The Elder Scrolls Online 2021 Retrospective Letter Isn’t Exactly The Cheeriest One You’ll Read, And There's Holiday Events

The end of the year is creeping up on us pretty quickly. At the time of this writing, we have three weeks to go. Of course, that means it’s time for developers everywhere to break out the retrospective letter and take a look at the future. One such retrospective/future outlook letter was posted on The Elder Scrolls Online site by the studio director.

As retrospective letters go, it feels a bit like a mixed bag. Generally, these things are a lot of the studio patting themselves on the back for things they did during the year and making some light predictions on what players can expect in the coming year, sometimes offering up a road map. This letter, however, feels a bit like a, “Well, the world sucks and we’re living in it while trying to do our best,” kind of thing. It also addresses some things like the world conspiring to stop them from actually doing their best with things like the global shortage of computer components. The letter also addresses how the team has fared dealing with an ongoing pandemic, noting that they’ve prioritized the health and safety of their families, and honestly…good for them on that call.

All that said, the letter also listed things they’re proud to have managed this year, the top thing being that the game has provided players a place to get away from reality for a while and relax. As the letter states, “the ultimate goal of any game like ESO is to make the virtual environment an alternative to daily life in the real world, even if only for a little while.”

As for what’s to come, the big promise is that they’ll continue to “keep the ESO train running”. There’s new content planned with “end of the world invasion” themes, some of the content focusing on a playable race that hasn’t gotten a lot of love yet. They also plan to keep working on the datacenter hardware, provided the hardware is available to work with. These “promises” for the future do come with caveats, however. At the end of the section covering the future, the letter returns to the point made earlier about focusing on the health of the employees and their families. Which…again…good on them.

On a somewhat more upbeat note, the ESO team also announced the upcoming launch of the "New Life Festival" in-game event. The event begins next Thursday, December 15, and runs through January 4. During this time, players can acquire the New Life Festival quest from the in-game Crown Store. Completing the quest will unlock ten special daily quests that will take players all across Tamriel. Completing it for the first time ever will earn players a special reward; Breda’s Bottomless Mead Mug. This collectible bestows a two-hour 100% XP boost. It can be used throughout the event periods and the benefits stack with other XP bonuses.

A full rundown of the event and possible rewards can be found on The Elder Scrolls Online site. There’s plenty going on and plenty to be had, so be sure to check it out.