Originally published April 14, 2014. The original article can be found here.
Today, we’re tackling your questions about ESO’s first Adventure Zone.
Craglorn is coming, and since we released our recent trailer, everyone’s been talking. We’re thrilled to see all the discussions, and we want to weigh in with some answers to questions we’ve gathered from around the web. We hope you’ll enjoy this closer look at how Craglorn’s new features work. If you have any questions about ESO and any of our upcoming content, feel free to send them to us at community@elderscrollsonline.com or post them on the official forums.
Are all the new zones going to be tailored towards groups? - _frazereidlol
The plan is to make sure we introduce a large variety of activities and types of content in the future. You shouldn’t expect every new zone we release to be an Adventure Zone at all.
Do you only get rewards if you're at the very top of the leaderboard? - Darian Clete Eutsler
No. There are rewards you’re eligible for on a weekly basis regardless of whether your group makes the leaderboards, and there are also normal loot drops in Trials and other unique gear you can obtain in Craglorn. Think of the leaderboard rewards as a little something extra for doing well. Everyone else will still be able to obtain the gear they want throughout Craglorn and the Trials.
So, there is a timer in Trials, but we don't have to beat the timer, do we? I am guessing some people are not the rush types. - Deborah Moderate
You’ll only need to worry about your time in Trials if you’re trying to make it onto the leaderboards. Trials can be completed at your group’s pace, and if you can defeat all the challenges in a Trial, you’ll be rewarded no matter how long it took.
Can’t wait for it! Will there be a new motif? - thoraya
No new motifs will be available in Craglorn, but there are some great items you can get for your efforts there.
I wouldn't want to see players find routes to skip a lot of the trash mobs and figure out ways to cheese the bosses. It'll happen, like it always does, but hopefully ZeniMax was smart enough in its design and testing to avoid too much. Another worry would be how much of a timesink will they be. - Sharvis_
Trial length will vary by group. We suspect it will range from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on your group’s experience and skill level.
Does Craglorn have separate instances for each alliance or do all three alliances intermingle? - LonePirate
Craglorn will function in a manner similar to how Coldharbour works now. Each alliance will go to an identical version.
Did you add more Veteran Ranks? There was a part in the video where the character was Veteran Rank 12! - Austin Parker
Craglorn and the Trials will range from Veteran Rank 11 to Veteran Rank 12, but you will be able to visit at Veteran Rank 1 or above.
Have we heard of these Celestials before? Or are these just those birth signs that we pick at the start of other Elder Scrolls games? - Johannihilate
The Celestials are a new concept based on the existing lore of the constellations in The Elder Scrolls games. There’s quite a bit of lore in Craglorn that will be interesting for fans to discover.
What I really want to know is: how many resurrections are we talking? Hard to know whether the stuff will be challenging or not without having some sort of idea on the rez numbers. - erlexx
We’re still working out the final numbers, and we think it’ll be hard to get a sense of how often you’ll need to use them before you’ve done a Trial, but right now we’re allowing 60 resurrections during a Trial.
How will Trials be accessed? Do they work like the public dungeons now? Can people queue for them with the tool, or are people allowed to go in there solo and at least experience the story without beating the 12-player encounters or entering Veteran Dungeons? - Audigy
Trials can be accessed by either the physical entrance or by using our Group Finder to assemble a team. You could potentially go into one solo, but the first group of monsters you encountered would wipe the floor with you.
Are Adventure Zones instanced to your group? - Magnussen
An Adventure Zone is a large area where you can explore and meet other groups along the way. The overland terrain isn’t instanced. However, much of the content you’ll find in Craglorn, like delves and points of interest, are instanced for your group.