Check out some of the in-game rewards you can earn simply by logging into The Elder Scrolls Online this June 2023!
Whether you’re exploring bizarre new worlds, leveling up your Arcanist, or diving deep into the Shadow Over Morrowind adventure, there are 30(!) days of amazing login rewards you can claim in June 2023.
What are Daily Rewards? Check out this help article to learn everything you need to know! Here are some highlights of this coming month’s offerings.
Crown Lesson: Riding Capacity×4—Day 7 The Riding Capacity Crown Lesson
You can find a host of new items within the Telvanni Peninsula and Apocrypha, so leveling up your ride’s carry capacity ensures nothing is left behind in your adventures.
Trumpet Solo Emote—Day 14 Trumpet Solo emote
Blow your horn like a certain jazz-loving Khajiit with the Trumpet Solo emote and instantly become the center of attention, whether your audience wants you to or not.
100,000 Gold—Day 21 Gold, gold, gold!
Whether you’re looking to acquire crafted item sets, consumables, materials, or new styles, almost everything is available for the right price from your local Guild Traders, so an extra 100,000 gold should be a welcome addition to every adventurer’s coin purse—just don’t spend it all at once!
With the upcoming launch of the Necrom Chapter, you have plenty of amazing reasons to venture into Tamriel this coming month. The above items are, of course, just a sample of some of the in-game goodies you can claim when logging into the game in June. To see the complete schedule, simply log in on the morning of June 1, 2023, navigate to the Daily Rewards section of the in-game Crown Store, and take a look!
Are you excited to get your hands on these daily login rewards? Let us know via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Register Now for the 2023 ESO Tavern European Community Event!
The ESO Tavern European community event returns with an exciting mix of activities and fun. Sign up for the July 2023 event at Castle Satzvey near Cologne, Germany now!
Meet up with other players, your fellow guild members, and developers to discuss The Elder Scrolls Online at the ESO Tavern, Tamriel’s largest in-person community event. First hosted in 2013, the ESO Tavern over the years has become a major event where players and developers alike can share their passion for the game and the ever-growing #ESOFam.
This year, the ESO Tavern will take place at Castle Satzvey in Germany from Saturday, July 15 at 3PM CEST, until Sunday, July 16 at 2PM CEST. This special location is the perfect place for the ESO community to mingle and celebrate ESO together, take part in various activities, and enjoy exciting music performances. ESO Creative Director Rich Lambert, Art Director CJ Grebb, Lead Encounter Designer Mike Finnigan, Lead Combat Designer Brian Wheeler, and Community Manager Kai Schober will also be present during the festivities and engaging with the fans.
Admissions will be managed via Eventbrite. Please follow this link to register for ESO Tavern 2023.
Note that the entrance fee for this year’s event will be 25 euros per attendee. This includes access to all activities, special swag, free drink tokens, breakfast on Sunday, and the option to camp on the storied castle grounds.
After registering for a ticket, you will be placed onto a waiting list. If you'd like to sign up as a group or generally increase your chances, email us directly at community_de@bethsofteurope.com with "Tavern 2023" in the subject line. Tell us the email address(es) you used to register through Eventbrite and why you’d love to be invited. If you are approved, you will have seven days to confirm the purchase and pay. This ticket will also be refundable up to 7 days before the event.
Please note that camping spots are limited. If you wish to claim one, please mention this in the application email for scheduling.
Keep an eye on our social media channels for more information about planned programming in the coming weeks. Were you able to attend the recent Las Vegas Community Event and are excited to also sign up for the ESO Tavern? Or is this going to be your first major fan meetup of the year? Let us know via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Begin Your Journey into the Arcanist Class with This New Developer Video
Discover the Arcanist’s powerful collection of abilities and unique combat mechanics in this new video.
When the Necrom Chapter launches this June, you can finally wield the eldritch power of the all-new Arcanist class. Get a breakdown of the abilities and unique mechanics of this powerful new class from ESO’s Lead Combat Designer Brian Wheeler and prepare your mind and soul to master the frightening and unpredictable energies of Apocrypha.
Are you excited to check out ESO’s first new class since the Elsweyr Chapter? Power beyond understanding lies within your reach should you have the courage to gaze into the mysteries of Apocrypha. Let us know if you’ll be creating a brand-new Arcanist character when Necrom launches this June via Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom arrives for PC/Mac on June 5, 2023, and for Xbox and PlayStation consoles on June 20, 2023. Pre-purchase Necrom now to receive unique bonus rewards at launch and immediate access to the Sadrith Mora Spore Steed mount. Don't miss out!
Loremaster’s Archive–The Arcanists
Azandar Al-Cybiades shares his knowledge concerning the Arcanists and their connection to the mysterious realm of Apocrypha in a new Loremaster’s Archive.
Salutations, sagacious sojourner. And welcome to a distillation of all things arcanist. I have the distinct pleasure of being your scholar-in-residence for this discussion. I have been eagerly anticipating my opportunity to clarify a few things about this most esoteric of mystical pursuits.
But I forget myself: I am Azandar al-Cybiades. Theoretician of fated potential, enigmatum accumulator, and arcanist of the highest order. It was with great pleasure I responded in the affirmative to the University of Gwilym’s invitation. A chance to answer submitted questions for a wider academic audience, how delightful!
Despite, or indeed perhaps because of, their previous refusal to publish my papers, I’m very much looking forward to the chance to speak on the arcanist branch of philosophical and magical scholarship. Let’s sally forth then, readers. There’s much ground to cover and I don’t wish to overstay my welcome. Onward and upward!
Greetings Azandar al-Cybiades,
How does one become an arcanist?
