The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Preview
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Theoretically, all the potential ability options at your disposal and the dynamic nature of having a well-balanced group should provide a broad range of tactics to wield. But once we were hurled into the fray against groups of meaty orcs and hulking troll brutes, the intense action devolved into chaos almost immediately. At first, battle proved to be far from smooth encounters against larger foes had us getting frequently wet-ragged to the ground, taking a long time to recover and sometimes even glitching our dwarf into the environment itself. Eventually we got a feel for the combos and dodge maneuvers, and being able to stay upright for more than a few seconds at a time gave us a chance to cleave some skulls. Chaining successful attacks in rapid succession lets you enter into a temporary (heroic) mode where you'll dish out serious damage on foes, making it possible to take down larger adversaries quickly.
The emphasis on brutal combat yields intense encounters that are bloody and satisfying, even if battle is still buggy in the game's current state. There were moments where combat turned into a total frenzied mess, but the action really came together when each team member was on-point and working together. The game's cooperative element extends well beyond carving the limbs off of smelly orcs, too. Each character has other special race abilities that prove useful outside of the fray. Our dwarf, for example, was able to detect a secret tunnel entrance inside a cave that other players weren't able to see. You can also trade and gift items to other players, which is helpful considering the large amount of loot you'll find.
