The Elder Scrolls online Game Guide - Battlegrounds Feature

Battlegrounds Feature #1 – Ald Carac

“Fighting in a Dwarven ruin? You have two enemies: your opponents, and the ruins themselves." – Merric at-Aswala

 Battlegrounds are coming to The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind, including three unique maps at launch. To help you prepare for the battles to come, we are featuring Vvardenfell's battlefields all month. The first map to be covered? The mysterious Dwarven ruins of Ald Carac.

Watch every corner

Ald Carac is designed to encourage players to engage in tight close combat, and the stone walls and buildings of the long-absent Dwarven race block line of sight and provide a lot of cover for surprise attacks or quick getaways.

The deeper you travel into the Dwarven ruins, the more cramped and claustrophobic the space becomes. As a result, the center of the Battleground is a hotspot for group fights. Circled by an elevated walkway, the center is vulnerable to players above, meaning those trying to control this space need to keep an eye above for attackers at all times. This elevated threat makes the center very hard to capture and hold.

The center of the map is not completely without advantage, however, as it is the only location that allows an unobstructed view into each team's base. In Ald Carac, visibility is at a premium, making controlling the center an important, but dangerous, strategic option. All Battlegrounds are 4v4v4 matches, so knowing exactly where your opponent is located is vital, regardless of the game type.

Ald Carac slowly opens up the further out from the center you go. The middle ring has more space, but it still features a fair amount of cover, including stairs up to the center overlook that grants vision into two bases. The outer ring finally provides mostly unobstructed views, so you can always travel around the outside of the map if your team wants to avoid surprises.

Path to victory

In Team Deathmatch, there are no objectives to focus everyone's attention, and because the map is so enclosed, the first thing you and your squad will need to do is try to locate both of the enemy teams. You might think it best to avoid the map's deadly center; however, if your team manages to control that space and the visibility it provides, it will give you a clear advantage.

Domination is a different matter. While three of the capture points are on the outer ring between each team's base, the fourth one is right in the center. If you do manage to take the center capture point, retreating out and defending it from the elevated walkway above might be the best option. Constantly moving from point to point will also help to avoid being caught between the other two teams.

In Capture the Flag, Ald Carac's tight spaces and cover can certainly benefit a flag carrier, but it also makes it hard to avoid ambushes or clever defenders. Because each team's flag is located right at their base, the clear sightlines available in the center will help you identify the best time to attack and defend, but it might not be as safe as navigating around the sides.

How will you navigate the Dwarven ruins?

Ald Carac, with its high walls and tight spaces, represents a unique challenge to its competitors. Do you take the open paths around the edges? Or are you willing to dive right into the center and control the map's heart? How your team decides to navigate the ruins could be the difference between victory and defeat. We have a lot more information in the rest of this article. 

Battlegrounds Feature #2 - Foyada Quarry

“Release your power like an exploding volcano. Make your enemies' blood flow like lava." – Merric at-Aswala

Three unique Battlegrounds are coming with The Elder Scrolls Online:  Morrowind's launch on June 6. To help you prepare for the conflicts to  come, we are featuring ESO: Morrowind's Battlegrounds all month. The  next map to be covered? The red-hot Foyada Quarry.

Watch your step

While Ald Carac is designed to be dense and claustrophobic, Foyada Quarry, with its wide-open spaces and limited cover, is the opposite. In this deserted granite quarry, you can view exactly where the action is right from the start. However, when navigating this map, you should watch your step; the entire site is now overflowing with lava, bathing the arena in a red glow and burning those unfortunate enough to fall in.

Despite the environmental hazards provided by the looming Red Mountain, Foyada Quarry funnels the action right into the center of the map via a selection of granite pathways and seared wooden bridges. Because the majority of the map is so open, teams are able to quickly close and engage with each other, thrusting you into battle almost immediately upon leaving your base and making it an especially fast-paced Battleground.

While the center of the map is a hotspot for team fights, the outside ring provides cover in the form of mining equipment, granite blocks, and forges. In addition, should the battle in the middle get too heated, you can always retreat to your base, which has limited pathways of attack and provides some of the only high ground in the map. 

