ActionAdventureRPG
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™
Give it 3 hours
Gets good by 3h almost every game dips in hours 2–3
Fully opens up by 20h rated like by long-time players
Reach the ending 39% of players who started
Started playing 72% of owners
Steam reviews 89% positive of 117,572
What the data shows
- In the first 2 hours 1 in 2 reviews are negative (46%); after 20h it's 1 in 11 (9%).
- Fully opens up by hour 20.
- 39% of players who start reach the ending.
- The biggest drop-off is between “What Once Was Lost” (Complete Act I) and “Lord of Horror” (Defeat the Balrog): from 79% to 50% of starters.
- 72% of owners got the first achievement.
When it gets good
Share of positive reviews by how many hours the reviewer had played when writing the review.
before it gets good opening up fully opened up
Based on all 118,008 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 299 reviews: 31.2h for positive, 15.3h for negative. Almost every game is rated lower in the first 2–3 hours: that window includes refunds and quick first impressions. What matters is how deep the dip is and how fast the game recovers.
Where players quit
Share of players who started the game and reached each story milestone. 100% is the most common achievement (72.2% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.
- Started playing 100%
- What Once Was Lost Complete Act I. 79% −21
- Lord of Horror Defeat the Balrog. Most players quit here 50% −29
- Banished Defeat Suladân. 50%
- Stalemate is Victory Defeat the Witch-king and reclaim Minas Morgul. 39% −11
story milestone ending biggest drop-off
Story milestones were labeled by AI from achievement names and descriptions; mistakes are possible.
All achievements (72)
story milestone ending side
- Better Luck Next Time Meet an Enemy or a Follower who has cheated death. 100%
- Avenged Complete a Vendetta Mission. 87%
- Fit for War Complete a challenge to upgrade a piece of gear. 85%
- Hostile Takeover Defeat a Warchief. 85%
- Rule of Three Unlock 3 Gem slots. 85%
- Dismantled Disable an Outpost. 84%
- Vandal Destroy a Monument. 82%
- Forger Forge a higher-quality Gem by combining three Gems of the same quality. 81%
- What Once Was Lost Complete Act I. 79%
- I Like to Watch Watch a Follower murder another Captain without helping him. 74%
- First Steps Conquer the Fortress of Núrnen. 73%
- Speak Friend and Enter Open one of the Ithildin Doors. 66%
- Best Defense Equip 3 Siege Upgrades on an Assault Team. 63%
- Bound by Blood Complete an Online Vendetta. 62%
- Headhunter Recruit a Follower of every Advanced Class. 60%
- Nemesis Encounter the same Orc 3 times in nemesis missions without killing him. 59%
- Feed the Beasts Attract every kind of beast using bait. 52%
- Power Couple Send a Follower to support another Follower in a Nemesis Mission. 52%
- Promise Keeper Issue a Death Threat, and then successfully kill the target. 51%
- Lord of Horror Defeat the Balrog. 50%
- Banished Defeat Suladân. 50%
- For Gondor Complete all Gondor quests. 49%
- Follower Perks Use a Training Order to give a Follower a gang. 48%
- The Operative Turn all of a Warchief's bodyguards (minimum 2) into spies, then confront him. 45%
- Brought to Heel Defeat Helm Hammerhand. 45%
- Purge Purify all the Haedir. 43%
- Fall and Rise Complete all Brûz quests. 41%
- The Stuff of Legend Equip a full Legendary Gear set as Talion. 40%
- Stalemate is Victory Defeat the Witch-king and reclaim Minas Morgul. 39%
- Forged by War Unlock all player skills. 37%
- Undeath Defeats Undeath Complete all Carnán quests. 36%
- Banish the Darkness Complete all Eltariel quests. 35%
- Master Forger Forge a top tier Gem. 32%
- No Orc Left Behind Rescue a Follower who's been captured. 30%
- Second Age Warrior Complete all Shadow of the Past missions in one region. 29%
- The Web Revealed Uncover the final Shelob memory and reveal the Web of Fate. 27%
- Eastern Front Conquer the Fortress of Shindrâm as Talion. 24%
- It Came From Within Start a Conquest with all Warchiefs as spies. 23%
- Finished Tales Recover all Gondorian artifacts. 22%
- Peace in Death Complete the Shadow Wars. 20%
- Everything is Permitted Shame an Assassin until he becomes deranged. 19%
- Unlikely Alliances Recruit your first follower as Eltariel. 18%
- Vertical Mobility Help a grunt become an Overlord. 16%
- Overkill Send a Follower to kill another Follower in a pit fight. 15%
- Holding the Line Defend Cirith Ungol from a new threat. 15%
- Flash Mob Blind 100 Orcs. 15%
- Rough Rider Ride every type of beast and rare beast. 13%
- Death is not the End Resurrect a Follower Captain. 13%
- Scorched Earth Deny Sauron’s control of Seregost forever. 13%
- Bad Boss Strike a Follower until he's had enough. 12%
- No Way Out Change the landscape of Lithlad. 12%
- Problem Solved Settle the Fixer’s score with the overlord of Núrn. 12%
- No Orc Lives Forever Win all Fight Pit missions. 11%
- Banished Ambition Defeat the Rogue Nazgûl. 11%
- The Time has Come Witness the end of Eltariel’s path. 11%
- Belly of the Beast Leave your mark on the Overlord of Lithlad. 11%
- Life of the Party Send a Destroyer on a Vendetta Mission. 11%
- Blood on Blood Make a Captain kill his bloodbrother. 10%
- Festival of Blood Save Serka. 10%
- Point of No Return Defend the Oasis. 9.3%
- Reap What You Sow Conquer the Fortress of Shindrâm as Baranor. 9.1%
- Such Great Heights Reach the rank of Captain in Online Conquest. 8.3%
- Complete in Defeat Defeat the Lawless. 7.9%
- Gauntlet Collect all Númenórean artifacts and bring them to Torvin. 6.5%
- If You Can't Beat Them Recruit an Orc after he's killed you three or more times. 6.1%
- Elven Conquest Complete an Online Conquest with an Eltariel skin. 5.4%
- Trolling Kill a Captain while riding an Olog. 4.7%
- Shadows of the Sand Achieve a Gold Rating on all Shadow of the Past missions in Lithlad. 4.7%
- Wild Things Kill a drake while riding a graug. 4.6%
- I See the Light Use Light Trap against 20 Orcs. 4.0%
- Baranor the Conqueror Complete the Desolation of Mordor with a Gold Rating. 3.0%
- Bombardier Kill at least one enemy with each ammo type while gliding as Baranor. 2.5%
Steam page Updated: 2026-10-21.