Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor was easily one of the biggest surprises of 2014, featuring an excellent action-adventure title that felt smooth, brutal, and responsive in every sense of the word. The biggest part of this title was undoubtedly the Nemesis System, which allows for players to interact with orc captains and chieftains, each of whom has their own distinct personalities.

The sequel to this game was bound to attract a ton of attention, and Shadow of War served as a fitting continuation to the events of its prequel barring a few missteps. Level grinding is easily one of the most annoying parts of the title — especially in the post-game — which makes it imperative to keep the following points in mind to max out Talion's level as efficiently as possible.

7 Completing The Quests

ME Shadow Of War Eltariel, Talion, Celibrimbor

The most obvious point that one can bring up when it comes to leveling up in Shadow of War is to complete the main and side quests present in this game.

Not only does the act of completing these quests net a substantial amount of XP, but Talion also manages to unlock many abilities and powers along the way as well, allowing him to get stronger and access a wide arsenal of moves to take down any unseemly threat.

Speaking of which...

6 Hunting Down Notable Orcs

Middle-Earth Shadow Of War Chaos

The Nemesis System floods each fame of Shadow of War with a whole host of unique and powerful orcs who all have their own personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and the like. Thus, a big draw of the game comes from hunting down these orcs in the open world and either killing or dominating them.

However, keep in mind that there's a way better route to maximize the experience attained from fighting these orcs instead of just fighting them randomly in the open world.

5 Completing Nemesis Missions

Nemesis Missions in Middle-earth Shadow of War

While it might be fun to find orc captains and chieftains roaming the countryside, one must keep in mind that simply taking care of these powerful enemies without an active Nemesis Mission will drastically reduce the amount of experience that can be attained from confronting these orcs.

Instead, players are better off triggering a whole host of Nemesis Missions to hunt down captains in a more organized format. Not only is this a great way to kill or dominate orc captains, but it also nets a far greater amount of XP than what would've been the case had players simply hunted these orcs down on the map.

4 Besieging Outposts

Middle Earth Shadow Of War City Siege

After progressing through the game, the player will get the opportunity to raid outposts, castles, and forts with the orc army they've amassed. This is easily one of the most entertaining parts of the entire game, allowing players to reap the benefits of all the hard work they've put into constructing a powerful army.

Of course, the fact that the player also earns a sizeable amount of XP after doing the same is a bonus that everyone would appreciate... especially people who want to increase their level as much as possible.

3 Trying Out Vendetta Missions

Vendetta Missions in Middle-earth Shadow of War

There's a lot of multiplayer activities present in Shadow of War, allowing players to engage in a host of online missions, with Vendetta Missions being a unique inclusion in this regard that allows players to hunt down captains from other worlds who had killed the Talion of their world.

It's a rather unique and enjoyable game mode that allows players to hunt down captains unique to other worlds while simultaneously allowing players to earn a ton of XP in the process as well!

2 Using Wealth Gems To Get XP Boosts

Shadow Of War Warmonger

When it comes to maxing out levels in Shadow of War, every little bit helps... especially when it comes to the topic of Wealth Gems that allow Talion to get a higher percentage of XP.

It goes without saying that this XP multiplier will be a huge help in ensuring that players are able to level up Talion with little to no issues.

However, it would be impossible to talk about items and the like that increase Talion's XP gain without mentioning the rather infamous elephant in the room...

1 Using The Dreaded XP Boosters

Shadow Of War

Perhaps the most irritating part of Shadow of War has to be the endgame, where players are pretty much forced to grind for hours upon end in order to secure the levels required to raid some of the more powerful forts that are unlocked in the later stages — an endgame labeled as the Shadow Wars.

Upgrading forces to sufficient levels in order to tackle these sieges can prove to be quite a royal pain indeed, making it the need of the hour for players to figure out a way that can level up their character and orcs as quickly as possible — something that can be accomplished with the use of XP Boosters.

These dreaded items can be purchased with real money and last for 2 hours in real-time, meaning that players need to maximize their time with these XP Boosters in order to reap the most rewards possible from these Boosters.

The idea of spending actual money on a purchased video game might be a predatory practice, but this truly is the most efficient way to max out Talion's level in Shadow of War.

Next: Awesome Shadow Of Mordor Mods That Make The Game Even Better (& Others We'd Love To See)