Imagining New Chapter and DLC Zone Ideas

FatnissEverdeen1 · July 2022

The point of this forum is to simply fantasize about the locations and themes we could see in future chapters & DLCs.

Disclaimer: This would be an ideal year-long adventure for me, so the following ideas are public domain.

TLDR
Chapter Location: Winterhold & The Pale
Q4 DLC Location: Solstheim
Main Selling Points: A Reimagined Winterhold, College of Winterhold, Snow Elves, Hermaeus Mora, Dwarves, Dragon Cult

I've detailed some of my thoughts about below. Please share your thoughts about my idea and your own chapter/zone/year-long adventure ideas!

1. Why would the College of Winterhold, Snow Elves, Hermaeus Mora, and Dwarves make an appealing year-long adventure?
Those who've played TES 5 remember Winterhold for what it could have been, and many fans would love to see it magically reimagined! Ever since TES V: Skyrim, the fans' fascination with the Snow Elves has been insatiable; however, for lore reasons, Snow Elf content cannot be abundant. Nonetheless, Saarthal, Irkngthand, and Solsheim are particularly significant for the Snow Elves; Saarthal represents the beginning of the end for the Snow Elves, Irkngthand contains one of the few Snow Elf ruins, and Solstheim is where the Snow Prince made a last stand for the race's survival. While there is so much mystery surrounding the Snow Elves, a quest beginning at the College of Winterhold, and later features Dwarven ruins and Hermaeus Mora, may provide a fantastical, arcane adventure that reveals just some insight into the lost Snow Elf civilization.

2. How can all these elements come together to make a compelling year-long adventure?
Let ZOS's loremaster give us the juicy details! I'll humbly provide a little context. Through TES V: Skyrim, we learned that Snow Elves, Hermaeus Mora, and Dwarves are all contextually relevant themes in both Winterhold/The Pale & Solstheim, and Hermaeus Mora, the Dwarves, and the College of Winterhold are all knowledge seeking entities by nature. To ease us into our adventure, we may encounter familiar faces, such as Shalidor, Valessea, Old Mjolen, and/or Valsirenn in connection with the College of Winterhold. Perhaps, in order to comprehend Hermaeus Mora's plans, we will need to uncover a lost Snow Elf legend. We may even encounter a never-before-seen Snow Elf Ruin. Also, Ahzidal and Miraak are relevant to Winterhold/Solstheim/Hermaeus Mora themes, so either could make a decent villainous cult adversary. Alternatively, they could play a tangential role in the story; not unlike the Dreadsail Pirates in High Isle. Either way they could make a fun trial theme.

Chapter Zone Hub
We know that ESO takes place before the Great Collapse of Winterhold, so just imagine how amazing Winterhold could be! The UESP states "For the longest time, Winterhold served as the capital of Skyrim, one with a rich and illustrious history, and even in its prime, it rivaled Solitude to the west" https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Winterhold_(city). This would legitimately be one of the most interesting zone hubs, especially since the Devs could have tons of creative freedom.

Overall Winterhold/The Pale Zone Environment
Winter pine forests, glaciers, rocky coastlines, icebergs, ancient ruins, a winter wonderland.

Chapter's Notable Locations
1. College of Winterhold
2. Saarthal
3. Irkngthand
4. Ysgramor's Tomb
5. Alftand (and the other half of TES V's Blackreach)
6. Dawnstar
7. Shrine of Azura (It would be small in the 2E)

Potential Characters
1. *Maybe a brand new Snow Elf character (Main Story - Hidden Snow Elf Ruin)
2. Shalidor (College of Winterhold)
3. Valessea (College of Winterhold)
4. Valsirenn (College of Winterhold)
5. Old Mjolen (Solstheim)
6. Neramo (A Dwarven Ruin)
7. Kireth & Raynor (A Dwarven Ruin)
8. Rigurt (Somewhere he can commit diplomacy)
9. Ravenwatch Clan Member(s) (Dawnstar. Verandis dreamwalking again, might be a nice easter egg)
10. Heiruna the Merciless (Dragon Cult Hideout)
11. Aspera Giant-Friend (Solstheim - something sea giant or frost giant related)
12. Captain Tsuzo (Winterhold or Raven Rock)
13. Elam Drals (DB Sanctuary)
14. Seryn (Shrine of Azura)

Potential Motifs, Style Pages, and/or Costume Brainstorm
1. College Adept - Chapter Delve Daily Motif
2. Winterhold Warrior - Chapter WB Daily Motif
3. Ancestral Snow Elf - Chapter Antiquities Motif
4. Abyss Dragon/Miraak Cult (Maybe Kraken/Hermaeus Mora double-meaning tentacle design theme) - Trial Motif
5. Ghost Sea Pirate - DLC Delve Daily Motif
6. Skaal Hunter (different Nord totem animal themes) - DLC WB Daily Motif
7. Ancestral Atmoran - DLC Antiquities Motif
8. Werebear Berserker - Style Page
9. Riekling Chieftan - Style Page
10. Whiteout Assassin (Dawnstar DB Sanctuary themed) - Style Page
11. Dream Walker's Garb - Style Page
12. Archmage's Robes Atmoran - Costume
13. Snow Elf Paladin (replica of Gelebor's/Vythur's armor in Skyrim) - Style Pages (for mix & match with Ancestral Snow Elf)
14. Auri'el's Bow - Artifact

Michae · July 2022

I higly doubt Winterhold will be the new chapter, as we had a Skyrim chapter two years ago. There still hasn't been a Redguard or Bosmer themed chapters, bah, Bosmer didn't even get a dlc. So my bets are on those, and if not then I think Dark Elves will have another go since their chapter is the furthest in time from now, and there's a whole Telvanni peninsula to explore in Morrownid.

Tyrion87 · July 2022

Michae wrote: »

I higly doubt Winterhold will be the new chapter, as we had a Skyrim chapter two years ago. There still hasn't been a Redguard or Bosmer themed chapters, bah, Bosmer didn't even get a dlc. So my bets are on those, and if not then I think Dark Elves will have another go since their chapter is the furthest in time from now, and there's a whole Telvanni peninsula to explore in Morrownid.

Personally I consider Craglorn as the Redguard expansion since it's not one of the 15 vanilla zones, it's a neutral one, filled with trials and very comparable to Wrothgar in terms of zone being big but not being a chapter.

That's why I'd love to see Bosmer themed chapter. After High Isle we already know ZOS can squeeze a chapter out of a very little area (Falinesti... I'm looking at you).

Michae · July 2022

Tyrion87 wrote: »

Michae wrote: »

I higly doubt Winterhold will be the new chapter, as we had a Skyrim chapter two years ago. There still hasn't been a Redguard or Bosmer themed chapters, bah, Bosmer didn't even get a dlc. So my bets are on those, and if not then I think Dark Elves will have another go since their chapter is the furthest in time from now, and there's a whole Telvanni peninsula to explore in Morrownid.

Personally I consider Craglorn as the Redguard expansion since it's not one of the 15 vanilla zones, it's a neutral one, filled with trials and very comparable to Wrothgar in terms of zone being big but not being a chapter.

