The Elder Scrolls Online, the MMO that ZeniMax Online and Bethesda launched a few years ago, is currently enjoying a golden age, having recently reached the figure of 10 million players and regularly receiving updates and content packs that still add up more to do to the already rich universe that this video game proposes. This same year, The Elder Scrolls Online hosted Morrowind, the largest expansion to date and which included a whole new area in the MMO. But this has not meant that content has stopped coming, and more recently we have been able to enjoy more expansions, albeit smaller, such as Horns of the Reach.
Now, a new content pack titled Clockwork City arrives in the game. Thanks to Bethesda, we have already been able to start exploring everything that is offered with this new content pack and the corresponding update, which is number 16. In addition, to talk about all this new content we have been able to count on some exceptional guides, as Rich Lambert, creative director of the game and whom we interviewed a few months ago, and Greg Roth, content designer, who have given us all the relevant explanations in addition to answering some questions about the game.
A New City
The first thing we look at with Clockwork City is that it introduces precisely this city into the game. Although we have already been able to see a part of this population through the Morrowind expansion and, the more veteran, in The Elder Scrolls III, it will be with the next pack of content when we can explore and visit it without limitations, offering a new experience and something that no fan of the saga should miss.
From the visual point of view, the whole new city that has been included follows the wake of what has been seen so far in the game, with a spectacular artistic section accompanied by a design that makes it unique and differentiates it from all other environments. For the occasion, Clockwork City has dark colors and a design strongly inspired by technology as, according to the own responsible of The Elder Scrolls Online, everything in this city is artificial and is built with metals and plastics, from the inhabitants to the apparent forms of life that we find and which include both plants and animals.
But the best thing is that, as Greg Roth told us, the narrative section is one of the pillars of The Elder Scrolls Online, and one of those aspects where the development team focuses more efforts. That is why every little visual detail has its crumb behind, from the synthetic food dispensers that are around the city to the way some texts are ordered in Clockwork City. And is that with this expansion is proposed a small independent story that, as in other content packs as the Dark Brotherhood or Thieves Guild, includes some stories that will take us through the new content. In addition, to build this story, ZeniMax Online has had the help of some Bethesda workers, who advise the team responsible for the MMO at narrative level and, above all, lore.
Great News
Beyond this new line of missions and area to enjoy, Clockwork City is an expansion that includes quite important developments in The Elder Scrolls Online. On the one hand, a new trial comes in which, for the first time, includes a difficulty selector that allows us to choose between several modes that basically mark how many bosses we have to face simultaneously. On the other hand, the new zone includes some enemies specially designed for the occasion as well as group bosses. Of these, we have been able to face one, which is made up of three separate enemies that attack us simultaneously and, as we are finishing with them, the rest are gaining power, thus making the last of them a torture.
But one of the most remarkable changes is the way in which we get our character to match the weapons and armor we want. The system of so-called traits (which come to be as charms) is totally renewed for this occasion and is that introduces the element of Transmutation, which allows us to modify the said traits to our liking. “This is a decision based on both feedback from the community and our experience, because we also play. Introducing this new element we make the system not depend so much on the RNG and the progression does not get stuck because of this RNG,” explained Greg Roth.
However, Transmutation will not be free and will require certain elements, called crystals, that we will be obliged to collect and store in order to be able to enchant in the way that we want the equipment that we want; and have already warned us that they will not be a good that abounds precisely. To achieve them, certain activities will have to be completed and, while some have a chance to offer these crystals as a reward, there are others in which they will be an assured part of the loot.
Important Changes In The Game
Clockwork City arrives at The Elder Scrolls Online next update 16, which will affect all players, whether they decide to buy this pack of content or not. From the moment we started chatting with Greg Roth and Richard Lambert, both made it very clear that this was not an update, but that it was a very important step forward in the game. For the occasion, bugs have not been corrected and a small optimization has been done, as in many cases, but substantial changes have been introduced that affect the performance of The Elder Scrolls Online.
The main change concerns the way in which the game deals with the animations and the scenario that is loaded. Although the technical details given to us by those responsible for the game were quite scarce, everything can be reduced to a simple sentence: “The new changes will affect in a very positive way the performance of the game, especially on PCs with more hardware modest and consoles. It will improve the stability, the loading times and, above all, the framerate “.
Along with this comes support for Xbox One X and a new gameplay for Battlegrounds that will be available to all users with Morrowind.
In Summary
Greg Roth and Richard Lambert have been determined to show us that Clockwork City is not a modest expansion. In terms of content includes a new trial, more areas to explore and rewards to acquire and Clockwork City in all its splendor, which is a real treat for fans of The Elder Scrolls.
However, thanks to the new system of traits and important technical changes, the update 16 that accompanies Clockwork City is a very important element to take into account and, as the developers themselves say, a very important step forward for The Elder Scrolls Online.
We remind you that Clockwork City will arrive on Monday 23 to the PC version of the game, while for its arrival on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will have to wait a few more days, specifically until November 7. This expansion can be purchased at The Elder Scrolls Online Crown Store for 2000 crowns, but is included within the content offered free of charge to subscribers to the MMO Premium service.