The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle is now available on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, and takes us on a never-before-seen adventure to a fanciful Breton resort. Here is what we think about our time with the Chapter so far.
Around this time each year, you can find me raving about the latest The Elder Scrolls Online Chapter that has just been released on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, saying things like “this is the best Chapter ZeniMax Online has released” or “this is by far my favourite.” If you’re familiar with my writing so far, you might have noticed I can become quite an over-excited puppy when it comes to games, and that any issues that might exist with said title are easily brushed over by my focus on the fun stuff. This year, though, is different. When I say The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle and its accompanying update are my favourites, it’s because they’re awesome in almost every way.
The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle launch trailer
As those of you that play The Elder Scrolls Online know, there is always a huge amount of content to uncover every June, which is why this is a shorter first impressions piece instead of a concise review. The Chapter launched on consoles this week and I’ve only just scratched the surface of everything that has been added.
High Isle is an island found in the Systres Archipelago that sits just above the High Elf home of Summerset. It’s an area that has never been shown in an Elder Scrolls game before, so the team at ZeniMax had a fair amount of creative freedom when it came down to designing it. The entire aesthetic and world design is one of the main reasons it’s already my favourite — medieval Europe-style grandeur and an Escape from New York-style prison island. High Isle is gorgeous to look at and being a bit of a fan of our history during the Arthurian times, I’m struggling to walk across the island without being distracted by a grand castle, period-specific architecture, or the majestic Mediterranean landscape. The main island serves as a resort of sorts for the wealthiest of all races, although its design and workings are that of the Bretons, while the neighbouring jungle island of Amenos serves as a great spot to strand any unwanted individuals. It may be a small addition, but my mind was blown when I was wandering along a beach and saw a ship sailing past just off the coast. Animated scenery in the way of ships like that isn’t something we’ve seen in The Elder Scrolls Online yet, I believe, so to see it was a delightful surprise.
The reason for us being in this beautiful part of Tamriel is all thanks to the provocatively wonderful Lady Arabelle Davaux, who’s attempting to negotiate peace talks via the Society of the Steadfast to end the Three Banners War. This year is all about political intrigue, so another party, the Ascendant Order, is out to end it all. We saw the beginnings of this story during the pre-Chapter prologue, and I can confirm that it certainly remains intriguing, during the first few quests of the main story. I’m finding it a nice change of pace to the usual Daedric threats that we’ve had, and I think it compliments High Isle perfectly.
When not uncovering the mysteries found in the main questline, High Isle offers plenty of new additions to get stuck into. The new Volcanic Vents are overworld group activities like Harrowstorms and Dark Anchors, and they spew out a butt-load of fire-loving enemies like behemoths. They’re definitely not as difficult as the Harrowstorms, so you’ll be fine tackling them with a small group of friends — just watch out for the end boss if you’re a vampire. As with any new zone that’s added, there are a host of Delves, World Bosses, Points of Interest, and two new Public Dungeons to explore. The new 12-player Trial, Dreadsail Reef, is one of the most noteworthy content additions we’ve received in some time, though, thanks to its use of tough burst-damage enemies and multi-lever doors. As you make your way through the Reef, each door you come across has additional levers that need to be activated at the same time to open. It’s not overly complex to achieve, but the slight push at teamwork and communication is a welcome feature. The Trial itself is a breeze on normal mode, but I can definitely see veteran runs offering an entertaining challenge, so I’ll look forward to going through it.
Outside of combat we generally get a new gameplay experience to play around with. Greymoor gave us the Antiquity system, Blackwood gave us the Companion system, and High Isle gives us Trials of Tribute, a brand-new card game that is actually really fun to play. I say actually like I didn’t think it was going to be any good, but what I mean is that I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy it as I’m an action-orientated player. As it turns out, I was wrong, and while I’m still attempting to learn how to play it properly — not that Billy Boyd’s character, Brahgas, wasn’t a good teacher — it’s an enjoyable game to play. Both players pick two decks of patron-themed cards, which are then shuffled into one pile and placed in the centre of the table, called the Tavern. It’s a turn-based game that starts with both players receiving five gold-giving cards. You use the gold to purchase cards out of the Tavern or to buy favour and buffs from the four deck patrons. The aim is to build a deck that boosts your power and in turn, the winning currency, Prestige, or to have all four patrons favouring you. It’s a pretty slow game, but one that is quite nice to play when you’re waiting for groups to form, farming spots to replenish, and whatnot.
The High Isle Chapter was accompanied by Update 34, which has added a few new additions like the Armoury system not locking in your Mundus Stone — something that was certainly missed originally. It was a pain to keep heading to different Mundus Stones each time I wanted to swap between my Group/Solo/PvP builds. The quickslot wheel has also undergone some changes, with all of your slotted items now being accessible by holding up on the D-pad and flicking through the Quickslot, Emotes, Mementos, Allies, and Tools sections. This allows us to slot so many more things for easy access, which is amazing, unlike the following thing.
You’ll notice that in the settings menu now, there is a new Accessibility tab, which once opened offers you one new feature: Accessibility Mode. On PC I believe it turns the UI into Gamepad Mode so it’s easier to navigate like it is on console, but on Xbox consoles, I have no idea what it does, and the description just says, “Enables a predefined set of accessibility options.” To be fair, I’m looking at it as a player that doesn’t require accessibility options, so potentially I’m missing something. It could be a starting point for more additions in a later update, but right now it’s a little confusing. Let me know if you’ve been using it, though, I’d love to know what you think.
Overall, I’m loving the Chapter, and I fear that I may be taking too many screenshots of the beautiful environment, but it’s worth it. The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle is as intriguing as it is beautiful, and for anyone with a slight interest in medieval European architecture, it’s sure to be one of the most pleasing zones you’ve explored to date. I’ll see you in High Isle, adventurers, or on Amenos, where I’ll be getting my Kurt Russell on!