That's why I'd love to see Bosmer themed chapter. After High Isle we already know ZOS can squeeze a chapter out of a very little area (Falinesti... I'm looking at you).

Oh right, I forgot about Craglorn. So it's official. Only Bosmer didn't get any dlc/chapter love so far.

TheGreatBlackBear · July 2022

I'd love a Bosmer chapter. That might be the only way we get a refresh on Bosmer furniture and get a Bosmer house that mostly empty space. a Moamer chapter with playable Maomer race would be my dream though.

NotaDaedraWorshipper · July 2022

Michae wrote: »

I higly doubt Winterhold will be the new chapter, as we had a Skyrim chapter two years ago. There still hasn't been a Redguard or Bosmer themed chapters, bah, Bosmer didn't even get a dlc. So my bets are on those, and if not then I think Dark Elves will have another go since their chapter is the furthest in time from now, and there's a whole Telvanni peninsula to explore in Morrownid.

Agreed. Bosmer and Redguards are the ones without any dlc now. Technically Thieves Guild and Craglorn is somewhat Redguard themed, but the former is more about the Thieves Guild than Redguards or Hew's Bane, and Craglorn is more about celestials and nedes than Redguards.

But Bosmer got the shortest stick at the moment imo. Like Bretons they actually suffer from having all of Valenwood done in base game instead of it giving them a lot.

Telvanni peninsula is also possible, or Thornmarsh, which would give both Dunmer and Argonian content along with the cities Tear and Thorn.

Just anything besides more Skyrim.

SerafinaWaterstar · July 2022

Please. No more rehashes of previous games.

Much as I liked Skyrim, there are others parts of Tamriel to explore.

Lannharr · July 2022

Less repetition and recycled content.

FatnissEverdeen1 · July 2022

To clarify, I agree that Wood Elf and Redguard themed chapters are on the horizon and deserve priority. Additionally, locations, such as Skingrad and the Telvanni Peninsula have been clearly hinted at.

Also, let's not forget that ZOS usually starts creating chapter expansions at least 1 - 2 years in advance, so a Winterhold expansion probably wouldn't be seen until, at the very least, 2025.

That being said, keep sharing ideas about where in Tamriel you'd like to see our adventures go!

Carcamongus · July 2022

Falinesti trapped in a Daedric realm. Bam, that's how devs can introduce more Bosmer content without adding new territory to the map, as they did with High Isle.

Drammanoth · July 2022

FatnissEverdeen1 wrote: »

Chapter Location: Winterhold & The Pale
Q4 DLC Location: Solstheim
Main Selling Points: A Reimagined Winterhold, College of Winterhold, Snow Elves, Hermaeus Mora, Dwarves, Dragon Cult

with everything that you wrote - to that I say YES, a thousand times YES!

Aetherderius · July 2022

ZOS. Hire FatnissEverdeen1. Use this idea somewhere down the line.

This rocks.

Ratzkifal · July 2022

FatnissEverdeen1 wrote: »

The point of this forum is to simply fantasize about the locations and themes we could see in future chapters & DLCs.

Disclaimer: This would be an ideal year-long adventure for me, so the following ideas are public domain.

TLDR
Chapter Location: Winterhold & The Pale
Q4 DLC Location: Solstheim
Main Selling Points: A Reimagined Winterhold, College of Winterhold, Snow Elves, Hermaeus Mora, Dwarves, Dragon Cult

I've detailed some of my thoughts about below. Please share your thoughts about my idea and your own chapter/zone/year-long adventure ideas!

1. Why would the College of Winterhold, Snow Elves, Hermaeus Mora, and Dwarves make an appealing year-long adventure?
Those who've played TES 5 remember Winterhold for what it could have been, and many fans would love to see it magically reimagined! Ever since TES V: Skyrim, the fans' fascination with the Snow Elves has been insatiable; however, for lore reasons, Snow Elf content cannot be abundant. Nonetheless, Saarthal, Irkngthand, and Solsheim are particularly significant for the Snow Elves; Saarthal represents the beginning of the end for the Snow Elves, Irkngthand contains one of the few Snow Elf ruins, and Solstheim is where the Snow Prince made a last stand for the race's survival. While there is so much mystery surrounding the Snow Elves, a quest beginning at the College of Winterhold, and later features Dwarven ruins and Hermaeus Mora, may provide a fantastical, arcane adventure that reveals just some insight into the lost Snow Elf civilization.

2. How can all these elements come together to make a compelling year-long adventure?
Let ZOS's loremaster give us the juicy details! I'll humbly provide a little context. Through TES V: Skyrim, we learned that Snow Elves, Hermaeus Mora, and Dwarves are all contextually relevant themes in both Winterhold/The Pale & Solstheim, and Hermaeus Mora, the Dwarves, and the College of Winterhold are all knowledge seeking entities by nature. To ease us into our adventure, we may encounter familiar faces, such as Shalidor, Valessea, Old Mjolen, and/or Valsirenn in connection with the College of Winterhold. Perhaps, in order to comprehend Hermaeus Mora's plans, we will need to uncover a lost Snow Elf legend. We may even encounter a never-before-seen Snow Elf Ruin. Also, Ahzidal and Miraak are relevant to Winterhold/Solstheim/Hermaeus Mora themes, so either could make a decent villainous cult adversary. Alternatively, they could play a tangential role in the story; not unlike the Dreadsail Pirates in High Isle. Either way they could make a fun trial theme.

Chapter Zone Hub
We know that ESO takes place before the Great Collapse of Winterhold, so just imagine how amazing Winterhold could be! The UESP states "For the longest time, Winterhold served as the capital of Skyrim, one with a rich and illustrious history, and even in its prime, it rivaled Solitude to the west" https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Winterhold_(city). This would legitimately be one of the most interesting zone hubs, especially since the Devs could have tons of creative freedom.

Overall Winterhold/The Pale Zone Environment
Winter pine forests, glaciers, rocky coastlines, icebergs, ancient ruins, a winter wonderland.

