The MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online will receive the expansion Blackwood on June 1, 2021. This brings some changes and new features for you. MeinMMO gives you an overview of the most important things.
The new chapter Blackwood will be released on June 1, 2021 for PC/Mac & Stadia. The release for Xbox and PlayStation will take place on June 8, 2021.
The time is not yet known, but you can check the server status at any time here
(via ESO Server Status).
No. You only need the base game and the Blackwood expansion. If you are completely new to ESO, you should consider the Blackwood Collector’s Edition. Although it costs 89.99 Euros, it includes the base game and the previous 4 chapters.
What are the biggest new features of Blackwood?
The Companion System
What are companions? Until now, players could only use peaceful companions who do not intervene in combat. They simply follow the player and have no dialogue interface. With Blackwood, new allies come into play with whom many interactions are possible.
The companions are NPCs that you can summon for support in combat. They also level up through experience points. This unlocks slots for skills that can be customized. You can also personalize them by giving them armor and weapons. However, you first have to find this special companion gear.
You also have aesthetic options by dressing them in costumes or appearance styles. You can also assign them a special mount. Each companion has its own personality and evaluates your actions based on its standards.
Depending on how good the relationship between you and your ally is, you can unlock new dialogue options. So you have to pay attention to who observes you in your activities from now on. A bad relationship even has negative effects: the ally withdraws.
How do I get a companion? In this guide, we show you how to unlock companions in Blackwood. However, you must purchase the new expansion in advance to get the companions.
The new trial Felshain
There will be a new challenge for 12-player groups, the trial “Felshain.” In keeping with the rest of the chapter, the new trial is also in the style of the Argonians. Be careful of angry frogs and hungry plants.
What bosses can you expect?
- Oaxiltso – A colossal behemoth
- Flame Herald Bahsei – The 2nd boss of the trial, who can summon armies
- Xalvakka – A general of Dagon’s army in the Deadlands
What can you expect in Felshain?
Prepare for challenging fights in the new trial. Not only the 3 bosses are fierce. You will also find strong enemies in the add groups between the bosses. There is also a particularly difficult mode, the Hardmode, available for each boss.
What sets are available here?
Oath of the Stone Speaker & Perfected Oath of the Stone Speaker. 
Torment of Sul-Xan & Perfected Torment of Sul-Xan. 
Saxhleel Champion & Perfected Saxhleel Champion. 
Bahseis Madness & Perfected Bahseis Madness.
Can you complete all achievements in Felshain? If so, a special mount awaits you: The Sul-Xan Flesh-Ripper.
What are the most important changes that affect all players?
Along with Blackwood comes Update 30, which affects all players. This is independent of whether the expansion has been purchased or not. Moreover, there was a significant change to the Champion Points at the beginning of the year, which we have also covered.
Adjustment of Champion Points (CP)
With Update 29 Flames of Ambition, the CP system has been fundamentally revised. It is divided into 3 attributes for which you can choose 4 active champion points each. You can find a more detailed explanation of the adjustments here:
ESO revises the important Champion System – Here’s what changes for you.
New Mythic Items
What are Mythic Items? These are special equipment items that you can obtain through spotting and excavations. Each of these items grants you a special bonus. However, you can only equip one of these items.
These items have been very popular since the Greymoor release as they are particularly strong. With Blackwood, new Mythic Items come into play:
- Ring of the Harbinger of Death
- Chain of the Shapeshifter
- Sithis’s Gaze (Head, Heavy)
- Harpooner’s Kilt (Legs, Medium)
In this article, you can learn more about the new armor sets that are newly introduced in the game with Blackwood.
New collectible styles
Some appearance styles can be obtained through excavation. Until now, the following styles could be obtained:
- the ancient Orcs
- the ancient Nords
- the ancient High Elves
- the ancient Reiklanders
With the new chapter, you can adorn your character with the appearance style of the ancient Akaviri.
Heavy armor, weapon with shield. 
Medium armor, two-handed. 
Light armor, staff.
These areas from TES IV: Oblivion can be explored
For fans of The Elder Scrolls IV – Oblivion, Blackwood offers the opportunity to revisit known places. What has changed? What do you still recognize from the past?
The new chapter brings old places to life again, including the city of Leyawiin, the Oblivion portals, the realm of the forgotten and the Depths Caverns.
Is it worth starting ESO with Blackwood?
Definitely! Many functions have been added since the release of the base game, making it easier to get into the MMORPG. We briefly introduce the most important functions:
- OneTamriel – You can travel to any area, and everything scales to your level.
- Reward for leveling up – You receive additional rewards upon leveling up that are useful.
- Group finder – You can queue for dungeons without having a fixed group.
- Area guide – The area guide can be accessed through the map menu (M), giving you an overview of your quest progress in the respective area.
- Faster leveling – With the adjustment of the champion point system, the amount of experience points required for CP leveling (up to CP 1800) has been significantly reduced.
With the Blackwood expansion, new features are being introduced that make the game even more beginner-friendly than before.
A new tutorial: The new tutorial comes with Blackwood, where you learn the first steps in the game. At the end of your exploration, you can choose how you want to start in the game world. So you have the choice between the base game, but also the various expansions that were released later.
All information about the new tutorial can be found here: Finally, ESO gets a proper beginning – Here’s what the new tutorial looks like.
Companions as help for newcomers: The companions we introduced to you at the beginning assist you in many activities. Inexperienced players have it a bit easier to win against hostile NPCs. This provides some aid to players who have not yet found a group or guild.
They can also accompany you in dungeons. A dungeon group typically consists of 4 players. But now one player slot can also be filled with a companion. So you only need 2 players to form a complete dungeon group.
Of course, with Blackwood, exciting quests are also returning to the MMORPG. The Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon and his cultists are wreaking havoc in Dunkelforst. Why the story of Blackwood is even better than the story of Greymoor (previous chapter) you can find out in ESO: The new expansion Blackwood is much more fun than Greymoor.
