Quick Guide
- West Weald is the new zone introduced with The Elder Scrolls Online's Gold Road chapter.
- Engage in challenging Mirrormoor Incursions, World Bosses, Delves, and Public Dungeons.
- Explore the innovative Scribing system, collect new Skill Styles, and acquire powerful gear sets.
- Begin the main story quest in Skingrad to uncover a brand new Daedric Prince narrative.
Stepping into a new zone in The Elder Scrolls Online is always an adventure, and for players accessing the game via Steam, the West Weald zone in the Gold Road chapter offers a wealth of content to explore. This vibrant new area, nestled west of Cyrodiil, brings with it a fresh story, challenging world events, innovative customization options, and powerful new gear. Whether you're a veteran adventurer or returning to Tamriel, understanding what awaits you in the Elder Scrolls Steam West Weald is key to maximizing your experience.
Discovering West Weald: Your Gateway to Gold Road on Steam
The West Weald is the central focus of The Elder Scrolls Online's latest chapter, Gold Road. This diverse zone isn't a single landscape; as you traverse its lands, you'll encounter a variety of biomes, from bustling vineyards to ancient Ayleid ruins. To begin your journey, simply open your map and locate the area just west of Cyrodiil. If you own the Gold Road chapter, a Wayshrine for Skingrad will be automatically unlocked, providing immediate access to this captivating region. For Steam players, acquiring the Gold Road chapter seamlessly integrates this new content into your game.
Unraveling the Story and Quests
At the heart of the Gold Road chapter lies an engrossing narrative centered around a newly revealed Daedric Prince. Zenimax has crafted a story that promises approximately 30 hours of questing, offering a deep dive into unexplored lore. To kick off the main questline, utilize your Zone Guide and select the "Start Zone Story" button. Alternatively, travel to the Skingrad Vineyards Wayshrine and speak with the NPC awaiting you there. The Zone Guide is an invaluable tool, providing a checklist of important activities and helping you stay on track amidst the vastness of West Weald.
Dynamic Challenges: Mirrormoor Incursions & World Bosses
West Weald introduces new and more complex world events designed to test your combat prowess:
Mirrormoor Incursions
These are the Gold Road chapter's signature world events, offering a significant step up in challenge from previous iterations like Dolmens. There are four specific locations throughout West Weald where these incursions can occur. Your map will highlight the active event with a wider circle, guiding you to the fight. Successfully completing these incursions is crucial for achievements, new Overland gear sets, and the possibility of discovering Mythic leads.
Efficient Incursion Farming: To quickly complete Mirrormoor Incursions, unlock all West Weald Wayshrines first. Then, ride between active incursions, dismounting to engage, and repeating the cycle. Look for a glowing white beam indicating the mini-boss locations needed to trigger the main boss fight.
World Bosses
The zone features six World Bosses, each boasting around 4 million health and unique, often one-shot mechanics. These encounters are vital for many zone achievements. For solo players or small groups tackling these formidable foes, preparation is key:
- Companions: Bring a companion to assist with damage or healing.
- Health Pool: Aim for at least 24,000 health, especially if you're tanking damage. Purple or gold trait food can help.
- Resource Sustain: Ensure you have methods for resource recovery, whether through gear sets, heavy attacks, potions, or Champion Points.
- Preparation CP: Slot the "Preparation" passive in the Warfare Champion Point constellation for a free 10% damage reduction from NPCs.
- Burst Heal/Shield: Have a reliable burst heal (like Resolving Vigor for stamina builds) or a strong shield to mitigate incoming damage.
- Simplified Build: Focus on a strong spammable ability that also provides healing or shielding, rather than complex DPS rotations, to enhance survivability.
Exploration & Achievements: Delves, Public Dungeons, and Skyshards
As with any new ESO zone, West Weald is packed with locations to uncover and achievements to earn:
- Delves: There are six new delves, each containing a Skyshard and a delve boss. These are typically quicker to clear, making them good for daily objectives or specific gear farming.
- Public Dungeons: Two larger public dungeons offer more complex layouts and multiple bosses. These often have unique mechanics and can be more challenging than delves.