—Lunetta Gleamblossom
There are as many answers to that question as there are arcanists in the world, friend Gleamblossom. A tome travels (somehow) from Apocrypha to Nirn and eventually finds a mortal soul that fits perfectly with its unique infralux resonance. The contents of the tome, circumstances of discovery, and mesh between the mortal and the book are wholly specific to that experience.
The output of that interaction (the arcanist) is also a specific exemplar of the phenomenon. Some arcanists, like myself, view the contents of our tomes with academic detachment. Others see it as a new framework within which to live their lives. Yet others become as thirsty for knowledge as Hermaeus Mora himself, or they shut themselves away in isolated scholarship for the rest of their (usually chaotic) existences.
I hesitate to recount the “discovery tales” of other arcanists I’ve spoken with, but I’m happy enough to relate my own. I was in a very dour place in my life, emotionally and economically. I was in a second-hand bookstore in Sentinel, seeking out an old edition of a cookbook I’d grown fond of. I recall it quite clearly, I was running my hand along a row of spines when my book quite literally bit me. Nipped the end of my finger and drew a spot of blood. My annoyance turned to extraordinary surprise when I beheld the contents within. And the long and storied career of Azandar al-Cybiades, realm traveler and arcanist, began.
What caused so many arcanists to show themselves right now?
—Fonarik the Wood Orc
As always with magic, good Fonarik, perception is reality. The truth of the matter is that arcanists are not a new phenomenon. In truth, I have been studying my tome and the stacks of Apocrypha for several decades now. I believe the prominence we’ve garnered of late—the very reason I was asked to engage in this discussion—stems from a sort of statistical tipping point. Despite the inherent secrecy with which we do our work, there are far more arcanists plying their trade now than ever before. The sheer weight of numbers has drawn attention to our magickal framework, you see.
I also want to note I would be a poor scholar indeed if I didn’t frame the term “arcanist” as a badge we have self-pinned to our proverbial chests. In a previous University discussion panel, I found the response from the Guild Mage Dhulef along these lines quite insightful, when discussing the “wardens.” Magic is magic at the end of the day. The lines we draw around it are mortal constructs, nothing more or less.
Now, as to why there are more arcanists now than ever before? If I had to guess, perhaps some kind of shift in the aetheric fabric of the Aurbis? The Planemeld has been a time for us all, and it will leave each and every one of us with stories to last a lifetime—provided we survive. Perhaps something about this event, or something like it, has changed the relationship between Nirn and the Daedric Realms. And this change, in turn, has prompted more tomes to find their way to mortal hands.
Hello!
I heard Arcanists make use of "Runes" in their spellcasting. Do these Runes have any relation to other runes we know about, such as the Runic language of Runestones?
—Benessa Gibby, Enchanter of The Company
Ah. I suspected an astute observer might ask something about this. Let’s compare and contrast. In the enchantment discipline, an ancient and honored trade going back to the First Era, runes are pathways to power. While new runic developments happen fairly regularly, there is a linguistical common tongue amongst enchanters that allow them to imbue items with mystical properties. Runes have specific, measurable meanings and allow for a repetition of output as well as intent. It is a discipline I myself have some skill at, and one which requires precision and artistry in equal measure.
Somewhat embarrassingly, the “runes” arcanists fling about are nothing more than logographic symbols for subconscious metamagical constructs. Arcanist runes mean nothing beyond their internal significance to the arcanist in question.
While study has shown that the language of arcanist runes is universal, they do not represent the same concepts across individual arcanists. I could draw you a symbol that in my spellwork means “power,” for example. And you, as another arcanist, might tell me that same symbol means “fire.” These sigils are unique to arcanist magecraft, as far as I know, but like the one-to-one relationship between mortal and tome, so too are the uses of these sigils specific to the arcanist.
As a scholar I desperately wish this were not so. It feels as if Mora himself is laughing at me each and every time I consider it.
I have noticed that Arcanist spells appear to be very physically complex, producing intricate sigils and glyphs. I am unclear on the mental processes involved with spellcasting; why do some spells require incantations and sigils and intense ritual, and others simply a wave of the hand—and where upon this spectrum do Arcanist techniques lie, with their tomes and luminous, hovering sigils?
—Blessings of Morwha Upon You, Artun at-Itamen, Alik'r Nomad
An excellent question from Artun, descendant of Itamen! Casting a spell is the act of channeling magicka from within your personal reserves, through your mind and will, into the world. I quite like the appellation “willworker,” actually. It’s a direct way to describe my profession. My brother is a person who farms, therefore he introduces himself as a farmer. I am a person who works via my will. Therefore, a willworker.
The act of changing reality itself with the strength of your personality is exhausting. Every novice mage quickly discovers this upon attempting even the most basic of incantations. The personal reserve of magicka novice mages possess is quite small, and it takes some time for this reserve to recover. As a weathered old hand at this hand-waving nonsense, my reserve is exceptional. But not infinite!
And so, just like even the most junior of mages, I make use of techniques to ground my mind and thinking. To connect with the magic quickly and efficiently. In particular I find that “magic words” are an excellent way to get the magicka flowing. I greatly enjoy coming up with new ones, and find that simple and repeated magics benefit greatly from this technique.
As for why arcanists in particular are prone to hand-waving and logograms, I suspect that has to do with the origin of our power. Apocrypha, if you’ve never been, is a place where undercurrents of power flow quite freely. Arcanist magic is no more or less “powerful” from a subjective point of view, but as magicka flows through my mind, it does so with a vim and vigor I’m not sure other spellcasters regularly experience.
The result is that all extra potentiality needs to be directly *somewhere.* And thus do the logograms, shadowy visions of the Endless Library, and superfluous tentacles enter the world when all we wished to do was heat some water for a nice cup of tea.
