The Elder Scrolls Online has received its fourth major chapter expansion with Greymoor. We from the MeinMMO team explored the new Skyrim area shortly after launch and really enjoyed it. Among other things, because of the vibrant world and the creepy Harrowstorms.
Who was out in Greymoor? Myself, Jürgen Horn, and my colleague Larissa Then from the MeinMMO team were exploring the western Skyrim area with another friend. This is the new area from the recently released new Greymoor chapter.
There, we just wanted to go on a little adventure for a few hours and see what awaits us. A kind of casual tour through the new chapter. How you can emulate us and start the new story can be found from us at MeinMMO:
Harrowstorms are the new dragons!
That was our highlight of the evening: During our explorations through the picturesque Skyrim, we suddenly encountered a dark storm on the horizon. Something was brewing in the literal sense. It was one of the dreaded Harrowstorms, a dark summoning of witches that unleash dark powers for yet unknown purposes.
We bravely plunged into the storm and luckily a few other players showed up, and we fiercely resisted the storm. But it only got worse, and the blood-red swirling storm fronts spewed out more and more hideous creatures. We fought like mad, and even the most recently appeared giant monster had no chance in the end and sank dead into the dust.
The storm was over, but the sinister laughter of an unseen witch and her words that this storm was just one of many and that our victory would be completely meaningless left us with a sense of dread. But at least there was loot, including a new treasure map for Larissa.
That’s why Harrowstorms are cooler than dragons: The Harrowstorms resemble the gameplay of dolmens and dark anchors from the base game. I found them very cool even then as a sign of the eternal threat that Molag Bal represents for Tamriel. And that there are always new anchors until the danger is completely eliminated. So you only fight the symptoms here, not the cause.
I have the same feeling with Harrowstorms. The fact that the nasty witch mocks us and says, “Go ahead and destroy this one storm, it has already served its purpose,” sends a chill down my spine. Apparently, these storms are much more dangerous than the monsters they spit out.
This stands in contrast to the dragons from Elsweyr. They were extremely impressive and seemed much more dangerous than the Harrowstorm. Yet somehow I never felt the sense of threat that I had with anchors and Harrowstorms.
Because the dragons felt more like victims than attackers to me. Hardly had such a beast appeared, it was ruthlessly hunted down and taken out by a huge horde of players. That these creatures truly threaten the land was not apparent here.
Rather, I felt sorry for the beasts. And the immersion in the game world was disturbed by the dragons as well. Because actually, such creatures are quite rare, and that in the Colosseum there would really be space for thousands of dragons also doesn’t make sense to me. More about the lore and the dragons can also be found from us at MeinMMO:
Therefore, Harrowstorms are a worthy and better replacement for the dragons from the last chapter.
But that wasn’t our only highlight in Greymoor.
Treasure hunts, vampire houses, and itchy bears – This is everything we experienced
This is how cool the atmosphere in Greymoor is at the start: Right from the beginning of our round, I knew why I appreciate ESO so much. The atmosphere at the start of a new expansion is always wonderful. Players are everywhere, going about their tasks. Since the game doesn’t display names or any overlays, it really looks like a lively town scene.
Every player could also be an NPC. In fact, even a guild mate of Larissa disguised himself as a Nord cook named “Nils Smörrebröd” and set up a market stall. He couldn’t seem to escape from “customers” who thought he was an NPC vendor offering cooking utensils.
This is how lively the game world is: But not just players bustling about, rummaging through their bags or consulting maps contribute to the lively world. Along the way, we found many cool natural scenes:
- Goats grazed in remote hills
- Saber-toothed tigers fed on those goats and attacked us angrily when we approached
- Foxes darted away in front of us and sought shelter in the bushes
- A bear, apparently very itchy, rubbed itself contentedly against a tree trunk.
This bear totally captivated us. That’s why we left the creature alone and took a long detour around Master Bear.
That’s why we all want the big vampire castle: Later, we explored the underground of the Black Reach via a nearby Dwemer lift. The lift brought us right in front of the creepy vampire fortress Greymoor itself. But we didn’t want to go in just yet.
Instead, we explored something even cooler. Because on the map, there was a player house directly in front of the fortress. The “Bastion Sanguinaris” is essentially the Greymoor fortress as a player house.
