Our author Jürgen had the chance to play the new ESO chapter-addon Elsweyr at an event in London. Read here how he experienced the first hour in the game.
Elsweyr has always been a big dream for me. For years I wished for an ESO-addon that goes to the homeland of the Khajiit. And then there are dragons. And necromancers, although they never really intrigued me.
That’s why I had to play the necromancer: Nevertheless, I had to create the new class for the test session. After all, you probably want to know what the necromancer can do, so I created a pitch-black Khajiit necromancer and named her after my house cat Cleo.
New chapter, new tutorial
As is customary with ESO, a new chapter always starts with a new tutorial. Therefore, my necro-cat also begins her career in a rehabilitation center for rehabilitated Skooma addicts.
But necro-cat is not a dog junkie, rather she became a victim of a dragon attack, had been in a coma until recently, and now has amnesia.
Only the letter from a certain “Abnur Tharn” remained of her belongings. But before I can delve into this mystery, I first have to complete the obligatory combat tutorial with one of the monks of the institution.
Dragons from the beginning
But the sparring with the monk is abruptly interrupted, as imperial troops and a dragon are attacking! The giant beast sails over the area and reduces everything to rubble and ashes. And unfortunately, there is no Dovahkiin here to shout the beast down from the sky.
But luckily, it seems that there have been dragons here many centuries ago, and a magical dragon horn remains from the fight against the beasts, with which I could probably bring the creature down as well.
Necro-cat against dragons
This is how the necromancer plays: To do this, I have to fight my way through hordes of imperial soldiers and undead. In doing so, I actively use my new necro skills. Okay, actually just one, because at first I can only throw fiery skulls as DPS spells as a necromancer.
Later, I learn another skill that creates a skeleton that rushes at the enemy and then explodes. This allows for a completely new playstyle. Unlike the guardian, which requires a lot of micro-management of buffs and pets, the necromancer can summon his magic and minions from a distance and cause havoc.
This fulfills the developers’ self-imposed goal of establishing the necromancer as a darker ruler over hordes of undead. And even I, a staunch necromancer opponent, find the new class incredibly fun.
Just the cool animations and effects are worth seeing. And the corpses of enemies and exploded skeletons glow ominously and promise further fun with necromancy.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t unlock any corresponding skills in the demo session, but according to Zenimax, the necromancer will unleash his full potential especially by utilizing corpses on the battlefield.
Equally cool: Later in the game, I get a powerful area attack where I mow down everything in the angle in front of me with a ghostly scythe. Is that edgy? Definitely! Is it cool? Absolutely!
This is how the battle continues: But back to the dragon! After I found the dragon horn, it brings the dragon down. And shatters it! Great, I thought “Cool, the anti-dragon weapon is already here, we just have to lure the beasts and then blow them out of the sky!”
But the developers don’t make it easy for us. Even when the beast is crawling on the ground, it blocks the escape route for me and the other survivors! So we have to face the unequal battle against the beast together.
We really won’t master the beast, but we still do a good job of delivering a beating to the confused scaled creature.
Finally, he’s had enough and trolls off. Lucky again, because I couldn’t have lasted much longer in the fight.
A new world
This is how it continues: With the dragon attack on the Khajiit monastery, ESO starts the new chapter with a big bang and then finally releases me into the new world of Elsweyr.
There I am supposed to search for the mysterious Abnur Tharn, but ESO wouldn’t be ESO if I weren’t immediately given a side quest to hopelessly divert me from my path.
This time I meet a young Khajiit mage who wants to become a necromancer. Even if she doesn’t want to admit it. She has only reanimated harmless frogs.
When I reveal to her that I’m also a necro, she quickly becomes demure and explains that a famous necro is said to have resided in the dark cave in front of me.
He must surely have hidden secrets of the dark art there. After countless battles against grim Khajiit skeletons and reanimated tigers, I learn the dark and tragic secret of the place and can defeat a first boss in the end.
Later I finally arrive at Abnur Tharn and can finally start the main quest. But I don’t want to reveal too much here. The revenge against the dragon must also wait, as the dragon battles in the open world, a kind of dynamic, mobile version of the dark anchors from the base game, were not yet in the game in London.
More of the same, but good!
Those who know ESO shouldn’t expect any surprises in gameplay. Everything runs as usual. Although the necromancer brings a breath of fresh air to the game, it doesn’t reinvent the wheel.
But it doesn’t have to be! Because ESO is good as it is. Instead of desperately trying to invent something new, Zenimax prefers to rely on the tried and true and the beloved game concept among fans. It expands the already vast world with more locations, stories, and quests.
And the lands of the Khajiit have never been shown in this form in a game before. Elsweyr is likely to fully tie into the great success of Morrowind and Summerset and make ESO even more successful.
I, for my part, am already looking forward to the release in June, like a Khajiit sweet tooth to a moon sugar cake.
