Play Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Free with Xbox Live Gold and Prepare for War

You’ve fought them, killed them, and dominated them. The Orcs in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor definitely leave an impression. Now the experience is even more personal — the Nemesis Forge update for Shadow of Mordor will allow both new and existing players to bring their top Nemesis and Follower to Middle-earth: Shadow of War when the game releases later this year.

And now’s the best time yet to prepare for war. Thanks to Xbox Live Gold’s Free Play Days, Xbox Live Gold members can play Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor for free starting now from Thursday, July 6 at 12:01am PDT to Sunday, July 9 at 11:59pm PDT. You can also pick up the classic Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor for 80% off the regular price for a limited time if you’d like to continue your adventure after Free Play Days ends. Best of all, all your saved progress and achievements will be saved should you decide to enter the fray later.

The Nemesis Forge is another extension of the award-winning Nemesis System from Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, and your personal choices, save or slay, will come to fruition with this new update. For existing users, access the Nemesis Forge by selecting Play from the main menu, then select Nemesis Forge.

If you’ve already played through Shadow of Mordor, your arch Nemesis and most loyal Follower will already be chosen. Keep in mind, while accessing the Nemesis Forge menu, your top Nemesis and most trusted Follower may change depending on the Orcs you encounter and how you interact with them during gameplay. Maybe you had a Nemesis who killed you more times than you’d like to admit, or you left a scar on an Orc as a keepsake. No matter how you’ve managed to get on this Orc’s bad side, he’ll be found, and the Nemesis Forge will allow for the battle to continue in Middle-earth: Shadow of War.

If you’re new to Shadow of Mordor, welcome! And don’t worry. You’ll get the opportunity to establish your own Nemesis and Follower based on your interactions with the Nemesis System thanks to Xbox Live Gold’s Free Play Days this weekend. Simply search for Middle-earth: Shadow of War from the Xbox Store and download the game. Once your download is completed you’re free to start playing to your heart’s content until Sunday, July 9 at 11:59pm PDT.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is coming to Xbox One on October 10 and will be Xbox One X Enhanced for Xbox One X when the powerful console in the world launches later this year. Read here for more details on Xbox One X.