Is ESO: High Isle worth it for you? The short check before release

On June 6th, just in time for the holiday in Germany, the new major expansion for the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online will be released. It is called High Isle and is based on the European Middle Ages. In the short MeinMMO check you can find out whether the expansion is something for you.

What is High Isle anyway? The new major expansion of The Elder Scrolls Online is called High Isle and will be available on June 6th. You can already buy the expansion, but only download it on the release date.

It brings a completely new area to the MMORPG, which is based on the European Middle Ages. You will also meet the Bretons, around whom the story of the new expansion revolves. Unlike what you are used to from previous expansions, this time there is no new PvP content.

Instead, the following highlights await you:

• The new area “Systren Archipelago”, which is based on Europe and brings different biomes and two different maps
• A new story that focuses on the Bretons and brings about 30 hours of gameplay
• A new world event and open dungeons, which MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch already calls the highlight of the expansion
• 2 new companions that make solo play easier for you
• Dreadsail Reef is a new 12-player trial
• A new trading card game called Tales of Glory

When and where is ESO: High Isle coming out? The “when” cannot be answered exactly. The expansion will be available on June 6th once the server maintenance is over and the game is back online. After that you can download the update and play. To keep a better eye on this, you can use the ESO server status also directly online.

Regarding the “where” there is also a not so clear answer. You can start on PC and Mac from June 6th, but those who play on Xbox and PlayStation will have to wait until June 21st. Then you can get the expansion through the usual channels.

A very precise list with really all information about High Isle can be found here:

Checklist – Should I Play High Isle?

So that you have a compact overview, we have prepared 10 statements for you here. If you answer “yes” to 8 of them, High Isle should definitely be worth a look. If you are still unsure or can confirm fewer statements in the affirmative, there is an overview below of what exactly awaits you in High Isle.

• I like MMORPGs with story focus and strong characters
• I like exploring big landscapes and I like immersive worlds
• Leveling and the grind for the highest gearscore is not important to me
• Side quests, like a deck of cards, are often more fun for me than fetch quests
• I haven’t played ESO in a while and I’m looking for a reason to check back in
• I have no problem with additional real money bonuses that make my life easier
• The starting price of 40 € just for the extension itself is not decisive for me
• I like housing and I like to spend a lot of time with it in MMORPGs
• I’m looking for an MMORPG where I can still easily get into the endgame years after the release
• New PvP content is not important to me, I prefer to play PvE anyway

You can see gameplay of High Isle in our video:

The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle – Who is it for?

Why should I watch this? It all depends on whether you’ve ever explored the world of ESO at all. If so, High Isle continues the story in a meaningful way and shows you why you love Elder Scrolls games with new areas, the card game and the great open dungeons.

If you’re new to Elder Scrolls Online, High Isle is a good place to start. You don’t necessarily need the other expansions to play High Isle. You are also spared annoying leveling in order to finally play the content there in ESO, because here you automatically adapt to the areas in which you are traveling.

Still, High Isle caters a little more to MMORPG veterans than to completely new fans. The expansion lacks a feature that would attract completely new players or bring back people who have left the MMO for a while.

However, if you are still active in ESO, the purchase is worthwhile for the story, the new areas and the current sets of the expansion.

Which edition should I buy? That alone can be a bit confusing for new fans, because the big expansion appears in four different versions:

• ESO Collection: High Isle for €69.99
• ESO Collection: High Isle CE for €89.99
• ESO High Isle Upgrade for €39.99
• ESO High Isle Upgrade CE – €54.99

All four versions include the new extension. However, the two upgrade versions do not contain the main game, only High Isle. As a new player, they are therefore of no interest to you. The Collection offers the basic game with the new expansion for €69.99 and would be your starting point as a newcomer.

The two CE in turn contain both High Isle and all 5 previous expansions. So here you get the full load of ESO.

What exactly is in High Isle?

New maps and the card game

What exactly is it about? In the current expansion, you’ll explore a part of Nim that hasn’t been seen in any Elder Scrolls title before. In doing so, you will explore the legacy of the Bretons in two new maps, which will mark the entire year 2022.

The eponymous high islands are a tropical area surrounded by light-colored cliffs and home to several dense forests and medieval fortresses. Visually, it differs greatly from the second new card, Amenos. This in turn relies on lava flows and brings a completely new world event with the volcanic vents.

The two maps offer space for a story revolving around political intrigues between two alliances. At the center is a seedy order of knights that endangers the security and peace of the high island.

High Isle, as you’re used to in ESO, doesn’t tell the story straight to the end. It will be told in four upcoming DLCs throughout the year. By the way, the prologue of the story is already in the game:

What card game is this? Tales of Glory is a card game that introduces a whole new game system to the MMORPG. You can play the entertaining tavern game against both NPCs and other players, unlocking new achievements and collectibles in the process.

The focus of the glory stories are different cards and decks that you can collect and put together. The individual cards represent famous events and personalities from the universe of The Elder Scrolls.

How exactly the card game works in detail, we have explained in a separate article for you.

Two new companions

What are these shapes? The Companion System has been in the Elder Scrolls Online since the Blackwood expansion. These are NPCs that you can unlock, train, and then equip as you wish. They then take a place in your party and can explore the open world with you. You can also use them in dungeons and trials, but the NPC friends have to stay outside in PvP.

High Isle brings with it two new companions named Isobel and Funke. Both have their own quest line, personalities tailored to them and individual skills.

• Spark is one of the cat-like Khajiit and likes to get into trouble and you have to get her out of it
• Isobel comes from a good family and lives an orderly life, but she is not a typical noblewoman

The background stories and even the soundtrack of the two companions should be more sophisticated and exciting than was the case with the previous NPC companions.

New items and antiques

What else is new? What should not be missing in an expansion are of course new rewards. There will be plenty of those in High Isle again, including new antiques, collectibles and more.

New sets and mythic items have always been a big part of the new expansions in recent years. Although they are not explicitly announced for High Isle, we can assume that this addon will also have new equipment ready for you.

Furthermore, a new assistant elf, a brand new two-player mount and even an underwater house have already been shown. So there is still a lot to do apart from the main story of High Isle.

However, a new class is not included in this expansion and is not planned. Although the last class, the Necromancer, was 3 years ago in 2019, fans of new class mechanics will again go away empty-handed with High Isle.

What do you think of the announced features? Is ESO High Isle something for you, and did our check help you figure that out? Write it to us in the comments here at MeinMMO.

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