Tidings Azandar,
I am curious.… What would happen if one were to come across an Arcanist’s tome? Could its power be invoked by a stray collector?
—Magister Gwenaelle Mathis of the Mages Guild.
Thankfully, no. As I just discussed, the symbology in every tome is unique to the mind (and soul?) of the individual arcanist. If you were to pick up my tome, it would be an incomprehensible book of gibberish. No more dangerous or mystically enlightening than a Wayrest romance novel. Similarly, I can learn nothing from the tome of another arcanist. I and some other studious arcanists have tried, but there is no way to impart knowledge of another tome’s symbology and retain it for any length of time. A disaster for academic rigor, I know.
We’ve seen that Daedric Artefacts can corrupt people into being puppets or turn them into Daedric creatures. What about the magic Arcanists use?
—Gaius Sulla of the Thirteenth Legion
An excellent question, Gaius. My answer is: it depends. (A pattern in arcanist discussions, as you’ve no doubt begun to see.) I believe the unique comingling of mortal and tome to be a specific expression across a number of axes, both literal and metamagical.
I myself, and a number of others I’ve met, see arcanist magic as a means to an end. A tool we use to achieve other goals or defend ourselves in the pursuit of specific outcomes. In general, I believe this detached framework allows for a distancing between my mind and the siren song of Apocrypha itself. After all, that is the one immutable truth I can tell you about being an arcanist: the font of my power bubbles within Hermaeus Mora’s realm.
Others, with a different outlook on the tome and the power it offers, walk markedly different paths. Some number feel the need to pledge themselves body and soul to the Inevitable Knower, in payment for the power they’ve been given. I felt no such need to do so, I should note, and if the One-Who-Knows comes calling for compensation, he’s going to have a fight on his hands. Err, tentacles.
Yet others find themselves drawn to defending Apocrypha itself, feel the need to retreat far from civilization, or even fling themselves headlong into the far depths of the Aurbis in search of esoterica undiscovered by mortal minds.
My viewpoint is that the power of an arcanist is what you make of it. And Daedric corruption, regrettably, is a potential end state for the pursuit of many types of power. I know of at least one very noble warrior who branded herself a “templar” who now serves as a cult leader for Molag Bal, of all creatures. Power corrupts, as they say, and I suggest vigilance, diligence, and competence to combat that corruption.
Myself and my fellow kwama herders here in Deshaan have been debating for a few weeks on a most dire subject. How does one pronounce "Arcanist"? We have nearly come to blows debating this, so I pray that you can help.
—Golar Arano
While normally I’d be loathe to be drawn into pronunciation pugilism, I feel as though this is really a very simple question to answer. I say the word like “arr-can-ist” for no other reason than because saying the word like “arr-cane-ist” feels unwieldy when speaking out loud.
All the Arcanists I have met thus far have, in some form or another, been affiliated with Hermaeus Mora or the realm of Apocrypha. Are there Arcanists out there who draw power from another realm or Daedric Prince, or is "Arcanist" exclusively referring to those who deal with Hermaeus Mora?
—Mistress Milore Telvanni
Ah, finally a question I can answer somewhat concisely. And an excellent one at that, Mistress.
No. As I said above, I have but one fixed point I can use to determine who is and is not an arcanist: we all draw our power from Apocrypha through a bonded tome. So by definition (as far as one such as this is valuable), a mortal who drew their power from another plane would not be an arcanist. Stylistically (and magic is nothing if not style as well as substance), I believe the apocryphal tome we utilize in our craft heavily flavors this magic. Even before I found the tome, I had many “magical” experiences reading a book and feeling the spark of inspiration. To almost preposterously oversimplify my lived experience, arcanist magic is like that. Only moreso.
Greetings, Azandar al-Cybiades,
While my specialty lies in unearthing the secrets of the past, as a member of the Mages Guild, knowledge of all kinds intrigues me. For arcanists such as yourself, where would you say your talents lie amongst the schools of magic created by the mages of Shad Astula and perpetuated by our esteemed Gabrielle Benele?
Thank you for your time,
—Floritte Vinielle, Archaeologist and Curator of the Wayrest Archaeological Museum
The lady herself, who of course organizes these discussion seminars, is a keen mind and a brilliant flame within the dour mediocrity of the Mages Guild. As you no doubt are as well, Floritte! [Editor’s Note: Flattery in a public forum will get you nowhere, old man.]
Gabrielle’s treatise on magical categorization, “Proposal: Schools of Magic,” is a text well worth reading. Her supporting documentation is fascinating, and my own (admittedly brief) time at Shad Astula reinforces her claim that this classification system does lend itself to novice mages understanding the “types of magic” at a faster rate than in the traditional Mages Guild curriculum.
To your question: I would say the majority of spellworks I’ve observed as an arcanist, and by other arcanists, fall primarily into the schools of Mysticism and Conjuration. If you’ve studied with an arcanist for any length of time, you’ve no doubt seen how adept we are at crafting shields, tentacles, weapons, and other aetheric constructs. A sympathetic alignment exists between our heavily prevalent logographic expressions and the ability to shape magicka into a physical form, I believe.
I myself am largely self-taught in the basics of magic, having spent quite a great deal of my childhood with my nose in a book. This many years after the discovery of my tome, the hard and fast delineations the Shad Astula disciplines imply seem somewhat arbitrary to this old scholar. But not every mage has the aptitude to extemporize mystical formulae off the top of their head, eh?
