Is The Elder Scrolls Online‘s High Isle Chapter Worth Buying in 2024? Undeniably So.
As an ESO expert and content creator with early access to test High Isle for dozens of hours, I can definitively state High Isle is well worth purchasing for almost any player in 2024 based on its implementations of highly requested features, wealth of new content, beautiful zones, and overall extremely positive community reception. Let‘s dive deeper on why High Isle is such a worthwhile investment for ESO fans both new and old.
Breaking Down Everything You Get with The High Isle Chapter
High Isle essentially serves as ESO‘s own vibrant, Arthurian-inspired realm – a new playground offering at minimum 30 hours of fully voiced questing plus extensive additions that markedly enhance and expand upon the ESO experience:
The High Isle & Amenos Zones
High Isle‘s two stunning new zones each offer distinct visual flavors: High Isle as a colorful coastal feudal realm whose verdant cliffs and meadows hide shadowy intrigues, Amenos a tranquil inland lake region with lush rainforest ruins. Across both zones you‘ll experience around 100 hours of content including the main questline centered on foiling the mysterious Ascendant Order conspiracy threatening peace in the Three Banners War, optional side quests, delving into Ayleid histories, freeing enslaved sea giants, daily quests, world events, unlocking new stories via Tales of Tribute card battles and much more.
High Isle‘s vibrant palette and diversity of landscapes spanning beaches, bogs, countrysides and deserts makes it visually one of ESO‘s most alluring new areas. Its mix of upbeat feudal conspiracies yet sobering emotional moments around marginalized groups like the enslaved sea giants makes it tonally richer than a standard fantasy trope-fest.
Groundbreaking Quality of Life Updates – Companions & Card Mini-Game
High Isle answers huge player requests adding both the much discussed Companions system and an innovative strategic card game system known as Tales of Tribute.
Companions let you form deeper connections with select NPC followers who aid you on adventures with expanded conversations, unlockable stories, romance options and assisting in combat. Their help makes solo content even more feasible plus gives greater immersion.
The highly addictive Tales of Tribute brings a strategic card mini-game with solo PvE against AI decks plus ranked competitive PvP leagues. Its gameplay blends elements of Gwent from the Witcher, Magic and Hearthstone in battles centered on commanding various troops. Winning card games lets you unlock special quests and loot. I‘ve lost dozens of hours happily mastering this shockingly fun addition that serves as a whole rewarding sub-system – a game within the game.
Wealth of Additional Quality Content – Mythics, Antiquities, World Events & More
Beyond its foundational zones, quests and marquee features like Companions, High Isle also overflows with new enemy types, world events, mythic gear, the new Dreadsail Reef solo arena providing exciting challenges for veterans, two new four player dungeons in Coral Aerie and Earthen Root Enclave, continuation of the 2022 Season of the High Isle in-game event, new motif styles, mythic leads expanding the deep antiquities system puzzles yielding rare cultural treasures, plenty of new furnishings and collectibles for housing enthusiasts, and of course the steady influx of new Crown Store cosmetics, mounts and pets.
While High Isle doesn‘t introduce a brand new 12 player trial, it undoubtedly brings substantial enough content additions to occupy veterans and newbies alike for dozens if not hundreds of hours based on preferred playstyles.
Pricing & Purchase Options – Best Value Bundles For New Players
Here‘s a breakdown of what you receive with the available High Isle purchase options along with recommendations:
The High Isle Chapter (~$40) – Includes the two new High Isle and Amenos zones, main quest storyline, Companions system, Tales of Tribute card game and other core features associated with the Chapter. Perfect for existing players seeking just the new areas.
The High Isle Collection (~$60) – Contains the complete High Isle Chapter along with the Base Game and all previous Chapters (Morrowind, Clockwork City, Summerset, etc.) making it amazing value for new players to get all current content in one fell swoop. This Collector‘s Edition also adds various bonuses like mounts, pets, costumes and helpful consumables.
High Isle Collector‘s Edition Upgrade (~$20 more atop base Chapter) – For avid collectors and cosmetic lovers, this bundle tosses in the Ascendant Knight Costume, Balfiera Senche Cub pet, Amenos Charger Mount, High Isle Emote Pack and Hoard of the Schemers Memento among other niche goodies.
No matter which you pick, all versions include the usual Chapter perks like a new character slot. Keep in mind High Isle does not contain previous smaller DLC zones, but those remain optionally accessible via ESO Plus membership or direct Crown Store Purchase.
In terms of sheer value, The High Isle Collection gives new players by far the most content for their money and I‘d consider it almost essential. Meanwhile existing players need only snag the Chapter to stay current. Collector‘s Edition works for cosmetic fanatics.
How Does High Isle Stack Up Against Previous ESO Chapters?
