Hands On Preview: The Elder Scrolls Online Necrom Feels Like A Refreshing Break In The Formula

mmorpg.com:

Formulaic. After almost a decade in operation, this has become a word I’ve associated with The Elder Scrolls Online in recent years. The team at ZeniMax Online Studios had found a formula that worked for them and have, for the most part, stuck to that almost to a tee. As a result, everything from the various Chapter releases each year down to the way classes and class builds play has felt somewhat “same-y.”

However, a return to Morrowind in this year’s chapter release, Necrom , has that formulaic feeling shaken off a bit. At least, that’s how it felt in my limited hands-on time with the next chapter during a preview event last month at the Game Developers Conference.

I’ve maintained that The Elder Scrolls Online and the IP at large is at its best when it’s a little bit weird. When it’s leaning into those things that make it feel wholly unique in fantasy. For me, the perfect example of this is Morrowind. My first foray into The Elder Scrolls was through Morrowind years ago on the OG Xbox, and ever since then the towering mushroom and the Carapace buildings have dominated my memories when I’ve thought about The Elder Scrolls over the years.

Indeed, the reveal that we’re going back to Morrowind left me rather excited — as I stated in my review for IGN years ago when the eponymous Morrowind chapter was released, going back to my Scrolls roots felt like “coming home.” Morrowind itself is dotted with fungal forests, ancient ruins and volcanic wastelands. Even when compared to some of the more wild landscapes in The Elder Scrolls Online , such as the dense forests of Grahtwood or the umbral crags of Blackreach cavern, Morrowind and Vvardenfell by extension stand alone.

So how do you make it even weirder and