A new, magical Necromancer class is coming to The Elder Scrolls Online (opens in new tab) once Elsweyr, its newest expansion, hits PC, PS4, and Xbox One on June 4.
Bethesda released new trailer (opens in new tab) and preview (opens in new tab) that breaks down the class’s abilities and lore. The Necromancer can “imbue the dead with frost, fire and lightning to bring ruin upon your enemies”, protect themselves with “impenetrable bone”, and “draw from the power of life and death” to heal allies.
“Necromancy is about the creative manipulation of the soul, or animus, which is one of the basic building blocks of life in Tamriel,” ESO Loremaster Leamon Tuttle said on official The Elder Scrolls Online website (opens in new tab). “Necromancers use their power to cast spells, bind souls into service, and use lesser Daedric spirits to reanimate corpses.”
Playing as the Necromancer could put you in some interesting situations as the mere act of Necromancy, according the Elder Scrolls Online lead content designer Ed Stark, is frowned upon in Tamrielic society. Bringing the dead back to life should send NPCs running for the hills—and the guards.
“It’s only things that we consider to be very obvious necromantic actions,” combat designer Kyle Nowak said in the class preview. “There are abilities that are borderline, like Render Flesh, but raising bodies out of the ground is glaringly obvious and will get you in trouble.”
The reveal trailer and preview kicked off Necromancer week, so you can expect The Elder Scrolls Online team to have more in-depth looks at the dark mage in the coming days.
The expansion enters early access for PC and Mac on May 20. If you’d like to jump in on the action right away on day one you can get some nifty preorder bonuses. Those include the Noble Clan Chief costume, the Dragon imp pet, a Baandari Pedlar Crate, and the Rahd-m’Athra Mount. Elsweyr launches on all platforms on June 4.
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