The Elder Scrolls Online – Blackwood
What is ESO? The MMORPG based on the Elder Scrolls series transports you to the world of Tamriel, offering everything one expects from a good theme park game:
- A truly massive game world
- Fully voiced quests and exciting main and side stories
- Diverse dungeons and trials for 12 players
- A crafting system and special content like the Thieves Guild or the new antiquities system
- Server vs. server PvP
The special feature is that you can essentially experience the entire story and all the content of the open world completely alone. Additionally, since One Tamriel, there is no level cap for areas anymore. If you wish, you can dive directly into the latest content of an expansion at level 1.
Only for the dungeons and trials will you need to team up with other players.
What is happening in 2021 with ESO? Each year the MMORPG receives 3 smaller DLCs and a large expansion. The expansion costs a one-time fee, while the DLCs can also be purchased for real money or unlocked automatically through an optional subscription system.
This year, the focus will be on the content from Oblivion, the fourth part of the Elder Scrolls series. In Blackwood, you will face the Daedra Prince Mehrunes Dagon and, as a special new feature, you will have companions by your side.
You can find more about Blackwood in this article.
Who is this interesting for? Those who already play ESO will be pleased about the new expansion. You can expect 30 hours of new content, a new story, new areas, and numerous new rewards.
With its last expansions, the MMORPG has strongly targeted solo players who have previously interacted with the Elder Scrolls. It was no coincidence that 2020 was the year of Skyrim and content like the Blackreach has found its way into the game.
New expansions also offer newcomers an excellent opportunity to start. They need to be purchased once, but then include all previous expansions, which saves a bit of money.
We have already played Blackwood and are particularly impressed by the new companions:
I tested the new companions in ESO and promise: Everyone will use them
Lost Ark
What is Lost Ark? This game is a high-profile action MMORPG from an isometric perspective, as seen in Diablo 3. However, it is not a hack ‘n’ slash, but a “Full Featured MMORPG”; the developers themselves compare it to Guild Wars 2.
You create a hero, explore a large fantasy world, and tackle monsters and quests along the way:
- There are 12 classes with different abilities.
- In raids, you face powerful bosses together.
- Gameplay is from an isometric perspective (“top-down”), akin to hack ‘n’ slashes.
- PvP occurs in an arena where you can compete against other players.
- You can establish your own home and use it as storage for unneeded equipment.
- You can build relationships with NPCs.
Lost Ark also introduces interesting new features focused on island exploration and ship sailing.
What is happening in 2021 with Lost Ark? In a press release, Amazon announced that they want to bring Lost Ark to the West in 2021. However, there is still no release date.
Since Amazon is handling the distribution, we can expect a German localization. After all, Amazon also offers this for its own games like New World and the former Crucible.
If you don’t want to wait until the 2021 release, you can already play Lost Ark on Russian servers. MeinMMO editor Irina Moritz has written a guide on this.
Who is this interesting for? Lost Ark primarily targets fans of hack ‘n’ slashes who also want to experience an MMO. There are various social features, guilds, and group content.
The focus is mainly on PvE, which provides variety in light of many new PvP games. You can learn more about the MMORPG here:
