Originally published February 19, 2020. The original article can be found here.
The Harrowstorm DLC game pack is coming February 24 for PC/Mac and March 10 for Xbox One and PlayStation®4. This new DLC includes access to both Unhallowed Grave and Icereach, two challenging new dungeons that kick off the Dark Heart of Skyrim year-long adventure!
A Lost DutyEdit
An age ago, the local legion buried the remnants of a great evil deep beneath Bangkorai’s sands. To guard over the tomb site, the garrison founded a new organization called the Pyre Watch.
“Over the centuries since their founding, the honor associated with being a member of the Pyre Watch had lessened, and fewer and fewer people took up the mantle,” explains Mike Finnigan, ESO’s Dungeon Lead.
With each new generation of guardians, more of their original purpose became lost to time, but the tradition continued regardless. Now, the Pyre Watch has all but one member, and as result, raiders have invaded the tomb. The sole remaining member of the Pyre Watch, Shelaria, needs your help to explore the Unhallowed Grave and clear out the vile Draugrkin.
“The Draugrkin are a mercenary band, and while they work for coin, most of them are also Necromancers,” explains Finnigan. “To them, the Unhallowed Grave was a perfect target, as an ancient burial ground is ideal for dead-raising, bone-gnawing, Nord lunatics.”
While the “Nord lunatics” must be stopped, the Unhallowed Grave holds many secrets for those willing to stray from the path. As you navigate this dilapidated tomb’s halls and canyon pathways, you can discover more to the site than you might expect.
Dread Guardians and InvadersEdit
Bringing dread necromancy and monsters to their defense, the Draugrkin are not easy to rout. And given that they’re in a giant, underground tomb, they can work with plenty of material, including the skeletal remains of werewolves.
In addition to a horde of soldiers, beasts, and necromancers, Unhallowed Grave brings a host of new, challenging bosses for you and your team to overcome. This includes ancient stone guardians, powerful liches, and the mercenary leaders themselves—be careful that they don’t add your bones to the piles already scattered throughout!
To traverse Unhallowed Grave, you need to use a familiar tool from the previous Dragonhold DLC: the grappling hook!
“One of the goals for Unhallowed Grave was to reward players who like to explore and feel like delvers in the dark,” says Finnigan. “The grappling hooks allowed us to provide an interesting traversal method in the dungeon and kick it up a notch in boss fights. As a result, it’s fully integrated within the dungeon in how you travel, battle its bosses, and even discover its secrets.”
Buried RichesEdit
The dead are not the only things buried beneath Bangkorai, and as you fight your way to the heart of the mystery behind the mercenary group’s attack, you can uncover a host of unique rewards. This includes four new gear sets (three regular and a monster set), collectibles, and furnishings, including the Grave Guardian heavy set, which boosts you and your group’s resistances when you block.
In addition to the new sets, should you complete Unhallowed Grave on Veteran difficulty, you’ll earn Bloodrune Body Markings, allowing you to make your character look like one of the Draugrkin mercenaries.
These aren’t all the rewards you can earn when battling your way through this new dungeon, and you’ll need to keep an eye out for new opportunities as you make your way to the heart of the gravesite.
Discover the Secrets of the DeadEdit
What evil lies buried within the Unhallowed Grave? Why are the Dragurkin now looting its ancient corridors? What you discover in this new dungeon will have grave consequences for Skyrim and all of Tamriel, and the events of this new dungeon lead directly into the upcoming Greymoor Chapter and the year-long Dark Heart of Skyrim adventure.
Are you ready to delve into the heart of the Unhallowed Grave? Let us know if you’ll be kicking off your next big adventure with this new dungeon via @TESOnline, Instagram, and Facebook!
Part of the Dark Heart of Skyrim year-long adventure, the Harrowstorm DLC game pack is coming February 24 for PC/Mac and March 10 for Xbox One and PlayStation®4. This new DLC game pack arrives in tandem with Update 25, a free base-game update for all ESO players.