Blackwood’s new extension has been used on the test server of The Elder Scrolls Online for nearly a week. Alexander Leitsch, the editor of Esoguides, has performed extensively here and is very satisfied with Blackwood. Only long sidewalks and empty places thorns beside him. What is BLACKWOOD? The new extended version of MMORPG ESO will be released on PC on June 1, 2021, and will be released on PlayStation and Xbox consoles a week later (June 8). However, if needed, you can try out the new content immediately on the test server. Blackwood entered the realm of The Elder Scrolls IV: Forgotten and mentioned it in the story. In the story, you will meet Mehrunes Dagon, Prince Daedra in a single-player game.

In addition to the story and the new Dark Forest area, Blackwood also provides some new features, including:
Support your companions, NPCs in battle
New trial version for 12 players
New World Events
Unique antiques launched by Greymoor
The revised tutorial aims to teach the basics, where you can decide which chapters to start.
I played Blackwood in the press conference beforehand, and now I have also played it on the test server. I was pleasantly surprised. In general, I wouldn’t say I like new extensions that are better than Greymoor in 2020, although not all test servers will go smoothly.
I want to emphasize this story, but don’t spoil it too much.
BLACKWOOD has kept me in the dark for a long time. That’s a good thing
What is Blackwood about? The new extension is mysterious. The prologue that can be played is about Mehrunes Dagon, Prince Daedra, and his followers. They tried to find some letters from the emperor and use them for their purposes. Because the Longhouse Emperor and Prince Dadra once allied and are now threatening the world of Nin.
I encountered the emperor’s secret plan and letters in a hidden place, which attracted my attention to this agreement. The pictures were put together one by one, but the person who could help me solve the problem was quickly murdered. And this murder is just the beginning.
The story of Blackwood is a mysterious story of a murder, especially at the beginning. It even led me to the wrong path many times. The longer the deck plays, the closer you are to the result. But at first, it was not clear who was good and who was terrible.
We are accompanied by Lyranth, which is the Daedra that we have already discussed in the ESO basic story. She behaves as arrogant and arrogant as we were accustomed to her. The second character closely intertwined with the story is Eveli Scharfpfeil (Eveli Scharfpfeil). The Wood Elf is already part of the events surrounding DLC ​​Orsinium and is a bit overly enthusiastic and excited.
What makes the story better than Greymoor? In Greymoor, I found the whole story to be very predictable. From the beginning, everything boiled down to a showdown against the vampire boss. The transition between the expanded main deck and the upcoming DLC ​​is fascinating.

In Blackwood, it looks a bit different:
I was surprised by this story time and time again, and for a long time, it was still unclear what the whole thing was going on.
Even though they basically want to live in peace with each other, and most importantly, want to survive in the area, there are exciting competitions between the Argonian and the Empire in the area. This makes some of the side tasks in the Dark Forest interesting, some of which are even my favorite content throughout the expansion.
The main story of Blackwood also ends with a cliffhanger, which has made me very curious about the sequel. It comes with two DLCs for Q3 and Q4 of 2021.

The dark forest has everything you need for a good area
What is the structure of the new location? The dark forest is located between Elsweyr (east) and Shadowfen (northwest) in the north. In terms of scale, it is comparable to Elsweyr in the north and is divided into two biomes:
The idyllic hills and forests are reminiscent of Cyrodiil content
On the other hand, in the south, the swamp area dominates
In addition, there are abandoned ruins and ancient argon temples throughout the dark forest. I can gradually explore them in stories and side missions.
Visually, due to the different biomes and colors, the dark forest looks beautiful and provides surprising verticality in the form of hills, mountains, and bridges, which cause no disturbance in the slightest. Besides, everything seems mysterious in the swamp, which fits the story and the admirers very well.
However, the new area cannot fully keep up with Greymoor’s impressive black range. However, I always find the changes between Western Skyrim and Greymoor’s Black Reach a bit tired. The dark forest map that is connected now is more attractive to me.
This is what the new city offers: in the dark forest, you can explore two new cities, and the veterans of TES IV should immediately look familiar:
Lagavulin was only able to regain his independence after being occupied in the Three Banners War. The city is beautiful, but it is the tensest place between the Argonians and the imperialists. Your adventure in Blackwood starts here.
On the other hand, Gideon is an Argonian city, a little smaller than Leyawiin.
These two cities have something in common, which I appreciate: they are built on a logical and straightforward basis. Markath is the initial letter of the DLC of the same name, which is a bit confusing due to its verticality and poor structure. Therefore, if you can’t find a way to get there, you will love Riyavín and Gideon.

