The next update to ESO was officially revealed yesterday in a Twitch stream that was heavily hyped by Zeni. While we were aware that the next update was going to include Vvardenfell – which seemed to be confirmed by the “volcanic” promotional images they teased us with – we weren’t aware of everything the update would contain.They started it with a cinematic trailer:
And then they spent roughly the next half hour talking about the game. Here’s everything we know about it so far, from the Twitch stream, the two articles on their site, and dev comments on the ESO forum….
The expansion will be available for all platforms on June 6th. This update is not included in ESO Plus; you will need to purchase it even if you are a subscriber. It must be purchased in a digital store or from a retailer; it not be available in the Crown Store.
What’s New:
– New Zone: The game takes place on Vvardenfell, and it’s the biggest area they’ve added so far: they’ve imported the height map from Morrowind and updated it for ESO. When you create a new character, you can start the game in Morrowind with a brand new tutorial. The main story arc will feature Vivec losing his power and him needing your help to save Morrowind and the world from a new Daedric threat. Naryu Virian will be featured in one of the major storylines involving the Morag Tong, and she will also guide you through the new tutorial. Since this game takes place about seven hundred years before the events of the game Morrowind, there will be notable differences: Vivec City will still be under construction, the Ghostfence hasn’t been built yet, and there’s a lot less ash. There will be plenty of familiar things as well: Seyda Neen and Balmora will appear in the game, as well as an ancestor of Socucius Ergalla. There will be new player houses available in the zone.
– New Class: Warden: The Warden class is very nature-based. One of its skill lines focuses on ice and defensive magic, one is focused on nature and healing, and the third is focused on animal companions. One of the abilities allows you to call down a Cliff Racer to attack the enemy, and the third skill line’s Ultimate ability is summoning a bear companion: you can heal it, buff it, etc, and it will travel along with you. One of the morphs of the ability allows the bear to be automatically re-summoned when it dies, and the other allows him to cast an ability to do extra damage. The Warden class will not be added to the base game for people who do not have the expansion.
– New Trial: A new 12-person trial. Takes place in part of the Clockwork City, in one of Sotha Sil’s workshops.
– Battlegrounds: 4-vs-4-vs-4 battlegrounds are being added. There will be at least three maps and at least three game types: one map takes place in a quarry on Red Mountain. One game type will be a team deathmatch, and one will be capture-the-flag. There will be leaderboards and rewards you can earn from it.
In the future:
Clockwork City is potential DLC.
Getting the Expansion
As mentioned, the release date is June 6th for all platforms, and it is not included in ESO Plus. Several options are available – to the best of my knowledge, here’s a summary:
Price (USD)
Available Physical
Available Digital
Morrowind Expansion
ESO Base Game
DigitalCollector’s Items
Physical Collector’s Items
DiscoveryPack
Morrowind Upgrade
$39.99
X
X
preorder
Standard Edition
$59.99
X
X
X
X
preorder
Digital Collector’s Edition Upgrade
$59.99
X
X
X
X
Digital Collector’s Edition
$79.99
X
X
X
X
X
Physical Collector’s Edition
$99.99
X
X
X
X
X
X
The “Discovery Pack”, which comes in the Collector’s Editions, and which the upgrade and standard editions can get by preordering, comes with the following:- Warden Costume- Dwarven War Dog pet (looks like the Alliance dogs with Dwarven armor)- 3 Vvardenfell treasure maps- 1 Dwarven Crown Crate- Two Experience Scrolls
The digital items included in any of the collector’s editions are:- Gray-colored skin for the Warden class’ War Bear- Armored War Horse mount (looks like the Alliance horses with Dwarven armor)- Dwarven Spider pet- Morag Tong armor converter (works like the Imperial Edition’s Imperial armor convertor)- Exclusive emotes
The physical items included in the physical collector’s edition are:- 12” high Dwemer Colossus figure, based on the one from the end of the trailer- Naryu’s Journal, which will be much like the Improved Emperor’s Guide to Tamriel: a journal alongside concept art. It was described as “basically her going around and murdering people.”- cloth map of Vvardenfell- metallic game case
They have confirmed both on Twitter and on the official ESO forum that if you get the physical collector’s edition, the code can be applied to existing ESO accounts that already have the base game – however, you will not be able to split the expansion and base game, so you cannot apply the expansion to an existing account and also create a new one for just the base game. If you purchased the game through Steam, it so far sounds like you have to get the Morrowind expansion through Steam as well, and that you cannot apply the physical collector’s edition code.
This seems like the perfect way to celebrate Morrowind’s 15th anniversary! What are your thoughts on the expansion?
Update 2/1: The post originally stated that you will be able to split the expansion and base game in the collector’s edition. Gina had misunderstood what the person had asked her and clarified that you will not be able to split it, you can only apply it to one account.
