New Elder Scrolls Online chapter Gold Road is just over a month out, but you can jump in right now and give the next ESO DLC a look ahead of time. The Elder Scrolls 6 might still be a distant speck on the horizon, but if you’re eager for a new story in Bethesda’s fantasy realms then ESO is here for you. The latest PTS update includes all the core Gold Road content, like the new scribing system, and in even better news you can jump in for free even if you haven’t yet preordered the expansion.
The Gold Road DLC is the latest paid add-on for The Elder Scrolls Online, taking us to the Imperial-controlled West Weald, a location in southern Cyrodiil that will be familiar to Oblivion fans. With its June launch feeling like tomorrow next to any possible Elder Scrolls 6 release date, Gold Road introduces Ithelia, a Daedric Prince with the ability to alter the very fabric of destiny and whose existence was previously erased from all memory, including that of the other Princes, to the long-running MMORPG.
The banner addition for many is the new ESO scribing system, a return of sorts to the spell-making systems beloved in older Elder Scrolls games including Daggerfall, Morrowind, and Oblivion, which was notably absent from the all-conquering and omnipresent Skyrim. In its new form, scribing allows you to fully customize the effects and power of 11 new skills using a combination of grimoires and scripts.
Alongside the main story and its sidequests, players can look forward to six delves, each with its own boss, two public dungeons, a range of new world events called Mirrormoor Incursions, six world bosses, a 12-player trail in The Lucent Citadel, and of course all manner of new item sets, mythic items, mounts, pets, and color-changing skill styles. If you want to jump in and check all of this out for yourself, you can do it right now by switching over to the PTS environment through the settings in the ESO launcher.
The Elder Scrolls Online v10.0.0 and the new chapter Gold Road are live now on the public test server. The PTS is open to all PC and Mac players, regardless of whether you have pre-purchased Gold Road, meaning it’s a perfect chance to try out the new DLC ahead of time. For all the additional test details and full PTS patch notes, you can check in with the full update from Bethesda and ZeniMax Online Studios via the ESO forums. The full release of Gold Road launches on Monday June 3 – expect to pay $39.99/£33.99 for it.
If you love the vibe of being among other players even when you’re adventuring alone, here are more of the best single-player MMOs. Alternatively, there’s plenty of choice among the best games like Skyrim to help stave off that TES 6 itch.
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