Chapter's Notable Locations
1. College of Winterhold
2. Saarthal
3. Irkngthand
4. Ysgramor's Tomb
5. Alftand (and the other half of TES V's Blackreach)
6. Dawnstar
7. Shrine of Azura (It would be small in the 2E)

Potential Characters
1. *Maybe a brand new Snow Elf character (Main Story - Hidden Snow Elf Ruin)
2. Shalidor (College of Winterhold)
3. Valessea (College of Winterhold)
4. Valsirenn (College of Winterhold)
5. Old Mjolen (Solstheim)
6. Neramo (A Dwarven Ruin)
7. Kireth & Raynor (A Dwarven Ruin)
8. Rigurt (Somewhere he can commit diplomacy)
9. Ravenwatch Clan Member(s) (Dawnstar. Verandis dreamwalking again, might be a nice easter egg)
10. Heiruna the Merciless (Dragon Cult Hideout)
11. Aspera Giant-Friend (Solstheim - something sea giant or frost giant related)
12. Captain Tsuzo (Winterhold or Raven Rock)
13. Elam Drals (DB Sanctuary)
14. Seryn (Shrine of Azura)

Potential Motifs, Style Pages, and/or Costume Brainstorm
1. College Adept - Chapter Delve Daily Motif
2. Winterhold Warrior - Chapter WB Daily Motif
3. Ancestral Snow Elf - Chapter Antiquities Motif
4. Abyss Dragon/Miraak Cult (Maybe Kraken/Hermaeus Mora double-meaning tentacle design theme) - Trial Motif
5. Ghost Sea Pirate - DLC Delve Daily Motif
6. Skaal Hunter (different Nord totem animal themes) - DLC WB Daily Motif
7. Ancestral Atmoran - DLC Antiquities Motif
8. Werebear Berserker - Style Page
9. Riekling Chieftan - Style Page
10. Whiteout Assassin (Dawnstar DB Sanctuary themed) - Style Page
11. Dream Walker's Garb - Style Page
12. Archmage's Robes Atmoran - Costume
13. Snow Elf Paladin (replica of Gelebor's/Vythur's armor in Skyrim) - Style Pages (for mix & match with Ancestral Snow Elf)
14. Auri'el's Bow - Artifact

When I started reading I was expecting you have us meet living Dwemer and Snow Elves. Glad that's not the case. Only correction I have for you is the Azura shrine being there. That was built by the Dunmer refugees in the 4th era, according to Aranea's dialogue, so it shouldn't be here and so we wouldn't be meeting with Seryn. Not sure if I want Miraak to have anything to do with anything, but some nods to him would be cool, like an inscription somewhere telling us about some happenings in the past involving "some unknown dragonpriest" but we the players all know that could only be Miraak. Ahzidal on the other hand could be more important because we haven't seen much of him and his ties with the snow elves are undeniable.

Great post. I like it. Any interesting Antiquities we can dig up? Where would our player houses be located? I'd like a room in the college instead of an inn room this time - you know, for nostalgia reasons. Also I think having a trial be inside a Black Book could be cool because I doubt we'll be able to get much Apocrypha otherwise - it's just not a chapter friendly place.

Tommy_The_Gun · July 2022

Idea for a potential selling point of the chapter:
"Ocean's depths" - the entire zone will be unlike anything else because... it will be under water zone, where you can fly swim in any direction. I know we can not have under water content in all zones from technical reason, but in one new zone that can be built from the ground up with that in mind ? It could work. Imagine the potential for vertical zone design or world bosses. We could have other regular zone that will be "an entrance" and if you enter - you have loading screen & you are in new under water zone. Also the whole "breathing under water thing" - can be explained in a very simple way. Like receiving a magickal amulet / memento that allows the user to breathe under water - just like you could do in TES III Morrowind.

merpins · July 2022

Tommy_The_Gun wrote: »

Idea for a potential selling point of the chapter:
"Ocean's depths" - the entire zone will be unlike anything else because... it will be under water zone, where you can fly swim in any direction.

The engine might be able to support it to some extent, but the combat and animations for combat are not designed for it, and hair/cloth physics are not designed for that either. It would look extremely derpy, and last gen consoles wouldn't be able to handle everything in the game getting new animations just to facilitate a new zone. Best bet would be some new lore bit about an underwater city that is in a dome that shields it from water or something, possibly similar to somewhere between bioshock 1 and the movie bio-dome. It would be ostensibly underwater, but the gameplay would not be. But I'd doubt that too.

Rather than fleshing out a place that doesn't exist in lore (or does exist but isn't pertinent to filling out the map), I'd like to see them fill out the map more. This year's main DLC didn't fill out the map at all yet, it just gave us a tiny island and put it under a microscope to justify doing a Breton year. I get why they wanted a Breton year, but they could justify it with the war rather than making up lore for a place that was only ever offhandedly mentioned in one bethesda game that no one liked. Buuut if they did choose a spot on the map, like somewhere South or North of Craglorn and brought back in King Emeric and made it about the war, then the card game wouldn't have had much of a place in the story of the area and the idea behind releasing the zone in the first place would have gone away (the real reason they did the island).

My main want for this is due to a statement ZoS made a long time ago: they will NOT consider updating old content and adding new content to old zones until the map of Tamriel is filled out. And I, more than anything, want to see them revitalize old content. New content is nice. But the oldest content is stale.

Supreme_Atromancer · July 2022

Once races have had their own "deep dive", I think that multi-province zones add the possibility of putting interesting spin on things.

For instance, I can't wait to get to explore Colovia. Because we've already seen a fair bit of Imperial content, it would be really interesting if the next zone to feature them contained parts of another province. If we got Southern Colovia (including Skingrad), a Craglorn-sized zone could, for instance, span the Hammerfell border and allow us to visit the hinterlands of Rihad. If the community is right that ZOS doesn't want to touch too much of Hammerfell because its a canvas that Bethesda may want fresh for ES6, it could serve as a spacially-limited "teaser", while also allowing ZOS to finally offer us a taste of the really cool Redguard content we've been waiting for, for years now. And if ZOS were to stick to their newer localised, down-to-earth threat scale, conflict between the two people could drive a very compelling story. And wishful thinking, it could even involve a plot you could have some agency in, by choosing which faction you could fight for. But honestly, I'd just love to finally see Skingrad.

We have some elements describing the situation in Taneth, and a 4th quarter for such a chapter could include a foray to explore that city. Alternatively, a zone stretching north of Colovia/Gold Coast into eastern Hammerfell would be really cool because it would connect AD lands to DC lands, allowing more exploration.

Another chapter could centre on the Sea of Ghosts. Although we may never get to Atmora based on Rich Lambert's comments, such a zone could at least offer us a taste of that sort of lore and theme. We haven't seen Dawnstar, nor the Pale yet, and its conceivable they could be part of a zone that also features old, pre-collapse Winterhold. I honestly think this would be an amazing opportunity for ZOS to get to do something "new and different", whilst still sitting within the framework of TES lore, and giving the community something there's been some demand for since 2011. The Sea of Ghosts' maritime theme could bring the opportunity to bring the East Empire Trading Company in as a great "localised-stakes" antagonist, but also the Sea itself could offer all sorts of previously unexplored lore, history, danger and exploration.

But my greatest wish for such a chapter would be the possibility of seeing Jehanna feature as a q4 explorable region. I think it would gel because although its a Breton city, it has both Nordic history and potential contemporary Nordic "interests" that could make it interesting and different from the Breton angle we've had recently. It would also be an amazing opportunity to finally get to explore the Direnni story, as this part of the world includes areas considered longest-held by that people. Alternatively, for something very different, Blacklight, and the Velothi Highlands as a q4 could tell a very different story.

I'm amongst those who would love to see Whiterun Hold. Depending on the scale, it could include not only the Hold's tundra ecosystem, but encompass the Pine Forests of Falkreath Hold (the namesake of which we only got to see the town of). If we got the latter, I'd honestly love to see ZOS take a new perspective on Falkreath and capitalise on the lore describing its Colovian backgrounds and connections. Perhaps Helgen and the Pale Pass could feature as important places, or, given its proximity to Craglorn and Elinhir, we could explore its forgotten Nedic secrets for the first time ever.