Burn your enemies

Thanks to Foyada Quarry's unique hazards, crowd control abilities enjoy additional utility. For example, if you play a Templar, you could use a well-timed Piercing Javelin shot to knock an enemy player into the lava pool, or if you had a Dragonknight, you could stand right on the edge of the foyada and use Fiery Grip to pull another player in. When fighting around the map's hazards, pay close attention to your opponent's spacing to avoid taking a fiery bath.

In Team Deathmatch, the fighting focuses around the center of the map, and you might find that ultimate abilities with an area of effect (such as Negate Magic) can shut down enemy players and allow you to control the space.

In Domination, three of the capture points reside underneath each base, making them easier to defend. However, the all-important fourth point resides right in the middle, so while you may be hesitant to move to the center of the map, it might actually be preferable when compared with seizing and holding the base points.

When playing Capture the Flag, the flags are located at the top of each base, and given the additional cover available around the sides of the map and the high visibility of the map in general, the center might not see as much action. That said, controlling the middle of the map allows you and your team to react to what the other teams are doing. Because there are only two walkways up to your base and flag (one on each side), defenders have a distinct advantage.

Fight amongst the flames

When battling in Foyada Quarry, you must always keep one eye on the enemy and one eye on the molten lava below. Will you make your enemies burn? Or do you plan to avoid the map's red-hot center altogether? We have more information coming, so keep reading. 

Battlegrounds Feature #3 – Ularra

Take the high ground. Ambush your enemies. And, by Stendarr, make them pay for every inch. – Merric at-Aswala

Three unique Battlegrounds are coming with  The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind's launch on June 6. To help you prepare for the conflicts to come, we are featuring ESO: Morrowind's Battlegrounds all month. The third and final map to be covered? The mysterious decayed shrine of Ularra, also known to The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind players as Ularradallaku.

Fight in a long-dead shrine

Set in an overgrown, abandoned temple to the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon, Ularra provides a varied arena with an emphasis on control of the high ground. Dominated by a large central shrine in the middle of the map, the center is an open space that can only be accessed by using one of the three teleporters set on platforms located between each base.

Surrounding the center is dense vegetation and long-fallen ruins, providing a fair amount of cover and line-of-sight breakers. If you want to avoid the center completely and travel without fear of being spotted or attacked from above, you can move underneath the central shrine free from prying eyes.

If you do reach the central platform, you are able to use each of its three terraces to survey a large portion of the map, giving visibility to the objectives and enemy bases that you don't have available while on the ground. More so than on any other map, Ularra provides a large central elevated area to fight over, but don't fall off! While some unique spots allow you to drop down safely, the plunge is sure to hurt if you're not careful.

Control the high ground

The central location's prominence coupled with the limited paths of attack means that if you and your team manage to control the center, you have a powerful advantage over anybody wanting to move up. But be warned: If you're thinking about taking the center, you should ensure that there isn't an enemy ambush waiting for you first. Because the teleport locations are set, abilities such as the Sorcerer's Daedric Minefield or the Fighters Guild's Trap Beast can provide a deadly surprise for the unaware.

In Team Deathmatch, controlling the center allows you to easily locate and ambush players attempting to teleport up. From the central location and its terraces you are able to engage with almost anybody else on the map, giving you multiple paths of attack.

When playing Ularra on Capture the Flag, the flag itself is not immediately visible upon exiting your base and sits hidden behind some ruins. Keep an eye out for sneak-thieves grabbing it while you're not looking. While much of the fighting in CTF is between bases, the central shrine in Ularra is especially useful as it allows you to scout and directly drop down onto the enemy flags.

In Domination, three of the capture points are located between each base behind the teleporter shrines with the fourth point being right in the middle. As always, avoiding the high-value center point might be the safest option, but in doing so you give up a big strategic option. Once you control the center and the visibility it provides, you're able to anticipate and ambush any would-be attackers. 

Mehrunes Dagon is watching

The decayed temple of Ularradallaku has always seen its share of bloodshed, and in The Elder Scrolls online: Morrowind the tradition continues with the site now one of the launch Battlegrounds. Will you make use of the teleporters and control the center? Or will you prefer to deftly navigate the overgrown paths and ruins below? you can check out Ald Carac and Foyada Quarry.

Thank you for reading and good luck in your next adventure. Or you may like to buy ESO gold on our site that will help you get a more pleasant game journey and please feel free to share your thoughts  with us on the official forums or on Twitter @VirSale.