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The Elder Scrolls Online’s next chapter, Gold Road, has been revealed during the ESO 2024 Global Reveal showcase, and its setting is going to feel very familiar for fans of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion.
The next paid expansion for ZeniMax Online Studios’ massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is set in the West Weald region which fans of Oblivion will remember well. Specifically, the Weald is located between the Gold Coast, Cyrodill, Craglorn, and Reaper’s March. Its hub city will be Skingrad, and the zone will be split into three distinct biomes: the Gold Road itself (an autumnal forest), the jungle rainforest of Valenwood Annexation, and the hilly Colovian Highlands.
As for the story, fans can expect things to pick right off where the latest expansion, Necrom, left off. Without getting into spoilers for anyone who hasn’t yet finished Necrom, Gold Road players will be introduced to an important and mysterious new character called Ithelia, who has no memory of who she is.
Otherwise, Gold Road will also introduce a brand new system – Scribing. In a pre-brief event attended by TechRadar Gaming (TRG), it was explained that Scribing fictionally serves as a precursor to what could later become Spellcrafting within the game’s lore (keeping in mind that The Elder Scrolls Online is set hundreds of years before Morrowind and Oblivion).
What this means in practice is that players will be able to collect and customize skills to add more spice to their builds, with the ability to alter the primary, secondary, and tertiary effects of their skills. At launch, this will focus on the Weapon and World skill lines rather than specific classes. This will ensure that all players (who own Gold Road) can benefit from this new system. Players will also be able to customize the colors of the visual effects tied to their skills and abilities, with 22 styles available at launch (all unlockable by playing the game). This is a great addition to the game’s already sizable character customization options.
Throughout 2024, ESO fans have a lot to look forward to – in March, two dungeons (Bedlam Veil and Oathsworn Pit) will be added, before Gold Road launches on PC and Mac on June 3, and PlayStation and Xbox consoles on June 18.
It was also revealed that in August, with the release of update 43, players will be able to get their hands on some “pretty exciting features, including something housing related.” Finally, towards the end of the year, update 44 will add a new PvP-related feature and two fresh-faced companions.
For more games like The Elder Scrolls Online, be sure to check out our recommendations for the best MMO games, as well as the best MMORPGs.