Middle Earth: Shadow of War will not require a constant internet connection

This means that the game will not need a constant internet connection, as some outlets have reported, with the entire game being playable offline apart from a few online features. 

 

The developers of the game have confirmed that players can speed up the building off Talion’s army by using the game’s market system, with the developers claiming the game is balanced to play well without any microtransactions. This effectively makes micro transactions “paid shortcuts” for the game, with other players being able to access high-level Orks more frequently as they progress through the game. 

 

Gold exists for users who want to speed up their army building process. There are people who appreciate having the option. We don’t want to restrict any players from playing our game. So, we have that for those who want a speedy option, and those that choose to avoid it can do so without any negative impact on their game.

The game is balanced so you can play the game without using the Market. As you play the game you’ll have excess Mirian, this gives you an option to use that excess Mirian if you like. Or you can let that Mirian build up as high as you want. Epic and Rare weapons drop with relative frequency, and DON’T need an epic orc to drop. Legendary orcs are rarer. However, the number of legendary orcs you meet increases as you play through the game.

The drop rate of common/epic/legendary orcs has nothing to do with the market. We balanced SoW first, so the drop rates there is set for what our designers and research has shown to be the most interesting. So, if you just do the normal game, the game will be balanced for that.