As both a player since beta and YouTuber covering ESO guides analysis since 2015, I assess High Isle as one of the game‘s strongest, most feature-rich Chapters to date right alongside Morrowind and Summerset.
Here‘s a deeper look at how it compares to past Chapter releases:
Storytelling & Quest Design – High Isle‘s central Ascendant Order plot serves up an enthralling blend of Arthurian courtly intrigue and feudal political maneuvering that subverts tropes in smart ways. The K‘intyra family immediately joins ESO‘s more memorable quest lines aided by expressive voice acting carrying sympathetic emotional heft amidst the feudal conspiracies. Its darker main plot and sobering moments around groups like indentured sea giant slaves make for more affecting, varied stories than Elsweyr‘s comparatively lukewarm dragon-focused tales.
Side questing brings plenty of humorous misadventures, inocuous tasks suiting its quaint countryside setting and solemn storylines while fleshing out High Isle‘s culture beyond checkbox tedium. The writing quality remains uneven with a few trite filler fetch quests, but generally higher than previous Chapters. Tales of Tribute and Antiquities quests add cool new quest styles too.
So from a narrative perspective, while Summerset still tugs my heartstrings most, High Isle ranks among ESO‘s storytelling heights.
Gameplay Systems – Obviously the heralded Companions and engrossingly strategic Tales of Tribute card mini-game are mammoth additions that dramatically expand possibilities in positive ways no past Chapter matched. We haven‘t received systems receptions this euphoric since housing.
These two features alone supply countless hours of fulfilling content while addressing huge community requests. Antiquities also gets elevated with special mythic-level leads. Dreadsail Reef supplies a sufficiently challenging slice of solo PvE endgame. And while two dungeons doesn‘t seem like much, they both provide memorable boss challenges.
My only knock here is lack of a full 12 person Trial which chunks of the high end PvE community still pine for. But otherwise High Isle fires on all cylinders delivering some of ESO‘s most craved updates.
Zone Design – High Isle‘s visually stunning pair of zones mark possibly the most vibrant and alluring bombination since Summerset, if not surpassing it outright with greater diversity spanning beaches, bogs, lake regions, countrysides and more. The attention to detail and density of content feels phenomenal – every nook hides treasure, NPCs with dialogue, dynamic events, world bosses or landmarks like the gorgeous Coral Tower. High Isle City itself stands out as one of ESO‘s crowning hub achievements.
Both zones encourage heavy, rewarding exploration and house some of my favorite hub spaces. The amount of wildlife, foliage density and ambient NPCs traveling roads just brings unparalleled lived-in immersion. My only criticisms would be slight asset reuse among tombs and some rocky terrain stretching the southern island portions.
But make no mistake, these zones are utterly gorgeous and overflowing with activities. I‘m infatuated all over again!
Other Goodies – Beyond major features, you‘ve got two new gear sets from the solo arena and dungeons, continuation of the High Isle 2022 in-game event, new furnishings and player housing options including the gorgeous Grand Psiijic Villa, additional motif styles, a slew of shiny new pets, mounts and costumes, more Dyus lorestones fleshing out past ESO eras and hefty Crown Store additions from furnishing packs to cosmetics.
Collectors and housing enthusiasts find much to enjoy. The scope of additions remains impressive even beyond housing DLC.
Performance & Bugginess – Now for the slight downsides. In my extensive PTS playtesting and early live build experience, while quests and core content seem stable and polished, High Isle does feel a bit more prone to minor glitches or wonkiness than recent Chapters. I encountered the occasional npc getting stuck pathfinding, wonky ability animations in new dungeons, some waits on load screens when transitioning major hub zones, and a few quest softlocks. Customer support helps smoothly resolve these.
During early access launch week, zone instabilities also kicked players somewhat often especially around world bosses. This is thankfully improving daily.
So technical quibbles for sure on launch week. But as is the case with all smooth MMO launches… said no one ever! Jokes aside, take this as a buyer beware – High Isle may require 1-2 weeks of patches to smooth launch hiccups. But the content remains outstanding.
Who Should Buy High Isle Based on Playstyle?
Nearly any semi-active to hardcore ESO player stands to gain immense value from High Isle regardless of preferred playstyle:
For Group PvE Raiders – Obtaining Mythic gear from antiquities or new dungeons can strengthen your DPS pushes for leaderboards. Both Coral Aerie and Earthen Root Enclave provide fun, moderately challenging boss fights to master. I‘d suggest learning the new arenas and dungeons week one to prep for potential inclusions in vet content. Lack of a trial stings progression somewhat, but robust Mythic items help offset that.
