quicken Talion's ability to stealthily tear through the Orcish ranks. One of Talion's signature moves is quietly sneaking behind Orcs and using a broken sword or dagger to silently kill his unaware foes.
Wraith Chain upgrades that so that Talion can make a Wraith copy of Celebrimbor appears a short distance away to silently kill another Orc. This can be done several times, although it consumes Focus. In its upgraded forms, Wraith Chain can also stealth kill beasts. It is obvious why this is commonly seen as one of the best skills in Shadow of War.
6 Detonate Coats Unsuspecting Orcs In A Fireball
Detonate returns the discussion to the Ranged tree, though this time for a far less stealthy attack. The Detonate ability allows Talion to Shadow Strike a firepit, causing it to explode upon nearby foes and set them ablaze without hurting Talion.
This is a nice shock and awe tactic that can also kill a good handful of Orcs, though it does leave Talion in the open in its base form. Thankfully, Talion can upgrade it so that he can detonate the firepit from afar with an arrow. Other upgrades make it so that the exploding fire attracts spiders or Ghuls to the area so that they can attack Orcs.
5 Freeze Pin Keeps Orcs Stuck To The Ground With A Frigid Arrow
The Freeze Pin ability also comes from the Ranged skill tree. This allows Talion to fire a frozen arrow at an Orc's foot, both pinning the foot to the ground and freezing it over. This can be great for keeping certain Orcs from fleeing and being able to fight back for a time, which is what makes this one of the best skills in Shadow of War.
The upgrades on Freeze Pin can also be quite devastating. Brutal Cold makes it so nearby Orcs may flee in terror, Savage Ice allows Talion to pin beasts and Olog-Hai to the ground, and Deep Freeze keeps the targeted Orc stuck in place for double the time.
4 Consume Saps Orc Victims Of Their Will And Vitality
Consume takes Talion over to the Wraith skill tree. It is a pivotal ability that allows Talion to quickly Drain an enemy in the middle of open combat at the cost of Might. This enables Talion to quickly dominate opponents and recover energy from them.
The Chain of Souls upgrade allows Talion to target additional opponents for Consume while the first is still being drained. This costs Focus for each additional target. Lord of Wrath makes it so that Consume also builds Wrath. Olog Lord makes it so that Olog-Hai can also be targeted for Consume. This is one of Talion's fundamental powers and easily earns its position as one of the best skills in Shadow of War.
3 Elven Light Is A Pivotal Crowd Control Attack
Elven Light is another Wraith ability that allows Talion to unleash a powerful and bright blast at full Might. This staggers and knocks back nearby enemies. It's excellent for clearing the area and giving Talion some breathing room, even if it doesn't necessarily kill the Orcs hit by it.
That said, the upgrades certainly make Elven Light more dangerous for nearby Orcs. Cleansing Blaze makes it so Elven Light can set Orcs on fire, Winter's Breath means nearby Orcs can be frozen, and Poison Blast makes it so that nearby Ocs will be poisoned by Elven Light.
2 Shadow Strike Allows Talion To Teleport Great Distances
Shadow Strike brings Talion back to the Ranged skill tree again. Talion can teleport a great distance just by aiming his spectral bow at an enemy. This allows him to then kill or stun the targeted enemy. This is another fundamental power that easily earns the title of being one of the best skills in Shadow of War.
With upgrades, this already powerful ability can make it so Talion can chain Shadow Strikes, pull targeted enemies towards him after a Shadow Strike, or immediately dominate an enemy after using the skill.
1 Execute Immediately Puts Down Most Orc Enemies
Execute is easily the most useful and versatile ability in the game. It makes it so that Talion can use his full Might meter to instantly and brutally kill an Orc in the middle of combat. This will always be useful, as it's near impossible to avoid open combat completely. Furthermore, it's great to end a fight quickly if you are wanting to get out of open combat and return to stealth.
This Combat ability can also be upgraded so that Talion can gain Might each time he takes damage, while in stealth, and gain even more when stealth killing an Orc. Again, this is one of the most basic yet powerful skills available to Talion, making it among the best skills in Shadow of War.