Azandar al-Cybiades,
In a time when our world has been torn asunder by one Daedric Prince after another, permit me to ask this pertinent question of you, kind sir. Why should the people of Nirn tolerate your kind and not simply destroy you? While many sorcerers traffic with Daedra, few are so overt about their dealings that they show off in such a way, wearing robes of many eyes and covering battlegrounds with their putrid ink.
—Rosaria Draconis
Ah delightful! I find your forthrightness quite bracing! First and foremost, good Rosaria, I would challenge you to try. Quite honestly I’ve been almost-murdered enough times that I wonder if anyone will ever get around to doing it properly.
Disregarding your tone and striking at the meat of your question: you have nothing to fear from an arcanist. Arcanist magic, as I said above, is a tool. It can be used for good or ill in equal measure. Its source is potentially challenging, I understand that. And with all the tentacles? Quite frankly sometimes even I think it’s all a bit much. Performative, you know. But as someone who grew up desperately fearing that the distant horizon around Kozanset was to be the length and breadth of my reality, I strongly believe we should make the best of each and every tool available to us. No matter how it sometimes writhes or sprouts additional eyeballs.
This is all based on the supposition that magic itself is not the source of your ire. If that is the case, I would invite you, again, to readily attempt my destruction. I do not think you will find the experience as entertaining as you might like. I may be an old man, but I’m still feisty.
As a knight myself, I am intrigued by whispers about these so-called "rune knights." What can you tell me about them? Are they Arcanists that happen to be knights, do they follow any codes or belong to any specific knightly order, how does one become one, and how do they compare to knightly traditions present on Tamriel?
—Sir Greensly of the Knights of Saint Eleidon
I have looked at length into the history of arcanist spellcasting, and I fear even I can offer you only a scant few pointers for your own research. You have the right of it, Sir Greensly. The “Rune Knights of the Purgatory Disquisition” appear to have been a very small and very secretive knightly order sometime very early in the Second Era. Founded by an esoteric and enigmatic patron, this order rode forth from Apocrypha to battle across Nirn—or so my research indicates. Perhaps this patron was a Daedra? Or a powerful and less martial arcanist who took on a noble lord's mantle?
Their time from founding to disbanding was not overly long, as far as I can tell, but no doubt you’ve heard of them for the same reason I have. They perfected several warding techniques using arcanist magics that survive, in some cases completely unchanged, to the modern day. Tales of these impressive warriors riding into battle untouched by hundreds of arrows are almost certainly spurious. But then again, perhaps not.
And with that, I think I shall close out this dialogue. I have research to do, planes to explore, and experiments to conduct. It has been a singular honor to speak to arcanist magic in this august framework. And I encourage each and every one of you to reach out via messenger if you have further questions. I am, as I hope is self-evident by now, always happy to talk.
Go carefully, go thoughtfully, and always consider your ultimate goal. Until next time, friends. Onward and upward!
Many thanks to the ESO Community for their questions surrounding Tamriel’s enigmatic Arcanists. Do you have additional questions regarding the Necrom Chapter’s all new class? Why not ask the community in our official forums?
Great power awaits those willing to delve into the mysteries of Apocrypha, but great danger also lurks behind every revelation. Are you planning to master the eldritch powers of the Arcanist class when Necrom arrives in June? Share your secrets with us via Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom arrives for PC/Mac on June 5, 2023, and for Xbox and PlayStation consoles on June 20, 2023. Pre-purchase Necrom now to receive unique bonus rewards at launch and immediate access to the Sadrith Mora Spore Steed mount. Don't miss out!
Meet the Character—Azandar al-Cybiades
Pursue forbidden knowledge alongside the brash-yet-brilliant Arcanist Azandar al-Cybiades, one of the two new companions you can recruit in the upcoming Necrom Chapter.
From the desk of Elydrina Nathriin, Shad Astula Academy
Cousin, I offered you support during your ill-fated bid to become a Bouyant Armiger. I held my tongue during that fiasco with the Telvanni Mage. You recall, the one with the "chin that could crack a shalk's shell?" But I must draw the line at supporting, endorsing, or in any way condoning a collaboration with the arcanist extraordinaire, Azandar al-Cybiades.
Is Azandar a brilliant theoretician? Without a doubt. His transliminal theories are without peer. During his time studying at the Academy, he regularly impressed me with an understanding of Daedric realms that rivaled our most august scholars. One of my colleagues compared his arcanum to that of Morian Zenas, late of the Arcane University in Cyrodiil.
He’s also notable within Academy circles for rising from humble origins. Azandar’s family was of meager means, no history of magical talent to speak of. I’ve seen his invitation for tutorial scholarship, signed and sealed by Archmage Valeyn himself. Not a singular invitation, but one only offered to those of unique and unimpeachable talent.
That’s why the man is so infuriating. If he was some charlatan hedge mage with an overblown ego, he would be so much easier to dismiss. Not so. He’s a world-class talent.
A world-class talent armored in a cocksure attitude, anchored by a devotion to needlessly complex wordplay, and blinded by a complete lack of understanding that his actions have consequences. You know my own academic history with the man, and you still want to pursue a collaboration?
An anecdote, which I can substantiate through a number of letters. You recall Telenger the Artificer? Favored son of the Mages Guild, local celebrity in Auridon, world-traveling researcher. I can picture you furrowing your brow in confusion, so instead recall that debutante ball in Mournhold last year. He was that High Elf? You wanted to be smothered beneath his 'beautiful beard'? I imagine that jogs the memory!
Telenger had for years been excavating a ruin at the center of Skywatch, an Aldmeri construct that was heavy with planar magics and mystic potential. Understandably concerned about unleashing something that might impact the city, he took a careful and measured approach. Requiring a consultant familiar with some of the deep-theory aetheric constructs within the ruin, Telenger invited Azandar to join his team investigating the site.
