If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Shadow of War: Traitor's Gate, The Fall (Hold the Courtyard, Defeat the Nazgul boss fight)

How to tackle the sprawling Middle-earth adventure.

Traitor's Gate and The Fall are two missions as part of the Shelob storyline in Middle-earth: Shadow of War.

These unlock one after another, and come after completing Shelob's Knife in the Dark and Rain of Arrows quests earlier on in the story.

If you are interested in completing other missions in the game, our Shadow of War guide and walkthrough can help.

Cover image for YouTube video[4K] Shadow of War: PS4 Pro vs PS4/Xbox One Graphics Comparison + Frame-Rate Analysis
Digital Foundry takes a look at Shadow of War.

Traitor's Gate

Reward: 2850 XP, 395 Mirian

Follow Gollum. Follow the Messenger without Raising the Alarm: Stick to high ground to stay out of sight as you head towards the marker, and take out any archers that get in your way.

Defeat the Warchief: Start the fight by using Summon to bring in some Gondorian soldiers - they'll help thin the herd of the Warchief's minions while you concentrate on him.

Watch out for his poisoned weapon, and if you find yourself low on health you can jump over the wall to the west and Devour some lone Orcs for a boost. He's not got any fancy moves or clever tricks, so it's a tough but straightforward clash.

To finish the mission, Interrogate the Warchief.

The Fall

Reward: 5405 XP 425 Mirian

Hold the Courtyard until Reinforcements Arrive: Just stay alive for two minutes. The optional objective of reaching a hitstreak of 20 should be fairly easy given the number of enemies around as long as you keep your cool.

Push Back the Invaders/Defeat the Assault Leader: Luga is immune to ranged shots so you'll need to get up close and personal. The Gondorian soldiers will keep the rest of the enemies busy and you'll have the assistance of Baranor, so just have at him with your sword until he's down. Next is the Nazgul.


Need more help? Our Shadow of War guide and walkthrough gives you an overview of everything you need, but if you need something in particular, we have pages on Shadow of War Fortress Sieges, how to earn Mirian in Shadow of War, a guide for how to import your Nemesis and Follower to Shadow of War, collectibles guides like how to get all Shadow of War Legendary Armour and Weapons sets, a list of Lost Artifacts and Web of Fate locations, and Ithildin Door poem solutions and Shadows of the Past, along with how to grind XP in Shadow of War to power through the tricky Shadow Wars endgame and get the true ending. Finally, there's Shadow of War's army building explained and the best skills and how to earn Skill Points.


Defeat the Nazgul

This is quite a lengthy fight, but if you stay patient and don't try and rush it it's fairly straightforward. The Nazgul will largely stick together in a group and they don't move very quickly, but one will eventually take the lead and come in for the attack

Dodge his swings, then get in a few of your own, and try and draw him further from the others. Once his health is low, Drain him to take him out of commission, then repeat the process for the others.

Follow Eltariel to Shelob's Lair: You'll meet some light opposition on the way.

At this point, Act 2 begins. Congrats!

Dominate Archers without being Detected: Use stealth to sneak up on the archers, then use your new Dominate skill to bend them to your will. We'd suggest starting with the ones on the left, then crossing the damaged archway and dealing with the others next.

Defeat or Dominate the Orcs in Training: Drop down to the area below the archers and defeat 25 Orcs - it's worth Dominating a few as they'll help with the killing of the others.