Blackwood Preview—The Zone

When exploring the new zone in The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood, you will discover a world caught between two worlds. Learn about this diverse and colorful part of Tamriel in this preview.

A Massive New Zone When The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood launches this June, you’ll have an opportunity to venture into a part of Tamriel new to The Elder Scrolls Online, but also one that might be familiar to you in parts if you’ve previously played The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion or The Elder Scrolls: Arena.

Located amid the Imperial province of Cyrodiil, the Argonian homeland of Black Marsh, and the warm sands of Elsweyr, Blackwood encompasses a colorful and dangerous environment to explore, full of life and the remnants of long-forgotten empires.

Featuring over 30 hours of story content and adventures, Blackwood introduces an explorable area that is similar in size to the Elsweyr or Summerset Chapter zones. Home to the major cities of Leyawiin and Gideon, this region also includes six delves, two public dungeons, six world bosses, a 12-player Trial, and the new Oblivion Portal world events (more on these in the future).

Two Worlds in One

“Blackwood bridges the gap between the idyllic hills and deciduous forests of Cyrodiil and the low-lying swamps and marshes of Black Marsh,” explains CJ Grebb, ESO’s Art Director. “The northern region is prone to periodic flooding from rivers that flow down to the Nibenay Bay, and long-abandoned settlements and ruined castles dot the landscape, a testament to nature’s ultimate power.”

The sprawling marshlands of Blackwood

For the worldbuilding team, Blackwood represented an opportunity to play with a truly diverse melting pot of a region, crafting an explorable realm unlike anything else we’ve released before.

“We were happy to get a chance to explore the rolling hills and deciduous forests of the Nibenay Valley, an environment which will be familiar to the brave souls who spend much of their time in Cyrodiil,” says Grebb. “However, distance from the Three-Banners War has afforded a pocket of calm, and the forest will offer nature lovers longer stretches of undeveloped (yet still dangerous) woods to explore.”

The zone also features many perils for those willing to venture beyond the cities, and, when exploring the wilderness, you might discover that many of the area’s most dangerous locations are beneath your very feet.

Delve into Blackwood’s buried past

“Ancient Argonian temples and mysterious Daedric vaults lie waiting for thrill seekers to try their luck,” says Grebb. “Moving south, the Valley’s unpredictable spillways lead to beautiful sunken ruins surrounding ancient Ayleid structures and more recent Imperial settlements. All of this is populated with a mix of Argonian and Imperial cultures.”

Of course, ancient ruins and mysterious Daedric structures aren’t the only dangers you’ll encounter in your journeys, and we encourage you to keep an eye out for the region’s hazardous native creatures, such as the corpulent death hoppers.

“These enormous toads are not to be confused with their smaller, less threatening cousins. They often burrow into the cool mud of the swamps, and interrupting their rest can lead to a deadly whiplash-like tongue attack or a bite from their thousands of needle-sharp teeth.”

The streets of Leyawiin

Within the high walls of the city of Leyawiin, these peoples live in relative harmony with each other, and each in their own way have become distinct from their respective homelands.

“The Imperials within Blackwood have accepted their division from the main Empire and wish to lead normal lives–even if it seems like all odds are against them,” explains Barnes. “The Argonians of this region are more adventurous than their cousins from their homeland, and the city of Gideon acts as a border of sorts that allows the Argonians of Black Marsh to venture out of the marshes into safe lands.”