I had the opportunity to be able to join the Developer Dungeon Run for Elder Scrolls Online: Ascending Tide. This is the newest expansion on the already massive Elder Scroll Online game.
What is Elder Scrolls Online?
For those not familiar with The Elder Scrolls Online, like I was before the Developer Dungeon Run, let me introduce the game. Are you already familiar with the game? Feel free to skip over the section below.
The Elder Scrolls Online, ESO for short, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). The game is set in the continent of Tamriel and features a storyline indirectly connected with the other games in the Elder Scrolls franchise. It was first released with a mandatory monthly subscription model which was quickly dropped. The game now consists of lots of different DLCs that add new dungeons, stories, trails, classes, you name it. We have written reviews on a couple of the major releases, Blackwood, Elsweyr, Summerset, Morrowind, so be sure to check them out.
The nice thing about ESO is that no matter the dungeon you can always play with friends. Sometimes your friends have more time to play than you. In most games, this results in being behind on the areas to complete but also lower level. This makes it hard to tag along with your friends the next time you play. In ESO there is no linear progression, all the dungeons can be played stand-alone. Besides this, all players will be level scaled. This makes it a fair and exciting experience for all.
Ascending Tide
The Ascending Tide DLC pack contains a couple of different elements:
Legacy of Bretons: Set out on a new year-long adventure, Legacy of the Bretons, and experience an epic story told across three DLCs and the upcoming High Isle Chapter.
Two dungeons, The Coral Aerie & Shipwright’s Regret. The Coral Aerie has you launch a daring rescue and discover the birth of a sinister new plot in the Coral Aerie, a hideaway for the mysterious Ascendant Order. In Shipwright’s Regret you uncover long-hidden secrets and riches within an abandoned shipyard, but beware—restless undead that now inhabits the remnants of this All Flags Navy construction site.
Remnants of the Lost. Loot unique new item sets and collectibles as you delve into two new dungeons and uncover their myriad challenges and secrets.
Shipwright’s Regret
As I mentioned I got the opportunity to play the expansion Ascending Tide in the form of a Dev Dungeon Run. Here I was joined by Jeremy Sera (Lead Content Designer), Mike Finnigan (Lead Encounter Designer), and Rich Lambert (Creative Director) to battle our way through one of the two dungeons. I got the choice of which dungeon I wanted to tackle, The Coral Aerie or Shipwright’s Regret. I chose to play the latter. Since I didn’t play the Coral Aerie I can’t judge it so I will only tell you about my experience with Shipwright’s Regret.
Shipwright’s Regret is a dungeon that takes place in an abandoned shipyard of the All Flags Navy. This was caused by a calamity a long time ago and the shipyard fell into disrepair and got waterlogged. You were brought here by Captain Za’ji, a returning character within ESO. He has heard that some of the best shipwrights were located here. Captain Za’ji, wants his paws on the schematic plans to make his own ship better. He however needs your help because the place is infected by restless undead that are now inhabiting the remnants of this All Flags Navy construction site. The dungeon is definitely not a traditional dungeon where you crawl through a simular looking environment in a cave. The dungeon feels more like a contained area within an open world. The Shipwright’s Regret has 3 distinct interconnected areas with 3 bosses in total.
All Flags Navy
Captain Za’ji, will introduce you at the start of the dungeon to what brings you here and gives some foreshadowing of what is coming next which is a great way to tell a story. After talking with Captain Za’ji, you will start off at the construction site. Here you will fight off undead that seemed to be part of the All Flags Navy. This makes you wonder what exactly happened here? The first boss you face off against is Foreman Bradiggan, who is a formidable foe.
Old logging camp
After the first boss fight, you will head into the next area. This is the old logging camp where they used to get the wood to build the ships. However, since time has passed everything is reclaimed by nature. Here you meet up with another returning character, Caska. The look/gear that Captain Za’ji and Caska will have will be different depending on if you have completed the Dragon Guard DLC, which is a nice bonus for long-time players. The enemies you’ll find and fight in this area are all forest-themed creatures. This is a nice touch that helps with worldbuilding and makes the world feel more realistic. This is also reflected in the boss you fight.
Dreadsails
The third and final area is the docks where they construct the boats. Here you will encounter the Dreadsails. Why are they here and what is their plan? The final boss you will face will tell you a bit of why he is here but more you will only learn in the chapters that are yet to come. The fight with the boss is chaotic and fun. He mainly uses water magic but there also will be other enemies appearing to aid him in the fight including puking undead, that maybe were inspired by a party they had at the office.
Secrets to explore?
Besides this, there supposedly are also a couple of secrets when you decide to explore. The developers however told me that I shouldn’t tell you because that means they are not secret anymore. So hypothetically if there were any secrets, the developers told me it would revolve around the lore and backstory about what exactly went down here. I would suggest you explore a little bit and maybe find something, but who knows right *wink* wink*. Of course, there are also new collectibles to obtain like new mementoes, markings, and exclusive item sets.
Summary
That about sums up my experience with the Ascending Tide DLC and in particular the Shipwright’s Regret dungeon. It was a lot of fun, going through the intricately designed dungeon and seeing the work and love they put into the areas. I would like to thank the developers, Jeremy Sera, Mike Finnigan & Rich Lambert for answering the stupid questions I threw at them, I had so much fun goofing around and learning more about this DLC and the ESO universe. I hope you will too when it comes out on March 14th.
