Middle-earth: Shadow of War

Released: 2017 — API: DirectX 11 — Engine: LithTech

Set between the events of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, you play as Talion, a Ranger who's bound with the spirit of Elf Lord Celebrimbor on their mission to defeat Sauron. The game continues the narrative from Shadow of Mordor, mostly using mechanics known from the predecessor, like the Nemesis system, which has been expanded upon. The game got lots of press for its loot boxes, which Monolith ended up removing a few months after release.

Based on Monolith's LithTech engine, Shadow of War makes full use of DirectX 11 and provides plenty of settings to improve eye candy for powerful PCs. We tested with highest details and the high-res texture pack active.