For a related fourth quarter could, just for something completely different, feature the orcs, and be centred around Cracked Tusk Keep, Bilegulch Mine, and/or include significant under-mountain parts of the map. And while zones that connect zones are everyone's favourite, I love the idea of the current under-zones being similarly connected. Such a zone might offer this possibility with parts of Blackreach.

Special mentions include Falinesti in Oblivion, perhaps Apocrypha, the Fields of Regret (which we got a taste of in Summerset chapter) or Shivering Isles. I love the idea that Falinesti was "traded" essentially due to a really bad deal. Early on, the developers said that Falinesti was to be left for Bethesda, but the same was said of Dragons and we got those.

TmzOS · July 2022

I'd like to see your idea running! I find Winterhold in TES:V terrible since it is destroyed, could be nice to see everything up. I also developed a crazy idea for a new year.. but with different things... we can dream, right? Sorry for english fails (since I'm not a native speaker)... also using your pattern:

ESO: Dwemer Inquisition

Chapter: Blacklight ("Northwestern Morrowind"), including 3 new dungeons of 6 players (All big Dwemer ruins. One in Eastmarch, one in Alik'r Desert and one in "Northwestern Morrowind") and a new trial.
Q4 DLC: Sandstorm (Southern Hammerfell)
Main Selling Points: Filling gaps of Tamriel map bringing new zones and connections. Splitting the content only to two DLCs; reducing the dungeon counter all new zones can be more filled with quests and interesting things (and the devs need a time to retouch all Dwemer ruins too). Added new dynamic events called "Dwemer Invasions" that occurs on Skyrim, Hammerfell and Morrowind; Dwemer invasions are much like the small encounters we can see in the game, but with giga drills spilling automatons. You will travel to some AD zones too, since someone decided to put more heat in the war.

Background and development (chapter):
A terrifying sound could be heard on north and west of Tamriel, suddenly all Dwemer automatons go berserk. After starting the main questline of the chapter, all Dwemer monsters inside overland ruins are now buffed (all stats +50%).

Many Dwemer scholars, powerful mages and even faction leaders decided to unite and find a way to fight the crazy mechanical offensive, the initiative is called "Dwemeris Spark". This organization tries to counter the Dwemer machines, supported by the Daggerfall Covenant and Ebonheart Pact while the Aldmeri Dominion tries to take advantage of this (but not exactly by Queen Ayrenn orders, which brings a new internal drama for the Dominion.. thanks to uncle Sheo).

After the initial quests, you are introduced to a new skill line called "Tonal Arbiter", now you can use some nice things like summoning and controlling automatons, a PBAoE stun (double duration vs machines), use the Dwemer Crossbow (a heavy hitting ultimate that works similar to Sorcerer Overload) and allowed to read some extra information from objects in many Dwemer ruins. To level up this skill line you need to kill Dwemer automatons (much like Fighter's Guild skills).

Besides general investigation/development quests, you need to travel to all base game and the chapter Dwemer ruins to reduce their numbers. Divayth Fyr decides to extract something from Hermaeus Mora, both accepting to "trade" favors.

At the end of the chapter you gain the option to toggle the extra overland Dwemer difficulty.

Background and development (Q4 DLC):
After the events of Blacklight, a gigantic Dwemer structure appears near Rihad (Southern Hammerfell), with extra giant automatons (like the dragon events of Elsweyr, but super giga automatons, tough enough to hold the damage of 50 players easily.. slow but with powerful AoE effects). Divayth Fyr comes to the Dwemeris Spark local base to bring the truth about this strange outcome and how to fight (thanks to Hermaeus Mora, maybe). With giant automatons wandering Hammerfell and near Cyrodiil, everyone at this point will fight to protect Tamriel now.

This DLC includes a special feature, where you can do daily requests for Hermaeus Mora in trade for some items (especially furnishing readable books, an exclusive universal set, an exclusive motif and new exclusive furnishing designs).

Even after stopping the threat, no one will still know why the Dwemer planned this aggression, since there are no Dwemers alive to tell.

Notable Locations
1. Blacklight
2. Rourken Fortress
3. Apocrypha
4. Rihad
5. Taneth
6. "A ruin in the Velothi Mountains"

Important Characters
1. The Tribunal [all three] (Dwemeris Spark)
2. Neramo (Dwemeris Spark)
3. Kireth & Raynor (Dwemeris Spark)
4. Divayth Fyr (Dwemeris Spark)
5. High King Emeric (Dwemeris Spark)
6. Jorunn the Skald-King (Dwemeris Spark)
7. Queen Ayrenn (Dwemeris Spark in the Q4 DLC)
8. "A sentient special Dwemer centurion that become an ally" (at the end of the entire chapter questline is turned into a companion that can't use items, his weapons are built-in)
9. Hermaeus Mora
10. Sheogorath

Potential Motifs, Style Pages, and/or Costume Brainstorm
1. Blacklight Elite - A Redoran themed motif from chapter dungeons;
2. Dwemer Offensive - A Dwemer themed motif that drops everywhere on Northern Morrowind, low drop rate;
3. Tonal Warmonger - A Dwemer themed motif that drops from the chapter trial;
4. Mora's Shadow - A shade-like armor that come from daily Mora's Requests;
5. Taneth Defense - A Redguard themed motif that drops everywhere on Southern Hammerfell, low drop rate;

// Maybe I was too high to write this lol..

Asdara · July 2022

@FatnissEverdeen1
Am the biggest fan of Winterhold !
Even made a role playing guild around the college

And i’ve posted a similar idea years ago !
Check this : https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/533417/winterhold-dlc

Also if you’re interested : I’ve made the college of winterhold as a house on PC EU
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/542350/the-college-of-winterhold-house-project#latest

I do tour of the house regularly, feel free to @ me in game (@Asdara)

francesinhalover · July 2022

Snow elfs or white colored high elfs would help a lot get interest on a chapter yes, but id preffer the rest of morrowind or something wood elf based

Jordan.nick11b14_ESO · July 2022

I'd like to see the next expansion be PvP focused with a huge emphasis on "the war."

Nisekev · July 2022

I doubt about bosmer-centric chapter because whole Valenwood is already open. Personally I would prefer Eastern Morrowind with Kemel-Ze dwarven megaruin, but Redguard-focused Hammerfell chapter is more likely.

FatnissEverdeen1 · July 2022

Ratzkifal wrote: »

When I started reading I was expecting you have us meet living Dwemer and Snow Elves. Glad that's not the case. Only correction I have for you is the Azura shrine being there. That was built by the Dunmer refugees in the 4th era, according to Aranea's dialogue, so it shouldn't be here and so we wouldn't be meeting with Seryn. Not sure if I want Miraak to have anything to do with anything, but some nods to him would be cool, like an inscription somewhere telling us about some happenings in the past involving "some unknown dragonpriest" but we the players all know that could only be Miraak. Ahzidal on the other hand could be more important because we haven't seen much of him and his ties with the snow elves are undeniable.