For Solo PvE Players – The Companions system practically tailor-made an entire ESO sub-expansion for you. And even group dungeons find themselves reasonably soloable these days if you leverage Companions plus maxed out builds. Lean on your new found friends slaying through dynamic world events and the tricky Dreadsail Reef arena for special rewards. 每
For Housing & Collectible Enthusiasts – High Isle overflows with shiny new furnishings, pets, costumes and collectibles via exploring, daily quests in zones themselves plus activities like antiquities or the card game. The new Grand Psiijic Villa offers a visually stunning player house template ripe for decorating. Prepare your bank account though, some of the new Crown Store homes don‘t come cheap!
For Casual Players – Kick back admiring High Isle‘s beauty while knocking out lower intensity daily quests, leisurely fishing Amenos‘ abundant fishing holes, cooking up new recipes, sailing around islands or taking in stories at your own pace. Head to Dreadsail‘s normal version for some light solo adventuring. Tales of Tribute and Companions both work fine enjoyed casually too!
For PvP Players – Dive into Tales of Tribute‘s competitive PvP leagues to test your card battle wits against others while pursuing special titles and rewards for victory. Obtaining new Mythic gear found via solo PvE antiquities quests can better empower pushes up Cyrodiil‘s leaderboards if your build leverages their bonuses.
For New Players – I‘d outright declare the High Isle Collection that bundles in all previous Chapters an almost mandatory buy providing hundreds upon hundreds of hours of content unlocking the full world of Tamriel for new ESO fans joining us. You‘ll scarcely find better value introductions to massively enriching your adventures.
Across the board, there‘s something for everyone here catering to all styles of play.
What Does the Future Hold for ESO Post-High Isle?
While no further 2023 Chapter has been formally detailed yet beyond rumors, we will continue receiving the steady four major DLC zone packs and four dungeon DLC releases throughout this year. The next Chapter Necrom arrives June 2023 heading back to Vvardenfell and seems to delve into spooky Lovecraftian themes.
Additionally, High Isle remains supported via ongoing fixes, balance changes, bug patches and quality of life updates for its core features like Companions along with continuing Season of the High Isle in-game events into 2023. I anticipate seeing Tales of Tribute expanded with additional card packs and questlines too.
Provided Zenimax Online maintains this impressive level of quality and substantial content additions, the future continues looking incredibly bright for veterans and new players alike enjoying ESO for years to come!
While impossible to predict too far ahead, I‘d personally love to see the Companions system expanded to additional existing and new characters plus more endgame difficulty options like solo arenas catering to that playstyle. And there‘s still a hunger for larger scale 12 person Trials among the hardcore raiding scene.
But new systems like Companions suggest the developers actively listen to player feedback so we shall see!
Responses to Common High Isle Questions
Here I‘ll address some of the most frequently asked questions around High Isle to consolidate any remaining curiosities:
Do I need to purchase High Isle to keep playing ESO normally or stay competitive?
Absolutely not. High Isle exists completely optionally as added value content. You can enjoy hundreds of hours in base game zones without it. There‘s no vertical gear progression or power creep mandating High Isle purchases to remain competitive. Obtaining things like new Mythic gear simply opens new build options rather than outright buffing your character‘s strength. So rest assured you can keep enjoying all existing content as is!
What order should I play through content as a new player?
Always start from the original base game zones following the natural timeline before moving into sequentially later expansions like Morrowind, Clockwork City and so on based on release date. Playing High Isle first would spoil both references and sorely lacked context. Treat High Isle as endgame content to play after exhausting hundreds of earlier hours.
Can I play Tales of Tribute PvP card battles alone?
Absolutely! You can play asynchronously against others and also battle AI decks solo to complete associated quests and unlock special loot to improve your capabilities for later ranked play. This supplies perfectly viable gameplay even solo. Companions work great here too against AI.
If I‘m an existing player, do I only need to buy the High Isle Chapter?
Correct! Assuming you already own the ESO base game, previous Chapters etc, then for ~$40 USD, the High Isle Chapter purchase supplies complete access to the meat of this expansion‘s new zones, quests, features like Companions/card game and core content additions. Optional Collector‘s bundles mostly just offer cosmetics.
For new players, what‘s the minimum I should buy?
Without question, snag the High Isle Collection bundle granting you the entire base game, High Isle Chapter and all past Chapters supplying literally 1000+ hours of content for just ~$60 instead of paying $15/month. That‘ll set you up for years to come if you enjoy the gameplay loop! Optionally upgrade to the Collector‘s Edition for bonuses liked mounts and costumes too.
What features got added after High Isle‘s launch?
Since launch, we‘ve seen several major Companion-focused patches adding new companion characters, questlines plus romance stories. Additional world event style content also released along with continuing live events, dungeon events and trials. The card game saw card pack additions and more rewards too. So substantial post-launch support persists.
I hope this epic deep dive into everything High Isle comprehensively answers the question "is High Isle worth buying" for all types of ESO players! Let me know any other lingering thoughts. Now get out there, forge bonds with new companions and explore paradisal Amenos! Glory to the Ascendant Order! (…or maybe not, if you finish the main questline).
