The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) receives a new DLC named Stonethorn, which MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch has already played together with the developers. He is particularly fond of the two new dungeons.
What is Stonethorn? The new DLC for ESO releases today, on August 24, for PC and on September 1 for the consoles PS4 and Xbox One. The focus of the new content is on two dungeons that I was able to test on the test server:
- Stone Garden is a dungeon in the dark Blackreach, where you will encounter the Alchemist Arkasis, who, like Frankenstein, attempts to create crazy and creepy creations.
- Castle Dorn, a fortress of the vampire lady Dorn and her dark army.
Additionally, Stonethorn offers a prologue quest that leads to the last update of the year, the fourth DLC, as well as some technical performance improvements, a 2-player mount, and a cool new feature for all housing fans.
What did I play? Together with Creative Director Rich Lambert, Content Designer Shane Slama, and Dungeon Lead Mike Finnigan, I plunged into the dungeon Castle Dorn. Afterwards, I also explored the Stone Garden with random teammates.
Both dungeons left a positive impression on me:
- They are structured differently
- They offer various mechanics in the boss fights
- They tell an interesting story
- They are visually stunning and have a touch of scary stories from my childhood. One involves Dracula (vampire lady), and the other involves Frankenstein (the alchemist).
Both have thus rekindled my love for the dungeons in ESO.
Recently, he also tried out the MMORPG Crowfall during the beta and summarized his experiences.
Meaningful trash mobs and exciting mechanics in Castle Dorn
Before the dungeon starts, it’s necessary to form a good team. Fortunately, Dungeon Lead Mike Finnigan takes on the role of the tank, and the healer is also quickly assigned. ESO relies on a classic Holy Trinity of one tank, one healer, and two DDs in dungeons.
I, in turn, can calmly focus on damage and the various mechanics in the dungeon.
We remain at the difficulty of normal mode. For veterans, there is also a higher difficulty level where the bosses become stronger and have new mechanics.
What is Castle Dorn about? In Castle Dorn, a truly beautiful and atmospheric castle, the vampire lady Dorn is attempting to assemble an army of vampires. Together with Gwendis and the vampire Talfyg, we try to storm the fortress and put an end to her machinations.
However, this isn’t so easy.
The first bosses: After just a few fights, we encounter the Horrendous Tindulra, the first of 5 bosses in the dungeon. Tindulra employs many flame effects and AoE. Those who react too slowly here quickly lose their life, as Rich Lambert encountered during our run.
After the first boss, we enter the castle and encounter the first vampires. Talfyg, who had led us to the castle, leaves us behind in a trap and flees. He will later receive his due from us for this.
For now, we must face the Blood Wight, a hideously looking creature that constantly tries to pull me into a pool of blood. In this pool, one suffers a lot of damage. Only the right positioning against the wall or skillful evasion helps here.
Additionally, the Blood Wight has small minions that constantly heal it. These should be quickly eliminated, especially in hard mode.
This time, we achieve victory over the creature without a dead teammate.
Even the trash makes sense: On the way to the third boss, the developers point out a detail that I always greatly appreciate about ESO:
- Trash mobs between the bosses usually contain mechanics that will play a role in the subsequent boss fight. Thus, you learn playfully and easily what you will need to know later.
Before the third boss, I learn the mechanics with the Spectral Scythes, which can be thrown onto corpses to create useful minions that assist us in battle. That will be crucial in the next fight; otherwise, it will be difficult against Vaduroth, a Daedra who can resurrect previously dead vampires.
While ESO is not the only MMORPG that employs such a explanation mechanic, it still remains a small detail that is consistently well implemented in dungeons.
On to Vampire Lady Dorn: Boss 4, however, is Talfyg, the vampire who had betrayed us during the dungeon run. He possesses a special mechanic of summoning gargoyles that he can activate. The gargoyle that the boss is closest to becomes active.
Through clever kiting and the right strategy, you can determine whether you prefer to face slow melee fighters or weaker but directly active ranged fighters. In total, you must face 3 of the 6 gargoyles. In veteran mode, however, all become active.
In the end, we manage to defeat Arkasis and complete the dungeon. Here, I am especially curious how the fight will look in veteran mode.
Not everything in the dungeons is perfect
Both Castle Dorn and Stone Garden provided me with a lot of fun. They are atmospherically successful, continue the story around the “Black Heart in Skyrim”, the overarching narrative for the entire year in ESO, and offer numerous mechanics that one must first get to know. Or rather, should.
Because at least in normal mode, I felt as though pearls were being thrown before swine here. Most mechanics can be circumvented with a lot of damage, and only a few mistakes are truly fatal. This is good for players who simply want to casually experience the story without facing too many challenges.
