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It's quite hard to introduce big changes in video games, even more so when the game in question is The Elder Scrolls Online. The MMORPG has been live and in living color for over 10 years, and after such a long time, the game took its first step towards monumental change in storytelling. This year, Elder Scrolls Online's narrative will deal with the resurgence of the Worm Cult, ever since Molag Bal was defeated in the Main Story 10 years ago.
Canonically speaking, the last 10 years of storyline in Elder Scrolls Online took place in one year's worth of time in-game. What began with the invasion of the Daedric Prince Molag Bal through Planemeld anchors ended with the players aligning themselves with Hermaeus Mora and ending the threat of another Daedric Prince, in last year's Gold Road expansion.
It's been a long year in Tamriel that saw anything from Dragons to an unholy alliance of Vampires and Werewolves to a Daedric Triumvirate threatening all of reality. Seasons of the Worm Cult is de facto the endpoint of the ten-year story, but it is also a new beginning, as the story ties back to the same Worm Cult that tried to help the Planemeld all those years ago.
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Seasons of the Worm Cult is The Elder Scrolls Online's first foray into retrospection and new frontiers of the game's decade-long journey
Despite being so far into the game's developmental cycle, Seasons of the Worm Cult represents a first for many situations, for the studio, and the game. For example, this is the first time Zenimax Online Studios has attempted a staggered launch of a single playable zone and given a lore-based reason for the same. The storyline for Seasons of the Worm Cult centers around the mysterious island of Solstice, just off the coast of Murkmire and Shadowfen, the homeland of the Argonians.
For Part 1 of the season, the storyline and exploration of Solstice will be limited to the Western parts due to the island being bifurcated by a mysterious Writhing Wall. This enigmatic structure is ever-present and visible from every corner of the island, which adds to the mystery. During our off-hand preview event, the developers delved into how such a structure would add to the exploration and how they have structured almost every narrative point to hint at the looming presence of the Wall as the focal point.
The island of Solstice is a special location by itself. The developers spared no details explaining how the ancient Argonians from Clan Tide-Born and Stone-Nest made their homes here, and how future Corelanyan Altmeri settled into the now-city of Sunport. The city's foundations and buildings portray the different architectures and tell the environmental story quite well.
Cityscape aside, the island itself is a tropical paradise, with lush vegetation inundated with multiple shades of violet and pink. It differs from the rough environments normally experienced throughout Tamriel in Elder Scrolls Online. This contrast with the mainland is perhaps most apparent when facing the fauna, which oftentimes portrays different color schemes or has different biological markers, such as the Vahath Behemoth sporting feathers instead of scales.
Seasons of the Worm Cult intends to make Solstice its focal point of action, as the Worm Cult's involvement has also brought old friends to the new shores. Pivotal characters such as Razum-Dar, Skordo the Knife, and Walks-in-Ash are coming back to aid the new Stirk Fellowship. The developers talked about how these characters will comment on the narrative so far, and it will be based on the player's quest progression and interaction with said characters.
This is also the first time Elder Scrolls Online will feature a live in-game event that changes the course of the story, and the developers are extremely hyped for it. We asked them if there were any plans to do more group events, such as Plane Anchors for the Seasons, and the answer was to be on the lookout for it, so we've kept our fingers crossed for that.
The biggest part of this update, however, is the Subclassing system. Essentially, players can now mix and match Skill Lines from other Elder Scrolls Online classes into their existing kit through Subclassing, albeit with specific restrictions. For example, players cannot equip more than one Skill Line from a different class, nor can they completely replace all the Skill Lines from their native class.
Subclassing is a feature that demands active attention from the developers to make it as balanced as possible. That isn't any excuse for the team, as it has already taken steps to distinguish Subclassing from other skill-oriented mechanics, mainly Scribing. Introduced in the Gold Road expansion, Scribing is a way to modify existing skills and give them special modifiers. The developers have stated their plans to restrict Scribed skills to native Skill Lines only.
Despite Subclassing being a complex system to get a hang of, the developers are putting their faith in Elder Scrolls Online's players, and the tutorial systems put in place for players to come up with cool and fun-to-play subclass combos. The system will only become available after players reach Level 50 with any one of their classes. Imported Skills will cost slightly more and progress a little slower, as the players will take time to get the hang of the new mechanics.
Seasons of the Worm Cult is a new direction for Elder Scrolls Online, not because it introduces a new zone or endgame system, but everything just fits the timeframe. The Worm Cult story began the journey for many ESO players, so why not take a new approach and tell different stories using a familiar backdrop? Players have gotten familiar with the same Skill Lines for multiple years, so why not give them a sandbox to play around and break new boundaries?
It's a fresh approach compared to what most MMORPGs dare to do, even more so 10 years in. For now, I am looking forward to what the future holds for The Elder Scrolls Online.
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