The Elder Scrolls Online has revealed its upcoming chapter, Gold Road, along with a few key details regarding the chapter's narrative and Gold Road's geographical setting. Longtime fans of The Elder Scrolls may find some of the content in Gold Road to be familiar, while a major plot thread from last year's Necrom chapter will be expanded upon in this latest round of adventures.
Gold Road's new zone is West Weald which is situated just to the west of Cyrodiil, connecting with Reaper's March to the south, Gold Coast to the west, and Craglorn to the north. In gameplay terms, however, it's uncertain at the moment if West Weald will be physically connected to those earlier zones. West Weald's hub city is Skingrad, which The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion players might remember for hosting a memorable Dark Brotherhood quest that involved murdering everyone at a posh dinner party. Based on available screenshots for the chapter, it also looks like there's a sizeable Outlaws Refuge beneath the streets of Skingrad.
Although West Weald and its central hub city Skingard might be familiar names to Oblivion players, the region has undergone some major changes due to events in the narrative. In the Necrom chapter, it is revealed that there is a new Daedric Prince, Ithelia, who has mysteriously completely forgotten who she is. She escaped her imprisonment, and now Ithelia roams aimlessly around the West Weald in a state of confusion. A group of wood elves in the West Weald who call themselves the Recollection hope to restore Ithelia's powers and memories, and their efforts have somehow caused a full-blown jungle to spontaneously appear in the region.
This jungle biome is called the Valenwood Annexation, while the other two biomes present in Gold Road are the autumn-hued Gold Road itself and the rolling hills of the Colovian Highlands. These strange circumstances will lead Elder Scrolls Online players on an investigation throughout the West Weald to learn more about Ithelia and what happened between her and the other Daedric Princes.
By the numbers, Gold Road promises around 30 hours of content spanning numerous quests, six delves, six world bosses, two public dungeons, and a new ESO trial called Lucent Citadel. Additionally, players who have completed Necrom will also have access to a series of special "capper quests" after Gold Road, presumably to tie up some common plot threads. That said, Bethesda assured The Best War Games in an earlier preview event that players won't need to have played Necrom to follow along with the Gold Road chapter's content.
The Elder Scrolls Online
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 71 /100 Critics Rec: 39%
- Released
- April 4, 2014
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- ZeniMax Online Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
- Engine
- proprietary engine, heroengine
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- The Elder Scrolls
WHERE TO PLAY
Experience an ever-expanding story across all of Tamriel in The Elder Scrolls Online, an award-winning fantasy RPG. Explore a rich, living world with friends or embark upon a solo adventure. Ultimate freedom—Create your ultimate RPG character, play solo or adventure with friends, and determine your fate in an ever-expanding world. With no level restrictions, go anywhere at any time in a truly open world.
Choose your adventure—Begin your adventure where you like: emerge from Coldharbour in the Base Game, battle Dragons in the Elsweyr Chapter, or get ready to face the Prince of Destruction, Mehrunes Dagon, in Blackwood. All content is accessible for new players, and you can switch adventures whenever you like.
- Platform(s)
- Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, macOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- MMORPG
- How Long To Beat
- 160+ Hours
