A major feature of The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO): Morrowind are the PvP battlegrounds. How these work and what rewards you get have now been revealed.
In PvP content, The Elder Scrolls Online currently only offers a fun gigantic campaign in the central province of Cyrodiil, where three major alliances with hundreds of players beat each other up and capture castles every day. That is certainly fun, but those who just want to play a quick round of PvP are left empty-handed. But help is on the way, as on June 6, the standalone addon Morrowind for ESO arrives and brings the long-awaited PvP arenas of the battlegrounds.
ESO PvP Battlegrounds – Grave Demons or Fire Dragons?
There is new information about the gameplay and mechanics of the battlegrounds. The names of the three teams are now known. You will face two other teams of four players each in the battlegrounds, but you and your teammates do not have to belong to the same alliance.
Instead of fighting for the Ebonheart Pact or the Dominion, you fight for the glory of one of the following teams:
- Grave Demons (Green)
- Fire Dragons (Orange)
- Storm Lords (Purple)
The allocation to a team is done randomly through a PvP browser, in which you register starting from level 10 (provided you have purchased Morrowind, otherwise it won’t work). You just choose whether you come alone or as a group and whether you want to play below or starting from the maximum level. Your heroes will be appropriately scaled up as they are everywhere in ESO. A well-equipped level 50 will have advantages over a level 10 newcomer.
PvP Battlegrounds – Deathmatch or Flag Hunt?
The battles in the battlegrounds are designed to last about 15 minutes – nothing compared to the hours-long battles in Cyrodiil! The game randomly determines which of the current three game modes you play in each match:
- Deathmatch: This is the classic team deathmatch. You simply take out opponents and earn points for it.
- Flag Hunt: The well-known capture the flag. You capture a flag and bring it to your base, but you also have to watch out that the opponent doesn’t steal your flag.
- Domination: This game mode is also well known. You must capture and hold neutral points on the map to earn victory points.
Quarry or Daedric Ruins?
The battles in the battlegrounds take place on one of three randomly selected maps. Later DLCs and addons are expected to provide even more battlegrounds. The three battlegrounds in Morrowind are:
- Foyada Quarry: This quarry is located on the edge of the “Red Mountain” and offers large, open spaces. Ideal for ranged fighters.
- Ularra: A gloomy Daedric ruin in the north of the island. The fights concentrate there due to the cramped environment.
- Ald Carac: Here you fight in the steampunk ruins of the fallen Dwemer civilization. The map is said to be more vertical in nature.
Medals and Awards for Great Loot
When one side wins on the battlegrounds, it’s time for rewards and loot. The good news up front: Everyone gets something. But those who play well will receive more, as will the winners of a round. Only leavers who leave early will go away empty-handed. ZeniMax even plans additional penalties, such as temporary PvP bans.
The amount of the reward depends on the medals earned in battle. These are available for:
- Dealing damage
- Healing
- Getting kills
- Getting kill streaks
- Capturing or defending banners
- Taking damage
- Healing banner carriers or defenders
Of course, the distribution of medals and their weighting varies by game mode. In the flag hunt, there are fewer points for kill medals than in the deathmatch. There are no flags to capture there, hence only points for kills and healing. The rewards consist of items (purple items as main prizes), experience points, and alliance points for your faction. The developers may also want to include resource bags as additional loot.
Also cool: There will later be weekly leaderboards that reset every seven days. Depending on how well you can place there, you will receive additional loot!
Also interesting: ESO – Loot, Issues, and Possibilities of the New Battlegrounds
