Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle breathes new life into its world – Review

gamepur.com:

The Elder Scrolls games play some cards really well, and world-building is arguably their strongest suit. When I think about Oblivion, I don’t actually think about the Oblivion Crisis main story — I think about the Thieves’ Guild or Dark Brotherhood stories instead. When I remember my time with Skyrim, I don’t reminisce about being the Dragonborn; I instead fondly remember the Skyrim Civil War between the Stormcloaks and the Thalmor. 

To me, political intrigue and personal storylines will always be more memorable than stopping the end of the world or thwarting the plans of some Daedric prince. Thankfully, the High Isle expansion brings plenty of intrigues, and a lot less of the Daedric plots Elder Scrolls Online players are used to.

There is no “world at stake” story arc in High Isle. If you’re not familiar with Elder Scrolls lore, Elder Scrolls Online takes place earlier in history, when something known as the Three Banners War is ongoing. This war has the various areas of Tamriel divided into three major forces — the Aldmeri Dominion, Daggerfell Covenant, and Ebonheart Pact. The war has been raging from ESO’s launch until now, but the war has to end eventually. After all, immediately following the Three Banners’ War is the story following the rise of Talos from mortal to Emperor of Tamriel, so we gotta get there somehow.

The three leaders of the factions began to initiate peace talks to bring an end to the war, but a mysterious organization known as the Ascendant Order is working behind the scenes to ensure that doesn’t happen. The three leaders were brought to High Isle to undergo these peace talks, which is why you, as an adventurer, are there. You’ll still be delving into dungeons and fighting