The Elder Scrolls Online fans, rejoice! The new expansion Gates of Oblivion, Zenimax and Bethesda's year-long adventure, and the first installment, the Blackwood Chapter, arrives on PC/Mac and Stadia on June 1st, and on Xbox One and PlayStation4 consoles June 8th. That much and more was revealed during today's Global Reveal Event. A ton of new info was shared during the half-hour presentation and the after show with ESO's community managers Jess Folsom and Gina Bruno, so I'd advise revisiting the video if you can; if not, or if you just want a handy guide to what's new and what's coming, read on!

Thankfully, said news is already posted on The Elder Scrolls Online's official site, including the now-live pre-order options and much more info on the various editions available to buy and play. But let's dig into the content of the game's expansion itself. First of all, what is Gates of Oblivion?

In the Gates of Oblivion adventure, you can explore a new storyline told throughout all of ESO’s 2021 content releases, including the upcoming The Elder Scrolls Online: Flames of Ambition DLC and The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood Chapter. In this year-long saga, you will unravel the ambitions and schemes of the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon 800 years before the events of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

Okay, so what's the Blackwood Chapter?

Image via Bethesda, Zenimax

The Elder Scrolls Online’s major Chapter update for 2021, Blackwood, "will continue the Gates of Oblivion adventure and feature over 30 hours of new story content, allowing you to explore a colorful part of Tamriel where the diverse culture of the Argonians meets with Imperial ambitions.

This Chapter brings all-new adventures and features for you to enjoy, including:

  • A new zone: Blackwood
  • A fiendish main storyline that ties into the Gates of Oblivion adventure
  • The new Companions system
  • A new 12-player Trial: Rockgrove
  • New world events: Oblivion Portals
  • New delves, public dungeons, world bosses, and stand-alone quests
  • Updates and quality-of-life improvements

You can pre-purchase The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood right now to receive unique pre-purchase rewards at launch AND get immediate access to the game and both the Nagahide Welwa Ravager mount and Nightmare Bear Cub pet**.

Image via Bethesda, Zenimax

Here's the current roadmap for the rollouts:

  • Flames of Ambition (March 8th for PC/Mac and Stadia* and March 16th for Xbox One and PlayStation4)
  • Blackwood (June 1 for PC/Mac and Stadia* and June 8 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4)
  • Unannounced Q3 DLC dungeon pack (date TBD)
  • Unannounced Q4 DLC story zone (date TBD)

Be sure to head over to ESO's official pages for much, much more. Check out the new trailer below to see what awaits you:

Fire and ambition come to Tamriel with The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood, part of the Gates of Oblivion year-long adventure. Explore the diverse region of Blackwood, gain powerful allies with the new Companions system, and uncover the terrible schemes of Mehrunes Dagon, Daedric Prince of Destruction, 800 years before the events of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion!

Pre-purchase The Elder Scrolls Online Collection: Blackwood now to begin your adventure immediately in the Base Game or previous Chapters, gain instant access to the Nagahide Welwa Ravager mount and Nightmare Bear Cub pet (only available now until March 17), and receive additional bonus items at launch. Coming June 1 for PC/Mac and Stadia* and June 8 for PlayStation® 4 and Xbox One.*Available only in limited territories.