The prologue quest for ESO’s upcoming Elsweyr Chapter is now live in game, and adventurers are off to the races. The quest is free for all players regardless of whether or not they own the Chapter. It’s a brief but enjoyable introduction to the Elsweyr Chapter and gives players a sneak peak at what’s to come this summer. Here are reasons why this prologue quest is a must play for The Elder Scrolls Online players.
Mix of Old and New Characters
For veteran players the prologue brings back a character that’s been seen throughout ESO’s base game. The Imperial battle wizard Abnur Tharn returns with a purpose. It turns out, he’s the one who hired Tharayya to seek the two halves of the Wrathstone Tablet for a reason. Tharn wants to end the Three Banners War and bring peace to Tamriel. The tablet he thinks holds a weapon that will give him bargaining leverage. It’s nice to see Tharn return, and the cool thing is new players won’t be confused about who he is as the narrative positions him in a way that works out for newcomers. On the other hand, we also get to interact with new characters like the Khajiit Khamira. As an agent of Elsweyr, she wants to stop both Abnur and Euraxia Tharn from getting their hands on the weapon. This conflict plays out in the prologue and it’s rather nice to watch it all unfold.
A Brief History Lesson On The Khajit
We already know we’re heading into Elsweyr this June, so the prologue does quite a good job at setting the scene. To understand the Wrathstone tablet, we seek out various Khajiti moonsingers and lore masters who provide interesting back story about their history and how it involves this weapon. The quest will take you far and wide with a little help from Abnur Tharn, to uncover mysteries surrounding the lore. It’s not boring or dragged out with dialogue which is always a plus. But it’s beefy enough to give lore-hunters and Elder Scrolls enthusiast something to pour over.
Taste of Elsweyr Adventure
What the prologue does very well is the in-between story exposition sequences. You’ll do many Indiana Jones style things, so expect combat in Delves and the best part is definitely the new puzzles involved. The Khajiti moonsingers each tell a tale of an ancient warrior who overcame this weapon, and all clues lead to ruins. These need to be explore to unearth Triangulate Tiles – necessary for combining the two halves of the Wrathstone Tablet. Each of the final rooms have puzzles that need to be solved. These are based on the Khajit moons which are fun and challenging. All in all, it’s a throwback to good Elder Scrolls adventures and for a prologue to include the best of both bits is impressive.
That Scene With The Dragons
The prologue’s climax is an instance within the Halls of Colossus on the south coast of Elsweyr. Both Abnur Tharn and Khamira join you in the hunt for the weapon, for Tharn’s evil half sister and her Imperial army are already there. Wanting the weapon for themselves, you must now quickly end their schemes. Combat sections and puzzle sections both return in this instance, but the true climax happens when everyone figures out the weapon is in fact, dragons. While the Imperials are defeated, we ultimately fail in stopping the dragons from getting free, and thus a magnificent cut-scene takes place, where these fiery beasts of legend are unleashed upon Elsweyr. As far as prologues go, this is The Elder Scrolls Online’s best one yet.