The dead place is a bright spot.
Although Greymoor offers mourning storms as a special event in the open world, Blackwood’s focus is on the gates of oblivion. However, unlike previous world events, they are no longer displayed on the map. Therefore, I must actively look for them.
But they presented a better challenge, took me to a visually appealing place, and even prepared an influential trophy.
How are world events organized? These portals appear randomly in the world, along with some believers. After defeating some of the minions of Mehrunes Dagon, I can walk through the doorway and explore the land of the dead.
There, I traveled from island to island and fought against Daedra Lord’s followers and even small bosses. This is a challenge for players who don’t have good equipment. My companion died there several times. Sport plays an essential role in many battles because you must avoid red squares on the ground.
Finally, good trophies are waiting for me, including some parts of the new suit. I like more exciting and colorful content than Greymoor.
New daily and weekly tasks for frequent players: Blackwood’s new tasks are daily and weekly lessons. Through these tasks, you can get the new currency seal of desire.
These missions can restore old content or allow you to perform interesting tasks such as pickpocketing or certain weapons and skills that must be used in battle. A significant side effect is that you can use it to earn items in official crates. Otherwise, you will have to pay for them in the store.
You can find more information about the new missions here: ESO introduces new tasks that you can use to earn store items.

Blackwood’s take: large and empty slender area

What’s wrong with BLACKWOOD? The area is beautiful, the story is interesting, and the Forgotten Door portal is fascinating. But all three points struggle with one problem: the large and sometimes empty areas of the dark forest.
When performing tasks, I have to cover many running paths in an area with relatively few teleport points time and time again. Many participants in the ESO Forum also criticized this aspect. The request for more shrines has been expressed here, especially since 2 of these 8 points are next to each other.
But it is not only the transfer point that is a problem. If I want to search the Oblivion portal actively, I usually stay in the area for 15 minutes or more without a direct destination. Since the gate was not shown on the map, it happened to require some luck.
You will also notice how empty the dark forest is currently. The developers have already said that Blackwood will still make fine-tuning after all. This is a report from the test server-but it remains to be seen whether this problem can be resolved entirely.

Companion, trial, and new mythical equipment
What are the characteristics of BLACKWOOD? In addition to the story’s content and the new area, the further expansion also allows the companions to play a role. They replace the main new features of the development, such as Elsweyr’s new necromancer or Greymoor’s antique.
Companions are NPC partners, and you can unlock them through quests and then summon them at any time. They count as team members and can be used anywhere, including in dungeons or trials. The only exceptions are PvP content and separate dungeons.
What are the team players? The new trial will be particularly interesting for team players. Felshain is designed for 12 players, where you will find three bosses, each with its difficulty mode. If you have completed all the tests, you will also get a new equipment kit and unique mounts.
What about the new equipment? With Blackwood, ten new episodes come into play. We reveal in this article their exact value and how to get them: ESO got ten new armor sets together with Blackwood-this is what they have to provide

ESO is finally getting better
The last feature I tried in the comments is the new tutorial. Blackwood has completely redesigned it. Therefore, I wake up in a new cell and decide which weapon to use in the first battle.
Then, I can learn about the battle with the opponent and repeat the competition as many times as necessary to practice mechanisms such as blockade, release, or heavy blow.
At the end of this tutorial, there is a significant innovation: I can choose the activities I want to experience, including basic games or various extensions. At the same time, NPC gave me an overview of Tamriel’s general history. This is a significant advantage compared to the old tutorial. In the old tutorial, you can only go to the starting area or Greymoor.