With the Greymoor expansion, The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) also introduced a new emote to the game. This is based on a meme from Skyrim and brings a smile to the faces of some players.
What is this emote? With the command /arrowtoknee, players can shoot an arrow into their own knee. It comes flying from a great distance and pierces the right knee.
But instead of falling to the ground, the character pulls the arrow out of the knee and lets out a short scream. After that, everything continues as usual.
You can watch the new emote in the video:
Arrow to the Knee – A Popular Meme Returns
What is special about this emote? With /arrowtoknee, ESO references a popular meme from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. This is fitting as the new Greymoor expansion takes place in Skyrim.
In the old role-playing game, some NPC guards had a standard phrase:
- Deutsch: “Früher war ich auch ein Abenteurer, aber dann habe ich einen Pfeil ins Knie bekommen!”
- Englisch: “I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took an arrow in the knee!”
This phrase gained a lot of fame and was featured in several funny videos, especially because our character, the adventurer, likely received much more than just one arrow.
In fact, the phrase actually references a Nordic saying. “Getting an arrow in the knee” is equated with marriage (via Urban Dictionary). So when these NPCs said that an arrow in the knee ended their career as adventurers, it was actually marriage and settling down.
How can you get the emote? Unfortunately, the emote cannot be purchased in the shop, but is part of the Collector’s Edition of Greymoor, just like the Cat Wash emote and Elsweyr.
So you need to have purchased one of the following three versions:
- Digital The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor Collector’s Edition
- Digital The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor Collector’s Edition Upgrade
- Physical The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor Collector’s Edition
Nevertheless, the new emote itself is well done and shows that ESO does not take itself too seriously and that the new expansion has a clear reference to Skyrim.
The latter is also emphasized by the intro to Greymoor. It is not coincidentally reminiscent of Skyrim and is celebrated by fans accordingly.
