Almost three months after the launch of The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Edition, Zenimax Online Studios released its first DLC pack titled, The Imperial City. Since its transition to a subscription-free model, Zenimax Online has decided to release new content via paid DLC packs. With the content being free for TESO plus subscribes or 2500 Crowns on the Crown Store, is the expansion worth the investment or are you better off saving your money?
The Imperial City DLC takes place in Cyrodiil. Fans who have played Oblivion will find the area somewhat familiar as some of the locations of the DLC are at the Imperial Sewers and the City District. This time, it’s entirely different as the Daedric Prince of Lies, Molag Bal, have taken over the city in search of an Elder Scroll known to be hidden somewhere in the city – and this is where you come in. Offering two dungeons that are open to all levels, gamers will go through the Imperial City Prison and the White Gold Tower as they rid of the Deadras and save the Elder Scrolls from them. Luckily, those who haven’t reached the Veteran Rank will be able to access the new dungeons as it’s scaled based on the level of the group leader. However, when it comes to exploring the City District, it’s recommended that you are at least at Veteran Rank.
Compared to the old dungeons in The Elder Scrolls Online, the two new dungeons now being offered in the Imperial City DLC are a lot better as they’re more challenging and requires better coordination between your teammates to succeed. The enemies you face in the dungeon are phenomenally well crafted and expect them to give players a hard time. Each of the bosses in the two dungeons have their own set of skills that players will need to learn in order to take them down. Unlike other dungeons that are short, both the Imperial City Prison and White Gold Tower have long paths that players will have to go through and it will take at least an hour to finish them. If you are one of those people who haven’t reached level 50 yet, running through this dungeon will help you level up faster.
As for those who are at max Veteran Rank, the level has been increased by 1 and with the Imperial City DLC, you can get a more powerful gear through collecting Tel Var Stones- these stones can be obtained in the Imperial City District. The more stones that you get, the more chances you can get a powerful gear. Players who have enough Tel Var Stones can exchange it in the Imperial City Sewers for various things like an ingredient to craft a rare item, or a lockbox that will give you a random purple gear. Getting the stones is easy as you can get them by taking down monsters in the City District and completing quests. There are good and bad things about it though – the more Tel Var Stones you get, the multiplier increases, but beware, it all can be gone in a blink of an eye so its best to store there in your personal bank in the sewers.
For those who love PvP in The Elder Scrolls Online, the Imperial City DLC doesn’t offer anything unique, though with it being set in the PvP area, gamers will most likely have a chance to encounter someone from the opposing faction. The Imperial City District is a big area and it’s very likely gamers will see someone attacking each other. Just make sure to do it at peak hours if you are looking to battle someone from a different faction. As for gear, there’s nothing new for the PvP players, though they’re free to use the Tel Var Stones in exchange for a powerful gear.
If there’s one problem with the DLC, it would be the enemies in the City District are designed with higher Veteran Levels in mind. When exploring the District, it’s highly recommend that you go in groups as if you were to go alone, expect to die a lot as the enemies are at Veteran Rank 16. I’m not saying it’s impossible to do it alone, but if you were to do it, just expect you will have a hard time. Don’t worry though, there are a lot of people playing at peak hours and finding a group to do it wouldn’t be too hard.
Storywise, there are six major quests being offered in the Imperial City DLC. These six quests will assign you to liberate the City District from Molag Bal and to uncover his motives for invading the Imperial City. Upon completing these quests, you will get all of the quest-related achievements or trophies, if you are playing on PS4 or Xbox One. These quests will run you for a few hours, though the real deal in this DLC is the new powerful gear that you can get by collecting the Tel Var Stones.
For crafters, there are new recipes that you can get. For simply buying the DLC, you will gain access to the Xivkyn racial motifs and various item sets that Veteran Rank players can use. If you are looking to get more gold in the game, it’s best to sell the newly crafted item sets exclusive to those who purchased the DLCs. In addition, there are recipes available for consumable items that gamers can use like potions to increase Magicka restorations and more.
With the release of The Imperial City DLC for The Elder Scrolls Online, I must say that Zenimax Online is on the right track in providing content that is worth buying or subscribing to gain access to the DLC. Despite the Imperial City District being not too friendly to low-level characters, gamers who have reached the max Veteran Rank will have a lot things to do that involves in getting the new powerful gear for the next DLC that ZOS will release later this year. Thankfully, there’s that two new dungeons that are open to everyone, though it’s not good enough for low-level characters to have a reason to purchase it. Hopefully in the next DLC, Zenimax Online Studios will make it accessible to all, but for now, I must say that the first DLC is a good teaser as to what expect in their next content.
[Editor’s Note: The Elder Scrolls Online The Imperial City DLC was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes. The DLC was played on the PlayStation 4/PC platform.]
