Honestly, walking up to a massive stone door in Mordor and realizing you have to play "Mad Libs" with Elven poetry is a bit of a mood shift. One minute you're decapitating an Olog-hai, the next you're staring at a wall trying to remember if the Bright Lord preferred "Marching" or "Shining."
The ithildin poem shadow of war puzzles are more than just flavor text, though. They are the gatekeepers to the Bright Lord Legendary Set, which is arguably some of the most powerful gear for anyone who loves spamming Wraith abilities. If you’re tired of hunting down every last word or just want to skip the trial-and-error, you’ve come to the right place.
It’s actually a pretty cool system when you think about it. You find six fragments in each region using the Haedir towers to pinpoint them. You go to the wall, wiggle your thumbsticks to "remember" the word, and then head to the Barrows.
The Minas Ithil Door (Morgul)
This is usually the first one you'll hit. It’s the door in the starting city, which eventually becomes Minas Morgul. The poem here is all about the inevitability of the Bright Lord’s march.
- Shadows
- Drums
- Cadence
- Land
- Wrath
- Doom
You’ll get the Bright Lord’s Armor here. It looks incredible, honestly. It has that clean, silver Elven aesthetic that stands out like a sore thumb against the grime of an Orc fortress.
Why You Actually Want the Bright Lord Set
People sometimes ignore these because they're busy building their Orc armies. Huge mistake.
Basically, the 2-piece bonus halves the time it takes to fill your Wrath gauge. If you get the 4-piece bonus, you’ll replenish your Elf-shot every time you kill an enemy during Elven Rage.
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In the late game, when you’re facing three legendary captains at once, being able to trigger Elven Rage twice as often is literally a life-saver.
Solving Cirith Ungol’s Riddle
Cirith Ungol is a vertical nightmare of a map, but the barrow is tucked away in the southern part. You usually have to sneak through a camp or just ride a Caragor through the chaos to get there.
The solution is:
- Rises
- Fires
- Night
- Beacons
- Shines
- Marching
Opening this door grants you the Bright Lord’s Cloak.
Nurnen and the Bow of Power
Nurnen is the lush, green break from the volcanic ash of the rest of the game. The Ithildin door here is buried inside the mountain.
- Iron
- Serpents
- Avail
- Woe
- Hordes
- Claim
The reward? The Bright Lord’s Bow. It’s a beast for headshots.
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Dealing with Seregost
Seregost is the snowy region, and frankly, the poem here is a bit more "doom and gloom" than the others. It talks about vipers and betrayal, which fits the lore of Celebrimbor quite well if you know your Tolkien.
For this one, use: Slumbers, Nest, Poisoned, Trapped, Comes, Base.
You'll walk away with the Bright Lord’s Dagger.
The Final Puzzle in Gorgoroth
Gorgoroth is the heart of Sauron’s industry. It’s all lava and iron. The poem here is about the "Bulwark" of the Bright Lord’s power.
- Lurk
- Bulwark
- Impervious
- Powers
- Vicious
- Fail
This yields the Bright Lord’s Sword.
What About the Ring?
You’ll notice that after five doors, you’re still missing the Bright Lord’s Rune (the ring). Google searches might lead you in circles on this, but here's the deal: you don't get it from an Ithildin door.
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To get the ring, you have to complete all the Shadows of the Past missions. You only need to get at least a Bronze medal in each one to unlock it. If you’re a completionist and go for Gold, you’ll also snag the Bright Lord’s Hammer.
Quick Tips for Hunting Fragments
- Purify the Haedir First: Don't even bother looking for fragments until you've climbed the towers. They show up as white icons.
- Fast Travel: Once you visit a Barrow, it becomes a fast travel point.
- The "Wiggle" Trick: When finding the words on walls, don't overthink it. Just rotate both sticks slowly until the image stops vibrating and snaps into focus.
The poems are written in Sindarin but translated into English for Talion (and us). Lore-wise, these are Celebrimbor's memories, etched into the stone as a testament to his ego and his war against the Dark Lord.
If you've followed this, you should have the full set. Go ahead and upgrade them by completing their specific gear challenges (usually involving specific types of kills) to make them even more broken.
Next Steps for You
Check your inventory to see which pieces you’re missing. Most players get the Armor and Cloak early but forget about Gorgoroth until the end-game. If you’re missing the ring, head to the nearest "Shadows of the Past" icon on your map—they look like little white helmets. Completing those missions will fill that final gear slot and give you the ultimate Wraith build.