Great post. I like it. Any interesting Antiquities we can dig up? Where would our player houses be located? I'd like a room in the college instead of an inn room this time - you know, for nostalgia reasons. Also I think having a trial be inside a Black Book could be cool because I doubt we'll be able to get much Apocrypha otherwise - it's just not a chapter friendly place.

@Ratzkifal
Thanks for reading my post and providing your insights. I was afraid I might disappoint people by taking a lighter approach to the Snow Elves; it's nice to know that others appreciate a lighter approach. Also, I agree that Miraak, especially a really heavy focus on him, would subtract from the whole experience without exceptional writing and lore balancing. Meanwhile, Ahzidal could lend to a more original, intriguing story.

Regarding Seryn and the Shrine of Azura, I wouldn't be offended if they weren't included. However, if they were included, there is a way that it could make sense. Seryn could potentially reveal that Azura has shown her a vision of the future, which has lead her to pay pilgrimage to a mountain where Azura's grand statue will eventually be built. Ultimately, the quest could develop Seryn's character and her relationship with Azura, build fans' appreciation for the machinations of the Daedra, and provide a neat Skyrim easter egg.

Antiquities Brainstorm
I bet there are other people with amazing ideas for this stuff. I'll take my own stab at it though. Also, realistically speaking, some of these ideas might make better non-antiquity or crown crate rewards.
1. Furnishing: Scaled-down replica of the Statue of Irkngthand
2. Furnishing: Replica of the Auri-el statue in front of the Chantry of Auri-el
3. Furnishing: Statue of the Snow Prince carrying his spear on his steed
4. Furnishing: Y'ffre themed Snow Elf painting/tapestry (Snow Elf art in a colorful, non-stone medium)
5. Furnishing: A dainty or graceful Auri-el/Y'ffre/Magnus themed statue in a translucent Stalhrim medium
7. Furnishing: Snow Elf Wayshrine Ewer
8. Adornment: Snow Elf crown/circlet/diadem
9. Furnishing: Deactivated Dwarven Sphere (like the one you see in the Dwemer Museum)
10. Furnishing: A Falmer-Dwemeris tablet like Calcelmo's Rosetta Stone
11. Costume: Dwemeri Tonal Architect (resembling the garb of Morrowind's Dwarven Spectres)
12. Emote: Dwemeri Tonal Accordion/Guitar (Wouldn't playing any Dwarven instrument be cool?!)
13. Furnishing: Black Book on a Pedestal
14. Furnishing: Flying Books (A group of books flying around in the air like birds)
15. Furnishing: Statue of Shalidor
16. Furnishing: Atmoran Funeral Vessel (Like an excavated Viking burial ship)
17. Furnishing: Frozen Pocket Mammoth (Literally, a Pocket Mammoth in an big ice cube)
18. Furnishing: All-Maker Stone

Housing Brainstorm
1. Shalidor's Discipline Dormitory (Ratzkifal, your idea to replace an inn room with a dorm is spot on!)
2. Icefall Precipice (An ancient Nord townhome in Winterhold on the edge of a sea-facing cliff)
3. Hoarfrost Sanctuary (An Y'ffre themed Snow Elf temple with a mystical garden hidden away under a glacier)
4. Architect's Study (Imagine Vlindrel Hall, but with a open, wide stone doorframe and balcony overlooking Blackreach)
5. All-Maker's Hearth (A cozy Skaal cabin/mead hall in or nearby the Skaal village)

There are probably tons of other good ideas, but my brain is tired at the moment. lol

FatnissEverdeen1 · July 2022

Tommy_The_Gun wrote: »

Idea for a potential selling point of the chapter:
"Ocean's depths" - the entire zone will be unlike anything else because... it will be under water zone, where you can fly swim in any direction. I know we can not have under water content in all zones from technical reason, but in one new zone that can be built from the ground up with that in mind ? It could work. Imagine the potential for vertical zone design or world bosses. We could have other regular zone that will be "an entrance" and if you enter - you have loading screen & you are in new under water zone. Also the whole "breathing under water thing" - can be explained in a very simple way. Like receiving a magickal amulet / memento that allows the user to breathe under water - just like you could do in TES III Morrowind.

Thanks for sharing your take.

Your idea would probably test the technical limitations of the game, but if we could swim underwater in TES V: Skyrim, there may be some hope for ESO.

Assuming that both technical limitations aren't an issue, I would love to see your ideas come to life deep in Black Marsh. Perhaps you'd hop in some cenote and swim in an underwater river system beneath the Black Marsh to avoid the poisonous/gaseous fumes of the Deep Marsh. Just imagine swimming between Hist roots, glowing amber veins of Hist sap, and surfacing in tree hollow grottos. Perhaps Helstrom can be accessed by outsiders who can navigate underwater rivers and surface in the city while Archon is partially/fully submerged like some Mesoamerican Atlantis, slightly reminiscent of the Lakemire Xanmeer Manor house. One city could be a main hub of an Argonia expansion while the other could be a Trial.

And of course, if the Devs ever dare to visit the Isles of Thras, Yokuda, or Pyandonea, we could see these mechanics implemented repeatedly.

FatnissEverdeen1 · July 2022

Supreme_Atromancer wrote: »

Once races have had their own "deep dive", I think that multi-province zones add the possibility of putting interesting spin on things.

For instance, I can't wait to get to explore Colovia. Because we've already seen a fair bit of Imperial content, it would be really interesting if the next zone to feature them contained parts of another province. If we got Southern Colovia (including Skingrad), a Craglorn-sized zone could, for instance, span the Hammerfell border and allow us to visit the hinterlands of Rihad. If the community is right that ZOS doesn't want to touch too much of Hammerfell because its a canvas that Bethesda may want fresh for ES6, it could serve as a spacially-limited "teaser", while also allowing ZOS to finally offer us a taste of the really cool Redguard content we've been waiting for, for years now. And if ZOS were to stick to their newer localised, down-to-earth threat scale, conflict between the two people could drive a very compelling story. And wishful thinking, it could even involve a plot you could have some agency in, by choosing which faction you could fight for. But honestly, I'd just love to finally see Skingrad.

We have some elements describing the situation in Taneth, and a 4th quarter for such a chapter could include a foray to explore that city. Alternatively, a zone stretching north of Colovia/Gold Coast into eastern Hammerfell would be really cool because it would connect AD lands to DC lands, allowing more exploration.

Another chapter could centre on the Sea of Ghosts. Although we may never get to Atmora based on Rich Lambert's comments, such a zone could at least offer us a taste of that sort of lore and theme. We haven't seen Dawnstar, nor the Pale yet, and its conceivable they could be part of a zone that also features old, pre-collapse Winterhold. I honestly think this would be an amazing opportunity for ZOS to get to do something "new and different", whilst still sitting within the framework of TES lore, and giving the community something there's been some demand for since 2011. The Sea of Ghosts' maritime theme could bring the opportunity to bring the East Empire Trading Company in as a great "localised-stakes" antagonist, but also the Sea itself could offer all sorts of previously unexplored lore, history, danger and exploration.

