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Elder Scrolls Online: Elsweyr hands-on preview – the dragons are back


Elder Scrolls Online: Elsweyr – that’s a big dragon

If you’re craving more Elder Scrolls but can’t wait for the sixth instalment the new expansion for Elder Scrolls Online is the game for you.

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You’re never going to see everything that a new massively multiplayer online expansion has to offer in a few hours. Especially as the amount of content that will be released on 4 June has the ultimate goal of keeping players engaged for hundreds of hours. So it was intriguing to see, at the latest preview event, what the team at ZeniMax Online Studios have been working on and how they plan to develop their vision of Tamriel further. Elsweyr will be the third major addition to the game and it’s looking to be the best so far.

Since 2014, the developer has been building up the world of Tamriel to be more and more complex, as the game adds both expansions (or ‘chapters’ as it calls them) and a steady stream of new players. And considering the last two chapters of Morrowind and Summerset provided a lot more content than most AAA games expectations have been high for Elsweyr.

Elsweyr isn’t just the name of the new chapter, it’s also the name of the area of Tamriel that is the focus of the expansion. It’s the homeland of the cat-like Khajit race within the Elder Scrolls universe, and it hasn’t been explored in an Elder Scrolls game since 1994’s Arena. It’s a desert land primarily, but with some luscious grasslands that are home to many Skooma farms.

Much like the last two expansions, there is a new starting zone with a tutorial for newcomers. For first-time players coming into the game, this is going to provide them will all the knowledge they’ll need to make a start in their new world. It will also bring players into the story, which revolves around the release of a group of ancient dragons who are out for revenge.

In our preview session, we took the opportunity to utilise the new playable class of necromancer, which is the first new class in the game since the warden in the Morrowind expansion. A much-requested addition from fans of the series, it’s a pet class – but, rather than having a pet that follows you around, you’re able to raise the undead for a few moments at a time to do damage and then return to the afterlife.

We went for a build that focused on raising as many allies to our side as quickly as possible, to overwhelm any adversaries in our way. The necromancer doesn’t feel like any other class in the game, but it does have the drawback that necromancy is viewed as illegal in the Elder Scrolls world and so bystanders will report you to authorities if they see you using it.

Elder Scrolls Online: Elsweyr – it’s a long time since the Khajit have had the spotlight

Within the preview build not every quest was available to compete, and not all of the non-playable characters had all of their interactions, but there was still plenty of content on offer. Elder Scrolls Online has always showed its strengths in its storytelling and sense of immersion and this looks set to continue. After taking control of our necromancer, and getting a feel for its playstyle, we were quickly thrown into the troubles of Elsweyr.

Soon enough we were called upon to help with a commotion going on just down the way, where we were required to warn the inhabitants of the area about a dragon flying overhead, by blowing on a giant horn. Then it was time to make our way into town and take on a myriad of quests; like all Elder Scrolls games, these range from life or death situations to comedic menial tasks.

Travelling around the new playable area you’re treated to a visually striking view, in one direction flat, desolate desert and in the other a rocky, mountainous area with buildings up in the distance. Elder Scrolls Online has always been a great-looking game and while the graphics don’t seem to have undergone any technical upgrade, they still look very impressive.

There’s still some time to go before the release of Elsweyr on 4 June, but everything suggests it will be at least as good as the previous two expansions and potentially one of the best gaming experiences to play this summer. It’s not The Elder Scrolls VI but it is the closest thing to it.

By Jamie Nightingale

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