This week, The Elder Scrolls Online did something it’s never tried before – launch a weeks-long, community-wide event that pits each individual server against one another in a race to take down the Writhing Wall. Behind the wall? The realm of Eastern Solstice and all the shiny contents of Update 48. It’s ambitious, and part of a “shift in mentality” for Zenimax Online Studios, according to ESO‘s associate design director Mike Finnigan. While the Writhing Wall’s initial reception has been a touch frosty, with some seasoned players voicing disappointment, Finnigan says that the event isn’t a glimpse into how all content will be structured and delivered in the future – it’s merely the first of many “big swings” ZOS wants to take to keep ESO players on their toes.
It’s safe to say that the Writhing Wall has been pitched as a pretty major moment in The Elder Scrolls Online’s history. The first phase, which launched on October 13, is open to all players, regardless of whether they own the 2025 Content Pass, but its reliance on daily tasks has drawn criticism.
The game’s subreddit is awash with players underwhelmed by their introduction to an event that should’ve felt fresh. Things are set to ramp up in phases two and three, though, with exclusive activities for Content Pass owners that should be more meaty and appropriately challenging for one of the best MMOs around. I think there’s potential for the Writhing Wall event to rebound, but even if this one does end up falling flat for the duration, I don’t get the impression from talking to Finnigan that this is the new norm for ESO.
“I want to point to [the Writhing Wall event] as a kind of bellwether, as a first inkling of [what’s to come],” he says. “This should give players hope that we are willing to try brand new things and take big swings that push the boundaries of [the game]. There’s risk associated with it, but we trust the players, and we trust our ability to deliver what they want.”
Finnigan also makes clear his desire to hear as much feedback from players as possible so that future innovations can learn from what went well (and what didn’t) from the new event.
Given that Zenimax Online Studios is labeling the Writhing Wall a turning point in its approach to content for the future, I remind Finnigan of PixelArena.io’s recent chat with studio game director Rich Lambert. In that interview, he talks of his desire for ESO to be a “30-year MMO.” The game’s a third of the way there already, but I ask Finnigan how he foresees the MMO landscape changing for those remaining two decades, and how ESO can adapt.
“I’ve been making MMOs for 23 or 24 years now, something like that, and it’s shifted a lot in that amount of time,” he says. “So I don’t know if I can predict where it will go. But I think that MMOs, as a genre, borrow from everything else that’s out there, but you [still] see new intriguing ways that companies and studios are getting people to play together.
“One of the things that I think that will make ESO successful, and one of the tenets that we’re taking for the future, is we don’t want to be predictable. We don’t want this to be a situation of, ‘Oh, well, here’s this part, and then we’re going to have the event, and then we’re going to open up the second part.’ We don’t want to maintain that. We want to challenge those thoughts and excite players and get players thinking… I think variety is the spice of life. I think that’s what’s going to work for ESO too.”
So, if the Writhing Wall event isn’t your cup of tea right now, then don’t worry about it being the strict template for ESO’s future. It sounds like even more experimental attempts at wowing players are to come – hopefully the next time ZOS tries something new, it doesn’t kick things off with a daily quest grind…
Recent disappointment aside, ESO remains one of the best fantasy games you can play these days, if you’re willing to dedicate the time and can bring some friends along for the ride. Speaking of, our best co-op games list is awash with even more great experiences that’ll let you duke it out alongside a pal.
If you’re currently taking part in the Writhing Wall, come on over to the PixelArena.io Discord to let us know what you think about the event.