Zenimax dives into the creation of TESO's Dark Anchor events.

It's no secret that the world of The Elder Scrolls Online is being threatened by the infamous Daedric Prince, Molag Bal, who seeks to drag Tamriel into his own twisted realm. And while signs of the Daedric Prince's coming are sure to spark terror in all but the bravest souls, I think most of us can agree that when the Dark Anchors tear open across the sky and latch onto the earth below, it looks pretty darn amazing.

In order to shed some light on these dark anchors, Zenimax Online released a blog post discussing the creation process of these nightmare constructions. No matter what type of player you are, when the sky tears above you and these Dark Anchors threaten the very existence of the world you live in, you'll be faced with only two options--flea in terror or fight until your last breath.

While Dark Anchors provide Molag Bal another chance to drag Tamriel into his realm of Oblivion, they also serve a second feature: providing players the chance to group up in order to push the invading forces of darkness back through the gate. As most players know, group content in any MMORPG is key to its longevity and Zenimax aims to have these open world Dark Anchor events provide just that.

"When we set out to create the Dark Anchor encounters, we had specific goals in mind. We wanted them to be an immediate, obvious reminder that Tamriel is in danger—something you could see in the world to make you realize just how dire the situation is. We also wanted to include more challenges for small groups and provide more options for gameplay activities. When you see a Dark Anchor, it gives you the chance to say, “Oh! I’m going to go check that out,” explore a little more of the world, and experience a formidable encounter that will encourage you to team up with allies. From there, who knows—maybe you'll go back to what you were doing before, or maybe your newly-formed group will go on to adventure together some more."

As deadly and intimidating as the appearance of the Dark Anchors seem now, Zenimax admits that getting these encounters to give the player a sense of eminent danger and "end of the world" feeling did take a few iterations.

"In our first few iterations, the Anchors were smaller than they are now and much more local. As we continued working on them, we felt they didn’t have the impact that world-threatening magical machines should, so we started taking on some difficult technical challenges to give them the huge scale they deserved. We wanted you to see them from a long distance, and the closer you got, the more we wanted you to feel like the world was ending. We really cranked them up, creating an impressive cultist summoning event and scaling up the art and effects to enormous proportions"

Now if you're a player like me, then seeing these Dark Anchor events the first couple of times is going to be an amazing experience. Getting a few of your buddies together and forming a strategy before ultimately diving headfirst into the forces of darkness. However, while this sounds epic in itself, what will ultimately keep you coming back for more will most likely be the rewards that they dish out upon a successful completion. And while we didn't get too many specifics, Zenimax assures us that there will be some worthwhile rewards for taking a stand against Molag Bal's invading army.

"No encounter would be complete without great rewards, and we do have some that will keep you hunting down Anchors throughout your adventure. We don’t want to ruin the surprise, but you’ll have plenty of reasons to send the Anchors back to Oblivion, from helping out the Fighters Guild to a set of achievements, special cosmetic gear, and more. It’s important for us to make sure you get a sense of both accomplishment and worthwhile rewards."

So how are these Dark Anchor events shaping up to you? Will you be diving in with your friends, or sitting back on the sidelines? Let us know in the comments below! As always, for more information on The Elder Scrolls Online, be sure to visit the official website and keep an eye on ZAM for more TESO news and updates.

Good Hunting!

Corey "Cyglaive" Jenkins

Follow me on Twitter @Cyglaive