2019 was an interesting year for the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO). We look back at the past 12 months and what we can expect in 2020 and what needs to happen.
2019 offered something that hadn’t been seen in The Elder Scrolls Online before. The DLCs and the add-on Elsweyr told a cohesive, epic story throughout the year – the Season of the Dragon.
This is how 2019 unfolded in the MMORPG ESO
Such an extensive story had not been seen in the MMORPG ESO since the release of the main game in 2014. And the story began with the DLC Wrathstone.
ESO – Wrathstone
In February, Wrathstone was released as a DLC. You had to explore the dungeons “Frostvault” and “Depths of Malatar”. At that time, the actual threat was still unknown. During the adventures, you came into possession of a mystical stone, the Wrathstone. But what it unleashed was something no one in all of Tamriel had anticipated.
ESO – Elsweyr
The add-on Elsweyr, which followed in May 2019, continued the story. The Wrathstone unleashed dragons in the land of Elsweyr. These now posed a massive threat to the Khajiit in the land. Your task was to find a way to contain the danger and help the Khajiit defend themselves against the dragons. You were supported by the Imperial Chancellor Abnur Tharn.
You had to explore the desert land of Elsweyr, face many challenges, and fight numerous monsters. For many, Elsweyr represents the best storyline of ESO so far. The dragons, in particular, were very well received, as the fight against them resembled something from The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim.
ESO – Scalebreaker
In the DLC Scalebreaker, which followed in August, it was your task to deal with the aftermath of the dragon attacks. The scaly beasts still posed a threat. To make matters worse, corruption spread throughout the land and vampires tried to strengthen their powers through the blood of the dragons.
ESO – Dragonhold
A cult, the Order of the New Moon, emerged. A group of Khajiit began to worship the dragons, and it was your task to stop them. Eventually, you had to confront the mighty dragon Kaalgrontiid in the DLC Dragonhold at the end of October and put an end to the threat posed by the dragons once and for all. Meanwhile, Abnur Tharn apparently lost his life. The fight released the energy of the Dark Aeons – a new threat emerged.
Improvements to ESO
2019 also saw some improvements to the MMORPG. These included:
- a complete overhaul of the group finder
- and improvements to the combat system.
- Additionally, memory management was changed, which already brought some improvements.
- The first optimizations for performance made their way into the game. Because this is exactly what players have been criticizing about ESO for a long time. However, this is just the first step. More will follow in 2020 to continuously improve performance.
What can we expect in 2020?
During the Game Awards, Zenimax showed a video of the final battle against Kaalgrontiid. The heroes are teleported to safety and witness the energy of the Dark Aeons being released. The horizon of the land of Skyrim glows green. We learn that our adventures in the coming year will take us to the Dark Heart of Skyrim. The community is of course wondering how the story will continue and where exactly we will travel.
Off to Skyrim
The story of 2020 will likely be kickstarted again in February with a new DLC. There is already a first hint. A map distributed by Zenimax apparently shows the area around the Rift in Skyrim with a shrine of the Daedric Prince Nocturnal and the ruins of the Nord fortress Angarvunde. It seems that the first DLC will take us to this area, where we will learn more about the new threat.
Presumably, the next add-on will then be released in May or June, telling the main part of the story. This could then be concluded in late summer and autumn with two more DLCs. The hint at the Dark Heart of Skyrim is currently interpreted by the ESO community that we will likely explore the Blackreach.
Blackreach is a gigantic cave system located beneath Pale and Winterhold in the province of Skyrim. It is essentially a closed ecosystem – a world beneath the surface of Skyrim. What exactly awaits us there remains unclear.
Individual DLCs or another cohesive story?
It is quite possible that Zenimax will orient itself towards the very successful narrative structure of the Season of the Dragon and present us with another larger, cohesive story that guides us through Skyrim. After all, it was very well received in 2019.
What about technical improvements? There are several more adjustments planned for the performance of the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online.
- The framerate will be improved in two steps.
- There will also be optimizations for servers, increasing stability.
- Loading times should be reduced.
- There will be further optimizations in combat.
- Bug fixes are also included.
2020 is going to be not just an exciting but an important year for The Elder Scrolls Online, especially regarding performance improvements. We know that Zenimax can tell epic stories – especially since the Season of the Dragon. So fans of the MMORPG need not worry.
However, it is crucial that the developers finally get a handle on the long-standing performance issues. The community has been waiting for this, and 2020 must bring improvements.
2020 looks set to be a really interesting year for the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online. Are you looking forward to it?
