Zenimax Online Studios announced today that sometime this year, text chat support will finally be implemented in the console version of The Elder Scrolls Online.
In addition, ZOS also revealed that there are two major DLC packs coming in the first half of 2016. Sometime next month, the Thieves Guild DLC pack will be released where it will feature new story content, new gameplay features, and new fixes for the game. More details will be revealed soon about the Thieves Guild.
As for the Dark Brotherhood DLC, it’s scheduled to be released in the second quarter of the year. It will take place in the Gold Coast of Cyrodiil, and will contain some new gameplay elements and story content. More information will be revealed closer to debuting it on the PTS.
Aside from text chat support, ZOS will also improve the Looking for Group feature. They promised that the new LFG will make group finding a lot easier.
Here are some more features that ZOS announced that will be coming this year:
Player Leveling
We’ve talked publicly many times about the removal of veteran ranks and we are still committed to doing so. The goal behind this change is to make the Champion system the primary vehicle for customizing your character past level 50. This work is currently scheduled for Q2 as part of the Dark Brotherhood update.
Here’s some info about how this transition will work:
– There will be little or no changes to our current 1-50 player leveling system. You will receive one Skill Point per level as you do now, and one point to put into your Attributes (Stamina, Magicka, or Health.)
– From 50+, you will receive Champion Points as you gain Experience, which you can use to further augment your character via the Champion System. The character information window will be updated to show your level, plus your Champion Rating, which is the total number of Champion Points you have accrued.
– You will be able to gain more Skill Points the same way you do now, by completing quests, raising your Alliance War rank, and collecting Skyshards.
– We will continue to slowly raise the Champion Point cap over time as we add more content. The cap is currently set at 501 Champion Points.Here are some features we are working on as part of this social focus:
Looking for Group version 2.0, which will go live with the Thieves Guild update. This will fix some longstanding problems with our LFG system and allow players to create groups faster and more efficiently.
All future DLC will continue to use player level scaling to ensure that players of all levels can play in the same zone together, as we do with Imperial City and Orsinium.
Enable text chat on consoles later this year to help players – if they wish – to communicate zone-wide with other players, have easier access to emotes, and be able to chat with others using text instead of voice. This will be optional, and we will continue to fully support voice chat on console as the primary means of communication.
Work on a Looking for Guild system, as well as updates and fixes to make it easier manage player guilds.
For more information, check out the official website for more information on TESO 2016 Road Map.