Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is receiving a new update today that will remove the reviled microtransactions that have overshadowed the game since before it was released.

The addition of loot boxes in a game that is focused around the single-player experience surprised many reviewers when Shadow of War was finally released. The loot boxes offered content in the form of new gear and powerful creatures that can join your army. The ability to recruit new allies is essential to the final part of the game, where you need to assemble an army to challenge the might of Mordor on the battlefield.

Shadow of War tilted the odds against the player, in order to entice them into buying loot boxes. This was necessary for unlocking the true ending of the game, which could also be accomplished by searching for it on YouTube.

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The backlash against Shadow of War never reached the heights of the controversy sparked by Star Wars Battlefront II, but it cast a shadow over one of the best games of 2017, to the point where almost every review complained about the unnecessary effort to try and squeeze money from the fans.

The update for Shadow of War that is released today will remove all of the microtransactions from the game and allow you to purchase content using the in-game currency. The player can recruit Orcs by completing Online Vendettas, which can be done by using the Garrison.

RELATED - Middle-earth: Shadow Of War To Remove All Microtransactions By July, 2018

The epilogue campaign of the game has also been streamlined to remove its dependence on the marketplace. It will also contain new story content, in the form of narrations performed by Shelob, Talion, and the Witch-King of Angmar.

The Shadow of War update also includes new collectibles, including skins and Legendary gear, some of which can make the player resemble Celebrimbor or a member of the Nazgul.

The DLC packs for Shadow of War have been highly acclaimed, so these changes may be an effort on behalf of Monolith to try and attract new players to the game and make them interested in the additional paid content that has been made available since the game's release, which is really what they should have done from the beginning.

The new update for Middle-Earth Shadow of War is available as of today.