Elder Scrolls Online Elsweyr Review: Necromancers, Burnout, and MMO Dragons

Breaking the endgame rusher mentality in Tamriel and taking a cynical look at giant flying reptiles during the 2019 Khajiit expansion.

So far in my Elder Scrolls Online playthrough, I’ve finished the base game story, Morrowind, and Summerset. Three massive expansions worth of zone stories completed usually guarantees a maxed-out character in any other title. My avatar still hasn’t hit level 50. Enjoying the journey takes priority over rushing to the finish line this time around. I’m a raider at heart. Gearing up for endgame content in World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV always consumed my entire focus. Farming best-in-slot items and preparing for weekly raid lockouts dictated how I played everything. Launching into New World brought out that exact same frantic mentality. Getting to max level to start all the fun stuff felt like an inescapable obligation.

With Elder Scrolls Online, I wanted to actively avoid falling into those familiar traps. Pacing myself feels actually rewarding after years of running on the MMO hamster wheel. Skipping quest text just to grind experience points ruins the story. So here I am, stepping into the dusty, sun-baked borders of Elsweyr and meeting up with the infamous Abnur Tharn.

Breaking the Endgame Rusher Mentality

This particular narrative kicks off with a massive geopolitical mistake. Abnur Tharn accidentally released a rage of dragons from their ancient prison inside the Halls of Colossus. Our job involves helping him clean up that catastrophic mess. Veterans of the game praise this 2019 Season of the Dragon storyline for bringing a massive influx of returning players back to the servers. because giant flying reptiles returning to Tamriel apparently created a fantastic marketing hook for the developers.

One of the first things popping up in our dialogue involves a familiar face. Cadwell gets mentioned almost immediately. Hoping he shows up again was at the top of my wishlist. I loved John Cleese’s voice acting in the base game, his eccentric delivery brings so much life to the world. Talk then turns directly to the giant flying lizards ruining the sky. I’m always fairly torn on dragons in MMOs. Deathwing felt extremely “meh” to me in World of Warcraft’s Cataclysm. The Spine of Deathwing encounter is one of my least favorite raid fights of all time.

ESO Dragon Hunts: A Cynical Look at MMO Dragons

Here’s another highly unpopular take to throw out there for the internet to chew on. I didn’t really click with Heavensward in FFXIV either. People will definitely get offended by that statement. Calling me a terrible human for not liking the same expansion as most of the community happens regularly online. Everyone treats that snowy Ishgardian storyline like sacred text. It simply didn’t resonate with me the way it did with everyone else.

Could this game change my mind about these mythical beasts? It’s entirely possible. Hating them isn’t my default state so a good story might change my perspective. Meeting up with Cadwell gets violently interrupted when a giant blue dragon swoops from the clouds and burns a nearby village to ash. Abnur Tharn gets angry that we left him to deal with the threat alone. He’s the one responsible for them being out in the first place. Meeting Cadwell simply took priority. I’ve got my priorities right.

Getting into Cadwell’s backstory brings some heavy lore implications. Meeting the resurrected Cadwell the Betrayer left me sort of torn. Getting two versions of this character provides a nice surprise. Building that much depth into him felt slightly unnecessary. He functioned perfectly as a fun side character. Giving him a massive history dump changes that dynamic entirely. That minor gripe aside, the writers delivered a fantastic storytelling piece.

My first interaction with the dragon Mulaamnir didn’t do much to persuade my dislike of the species. The way he perched on that giant rock looked undeniably cool. Hearing his deep growling voice call me a “morsel” just rubbed me the wrong way. Disliking a villain because they do evil things makes perfect sense. This reaction stemmed from a cynical “same shit, different game” feeling. Praying for the day someone creates a game with unique dragons occupies a lot of my thoughts. Everyone loves them and I understand why, but just give me something fresh..

Every single game or story featuring them relies on the exact same tired tropes. The beasts monologue in a booming voice, breathe a bunch of fire, and eventually get slain by the hero.

Dragons will always feature big wings, scales, and fiery breath. Those elements define the creature anatomically. The issue mirrors the Lion King problem perfectly. Every dragon acts exactly like Scar. They’re all arrogant, booming, and obsessed with their own grand designs. Finding a dragon that acts more like the hyenas would be refreshing. A cowardly, sneaky reptile that fights dirty and panics when cornered sounds fun but breaking the mold seems impossible for modern fantasy writers.

