By
Brendan Graeber,Steven Santana,Louie Powell,+17.0k more
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Any Uruk in Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor can become a Captain, or even a Warchief. Power has its perks and its drawbacks, as every Captain and Warchief has a list of Strengths and Weaknesses for you to exploit and be mindful of.
Because every Uruk Captain and Warchief is procedurally generated (aside from a few Main Mission enemies), Talion will need to gather intel on these Uruks by finding documents left behind, or interrogating Worms (marked in green) and using their mind to find out new info on his potential targets.
You will find that no two Uruks are alike, as one Captain may be terrified of Caragors, but another will be enraged by the sight of them. Knowing your enemies weakness and how to use it to your advantage is the key to dominating Mordor. The more powerful a Captain or Warchief is, the more strengths and fewer weaknesses they are likely to have. Most Warchiefs have little weaknesses, requiring you to do some planning before taking them out.
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As Captains and Warchiefs are promoted, or grow stronger, they will often gain new strengths, while encounters with Talion can even beget them new weaknesses, such as a fear to a particular tactic used against them in the previous encounter.
For a list of Strengths and Weaknesses, see the list below.
Strengths
Every Uruk Captain has at least one - if not more - strengthened abilities that aid them in fight. Strengths are broken down into four categories: Hatreds, Invulnerabilities, Special Combat Abilities, and Passive Abilities.
Hatreds
Hatreds work like the opposite of Fears: If a Uruk with a hatred of a specific thing comes into contact with that which he hates, he will become enraged. Becoming enraged will often make an Uruk even stronger, replenishing health, becoming resistant to damage, and dealing extreme amounts of damage.
| Hate of Caragors | Becomes enraged at the sight of Caragors |
| Hate of Burns | Becomes enraged by burning attacks |
| Hate of Gruags | Becomes enraged at the sight of Graugs |
| Hate of Ghuls | Becomes enraged at the sight of Ghuls |
| Hate of Morgai Flies | Becomes enraged when exposed to Morgai Flies |
| Hate of Bodyguard Suffering | Becomes enraged when bodyguards are attacked |
| Hate of His Master Suffering | Becomes enraged when master is hit |
| Hate of Pain | Becomes enraged when hit |
| Hate of Defeat | Becomes enraged at low health |
| Hate of his Rival | Becomes enraged at the sight of one particular captian |
Invulnerabilities
Only the stronger Uruks of Mordor have invulnerabilities to your attacks. These invulnerabilities make them immune to some of your attacks, and a bad string of invulnerabilities can make it extremely tough to kill some Uruks. In these cases, and Weakness must be exploited.
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| Invulnerable to Stealth | Cannot be damaged by stealth takedowns |
| Invulnerable to Ranged | Cannot be damaged by ranged attacks |
| Combat Master | Invulnerable to combat attacks and finishers |
| Monster Slayer | Able to kill monsters quickly, and resistant to their attacks |
Special Combat Abilities
Even the weakest of Uruks will probably have 2 to 4 special combat abilities. These abilities can range anywhere from hard hitting attacks, fighting styles, or methods to deflect your own attacks. Certain abilities are only found with special types of Uruk Captains and Warchiefs. For instance, an Archer Captain may have an explosive arrow attack, while a Defender Captain can have a shield slam. Always check up on a Captain or Warchief's abilities to know what to watch for, and when to damage them.
