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Power Vacuum achievement in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

Power Vacuum

Kill all 5 Warchiefs before any uruk take their place.

Power Vacuum0
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How to unlock the Power Vacuum achievement

  • PBreezeyPBreezey
    03 Oct 2014 03 Oct 2014 30 Oct 2014
    Power Vacuum - 10gs
    Kill all 5 Warchiefs before any uruk take their place.

    Related Achievements:
    Middle-earth: Shadow of MordorSecret AchievementThe Secret Achievement achievement in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor worth 35 pointsContinue playing to unlock this secret achievement


    This achievement requires you to eliminate all 5 warchiefs before any other uruks get promoted to warchief. I did this while working on Ratbag's story arc, in between "Climbing the Ranks" and "The Warchief."

    "The Warchief" is Ratbag's final story mission and requires you to eliminate a warchief so that Ratbag can take his place. This is the last warchief you eliminate! Don't go straight for this warchief when the mission appears! Eliminate the other 4 warchiefs first, and then begin Ratbag's mission.

    So here are the steps:

    1. Gather Intel. You must gather intel on each warchief to learn their identity and the requirements to bring them out of hiding. This can be done by following the Green Intel markers on your HUD which will highlight specific uruks you can interrogate to gain intel, or will lead you to items you can pick up off the ground. The other option is to hunt down captains which always allow you to interrogate them and use their intel to learn about the warchiefs. This can also be linked to the next step.
    2. Eliminate your target's captains. Every warchief has captains that are loyal to them. Warchief's specific captains are shown by having a white line link the warchief to a captain. If you do not eliminate the captain prior to fighting the warchief, then you have to fight them all at once. This can leave you outnumbered and outmatched. Instead, eliminate their captains first. Mark them as your target, hunt them down, and take them out. Also, use their interrogation to learn more information about new warchiefs.
    3. Perform the necessary steps to show the warchief. There are a number of different tasks required to bring the warchief out from hiding. For mine, they were:
    - Eliminate 35 uruks
    - Stealth kill 5 uruks
    - Grab the warchief's supporter and hold him for 20 seconds
    - Eliminate 20 uruks while taking no damage
    - Eliminate 2 berserkers
    Once you've done the required task, the warchief and any captains that you have not killed will appear, and you can fight them.
    4. Kill the warchief. This is easier said then done, primarily due to the fact that some of the requirements to bring the warchief out of hiding can be a reallllllll pain. For instance, in the one where I had to fight 35 uruks, when the warchief finally appeared I was being chased by roughly 60 uruks and 2 captains that had happened to show up. The only way I was able to pull off this kill was by using the warchief's weaknesses. I noticed that this warchief could be instantly stealth killed, so I was able to climb some walls and kill him from above in one fell swoop, causing all the other uruks wanting my blood to run. So really, take advantage of their weaknesses. Whether they can be stealth killed, combat executed, or are weak to explosions, use those against the warchiefs. My biggest suggestion is don't get swarmed by 60 uruks and the warchief and think you're going to win. More than likely, you're just not going to. So try to isolate the warchief to as few other uruks as possible, and then use their weaknesses to take them out.

    So that's it. It's a fairly simple achievement, can be earned early in the game, and gives you some great boosts from earning Power and new runes. So go kill some warchiefs pink skin!

    *UPDATE* 10/30/14: Some commentors have pointed out, and I realized while playing through the game, that there are "easier" ways to go about this achievement. For example, you could simply brand all of the warchiefs once you get to Act II, call them to your side, and then choose to execute them all at once. There's an argument as to whether this is actually easier, but it is very satisfying. HOWEVER, I believe that this solution is still viable in that it is the EARLIEST point in the game at which you can unlock this achievement. So, this solution explains how to unlock the achievement as early as possible in the game, but there are some other cool ways you can complete it later in the game as well. For example:
    *All credit to Schreckstoff for the hilarious video*

    If you have any comments or suggestions, please let me know before downvoting. I'll fix and clarify whatever I can.

    Guide not helping? View 2 more guides for this achievement.

    Showing most recent comments. View all comments.
    HumpyrtonInstead of starting the mission after killing 3/4 warchiefs after ratbag takes over as a war chief, go kill the 4th remaining. Once you do this go start the mission and this achievement will pop after the fight. I died once with 2 dead and no one took their place(granted it was to a war chief). It is really easy to kill them if their body guards are dead and you have the cn_LS+cn_RS sword ability unlocked and powered up, most war chiefs, even if marked for death, are vulnerable to combat finishers.
    Posted by Humpyrton on 29 Dec 14 at 06:52
    Sailor BDPThis worked great - thank you.
    Posted by Sailor BDP on 09 Jan 15 at 02:06
    OnsidicNote : I got ratbag promoted to warchief, then i killed the other 4.
    I thought i had messed up and was hoping to do it in the next area. When you do the black guard question and the black guard , the achievement popped for me.
    Posted by Onsidic on 12 Nov 20 at 20:49
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  • AaronDrunkGamesAaronDrunkGames
    08 Oct 2014 08 Oct 2014
    IF YOU WANT THIS ACHIEVO QUICK, CHECK THIS VIDEO OUT

    IF YOU HAVE ALREADY MADE RATBAG A WARCHIEF YOU CAN STILL DO THIS ACHIEVEMENT AND YOU ONLY HAVE TO KILL 4 WARCHIEFS
    Showing only comment.
    Shadow XBLnot a solution per se, but it helped me since I was worried about Ratbag. Thumbs up!
    Posted by Shadow XBL on 13 Jun 17 at 06:29
  • Dr RubdyDr Rubdy
    02 Oct 2014 06 Oct 2014 06 Oct 2014
    The Lord and Master achievement and also Divide and Conquer achievement goes well with this achievement. I posted a video guide to get all 3 of these achievements under the Lord and Master achievement if you want to check it out, if not ill explain how I did it.

    You want to start by branding all of the body guards of each Warchief. If a Warchief does not have a body guard its ok. After branding each one of the body guards, go fight each of the Warchiefs, if they DO have body guard, kill them. One of the branded body guards will become the new Warchief. If the Warchief does not have a body guard you need to make sure you brand him by weakening him then doing a combat brand.

    Next if you need/want the "Divide and Conquer" achievement then simply go to the missions on the map which say " 'Insert Warchief name here' awaits your command". Find two Chiefs with at least 2 body guards then take out his two body guards ,which should be branded, simply by dominating them, then getting intel, then killing them. Or you can simply shank them to death. Then take out the Chief. Do this twice and you should get the Divide and Conquer achievement.

    Finally keep killing the Chiefs in this manner and you should get the "Power Vacuum" achievement.
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