Bethesda Softworks has announced that Thieves Guild, the first official expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online, will be available on the 7th March, 2016. The downloadable content will be free for those who own an active ESO Plus membership. Otherwise, the DLC will cost 2000 crowns in the ESO Store. A special Collector’s Bundle runs 4,000 crowns and includes the Hammerfell Camel mount, the Kindlespit Dragon Frog, and five Crown Experience Scrolls.
The launch of the DLC will coincide with a free update to the base game, which will include such upgrades as a 64-bit client for PC and Mac, scrolling combat text, grouping improvements and incentives, and new combat and gameplay balance changes.
The expansion is set in a desert peninsula called Hew’s Bane, with new Hammerfell locations being added, including Abah’s Landing, ”the opulent jewel of Hew’s Bane”. The city is the home base of the Thieves Guild, and full of secrets hiding in the network of back alleys, narrow catwalks, and secluded alcoves. When the player first meets the Guild, they find the organization in dire straits, having just dealt with a disastrous heist that’s gone ”horrifically wrong”. In short, the Guild is in total disarray and its up to the player to restore it to its former glory.
The DLC also includes the Larceny System that adds repeatable activities such as heists and pickpocketing. Guild heists require sneaking and avoiding traps; players who complete a heist undetected and within the time limit get special bonuses.
Other Guild activities include unlocking safeboxes, gathering items for consignment requests, and so on. The content also includes a challenging new 12-player Trial called The Maw of Lorkhaj, 2 all-new formidable world bosses, 2 new delves (Bahraha’s Gloom and Shark’s Teeth Grotto), and new crafting styles and equipment that are for true outlaws.
Bethesda urges players to help the studio perfect the DLC by hopping on the Public Test Server and playing the pre-release build. To give a taste of what players can expect from the Thieves Guild content, they also released a developer diary hosted by creative Director Rich Lambert. Check it out in the video below.
