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Elder Scrolls Online: Gates of Oblivion is the sequel to last year’s Dark Heart of Skyrim adventure, with the massive Blackwood expansion taking center stage in June with 30 hours of new story content, a new area, Companion system and tons more. And despite the fact that its name is reminiscent of a beloved game, Gates of Oblivion is much more than a massively multiplayer version of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion.
Creative Director Rich Lambert, himself a producer on The Elder Scrolls 4, joined me for a video call to talk about everything coming to Elder Scrolls Online this year. As you might expect, you’ll be able to explore familiar places as they were 800 years before the events of Oblivion, but Lambert describes most of the new content as ZeniMax’s “own take on things”. There’s also a greater emphasis on the hellish realm of Oblivion Mehrunes Dagon’s villain, the Deadlands, and we’ll even get to explore a reimagined version of Gideon’s town, which hasn’t appeared in a game for 27 years.
“It won’t be a direct face-to-face,” Lambert says. “Mehrunes Dagon is still trying to understand the science behind the gates of Oblivion … But there will be familiar nuances. So, Leyawiin is the capital. And so, Leyawiin is still roughly the same shape, the same size as in our time.”
“So there’s Leyawiin in the west, and then in the east, we have Gideon, who hasn’t been seen since 1994 in Arena. And then of course the kingdom of Dagon too. But then all that is between the two it’s our own point of view. And even the kingdom of Dagon is kind of ours. We’ll have that kind of fire and brimstone game, especially in the fourth quarter when you spend all your time there. down there and you will really explore [Dagon’s] kingdom, you’re going to see more of what her kingdom is than what you saw in TES4, ”Lambert says.
When I asked about Lambert’s favorite Oblivion memories, it comes back to Mehrunes Dagon, which is why a deeper focus on the character and his world beyond the titular doors of the Oblivion.
“So Mehrunes Dagon is probably my favorite Daedric Prince out of all of them. So that was kind of the big deal for me to be able to explore more and find out a bit more of who and what he is. kind of a creature all by himself, where, you know, he’s the prince of destruction, change, ambition and so forth. So he can’t really reconsider himself that much. But we have to spend more. time to focus on that and tell more of her story, which was a lot of fun for me, ”says Lambert.
The story of Gates of Oblivion will be told throughout the year, starting with the Flames of Ambition DLC, which will add context and set up the events of Blackwood. I asked Lambert about some of the moving parts that were preparing in front of the start line.
“The Longhouse Emperors made a pact, or made a deal with the devil, essentially, with Mehrunes Dagon, where they would help him invade Tamriel while they could have reigned. [Tamriel] as his look. So that was their offer. He took them and gave them the power they needed, essentially creating four weapons of mass destruction, ”Lambert explained.
“One of the most interesting aspects of all of this is that in our time, you know, ESO starts right after the last of the Longhouse Emperors was killed. So their line is gone, but the pact is still in place. And someone is kind of pushing this whole thing forward. And so that’s one of the big revelations, that’s how and why, “he teases.
When Blackwood launches in June, it won’t conclude the Gates of Oblivion story, but it will take a big part before the second half of the year. It will also introduce a new 12-player trial, new world events called Oblivion Portals (effectively replacing Dark Anchors) and, more importantly, the new Companion system which will allow you to recruit and play alongside NPCs. Lambert says the idea behind Companions is to allow solo players and small groups to engage in dungeons without worrying about becoming overwhelmed. As a solo player myself, I bluntly asked Lambert what had taken so long for something like this to be added.
“I think we’ve learned a lot over the years. And one of the main and recurring themes we’ve heard from players, especially our more die-hard Elder Scrolls players, is that people are scary. And there is some content that they aren’t necessarily comfortable with in a large group, but they would with a few close and trusted friends. And so the beauty of this system and one of my hopes is, you know, that you and a buddy could go four player dungeons because you have two buddies to help you out. “
Another benefit of the upcoming Companion system, Lambert hopes, is that it will give people the confidence to take on more difficult dungeons, giving them the chance to mingle and engage more with the ESO community.
“This will help the players, A) to develop stronger social bonds in the game with their companions, but also, B) to help them a little more in certain content of the group and to potentially meet other players, which is really exciting. for me, because that’s where the magic of the MMO happens, you know, meeting other people, chatting with them and developing these really close social bonds. “
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