We couldn’t buy or unlock it (yet). But a preview was possible. And yes, we all agreed that we absolutely need a mini vampire fortress of evil in the Black Reach.
The house has endless space, is impressive with its massive, gothic halls, and even has a balcony overlooking a dusky crystal garden. If you want to learn more about houses in ESO, we have a list for you from MeinMMO here:
That’s why we all threw up cheese: Also funny was our first incursion into a giant’s camp. Because all over the map, the lanky giants have places where they keep mammoths and apparently produce a substantial cheese from them. You can feast on the cheese after driving off the giants.
Then strange things happen. For one thing, our characters suddenly began to vomit profusely! The cheese was apparently indeed a bit pungent! And then Larissa exclaimed in surprise, “Hey, look at me, I’m huge!” And indeed, Larissa’s petite little wood elf was now about as big as Lyris’s titan child from the cool Greymoor trailer. Our bulky Nord in the team was even larger.
After a while, the effect wore off, and we were back to our normal size. However, we will further investigate later; perhaps there is a story behind the giant growth due to the pungent cheese.
This is how our first treasure hunt went: My buddy and I were also completely smitten with the new treasure hunt. Anyone who joins the Antiquarians in Solitude gets the chance through cool mini-games to find treasures all over the map and carefully dig them up.
This way, you can even get the new mythic items that came with Greymoor. And moreover, the treasures aren’t only in Skyrim. There’s a reason to revisit the old areas of ESO.
These problems we had: Our explorations lasted several hours, and we had no issues logging in. Larissa and I were also spared from bugs and difficulties. Only our friend sometimes struggled with severe lag.
One of the launch issues of Greymoor that many players are currently reporting. Additionally, he was once unprovoked attacked by NPCs, although he had no bounty on him. There seems to be a bug with werewolves since our buddy was one, albeit an upstanding one.
Our MeinMMO conclusion on Greymoor
Larissa and I (Jürgen Horn) from the ESO team at MeinMMO find Greymoor the perfect addition. Here are our final opinions:
This is what Jürgen says: I wasn’t sure if Greymoor could match my beloved Elsweyr. And thanks to the great Khajiit bonus, the land in the south has a slight edge. But in terms of atmosphere and mood, Greymoor is clearly the winner.
Because while in Elsweyr you didn’t get much of the fact that there was actually a war happening, the dark and threatening atmosphere in Greymoor is omnipresent. This is especially evident when suddenly in the middle of a picturesque snowy landscape, a Harrowstorm breaks loose behind the hill, enveloping everything with blood-red winds.
But even if Greymoor doesn’t smack you in the face with demons, the atmosphere remains threatening. Because in the beautiful, wild romantic landscape, you continuously encounter ominous ruins from ancient times or evidence of horrific occurrences.
Together with the eerie beautiful underground of the Black Reach and the grumpy Nords of western Skyrim, they create a fantastic mix of atmosphere and tension that won’t let go of me easily.
Larissa’s impression: It is very nice to start in a lively area at the beginning of an addon. Things are happening everywhere, and everything is bustling. As a fashion hunter and lover of pretty or weird-looking characters, I have a lot to see there. But of course, that wasn’t the only thing that fascinated me in Skyrim.
I had to constantly stop and observe my surroundings. The caves are beautifully crafted. Everywhere it sparkles or is filled with spider webs. In the open spaces, there were bears rubbing against trees. Others were fighting over prey. Admittedly, these are just minor details, but they make Greymoor incredibly atmospheric.
But the new chapter not only looks great, it plays well too. I encountered charismatic NPCs again, and the descent into the Black Reach goes smoothly. However, I find the new storms to be one of the most impressive aspects.
The enemies you encounter there are more challenging than in earlier chapters. In a small group, we had to put in a lot of effort to get our hands on the loot. With more players, they become easier again like the dolmens or anchors.
In any case, I look forward to everything that is still to come. Next, I will go on an antiquities hunt; I already have a few spots in mind.
This is how you can get back in easily: If you also want to return to ESO with Greymoor, we have something for you. Together with the German ESO community, we from MeinMMO have created a detailed guide for returnees to make your re-entry into Tamriel easier.
