THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE: DARK HEART OF SKYRIM
The Dark Heart Of Skyrim’s year-long event gives us the chills
Nothing can stop Skyrim. You’ve probably already experienced this incredible open-world RPG in one of its many forms – original flavour, remaster, PS VR edition – and this year you can venture back into its snowcovered mountains in The Elder Scrolls Online’s year-long event, Dark Heart Of Skyrim.
You can familiarise yourself with the direction of travel with the Harrowstorm DLC releasing in March. Containing two dungeons to battle through, Icereach demands you investigate a series of unexplained storms in the Sea Of
Ghosts, while Unhallowed Grave has you exploring a mysterious burial site. Harrowstorm is, however, really just a taster of where Zenimax Online Studios is set to take us in 2020. The real meat and mead of this Nordic-inspired adventure will be served in the Greymoor Chapter. A free prologue quest will be released to connect Harrowstorm to Greymoor.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor spans the Western region of Skyrim, not seen in the online game before. The adventure takes in the city of Solitude, and the vast underground region of Blackreach, a vampiric city with its own stories to tell. The developer estimates this bloodsucker’s gothic
A MORE SINISTER TAKE ON THE REGION THAN WE’RE USED TO.
region will make up 40 percent of the Greymoor expansion, with a new vampire lord to battle. A reworked vampire skill-tree is being included for any players who are bitten.
SKYBOUND EXPANSION
While this Chapter promises to explore familiar landmarks – as well as Solitude and Blackreach the expansion will include Morthal, Labyrinthian, and Dragon Bridge – there’s plenty you’ve never seen before in this rendition of Skyrim. The Elder Scrolls Online is set 900 years before The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, so the world is full of surprises for even the hardiest of explorers. The supernatural overtones alone suggest this will be a more sinister take on the region than we’re used to.
Over the course of the next year you’ll be tasked with helping the
Nords investigate a series of supernatural events, called harrowstorms. These dark events have encouraged witches, vampires, and werewolves to emerge from below Solitude and threaten the bearded population of Skyrim.
A brand-new Chapter means extra mechanics for The Elder Scrolls Online. This DLC features an Antiquities system, which enables you to make more of the many ancient relics and treasures found hidden in the game’s huge open world. By studying these valuable items you’re able to uncover the hidden history of Tamriel, and maybe glimpse its future.
GREY SCALE
We’ve no doubt that Greymoor will be a mammoth undertaking. This story Chapter alone promises over 30 hours of action, but Zenimax
Online Studios is also committed to delivering more of the content you venture online for.
In addition to the year-long event, Greymoor will introduce another 12-player Trial, Kyne’s Aegis, and an expansive set of dungeons, quests, delves, and world events to play through, quality-of-life updates, and all the other features you’d expect in an expansion to The Elder Scrolls Online universe.
With that said, it’s also evident that the developer is holding something back for future Chapter releases. For example, the central region of Skyrim, which includes the popular city of Whiterun, doesn’t feature in Greymoor.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor will launch on 2 June as a physical collector’s edition, which will include a map, statue, four collectible coins, and a steelbook case. There will also be a digital collector’s edition with preorder bonuses including pets, clothing styles, mounts, and emotes.
Even if we have qualms about carving up Skyrim for future DLC, Greymoor’s packed with content. Plus, nostalgia and vampires go a long way to getting us back online.
Will you be heading back to Skyrim in June? Write in and let us know.