The new dungeon DLC “Scions of Ithelia” for The Elder Scrolls Online will be released on PC and Mac on March 11, 2024. MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz was able to master one of the new dungeons with the developers and ask all sorts of questions.
One of the perks of the job is being able to try out the group challenges of an online role-playing game with the developers from time to time. When the author of these lines meets Creative Director Rich Lambert, Lead Encounter Designer Mike Finnigan and Project Content Director Jeremy Sera on the PTR of The Elder Scrolls Online, the four Tamriel veterans are now almost a well-rehearsed core group.
The welcome was correspondingly warm last Thursday when the three Zenimax devs wanted to show us ESO’s two new dungeons. The instanced content is part of the Scions of Ithelia DLC and is available starting today, March 11, 2024, on PC and Mac – via the Crown Store or for free as part of ESO Plus. The versions for Xbox and PlayStation will follow on March 26, 2024.
Below we’ll tell you what we experienced on our tour through the veil of turmoil, what awaits you in the Pit of the Oathsworn and what other nuggets of information the developers have revealed.
Connection between Necrom and Gold Road
You may have noticed: Last year’s Necrom chapter ended with a cliffhanger that has not yet been resolved in the fourth quarter due to the lack of story DLC. What is clear, however, is that Ithelia, a previously unknown Daedric prince, will be the focus of the coming events.
The Daedric Princess of Fate is considered so powerful that even Hermaeus Mora’s tentacles turn in fear. Therefore, she was locked away and all memories of Ithelia were erased.
The spectacular announcement trailer for Gold Road showed the liberation of Ithelia:
The Elder Scrolls Online – Gold Road in the announcement trailer
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With the newly released DLC, the authors are now setting the course for the coming chapter – but the big questions about Ithelia and her motives and plans will probably only be answered in Gold Road.
A feast for Orsinium fans
For many Elder Scrolls Online veterans, Orsinium is one of the best DLCs in the MMORGP. The adventure in Wrothgar was excitingly told, there were two open dungeons and the Maelstrom Arena was a fresh challenge for soloists.
The new dungeon Shroud of Turmoil now takes you to the Maelstrom Plane once again, as Halflord Fa-Nuit-Hen needs your help. The Blind Ones and the Cultists of the Blind Path have stormed the Veil and you must stop them and find out the reason for the invasion.
In the course of the task you will enter completely new areas, but fans of the Maelstrom Arena will repeatedly stumble upon familiar elements, biomes, enemies and mechanics, some of which have been given a new twist.
For example, there is a reunion with some bad guys, but this time they have joined forces to bring your group to its knees. We don’t want to give any more spoilers about the second boss fight in the dungeon at this point.
Also eye-catching are the crystalline Daedra, which were first introduced during the Gold Road announcement event. They come from Spiegelmoor and want to get to you in the next chapter. Attention: If the cultists from the background channel a golden beam onto such a crystal creature, it will be invulnerable.
This mechanic is used again in the first boss, the Shattered Champion. There you also have to place damaging area effects at the edge if possible, knock down all kinds of minions and also have to deal with always little space for safe maneuvering.
The final fight against the blind woman is even more movement-intensive. They have designed a kind of siege weapon that constantly sends damaging waves wafting through the area. However, you not only have to avoid these, but also various other area attacks. In addition, the boss repeatedly teleports through the area. Be prepared for an intense fight, especially at veteran level.
Malacath sends you into the pit
Anyone who ventured into Wrothgar, the home of the orcs, as part of the Orsinium DLC will certainly have encountered traces of Malacath there. The vengeful Daedric prince is worshiped there by his followers under the name Mauloch.
The most devoted followers of the God of Curses meet in the Pit of the Oathsworn to master fighting styles and learn how to best follow the Code of Mauloch. It is precisely this pit that is overrun in “Scions of Ithelia” by a mysterious group of wood elves, who will also play a role in the upcoming chapter Gold Road. The name of the group: the recollection.
Your task is to intervene in the ongoing battle between the two factions in the name of Malacath, stop the attackers and save as many oathsworn as possible. At your side: Orc Bazrag, whom Tamriel veterans made king of Orsinium.
The bosses include, among other things, a fight against Anthelmir and her construct, which repeatedly covers your surroundings in fire. A life-saving tip: Be careful and avoid wooden barrels!
Both dungeons reward you at the end with achievements, new equipment sets, souvenirs such as Malacath’s Helm or the Bloodmark of Malacath apparition.
Big chapters, long development
During the meeting, the developers told us that the Elder Scrolls lore is rich enough to continue to find new ideas for dungeons and other content even after all these years. When designing the DLCs from the first quarter, it also helps that the authors know exactly what the players will experience in the subsequent chapter – the dungeons serve as a teaser and connecting bridge.
What’s trickier, according to the developers, is choosing the right locations for the new challenges. It would be a mistake to pack too many dungeons into a single region. Also challenging: the well-known gameplay standards are continually enriched with new mechanics that can be easily read and understood by players even in hectic battles (and which can be implemented in ESO’s outdated engine).
At the end of the run, Rich Lambert revealed to us that the team easily works on a chapter for 16 to 18 months. Development must therefore start well before the release of the previous chapter. The developers were correspondingly happy with how positively the Gold Road announcement was received by many players. A lot of sweat and passion goes into it, continues Rich Lambert.
By the way, the free update 41 was also released with Scions of Ithelia. PvP enthusiasts can look forward to stackable siege devices, the developers promise performance improvements and there is a standardization of repair sets – the latter improvement, however, still caused some problems on the PTS and will only land on the live servers when there is a corresponding fix.
What about: Are you looking forward to the Scions of Ithelia dungeons? Have you played Orsinium and the Maelstrom Arena? You can find out more about the content planned for ESO here: Everything about the Gold Road expansion and the new content that the MMORPG will receive in 2024