The Dark Monument¶

“Destroy the Gorthaur to draw forth the Black Captains.”

The Warchiefs are dead, Ratbag is our highly-placed mole in the ranks of Sauron’s Army, and Hirgon is ready to make his next move… which just so happens to be some petty vandalism. Okay, not so petty. And let’s call it by its real name-terrorism. But Sauron is bad, so we’re okay. Hooray for moral relativism! Anywho, follow Hirgon and he’ll apologize for his wife’s doubts. Our first task (aside from following this dingus around) is to steal some Grog, which will serve as a catalyst for the Blasting Powder. Funny… couldn’t he have asked us to do this earlier? Whatever. Follow him into some ruins and kill a Ghul to get some more Hirgon commentary about the futility of messing with nature.

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When clearing out the camps, you’ll have the option of killing Uruks however you fancy-by using good old Stealth Kills (left) or… well, somewhat more explosively (right).

Reach some more ruins, which houses some Uruk that need to be cleared out. At this point in the game it’s a diverse bunch, including Berserkers, Defenders, Archers, and Hunters. There’s only nine of them, though, and they can be easily killed with some stealth and discretion. There’s also a caged Caragor and a campfire you can make use of. Follow Hirgon into Durthang West, where he’ll encounter some slain Uruks, the prey of some Ghuls, which we’ll have to fend off. Further on we’ll find another campsite with Uruk’s we’ll need to dispatch. The same rules pretty much apply-you have some tricks you can play to thin the herd, and some Ghuls will show up to attack, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t just project your violent intentions with your bow, shooting a campfire, freeing a caged Caragor and letting the Ghuls play, after which your work should be minimal, indeed.

Now Hirgon will lead you into the Durthang Outskirts, where he’ll comment on Ghuls making the task of planting the Blasting Powder easier. Immediately, however, they prove to be a nuisance. Fight off a pack of Ghuls on the bridge leading to Udun Crossing, then continue south-east through Udun Crossing, stopping only to slay a Caragor and some Ghuls. When you reach the West Garrison you’ll be charged with clearing out some more Uruks-this time 17 of them. Dispatch them however you wish-some Outcasts will show up to “help”, but their usefulness is debatable.

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After defending the cart from Uruks, push it the last few feet (left) and watch the destruction of the Monument Gate (right).

When the 17th Uruk dies you’ll be charged with defending the Grog cart as it moves south. Kill all the Uruks nearby (again you’ll be assisted by Outcasts), and some archers will show up. One of them takes a shot at the Grog cart with a flaming arrow, which… well, we want it to explode, but it’s a matter of when and where. To end this threat you’ll have to kill three archers surrounding the Grog cart (satisfy the bonus objective by shooting them all in the head), then push the Grog cart (R1) to its destination. You can ignore the Uruks on the ground, as Outcasts will occupy them. After a short distance, however, another trio of archers will need to be slain before you can continue on. The cart will start on fire, and Uruks will continue to attack, but they’ll focus on the Grog cart, and you’ll be able to push it to the destination long before they can destroy it.

Gorthaur the Cruel

Destroy the Monument Gate and topple the statue of Sauron.

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Watch the fireworks, then Talion will chat with Hirgon. Now that the Monument Gate has been destroyed, there’s nothing preventing us from leaving Udun… No physical barrier, at least. After our vandalism, however, the Black Captains are bound to respond. It’s time to get some revenge.