Elder Scrolls Online Promises Us the “Dark Heart of Skyrim”

Over the past six years, the Elder Scrolls Online has grown into an expansive and ever-improving MMO. Players have seen Elsweyr and Morrowind thanks to Developer ZeniMax Online Studios diligent work. Now, after a reveal at Bethesda’s ESO 2020 livestream, players will be returning to another familiar Tamriel locale-Skyrim.

Beginning May 18 for PC, the land of Skyrim will be available and full of quests and treasure to discover. Set 900 years before the events of the Elder Scrolls V, this expansion will show us a Skyrim overrun by vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural forces. You’ll even get to discover the “dark heart of Skyrim,” the coven of vampires hiding away in a massive underground fortress. Before all that though, players will have access to a special prologue quest to prepare them for their adventures in Skyrim.

The “Dark Heart of Skyrim” will contain four large updates. The first two, Greymoor and Harrowstorm, will be available at the season’s launch. Greymoor is the main questline of Skyrim and will explore why Skyrim attracts so many supernatural forces. It promises to be “the darkest [narrative] of the series, revealing the grimmer aspects of the land of Skyrim.” Meanwhile, Harrowstorm will offer new dungeon and world events where you and your friends can team up against hordes of supernatural enemies.

Later in 2020, two more updates will add additional stories and dungeons to Skyrim. Interestingly, the new season promises the return of Blackreach, the massive underground cavern system from the Elder Scrolls V. According to the developers, Blackreach will make up about 40% of Skyrim’s size inside the game. This means players will be spending a lot of time inside the dark, bioluminescent caverns. Of course, new quality-of-life updates and features will also come with this season. One of which is the antiquities system that allows players to hunt for relics around the world to give bonuses to their characters.

If you are jumping into ESO for the first time, no worries. Players will be able to create a new character in Skyrim so they can begin their adventures in their favorite part of Tamriel. There’s nothing to lose, so come explore Skyrim in a whole new way.