Imagine, if this were canon... not a soul in Middle-earth, not Frodo, Aragorn, Legolas, nor even Gandalf, would ever know of his valiant stand against Sauron's relentless forces, nor of the ultimate sacrifice he made in the silent shadows of their grand tale. His heroism would remain a whispered legend, lost in the winds of time, a light unseen amidst the great chronicles of the ages.
I feel like Talion is the perfect depiction of everyone fighting battles no one knows about, whether physical, emotional, or mental. It took armies of every race, wizards, and everything they had to beat Sauron. Yet this man held him at bay for years alone. It wasn't the war that broke him, it was the betrayals. And in death he finally found peace. I don't care what anyone says, this was a phenomenal character who was written very well. This song really embodies him.
Amazing ending. I never played the second game, heck I never even finished the first one, but after watching all the cuts scenes from both I see how beautiful a story it was.
i'll never forget the most hype orc villain i had in my playthrough, his name was horza of the black gate he was mocking talion's family and saying he saw it all, so i destroyed him and cleaved him in half later on he came back fully mechanized and his name had changed to horza the machine i decided to let him kill me to make it cinematic, and during the minas ithil attack, the captain that you need to kill in the yard was him i ended up killing him therefore closing off his story, but during the zog questline he came back as an undead in the colosseum i will never forget you horza 😭
mine was a basic orc from all the way back in minas ithil. Just starting out as I was hunting down a captain that had killed me at least 3 times, a grunt got me. Thrak. after my demise, thrak the tark slayer. So I tracked him down. Killed him. He cheated death and appeared in the middle of another encounter. I fled, believing the fight was lost. From there, I was angry with thrak. So I chased him down again, and killed him. Had a good personality to, the poor bastard. Several sessions later, I head to the colosseum and confront zog. At this point I had reached a point I always do in games. The point where I start paying attention to the character of the enemies, seeing them as people instead of obstacles to be removed. And I looked back on thrak fondly. So I confront zog, and see the orcs raised from the dead. And imagine my surprise when the final orc revealed is none other than thrak the tark slayer. Seeing what he’d become, surprise shifted to guilt. I still tell myself that I killed himself out of mercy instead of shame.
Stone by stone Cracked, crushed, fallen Beauty burned, erased But not forgotten I’ll take your melodies May your last breath Fill the air with embers I inhale In their blood, I will stand Let the waning light of man Cast my shadow on the fires of war Till our time burns away Till our embers fade to grey Cast my shadow on the fires of war My grief is swollen In rusty chains Tethered to the killing wheel Sun up, Sun down, Sun up, Sun down, again One burning candle One wind whipped flame I carry in my teeth like an animal Vengeance my strength In their blood, I will stand Let the waning light of man Cast my shadow on the fires of war Till our time burns away Till our embers fade to grey Cast my shadow on the fires of wa
My journey through the Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War saga began in 2016. Starting with Shadow of Mordor, I was immediately captivated by the narrative and immersive gameplay. Five years later, in 2021, I returned to Middle-earth to experience the thrilling sequel, Shadow of War. My adventure through Mordor continued, and although I didn't quite reach the end at first, I achieved a significant 60% completion of the game. Finally, on February 16, 2024, I've conquered the remaining challenges and witnessed the culmination of Talion's story. While bittersweet, the final cutscenes provided a satisfying yet tragic closure to his journey. While a part of me wished for Talion's continued existence, the writer masterfully crafted an ending that leaves little room for further adventures. Looking back, this journey spanning eight years (2016-2024) has been truly memorable. I deeply enjoyed the gameplay and the intricate narrative woven throughout both games. The Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War saga will undoubtedly remain a cherished experience.
I genuinely cried when I first heard this song after I beat the game for the first time. It’s so beautiful. God, I need this game to be more mainstream.
And when Talion was walking to peace, he heard.. "Ranger! Can't get rid of an Uruk that easily if you don't cut his head clean off." And Talion said: "what about a friend instead? " -Credits: "stone by stone"
