General:Face Meridia's Minions Within the Depths of Malatar
< General: Elderscrollsonline.com ArchiveOriginally published January 31, 2019. The original article can be found here.
Before he can open the Halls of Colossus, Abnur Tharn needs the powerful Wrathstone. Your quest to claim both halves of this ancient tablet begins in the Depths of Malatar, an all-new, challenging 4-player dungeon that brings unique rewards to Tamriel's undaunted adventurers.
Venture into the DepthsEdit
Centuries ago, an Imperial expedition uncovered the lost Ayleid city of Garlas Malatar and built Fort Mistwatch within the ruin's entrance. While the fort was intended to protect the Imperials as they looted the city below, a sinister power was uncovered by the expedition, resulting in the loss of the entire cohort along with knowledge of the ruin's entrance. What they found buried deep within the ancient site, and their ultimate fate, remained a mystery until now.
In the Depths of Malatar, the intrepid explorer and archeologist Tharayya, the very same Redguard scholar from the base-game dungeon Volenfell, has found the entrance to this mysterious ruin, and she now joins you on your journey deep into the fort and city below.
"Tharayya is always looking for a good find," explains Mike Finnigan, ESO's Dungeon Lead. "Though it's not Dwarven, her recently departed husband convinced her that Malatar was worth the trip and the trouble."
Indeed, thanks to a powerful Dwarven contraption she is joined by the spirit of her departed husband Quintus Verres, making for an interesting, if testy, party dynamic.
Veteran Elder Scrolls players might already be familiar with the site of Malatar if they played The Elder Scrolls Online IV: Oblivion, and the dungeon from the original game served as inspiration for the team when building it in ESO.
"We actually borrowed quite a bit from Oblivion's dungeon before making adjustments to fit our story. There is even a boss fight that is VERY similar to one that was in the original game."
It is the very same location, approximately 800 years before the Hero of Kvatch comes to this part of Cyrodiil, which you must explore now.
Shining & Monstrous DefendersEdit
In order to venture deep into the heart of Malatar, you must first get past those who came before. Empowered Imperial soldiers, kept alive and strengthened by Meridia herself, guard stone pathways and fortifications. However, it's not just ageless Imperials who await you, monstrous Daedric beasts also guard the way, hungry to feast on unaware adventurers and bringing a unique challenge for you and your group.
"Most of our boss fights involve fairly open, flat spaces for players to move around, but we wanted to do something different with the first boss fight in Depths of Malatar," explains Finnigan. "This creature is stalking you through a warehouse-type area, full of shelving and boxes, and you have to navigate the landscape as much as deal with the mechanics. Finding the boss and navigating that space makes for a fun and scary fight unlike anything we've done before."
Only after you have fought your way past the lost Imperials, discovered the ancient shrine, and claimed the relic it holds will Malatar's true master be revealed to you and your team. And as you venture deeper and deeper into the sunken city, you must survive more and more challenging guardians, including the spirit of an ancient Ayleid king and Meridia's champions.
The Treasure of a Sunken CityEdit
Whatever power brought devastation to Garlas Malatar, it hid and hoarded the city's wealth with it. Should you enter this dangerous, forgotten ruin, you'll have the opportunity to claim all-new rewards for you and your party, not found anywhere else in Tamriel!
These rewards include three new unique gear sets that are dropped by all of the dungeon's bosses, such as the Auroran's Thunder (Light) set, that can release a powerful cone of lightning when you deal direct damage.
In addition to the new gear sets, in the Depths of Malatar, you can also acquire the Symphony of Blades Monster Mask. When combined with the shoulders (acquired from an Undaunted Chest), this set gives your heals to low-health allies an additional boost to their primary resource.
Finally, you can complete Depths of Malatar on the Veteran difficulty to also receive the Meridian Purified Skin, giving your character the shining visage of the Lady of Infinite Energies.
"We have heard the feedback from players regarding how we award the cosmetic rewards for dungeons," says Finnigan. "So, with Wrathstone, you need only complete the Veteran difficulty of the dungeon in order to get the new skin, rather than the collection of Achievements as before."
This change will make the reward much more attainable for all of ESO's players, ensuring that there's never been a better time to take up the challenge of Veteran difficulty.
Claim Malatar's SecretsEdit
The Depths of Malatar's secrets are ready to be discovered, but first, you must deal with the lost ruin's ancient defenders. Are you ready to venture into this buried city and come face to face with Meridia's best? Let us know if you plan to begin your Season of the Dragon adventure with the Wrathstone DLC game pack on Twitter @TESOnline, Instagram, or Facebook.
Part of the Season of the Dragon year-long adventure, the Wrathstone DLC game pack is coming soon for ESO Plus members and to the in-game Crown Store. This new DLC game pack arrives with Update 21, a free base-game update for all ESO players.