📜 Lore Overview

In Middle-earth: Shadow of War, Tar Goroth is an ancient Balrog who once served under Morgoth, the first Dark Lord. After Morgoth’s defeat, Tar Goroth was trapped beneath the frozen wastes of Mordor, imprisoned in ice and shadow.

When the player’s story unfolds, the cult of Tar Goroth’s followers, known as the Flame of War, seeks to resurrect him. Their ritual brings the beast back in a blaze of fire and destruction — setting the stage for one of the most cinematic boss encounters in the game.

⚔️ In-Game Encounter
First Encounter: You confront Tar Goroth in the questline involving the spirit of Carnán, a nature guardian.
Location: Gorgoroth (the volcanic region of Mordor).
Fight Style: Tar Goroth uses massive area attacks, flame waves, and can summon eruptions of lava.
Defeat: Ultimately, he is banished by the combined efforts of Talion and Carnán, returned to the abyss beneath Mordor.

🔥 Symbolism
Tar Goroth embodies the corrupted power of flame — a mirror to Talion’s own struggle with the wraith, Celebrimbor. His fall and imprisonment represent how even the greatest powers of the First Age are bound by their own rage and pride.

How to Fight Tar Goroth:

Utilize Carnan: You will fight alongside Carnan, who transforms into her dragon-like form to help during the battle.

Use Ice Attacks: Target Tar Goroth's back with ice-element attacks to expose his weak points.

Strafing and Dodging: While keeping up the ice attacks, strafe to avoid the Balrog's powerful fire attacks and use your other abilities.

Freezing the Balrog: After exploiting his weak points, Carnan will help plunge the Balrog into the icy lake below, freezing him and ending the encounter

Weapons Used by Tar Goroth :
Fiery Whip: This is Tar Goroth's signature weapon, which he can summon and use to attack his foes.
Other Weapons (Possible): He is noted to possibly use a sword or axe as well, though the whip is his most prominent weapon in Middle-earth: Shadow of War.

Title: High Captain of Angband

Role: Commander of Morgoth’s forces during the First Age.

Key Duels and Battles:
Dagor-nuin-Giliath (Battle-under-Stars): Gothmog was involved in this early battle where the Noldor Elves first encountered Balrogs. He was involved in the death of the Elf-king Fëanor.


Nirnaeth Arnoediad (Battle of Unnumbered Tears): Gothmog drove a dark wedge through the Elven hosts and personally killed the Elven High King Fingon, who took over after Fëanor's death. He also captured Húrin, a hero of Men, during this battle.



Duel with Ecthelion: In the Square of the King, Ecthelion, though mortally wounded, intervened in Gothmog's defeat of another Elven lord. Ecthelion, unable to wield his sword, charged Gothmog and drove his helmet's spike into the Balrog's chest, pulling both of them into the King's Fountain where they both drowned.

Durin’s Bane was a Balrog of Morgoth, one of the Maiar corrupted before the First Age. He slept deep beneath the Misty Mountains after the War of Wrath and was awakened by the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm during their mining for mithril. His awakening led to the fall of Moria.

Slew Durin VI and his son Náin I, leading to the Dwarves’ exodus from Moria.

Later fought Gandalf the Grey on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm.Both Gandalf and the Balrog fell into the abyss; Gandalf later emerged reborn as Gandalf the White after he killed Gothmog

Lungorthin was the second Balrog-lord and a thane of Morgoth who appeared in The Lay of the Children of Húrin.

He was initially one of the Maiar who gave their allegiance to Melkor. Like Gothmog, Lungorthin bore the title of "Lord of Balrogs", though Lungorthin was the lesser of the two, and not a High-captain of Angband
Unlike the typical dark, shadowy appearance of other Balrogs, Lungorthin alone was encased in pale or white flames. A "White Demon/Fire": His association with white flames led to his name or epithet, suggesting a particularly fearsome or powerful nature even among other Balrogs.

Lungorthin fought alongside the forces of Morgoth in the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, where he aided Gothmog in killing the elven king Fingon and smiting the captured Húrin. He was also present in the Fall of Gondolin, where he led an ambush and was ultimately slain in a duel with Glorfindel on a mountain pass.

As Tolkien refined his legendarium, he greatly reduced their number.
In a late note (found in The Peoples of Middle-earth), he wrote that only a handful of Balrogs ever existed.
“There should not be supposed to have been more than three or at most seven ever made.”
The Peoples of Middle-earth, “The Later Quenta Silmarillion: Balrogs”