Middle-Earth: Shadow of Warhas players return to the role of Talion, the undead Gondorian Ranger bonded to the Elvish wraith, Celebrimbor, as the duo continue their shadow war against Sauron and the Orcs of Mordor. However, they face new threats this time as creatures such as Shelob, the Nazgul, and a Balrog enter the fray.
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Talion and Celebrimbor need to be well-outfitted to fight back against these myriad supernatural threats, and the player can help them by outfitting the ranger with exceptional powers and skills. To survive Mordor, Talion will need the best skills inShadow of War.
Updated on July 14, 2025 by Josh Davison:The world ofMiddle-Earth: Shadow of Waris vast and brimming with deadly and dangerous threats. From Orcs to Graugs to Nazgul, Talion will need everything in his arsenal to survive what’s coming. Furthermore, the story is long, and the challenges are many.
Thankfully,Shadow of Warallows players to switch between active skills in the vast skill tree. Different skills are ideal in different scenarios, but, even then, some skills are still just outright better than others. Finding the best skills inShadow of Warisn’t easy, and it requires studying the different skills and evaluating how they would work in an active combat encounter.
15Strike From Above Allows Talion To Bring Justice From The Sky
Strike from Above is a Ranger Ability that gives Talion theability to kill foes while positioned above them.In essence, it’s an air assassination akin toAssassin’s CreedorBatman’s Inverted Takedown in theArkhamseries. It also allows Talion to accomplishBrutalize, Stealth Drain, and Brand attacks from the same position.
This one makes it to the list of best skills inShadow of Warbecause it adds another dimension to Talion’s combat tactics. It’s not always easy to stealthily sneak up behind an Orc from the same level as them, so being able to drop from above to eliminate an Orc target is highly valuable.
14Hammer Of Eregion Is Downright Devastating
Hammer of Eregion is among the skills that Talion and Celebrimbor are able to unlock through story advancement. This means that a player doesn’t have to worry about unlocking the skill themselves, but they still have to advance to the prerequisite point in the story to get the skill.
Regardless, Hammer of Eregion is still among the best skills inShadow of War,and it’s simple to use. With this skill,when Talion vaults over a foe while in combat, that foe will be frozen for a time. This temporarily pacifies an Orc, while also making them more vulnerable to Talion’s next attack upon them.
13Blade Master Allows Executions Sooner And More Frequently
Blade Master doesn’t actually add a new move, attack, or ability to Talion’s repertoire, but it’s still highly valuable for making some of Talion’s moves easier to acomplish. Blade Masterreduces the cost of Talion’s combat finishers from eight consecutive hits to five.This allows Tallion to unleash devastating finishers much more quickly and more often.
It feels peculiar to highlight what is essentially a skill booster as opposed to an independent skill. However, Blade Master makes Executions, Combat Drains, Elven Lights, and other finishers so much more accessible in the chaos of combat.
12Treasure Hunter Helps Talion Get Resources
Treasure Hunter is another passive upgrade that actually isn’t focused on combat in any way. However, it makes playing the game all-around quicker and more expedient. Treasure Hunterallows Talion to automatically pick up loot from slain enemies in the field.
Treasure Hunter also opens the path to the Discerning Eye skill. This allows Talion to pick up better gear from Captains and Warchiefs, further maximizing loot potential.
11Brutalize Thins Out Orcs With Little Effort
Brutalize is another that one might consider fundamental a skill in theMiddle-Earthgames. It allows Talion toturn a stealth takedown into a spectacular and more noticeable executionthat has a high chance of terrifying nearby Orcs into retreating.
It’s also cathartic and visceral, as the gameshows the player all the most creative ways Talion can take apart an Orc. It’s incredibly useful, fun, and easily among the best skills inShadow of War.
10Bird Of Prey Grants The Ability To Rain Arrows Down On The Orcs
The Bird of Prey ability,which is in the Ranged skill tree, allows Talion to aim his bow while jumping through the air. Talion’s supernatural abilities granted through his Wraith powers make it so that he can make tremendous leaps and survive falls from great distances unharmed. The Bird of Preyslows time so that Talion can line up and make bow shots.
The Bird of Prey ability, admittedly,is difficult to use without upgrades. Eagle Sight slows down the considerable Focus drain that happens while Bird of Prey is active. Talon Strike allows Talion to make a powerful bow shot at the ground while falling which causes a large and damaging shockwave. Regardless, it’s easily among the best skills inShadow of War.
9Deadly Spectre Can Draw Out An Unsuspecting Orc Target
This of the best skills inShadow of Warcomes from the Predator skill tree, which focuses on the abilities that Talion and Celebrimbor can accomplish from the shadows to kill, stalk, and torment the Orcs of Mordor. This particular ability upgrades Talion’s ability to distract and lure foes to a certain location.
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The Deadly Spectre allows Talion to leave Wraith’s copy of Celebrimbor at the location that he lures an Orc to to kill them. This allows Talion to stay on the move and keeps Orcs guessing as to his true location. This ability can be upgraded so that the Wraith can Brutalize the Orc in a spectacular fashion or Drain the Orc for energy.
8Poison Tendril Can Slay Orcs With Their Own Drink
This is another Predator skill that can be used from a distance. Talion can use his spectral bow to poison grog barrels at an Orc camp. The Orcs frequently inebriate themselves with wretched grog that they brew and keep at almost every camp. This ability alsoallows Talion to shoot and detonate grog barrels.
The poisoned grog will kill an Orc in little time. This ability becomes doubly effective in an upgraded form. The Bursting Toxin upgrade makes it so that poisoned Orcs will explode upon death and poison other nearby Orcs. The Contagion upgrade makes poisoned Orcs frenzy and attack their comrades, spreading the poison in the process.
7Wraith Chain Tears Through Orcs In Brutal Succession
Wraith Chain is yet another Predator skill that can quicken Talion’s ability to stealthily tear through the Orcish ranks. One of Talion’s signature moves is quietly sneaking behind Orcs andusing a broken sword or daggerto silently kill his unaware foes.
Wraith Chain upgrades that so that Talion canmake a Wraith copy of Celebrimbor appears a short distance away to silently kill another Orc.This can be done several times, although it consumes Focus. In its upgraded forms, Wraith Chain can also stealth kill beasts. It is obvious why this is commonly seen as one of the best skills inShadow of War.
6Detonate Coats Unsuspecting Orcs In A Fireball
Detonate returns the discussion to the Ranged tree, though this time for a far less stealthy attack. The Detonate ability allows Talion toShadow Strike a firepit, causing it to explode upon nearby foes and set them ablazewithout hurting Talion.
This is a nice shock and awe tactic that can also kill a good handful of Orcs, though it does leave Talion in the open in its base form. Thankfully, Talion can upgrade it so that he can detonate the firepit from afar with an arrow. Other upgrades make it so that the exploding fire attracts spiders or Ghuls to the area so that they can attack Orcs.
