After a long and intense year dedicated to the history and folklore of the Breton people, during the Direct held by the development team of The Elder Scrolla Online In late January, it was announced that Bethesda’s next MMO story arc, Shadow over Morrowind, will be dedicated to the Telvanni. Forming part of the dark elf race, the Telvanni are a race residing on the peninsula of the same name, in the extreme north of Morrowind. Dedicated to the cult of knowledge and arcana, the Telvanni are powerful sorcerers whose magic is based on the manipulation of runes. The spiritual capital of their kingdom is the very ancient city of Necrom, where all Telvanni knowledge is jealously guarded. As announced therefore, the four contents planned for the year 2023 will revolve around this people and will also involve, as usual, a Daedric deity in the unprecedented role of damsel in distress. But let’s go in order and try to understand what new things are coming.
The danger of absolute knowledge
As it has been in recent years, the plan of Bethesda is to open the narrative arc of Shadow over Morrowind with a DLC containing two dungeons that will give the narrative for what will happen next with in Necrom, new chapter scheduled for June: about thirty hours of new quests to be tackled in two new maps. In fact, part of the story will take place in the native land of the Telvanni, as we said at the beginning, while another part will be set in theApocryphathat specific plan of Oblivion that the Daedric Prince of Knowledge, Hermaeus Mora, he claimed as his domain. The details related to the plot that will be the leitmotif for Shadow Over Morrowind they want the most dangerous secrets kept by Mora to be threatened by an entity not yet revealed. The secrecy of this knowledge is a key element and the risk that this information falls into the wrong hands would undermine not only Tamriel but also the very concept of existence. The polypesco Mora is unable to foil the threat on his own and will therefore need the help of the most prepared Telvanni Arcanists, of the greatest experts in arcane magic, as well as our own. The history of The Elder Scroll has repeatedly shown us the ambiguity of the Daedric Princes, so we are sure that these premises, if managed well, can develop into an extremely interesting plot full of twists and turns. We also had the confirmation that in all four DLCs that will be released during 2023, in addition to meeting new characters, we will have the opportunity to meet various NPCs that we have already met in our raids up and down the container and that are now permanently become part of the lore of the saga.
And, still speaking of PNG, a further addition to this new content course are the two new companions that Zenimax created. On one side we have the warden Sharp-As-Night, a silent Argonian originally from Black Marsh; his past is mysterious and the reasons why he fled his homeland are unknown. It will be very difficult to get to know him and therefore unlock the missions that will reveal his past. Completely different it is Azandar Al-Cybiades, bungling and talkative redguard arcanist. His seniority and his wisdom make him a father-like figure as well as an eccentric mentor who will guide us to discover the lore of this new class. The two new characters, as well as most of the important new features, will also be introduced in June with Necrom.
Step by step
The first content available to us, to be released on March 13, will be Scribes of Fate. The DLC is made up of the classic two dungeons that Zenimax has accustomed us to over the years. In Scrivener’s Hall we will meddle in the rise to power of The chosen onesto prevent him from consolidating his position as leader of the Scribe di Moraa sect of cultists of the Prince of Knowledge. After having ensnared his companions, the dark wizard stole the precious Daedric artifact that the sect has sworn to protect. Our job will be to stop him and return the object to its rightful owner. Completely different environment and context are those of Bal Sunnar, a remote town on the Telvanni peninsula that gives its name to the homonymous dungeon. In this second instance we will help the Psijic to manage the storm anomaly that magically appeared in this village hidden in the mountains.
As already mentioned, Scribes of Fatewill only be the introduction for the most important content of this new narrative course, ie Necrom, seventh chapter which will be available from June. The new map will take us to an area of Tamriel known only to fans of TES of the first hour because we hadn’t visited the Arena since the days of the Arena Telvanni Peninsula, a rugged and mountainous region, characterized by the typical flora and fauna that distinguishes the east coast of the island of Vvardenfell. For what we can know besides Necromwhose role is already known, there is at least one other settlement in the same stretch of land, i.e. the free city of Firewatchhowever controlled by another clan, the Indrills, and located in the far north.
From the arcane to the arcanist
But let’s analyze the novelty that has attracted everyone’s attention, that is the announcement of the introduction of a new class, similar to the themes of the storyline and which, according to what was said by the development team, aims to be able to cover effectively all the needs of a party: theArcanist. Browsing the TESO community it is clear how this new introduction, arriving in June with Necrom, has aroused great interest due to its ability to be aesthetically surprising and, in fact, endowed with numerous original and effective skills. The aesthetic beauty of her skills is further enhanced by the fact that nothing seen is visually useless: basically, all skills classy they draw on two main sources of power, books, the origin of arcane knowledge, and ancient runes. Consequently, every time the arcanist activates a certain ability, he summons a tome from Mora’s realm or, alternatively, generates a rune, in a blaze of green rays emanating from his body. Furthermore, the abilities themselves are designed to have a strong visual appeal, perfectly fitting the lore of their origin: arms that transform into a mass of tentacles projected forward and ready to do damage, shields made of runes, books from which projectiles fire green… there’s something for all tastes, as long as you love the Lovecraftian aesthetic of the Great Ancients.
Attack, defend, heal
each of tre skill line from thercanista focuses on a particular need. Herald of tomes it fits better for characters whose main characteristic is to do damage. Apocryphal Soldier it is the fundamental branch to be developed for all tanks, while Curative Rune Forms it consists mainly of skills that are used to heal himself and his companions. In any case, I suggest not to rush headlong into just one of these branches because, as TESO has accustomed us over the years, it will be necessary to fully understand, not only the advantages and disadvantages, but also the interactions between the different skills to select the combination of perfect ability that will allow us to make the most of this new class, whether your role is that of damage dealer, tank or healer. A perfect example of this eclectic approach is one of the skills shown during the presentation, we are talking about the ability ofArcanist to create portals that can be used to teleport from one point of the environment to another, a first never seen before in TENSE. The skill in question can be used during combat to teleport with agility behind the opponent and launch a more effective attack, or, still in combat to exit an area of effect or still escape from a dangerous melee but not only. The portals can also be used during the exploration phases to reach inaccessible places or, again, simply to instantly change one’s position. A single skill therefore, with an infinite variety of uses. I admit to being thrilled to be testing the arcanist and for the first time in seven years thanks to Shadow over MorrowindI feel a pure and real air of novelty.
Piattaforme: Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PC, PS5, Xbox One
Sviluppatore: Zenimax Online
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Release date: March 13, 2023
After the quality of Legacy of the Bretons, I had many doubts about Zenimax Online’s ability to produce a narrative arc worthy of the previous one, but for now my expectations have not only been denied but even overturned. It will be the love for the chosen setting or the gothic theme or, again, the presence of the most Lovecraftian of the Daedric Princes, but Shadow over Morrowind promises to be the new best Story Arc of The Elder Scrolls Online.
