The High Isle Expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online doesn't disappoint. Packed with exciting new features, there's plenty for fans to explore.

The High Isle expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online released to all audiences on June 21, 2022, and since then, long-time fans have been clamoring to explore its new content. The full-sized DLC joins an ever-growing list of expansions for the title, but one thing sets it apart from its peers: it explores a never-before-seen region of Tamriel.

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High Isle, the titular island that houses most of the expansion, provides a fresh set of challenges, rewards, and environments for the player to explore. Expanding the scope of The Elder Scrolls' largest venture to date, it introduces some fantastic features to the series.

Each ESO expansion has included a new trial for dedicated users to test their meddle, and in this regard, High Isle is no exception. Players can now join up to 11 of their online companions in the Dreadsail Reef Trial, which takes place on the northwest side of High Isle itself.

Dreadsail Reef, an inlet secluded from most of the archipelago's population, has been taken over by the Dreadsail Pirates. Players must stop the villainous group of Sea Elves from harnessing the power of the Eltheric Ocean itself.

Since The Elder Scrolls: Arena procedurally generated the entirety of Tamriel, the continent featured few locations that hadn't already been explored. However, with the High Isle expansion, the MMO finally introduced a unique area: the Systres Archipelago.

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In Elder Scrolls lore, the four islands that comprise Systres Archipelago — High Isle, Amenos, Y'ffelon, and Galen — are fairly small. However, the location proves even larger than Summerset Isle in terms of game space. As with every ESO region, Systres features a unique aesthetic, including breathtaking views players will want to check out.

Other RPGs like The Witcher 3 have proven card games can easily integrate into any role-playing experience, but until High Isle, no Elder Scrolls title had ever ventured into the territory. Tales of Tribute, the card game introduced by the DLC, represents one of the more unique expansion aspects to be included in the franchise.

There are nine different Patrons in the game, each of which possesses a unique deck that distinguishes it from its peers. This, along with an optional ranked play system, guarantees the card game will generate countless hours of gameplay for dedicated players.

The Elder Scrolls Online may not be the most lore-intensive game in the franchise's history, but every major expansion has been chock-full of material fans should find insightful. The High Isle expansion follows suit, offering the player a glimpse into the events surrounding the mysterious group, the Ascendant Order.

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High Isle's narrative revolves around the Ascendant Order and their leader, the Ascendant Lord, as they attempt to disrupt the peace talks between Tamriel's three warring kingdoms. The Systres Archipelago's isolation from Tamriel makes the group's pervading influence feel even more intimidating, setting up one of the more interesting primary questlines from the game's paid expansions.

For a game reliant on character optimization, The Elder Scrolls Online's addition of new, potentially more devastating gear always makes a splash in its community. While patches and updates consistently change the landscape of ESO's meta, several new items are worth pursuing, regardless of their difficulty.

The region's Overland sets of armor — Blessing of High Isle, Steadfast's Mettle, and Systres' Scowl — are mid-tier gear that offers several upsides for beginners. At the same time, its mythic sets (especially the Oakensoul set) remain more appealing to the game's veterans.

Of all the primary Elder Scrolls races, the Bretons stand out as the only individuals to represent the intersection point of men and mer. The race is most concentrated in High Rock, where they're by far the most populous group in the region.

With ever-growing rumors that the next major installment of The Elder Scrolls franchise will take place in High Rock and/or Hammerfell, the hype surrounding the half-elf, half-human race has jumped to an all-time high. As anticipation for The Elder Scrolls VI reaches critical mass, players can bide their time exploring High Isle's Breton-related contents.

The Blackwood expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online introduced the companion system to the game, and thanks to High Isle, there were two more NPCs who could accompany The Vestige on their journey. Ember and Isobel joined Bastian Hallix and Mirri Elendis as the four companions available to the player in-game.

Fans of Skyrim's J'Zargo will be happy to know that along with Ember comes ESO's first Khajit follower. Isobel, on the other hand, complements High Isle's general atmosphere as the first Breton to be featured in the MMORPG.

Thanks to Molag Bal's Dark Anchors, World events have been part of The Elder Scrolls Online since its release in 2014. However, with many of its subsequent DLC, other variations have been added. High Isle didn't stray from this course, bringing with it the addition of Volcanic Vents that decorate the Systres Archipelago's landscape.

Altogether there are seven different Volcanic Vents scattered throughout the DLC: four in High Isle, three in Amenos. Although they aren't always active, their status is indicated by a crossed sword icon that appears next to their location on the map.

As expected of a full-sized ESO expansion, High Isle includes countless new points of interest. Among these locations, its delves and dungeons stand out. With six new delves and two new public dungeons, there's plenty of material for fans to sink their teeth into.

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Every single delve and mission is associated with at least one quest, so completionists shouldn't have any issues finding each of them during the natural course of their playthrough. However, for more casual players, The Firepot and Spire of the Crimson Coin are especially worth checking out.

In the eight years since ESO's release, there's been a constantly revolving door of limited-time events that have graced the game. The release of High Isle hasn't changed that. In the first two months of its release, two different short-term events released.

"The Zeal of Zenithar" was the DLC's first event, providing the components for several items including the Aurelic Quasigriff mount, the Soulfire Dragon Illusion, and multiple Indrik mounts/pets. While this event already concluded, several more should be released throughout the coming months on a semiregular basis.

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Anime Lists Writer--Hendrix College Alumni--Fayetteville, AR

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