By those who've played it, The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind is generally upheld to be the best game Bethesda has made, with a rich and unique setting, an intelligent main plot and lots of freedom. While it had its flaws in areas mechanically, Morrowind is fondly recalled by many, to the point that its modding scene is ongoing still to this day adding new things to it, attempts to port it to later Elder Scrolls games engines are ongoing and even Bethesda has acknowledged this in Skyrim with one of the DLC going back to the province of Morrowind, where Vvardenfell was. Now from above comes another, with ZeniMax Online Studios announcing The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind as the next expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online.
Set 700 years before the events of The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, the expansion will take players back to the island of Vvardenfell that is part of the larger province and was the setting for the third game. Many, if not all, of the key locations from the third game will be returning for the expansion: Seyda Neen, the Ashlands, Vivec City and more. Many of them are different back in this time period that is part of the Second Age, for example, Vivec City is still under construction, and a few characters such as Vivec himself make an appearance.
In fact, the main story of The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind involves the player having to help Vivec, one of the powerful members of the Tribunal who has been beset with a mysterious illness. The player must find out what is impacting him there, help him regain his strength, and help save the world from destruction as it is yet again imperiled. Beyond the central story, there are also many side quests and storylines that promise to revisit classic locations and ideas.
It wouldn't be a big expansion though if ALL it added was the largest new area to the game in a single add-on or new quests. Indeed, for the first time since launch, The Elder Scrolls Online will be adding a new class, The Warden. The Warden is closely attuned to nature and has several options for playing. Perhaps his signature trait is one that's given focus in the cinematic trailer, in that the Warden has a new combat ally, the War Bear, who is able to rip and tear into enemies at the Warden's side.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5xst39v8wE&feature=youtu.be
Beyond the new class, The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind will also be premiering a new PvP mode. Battlegrounds is a 4v4v4 battle that takes place in the Ashlands in arena-like environments and pits the players in a smaller combat scenario then some of the large scale battles that can take place.
As with most releases these days, there are several different editions of the title available, along with some pre-order bonuses for when it releases on June 6. We'll run them all down here:
- Standard Edition - $59.99 - This comes with the base The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited and the new The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind expansion.
- Upgrade Edition - $39.99 - For those who have The Elder Scrolls Online already, you can get the expansion at a reduced cost.
- Digital Collector's Edition - $79.99 - This digital-only edition includes several in-game bonuses in addition to the base game and all the in-game rewards from the pre-order bonuses. The first is a Collector's Edition Grey Bear which takes the place of the War Bear when playing as a Warden. Then there's the Armored War Horse for charging into battle or the Dwarven Spider Pet to acccompany you. The Morag Tong Converter is something that can be used to customize your gear to show the style of the Morrowind Assassin's Guild. Finally, there'll be a set of exclusive emotes for this edition.
- Digital Collector's Upgrade - $59.99 - The Digital Collector's Edition version of the Upgrade Edition, essentially you get to remove $20 and not get the base Elder Scrolls Online.
- Collector's Edition - $99.99 - This physical edition includes everything in the Digital Collector's Edition, as well as several special goodies. The first is a 12: tall replica of the Dwarven Colossus that starred in the announcement trailer. After that you have Naryu's Journal which is a full-color, large-format book that chronicles the Norag Tong Naryu's pursuit of a conspiracy across Tamriel and uses a lot of concept art to illustrate it. Finally, you get a Map of Morrowind and an exclusive metallic game case that bears the marks of Vivec and the Tribunal.
- Exclusive Warden Costume - A special costume for all classes that matches the Warden's outfit seen in the announcement trailer.
- Dwarven War Dog Pet - A unique armored non-combat in-game pet, that begs the question why is it armored and why is it a war dog if it's not going into combat for you to ponder as you play.
- Treasure Maps - Several maps detailing the location of great rewards in Vvardenfell
- Dwarven Crown Crate - A special Crown Crate with a chance to contain Dwarven-themed mounts, pets, costumes, and more.
- Experience Scrolls - So that you gain 50% more experience for two hours.
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