2023-07-11 16:47:10
The Elder Scrolls Online, or ESO, is a beast of an MMORPG. I’m fairly new to games in general, and I’ll probably stay that way because the amount of content is daunting and growing, perhaps most crucially. There are literally thousands of hours of playtime, and I have a job, so I may never get to experience everything. The new Necrom expansion doesn’t help, as it’s an expansion with a lot to unpack. So let’s see what Bethesda has added to their long-running game this time around. What I like most regarding this game is that all missions and characters have specific voice acting. In other MMOs it’s mostly just walls of text, but here I am I’ll never have to read why I need to kill 10 rats. Not only that, but ESO has very good voice acting, and recognizable actors who explain why the rats need to be exterminated. However, this also slows down the game, as most characters have a lot of thoughts. It’s the same in Necrom, but I find them generally fun. Necromancer’s plot revolves around the realm of Hermeus Mora, Prince of Death, who aren’t exactly normal people. The Hermaeus Mora you meet at the start of the expansion is a cross between an octopus with too many eyes and something HP Lovecraft might have invented. The grotesque prince hired you to save his kingdom Apocrypha, where he hides a lot of forbidden knowledge, and Nirn, the planet where the Elder Scrolls reside. That’s all you get at the beginning, you have to find out what is threatening the two planes of existence. You can then access the Apocrypha and Telvanni Peninsula. The Telvanni Peninsula is particularly similar to the areas in Morrowind, while Apocrypha is a strange and bizarre place, with flying swamp whirlwinds, tentacle monsters, and creatures usually only seen in nightmares. The story takes you through Telvanni and Apocrypha, two realms that are large and varied. Exploring the Apocrypha is especially great because it’s so weird, but Telwani is also pretty exciting, with weird plants, giant mushrooms, and splashing jellyfish. Here’s an ad: the story is interesting too, I don’t want to spoil it, but all I can say is that you meet some interesting characters and then you unravel a big conspiracy that might destroy everything that exists, which really isn’t that great. I really love how mysterious the story is and how effectively it weaves these two realms together. There are also some interesting side quests that complement the main story nicely. So overall, the storytelling in Necromancer is top-notch. Some of the other stuff added to the Necrom starts with a new class, the Arcanist, which has abilities that fit the theme of the entire HP Lovecraft expansion. The Arcarnist class, like other classes, has different abilities for those who want to deal a lot of damage, heal, or take hits, just like stereotyped characters in other MMOs. If you want to do damage, it comes from afar and with magic. The healer path is somewhat self-explanatory, and the more melee-oriented ones can take a beating and still do a fair amount of damage. I run it by myself most of the time, I take the damage route and it’s a lot of fun. Arcanist has a new points system called Crux, which are points you save through battles that you can spend on abilities that do more damage. It works well and is an exciting new mechanic that I hope can be implemented in new or old classes. You’ll be introduced to the Arcanist class with one of two new companions in Necrom. Azandar is a knowledge-hungry Redguard whose abilities complement the new class in a creative way. It’s great that companions support a class in this way, making it more approachable and other MMOs can learn a lot from it. Additionally, you can meet Sharp-as-Night, a mysterious Argonian and lizard-like creature from other games in the series. He doesn’t talk much, but the more he starts to trust you, the more he opens up. He fits perfectly with the mystical theme the Necrom is going for. It’s cool and right up my alley. Here’s an ad: There’s also a new Raid, or Trials in ESO. I haven’t had much time to try it, and when I do, it doesn’t go well. However, it works the same way as the rest of the expansion, and despite some reuse, it’s exciting to see which monsters will crush your 12-man party. And so it is. There’s also a world event where you can challenge three bosses together. So there’s something to do, and plenty of loot, if that’s what tempts you. However, my focus is on the story, and there’s so much going on in Trials that I need a guide to understand it, so unfortunately it’s not easily accessible for an ESO newbie like me. Graphically, not much has happened to ESO for a long time. It’s all good looking, and Hermaeus Mora’s production is impressive, but it’s all starting to look a little dated. This is probably inevitable with an MMO as old as ESO, and it wouldn’t hurt to upgrade the graphics. However, the music is spot on and supports the two new territories well. When you buy an ESO expansion pack, you only get a fraction of what other MMO expansion packs offer. As such, you can also purchase a surprising number of small expansions within the game. It’s completely unmanageable, and the microtransactions here are stupid. I haven’t discussed it much in previous articles, but ESO’s system sucks when it comes to extra purchases. Necrom is a relatively large expansion compared to the High Isles I looked at a while ago. There’s more content here than there was before, so if my review caught your eye, Necrom is a good place to start. If you want more content, I recommend looking online so you don’t buy something that doesn’t fit what you want. I got Necrom and don’t need or want to buy anything else. I’m personally a fan of the Necrom vibe, and if you like Morrowind, it’s more like that. Necrom is a nice substantial expansion, especially where the story shines, but beyond the Crux system and Arcanist classes, it’s nice to see some innovation in ESO’s ever-expanding universe.
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