| Ambusher | Launches ambushes against enemies |
| Throat Grab | Picks up enemies by the throat |
| Vault Breaker | Blocks attempts to jump over him |
| Grapple | Can swing you around |
| Battle-Hardened | Harder to kill, may require you to finish him |
| Sneaky | Sometimes shows up unexpectedly |
| Wraith Stun Block | Blocks Wraith Stun attacks from the front |
| Inspiring Presence | Nearby Uruks may attack simultaneously |
| Poison Cloud | Drops stunning clouds of poison |
| Poision Weapon | Weapon inflicts a lingering poison |
| Jump Attack | Leaps far when striking |
| Flaming Weapon | Weapon is on fire, increasing damage |
| Deflect and Counter | Can deflect your attacks and counter them |
| Quick Shot | Shoots multiple shots in rapid succession |
| Rapid Attack | Can launch multiple attacks that must be countered individually |
| Fury Attack | Highly aggressive melee attack |
| Savage Weapon | Weapon inflicts wounds that bleed over time |
| Deadly | Attacks do much more damage than most Uruks |
| Summoner | Calls out nearby allies in a fight |
| Heavy Attack | High-damage melee attack that cannot be countered |
| Backlash | Your counters are not effective |
| Ground Pound | Slams the ground causing damage in a radius |
| Skirmisher | Attempts to back away from combat |
| Body Slam | Picks up opponents and throws them to the ground |
| Quick Turn | Turns around quickly if struck from behind |
| Wrecker | Devastating shield slam and impale attack |
| Charge Attack | Running charge attack in a straight line |
| Boomerang Throw | Throws weapon, which then returns to him |
Passive Abilities
While not every Uruk Captain or Warchief has a passive abilities, those that do should be treated carefully, for passive abilities can be as dangerous as combat ones. These abilities often dictate how an Uruk fights, whether they will give the player a Last Chance struggle or not, if they can detect the player lurking nearby, and even their regenerating capabilities.
| Fearless | Cannot be terrified, never flees |
| Blood Thirsty | Recovers health from striking enemies |
| Regeneration | Continually heals rapidly |
| Humilator | Refuses to kill unworthy victims |
| No Chance | Victims don't get a Last Chance Struggle |
| Gang Leader | Has a group of followers |
| Demanding Leader | This Warchief attracts more Bodyguards |
| Fast Runner | Runs much faster than other Uruks |
| Sniffer | Can smell out enemies who are hiding |
| Tracker | Can sense the presence of nearby enemies and hunt them |
| Cautious | Averse to combat |
Weaknesses
For every strength an Uruk has, there will always be at least one weakness that they have. Even the most secretive of Uruks cannot hide their fears and weaknesses from Talion and his information gathering. The weakness a Captain or Warchief possesses can turn the tide for Talion, as it only takes on fault to bring down an otherwise fearless Uruk. Weaknesses are separated into three categories: Vulnerabilities, Fears, and General Weaknesses.
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Vulnerabilities
If an Uruk is vulnerable to a specific type of attack, Talion can change the course of battle from a long drawn out fight to a single strike that will send lesser Uruks running in fear. Many Warchiefs have no vulnerabilities, making one-hit kill scenarios less likely with the toughest Uruks around.
| Vulnerable to Stealth Finishers | Can be killed instantly using stealth finishers |
| Vulnerable to Combat Finishers | Can be killed instantly using combat finishers |
| Vulnerable to Ranged Attacks | Can be killed by a single charged headshot, fire arrow, or shadow strike |
| Vulnerable to Mounted Beasts | Can be killed instantly by mounted beast finishers |
| Clumsy | Can be grabbed without needing to lower his health |
| Branded (Once dominated) | Can be grabbed without requiring low health |
Fears
Even the most powerful Uruk can sometimes harbor a deep-seated fear of something. These fears can often be exploited for great effect. When an Uruks is terrified, he will try to leave the battleground at all costs. This will also leave the Captain or Warchief open to being grabbed, getting you an easy kill or domination.
| Fear of Caragors | Becomes terrified at the sight of Caragors |
| Feat of Ghuls | Becomes terrified at the sight of Ghuls |
| Fear of Graugs | Becomes terrified at the sight of Graugs |
| Fear of Burning | Becomes terrified when burned |
| Fear of Morgai Flies | Becomes terrified when exposed to Morgai Flies |
| Fear of his Rival | Becomes terrified at the sight of one particular captian |
| Fear of Betrayal | Becomes terrified when allied Uruks fight each other |
| Fear of the Gravewalker | Becomes terrified at the sight of Talion |
General Weaknesses
Even the mightiest of Warchiefs has at least one general weakness. These are usually in the form of damaging tips that can be used to great effect against an otherwise indomitable foe. While they won't be killed instantly by these attacks, they can even the odds in your favor during tough fights.
| Damaged by Ranged Attacks | Can be injured by ranged shots or shadow strike |
| Damaged by Combat Finishers | Can be injured by combat finishers |
| Damaged by Stealth Finishers | Can be injured by stealth attacks |
| Damaged by Explosions | can be injured by explosions |
Up Next: Weapon Runes
Top Guide Sections
- Walkthrough
- Sauron's Army
- Weapon Runes
- Abilities
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Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Monolith Productions
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