ESO’s next Chapter Expansion has the confirmed titled: NECROM! It will be taking place in the Telvanni Peninsula and feature the Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora as well a brand new class – the Arcanist! Read on for more!
Next Chapter Name and Release Date
The next chapter for The Elder Scrolls Online is Necrom: Shadow Over Morrowind. This brand new chapter DLC is set to arrive for PC/Mac on June 5, 2023, and for Xbox and PlayStation consoles on June 20, 2023!
ESO 2023 Chapter Zones And Story
The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom chapter will feature two new playable zones!
First, players will venture across a portion of the Morrowind Province known as the Telvanni Peninsula to discover more about the lore of the Dark Elves who call this part of Morrowind home. Next, players will dive deep into the eldritch curiosities held within Apocrypha, the realm of Oblivion that the Daedric Prince of Knowledge claims as his own.
In Necrom, you become an agent of Hermaeus Mora tasked with investigating a mysterious threat to the Daedric Prince’s most closely guarded secrets. You must seek out lost knowledge deep within the heart of the City of the Dead and walk between realities to uncover a vast conspiracy powerful enough to endanger Nirn and Oblivion alike.
Necrom Chapter Theme
Rich Lambert, Zenimax Online Studios Creative Director had an interesting way of describing the overall theme for this new expansion chapter of The Elder Scrolls Online. He said it’s “Elder Scrolls meets Cosmic Horror!”
Hermaeus Mora’s Connection To Necrom
Everything in the New ESO: Necrom chapter surrounds the Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora. We explored small bits and pieces of Hermaeus Mora lore in ESO up to this point, but nothing yet on this scope and scale! Mora is the knower of the unknown and hordes mysterious knowledge and secrets in his personal Daedric Plane called Apocrypha. And some of these secrets are too powerful and important for anyone else to know!
In The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom, there hidden powers that threaten Mora’s realm of Apocrypha, with the ultimate goal of mastering one of these secrets – a secret so powerful and important, that if uncovered, it could unravel the thread of reality between Nirn and Apocrypha.
Over the course of their Necrom Chapter adventure, players will be tested by Mora and eventually become a protector of Mora’s secret knowledge. There’s also opportunities to dig into the connection between Mora and ESO’s new class, the Arcanist.
Morrowind and The Telvanni Peninsula
In the new Necrom Chapter, ESO players will be heading back to Morrowind, but not in the same playable area that they may be familiar with from the 2017 expansion. Instead, players gain access to a new zone on the Eastern edge of the Morrowind province known as the Telvanni Peninsula.
Even though this area is technically new to ESO, the Telvanni Peninsula is still home to the Dunmer, also known as the Dark Elves, and should be very familiar to anyone who has previously traveled any other Dunmer zones such as Stonefalls and Vvardenfell. Alien looking creatures and plant-life including those classic Morrowind giant mushrooms and spore-covered towers all return to flesh out the landscape and give it that familiar Morrowind look and feel.
Necrom, The City Of The Dead
Necrom is the main city of the new 2023 chapter. Primarily, Necrom is known to the Dunmer as the “City Of The Dead” where Dark Elves from across Morrowind bury their deceased in elaborate ceremonies. There are many strange rumors as to the real origins of Necrom as well. One prominent theory is that the Lord Vivec himself defeated the great Beast Gulga Mor Gil, who giant bones supposedly laid the foundations for this ancient city. Entering Necrom for the first time, players are bound to notice the towering rib-like rock formations which envelope the city – perhaps the rumors are true?
Apocrphya, Realm Of Forbidden Knowledge
In the Necrom chapter, players will also be able to fully explore Hermaeus Mora’s Plane of Oblivion called Apocrypha. Much of ESO’s version of Apocrypha was modeled on a previous adventure in Skyrim’s Dragonborn DLC, including dark, inky waters, stacks and towers of books, and foreboding green-tinted skies. Apocrypha’s purpose is to literally catalogue all records of life from the beginning of time. Players should expect to find books upon books, some piled high to the sky, while others are fossilized into the ancient rocks themselves.
ESO 2023 Chapter Features
It was recently revealed that the new and “most requested feature” coming in The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom chapter will be a powerful new class – the Arcanist! The new chapter’s description reads:
Discover Necrom and thwart forces from uncovering Hermaeus Mora’s secret that could unravel reality itself. Venture across Morrowind’s Telvanni Peninsula and Apocrypha, unlock the runic powers of the new Arcanist class to master destructive, restorative, or defensive magic and more.
Arcanist Class Description
Empowered by the secrets of Apocrypha and the forbidden knowledge of Hermaeus Mora, The Arcanist is a powerful new Class capable of destructive, restorative, or defensive magic by channeling the arcane, ancient runes and lost tomes of power.
During the Global Reveal we also discovered all three Arcanist class Skill Line titles. The three Arcanist Class skill trees are:
- Herald of The Tome: manipulate arcane energies to bombard your foes with damaging blasts, beams, and more.
- Apocryphal Soldier: make use of healing runes to keep your party (or yourself) healthy, shield your allies from damage, or even help them navigate the battlefield via portals
- Curative Runeforms: allows you to dominate your foes’ attention, buff yourself or your party’s defensive capabilities, and even conjure an explosive damage shield
We’ve already created an Arcanist Class Guide page with more details so make sure to bookmark it for future updates! ESO Arcanist Class Guide
ESO Necrom Companions Update in 2023
Two new allies seeking grand quests and glory are also coming to The Elder Scrolls Online in the Necrom Chapter! If you’re not familiar, Companions in ESO are your adventuring and combat buddies that can help you overcome more difficult content including World Bosses or even Group Dungeons.