The actual overworld dragon hunts themselves are genuinely fun. These massive dynamic events spawn across the map and instantly draw a crowd. Since there are always plenty of other players rushing in to take part, you’ll never struggle to bring one down even if you’re a lower level. The community aspect of everyone banding together to slay a giant lizard works flawlessly in practice.

Elsweyr Gameplay: Companions, Combat, and Euraxia Tharn

One specific gameplay choice needs a quick explanation. Playing through the story in chronological order to avoid later perks remains my primary goal. Yet someone in my guild mentioned the companion system to me recently. So, I’ll happily admit that I traveled all the way to High Isle to recruit Ember. Companions in this game are customizable NPC allies. They’ll heal, fight, and even tank alongside your character. Waiting until the Blackwood chapter to unlock them would’ve been the chronologically correct choice but doing that held no appeal for me. Ember brings a nice energy to the adventure that I desperately needed and getting her early completely changed how I approach solo combat encounters.

Taking down Bahlokdaan felt pretty fun mechanically. Kaalgrontiid acts like a massive shithead, right on schedule. His entire personality revolves around shouting about his own greatness. Realizing my genuine love for the gameplay clashed directly with my visceral reaction to the dragons felt strange. Every time one appeared on-screen, a cringe washed over me. I’ve apparently developed a deep hatred for these specific mythical creatures.

Going into stealth mode to burn the siege weapons in Rimmen provided a nice distraction from the flying reptiles. Sneaking around enemy camps always gets my adrenaline pumping until an annoying alchemist decided he didn’t want to walk away from his post. Killing him seemed like the only logical option available at that point, right? That single action triggered a massive brawl resulting in Ember and me fighting off ten angry guards at once.

Elsweyr offers much more than just giant lizards screaming at you. The story packs in strong character development, emotional hooks, political intrigue, massive battles, and dark necromancy. Fighting Euraxia Tharn in the courtyard was a very enjoyable combat puzzle. Taking down Zumog Phoom also delivered a lot of fun mechanics. To be honest, the dragons took up minimal screen time overall. The real plot focused on liberating the Khajiit people from a tyrannical necromancer queen.

ESO Elsweyr Necromancer: Raising the Dead

Playing an ESO Elsweyr Necromancer changes the way you interact with Tamriel. The is feels surprisingly fluid and mixes dark magic with martial prowess. Flinging flaming skulls and summoning skeletal mages is a fun loop. The developers also tied the class directly into the game’s justice system. If you cast specific criminal acts like raising the dead inside a town, nearby guards will immediately flag it as a crime and attack. It adds a wonderful layer of roleplay consequence to your spellcasting.

Facing off against enemy necromancers in the wild changes the combat dynamic entirely. Cultists will actively use the bodies of their fallen allies to fuel their own dark magic or summon reinforcements. Focusing down the casters before they recycle the battlefield becomes your top priority. You must watch the corpses constantly to prevent them from overwhelming your group.

Breathtaking Visuals and Unforgettable Audio

Mulaamnir actually provided a pretty engaging boss fight but the mechanics grew a bit repetitive after the first phase ended. Hearing him act like a stereotypical condescending villain calling us vermin triggered my desire to end him so taking him down felt very satisfying. Running through the Moon Gate of Anequina with all the flames and rocks falling everywhere delivered a fantastic cinematic experience.

Graphics and visuals look as great as they do in any of the previous expansions, and calling it the most beautifully stunning MMO out there feels completely justified. If you turn on advanced Global Illumination it pushes the engine to new heights. I would say that cranking all your settings up is well worth it if your computer can handle the load. Rimmen is a breathtaking architectural achievement. Exploring its streets quickly made it one of my favorite areas in the entire game. Khajiit architecture utilizes intricate stonework perfectly.

The audio design deserves special recognition. The music is truly phenomenal. Riding my mount through Scar’s End forced me to stop moving because pulling up Google to find the composer became an necessity. The sweeping strings gave me a very strong sense of Michael Giacchino and the tracks reminded me a lot of the Oceanic Six theme from the television show Lost. Brad Derrick actually composed the score. But riding through massive desert zones with amazing music blasting remains one of my favorite things to do in an MMO.

Final Verdict on Elsweyr

Elsweyr proved to be a fairly good expansion overall. The game really kept me hooked from start to finish though my fatigue with dragons is obvious but the story still delivered an engaging ride. The music hit such a peak level that future updates will struggle to beat it. Tamriel continues to surprise me at every turn. It gets a solid 4/5 from me on this one.

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About the Author: Jess

Jess is a gamer, writer, hobbyist developer, and virtual world business owner. She has built a brand based in gaming and virtual worlds over the past 5 years.

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