STACK June 2017 Issue 152

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This month, Elder Scrolls Online is getting another chapter for fans to enjoy – it's time to return
to Morrowind!We threw a few questions at Zenimax Online Studios president, Matt Firor, to
find out what fans can look forward to in this new addition to the world. Words Alesha Kolbe
What kind of feedback did you get from the
beta?
Matt Firor: The beta has two distinct
parts: the base game updates, changes, and
balance tweaks, and then the Morrowind
Chapter itself. Based on the overwhelmingly
positive feedback on the Morrowind stories,
setting, and other content, we're pretty
happy with the reaction. Players are genuinely
excited to return to Morrowind and appreciate
the amount of detail we've added to make it
feel like a return to a place you know
and love.
Warden testing is going well.
We've made a bunch of changes
based on player feedback, and the
Warden is shaping up to be a lot of
fun to play.
In the base game updates, we've
introduced a number of balance
changes, and those are always
controversial. We still have a round
of changes (based on feedback from
tests in the beta) to add in, but we're
happy with how it's shaping up.
Have you been wanting to add the new
class for a while?Was it difficult to
balance theWarden against the existing
classes?
This is the right time to add a new class.
With the excitement of console launch,
then a bunch of DLC, we didn't have a lot of
time to add something as major as a new
class to the game until now. And yes, the
major challenge of adding a new class to a
mature online game is to ensure that it plays
well with the other classes, is a lot
of fun, but doesn't introduce any
balance problems. This has taken
a lot of testing – both internal and
through the beta – to get right. It has
to be fun and balanced.
What incentives do you have for
people to try out the new class?
I think the fact that the Warden is
nature based – which is unique to
ESO – is a major draw for players
wanting to try something new. And
there's the war bear, of course.
48 JUNE 2017
visit GAMES FEATURE
Having a permanent
pet ally like the bear is
awesome