All the combat and death had made Horza too strong to control. In Shadow of War, the player can only dominate orcs at or below their level. Thankfully, this time I was able to dominate his mind … but Horza had outleveled me. We clashed, I won and I reached into his mind to pull him back into my fold but he resisted. He was furious with me for leaving him behind, for forcing him to fight and die, for using him so badly. Stitches criss-crossed the limbs he lost in his most recent battle.
The bone galea was gone, replaced by a wrought iron mask enshrining his broken features. His body bore the scars of his recent deaths.
He wasn't the orc I'd fallen in love with, but a twisted wreck. I was on my way to start another quest when he found me again. I thought he was awesome, then I killed him. The bones of his enemies adorned his helmet like a morbid galea. He was pale and black veins ran down his face. He stopped me in the street and made a speech about how he couldn't die, and that no matter how many times I killed him, he'd just come back. I first met Horza the Dead in Cirith Ungol in the game's opening hours. I feel bad about Talion's-and by extension my-treatment of the orcs. In most games, this would be fun, but in Shadow of War, the orcs' AI and personalities are so vivid that it's also an emotional burden. The orcs remember things, hold grudges, and react to your leadership accordingly. The wraith and ranger abuse and slaughter orcs and dominate their feeble minds. They're so well rendered that I've become deeply uncomfortable playing the game. They have backstories, passions, and conflicts among themselves. These orcs aren't your typical video game NPC cannon fodder.