044
PREVIEW
Our first look at Elsweyr
reacquainted us with the Khajiit’s
lunar lore and sparked much
debate among Team OPM. One
question reigned supreme: “D’you
reckon Khajiit have litters?” So
when we meet the team behind the game, we ask.
After a pause, director Matt Firor says, “So there
are so many places you could have gone with that
question... Thank goodness you went there.”As we venture into Elsweyr, we see the full breadth
of Khajiit amid the splendour of Star Haven. It’s
home to students of grand adept Ma’jha-dro, and their
recruitment criteria does not discriminate. From
the Alfiq, which resemble the feline friends you
and I have in our world, to the tall, bipedal
Cathay-raht, each student in Star Haven’s
courtyard is an adept in their own right.
Firor notes that the lore is oddly specific
about how the phases of Nirn’s two moons
dictate the physical characteristics of any
newborn Khajiit but admits that even he
doesn’t know the answer to our question.PAWS AND REFLECT
Firor reflects on past updates: “[Morrowind]
was in the north-east of Tamriel [...] rough
on the surface but underneath very rich
and deep, and then Summerset was in
the south-west – exact opposite. Instead
of dark it was bright and cheery on the
outside but if you just scratch an inch deep
it turnsreally dark really quickly [...] so they were
kind of bookends.”
“I’m a big exploration-type player,” Firor says. “I’m
really into the Elder Scrolls lore, and it’s just really,
really thrilling to be able to go to a new province that
you haven’t been to before – I mean, since ’94.”
The Khajiit homeland offers a contrast to last year’s
Summerset. Beside the juxtaposition between the
vegetation of the high elves’ home and the deserts
here, unlike Summerset there wasn’t a great deal of
lore to work from. The update strategy is also a shift
in gears, as we’re getting a year of related content
called the Season Of The Dragon.Firor tells us, “I think Elsweyr is
a great place to start because it has
dragons, it has Khajiit, it’s a great story
[...] The threat is literally right in front
of you breathing fire at you.”
It’s not long before we’re staring
down the scaly snout of a dragon
ourselves, as new players can begin
with the latest chapter and updates
aren’t locked by level. But you won’t
just be up against the winged wyrm;
Star Haven is besieged by soldiers and
necromancers on behalf of Euraxia, the
would-be ruler of Rimmen.DODGY PURR-SUITS
Given necromancy has been outlawed
throughout Tamriel, our own new
necromancer has some interesting
interactions. Upon creating them, we
are warned that using any of our skills
within towns will land us in trouble.
However, an early quest allows us to
make use of our forbidden knowledge
in an unexpected way.
Outside a none-too-inviting cave
a scaredy Khajiit named Narama-ko
talks of her professor cruelly ending
the lives of frogs and newts for their
potions. She asks us to investigate
the cave in the hopes we can recover
the research of Marzula-io, but as she
excitedly explains why that research is
key, a particular dialogue choice piques
our interest.
“That sounds like necromancy.”
“What? No! It’s different,”
she sputters before arguing that
manipulating beasts’ souls is okay.
We insist, “I am a necromancer and
that’s necromancy.”
“Oh...” Narama-ko is uncomfortable.
We’re looking forward to all the
roleplaying opportunities the new
Necromancer class offers and getting
to know Elsweyr this Summer.THE ELDER SCROLLS
ONLINE: ELSWEYR
Sun, sand, and dragons – hey, those weren’t in the brochure
FORMAT PS4 / ETA 4 JUN / PUB BETHESDA SOFTWORKS / DEV ZENIMAX ONLINE STUDIOS
FACTRICK
Lead game designer
Rob Garrett admits an
“unhealthyappreciation”for
thisearlybuild’s‘roboVO’.1.VOHOHOThe preview event featured
food from The Elder Scrolls:
TheOfficialCookbook.We
stillcravethestickybuns.2.BUNANDGAMESThe new dragon
encounters required
reworking of the existing
third-person camera.3.EYESUP