Two weeks later, Telenger returned to the dig site to find the gates to other planes sealed, most of the magicka wells capped, and Azandar moving some of his belongings onto the premises. I’m unsure of what specifically passed between them, but a friend of mine overheard Azandar proclaiming that the portals had been “pedestrian pablum only interesting to children” and that he was doing the archmage a favor by closing the enigmatum that had existed there (presumably) since the days of the Aldmeri.
The long and short of this is: Azandar al-Cybiades cannot be trusted. He is too self-assured of his own brilliance and too charismatic by half. And while his cooking is divine, he cannot take criticism in either magical or culinary circumstances. Please, cousin, stay well removed. And do remember to write your mother. She worries about you.
Best wishes,
Your cousin Elydrina
While Azandar is clearly adept at the arcane arts, his ego appears to be equally exceptional. Perhaps he just needs to meet the right adventurer? One that can best utilize his talents while managing his larger-than-life personality. Do you think you may have what it takes to travel alongside Azandar al-Cybiades? Let us know via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom is part of the Shadow Over Morrowind adventure and arrives for PC/Mac on June 5, 2023, and for Xbox and PlayStation consoles on June 20, 2023. Pre-purchase Necrom now to receive unique bonus rewards at launch and immediate access to the Sadrith Mora Spore Steed mount.
ESO Developer Deep Dive–Giving Tamriel’s Characters Their Voice
Learn about how all of Tamriel’s characters get their voices with this deep dive chat with ZeniMax Online Studio’s own VO Lead, Becky Ichnoski!
We are excited to chat with The Elder Scrolls Online’s own Voice-Over (VO) Lead, Becky Ichnoski, who takes us through the months-long process for preparing, recording, and adding voice to ESO’s many characters. There are approximately 300,000 lines of VO in English alone, and all of that is planned, recorded, and implemented by Becky and her team!
Hey Becky! Could you introduce yourself to us and tell us about your role at ZOS?
Sure, my name is Becky Ichnoski. I'm The Elder Scrolls Online’s Voice-Over Lead, and I have been working on the game since 2012. Basically, I lead the VO team, which includes our two VO supervisors, Jessica Crowe and DB Cooper, plus me.
Let’s jump right into it! Broadly, what is the process for adding VO to our game?
I always have to narrow down the VO process into three separate chunks.
There's pre-recording, which is basically casting, actor assignment, creating scripts, and preparing recording sessions. Then there's recording, which is done either in the studio or, more often these days, remotely. That’s when we record the actual voice-over. Finally, there’s a third stage, post-recording. That’s when we get all the VO that we recorded back, integrate it into the game, and polish everything.
What do you do during the pre-recording phase?
So, to begin, we jump into the game and play through the content. Things are a work in progress, but we want to get a feel for the quests and meet the characters ourselves.
We also work with writers to get an idea of who the major characters are and who we want special casting consideration for. For those characters, we’ll create sides (audition information with art, descriptions, and some lines) and send them out to agencies. We work with a lot of different agencies. And within a few days, we’ll get a whole bunch of auditions back.
In some cases, a writer has written a character with a specific actor in mind, so we’ll also request a read from that actor.
Do you have a recent example of a time when a writer wanted a specific actor?
Yeah! Dhulef from the High Isle Chapter, whom we got Phil LaMarr to play. The writer had LaMarr in mind, and it all worked out really well. Dhulef of the Mages Guild, voiced by Phil LaMarr
What happens after auditions come in?
We listen to them all! We often take turns, pulling out our top three favorites and then passing them to each other to compare favorites. We’ll also reach out to writers and other developers to weigh in before picking an actor.
We’ll do that for the major characters first. We kind of put the characters into tiers. At the top there’s major characters that might have 300 lines per release, and then there's side quest main characters who might have 100 lines, so they're important too.
We don't audition everybody, but I'd say for a Chapter, for example, we might audition for 10 characters and then fill in the blanks with the rest of the cast.
We've been working with voice actors for so long, we just kind of have a feel for who would be right for a role, who is good at what accent, and who likes to do what. And sometimes there might be an audition that we really like, but we don't pick, so we put it to the side in case they may be good for a different role in the future.
Oh? Can you tell us about a VO actor you brought back for a later role?
So, the Lark of Rosgard in Necrom was played by Bumper Robinson, who auditioned for us before. When it came time to meeting the Lark in game, I thought “Oh, he would be great for this.” I think he sounds perfect, so can't wait for everybody to hear him. Juli Comstock, one of our writer-designers, did a nice job with his writing.
Do you start recording right after you’ve completed your auditions?
Not yet! So, as you may know, there are thousands of NPCs in the game. We have a lot of little roles in the game like merchants or mob enemies. So, we’ll get a pool of what we call atmospheric actors. These actors are super versatile and can do up to 20 different voices per session.
For a Chapter package, we probably end up with almost 50 voice actors in total. Once we have our 50ish actors selected, we do actor assignment. That’s where every NPC in this package is assigned to one of the 50 voice actors we're bringing in.
Once all the actors are set, and once the writers have put pencils down, that’s when we start generating actor scripts, which is a part-automatic, part-manual process. We make sure an actor’s lines are in chronological order, make sure scripts include read-ins if their characters are talking to other characters, and prepare art and character bios. Nico Garofolo (Voice Director), Jessica Crowe (VO Supervisor), Becky Ichnoski (VO Lead)
We must provide a lot of background information on their characters and the world, right?
Yeah. All three of us really take our time to know the content, detail all of our scenes, and make sure that the actors have as much context as possible. We probably go overboard!
Do you ever get a voice actor who is already familiar with The Elder Scrolls or ESO?
