The answer first

You cannot buy the red-locked Torvin abilities with ordinary skill points. The main Torvin abilities unlock by completing the Desolation of Mordor story missions after the opening mission. The smaller upgrades attached to those abilities come from finding Númenórean artifacts in Lithlad and returning them to Torvin.

There are two kinds of Torvin locks

1. Story-locked abilities

The DLC contains five story missions when the automatic opening mission is counted. Completing each of the four story missions that follow it unlocks another core ability for Baranor. If the lock description refers to story progress, keep following the main Desolation of Mordor objective.

2. Artifact upgrades

Torvin’s additional upgrades are tied to nine Númenórean artifacts hidden around Lithlad. These do not unlock just because Baranor gained a level. Each artifact acts like a blueprint: find it, collect it, and take it back to Torvin.

Important: Torvin’s Desolation of Mordor unlocks are separate from Talion’s Carnán questline in the main Shadow of War story. Make sure you are looking at Baranor’s DLC skill screen, not the main campaign skill tree.

What to do next

  1. Open the Desolation of Mordor skill screen. Highlight the locked ability or upgrade and read the requirement shown on the screen.
  2. If it names story progress, follow the gold main-mission objective. Finish the current story mission and check the skill screen again afterward.
  3. If it is a Torvin artifact upgrade, enlarge Torvin’s sketch. On a controller, select the upgrade and use the button shown for the full-screen clue image.
  4. Compare the sketch with landmarks in Lithlad. The clue normally shows a recognizable ruin, ridge, fortress wall, arch, or other piece of the landscape.
  5. Reach the marked-looking location and collect the artifact. Watch for the interaction prompt once you are standing in the correct spot.
  6. Return to Torvin. Finding the artifact is only half the job; Torvin applies the upgrade when you bring it back.

If it is still locked

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Why does the skill screen show a drawing instead of a map marker?

The drawing is the location clue. Torvin’s artifact upgrades are designed as treasure hunts, so the game gives you a sketch of the surrounding landmark rather than placing an ordinary objective marker directly on the artifact.

Do skill points unlock these red locks?

No. Save ordinary skill points for abilities that display a point cost. A story requirement or Torvin sketch means that particular lock is waiting for mission progress or an artifact.

Can an artifact be on top of a structure?

Yes. Do not assume the clue points inside a ruin or fortress. Some locations require climbing to the roof, upper wall, or area behind a major structure.

Useful outside reference

Need every artifact location at once? The Neoseeker Númenórean artifact guide includes the complete location set.

Keep going

Full DLC routeDesolation of Mordor walkthroughGame hubMore Shadow of War help