Cold Day In Hell: Elder Scrolls Online's Evil Oblivion Plane
[This Elder Scrolls Online post/travel brochure brought to you by Got Your Soul Industries, a subsidiary of Molag Bal, the daedric trickster god.]
COME TO PLEASANTLY BREEZY COLDHARBOUR. Bring your kids! Bring your significant other! Bring your brittle, tenuously tethered soul... wimsuit! Bring your swimsuit. Yes. You thought Skyrim was Tamriel's number one destination for snow-coated outdoor fun? YOU THOUGHT WRONG AND YOUR LIFE IS FORFEIT. Um, we mean, clearly you haven't traveled to other planes of existence. You should be more adventurous. Plus, for you native Morrowindians, our trees are all snaky and weird, and you're in no very little danger of being shouted off a cliff by some crazed dragon hunter. So come join us in Coldharbour, whether you want to ski, snowboard, or have front row seats for the coming End Of Days. We promise, we don't bite. (Disclaimer: except for Xzanlthor'phlaranx, Dreugh lord of a thousand pointy mouths. He has been known to bite occasionally.)
So yes, Coldharbour is Elder Scrolls Online central villain Molag Bal's lair of general unpleasantness, and he wants to drop it on top of Tamriel and devour all the pancake-flat souls that squirm out from underneath because he's a bit mean.
I recently had the chance to go hands-on with TESO and interview its developers at Zenimax Online, and I came away fairly concerned. While it contains some excellent tweaks and additions to the traditional fantasy MMO formula, I'd have hardly known I was playing an Elder Scrolls game if someone hadn't already told me. That said, a first-person mode and truly sanbox-y elements are on the way, so the series' trademark flavor may yet emerge from this confused cauldron.
A closed beta for the game is running right now, and you can sign up for a chance to join in over on the official website. TESO might not be quite what everyone was hoping for just yet, but are you still interested?