One thing I dislike about the game is that it relies way too much on tutorial like pop up messages during frantic gameplay. I didn’t play any significant amount of Mordor, Batman, or Assassins Creed to know the combat or movement systems. The game seems to assume right from the go that I know them and rarely pauses to tell me important information nor keeps it (that I have found) in a log.
Anyway, can someone help me understand the axe guys that parry frontal attacks? There is a prompt that I should stun them with a circle icon (PS4). If I hold down circle it does the drain animation, but someone inevitably hits me out of it. Do I need some unlocked skill to “stun” with a circle tap? Or am I doing it wrong?
Also, what “advances time” (the boxes under missions)? It seems to move for sure if I die, but it also seems to advance (but not always) on a successful mission. What if anything are the consequences of missing a mission due to time advancing? In the case of vendettas it seems like lost loot opportunity, but what about the ones that say something about do X in time or the city will fall? The city never seems to fall.
I guess that is my question, what is a “stun”? Is there a different input than holding circle until the bars fill (like you soon worms for Intel)? Is this using some weakness that will “daze” them?
So if I run into a captain that is an axe guy before I have the freeze powers unlocked, I best run away or use something fancy (barrels, cargor, etc) since I can’t really hit him much besides a few strikes after jumping over him?
Sorry if I seem dense. Can B or Circle be tapped at any time? Do I need to vault over then tap it? Do I need to hold it to complete a drain? I wish the game told me more or let me practice in some way. I keep trying to tap in different ways, but the captain seems to just ignore it an then do a parry if I attack or a wild triple swing after an A or X prompt. I can’t seem to generate an opening.
Not really. I played a demo of the first one and that was it. I think that is the problem. Shadow of a War is such an echo of certain games, that it sees no reason to teach someone how to play the game. I’m learning more, but it’s not exactly clear beyond the obvious button reactions. Sometimes button combinations are shown in quest or skill screens (something I can digest without being rushed), but not always.
Just last session I had an enemy that poisons shows up and some text prompt flew up on the screen then left before I could read it (middle of combat) in a dicey captain fight where I was wounded and ambushed by a second higher level captain. I had another instance where my map area turned into the eye of Sauron, but I’m not sure why (I think it’s from being cursed). For that matter, I can curse with my dagger every 42 seconds, but not sure what that even does.
I have all pop up UI options on, but that’s sort of it. Outside of semi-random helper text that populates during combat, the game is silent on how to play. The combat itself, due to the Nemesis system, doesn’t give a lot of breather time to learn and experiment.
That all said, I’m learning. I’m just treating Shadow of War as a Rogue-lite even though I am pretty sure that is not the intention.
I’m playing it and enjoying it so far, but still somewhat early (I have yet to take my first fortress). And I kind of stopped for a bit to play AC: Origins. I’ll get back to it soon enough, I think.
I’ve been playing it nonstop. I can post more later today. Current opinion is very positive, with a couple personal dislikes, but nothing too terrible.