Yeah, we definitely have some players. Kellen Goff, Jonah Scott, and Todd Haberkorn. Gosh, there are so many I can't name off the top of my head.
Julianne Beuscher has been a big Elder Scrolls fan since the beginning. She was so stoked to voice the Black Dragon in our Dark Brotherhood release, as that was her favorite in Skyrim!
How does recording work?
Once we have our cast list, we reach out to the agencies for negotiations and scheduling, and we build a gigantic session schedule. For example, our Chapter packages will run almost a month straight starting in mid-February and going until almost mid-March.
We record at Salami Studios in Burbank, CA. Since COVID there’s been a lot of remote sessions. For those, actors connect to Salami Studios from their home booths through Source Connect while everyone else connects through Teams. Finally, we start recording. Jon Abelardo (Salami Studios Engineer), Christopher Smith (Razum-dar), Jessica Crow (VO Supervisor), Rene Veilleux (Voice Director), Becky Ichnoski (VO Lead)
What kind of direction do you typically provide during a recording session?
We start out by telling them about their character. Often a writer will join us for this. And then we establish their voice. Sometimes they’ll nail it the first time, and sometimes we’ll ask for adjustments.
Then we start with line one. We’ll go over any pronunciations for lore words. We may ask for an A and B take and if they’re not quite there or if the director thinks they can get a better performance, we’ll get a C and so forth.
Eventually we get into a flow and it’s like back-and-forth acting between the actor and the director who is reading in the player responses and other NPC lines.
When recording, how tricky is it to get things like pronunciations right?
It's challenging! After 10 years of recording, we have over 9,000 words in our Pronunciation Guide. Each new update, the writers will enter any new lore words into our guide, and our Loremaster will record how to say them. Then we chop them up into little .wav files so that when we are in session, we can quickly search for them and play them.
We also have our tools highlight those words in our scripts so that when we’re recording, we know they're coming up so we can queue them up and keep the flow going.
Is there any one group or race that's especially fun or frustrating for a voice actor to work with?
It varies for different actors, but the Nords and Argonians might be the trickiest. Some actors love doing Argonians and nail the voice effortlessly while others have a more difficult time. I don’t know if it’s the rasp or the sort of emotionless monotone vibe.
Want to know something funny about Argonian sessions with actors who really nail that smooth-but-sandpaper voice? After hours of recording, you get really sleepy. It’s kind of hypnotic because the voice is so soothing, like white noise. I don’t know how to describe it but everyone who is in those sessions gets so sleepy and relaxed.*
Who else joins in the recording sessions?
We normally have a writer join the sessions, too, just in case we're all confused and don't know what's going on! Sometimes there’s a typo or the actor is simply having trouble getting a sentence out and the writer will rewrite the line on the spot.
Typically, in a session, there’s an engineer, the actor, the director, one of us VO ladies for support and pronunciation, and a writer. Brad Derrick (Audio Director), Mark Mercado (Salami Studios Engineer), Becky Ichnoski (VO Lead)
Once recording is over, do you immediately go into the integration and polish stage?
As we are recording a four-week Chapter package, we’ll already be receiving VO back from the recording studio. So, once we’re done, we’ll have a whole pile waiting for us already nicely cut up with filenames so that we can integrate it right into the game.
We do a bit of cleanup first because changes will have happened, run it through a batch tool, and begin the integration process.
Is it possible to make late changes to the scripts and VO?
It happens! Bugs will come in as we're recording, and sometimes a writer or designer might contact us and ask if it’s possible to get a change in. If we have not already recorded with that actor, then sure, we make some changes on the fly.
We try to avoid extremely late changes if we can, but if it's something that we cannot launch with, then we schedule a pickup session.
Once the files have been formatted, is it your team that adds them into the game?
Yeah. We integrate them. Jessica Crowe has taken on that task. She’s great at organizing everything quickly and maintaining our clean VO database.
We usually have a lot of alts (alternative line reads) to go through first. Sometimes we’ll get several reads of a line back from the studio, so we have to pick which ones we actually launch with.
Then we have a lot of polish to do! We play through all of the in-game content for a number of reasons. A lot of VO files will need voice-over post-production—we call it VOPP—so we’ll work with the sound designers for this. For example, Factotums or Daedric Princes will get special effects. Or we may have lines that trigger from super far away that we’ll need to work on to make them audible. Or somebody might be saying something from behind a door, so we’ll need to make it sound muffled. That kind of thing.
There’s also VO and text mismatches to fix–where the actor says something slightly different than the text. We make sure VO is timed properly so there isn’t an overlap or seven-second pause between two characters talking to each other. There’s a lot of tiny cleanups.
That’s pretty much it from start to finish!
Is there any one character whose voice actor you thought was just perfect?
I definitely have a few. For example, I love Sotha Sil who is voiced by Matthew Jayson Cwern. He just really enjoys playing the character, and he's so good at it, so I really enjoy those sessions. I think Leamon’s writing for him is brilliant.
I also love Mark Whitten’s Arox the Mutilator. I loved his audition and really pushed for him. Mark made him so fierce and funny and made us all laugh constantly in those sessions. The mighty Arox the Mutilator, voiced by Mark Whitten
Are there any voice actors you’d love to work with again in the future?
I liked Captain Siravaen a lot. I thought she was a wonderful character, and I always love working with Anna Graves. She's just so talented and fun to work with.
I love Velsa from the Thieves Guild. Any chance to bring back Debra Wilson!
There was a Dremora necrologist in Fargrave, Miksotet, who barely spoke English. Imari Williams played him. He was a minor character but I thought he was the cutest. I’d love to bring him back.
