The Singer is an orc musician that will hunt you down and sing to you in Middle-earth: Shadow of War. I mean, he'll also try to kill you—but he'll do it with a surprisingly durable lute, grappling with your sword as he delivers this rhyming couplet right in your face:
You may have heard of one like me
That prances, dances and sings with glee
Wherever the strife, the Singer is there
He slaughters and slays with such merry flair
I sing this song with all my breath
Take heed, for this interlude ends with your death
I know we're all concerned about loot boxes, but Shadow of War players should also be worried about being lute-boxed.
Credit to Gamesradar.com senior news editor Rachel Weber, who tipped me off to the existence of this singing orc this morning in the office. Rachel encountered him in Minas Tirith early in her campaign ("He seems fun, but he is THE WORST," says Ms. Weber). I found the above video footage of 'Shaká' (he seems to draw from Shadow of War's normal pool of orc names) on the Serious Gaming channel, who also ran into him inside the opening area of Shadow of War.
Like other orc captains, The Singer will (or has a chance to) 'cheat death' and make a second appearance at a higher level. When he appears again, he sings this quick encore:
You tried and failed to kill the Singer
You did not get a caragor dinner
(...Is that a PUBG reference? "A character bursting into song is the most lore-accurate thing about Shadow of War," remarks PCG indie channel editor Jody Macgregor.)
Other than The Singer, PC Gamer associate editor James Davenport says he's encountered at least one more unusual orc captain in Pûg the Friendly, who shows up and wants to chat instead of fight. When you defeat him, he reappears with bandages and even more fearful apologies.
I don't care what Celebrimbor is whispering in my ear throughout Shadow of War—my new goal for my campaign is to recruit one of these weirdos into my personal orc army.