But my greatest wish for such a chapter would be the possibility of seeing Jehanna feature as a q4 explorable region. I think it would gel because although its a Breton city, it has both Nordic history and potential contemporary Nordic "interests" that could make it interesting and different from the Breton angle we've had recently. It would also be an amazing opportunity to finally get to explore the Direnni story, as this part of the world includes areas considered longest-held by that people. Alternatively, for something very different, Blacklight, and the Velothi Highlands as a q4 could tell a very different story.

I'm amongst those who would love to see Whiterun Hold. Depending on the scale, it could include not only the Hold's tundra ecosystem, but encompass the Pine Forests of Falkreath Hold (the namesake of which we only got to see the town of). If we got the latter, I'd honestly love to see ZOS take a new perspective on Falkreath and capitalise on the lore describing its Colovian backgrounds and connections. Perhaps Helgen and the Pale Pass could feature as important places, or, given its proximity to Craglorn and Elinhir, we could explore its forgotten Nedic secrets for the first time ever.

For a related fourth quarter could, just for something completely different, feature the orcs, and be centred around Cracked Tusk Keep, Bilegulch Mine, and/or include significant under-mountain parts of the map. And while zones that connect zones are everyone's favourite, I love the idea of the current under-zones being similarly connected. Such a zone might offer this possibility with parts of Blackreach.

Special mentions include Falinesti in Oblivion, perhaps Apocrypha, the Fields of Regret (which we got a taste of in Summerset chapter) or Shivering Isles. I love the idea that Falinesti was "traded" essentially due to a really bad deal. Early on, the developers said that Falinesti was to be left for Bethesda, but the same was said of Dragons and we got those.

@Supreme_Atromancer
You have a lot of interesting ideas, many of which I'd find to be meaningful zone additions!

FatnissEverdeen1 · July 2022

TmzOS wrote: »

I'd like to see your idea running! I find Winterhold in TES:V terrible since it is destroyed, could be nice to see everything up. I also developed a crazy idea for a new year.. but with different things... we can dream, right? Sorry for english fails (since I'm not a native speaker)... also using your pattern:

ESO: Dwemer Inquisition

Chapter: Blacklight ("Northwestern Morrowind"), including 3 new dungeons of 6 players (All big Dwemer ruins. One in Eastmarch, one in Alik'r Desert and one in "Northwestern Morrowind") and a new trial.
Q4 DLC: Sandstorm (Southern Hammerfell)
Main Selling Points: Filling gaps of Tamriel map bringing new zones and connections. Splitting the content only to two DLCs; reducing the dungeon counter all new zones can be more filled with quests and interesting things (and the devs need a time to retouch all Dwemer ruins too). Added new dynamic events called "Dwemer Invasions" that occurs on Skyrim, Hammerfell and Morrowind; Dwemer invasions are much like the small encounters we can see in the game, but with giga drills spilling automatons. You will travel to some AD zones too, since someone decided to put more heat in the war.

Background and development (chapter):
A terrifying sound could be heard on north and west of Tamriel, suddenly all Dwemer automatons go berserk. After starting the main questline of the chapter, all Dwemer monsters inside overland ruins are now buffed (all stats +50%).

Many Dwemer scholars, powerful mages and even faction leaders decided to unite and find a way to fight the crazy mechanical offensive, the initiative is called "Dwemeris Spark". This organization tries to counter the Dwemer machines, supported by the Daggerfall Covenant and Ebonheart Pact while the Aldmeri Dominion tries to take advantage of this (but not exactly by Queen Ayrenn orders, which brings a new internal drama for the Dominion.. thanks to uncle Sheo).

After the initial quests, you are introduced to a new skill line called "Tonal Arbiter", now you can use some nice things like summoning and controlling automatons, a PBAoE stun (double duration vs machines), use the Dwemer Crossbow (a heavy hitting ultimate that works similar to Sorcerer Overload) and allowed to read some extra information from objects in many Dwemer ruins. To level up this skill line you need to kill Dwemer automatons (much like Fighter's Guild skills).

Besides general investigation/development quests, you need to travel to all base game and the chapter Dwemer ruins to reduce their numbers. Divayth Fyr decides to extract something from Hermaeus Mora, both accepting to "trade" favors.

At the end of the chapter you gain the option to toggle the extra overland Dwemer difficulty.

Background and development (Q4 DLC):
After the events of Blacklight, a gigantic Dwemer structure appears near Rihad (Southern Hammerfell), with extra giant automatons (like the dragon events of Elsweyr, but super giga automatons, tough enough to hold the damage of 50 players easily.. slow but with powerful AoE effects). Divayth Fyr comes to the Dwemeris Spark local base to bring the truth about this strange outcome and how to fight (thanks to Hermaeus Mora, maybe). With giant automatons wandering Hammerfell and near Cyrodiil, everyone at this point will fight to protect Tamriel now.

This DLC includes a special feature, where you can do daily requests for Hermaeus Mora in trade for some items (especially furnishing readable books, an exclusive universal set, an exclusive motif and new exclusive furnishing designs).

Even after stopping the threat, no one will still know why the Dwemer planned this aggression, since there are no Dwemers alive to tell.

Notable Locations
1. Blacklight
2. Rourken Fortress
3. Apocrypha
4. Rihad
5. Taneth
6. "A ruin in the Velothi Mountains"

Important Characters
1. The Tribunal [all three] (Dwemeris Spark)
2. Neramo (Dwemeris Spark)
3. Kireth & Raynor (Dwemeris Spark)
4. Divayth Fyr (Dwemeris Spark)
5. High King Emeric (Dwemeris Spark)
6. Jorunn the Skald-King (Dwemeris Spark)
7. Queen Ayrenn (Dwemeris Spark in the Q4 DLC)
8. "A sentient special Dwemer centurion that become an ally" (at the end of the entire chapter questline is turned into a companion that can't use items, his weapons are built-in)
9. Hermaeus Mora
10. Sheogorath

Potential Motifs, Style Pages, and/or Costume Brainstorm
1. Blacklight Elite - A Redoran themed motif from chapter dungeons;
2. Dwemer Offensive - A Dwemer themed motif that drops everywhere on Northern Morrowind, low drop rate;
3. Tonal Warmonger - A Dwemer themed motif that drops from the chapter trial;
4. Mora's Shadow - A shade-like armor that come from daily Mora's Requests;
5. Taneth Defense - A Redguard themed motif that drops everywhere on Southern Hammerfell, low drop rate;

// Maybe I was too high to write this lol..

@TmzOS
Thanks for sharing this bold and wild adventure. This idea sounds like it would be a blast to play in RP guild or in a tabletop game! However, I'm not so sure that the Devs would make an expansion like this for two reasons:
1. While the Dwemer are a mystery, an unexplained Dwemer automaton invasion would beg explanation. Finding a lore-friendly explanation that fans would be willing to accept as canon might be a real challenge.
2. It's very different than anything in the Elder Scrolls franchise, so it might feel off-brand and risky for them.