When the content launches, do you try to keep an eye out for player feedback?
Just speaking personally, I enjoy keeping an eye out for that stuff. I'm always on the forums seeing what people are saying.
A lot of players probably know this, but any time someone on the forum asks who voiced a character, I jump in and respond. I enjoy that.
A big thank you to Becky for taking the time to share her work with us and lifting the veil on the voice-over process for ESO. Do you have a favorite character whose voice you absolutely love**? There’s a good chance Becky was one of the developers responsible for making that happen! Let us know which characters are your favorites via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
*Argonian ASMR coming right up!
**Don’t ever leave me, Seht.
ESO Live: May 19 @ 3PM EDT—Arcanists Take Tamriel
Learn more about the new Arcanist class with special guests from the ESO development team!
Tune in to Twitch.tv/Bethesda this Friday, May 19 at 3PM EDT, as Senior Community Managers Gina Bruno and Amy Schlueter host ESO’s Lead Combat Designer Brian Wheeler and a series of special guests from the development team to talk about the Necrom Chapter’s new Arcanist class.
These special guests include Associate Combat Designer Stephen Cerretani, Senior FX Artist Brian Hahn, and Senior Sound Designer Dylan Hairston. Together, they’ll dive deep into the new class, discussing its unique design, mechanics, and aesthetics. If you’re excited to wield the weird powers of Apocrypha itself, don’t miss this show!
Twitch Drops will be enabled during the livestream, so be sure to link your ESO and Twitch accounts here. We’re conjuring up an exciting new show, so save up that crux and tune in to Twitch.tv/Bethesda this Friday, May 19 at 3PM EDT—we’ll see you there!
ESO Live is your official Elder Scrolls Online stream, hosted on Twitch.tv/Bethesda by ESO’s Community Team.
ESO’s Devs and Voice-Over Actors Team Up to Support Voiceapalooza!
Watch two amazing livestreams and support Alzheimer’s research during Voiceapalooza, a charity drive from Wes Johnson and the Fallout For Hope team.
Established in 2020, Fallout For Hope has raised almost half a million dollars for organizations such as St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, the American Heart Association, and others. As part of their support for the Alzheimer’s Association fundraising drive The Longest Day, the Fallout For Hope team worked in tandem with the Elder Scrolls’ legendary voice actor Wes Johnson to create Voiceapalooza. This incredible charity drive hosts a series of livestreams raising funds to help support research into Alzheimer’s disease.
After their extremely successful 2022 campaign, we are thrilled to help support Voiceapalooza 2023 by taking part in two unique ESO-themed livestreams, hosted by our own Stream Team Partner, Zero Period Productions. Check out everything you need to know about both livestreams below and be sure to tune in, but if you’d like to donate to the cause directly, you can do so here.
Voice Cast Reunion of The Elder Scrolls Online! Hosted by Zero Period Productions
Join Zero Period Productions, Wes Johnson, and some of the stars of The Elder Scrolls Online to discuss their characters, talk voice acting and work, and more!
Guests include Keith Szarabajka, Calvin Joyal, Casey Mongillo, Ellen Dubin, Paul Guyet, Chris Smith, Cindy Robinson, Kellen Goff, Anna Graves, Steve French, Noshir Dalal, Sharon Muthu, and Tasia Valenza.
The Elder Scrolls Online Developer Dive with the ZeniMax Online Team! Hosted by Zero Period Productions
Zero Period Productions and Wes Johnson chat with members of the development team from The Elder Scrolls Online for a dive into the game’s journey to date, the return of Hermaeus Mora, and what awaits you in Necrom! Special guests include Rich Lambert (Creative Director), Bill Slavicsek (Lead Writer), and Becky Ichnoski (Voice-Over Lead).
There’s a huge amount of incredible Voiceapalooza livestreams planned throughout the month of May, so be sure to check out the full schedule on their official website. We hope you’ll join us in supporting Wes Johnson and the Fallout For Hope team as they work together with the Alzheimer’s Association to help bring an end to this dreadful disease—we’ll see you on Twitch!
Learn more about some of the horrific monstrosities that call the Daedric realm of Apocrypha home.
In the upcoming Necrom Chapter, you can visit Apocrypha, the twisted realm of Hermaeus Mora. However, endless knowledge is not all that awaits within the Daedric Prince’s dominion. Creatures ranging from the bizarre to the terrifying litter the ethereal landscape and threaten those who journey too far in search of Mora’s secrets.
Take a quick look at four of these cursed creatures and learn more about what roles they play in the vast sea of forbidden knowledge that is Apocrypha.
Seekers
Perhaps first and foremost among the denizens of Mora’s realm are the Seekers. You’re likely to come across these levitating, tentacled Daedra anywhere treasured knowledge may be found, as they tend to the endless stacks of tomes and loose pages scattered throughout Apocrypha.
“Seekers are the Daedric creatures most loyal to Hermaeus Mora, resembling spawn from the Inevitable Knower himself,” says Michael Zenke, ESO’s Loremaster. “While some sources (often tomes of ill repute written by half-mad scholars) indicate that Seekers can speak out loud, reliable witnesses claim that Seekers make only the most basic and uncanny of sounds as they silently prowl their Master’s realm.” Seeker
Seekers are said to be the administrators and guardians of Apocrypha’s Endless Library, and they will reportedly go to extreme lengths to protect their lord’s trove of unfathomable lore.
“Indeed, the average Seeker will not pause to engage a mortal in Apocrypha in pleasant conversation,” says Zenke. “They instinctively feel that intruding mortals are a danger that should be destroyed immediately.”
You can find Seekers throughout much of Apocrypha, but it is said one uniquely mighty variant resides in one of the realm’s most unholy sites.
