The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood Review

"Days of Oblivion"

Campaign

August 7, 2021 at 10:34pm
By Joelle Rondeau

Blackwood is the most recently released (June 2021) chapter for The Elder Scrolls Online. The Blackwood chapter content includes the zone Blackwood, Rockgrove trial, new mythic items, Oblivion portals, and the exciting addition of companions. The main story line is centered around the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon, who fans of the Elder Scrolls series may recall from Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

Waking flame cultists, worshipers of Mehrunes Dagon, are working to find the four ambitions. Not much is known about the four ambitions, but they are said to contain great power as they are imbued with the power of the Daedric Prince of Destruction, Mehrunes Dagon. Your mission is to investigate the schemes of the waking flame cultists and uncover the mystery of the four ambitions.

The Blackwood zone fills in one of the previously blank portions of the Tamriel map adding to the ever-expanding universe of Elder Scrolls Online. Blackwood is located east of Elsweyr, north of Murkmire, and south of Shadowfen. The natural landscape is comprised of marshes and some swamplands like Blackmarsh, but these marshy areas tend to be more open and contain vegetation that is more vibrant in colour.

The cities within Blackwood are comprised of large stone castles with an imperial style architecture. Remarkably, these castles are somewhat nostalgic as their design mimics features of the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion landscape. The Blackwood zone features some new wildlife including bog dogs, death hoppers, and bog fiends as well as some previously seen wildlife such as wamasus and haj motas.The landscape is also riddled with poisonous plants, some of which explode if you get too close.

As you adventure through Blackwood you may also stumbled upon Oblivion portals. Oblivion portals are the world events for this zone and going through a portal transports you to the Deadlands, Mehrunes Dagon’s realm.The Deadlands is a scorching realm with lava, molten rocks, and lurid red skies. The area is also filled with mobs of fiery Daedric creatures and some fierce Daedric monsters. It is advised that you do not venture alone into the Deadlands, for the enemies are formidable, especially the final boss.

Blackwood features some familiar faces, including Eveli Sharp-Arrow (previously seen in the Orsinium DLC main questline) and Lyranth (previously seen in the Imperial City Prison dungeon). Eveli is an energetically spirited wood elfwith the thrill of adventure in her blood. In the Black Drake Villa dungeon (release in the Flames of Ambition DLC), Eveli is hired by a mysterious benefactor to obtain a valuable, but peculiar book.

In Blackwood, it is revealed that Eveli has been having nightmares and even waking dreams since obtaining this strange book. There is an air of looming destruction radiating from the book. Lyranth, a Daedra who has previously proven herself to be an ally,informs you that the book is of Daedric origins. Lyranth senses a Daedric plot is about to emerge. Both Eveli and Lyranth are central characters to the narrative. These contrasting characters provide intriguing commentary and insights throughout your journey.

Additionally, the main quest line includes characters previously seen in other storylines such as the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild. The use of established characters in the Blackwood main storyline is a nice touch as it allows veteran Elder Scrolls Online players to enhance the narrative surrounding NPCs. In Tamriel, it seems wherever you venture the threat of chaos and destruction seems to ensue. However, troubled times create epic stories and the creation of brilliant heroes.The Blackwood narrative provides a fun adventure for both new and veteran players as they face the daunting threat of Mehrunes Dagon.

Arguably, the most exciting feature of the Blackwood chapter is the addition of companions. There are two companions available to be unlocked by doing a quest associated for each character. Companions can be summoned for various content and act as an additional player. Companions start at level one and gain experience by killing monsters, much like a player. A player can access the companion menu to view a companion’s skills and slot the skills which they would like their companion to use.

You can tailor your companion to fulfill the role of a tank, DPS, healer, or any sort of combination you’d like. Companions also have special gear that will drop randomly from monsters when your companion is summoned. As the companions is a new system, there is still quiet a few kinks to work out, but I am personally thrilled about this addition!

Having a companion is great for solo type players as it allows them to do harder content as the companion can assist them. For example, some world bosses can be quite difficult do by yourself butcan be done more reasonably with a companion present. As well, companions are great if you have a group of three and need an extra body for a four-person dungeon.

The Conclusion

As a whole, the Blackwood chapter is an excellent addition to Elder Scrolls Online offering a rousing narrative, a new landscape to explore, and companions to aid you in your adventures. Blackwood also has some new antiquities and mythic items for players to try including mythic items specifically for werewolf and vampire builds. The Rockgrove trial is also a great addition for group PvE, presenting new bosses with unique mechanics for players to attempt to master.

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The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood Review on Xbox Series X
Review Code Provided by 47

Rating Overall: 7.5