The release of the new Necrom chapter in Elder Scrolls Online brings several exciting features and important changes to the game. Whether you already have access to the chapter on PC or are eagerly awaiting its release on console, this guide will help you understand what's new and ensure you're ready to make the most of the update. Let's dive into the key features and changes you should pay attention to when setting up your characters.

 

• New Class: Arcanist
• 2 New Zones
• New Zone Features
• 2 New Companions
• 12-Person Trial: Sanity's Edge
• New Gear Sets
• New Collectibles
• Favourite Collectibles and Random Mount
• Combat Changes Overview
• Dragonknight
• Necromancer
• Nightblade
• Sorcerers
• Templar
• Warden
• Other Skill Changes
• Gear Changes
• Companion Changes

 

↖ New Class: Arcanist

The most significant addition to the game is a new class called Arcanist. This class has a unique design and playstyle that many players are excited about. If you're looking for ideas on how to set up your Arcanist, check out the DPS guide available for this class. There are various setups, including a one-bar build capable of achieving over 100k DPS.

 

↖ 2 New Zones

The update introduces two new overland zones where the story takes place. The first zone is the Telvanni Peninsula, located southeast of Vvardenfell and home to the city of Necrom. It offers a familiar vibe from the Morrowind expansion but also brings unique features. The second zone is the Daedric realm of Apocrypha, which you may remember from Skyrim. Exploring these zones for the first time can be a thrilling experience, so get ready to embark on new adventures.

 

↖ New Zone Features

These new zones offer a refreshing change in terms of their look and layout. In addition to the typical features like world bosses, delves, and public dungeons, there's a new world event called Bastion Nimik. Accessible through a daily quest, this separate instance allows you to tackle it solo or in a group of up to four players. It resembles a large dungeon with ample freedom to choose your path and explore. While the enemies are not as difficult as veteran DLC dungeons, they present a significant step up from normal overland content. Solo players may find it challenging, and there are also puzzles to solve and bosses to face. This new world event brings a fresh and unique experience compared to the usual dark anchor events.

 

↖ 2 New Companions

Continuing the tradition, the update introduces two new companions: A'xander, a Redguard Arcanist, and Sharpest Knight, an Argonian Warden. With these additions, you now have a total of six companions to choose from.

 

↖ 12-Person Trial: Sanity's Edge

For those seeking challenging group content, the update includes a new 12-person trial called Sanity's Edge. It offers multiple difficulty modes, including veteran hard mode, but there are also standard veteran and normal modes available. If you're looking for a guide to tackle this trial, you can find an excellent one written by Nolandia on the official ESO website.

 

↖ New Gear Sets

Update 38 brings a plethora of new gear sets to acquire. These include three new craftable sets, three overland sets, four sets from the new trial, and three new mythic items that you can obtain through the antiquity system. While we won't delve into each set in this guide, you can check out a video that covers the top DPS sets, including some of the new options in Necrom. Notable mentions include Shattered Fate and Telvanni Efficiency among the craftable options, Kamana Tonk from the overland sets, and Ansuul's Torment from the trial sets. Additionally, Velafer's Mage's Amulet is a popular choice from the new mythic items.

 

↖ New Collectibles

The update introduces numerous ESO collectibles, exceeding the usual offerings. A notable addition is a mount you can earn by completing an achievement for the main story quest in Necrom. This marks a step in the right direction for rewarding players. However, more incentives for replaying trials and engaging with challenging content would be welcome. Alongside the mount, there's a new deck for the Tales of Tribute card game, two new homes (including one requiring the Necrom Grand Adventurer achievement), furnishings, achievements, and titles.

 

↖ Favourite Collectibles and Random Mount

A new feature allows you to mark your favourite collectibles, including mounts, from your menu. This feature is useful if you have accumulated a large collection and want to switch between your favourites easily. Additionally, there's a random mount option, allowing your mount selection to be randomized from your favourites, further adding variety to your gameplay experience.

 

↖ Combat Changes Overview

Let's briefly discuss some of the key combat changes in the update. While we won't cover every single change here, you can refer to the patch notes for more details.

• Melee's abilities with a range of 5 meters have been increased to 7 meters for all classes. This change benefits all melee-focused players, giving them more reach in combat.
• Heavy attack damage has been reduced from 80% to 70%, but heavy attack builds remain viable.