“A particularly ancient Seeker, the Prime Cataloguer, makes its home in the Libram Cathedral, waiting for groups of daring adventurers to challenge it,” warns Tom Murphy, Necrom’s Zone Lead.
Mortals curious about what knowledge they can procure from within Mora’s realm should be careful, lest they fall victim to a Seeker ready to punish any intruders for their trespasses.
Lurkers
While Seekers may guard Apocrypha’s libraries, Lurkers stalk its shores, ready to devour any unfortunates that cross their paths. These unsightly beasts are rumored to be birthed from the abyssal pools that make up the very foundation of Apocrypha. It is said that they represent the evolution of life pushed to its very extreme, resulting in a hideous monster that barely resembles any natural lifeform.
“Looking at these beasts, it’s easy to see their physiology was inspired by some of the strangest creatures of Nirn,” says Zenke. “Perhaps it’s this tenuous link back to the Nirn that makes them so truly disgusting, because deep down we recognize the shapes that inspired the Lurker. And we fear them.” Lurker
The Lurker’s hulking frame disguises their unnatural speed, and its unending desire to feed drives them forward to consume whatever poor soul draws their attention.
“They feast equally on the flesh of trespassers and on the detritus of moldering libraries that are pulled into their dark waters,” explains Murphy. “Players will find them in Apocrypha’s mires and lowlands, hiding and basking in the sinister waters of their Prince’s domain.”
Those who have braved the marshlands of Apocrypha talk of a titanic Lurker, “Vro-Kuul-Sha,” who has made its home in an area referred to as Deepreave Quag. Facing this beast is a reckless pursuit, but if it can be killed, great rewards await its slayer.
Hushed
Unlike Seekers and Lurkers, the Hushed do not appear to be naturally occurring residents of Apocrypha. Instead, they are theorized to be the husks of mortal loreseekers who have been degraded both mentally and physically after peering too long into the Lord of Knowledge’s darkest secrets.
“The Hushed are the result of prolonged exposure to the boundless secrets of Mora’s realm,” says Zenke. “Once dedicated researchers and scholars, these misshapen, mouthless beings are now driven only by a thirst for knowledge. They are hostile in the extreme to mortal interlopers.” Hushed
These horrific reflections of our own mortal form wander across the wastes of Apocrypha, supposedly in search of the very knowledge that led to their ghastly transformation. Despite their pitiful appearance, the Hushed are not to be underestimated.
“Though their minds are destroyed, they retain the skills and abilities they wielded in life–and in some cases, have unlocked new powers at the cost of mind and body,” warns Murphy. “Don’t treat them as mindless zombies.”
Hermaeus Mora’s gifts may appear tantalizing at first, but remember that few dealings with Daedric Princes come without a price.
Mind Terrors
The last and most disturbing creature you may encounter in your travels throughout Apocrypha are the nightmarish Mind Terrors. Everything about these unnerving monstrosities seems to be designed to instill terror into the minds of mortals. Fear is their weapon, and they wield it expertly.
“They are nightmares out of childhood,” says Zenke. “The shadows on the wall of our bedrooms given flesh, intellect, and a mouth full of hundreds of pointed teeth.” Mind Terror
Although Mind Terrors prowl across various regions of Apocrypha, they seem oddly distinct from the realm’s other inhabitants. They appear almost alien when compared to Mora’s spawn and seem to act in opposition to the Prince’s goals.
“Mind Terrors have arrayed themselves against Hermaeus Mora,” explains Murphy. “They are nightmares given form, feasting on mental anguish and terror.”
While each these monsters are extremely dangerous, one is feared above all others and has reportedly escaped from Oblivion.
“A particularly virulent Mind Terror, the Walking Nightmare, has broken free of any control and now runs rampant in the Telvanni Peninsula,” says Murphy. “Groups of adventurers can tackle this monstrosity in the Nightmare Den.”
Are you prepared to face your greatest fears and banish this abhorrent creature back to Oblivion?
Now that you’ve glimpsed the sort of adversaries you can encounter during your journeys through Apocrypha, do you feel prepared to plunge into the accursed realm of Hermaeus Mora when Necrom launches next month? Do you have a favorite monster from the horrors above? Let us know via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom is part of the Shadow Over Morrowind adventure and arrives for PC/Mac on June 5, 2023, and for Xbox and PlayStation consoles on June 20, 2023. Pre-purchase Necrom now to receive unique bonus rewards at launch and immediate access to the Sadrith Mora Spore Steed mount.
Delve into the Unknown and Explore Worlds Beyond with this New Necrom Trailer
Discover the mysteries and dangers of the Telvanni Peninsula and Apocrypha in this new gameplay trailer for The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom.
In the upcoming Necrom Chapter, arriving June 5 on PC/Mac and June 20 on Xbox and PlayStation consoles, you can explore both Morrowind’s Telvanni Peninsula and the Prince of Fate’s realm of Apocrypha. Check out what kind of dangers you can expect from these two new zones and get a glimpse into the conspiracy that threatens the fates of both Nirn and Oblivion in this latest trailer.
You can discover so much in the upcoming Necrom chapter—from the mushroom-filled valleys of the Telvanni Peninsula, the somber catacombs of Necrom, and the endless libraries of Apocrypha. Which new zone are you most excited to begin your adventures in? Let us know via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom is part of the Shadow Over Morrowind adventure and arrives for PC/Mac on June 5, 2023, and for Xbox and PlayStation consoles on June 20, 2023. Pre-purchase Necrom now to receive unique bonus rewards at launch and immediate access to the Sadrith Mora Spore Steed mount. Don't miss out!
