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Tamriel Infinium: Stepping into the world of The Elder Scrolls Online
Many players in my guild are really looking forward to Elder Scrolls Online. Nearly everyone has signed up for beta. I cannot confirm or deny whether some of them might be in playing right now. When I announced that I was taking on the ESO column for Massively, I could feel their questioning eyes burning through the internet: Why would you want to do a column on the Elder Scrolls? You have said that you were burned out on fantasy. Skyrim gave you trouble because of the first-person view. And there are no playable dwarves. They might have caught me on that last one, but the others are partially true, as well. I have played a lot of fantasy games, but TES bends a lot of the traditions of high fantasy. And thankfully, you can play all of Skyrim in third-person view. There are three major factors that have kept me intrigued with the entire world of the Elder Scrolls. Tamriel is full of deep and rich lore. Granted, most of ESO's lore is future-tense, but a good chunk can be applied to the current timeline -- much as in Star Wars: The Old Republic, my other editorial focus. Secondly, Elder Scrolls Online intends to keep the mechanics and the flavor of the franchise within an MMO setting. This includes a PvP system that pits three factions against each other. Although I usually have a take-it-or-leave-it approach to open-world PvP, I have always been fascinated by how three-faction systems work. Lastly, the community is passionate. I enjoy connecting with people who are looking to connect with each other and share their hopes for a game that hasn't even been released yet. Those will be the three main focuses of this column. Let me tell you how it will work.
The Elder Scrolls Online gets a new trailer, Journey to Coldharbour
The Elder Scrolls Online team has a present just for you: a new trailer! ZeniMax just released Journey to Coldharbour, a video showing off some of the Oblivion plane where Molag Bal, the God of Schemes, makes his home. Lead Loremaster Lawrence Schick and Lead Writer Wynne McLaughlin explain that Molag Bal steals players' souls at the very beginning of the game, leaving players to track him down, figure out what makes their souls so desirable, and stop his wicked schemes. Skip below the cut to feast your eyes on the new trailer.
The Elder Scrolls Online lore video covers the history of war
If you've been keeping an eye on The Elder Scrolls Online, you've probably noticed that its three chief factions are at war. The Aldmeri Dominion, Daggerfall Covenant, and Ebonheart Pact have been established as mortal enemies -- but why? Loremaster Lawrence Schick sheds a little light on the three-way conflict in a new lore video. You're a hip, savvy Internetter; we know you don't have a lot of time. Here's the skinny: All three alliances want to control Cyrodil, the central part of the continent that houses the very heart of Tamriel. The Tharns that rule Cyrodil are weak, and each alliance thinks that it has the power to steer Tamriel in the proper direction. Skip below the cut to watch the video to learn about all the intricate details. [Thanks to groovy webizen Paul for the tip!]
