Shadow of War: Ranged combat Middle-earth: Shadow of War Guide
Last update: 20 December 2022
On this page of our guide for Middle-earth: Shadow of War you will find hints and tips on how to engage in ranged combat. We have described the main varieties of ranged weapons available in the game - bow, axes and throwing daggers.
Bow
Talion is an experienced archer who can easily kill his enemies from a distance. Although ranged combat is connected to some restrictions, it is a perfect solution that allows you to defeat certain enemies. However, before you grab your bow, you must know the following things:
- Slow-motion. Aiming activates slow-motion which stays active until you deplete your focus bar. This allows you to shoot your target with a better accuracy. With time, you can learn new abilities that can allow you to extend duration of slow-motion or, e.g. activate it when you jump into air.
- Choose your target. Bow is best for, e.g. killing a lone orc on top of a watch tower. Remember to always aim at head because this deals critical damage.
- Ammo. Sadly, bow's ammo is limited and you can shoot only a certain number of elven arrows. Luckily for you, arrows are scattered around the whole world. Simply approach them and you will resupply all of your ammo.
- Bow and environment objects. Bow is great for using interactive environment elements to your advantage. You simply have to, e.g. shoot meat down and lure beasts that can wreak havoc. Another good idea is to lure your enemies close to explosive barrels and detonate them from a safe distance.
- Additional abilities. You can unlock a lot of interesting and very useful abilities that make your bow even more effective. Shadow Strike is one of the best abilities in the game - it allows you to teleport instantly to a selected enemy.
Warning! You can replace your bow with throwing axes, however, abilities and the mechanics stay the same.
Throwing daggers
Besides bow, your character can unlock access to daggers that can be thrown at enemies. Quick Throw ability allows you to throw a dagger that deals small amount of damage and stuns a single enemy. This attack is useful when an enemy is charging at you or you want to stop a captain that is running away.
You can upgrade this ability. Thanks to that your daggers will have a better chance to deal critical hit. There is also an ability that allows you to throw multiple daggers at the same time which is very useful when Talion is surrounded.