Then again, countering my second point, had it not been for the Dragonborn's intervention at Nchuand-Zel, Markarth may have been invaded by automatons from within; additionally, Tiber Septim's Numidium escapades are pretty wild...Maybe your general idea isn't that crazy after all.

FatnissEverdeen1 · July 2022

Asdara wrote: »

@FatnissEverdeen1
Am the biggest fan of Winterhold !
Even made a role playing guild around the college
And i’ve posted a similar idea years ago !
Check this : https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/533417/winterhold-dlc

Also if you’re interested : I’ve made the college of winterhold as a house on PC EU
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/542350/the-college-of-winterhold-house-project#latest

I do tour of the house regularly, feel free to @ me in game (@Asdara)

@Asdara
Your enthusiasm for the College of Winterhold is electric, and you're College of Winterhold work is phenomenal! Sadly, since I'm on PC NA, so I don't think I'll be able to tour your house.

I think your idea about the College of Winterhold teaching spells is awesome. Being able to hand cast spells sounds so cool. Your idea could be implemented in-game through a new skill line for the College, similar to the way the Psijic order has a skill line, making it feasible.

ZOS Asdara is onto something!

Faulgor · July 2022

If there's one area of Skyrim that deserves to be re-explored, it's certainly Winterhold and Dawnstar.
I've been the biggest fan of those holds since forever, and a properly snow-y chapter would be a welcome change after swamps and mediterranean isles.

Yeah there was Greymoor, I know. So I wouldn't expect Winterhold anytime soon. But we can dream, right?

Speaking of dreaming, the College of Winterhold would be the perfect place to finally introduce Spellcrafting.

Fata1moose · July 2022

Skyrim, Telvanni peninsula or County Skingrad + Colovian Highlands would all be welcomed. I don’t want Hammerfell until TES VI is done so they can do the region justice. If you look at Eastmarch and The Rift which were done while TES V was in dev you can see they had some idea of the layout but it’s still quite off I wish they would re-do those regions to make them closer to the mainline game.

TmzOS · July 2022

FatnissEverdeen1 wrote: »

TmzOS wrote: »

I'd like to see your idea running! I find Winterhold in TES:V terrible since it is destroyed, could be nice to see everything up. I also developed a crazy idea for a new year.. but with different things... we can dream, right? Sorry for english fails (since I'm not a native speaker)... also using your pattern:

ESO: Dwemer Inquisition

Chapter: Blacklight ("Northwestern Morrowind"), including 3 new dungeons of 6 players (All big Dwemer ruins. One in Eastmarch, one in Alik'r Desert and one in "Northwestern Morrowind") and a new trial.
Q4 DLC: Sandstorm (Southern Hammerfell)
Main Selling Points: Filling gaps of Tamriel map bringing new zones and connections. Splitting the content only to two DLCs; reducing the dungeon counter all new zones can be more filled with quests and interesting things (and the devs need a time to retouch all Dwemer ruins too). Added new dynamic events called "Dwemer Invasions" that occurs on Skyrim, Hammerfell and Morrowind; Dwemer invasions are much like the small encounters we can see in the game, but with giga drills spilling automatons. You will travel to some AD zones too, since someone decided to put more heat in the war.

Background and development (chapter):
A terrifying sound could be heard on north and west of Tamriel, suddenly all Dwemer automatons go berserk. After starting the main questline of the chapter, all Dwemer monsters inside overland ruins are now buffed (all stats +50%).

Many Dwemer scholars, powerful mages and even faction leaders decided to unite and find a way to fight the crazy mechanical offensive, the initiative is called "Dwemeris Spark". This organization tries to counter the Dwemer machines, supported by the Daggerfall Covenant and Ebonheart Pact while the Aldmeri Dominion tries to take advantage of this (but not exactly by Queen Ayrenn orders, which brings a new internal drama for the Dominion.. thanks to uncle Sheo).

After the initial quests, you are introduced to a new skill line called "Tonal Arbiter", now you can use some nice things like summoning and controlling automatons, a PBAoE stun (double duration vs machines), use the Dwemer Crossbow (a heavy hitting ultimate that works similar to Sorcerer Overload) and allowed to read some extra information from objects in many Dwemer ruins. To level up this skill line you need to kill Dwemer automatons (much like Fighter's Guild skills).

Besides general investigation/development quests, you need to travel to all base game and the chapter Dwemer ruins to reduce their numbers. Divayth Fyr decides to extract something from Hermaeus Mora, both accepting to "trade" favors.

At the end of the chapter you gain the option to toggle the extra overland Dwemer difficulty.

Background and development (Q4 DLC):
After the events of Blacklight, a gigantic Dwemer structure appears near Rihad (Southern Hammerfell), with extra giant automatons (like the dragon events of Elsweyr, but super giga automatons, tough enough to hold the damage of 50 players easily.. slow but with powerful AoE effects). Divayth Fyr comes to the Dwemeris Spark local base to bring the truth about this strange outcome and how to fight (thanks to Hermaeus Mora, maybe). With giant automatons wandering Hammerfell and near Cyrodiil, everyone at this point will fight to protect Tamriel now.

This DLC includes a special feature, where you can do daily requests for Hermaeus Mora in trade for some items (especially furnishing readable books, an exclusive universal set, an exclusive motif and new exclusive furnishing designs).

Even after stopping the threat, no one will still know why the Dwemer planned this aggression, since there are no Dwemers alive to tell.

Notable Locations
1. Blacklight
2. Rourken Fortress
3. Apocrypha
4. Rihad
5. Taneth
6. "A ruin in the Velothi Mountains"

Important Characters
1. The Tribunal [all three] (Dwemeris Spark)
2. Neramo (Dwemeris Spark)
3. Kireth & Raynor (Dwemeris Spark)
4. Divayth Fyr (Dwemeris Spark)
5. High King Emeric (Dwemeris Spark)
6. Jorunn the Skald-King (Dwemeris Spark)
7. Queen Ayrenn (Dwemeris Spark in the Q4 DLC)
8. "A sentient special Dwemer centurion that become an ally" (at the end of the entire chapter questline is turned into a companion that can't use items, his weapons are built-in)
9. Hermaeus Mora
10. Sheogorath

Potential Motifs, Style Pages, and/or Costume Brainstorm
1. Blacklight Elite - A Redoran themed motif from chapter dungeons;
2. Dwemer Offensive - A Dwemer themed motif that drops everywhere on Northern Morrowind, low drop rate;
3. Tonal Warmonger - A Dwemer themed motif that drops from the chapter trial;
4. Mora's Shadow - A shade-like armor that come from daily Mora's Requests;
5. Taneth Defense - A Redguard themed motif that drops everywhere on Southern Hammerfell, low drop rate;

// Maybe I was too high to write this lol..

