On time for the release of the DLC Wolfhunter and Update 19 for The Elder Scrolls Online, we spoke with the Creative Director, the Dungeon Lead, and the Lead Content Designer from Zenimax. We got a glimpse behind the scenes of the new DLC..
The Dungeon DLC Wolfhunter is finally here. In the penultimate DLC for 2018, brave adventurers embark on two brand new dungeons and face powerful foes there.
Rich Lambert, the Creative Director of Zenimax, Mike Finnigan, the Dungeon Lead, and Jeremy Sera, the Lead Content Designer took us on a tour through the new dungeon March of Sacrifice. Along the way, we were able to ask questions.
How difficult are the new dungeons?
Mein-MMO: Where would the developer team rank the new dungeons in relation to others in terms of difficulty?
Mike Finnigan (Finn): I think we have struck a good balance with the Dragon Bones dungeons. So, the Fang Lair and the Scalecaller Peak. The two new dungeons are intended to have a similar difficulty.
Most players can complete the normal mode. The veteran dungeon is not as easy as the veteran dungeons from the base game, but it’s not as hard as a veteran dungeon from the other DLCs, like the White-Gold Tower.
Mein-MMO: Since ESO now has a special werewolf-themed DLC, are there plans for a vampire DLC?
Finn: We wouldn’t rule it out. We always try to create new and interesting content. But we currently have no plans in that direction.
Were there difficulties with the boss mechanics?
Mein-MMO: Which boss mechanic in the new DLC did you struggle with?
Finn: Usually, it’s the damage from the bosses that causes problems. We have certain health thresholds internally that we know players can reduce to zero within a specific time. The health of the bosses usually doesn’t differ that much.
If players have a lot of time to deal damage to the boss, we increase the health, for example. It’s important that the DPS players don’t cause too much damage too early.
“We don’t want players to learn the mechanics by dying”
Rich Lambert: The development team is always trying to come up with new boss mechanics. Sometimes it’s difficult to convey these mechanics to the player. That’s why the team spends a lot of time testing the mechanics. Can players understand the boss mechanics without googling them or dying often?
Mein-MMO: So you are trying to convey the dungeon mechanics to players while they are playing?
Finn: We try to prevent players from learning (the mechanics) by dying. That’s always something Jeremy likes to emphasize. How can players learn the boss mechanics without dying?
When players see a mechanic for the first time, it shouldn’t kill them immediately. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have abilities that deal high damage. We want to convey these abilities to the player when they see them for the first time.
What secrets can players discover in the new dungeons?
Mein-MMO: What’s up with the hunting lodges located in the hunting grounds of Hircine?
Finn: Hircine wants his followers to feel at home. That’s why there are hunting lodges scattered throughout the March of Sacrifice and the hunting grounds. When followers move through the hunting grounds, they can visit the hunting lodges, rest there, and then go hunting.
In the hunting lodge, there is also a will-o’-the-wisp. And this will-o’-the-wisp highlights something we were able to make possible in this dungeon. In the dungeon, we have side quests for players who like to explore. There are three golden Indrik hunts.
The Easter Egg with the three golden Indriks
Mein-MMO: What do players receive when they hunt all three golden Indriks?
Finn: If players hunt all three, they receive a unique memento. This memento allows players to perform a very cool werewolf transformation. Each hunt also grants players a buff that is active for the rest of the dungeon.
We have never had such side explorations before. They are designed so that players don’t have to have the best DPS. They just need to take the time and hunt the Indriks.
Mein-MMO: Can players do something similar in the dungeon Moonhunter Keep?
Finn: No. That’s the first and only time.
Rich Lambert: It just made sense to do something like this in this dungeon. After all, it’s Hircine’s realm.
What animation from Wolfhunter are you particularly proud of?
Mein-MMO: What was the funniest animation you designed for the new DLC?
Rich Lambert: I like the new werewolf.
Finn: There are many animations. When you talk about animations, do you also mean the effects?
