She says to Celebrimbor that “you and Sauron are one.” That’s a twist that could make a lot of sense, as Sauron is known as the Great Deceiver, and Celebrimbor the wraith may be pulling the wool over Talion’s eyes. Shelob says something early on that seems like an ominous warning to Talion. Then, a bizarre turn of the story goes unexplained for a long time. Celebrimbor may have played a role, but he was not a war leader. But in a Shadows of the Past mission in Shadow of War, we are told that it was Celebrimbor’s war against Sauron. In the Peter Jackson films, the film shortened this to show Elrond as one of the elf leaders.

They led the Last Alliance of Elves and Men against Sauron, and they were victorious. When the elves and men discovered their danger, they gathered under the banners of Elf lord Gil-Galad and Elendil of the men of Numenorean descent. But Sauron forged the One Ring on Mount Doom in Mordor, as the One Ring to control all the others. Celebrimbor made the rings of power and taught Sauron his craft. Celebrimbor, the wraith in Shadow of War, was a great elven smith of the Second Age, when Sauron came to power. It isn’t too serious, but I’m not sure why Monolith’s writers chose to oversimplify the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Some violations in Tolkien lore happen early on in the game.

Shadow of war factions