How Elder Scrolls Online is adding a new class 8 years after launch
As part of the Elder Scrolls Online Global Reveal Event last month, we received exciting news that the Necrom update will add the Arcanist, only the third new class added to the MMORPG since its launch 8 years ago. This is a big moment for the game – and a big undertaking for developers Zenimax Online Studios, who have 8 years of existing content to balance it out.
Appearing last week on the Xbox Podcast, creative director Rich Lambert explained the process behind the creation of Arcanist and detailed how the team handled the iffy task of adding something so new to a well-established game.
First of all, it is worth emphasizing how different the Arcanist is from what it was before. As Lambert puts it, “It’s really important to us as developers and as players that you don’t think, ‘Oh, I’ve done this class before, but it’s just a different color’ or ‘The numbers are a bit different.’ We must have thought of many such things.”
With that in mind, Arcanist offers completely different ways to play. ECO. “Like other classes, he has three main skill lines,” Lambert explained. Herald of the Tome is kind of like a DPS line – Apocryphal Soldier is a tanky line and then a heal line. [is Curative Runeforms]. This class is very different from anything we’ve created before. It’s really tightly integrated into the overarching storyline and themes. So a lot of the inspiration for this class is centered around Hermaeus Mora and that thirst for forbidden knowledge. It’s a bit darker, it creates a cosmic horror vibe, the visuals are very, very cool, and the sounds the sound team came up with are really something you haven’t heard before.
“And then, even down to the individual abilities and core mechanics of this class are also different. I guess it’s more focused on the combo point system – we call it Crux – but the general concept here is that some abilities create Crux and some spend Crux, and if you spend Crux your abilities are down a bit. different things or completely different things. And then with morphs and how we’ve integrated everything, you can control some abilities that aren’t spending or builders to begin with, but you can transform them to do so. So there’s just this huge toolbox to dig into and play with, and a lot of cool choices that players can make to really master this class.”
Creating such a fresh class meant that a lot of work had to be done to make sure it fit seamlessly into the game it was joining. “We have standards by which we build everything […] But in terms of actually learning about a class, its inspirations and themes, and how it fits into the world, we talk a lot about what are basically the characteristics that define a class, what is the vibe you are going to create with a class, and how it it’s different from anything we’ve done so far.”
ECO heavily story-driven, and that will continue across all updates coming to the game this year that will focus on the Elder Scrolls Daedric prince, Hermaeus More. This meant that the Arcanist also had to be directly involved in this ongoing saga.
“This class, this arcanist, is lore-focused, and that’s largely within the purview of Hermaeus Mora – that’s what Hermaeus Mora does, accumulates that knowledge, and so we used a lot of that,” Lambert said. “And as players have seen in some of the Global Reveal material, but as they will see over the coming months, Hermaeus Mora has been a big influence on this character and it ties in so well with this overarching story. ”
This all-encompassing story will be everything for the upcoming Scribes of Fate and Necrom updates that will change. ECOan ongoing story in exciting directions. Specifically, this will take us to the east coast of Morrowind, a place that the Elder Scrolls haven’t been able to visit since the mid-90s. “Yeah, 1994 in The Elder Scrolls: ArenaLambert explains. “So yeah, a lot has changed since 1994, in terms of technology and games, so we were able to go and show players things that you couldn’t do in the 90s.”
This balance of new and old is the key to ECO, using a quarter of a decade of RPG storytelling but offering new ways to experience it. With the arcanist it seems that ECO strikes this balance.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom Coming June 5th for PC and June 20th for Xbox consoles, it will introduce new zones, stories, and updates alongside the Arcanist class. You can pre-purchase upgrade Now.
The Elder Scrolls Online Collection: Necrom
Bethesda Softworks
$59.99
$47.99
Embark on a unique adventure filled with unparalleled storytelling and in-depth knowledge of The Elder Scrolls. Journey to Tamriel – a living, breathing, grand fantasy universe where your choices determine your experience. Fight, loot, craft, steal or play as an archer, mage, trader, scientist or warrior. Play alone or with friends and combine equipment and abilities to suit your play style. No subscription required – buy once and play anytime. What are the best truths to hide? Discover Necrom and the forbidden secrets of the Apocrypha. From the Telvanni peninsula in Eastern Morrowind to the cosmic realm of the Prince of Doom, fight to defend reality and unlock the runic power of a new class, the Sorcerer! PRE-PURCHASE Pre-order the Elder Scrolls: Necrom Online Collection now to start your adventure right in-game (base game or previous chapter zones), get instant access to a pair of Sadrith Mora Spore Steed & Pony*, plus more items when Necrom launches as below. *The Spore Pony pet is only available with pre-purchase until 04/18/2023. Instantly unlock: • Sadrith Mora’s steed and pony pair* Get the following at launch: • Sadrith Mora’s Formal Outfit • Apocryphal Book Serpent • 1 Crate of Unfeathered Feathers • 3 Treasure Maps • 2 Experience Scrolls (+100% for 1 hour) Ancient Scrolls COLLECTION Online Collection: Necrom is like 8 games in one and is best suited for adventurers who want access to all major chapter zones, biomes and quest arcs from all over Tamriel. Collection: Necrom includes the base game, Necrom and all previous chapters as shown below. • Necrom (NEW 2023) • High Isle • Blackwood • Greymoor • Elsweyr • Summerset • Morrowind • Base game Necrom** UNLOCK A NEW CLASS. Become stronger than the secrets of the Apocrypha and the forbidden knowledge of Hermaeus Mora. The Arcanist is a powerful new class that can use destructive, restorative, or defensive magic using arcane, ancient runes and lost tomes of power. BRAND NEW ZONES. Explore the Telvanni peninsula, home of colossal mushrooms, arcane magic, rocky spiers and Necrom’s capital city, and contemplate the forbidden books of the endless Apocrypha library. SPACE HISTORY. The Prince of Doom holds secrets too dangerous for mortals or Daedra to understand. Now hidden but tempestuous forces threaten Hermaeus Mora’s Apocrypha realm, and if the mystery of the Daedric Prince is revealed, it could unravel all of reality. NEW GUARDIAN AND MAGNET STAFF. Two new allies seek epic missions and glory! Unlock arcanist-powered Redguard companions and Argonian guardians to fight by your side and accompany you on your journey through Tamriel. **Available when running Necrom.