- Skyshards: Collect all the Skyshards scattered across the zone to earn skill points, essential for expanding your character's abilities.
Community reports suggest that during launch, specific delve and public dungeon bosses might be heavily camped for Mythic leads. If you find yourself in a crowded area, a player-tested strategy involves using the Fighters Guild ability "Barb Trap." Lay it down at the boss's spawn location; it will automatically arm and trigger, ensuring you get credit for initial damage and a chance at loot, even in chaotic situations.
Customization & Power: Scribing, Skill Styles, and New Gear
The Gold Road chapter revolutionizes character customization and power progression:
- Scribing: This groundbreaking system allows you to modify and alter 11 new base spells, called Grimoires. By combining a Grimoire with various Scripts, you can create unique spell effects, tailored to your build. While not exclusive to West Weald, many zone achievements relate to Scribing. Begin your Scribing journey by visiting the Mages Guild in Skingrad and advancing to the Scriptorium beneath the city. Luminous Ink is the currency used for Scribing, requiring the Gold Road chapter for access.
- Skill Styles: A purely cosmetic addition, Skill Styles allow you to change the visual flair of your existing abilities without altering their functionality. With over 20 to collect through achievements, quests, and daily activities, you can personalize your spells, giving your Wall of Elements a violet glow or your Vigor a cool blue hue.
- New Gear Sets: Gold Road introduces a plethora of new gear, including 10 five-piece sets and three new Mythics.
- Overland Sets: Acquired from specific content (e.g., delves drop waist/feet, World Bosses drop head/legs/weapons). One notable set causes monsters to burst with bleed damage upon death, perfect for AOE grinding.
- Crafted Sets: Three new crafted sets are available. "Highland Sentinel" is designed for high-level parsing, increasing critical chance while standing still.
- Mythics: While specific leads are still being discovered, one exciting Mythic is "Steamguard's Heavy Hand." This item grants 99% damage reduction for 5 seconds when activating block, with its cooldown reduced by blocking attacks, making it potentially game-changing for PvP and specific PvE encounters.
Housing and Trials: Lucent Citadel & New Homes
For those who enjoy decorating and challenging group content, West Weald has you covered:
- New Homes:
- Rosevine Retreat: A small starter home in Skingrad, obtainable by completing the "Room to Spare" quest or purchasing it for 3,000 gold.
- Merryvine Estate: A sprawling property near Lucent Citadel, available for 1.3 million gold after completing the "Gold Road Grand Adventure" achievement. It features a windmill and vineyard, ideal for ESO housing enthusiasts.
- Lucent Citadel Trial: Located at the northern edge of the map, this new 12-person trial offers perfected and non-perfected gear. Its sets include "Lucent Echo" (buffs group crit damage/healing), "Aegis" (buffs crit chance/damage based on buffs), and "Silver of the Null" (a strong DPS proc set). The trial is filled with achievements and hard-mode challenges, including a unique mount for the most dedicated groups.
Embarking on your journey through the Elder Scrolls Steam West Weald promises countless hours of engaging content. From delving into a brand-new Daedric mystery to customizing your character and tackling formidable foes, this zone offers something for every adventurer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I access West Weald in The Elder Scrolls Online on Steam?
If you own The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road chapter, you can access West Weald by opening your map and traveling to the automatically unlocked Skingrad Wayshrine, located west of Cyrodiil.
What are Mirrormoor Incursions in West Weald?
Mirrormoor Incursions are the new, more complex world events in West Weald. They occur at four specific locations, challenging players with multiple mini-bosses before a final boss, offering new gear and Mythic leads.
What is Scribing in the Gold Road chapter?
Scribing is a new system introduced with Gold Road that allows players to customize and alter 11 new base spells called Grimoires using Scripts and Luminous Ink. You can start learning about Scribing at the Mages Guild in Skingrad.
Are there new homes available in The Elder Scrolls Steam West Weald?
Yes, West Weald offers two new homes: the small Rosevine Retreat in Skingrad (obtainable via quest or gold) and the large Merryvine Estate near Lucent Citadel (purchased after completing a zone achievement).