In this review we are going to discover Blackwood, the new expansion of The Elder Scrolls Online. Will this DLC be worth buying?
The Gates of Oblivion, Gates of Oblivion the name of the time frame in English, are now open. The latest expansion of the MMORPG of Bethesda has arrived with great fanfare, giving players new adventures and some little news in terms of gameplay. Just as happened for greymoor, therefore begins the real journey in Oblivion after a small anticipation arrived with the update The Elder Scrolls Online: Flames of Ambition. But will it really be worth updating the title? Let’s start this review on Blackwood, the new DLC from The Elder Scrolls Online.
The gates are open
Although with Flames of Ambition we had had that very small taste of a rather innovative ESO, but with a glance towards the past, in Blackwood the past will not be just a mirage. The lucky many who have had a chance to play The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion they will find themselves in truly familiar environments. While there aren’t those famous gates we’ve come to love and hate at the same time, Oblivion as we knew it returns with great fanfare, with terrifying places ready to welcome us on our adventure.
In short, although innovation compared to previous chapters is king, looking back – or forward temporally speaking according to the history of the various chapters – to one of the most important titles of the whole saga certainly it was a rather risky move, but at the same time a good one. Finding oneself in different environments structurally, but the same stylistically certainly evokes well-liked memories that allow players to become even more fond of this DLC.
A Dark Story – The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood Review
The real strength of this new expansion is certainly one captivating story from the very first moment. The region is an excellent stage for this new adventure. It can also be noticed right away greater attention to the story, the characters and the various dungeons that we will meet on our path. The significant step forward had already been noted with the previous expansion which had brought two dungeons much “deeper” than the existing ones.
The development team was therefore able to keep the level well high and indeed, in some ways, he even managed to improve. In fact, many characters have been thoroughly studied to better adapt to the story, providing a much more compelling experience than other DLCs. The wide diversification between them therefore takes us away from a flat and dull texture. Each character has a depth of its own which goes to color and expand that of a plot full of betrayals and unexpected twists.
Precisely from this point of view, the authors have also partly referred to missions already seen in the past in the chapters of TES. Some in fact recall, at least in part, the main quests of Skyrim or Oblivion itself. Although therefore there is no absolute originality for some points of view, the mix is successful. From “past” ideas, new and important historical trends have been created, each original in its own way.
In addition to a new fairly full-bodied story arc and the simultaneous myriads of missions, this DLC brings with it other important news. The first of all, the easiest to find by wandering along the map, is the presence of some portals. Although very different from those that characterized chapter 4 of the saga, these bring us back to a world of pain and suffering well structured on an audiovisual level. But we’ll talk about that in the next chapter of this review on The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood.
Another Important Return – The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood Review
Among the various characters we will meet we also find the elf archer Eveli, known near Blake Drake Villa, which will almost always accompany us during our adventure. This somewhat anticipates what it is one of the mechanics that has mostly been missing in this title. We are talking about the companion system. Let’s face it, the multiplayer adventure certainly invites you to play with other people, but what if we find ourselves alone? Surely wandering in such a large world alone can, in the long run, be boring.
Not to mention that the clashes will be much more challenging and in some points it will be difficult to progress. The teammates are therefore an excellent support, always ready to give us a hand in case of need. With Blackwood they came to us two characters who can be “recruited” as our travel companions. We are talking about Bastian, a male character of Imperial race and of Mirri, a female character of the dark elves.
In order to use them we will have to complete the related quests and only later will they be selectable, allowing you to take advantage of the entire system that revolves around them. In fact the comrades they will not be mere puppets, ready to follow us and fight with us. The developers have indeed implemented a number of unique equipment in order to make them more effective. To these are added then various skills to unlock, the possibility of customize their armor and their respective mounts it’s a “relationship level”Indicated by a bar that will rise or fall as a result of our actions.
Furthermore, there will be the possibility of being able to them use as DPS, healer or simple tanks. In short, a system that will surely revolutionize the way you play. But the whole it cannot and should not be seen as an innovative thing. Similar mechanics have existed for quite some time on this genre of games. Just think of Neverwinter, an MMORPG released in 2013 that had already implemented these dynamics for some years.
In fact, it was not clear why a title of this magnitude like ESO did not yet have these mechanics, especially knowing that the companion system was already present in previous titles. But as they say, better late than never. To this must be added other new elements. The aforementioned portals will work mainly like those of Oblivion. These will in fact have to be closed, just as it happened in the fourth chapter. However, to do this we will have to make our way inside them among hordes of enemies and various bosses that characterize each area. Once the latter have been defeated, the portal can be closed.
The Oblivion waits
We have now reached the end of this review on The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood and it is therefore time to draw the right conclusions. The new expansion surely is one of the most deserving of praise. His gaze to the future pierces the past, taking the best of it and reshaping it as needed. Many innovations introduced in fact not just wink at old chapters of the saga or mechanics already known in other MMORPGs.
While many doubts remain as to why some mechanics have not been adopted previously, the narrative sector makes us forget about any inconvenience. The story turns out to be dark and intricate with many twists ready to glue you on the chairs or on the sofa. Also important is the location designated for this expansion that fits perfectly to what is narrated. The development of the characters was also important, calibrated at the right point to give greater depth and uniqueness to each of them.
In short, if you want to add more hours of gameplay to your adventure, this expansion is for you. For this review on The Elder Scrolls: Blackwood is now everything. I remind you that the game is available for PC, PS4, Xbox One and, recently, also for PS5 e Xbox Series X|S. We remind you that on Instant Gaming you can find the game with the slightly discounted DLC. In order not to miss further news regarding the videogame universe, keep following the pages of techgameworld.com!
Points in favor
- Settings
- Compelling story
- Very good companion system
- Important implementations …