Shadow of War - How to Use Drain and Restore Health
Master the Drain mechanic to restore Talion’s health in Shadow of War.
Shadow of War is a very deep game when it comes to combat. Players can approach situations in ways that fit their play style but, eventually, everyone finds themselves in trouble. There is where the Drain mechanic comes in, allowing Talion to restore part or all his health, depending on the Skills you’ve decided to unlock.
Health and Drain
Your health will regenerate a little bit when you’re no longer in combat, but players will need to seek a more permanent solution to restore it fully. The main way to do this is through the Drain mechanic, which can be used on most common enemies.
To use the Drain mechanic, make sure it’s unlocked by pausing your game and choosing the Character option from the menu. Navigate to the Story tree of the Skills, and the first major skill will be called Drain. If this is active, you can use Drain to restore your health.
If you’re injured and see an enemy on their own, approach them and use the button assigned to your Drain Skill. This will restore the majority of your health most of the time, but you may have to seek out one or two more subjects before you’re fully mended. In a pinch, you can even use Drain on a nearby rat for a small amount of health. Just be sure that you’re not trying to use Drain on a Worm and Interrogating them at the worst possible time. However, once you unlock the Domination Skill, you will then combine your Drain and Domination Skills into one.
Of course, there are other Skills that apply modifiers to the Drain mechanic for you. Under the Wraith tree is a Consume Skill that allows you to Drain enemies more quickly. The Upgrade options for this include Chain of Souls, allowing for you to Drain more than one enemy at a time. There’s even the Olog Lord Upgrade that allows you to Drain Olog enemies. My personal favorite, though, is the Quiver of Souls Upgrade to the original Drain Skill. This allows you to replenish your Elf-Shot (arrows for your Bow) when you Drain someone, which is perfect for the ranged combat build I’m going for.
It’s important to keep in mind that your focus on using the Drain skill should stay on lower level enemies. Common enemies. Don’t go trying to Drain a Captain that’s a higher level than you. In fact, only target Captains once you have the Domination Skill unlocked.
For more information beyond how to Drain enemies and restore your health, visit our Shadow of War walkthrough and guide.