@TmzOS
Thanks for sharing this bold and wild adventure. This idea sounds like it would be a blast to play in RP guild or in a tabletop game! However, I'm not so sure that the Devs would make an expansion like this for two reasons:
1. While the Dwemer are a mystery, an unexplained Dwemer automaton invasion would beg explanation. Finding a lore-friendly explanation that fans would be willing to accept as canon might be a real challenge.
2. It's very different than anything in the Elder Scrolls franchise, so it might feel off-brand and risky for them.

Then again, countering my second point, had it not been for the Dragonborn's intervention at Nchuand-Zel, Markarth may have been invaded by automatons from within; additionally, Tiber Septim's Numidium escapades are pretty wild...Maybe your general idea isn't that crazy after all.

Yeah a bit crazy but lore wise possible (since automatons are usually aggressive and mysterious), the lack of explanation is literaly the natural spice that comes with everything related to Dwemer, even with the help of Papa Mora. I isolated the bigger invasion in SE Hammerfell exactly because it's far from general known lore, so you can "fit" something new there.

Freelancer_ESO · July 2022

FatnissEverdeen1 wrote: »

TmzOS wrote: »

I'd like to see your idea running! I find Winterhold in TES:V terrible since it is destroyed, could be nice to see everything up. I also developed a crazy idea for a new year.. but with different things... we can dream, right? Sorry for english fails (since I'm not a native speaker)... also using your pattern:

ESO: Dwemer Inquisition

Chapter: Blacklight ("Northwestern Morrowind"), including 3 new dungeons of 6 players (All big Dwemer ruins. One in Eastmarch, one in Alik'r Desert and one in "Northwestern Morrowind") and a new trial.
Q4 DLC: Sandstorm (Southern Hammerfell)
Main Selling Points: Filling gaps of Tamriel map bringing new zones and connections. Splitting the content only to two DLCs; reducing the dungeon counter all new zones can be more filled with quests and interesting things (and the devs need a time to retouch all Dwemer ruins too). Added new dynamic events called "Dwemer Invasions" that occurs on Skyrim, Hammerfell and Morrowind; Dwemer invasions are much like the small encounters we can see in the game, but with giga drills spilling automatons. You will travel to some AD zones too, since someone decided to put more heat in the war.

Background and development (chapter):
A terrifying sound could be heard on north and west of Tamriel, suddenly all Dwemer automatons go berserk. After starting the main questline of the chapter, all Dwemer monsters inside overland ruins are now buffed (all stats +50%).

Many Dwemer scholars, powerful mages and even faction leaders decided to unite and find a way to fight the crazy mechanical offensive, the initiative is called "Dwemeris Spark". This organization tries to counter the Dwemer machines, supported by the Daggerfall Covenant and Ebonheart Pact while the Aldmeri Dominion tries to take advantage of this (but not exactly by Queen Ayrenn orders, which brings a new internal drama for the Dominion.. thanks to uncle Sheo).

After the initial quests, you are introduced to a new skill line called "Tonal Arbiter", now you can use some nice things like summoning and controlling automatons, a PBAoE stun (double duration vs machines), use the Dwemer Crossbow (a heavy hitting ultimate that works similar to Sorcerer Overload) and allowed to read some extra information from objects in many Dwemer ruins. To level up this skill line you need to kill Dwemer automatons (much like Fighter's Guild skills).

Besides general investigation/development quests, you need to travel to all base game and the chapter Dwemer ruins to reduce their numbers. Divayth Fyr decides to extract something from Hermaeus Mora, both accepting to "trade" favors.

At the end of the chapter you gain the option to toggle the extra overland Dwemer difficulty.

Background and development (Q4 DLC):
After the events of Blacklight, a gigantic Dwemer structure appears near Rihad (Southern Hammerfell), with extra giant automatons (like the dragon events of Elsweyr, but super giga automatons, tough enough to hold the damage of 50 players easily.. slow but with powerful AoE effects). Divayth Fyr comes to the Dwemeris Spark local base to bring the truth about this strange outcome and how to fight (thanks to Hermaeus Mora, maybe). With giant automatons wandering Hammerfell and near Cyrodiil, everyone at this point will fight to protect Tamriel now.

This DLC includes a special feature, where you can do daily requests for Hermaeus Mora in trade for some items (especially furnishing readable books, an exclusive universal set, an exclusive motif and new exclusive furnishing designs).

Even after stopping the threat, no one will still know why the Dwemer planned this aggression, since there are no Dwemers alive to tell.

Notable Locations
1. Blacklight
2. Rourken Fortress
3. Apocrypha
4. Rihad
5. Taneth
6. "A ruin in the Velothi Mountains"

Important Characters
1. The Tribunal [all three] (Dwemeris Spark)
2. Neramo (Dwemeris Spark)
3. Kireth & Raynor (Dwemeris Spark)
4. Divayth Fyr (Dwemeris Spark)
5. High King Emeric (Dwemeris Spark)
6. Jorunn the Skald-King (Dwemeris Spark)
7. Queen Ayrenn (Dwemeris Spark in the Q4 DLC)
8. "A sentient special Dwemer centurion that become an ally" (at the end of the entire chapter questline is turned into a companion that can't use items, his weapons are built-in)
9. Hermaeus Mora
10. Sheogorath

Potential Motifs, Style Pages, and/or Costume Brainstorm
1. Blacklight Elite - A Redoran themed motif from chapter dungeons;
2. Dwemer Offensive - A Dwemer themed motif that drops everywhere on Northern Morrowind, low drop rate;
3. Tonal Warmonger - A Dwemer themed motif that drops from the chapter trial;
4. Mora's Shadow - A shade-like armor that come from daily Mora's Requests;
5. Taneth Defense - A Redguard themed motif that drops everywhere on Southern Hammerfell, low drop rate;

// Maybe I was too high to write this lol..

@TmzOS
Thanks for sharing this bold and wild adventure. This idea sounds like it would be a blast to play in RP guild or in a tabletop game! However, I'm not so sure that the Devs would make an expansion like this for two reasons:
1. While the Dwemer are a mystery, an unexplained Dwemer automaton invasion would beg explanation. Finding a lore-friendly explanation that fans would be willing to accept as canon might be a real challenge.
2. It's very different than anything in the Elder Scrolls franchise, so it might feel off-brand and risky for them.

Then again, countering my second point, had it not been for the Dragonborn's intervention at Nchuand-Zel, Markarth may have been invaded by automatons from within; additionally, Tiber Septim's Numidium escapades are pretty wild...Maybe your general idea isn't that crazy after all.

Interestingly enough, it's not the only Dwemer invasion design someone has made for ESO

https://old.reddit.com/r/elderscrollsonline/comments/ion1i8/my_chapter_concept_bronze_legion_includes_zone/

EldritchSun · August 2022

Author, you've just taken my thoughts out of my head and shaped them into this brilliant post. I want to thank you and for this, and if the new updates and rebalances didn't kill my interest in the game, I could say I want to see WInterhold and the Pale too.

UPD: The story could be connected with our long-dead Mages Guild fellow Shalidor, who lived there and had his own house near the College. The Midden and Saarthaal could be public dungeons, and Alftand could be a fully dwemer-themed trial.

UPD: Apparition of Krosis the Dragon priest as a world boss.