STACK #164 June 2018

GAMES

FEATURE

April 4, 2014 – ESO releases on PC March 17, 2015 – ‘One Tamriel’ removes the necessity of a subscription to play, instead dubbing the paid system ESO Plus with perks for subscribers June 9, 2015 – ESO releases on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 August 21, 2015 – The Imperial City DLC November, 2015 – Orsinium DLC March, 2016 – Thieves Guild DLC May 31, 2016 – Dark Brotherhood DLC August, 2016 – Shadows of the Hist DLC February 6, 2017 – players could build their own houses thanks to the Homestead DLC June 6, 2017 – the first complete ‘chapter’ – standalone expansion – for ESO is released, set in Morrowind August, 2017 – Horns of the Reach DLC November 11, 2017 – Clockwork City DLC February 27, 2018 – Dragon Bones DLC ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE timeline

and existing players of ESO. You can now craft jewellery for your character to wear, which opens up a whole new stat tree for you to explore. “Jewellery crafting gives players another tool in their toolkit. It allows them to further refine and customise their builds as the flexibility of jewellery opens up a huge number of possibilities.” Lambert explains that the crafting system itself is similar to those that already exist, but with differently sourced traits. “Each of the new traits are sourced from thematically appropriate types of content. For example, the Bloodthirsty trait, which increases your damage on a target with low health, is something that a lot of the end game trial groups want to have. Players who complete the trials' weekly quests will sometimes get a jewel piece from those quests.” You can also participate in the newTrial, Cloudrest, if you’re after some

How much is new? “The Summerset Chapter adds in over 30 hours of new quest content, two new public dungeons, a new 12-player Trial, a new combat-oriented skill line and, of course, a new crafting line – jewellery. There are loads of places to explore, new gear to acquire and achievements to earn as well.”

12-player action once you’ve had your fun with the story quests. “It is similar in concept to Asylum Sanctorium, where players can choose their own difficulty, but with several new twists," says Lambert. "There are

three mini-bosses and one main boss this time around, and the difficulty of the trial ramps up the more mini-bosses you leave standing when you engage the main boss. Players on PTS have really enjoyed this new trial and are especially excited about the new item sets.” Longtime fans of the Elder Scrolls series will also have heard of the mysterious Psijic Order, whose home is on the Summerset Isle. In Summerset , you’ll get to be a part of this mysterious cult for the first time. “Throughout the course of Summerset , players will get a glimpse into the inner workings of the Psijic Order,” Lambert explains. “They get to go to Artaeum – an almost mythical island that was once in Tamriel, but disappeared hundreds of years ago, along with all the Psijic monks. Here players will get to learn much about the group’s history and, as part of the main story, get to join the Order itself. Plus, the skills they’ll learn here provide

we want to tell within these locations. We make a conscious decision to ensure that we mix up the environments so that things always feel new and fresh. As an example, when we decided to do Summerset after Morrowind, we loved how different the biomes are – Morrowind is almost alien and volcanic, whereas Summerset is extremely high magic and colourful.” The Summerset Isle is ruled by Queen Ayrenn, who has decided now is the time to unlock the gates and open her country to the public. Until now, the Altmer have been a decidedly private race. “Queen Ayrenn believes that the best way to ensure the growth and prosperity of the High Elves is to open Summerset to the world. It has been a safe haven for the elves – a place for them to study magic, knowledge and the arts. However, that has come at a cost of being insulated from the outside world, and she wants her people to expand and grow.” Summerset opens many doors to both new

mentioned earlier, this new addition to Elder Scrolls Online is not only for those who have already poured hours into the game. The creative director confirms there is something for everyone in this new expansion. “Absolutely. Chapters for us are not just for veteran players, they're for new and returning players as well. We have created a brand new tutorial that will teach you the basics of ESO and then get you immediately into the storyline and off exploring. As we do not have arbitrary level gates preventing you from exploring or playing, you can play at your own pace and always be able to play with your friends. It’s one of the things that really sets ESO apart from other games and makes it special.”

new ways – themed around the Psijic Order magics – of doing damage, healing and regenerating resources.” Of course, as we

• ESO: Summerset is out June 5

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