For a deeper analysis of heavy attack builds you can refer to a dedicated video that covers this topic.

 

↖ Dragonknight

For Dragonknights, the Burning Talons ability has been extended from 4 seconds to 5 seconds. However, the damage over time effect of the ability has been nerfed by 27%. Despite the nerf, Burning Talons remains a powerful skill for Dragonknights, and the extended duration means you won't have to cast it as frequently as before.

 

↖ Necromancer

Necromancers received a buff to their main spammable ability, Flame Skull. The amplified third cast of Flame Skull now increases its damage by 50%, up from 20%. While not a game-changing buff, it provides a nice increase in damage for Necromancers.

 

↖ Nightblade

Nightblades' ultimate ability, Death Stroke, had its duration increased by 33%, now lasting for eight seconds instead of 6. This change greatly benefits Nightblades, as Death Stroke provides a 20% damage increase against enemies. The longer duration allows for more damage output, and since it's a cheap ultimate, the extra time is significant. Additionally, Concealed Weapon was modified to require manual casting to trigger the 10% damage bonus, which was previously obtained passively. This change has received mixed reactions, especially for AoE situations.

 

↖ Sorcerers

Sorcerers saw improvements to Dark Exchange and its morphs, with small damage bonuses added for the Storm Astronaut ultimate. The duration for Major Berserk granted by Storm Astronaut was increased to 10 seconds, up from 8 seconds, and the number of targets affected by the buff expanded from 6 to 12. However, there have been reports of issues with pets unintentionally benefiting from the buff instead of players, which may need to be addressed in future updates.

 

↖ Templar

Templars received various positive changes. Focused Charge now grants Major Protection after casting, reducing damage taken by 10%. Purifying Light and Power of the Light require less damage to reach their maximum values, making them more reliable for PvP encounters. Solar Barrage received a buff called Sun Sphere, granting a 5% damage bonus to class abilities. Rune Focus now provides a small heal over time, even when outside the rune, with the healing effect tripling when standing within it. This change offers increased passive healing for Templar tanks and benefits all roles.

 

↖ Warden

There are fewer changes for Wardens in this update. Arctic Blast had a minor nerf, with the stun occurring at two seconds instead of immediately upon casting. Bow's abilities also received adjustments.

 

↖ Other Skill Changes

Several abilities underwent changes across different classes. Acid Spray, similar to Burning Talons for Dragonknights, received a new tooltip and now applies a 5-second damage over time effect with an upfront hit. The major berserk bonus from Wrecking Blow's two-handed ability was reduced to 3 seconds from 5 seconds. This change has generated mixed opinions, as two-handed setups were already less commonly used in content compared to dual-wield front bar setups. Suggestions have been made to extend the bonus to the execution ability to improve the viability of two-handed builds.

 

↖ Gear Changes

Existing gear sets also saw some adjustments. Storm Master, a heavy attack set, was nerfed slightly, affecting its uptime reliability. The set bonus now only applies to PvE enemies, no longer affecting players. Infallible Mage received a similar change, becoming PvE-only. The monster set Nunatak was nerfed, reducing its snaring effect and now requires four hits to activate the Major Brittle debuff. Mara's Bomb had its cooldown increased from 15 seconds to 30 seconds and now functions as a PvP-only set, only affecting enemy players. These changes aim to balance gear sets and improve the overall gameplay experience.

 

↖ Companion Changes

Companions in the game underwent adjustments to the levelling experience. With the addition of six companions, levelling and building rapport with each of them can be overwhelming for new players. To address this, the amount of rapport required for each tier has been reduced, and an XP boost has been added to their levelling process, which increases based on your rapport with them. These changes make levelling companions less gritty and more enjoyable.

 

Conclusion:

The Necrom chapter introduces exciting features and changes to Elder Scrolls Online. With the new Arcanist class, along with improvements and buffs for various abilities across classes, the gameplay experience is enhanced. Gear sets have been adjusted to promote balance, and levelling companions is now a smoother process. Overall, this chapter has received positive feedback from the community, although a few minor issues and disagreements remain. It's a step in the right direction for the game, and players are eager to see more updates and improvements in the future.