Here's the first Middle-earth: Shadow of War trailer and 5 things you should know

There's a new Middle-earth game on the way called Shadow of War. It barely had time to leak before Warners spoiled it all with a confirmation, trailer and first info. 

Here's the trailer: 

And now the deets...

Shadow of War features a new ring

Shadow of War is focused on a new Ring of Power forged by Talion/Celebrimbor, the ranger possessed by a wraith, who's back to fight orcs as 'the world of men is ending.' Again, this takes place in the 60 year gap between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Sauron's in Shadow of War

As well as appearing in the trailer, the official Shadow of War details talk of confronting "the deadliest of enemies, including Sauron and his Nazgul, in a monumental battle for Middle-earth." The info also promises "epic heroes and villains, original enemy types, even more personalities and a new cast of characters with untold stories." Balrog's obviously in the trailer as well. 

Shadow of War's Nemesis system now affects the actual world...

The Nemesis system is back but this time will encompass "the entire world," with mention of characters and now environments being affected in Shadow of War. Everything will be "shaped by player actions and decisions, creating a personal world unique to every gameplay experience."

...and new Nemesis Fortresses

The new Nemesis system also adds Nemesis Fortresses. These will apparently allow players to "utilise different strategies to conquer dynamic strongholds." There's mention again of personalised worlds and a "unique Orc army."

Shadow Of War will visit more film locations

While the previous game was set in the same locations as the film, and shared a few place names, it wasn't packed with much in the way of instantly recognisable places. Shadow of War is promising "iconic locations" which hopefully means more than a brown field with a name from the book. 

There'll be a gameplay reveal on March 8th so well find out more then. 

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Leon Hurley
Managing editor for guides

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for guides, which means I run GamesRadar's guides and tips content. I also write reviews, previews and features, largely about horror, action adventure, FPS and open world games. I previously worked on Kotaku, and the Official PlayStation Magazine and website.