The Arcanist class arriving as part of the Necrom update forThe Elder Scrolls Onlinewill offer an entirely new gameplay experience, according to Richard Lambert, the creative director at ZeniMax Online Studios and one of the key developers in charge of the hit MMORPG. TheupcomingTES Onlineexpansion was first teasedat the Xbox & Bethesda Developer_Direct showcase on January 25 before being treated to its own announcement trailer a day later.
WhileTES Onlinewill be pushing ten in just a few months, the game still boasts a sizable player community, in part because ZeniMax Online Studios continues to release major content updates on a regular basis. On that note, Bethesda’s sister company recently announced thatTES Onlineis moving away from an annual content cyclein favor of standalone “chapters” similar to the 2017 Morrowind expansion, which released to widespread acclaim. Necrom is meant to be the first step in that return to the fan-requested content format, with the Arcanist class being at the center of what the new expansion offers in terms of gameplay.
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While speaking on a recent episode of the Xbox Podcast, Lambert said that the development team took great care to ensure that the Arcanist is unmistakably distinct from the game’s existing classes. Its unique playing style will largely revolve around a combo point system called Crux. Arcanists will be able to acquire abilities that both build and spend Crux, so succeeding with the class will mean learning when to use both, according to the director. In other words,Necrom’s Arcanist is good news for magicka enthusiastsand specifically caters to experienced players looking for new challenges.
Seeing how the Arcanist is inspired by theiconicThe Elder Scrollscharacter Hermaeus Mora(who’s confirmed to be returning in Necrom), the entire class is designed as an occult magicka wielder who thirsts for forbidden knowledge. The developers are specifically aiming to evoke a “cosmic horror vibe” with this decision, Lambert revealed, adding that fans will even be able to hear how much darker playing as the Arcanist feels compared to other classes. “The sounds that the audio team came up with are really something you haven’t really heard before,” the director said.
The Arcanist is only the third new class that will be added to the popular MMORPG post-launch, bringing the total of its playable classes up to six. The Necrom expansion forThe Elder Scrolls Onlineis scheduled to hit PC and consoles on July 24, 2025. Players can already pre-order the DLC on their platform of choice for $39.99.
The Elder Scrolls Onlineis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
