Shadow of War showcases how Minas Ithil became Minas Morgul

It’s nobody’s business but the Orcs.

New Middle Earth: Shadow of War video tells quite a story on the amount of effort and research the developers put into Middle Earth: Shadow of War, and especially the design of the ancient stronghold of Isildur’s – Minas Ithil.

The city is beautiful to behold, designed to reflect moonlight, becoming the symbol of Gondor. As it was also on the border of Mordor it was never really peaceful. The constant threat of orcs and evil men kept Gondor ready to fight back. And they have succeeded in doing so until the Ringwraits returned and the Witch King walked into Minas Ithil and turned it into Minas Morgul. Heirs of Isildur managed to run away and bring a seedling of the famed White Tree to Minas Anor, which became Minas Tirith.

If you have seen Lord of the Rings movies, you might remember the city from the seens where Faramir captures Frodo and Sam, but releases them to their quest after the attack of the Ringwraiths. At this stage, the city is already a dark, foreboding place, and the change will be mirrored in the game as well. Talion will visit Minas Ithil during his travels and fight with the last human forces against the encroaching darkness.

Shadow of War aims to surpass its predecessor in every way possible and large battle scenes will play a part in that. A recent video showcases the battle set outside of Minas Ithil itself.

Middle Earth: Shadow of War will be released on PS4/PS4 Pro, PC, Xbox One. It will also feature as one of the games playable from the go on Project Scorpio, whose specs have just been unveiled.

The game will be out on August 22 in North America and August 25 in Europe.