Exclusive: Elder Scrolls Online devs teases what’s in store for Update 40

Elder Scrolls Online creative director Rich Lambert sat down with Dexerto to chat about what fans can expect from the upcoming Update 40, discussing the new Roguelike elements that are being brought to the game via a new Arena system.

The Elder Scrolls Online is one of the longest-running multiplayer experiences of its kind. The game, which first launched in 2014, has undergone a major evolution since its inception. 

After all these years, the dev team is still hard at work adding in new and exciting content, with the upcoming update 40 set to introduce roguelike elements to Elder Scrolls Online for the first time ever.

During a recent PAX Australia convention, Dexerto sat down with the creative director for the game, Rich Lambert, to talk about all things Elder Scrolls and what fans can expect from this new Update 40.

“I think for me this next update that we’re doing, update 40 is really exciting because it kind of meshes two of the things that I’m really passionate about”, began Lambert.

“The endless archive is this new system, basically arena that we’re putting in that essentially incorporates roguelike elements into ESO, so it’s basically ESO makes rogue like where it’s this systemically endless arena that you and a buddy can go through where you can go through solo that gets progressively harder as you go.”

A new Roguelike Arena is coming to Elder Scrolls Online with Update 40

The creative director also went in depth about the kind of rewards players will be able to earn from the new arena roguelike-style content and how it mirrors the type of content people typically expect from these sorts of experiences

“There’s the possibility you can get short-term and long-term buffs. There’s really cool cosmetics you can earn there. There are what we’re calling ‘account unlocks’. If you’ve ever played a roguelike before where you know you can purchase these things and then you get extra choices to make in the dungeon or you get extra currency or whatever.” 

Finally, Lambert added that a big part of why he and the ESO team are excited about the new arena content is that it allows players to truly take on the challenge on their own

“I’m really, really excited about that. I love the arena content because a lot of times it’s just me against the thing and I love that. I think that’s probably one of the reasons why I like golf so much is because it’s me against the course rather than me competing against other people.”

Update 40 is set to launch on October 30th for PC and on November 14th for Xbox and PlayStation.

For all the latest Elder Scrolls Online news and updates, be sure to check out Dexerto’s full coverage here.