This year’s big adventure for The Elder Scrolls Online is Shadow Over Morrowind, and this story is introduced with the release of Scribes of Fate.
Before the release of the DLC, I had the opportunity to review a part together with some of the developers from ZeniMax Online Studios. Scribes of Fate consists of two new questlines for The Elder Scrolls Online in different areas. From what I’ve played so far, there’s a lot in store for expert players and newbies alike, with some particularly fun boss fights that require careful thought.
In Scrivener’s Hall, you will help Keshargo, the former leader of the Mora Scribes, to regain control of the group and recover a powerful tool, the Wandering Staff. Meanwhile, in Bal Sunnar, there is a mystery surrounding the Telvanni, one of the Great Houses of Morrowind, and the clues to that mystery are literally scattered throughout time.
In my preview session, I played through the Scrivener’s Hall dungeon, helping to restore control of the Scribes of Mora and defeating Valinna, a radical who has taken control of the group and is using the order for her own ends.
The story of this dungeon centers around a group studying Daedric blueprints, and that means players get to see a few different realms as well. There’s an impressive amount of variety given the tightly paced setting, this includes Deadlands as well as Mephala’s spiraling hank (arachnophobes should steel themselves now).
While the main goal is to hunt down Valinna, there are a number of side passages through these Daedric planes that offer additional rewards if you choose to explore them.
There are three big boss fights included in this dungeon, each of which can be a dangerous challenge if players just mindlessly charge in. Any group facing some of these enemies will need to communicate well to be successful.
I don’t want to spoil how any of them work, but they all use some of the most unique gameplay mechanics I’ve seen in The Elder Scrolls Online in a long time, taking advantage of the environment and requiring you to think outside the box. to immediately spam your relevant skills. In particular, Ozezan the Inferno, a powerful Infernium, quickly becomes unwieldy if you’re not paying attention.
Outside of the boss fight, this dungeon actually grants an early look at some new abilities that players will be able to use later in the year. The Elder Scrolls Online: Shadow Over Morrowind is adding the Arcanist, a new class that wields Hermaeus Mora’s Apocryoha magic. Some of these magical abilities are in the hands of the Scribes of Mora, keeping players on their toes as they face new types of magic for the first time, and giving them an idea of what they will be able to use very soon.
When I asked the developers at ZeniMax Online Studios how this would tie into the overall story of Shadow Over Morrowind, they pointed out that it’s of course not mandatory for players to go through these dungeons, but those who do will get more of them. As an example, it looks like we haven’t seen the last of the roaming staff, and it’s possible that a friendly face or two will show up later on as well.
In general, it took about an hour to go through this dungeon, although it should be noted that we did not stop to explore the side passages. Combined with the adventure in Bal Sunnar, which I haven’t had a chance to play yet, any seasoned gamer eager to do new things in Tamriel should enjoy this DLC pack ahead of the main event later this year.
Over the past few years, The Elder Scrolls Online has continued to grow into one of the best games for anyone who enjoys MMORPGs but doesn’t want to deal with the fear of missing out or having to catch up dozens or hundreds of hours. We’ll see how it continues with The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom, but for now, things look promising.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Scribes of Fate is currently available for players on PC and Mac, and will launch on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PS5, and PS4 on March 28, 2023. Meanwhile, The Elder Scrolls Online : Necrom is scheduled to release on June 5, 2023 for PC and Mac, with console versions to follow on June 20, 2023.
