August in Morrowind will see the release of both Update 15 and the Horns of the Reach DLC game pack for The Elder Scrolls Online. Battlegrounds players will get to check out new game modes and maps as part of the release, and we have the details here!
One of the new Battlegrounds game modes coming in with the update and DLC as part of the regular Grab Bag lineup is Chaosball – The Elder Scrolls version of a mashup between Capture the Flag and Hot Potato. The goal is to capture the “ball” and hold on to it as long as you can – the longer you can hold it, the more points you’ll collect for your team. Whichever team scores 500 points first or has the most points overall when the timer runs out, takes the match. But Elder Scrolls players will know that nothing in Morrowind is quite that simple. If the other team is trying to steal the ball from you, the ball itself will actually cause damage to you and whatever teammates are nearby – after it debuffs your healing and shield. Getting the ball means you’ve got it until the end of the match, or your life, whichever comes first, as you can’t pass it to other players or drop it. So if you’ve got a savvy defense game, now is the time to use it.
Update 15 will also be bringing in a new map in the Grab Bag, the Arcane University. Once a proud institution of learning in Cyrodil is now a dilapidated ruin, decimated by previous occupation. Fight in the shadow of the White-Gold Tower looming in the background, the crumbling infrastructure bringing combatants close together for urban-based close combat. Since the university map is a bit larger than the original maps, and also features multiple levels and stairs, a series of portals, like those in Ularra, is found all around the building. While the portals will only take you to the upper level, they can still help players navigate, escape, or ambush the enemy team from above. If you have the Sorcerer’s Bolt Escape ability, you can utilize it in certain areas to take you quickly to other parts of the map to escape your enemies. But those portals aren’t exactly friendly – a side-effect is they can turn you into a bomb.
If the portal is glowing blue, passage through is safe, but if it glows red when a player uses it, they’ll receive the “Mark of the Worm,” and explode after a short time, causing tremendous radial damage to friend and foe alike. But if you’re savvy, you can use this damage to your advantage, especially if you or one of your teammates is about to be overwhelmed or overtaken while trying to achieve the match goal. If you can use the Alliance War Proximity Detonation ability, you can go Michael Bay status and create even bigger explosions!
However you want to strategize, you’ll have to wait until later this month for the Horns of the Reach DLC and Update 15. Just remember, you have to at least own Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind to participate in Battlegrounds. Follow EOS on Twitter @TESOnline and Facebook for more updates!
