The Elder Scrolls: Blades July 2019 Development Update

The latest development update for Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls: Blades talks about the recent 1.2 update for the mobile RPG and offers a brief preview of the PVP activities coming to the game in the near future. You can find the 1.2 patch notes here and read the update itself below:

July has been a very busy month in the Blades universe.

We introduced Limited Time Events, such as Golden Chest Week where Daily Jobs always rewarded a Golden Chest, and Theodor Gorlash’s Abyss Double Trouble where fans received doubled XP and Gold for each Abyss floor they completed. We’re looking forward to adding new and exciting events to the game often. We’ve also been working away at a new update coming to your phones tomorrow.

Speaking of updates, last month we shared behind-the-scenes commentary from various members of the Blades team regarding the expansive E3 update and the future of Blades. We discussed everything from unicorn statues and dragons, to PvP and Switch.

Now it’s time to discuss what’s next: Update 1.2!

UPDATE 1.2 & YOU!

The update coming to Blades on Wednesday, July 31st is packed with new content. When you boot up the game after update 1.2, you’ll see brand new additions to the game, such as:

• New enemies (hello, Atronachs!) • New challenges with varying difficulty levels (and gem rewards) • Enemy weakness icons so you can make informed strategy decisions • Improved lip-sync for voiced NPCs • More challenging and diversified Arena opponent • A Hide Helmet option in the Character Menu

With regards to the Atronachs, we wanted to give you a couple of tips before you go diving head-first into battle. First, it’s important to note when you’ll start seeing them. If you’re level 20 or above, gear up for some difficult combat up ahead, as that’s when Atronachs will start appearing. Second, we thought it would be best to give you a slight advantage in battle with this hint: All Potent Atronachs and above will have a unique spell. While that spell is active, you’ll need to destroy their armor as fast as you can. Otherwise their health will regenerate and there will be no way to interrupt their spells.

Those may be the update’s highlights, but that’s certainly not all you’ll see. For example, Henrik can now train you in blocking, critical hits, and combos. If you’ve been struggling in battle, put your mind at ease by training with Henrik—you’ll take no damage, and your combat skills are guaranteed to improve. Or perhaps your fighting skills are excellent, but you wish your Mehrunes' Razor was more effective against different types of enemies. Luckily for you, the Mehrunes' Razor can now instantly kill Humans, mer, and beastfolk. Or maybe you’re an extraordinary fighter but are looking for more of a challenge. We have another change that’s right up your alley: You can now run into new higher-leveled Wights, Skeletons, Spriggans, Trolls, Wispmothers, and Wisps.

The complete patch notes coming to you on July 31st will detail over 40 additions and bug fixes. But for now, let’s look to the less immediate future and move onto the PvP hints we promised.

A PVPREVIEW

While we can’t divulge too much information about PvP just yet, Jonathan Cournoyer, the Lead Game Designer for Blades, has conjured an image of what a PvP match might look like.

“Surrounded by cheering crowds, two players come face-to-face in one of our many grand arenas,” he says, setting the scene for a riveting battle between players. “Between rounds played in a best-of format,” he continues, “players have the opportunity to change equipment and skills to surprise or better counter their opponent.”

What does the end of a match look like? “To the victor go the spoils,” he declares. It’s important to note that victories aren’t only a point of personal pride. The spoils Jonathan references include “[rising] up the leaderboards and [making] a name for themselves and their guilds.”

Although that’s just about all we can reveal at this moment, Jonathan reiterates that “matches are cross-platform” between mobile and the upcoming Switch version.