Developer: ZeniMax Online Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tested on: PS4
The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited Dark Brotherhood DLC – Review
The DLC’s for The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited keep heading our way, bringing more content based on the original The Elder Scrolls series. Only recently the fourth DLC Dark Brotherhood has been unleashed, offering the players a chance to explore the Gold Coast of Cyrodiil whilst becoming the next best assassin Tamriel has ever seen.
Exploring the past of The Elder Scrolls series is seemingly the new theme for the game packs. The third DLC game pack focused on a joinable faction in The Elder Scrolls V: Skryim, namely the Thieves Guild and it offered a plethora of new content. The fourth DLC game pack, Dark Brotherhood, follows the trend and let’s players explore the most western region of Cyrodiil, the Gold Coast which was last seen in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
The Dark Brotherhood is an organization of highly trained assassins, known for their coldhearted killing sprees and you are to join them. Your first task is to kill an innocent bystander, once you’ve done that successfully you’ll need to be mindful of the guards around you thus stealth and infiltration remains a large factor of your gameplay. A courier is sent after you once the Dark Brotherhood has heard of your merciless murder. It is then that the contract assassinations finally begin but you will need to earn the trust of those higher up and prove yourself worthy for their tight-knit circle.
Anvil and Kvatch can be explored for the very first time since Oblivion and players of all levels can enjoy the detailed region of the Gold Coast. However, much like in the Thieves Guild DLC, low level characters may find some resistance in the enemies they face. The newest DLC does not necessarily have an advised level to begin the daunting recruitment into the Dark Brotherhood but it is needless to say that the higher the level, the easier it is going to get. One of the kill missions will let you re-explore Tamriel, sending you off to every corner of the land and we once again fell in love with the beautiful landscapes Tamriel has to offer.
An interesting feature in the newest DLC is the removal of Veteran Ranks, which have now been replaced by the Champion Ranks. This new progression system allows the player to level up their alts without dreading the ever-lasting grind to veteran rank 16. Instead when alts have reached the current end level, you will no longer need to grind those champion points in order to wear end-game armor as long as your main character has at least 160 champion points. As the leveling in the game can be a tedious effort due to the lack of ways to grind your way up, this new feature may finally help you play other classes. Naturally, the Dark Brotherhood DLC also comes with new shiny gear inspired by the deadly assassins in the form of three new crafted item sets and three new item sets available at the Gold Coast itself.
Aside from the dark and twisted narrative, Dark Brotherhood offers new repeatable activities in the form of bounty quests, contract killing quests and sacrament quests, upping the content even more and bringing a steady flow of replayability back into the game besides grinding mobs and players.
Visually the Dark Brotherhood DLC does not add anything new, except for the Gold Coast region and it is great to see that the visual aspect that has been stunning from the beginning is untouched. The game pack does bring a new experience to the sound design, inspired by the Brotherhood and their operating area.
Conclusion
Although this is the fourth expansion pack for The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited, it is only the second DLC that stays true to the original games. Stealth and infiltration remains an important factor in the gameplay but not as much as being able to kill on command. Luckily players from all levels are able to reach the zone, making sure that those who are new to the game or the veterans who are re-exploring the game through their alts have plenty to do. The removal of Veteran Ranks has been skeptically received by the veteran player base but we do feel that the new champion ranks put the focus back on the gameplay itself and not on the grinding.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited Dark Brotherhood DLC - Review,
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