2021 is a year of many things, but it’s mainly the fifteenth anniversary of the release of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. That game took place in the province of Cyrodiil which was under attack by the daedric forces of Mehrunes Dagon. Now, fifteen years later (and 600 years earlier in-game) we’re back in southern Cyrodiil facing off against that same large cherry-red lad.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood is the newest chapter for the long-running massively multiplayer online role playing game and it’s an expansion in every sense of the word. It looks back and forward at the same time, expanding on series lore and the game’s features whilst introducing new options that should appeal to new players and veterans alike.
It’s dangerous to go alone
The biggest change in Blackwood is the brand new Companion system. At any point after starting the new area you can head off to recruit two Companions, Mirri Elendis and Bastian Hallix. I’ve spent most of my time in Blackwood with Dunmer rogue Mirri, who you recruit after fighting through a daedric stronghold in the north of the zone. Kitting her out in medium armour and a bow, she stands out of combat and occasionally tosses in healing bombs to help keep me alive whilst peppering foes with arrows. If, however, I decided I wanted her to be a tank or a fireball-tossing wizard, I can make those changes.
What I’ve enjoyed most about the Companion system, other than my survivability being boosted in combat, is the commentary they offer. Through the new Rapport system, your Companion will comment on what you’re doing. For example, Mirri is a bit of a bookworm, and appreciates it when my character takes time out to do a spot of light reading. She also doesn’t seem to enjoy the open road, many an entrance to a settlement is accompanied by calls to take a break in a local inn or tavern.
All of this makes them feel less like pets under your direct control and more like a part of the world, they’re integrated into your adventures, and will follow you to fight even outside of the new Blackwood zone.
Don’t get swamped
Of course it’s not just the Companion system that Blackwood brings. The zone itself has many new delves, new public dungeons, a raid (or Trial) called Rockwood aimed at providing a challenge to well-geared parties, as well as Oblivion portals that’ll take you to a lava-filled challenge. It’s the portals that’ll probably be the biggest draw, each one seeing you team up with other players to take on daedric enemies over a series of islands in Mehrunes Dagon’s home plane. They’re tough but come with great rewards, and are well worth jumping into if you see a floating flaming ball on your travels.
The quest design absolutely sparkles amidst the dark marshes of Blackwood. The main quest sees you uncover plots and hidden cults to fend off the impending invasion from Mehrunes Dagon himself. Each quest goes in surprising directions with a spectacle-filled final battle that manages to beat out even Oblivion’s assault on the Imperial City. Outside of the main questline you’ll meet familiar faces if you’ve been playing ESO for a while, one highlight involves returning academics Lady Laurent and Stibbons in a series of quests around Glenbridge. It’s funny, the writing is sharp, and the questline itself is filled with the series’ trademark weirdness and some puzzles that are almost Portal-esque in their fiendishness.
There’s beauty in decay
You don’t think of swamps and beauty in the same thought often, but Blackwood took me by surprise by offering the best vistas in the series so far. We’ve been to the Clockwork City, to alternate planes ruled by mad gods, and islands floating in a sea of magic. The simple mastery on display in Blackwood is genuinely breathtaking at times, this is Zenimax Online Studios operating at their peak.
The south of the zone is filled with febrile swamps filled with hostile life, ruins and half rotted wooden buildings sticking out of the ripe water like a mouth full of broken teeth. Further north the land becomes more pastoral, rising into rolling hills and waterfalls, but it’s no less deadly out of the marshes.
The whole zone is telling you through its environmental storytelling that nothing remains forever. Through its visions of ruins being reclaimed by the swamps, of towers falling into disrepair, it says that the swamp is a place deeply embedded in the cycle of death and rebirth. This makes it a fitting place for a plotline involving the Daedric Prince of destruction, a grim mirror to his more nihilistic urge to destroy.
Back in Blackwood
Previous expansions have improved The Elder Scrolls Online far beyond its original, slightly wonky, vision. Now, with Blackwood it feels like a winning formula has been found. Filled with new quests, new sights to see, and a Companion system that should make the whole game a little more accessible for everyone, it seems that ESO has really hit its stride.
Also there’s a dog named Jarl Woof who you can dance with.
If this sounds like something you’d like to dive into, pick Blackwood up here if you’re a new player and here if you have played ESO before.
