Runes are items in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor that add powerful buffs to Celebrimbor's bow Azkâr, Talion's dagger Acharn, and Talion's sword Urfael. These runes can be obtained by vanquishing enemy Nemeses. Exploiting the weaknesses of an enemy will influence the type of runes that drop, and combining different runes will increase the power of Talion's weapons in different ways.
Obtaining Runes[]
Whenever Talion slays an enemy Uruk Nemesis, it may drop a rune which Talion can use to upgrade his weapons. Every Nemesis has certain weaknesses, such as a vulnerability to attacks from mounts or stealth takedowns, that can be exploited to obtain specific runes. For instance, if the player kills an enemy captain using a stealth takedown, the player will receive a stealth related rune.
Epic Runes[]
Epic runes are extremely powerful runes that can only be obtained from Uruk warchiefs or captains who have been threatened. To obtain these epic runes from captains, Talion must first dominate a bodyguard, who must then be forced to deliver a death threat to their captain. This captain will learn that Talion is coming after him, and will prepare himself accordingly by surrounding himself with bodyguards. Once the captain and his bodyguards are defeated, the captain will drop the epic rune.
Applying Runes[]
The player is able to add runes to Talion's weapons through the weapon upgrade menu. Every weapon can be upgraded with several runes, and these runes can be combined to make Talion's weapons even more legendary.
List of Runes[]
Acharn[]
Icon | Name | Effect | Level |
---|---|---|---|
Favor of the Lady | Recovers 15% Health when completing a Drain or Brand. | 5 | |
Heart of Mearas | Increases Elven Swiftness speed burst duation by 50%. | Epic | |
Lure of Power | 33% Chance that any enemy near a Stealth Brand target will also be branded. | Epic | |
Power of the Earth | Recovers 100% Focus on Ground Execution. | 0 | |
Worm's Tooth | A Stealth Kill recharges the Shadow of Acharn at double the normal rate. | Epic |
Azkâr[]
Icon | Name | Effect | Level |
---|---|---|---|
? | Aura of Dismay | Upon landing a headshot on an Uruk that is unaware of Talion's location, others around him will flee in fear. | ? |
Bow Master | Increases bow damage by 50%. | Epic | |
? | Broken Mind | Whenever Talion Brands a foe and initiates them into his army, Talion has a 50% chance to regain 1 arrow. | ? |
Explosive Demise | 20% Chance that an area blast will happen around a charged bow kill. | Epic | |
Fire Storm | Adds a powerful blast to Fire Arrows. | Epic | |
Keen Eyed | Recovers 43% Focus for killing with the bow. | 6 | |
Will of the West | 29% Chance to recover +10 Health on a head shot kill. | 4 |
Urfael[]
Icon | Name | Effect | Level |
---|---|---|---|
Betrayer | Increases all weapon damage by 35% when hitting an enemy from behind. | 0 | |
? | Blade Master | Talion will regain 50 health when his hit streak reaches 30. | ? |
Smite | Recovers 100% Focus on Combat Flurry kills. | 0 | |
Storm of Battle | Boosts all sword damage by 50%. | Epic | |
Strength from Courage | Recovers 25% Health on a Combat Flurry kill. | 0 |
Exclusive Runes[]
Icon | Name | Effect | For Weapon | How to Obtain |
---|---|---|---|---|
Deadly Archer | Talion will deal extra damage when executing ranged headshots against Sauron's Captains. | Azkâr | Pre-order the game from Amazon. | |
Flame of Anor | Talion can ignite his blade by achieving a high combo count and incinerate his enemies. | Urfael | Pre-order the game from Best Buy. | |
Gravewalker | Talion's enemies will flee after you strike down Sauron's Captains. | Urfael | Sign into your WBID account through Palantir. | |
Hidden Blade | Talion can deal extra damage when executing stealth attacks against Sauron's Captains. | Acharn | Pre-order the game from GameStop. | |
Orc Hunter | Spread terror amongst Sauron's forces with brutal stealth attacks. | Acharn | Sign up for a WBID for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. | |
Orc Slayer | Talion will decimate Sauron's Captains with increased damage from special attacks. | Urfael | Pre-order the game from Steam. |