Middle Earth: Shadow of War dumps microtransactions six months into life cycle

Even though Monolith's latest forum post mostly echoes what the Middle-earth: Shadow of War's player base has been droning on about since launch, it's certainly never too late to hear about developers who are ditching microtransactions.

The devs say they've been listening to the community and despite the apparent practicality of purchasing Orcs from the game's Marketplace, they'll be ditching the entire system pretty soon.

Come 08 May 2018, Middle-earth: Shadow of War players will no longer be able to purchase gold or War Chests from the Marketplace. Likewise, gaining Orc Followers from War Chests will no longer be an option.

Monolith Middle-Earth: Shadow of War - Glowing ork-dude

Expect to see the last remnants of Shadow of War's pay-to-win-ness by 17 July 2018, when Monolith will remove gold, War Chests and Marketplace

Monolith clarified that there will be specific deadlines on spending Shadow of War's gold, otherwise the company will do it for you. They said, "If players have unused Gold by the end of the time allotted to spend it, any remaining Gold will be converted to in-game items."

Monolith claim the decision to dump microtransactions is a result of Shadow of War's community and their feedback, even though if it does more often resemble shrieks of the Nazgul.

Monolith Middle-Earth: Shadow of War - Fortress assault

Apparently, the devs think microtransactions ended up stepping all over the "heart of [their] game" - the Nemesis System. Despite Monolith aiming for full immersion, buying your way into the game pretty much ruined it, regardless of whether you used the option or refused to - after all, you know it's there.

Paying to win in Middle-earth: Shadow of War has ultimately proven to be an effective deterrent of higher tier player dedication, solely on the basis that you either had to pay, or have no life at all. Or both, of course.

Monolith also promised narrative and other updates to the Shadow Wars section of the game, promising a not as dull experience when fighting Sauron's hordes. The same section of Middle-earth: Shadow of War will be getting new players skins, skill tree additions, gear system and progression updates, but the devs said they'll have more specifics at a later date.