Middle-earth: Shadow of War offers five regions of open-world action to explore and dominate, and while the focus is on killing and recruiting orcs there are plenty of sidequests and collectibles to enjoy as well. As we discussed in our 5 things to know before starting article, one of your first actions in each new region should be to use the Haedir towers to activate fast travel points and scan the surrounding area for artifacts, runes, and Shelob Memories.

The mystical arachnid Shelob is an uneasy ally in Shadow of War, and if you want to find out the full story of her role in the game's version of Middle-earth you'll need to collect all of the scattered memory fragments in each of the game's regions. Picking them all up will unlock a special cutscene (which is sure to infuriate Tolkien lore purists) and grants Talion the ability to summon spiders to his side to attack his enemies.

Most of the Shelob Memories are easy to find once you have them highlighted on your map, but there are a few that are purposely hidden or are tricky to access. One in particular, hidden about the fighting pits in the game's snowy Seregost region, can be a real puzzle to acquire. Here's what you need to know to get it.

UPDATE: Turns out there's an easier way to get this one, via a small cave hidden around the back of the mountain. You can sort of see the entrance to it on your map if you highlight the Shelob memory, but it's still easy to miss. If you have trouble finding the cave, the strategy outlined below works as a late-game alternative.

You can see the location of the Shelob Memory marked on the region map above. If you try to get to its exact location, though, you'll quickly discover that it seems to be inside the region's fighting pits, but you won't find it no matter how long you spend searching the pits and the surrounding cavern.

That's because it's actually up above your head as you stand in the pits, hiding just out of sight inside a hole in the cavern's roof. And though Talion has incredible, supernatural climbing and movement abilities, this area and the Shelob memory will remain inaccessible to him...until you unlock the ability to call in some air support.

How to get it

Shadow of War guide Dragon Song (1).jpg

To get this Shelob Memory you need to have access to the Dragon Song ability, which lets you summon a tame drake to ride around. This ability won't be unlocked until you've completed all of the game's Carnan story quests, and since part of that quest line involves defeating a Balrog you're not going to be able to rush through it. Make a note of this Shelob Memory and come back to it later, either near the end of the story campaign or even afterwards, in the game's after-the-end Shadow Wars mode.

Once you have the Dragon Song skill selected, getting the Shelob Memory is easy. Stand in the fighting pits, summon your drake, then hop on board (which is easiest using the game's Shadow Mount skill). You'll want to do it quickly, before the drake finds the exit to the cavern, to make it easier on yourself.

Flying your drake up and into the ceiling will involve a lot of clipping through the level's graphics, but the opening is big enough that you shouldn't have too much trouble. Once you're up and inside of the cavity in the ceiling, hop off your drake and land on the small ledge inside.

Once you're up there you can dismiss your drake, and you should have no trouble at all collecting the Shelob Memory. You're now one step closer to living the dream and commanding your own army of loyal spider minions.

For more on Shadow of War read our full review and check out 5 things to know before you get started.