For others, there is the veteran mode. What’s interesting in this context is Mike Finnigan’s statement that the developers first create the hard version of the dungeons and then further simplify the mechanics to achieve a pleasant difficulty level. This seems to be the exact right approach in my opinion. Conversely, one learns about the boss in the “noob version”, but suddenly in hard mode, there are entirely new mechanics. Here, the mechanics are simply made simpler for beginners.
However, one thing that personally bothers me about ESO is the policy regarding DLCs. Those who do not have a monthly subscription (ESO+) can only access the new dungeons if they are purchased for crowns. This can become quite expensive if you want to own all the DLCs.
This was one of the reasons why I have never experienced the cool grappling hook mechanic from Harrowstorm on the live server.
However, I will be getting the two newest dungeons to enjoy the wonderful atmosphere once again.
In this fight, Gwendis also intervenes or uses CC for the gargoyles. A useful addition for the team!
In the grand finale, the vampire lady herself awaits you. Her special mechanic is that she disappears several times during the fight and corrupts the entire room. Only a small moving circle is safe. In this, you must move through the room and defeat Lady Dorn’s minions so that she returns to the ground.
However, the vampires constantly try to pull you out of the safe zone. I must remain vigilant and evade, which I fail to do twice. But thanks to a good healer, I barely survive the encounters.
Otherwise, the vampire lady also employs many AoE fields and various attacks. Mechanically, she does not resemble a generic dungeon fight but rather a raid boss in other MMORPGs. However, here, mistakes are somewhat more forgiving.
Secret paths and many puzzles in Stone Garden
What is Stone Garden about? The Alchemist Arkasis has set up a laboratory and is attempting to create new monsters there. He has succeeded in breathing life into Stonehulks, which you could experience in the Greymoor expansion.
In addition to these creatures, many werewolves are also waiting for you here, as a counterpart to the vampires in Castle Dorn.
How is the dungeon structured? While Castle Dorn is linear and traditionally comprises 5 bosses, Stone Garden is designed to be significantly more mysterious. There are various items you can collect and secrets you can discover and partially must discover to progress in the dungeon.
The first boss in the dungeon is a gigantic werewolf, which my group and I quickly defeated. Personally, I really like the dungeon’s visuals; after all, everything resembles a whacky professor, and it has a somewhat sci-fi feel to it.
The secrets in Stone Garden: After the first boss and some stone creatures, you arrive at the first location with secrets in the dungeon. I don’t want to spoil too much, but with the right strategy, you can gain additional buffs.
Moreover, you can temporarily become a gigantic werewolf in the dungeon with the help of potions. At the beginning, there are quite a few of these, but later, there will be more and more.
In the dungeon, there are also 3 Blood Knights that you can defeat to make the final boss Arkasis easier. Or you can leave them for a bit more of a challenge.
The fight against Arkasis: During the fight against Arkasis, Gwendis runs through the room and sabotages the alchemist’s devices. This is desperately needed because after each wave of enemies we defeat, the boss transforms and becomes stronger than before.
You are also able to transform back into a werewolf in this boss fight to confront Arkasis’s stone monsters. And the fight of werewolf against stone giant looks visually fantastic.
In the end, we manage to defeat Arkasis and complete the dungeon. Here, I am especially curious how the fight will look in veteran mode.
Not everything in the dungeons is perfect
Both Castle Dorn and Stone Garden provided me with a lot of fun. They are atmospherically successful, continue the story around the “Black Heart in Skyrim”, the overarching narrative for the entire year in ESO, and offer numerous mechanics that one must first get to know. Or rather, should.
Because at least in normal mode, I felt as though pearls were being thrown before swine here. Most mechanics can be circumvented with a lot of damage, and only a few mistakes are truly fatal. This is good for players who simply want to casually experience the story without facing too many challenges.
For others, there is the veteran mode. What’s interesting in this context is Mike Finnigan’s statement that the developers first create the hard version of the dungeons and then further simplify the mechanics to achieve a pleasant difficulty level. This seems to be the exact right approach in my opinion. Conversely, one learns about the boss in the “noob version”, but suddenly in hard mode, there are entirely new mechanics. Here, the mechanics are simply made simpler for beginners.
However, one thing that personally bothers me about ESO is the policy regarding DLCs. Those who do not have a monthly subscription (ESO+) can only access the new dungeons if they are purchased for crowns. This can become quite expensive if you want to own all the DLCs.
This was one of the reasons why I have never experienced the cool grappling hook mechanic from Harrowstorm on the live server.
However, I will be getting the two newest dungeons to enjoy the wonderful atmosphere once again.
