The MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online releases the new chapter Necrom on June 5, 2023. One of the highlights is the new class: The Arcanist. MeinMMO author MiezeMelli was able to allude to the new chapter and the arcanist. Here you can find out what makes it so special.
Players had to wait a long time for a new class. The last class was released with the Elsweyr chapter, which was released in 2019. As a result, players often wondered why there was such a long dry spell. In the announcements of the previous chapters, disappointment was often expressed that a new class did not come into play.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom – Cinematic
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But what is actually behind the development of a class in ESO and what makes the arcanist so special? I was able to ask the developers exactly these questions and not only got an interesting insight into the new class and how it was created, but also got answers to many of my other questions.
The Global Reveal already aroused anticipation. You can find out more about this in this post:
It’s going to be a great year for ESO – Necrom is an absolute hit for me
A new class should offer players a special gaming experience
An important reason for the long break since the release of the last new class in ESO is the developers’ requirements for their content and thus also for a new class. For example, the Necromancer, while well received by the community, didn’t really fit into the story.
The Elsweyr chapter was an important lesson in the development of a new class. While the Necromancer was cool as a class, it didn’t really fit into the story. With the arcanist, the developers therefore had the claim that the story and the new class fit together better.
In addition, the new class should really stand out for the players from the existing classes. There was feedback from the community for both the keeper and the necromancer that they didn’t really stand out from the other classes.
This is mainly due to the fact that each class often uses the same weapon skills and the rotations are therefore very similar. To avoid making a new class feel fundamentally the same as all previous classes, the developers first wanted to make sure that the Arcanist felt truly unique in its playstyle.
The arcanist is almost 2 years of work
What players often forget is that there is a lot of work behind a new class. From the fixed idea to the finished class, it would have taken almost 2 years. That’s why there was the long break between the introduction of the Necromancer and the Arcanist.
And, of course, a new class also poses new technical challenges. The same applies to the implementation of the sound and graphic effects. Therefore, there will be no fixed clocks for new classes in the future, as is known from the chapters and DLCs, for example.
The Arcanist fits perfectly into Necrom’s setting
But how can you roughly imagine the process from the fixed idea to the finished chapter and the finished class? The first thing the developers do is look back at the last chapter. And then consequences for the next project are drawn from this.
When we first came up with ideas for Necrom and the Arcanist, they wanted to do the complete opposite of the previous chapter, High Isle. According to the developers, the setting of High Isle can be classified more in traditional fantasy. The story was comparatively more grounded in reality.
With Necrom they wanted to do the exact opposite with the setting. That’s why the first thought was to create a crazy big cosmos with the new chapter. And what Daedric prince could do better than Hermaeus Mora?
Based on this idea, one idea leads to another and finally to the design of a new class.
The Arcanist more than meets the demands of the devs
At the Hands On in London I was allowed to play the new class. I always tend to have a critical eye on what’s new and changing in ESO, as I’ve been following the MMORPG since its early days. But this time I really have to say: what the developers set out to do, they were able to implement more than well.
The Arcanist fits into the overall ESO package as well as ideally into the upcoming Necrom chapter. Due to the new way of playing the arcanist with the resource “Crux”, the developers also meet the requirement that it feels unique.
Due to the fact that some class abilities create Crux while others consume Crux, the class will have a greater focus on those class abilities. Unlike the other classes, there shouldn’t be basically the same rotation with many weapon skills.
Conclusion: With the new class, the developers have struck the perfect balance. On the one hand, it feels familiar, which is important for any player who has come to love the combat system in ESO. At the same time, however, it is something completely new, so that it also offers a change from the previous classes.
I’m excited to see what the Arcanist will look like after its final polish before it hits the live servers with Necrom’s realease! But until then we have to be patient a little longer.
KittyMelli
Author at MeinMMO
Until then, you can distract yourself with the ESO events:
You can get a lot of rewards there. If you don’t want to miss these and want to be up-to-date with everything else about ESO events, then visit our ESO event ticker. Here you can always find all the latest information about ESO events.