14 DAY TRIAL // 
Greymoor is the fourth major DLC or chapter, as Zenimax likes to call them, to The Elder Scrolls Online sags. It's also one of the darker ones since it focuses on the supernatural aspect of the universe where werewolves, vampires, and witches scheme together in an attempt to bring back the old days.
More importantly, Greymoor is an opportunity to return to Skyrim, even though the main story is set nearly 1,000 years before the happenings in Elder Scrolls V. The expansion adds a new zone that players can explore – Western Skyrim, with its epicenter in Solitude, which looks exactly like everyone remembers it from Elder Scrolls V.
What makes Greymoor even more interesting is that it allows players to explore a rather large underground region called Blackreach, the base of a mining business that's being manipulated by a dark force. There's a whole ecosystem hidden from daylight where you can very easily become the prey of the denizens roaming the caverns in search of food.
It's a nice and welcomed change since Greymoor completely redesigns the way the vampire class works. And what better hunting ground for a vampire than an underground settlement where its powers are elevated by the absences of light and the terrain. Although just about every story about vampires claim they are very susceptible to sunlight, garlic, and crucifixes, in Greymoor, you can play as a vampire and not worry about any of these things.
However, being a vampire comes at a cost and while you'll become more powerful than traditional ESO classes, you'll also receive more damage from enemies and some NPCs might not want to interact with you if you reach certain stages of vampirism. Also, in order to reach be able to access more powerful vampire abilities, you'll have to feed regularly. As you reach higher stages of vampirism, your skills will require fewer resources to cast, but to do that you'll have to feed more often, so it's a double-edged sword that you'll have to live with.
The good news is vampirism can be cured, so you can always respec to another class and leave the vampire life behind. But the complete overhaul of the vampire skillset is not the only major gameplay feature introduced in Greymoor. The new Antiquities system adds a fun aspect to the dark setting. In Greymoor, you can become a treasure hunter, an archaeologist who digs up artifacts that he/she can sell to merchants for large amounts of money. Moreover, you can even find the mythic gear that features unique traits and can't be obtained through other means.
The whole dig up system is quite enjoyable, but before you start digging for a certain artifact, you must first learn that it exists. Throughout the world, you'll discover so-called “leads” that should pinpoint you to a certain location. If you have enough leads about an artifact, you can use “scry” ability to pinpoint its location. To unearth an artifact you'll have to dig in the dirt using specific tools like shovels and brushes. But you must be very careful because you only have so many tries at finding the right spot and if you're too rushed, you might break the artifact rendering it worthless.
If you have enough stamina remaining, you might find a second artifact at the dig site. Most dig sites have more than one artifact, but the one that you're looking for remains the most valuable. It's an interesting system that reminds me of the archaeology in World of Warcraft, but with better rewards, slightly more complex and a lot funnier.
Greymoor's story focuses on vampire and werewolves, but as you might expect from an Elder Scrolls game, there is more than meets the eye, so you'll have to discover the mysterious forces that are attacking Western Skyrim. But you're not alone in your quest, as you're joined by a familiar face – Lydia Titanborn, a member of the original Five Companions, the people from the last Emperor Varen Aquilarios' inner circle. You first meet Lydia Titanborn in the original Elder Scrolls Online, as she's helping you escape from Coldharbour, and then she returns to help you in Tamriel.
Another important addition that comes with Greymoor is the Harrowstorms, which work similarly to Dark Anchors and Dolmens. These are deadly storms that appear in certain locations across Western Skyrim and spawn enemies that you need to kill to make the final boss appear.
Once you finish Greymoor's story, there's some end content to be tackled as well. The new Kyne's Aegis 12-player trial lets players fight sea giants led by a vampire lord. Should you succeed in repelling the icy army, you'll be rewarded with powerful new gear. While you're exploring Western Skyrim you'll be able to delve into six soloable dungeons and two public dungeons.
The Good
- New underground region looks amazing
- Vampire skillset has been reworked
- Fun Antiquities system
- Top-notch voice acting
The Bad
- Too formulaic
- No meaningful improvements
Conclusion
I like how Zenimax implemented the new Western Skyrim region in the game, and I absolutely love how Blackreach turned out to be. The first time I entered the cavernous region, I got the feeling that I'm stepping into the shoes of Drizzt Do'Urden from R.A. Salvatore's novel.
Even though Greymoor adds about 20 hours of story content, depending on how many side quests you're willing to take on, the expansion keeps to the same formula. Instead of bringing meaningful changes to the world of ESO, Greymoor piggybacks on the previous installments to find new audiences. That being said, I do recommend the new expansion, just don't expect any mind-blowing improvements.
