Going Deep Country in Elsweyr at the ESO Hands-on Event

As far as wet and windy days go, March 12 wasn’t exceptional in a long history of bleak English weather.

Thankfully, the grey skies and a chilly wind didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of over 90 European attendees, all keen to step out of the rain and into a welcoming corner of Elsweyr.

The day, however, started well before the first guests arrived with the unfurling of the Chapter’s impressive artwork across the venue’s exterior.

Once across the threshold, our guests then had to pass border control monitored by the ever-watchful eye of Ralf from Lightning Cosplay. His amazing Dragon Bone Armor was the perfect garb for a sentinel protecting the broken segments of the Wrathstone – as well as providing an ideal photo opportunity.

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Heartfelt thanks for the attention to detail, speed of construction and theatrics of Lightning Cosplay.

From this point, our guests were ushered into a swathe of Elsweyr’s desert biome. Here, Game Director Matt Firor, Creative Director Rich Lambert and Lead Gameplay Designer Rob Garrett held court in a Khajiit camp that celebrated the nomadic opulence of the cat people of Tamriel.

Lambert took center stage, describing the ongoing endeavors of the ZeniMax Online Studios development team and their incredible pace of content creation. Behind him, the twin moons of Nirn offered an evocative backdrop for his descriptions of the Dragon-filled Sunspire Trial, the cultural variations of the Khajiit race, the soul burning spells of the Necromancer, plus a host of ‘quality of life’ updates to the game.

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The peace was short-lived, though, as the flaming breath and unsettling roar of the leader of the Dragon kind, Kaalgrontiid himself, signalled the commencement of the Elsweyr play session.

Across a day filled with play sessions, our guests had plentiful opportunities to hunt Dragons, test out the Necromancer’s playstyle and even sample some of Tamriel’s cuisine – including, of course, several trays of tasty sweet rolls. They also got an insight into the return some well-loved characters – Abnur Tharn, Cadwell and the promise of a cameo by Razum-dar – as well as an introduction to the latest Khajiit NPC, Khamara. All-in-all, it was a great way to celebrate our upcoming new Chapter, as well as the incredible, dedicated ESO community.