Jeremy Sera: “Raining Man Spawn”
Finn: (laughs) That was a really funny animation. Players can experience it when they run into one of the spectral Indriks. They are launched into the air and then fall to the ground. That’s the “Raining Man” animation we talked about earlier.
Then there’s the “Hulking” werewolf animation that players will see at the end of the dungeon. And then we also have really cool fog effects that we use in this dungeon.
Rich Lambert: But my absolute favorite is probably in the Moonhunter Keep. The third boss in the library.
Jeremy Sera: Yes, I wanted to say that too.
Finn: The boss has an effect with rotating runes. Players must stand in the correct rune to be protected from his big explosion.
Are there Easter eggs hiding in Wolfhunter?
Mein-MMO: Are there any Easter eggs in the new dungeons that players can discover?
Finn: The three hunts for the golden Indriks are a pretty big Easter egg. We don’t tell players anything about them, and they are also not part of the quest. Players must discover the will-o’-the-wisp themselves in one of the buildings. They need to find all three areas themselves.
We don’t show players any of the areas.
Mein-MMO: Are there plans to depict Hircine’s hunting grounds in more detail in Elder Scrolls Online? For example, as its own zone?
Rich Lambert: We currently have no plans to do anything like that. But we are not ruling it out entirely.
Mein-MMO: A few players would like to transform into certain bosses. What do you think of the idea?
Finn: If we have a boss where that would make sense, we can definitely do that. So if we have a boss that is humanoid, that would be possible. For non-humanoid bosses, the player animations wouldn’t fit. So players can’t run around as a “Hulking” werewolf.
Mein-MMO: This isn’t your first tour through the new dungeons. Isn’t it a little boring to show the same dungeon over and over?
Finn: Not at all. These dungeons are like my children.
Mein-MMO: So you are proud of the content you have created?
Finn: (laughs) Absolutely! It wasn’t a joke when I said that the dungeons are like my children. When people ask me what my favorite dungeon is, I say I can’t choose one. They all belong to my favorites.
Are new weapons and abilities coming to ESO?
Mein-MMO: What do you think of ultimate race abilities? So, special active abilities for each of the races in ESO.
Rich Lambert: That’s an interesting idea. We actually haven’t thought much about it. What we are trying with our active abilities is to have as few as possible that only a specific class or race has access to. That’s why we only have three skill lines per class. But we have many skill lines that everyone has access to. This allows players to combine abilities.
Classes are different, but no player has to play a specific class or race to create the ultimate combination.
Mein-MMO: Are there plans to bring a magical melee weapon to ESO?
Rich Lambert: (laughs) We are asked that a lot. We don’t rule it out, but there are currently no concrete plans in that direction.
Finn: Implementing a new weapon type into the game is a lot of work. Especially the animation work. There is really a lot to do when we implement a new weapon into the game.
When can players expect more furnishing slots?
Mein-MMO: Can we soon make shoulder pieces invisible in ESO?
Rich Lambert: We could do that with the outfit system. But first, we are looking at what players can currently do with it and then considering whether we want to do that or not.
Mein-MMO: What about increasing the available furnishing slots in housing?
Rich Lambert: (laughs) We get asked that a lot. If we could press a button that would increase the furnishing slots, we would do it immediately. But unfortunately, it’s not that simple.
That’s why we are considering ways to increase the number. We have set the number of furnishing slots to the highest it can currently be.
Mein-MMO: Are the console versions of ESO the reason for the limitation of furnishing slots?
Rich Lambert: It’s more that we have to support certain minimum specifications. That’s the biggest problem we have in that regard.
What can fans of Cyrodiil PvP look forward to?
Mein-MMO: Are there plans to create new incentives for players to participate in Cyrodiil PvP?
Rich Lambert: We recently added new cosmetic content to ESO that players can only obtain by participating in PvP. In the last update, number 18, it was the Gladiator helmet. Other than that, there are some costumes we are currently working on.
We are working on it. And we also have plans for some really cool changes to Cyrodiil PvP. But we don’t want to talk about that too much right now.
Mein MMO: Thank you for the interview.
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