Elder Scrolls Online's new Gold Road update has just landed. Gold Road is a massive update for Bethesda’s MMO, adding a new Daedric Prince, new areas to explore, and ways to customize and tailor combat to your own preferences.

We talked to Ed Stark (Zone Lead), Kira Schlitt (Scribing Project Lead), and Bill Slavicsek (Narrative Director for Elder Scrolls Online) about how the update came to be and what players can expect.
 

Ithelia, the Forgotten Daedric Prince

The Daedric Princes are essentially gods in the Elder Scrolls universe, and Gold Road is bringing a brand-new one to life. Ithelia, also known as the Forgotten Daedric Prince, fills a gap in their celestial lineup.

“We created a matrix of all of the existing Daedric Princes, identifying their personalities and portfolios,” Bill Slacivsek explained. “Then we looked for the holes and started filling them with components unique to Ithelia. Even though she was forgotten, we needed to fill in her backstory and how she interacted with the other Princes.”

Much of Ithelia’s past and presence in Tamriel is a mystery (for now), but players do know that she was betrayed by another Daedric Prince, Mora. However, the catch is that Ithelia isn't mentioned in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, which takes place 800 years after the events in Elder Scrolls Online. Slacivsek hinted that this particular problem is addressed in the story quests related to Ithelia, so players will have to discover for themselves how she was wiped from Tamriel's history.

Delving into the Wood Elves was another big moment for the narrative team, according to Slavicsek. “We also enjoyed bringing the Wood Elves into the zone and getting to play with their lore and culture for the first time since the launch game zones," said Slavicsek. "And then making it all feel like it was part of a story that could only be told in West Weald, well, that’s a challenge we love tackling with every new release.”
 

The new (old) West Weald

The West Weald is the name of the region being added in Gold Road, but it’s not the first time it’s been covered in a video game. The West Weald was a part of Oblivion, and the update gives fans a chance to explore the history of the area.

“We found it both challenging and exciting to figure out what established elements of West Weald we wanted to focus on and what new and unique elements we wanted to introduce to the zone," said Ed Stark. "We knew the story of the Forgotten Daedric Prince was going to be pretty special, but we also wanted to make sure to do justice to the original material presented in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. We struck a really nice balance between the two.”

The West Weald’s established lore left the team a lot of room to work with, and they used that to create a historical version of the West Weald that Oblivion fans could feel comfortable in without it feeling like a carbon copy of the original.
 

Scribing, Grimoires, and new ways to fight

Gold Road also introduces Scribing, a brand-new system that lets players customize skills. These new skills, called Grimoires, can be customized in three different ways, giving players more choices for what they want to take into combat and a way to tailor it to their specific interests or preferences.

“Our goal with Scribing was to create a flexible system so that players could lean into a certain aspect of their build or roleplay, replace a skill that they’re maybe not crazy about, or do some new pairings!” said Scribing Lead Kira Schlitt.

Scribing isn’t just a way to become inherently stronger. “We weren’t trying to add vertical power, but rather horizontal options to help better diversify player’s characters and builds and give access to some new mechanics to folks who may not have them in their kits,” Schlitt emphasized.

Schlitt also had fun with the system, and she shared one of her favorite combinations:

 “...I do enjoy some of the more chaotic/crowd-control ways to play, like using the Repelling Explosion version of Elemental Explosion. This casts a ball of elemental energy that bursts in a large area, knocking back all enemies within that zone. It always makes me laugh because it looks very similar to a bowling ball hitting the pins super hard, with players flying everywhere. That also has the Lingering Torment Signature Script that applies damage over time, as well as the Brutality and Sorcery affix increasing my weapon and spell damage.”

Others who enjoy a splash of chaotic energy with their builds may enjoy the same thing!
 

Roleplay and customization with Skill Styles

Skill Styles are another unique feature coming to Elder Scrolls Online with Gold Road. Players will be able to customize the look of their combat skills, letting them fully embrace their character.

“There’s a lot of passion for both customization and roleplay in the community, and ‘play your way’ remains the most important mantra for us as developers on Elder Scrolls Online, so it’s always a priority for us to continue to push on that possibility space for players,” said Schlitt.

Her own Skill Styles are a great example of how players can use this to make their character feel rounded aesthetically in combat: “I’ve been playing an Arcanist most recently, and being able to pair some cool purple effects like the new version of Wall of Elements and Weakness to Elements with the greens and blacks help me feel even more like a spindle cursing witch!”

As for what they look like (and potentially future ideas), Schlitt shared that, “We’ve only done color-shifted versions of Skill Styles, but there are certainly some exciting things we’d like to do in the future. I can’t wait until it gets cold outside, brrrr!”

The Elder Scrolls Online team is excited to hear feedback about how players use the Scribing and Skill Styles systems, and see players' favorites. Tag them on social media to share!

If you haven’t downloaded Elder Scrolls Online, you can do so here on the Epic Games Store, and be sure to pick up Gold Road while you're at it, available now.