Middle-earth: Shadow Of War (v1.21) [gog] Apr 2026

This update introduced "Brutal" difficulty, which makes enemies extremely lethal but also increases your damage and meter-build speed for faster-paced combat. Essential Technical Fixes

Version 1.21 of Middle-earth: Shadow of War is highly regarded as the "definitive" way to play, primarily because it and the in-game market. For the GOG version specifically, this release is completely DRM-free and lacks Denuvo, which reportedly eliminates the minor performance stutters found in the Steam version. Version 1.21 Key Changes

The follower level cap is now 80 , while enemy Captains can reach level 85 . Middle-earth: Shadow of War (v1.21) [GOG]

The endgame "Shadow Wars" (renamed Epilogue) was streamlined with new narration and rewards, including the Masks of the Nazgûl and new necromancy abilities.

You can change the game's language via GOG GALAXY by selecting the customization button → Manage installation → Configure → Language. Modding & Tools Version 1

You can skip splash screens, but simply deleting files in v1.21 causes a black screen. Instead, go to the game's videos folder and replace middleware_splash.vib and legal_splash.vib with empty text files renamed with the .vib extension.

You can no longer purchase Gold or Orc chests; all Orcs recruited through online play are now stored in the Garrison. Modding & Tools You can skip splash screens,

If you encounter infinite loads, setting the game to Run as Administrator and enabling "Large Page Mode" in the in-game settings typically resolves the issue.