Sharp-As-Night, Argonian Warden
The first companion, named Sharp-As-Night, is an Argonian Warden who is a bit of a mercenary and an enigma. He originated from Black Marsh, but his past has been mysteriously lost. Players will also notice that Sharp-As-Night is a lot more reserved than ESO’s other Companions, so if you’ve been bothered by overly chatty Companions in the past he might be the best choice for you.
Azandar Al-Cybiades, Redguard Arcanist
The next companion, Azandar, is a Redguard Arcanist described as a crazy, fatherly figure and professor. Think Willy Wonka meets Dumbledore. As the first Arcanist Companion, Azandar has an insatiable thirst for knowledge of his own that players will be able to learn from.
A Challening New Trial: Sanity’s Edge
Players can also gear up for an exciting new 12-player Trial in the Necrom Chapter, Sanity’s Edge. Venture within the tormented mind of a Mages Guild recruit, saving them from a fate worse than death. Gather your party and work together to overcome challenging boss mechanics, earn Trial-specific rewards, and claim your place atop the leaderboards.
New World Events: Oblivion Raids
Gather your allies, open a portal to Oblivion, and defend Hermaeus Mora’s besieged citadel within Apocrypha in these unique new world events coming in ESO: Necrom!
In an Oblivion Raid, players must repulse invading Daedric forces, including three challenging bosses that you and your party must overcome in order to protect the Lord of Knowledge’s most-dangerous secrets.
ESO 2023 Chapter Hints
Mel Adrys is a Vampire Hunter NPC that can be found several times throughout Tamriel in The Elder Scrolls Online. Mel was introduced in a new quest and dialog option that first became available in November 2022 during the Dark Heart Of Skyim celebration event in ESO. His dialogue was a HUGE hint towards the new zone and city location for 2023.
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“After I cleansed my blade, I returned home to the ashlands of Morrowind. My father passed away, joining our ancestors in our ancestral crypt. It was a long journey escorting him to Necrom.”
— Mel Adrys
Why was this significant? Well, this wasn’t the first time that the region of Morrowind and specifically the Telvanni Peninsula had been mentioned as a potential location for ESO’s 2023 Chapter. Lady Laurent also mentions this location at the end of the High Isle chapter main quest if you speak to her afterwards.
ESO 2023 Chapter Mysterious Letter
Many content creators including myself were sent a mysterious letter during the month of January with some sinister hints at what was coming next including a crisis of “Two Worlds” and a “thread that keeps reality itself from unraveling.” The language of this letter and a hidden symbol revealed only with black light also mark the connection between 2023 and Hermaeus Mora, Daedric Prince of Knowledge and Memory. The crisis of “Two Words“ also certainly represents Tamriel and Mora’s Daedric realm of Apocrypha.
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The text of the 2023 Chapter Letter is found below. Thanks to @LotusOfDoom for the black light image and transcription!
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“Proxy, The tide of fate swirls around you with glorious fury and has chosen you to serve as its surrogate in a crisis most perilous. The future of at least two worlds hangs in the balance. Your talent for changing destiny had been noticed, hence the reason for this letter. Many paths lead forward, but only one ends with the survival of Nirn. At this particular moment, in this specific instance, you must be the thread that keeps reality itself from unraveling. I shall summon you as soon as the inescapable fortunes of consequence show me where we are needed most.”
— Letamil the Wise
Telvanni Peninsula and Black Light as a chapter location
First, what is the Telvanni Peninsula and what is Necrom? Both locations are actually a part of the massive Morrowind region of Tamriel. The Telvanni Peninsula is not currently part of the playable zones we can access in ESO, but the lower portion will be added with the 2023 Necrom Chapter.
The description of this area is also pretty amazing:
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“The region is characterized with rocky coasts and islands. The northern half is cold, while the southern half is temperate, and the area between them is hilly.”
— UESP
To me the different types of terrain here, from the coasts to the snowy mountains and the hills in between sounds perfect for an interesting chapter zone with lots of unique Biomes and varied locations that will let the art and world design teams really shine. The description reminds me a bit of Wrothgar as well which is one of my favorite early zones in the game.
The cities of the Telvanni Peninsula region also sound like amazing story locations, including Firewatch and Necrom.
Necrom
Necrom is also one of the 8 major cities of Morrowind. Necrom is known as the City of the Dead, because in Dunmeri tradition, the various families and clans of Morrowind would travel to Necrom and bring their deceased family members in urns and coffins for solemn processions that last for months. It is governed by a complex hierarchy of priests and attendants who operate the well-known necropolis in Necrom. Underneath the city is an extensive catacomb, arranged like a honeycomb. This is where the deceased are brought and prepared for burial. Necrom has lofty walls and gleaming white towers. The city palace has many dark, twisted hallways. The towers against the eastern coastline of Necrom, even with the morning sun shining through, looked like the desiccated tusks of some ancient beast. Credit: UESP
Images of Necrom from The Elder Scrolls: Legends card game.
