Needless to say, this post will contain spoilers for The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom.

Necrom launched recently on PC and I have so many thoughts. This was one of those chapters I’ve been looking forward to more than most. As a huge fan of all things horror, arcane and Lovecraftian, Necrom is right up my street, plus the new Arcanist class and new companions looked amazing.

Bear in mind I didn’t go to the PTS to play Necrom early, so these are my first impressions at the launch of PC/Mac (June 5th and onward). I also stayed away from most of the Necrom content by other creators pre-launch so I went in fairly blind and as such this post will be my genuine first impressions. The only video I watched is the brilliant Arcanist Ultimate Starter Guide by Ninja Pulls while the servers were down on launch day.

The Arcanist Class

The Necrom DLC generously gave everyone an extra character slot for free, so obviously the first thing I did was create my shiny Arcanist.

Name: Ctharlya Briren

Race: Dark Elf

Role: Healer / DPS

General: Scholarly and serious, but with a fearsome attitude and thirst for knowledge that often leads to adventure. She loves dank caves full of bandits as much as she loves conducting research in the library by candlelight.

The skills are so much fun. They’re visually and audibly unique compared to other classes, and they don’t seem to be repurposed effects from other skills (if they are, the devs have hidden it well!), making the Arcanist feel truly new and exciting to play.

Witness the state of dolmens in Alik’r Desert on launch day:

Lol.

One of the coolest aspects of playing an Arcanist is the ability to generate crux and combine it with different spells to unleash devastating combos. By boosting certain spells with crux, your Arcanist can amplify their effects, giving you even more powerful destructive or supportive abilities. This type of strategic and dynamic gameplay can be enjoyed by those who like micro-managing or can be totally ignored by those who don’t – regardless of your choice, the skills are satisfying to use.

Sharp-As-Night

“Enjoy your last moments… or don’t. I don’t care.”

It’s safe to say that if you’re used to the friendlier companions like Ember, Sharp might come as a bit of a culture shock. He’s a tad cantankerous, hates towns and cities or anywhere heavily populated, and seems unimpressed by most things. But if you enjoy that type of NPC like I do, he’s a fab follower to bring along with you.

Sharp is a Warden and so far, even at his lower levels, he’s a pretty good one. When my Arcanist was under level fifteen I truly appreciated him being by my side during certain quests and dungeons.

It’s just a shame you can’t have both Ember and Sharp follow you at the same time. Imagine the conversations.

It’s also interesting to discover his rapport conditions. I swear when I changed my outfit style he didn’t like it and lost rapport. Though I suppose that would fit in with his no-nonsense attitude. 

The Telvanni Peninsula

I remember back when Necrom was announced and ESO showed us snippets of the zone, a few naysayers complained that it was just a repeat of Vvardenfell and a bunch of reused assets. And yes it is a familiar looking biome, but it’s, like, part of mainland Morrowind. What do people really expect it to look like?

Saying that, there are so many differences between Vvardenfell and the Telvanni Peninsula, you just have to explore to find them. We have new zone group events called Bastion Nymics, which can be opened with ichor at one of the edifices that are scattered throughout both the Telvanni Peninsula and Apocrypha. I’ve yet to try a Bastion Nymic so I can’t write much about them right now, but there will be guides around the web for how to get involved and complete them, I’m sure!

Apocrypha

Apocrypha is everything I could have hoped it would be. If you played Skyrim: Dragonborn then parts of this zone will feel very familiar and nostalgic, although the ESO team have expanded upon everything and created a sprawling open area for you to freely explore, with creepy green-hued biomes, strange creatures and danger at every turn.

Speaking of strange creatures, lookit this flappy pocket-watcher with a book on its head!

Ahhh, it’s superb! These are scattered throughout the zones and always amused me when I saw them.

I also love the slight variation in the scenery and the new flora and fauna – some of which is available at the Home Goods Furnisher and Achievement Furnisher in Necrom city.

The Questline

I’ve finished the main Necrom quest on my Arcanist and now I’m re-doing it on my Sorc as it was so good. Again, the Lovecraft vibes are strong and if you’re into that type of aesthetic you should love it too, if not for the quest then for the atmosphere. You get to explore so many strange and uncanny areas throughout the quest chain, and I have to admit, on my little level 20 Arcanist the final couple of boss fights proved a genuine challenge. I was glad I had Sharp with me!

You also learn some brand new, deep lore connected to the events in Apocrypha. I have no idea if this is lore taken from older Elder Scrolls sources, or if the writers of Necrom created it especially for the chapter… either way, it’s cool and totally unexpected! (This part, I refuse to spoil.)

That’s all for now but I might write up a follow-up post once I’ve reached CP levels and taken Ctharlya into vet dungeons and trials.

If you’ve been playing Necrom on PC drop me a comment and tell me what you like / dislike most about the new chapter so far.

Learn more about Necrom at the official Elder Scrolls Online website.