Explore the swamps and ruins of Blackwood as Mehrunes Dagon's invasion unfolds. Recruit AI Companions, close Oblivion Portals, and uncover the Gates of Oblivion conspiracy in this ESO chapter.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood is the sixth chapter expansion for ESO, released in June 2021 by ZeniMax Online Studios. It forms the centrepiece of the year-long Gates of Oblivion storyline, taking players to the swamplands and forests of southern Tamriel where the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon is orchestrating an invasion 800 years before the events of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
Blackwood introduced the Companions system, a feature that permanently changed how solo and small-group play works across the entire game. The chapter also added the Rockgrove Trial, Oblivion Portals as repeatable world events, and the city of Leyawiin as a major hub.
The Blackwood zone sits at the border between Cyrodiil and Black Marsh, blending Imperial architecture with Argonian wetlands. The northern half features the fortified city of Leyawiin and the surrounding Niben Forest, while the southern reaches descend into the Blackwood Bog and the edges of Black Marsh.
Gideon serves as the second major settlement, a frontier town surrounded by marshland and ancient Ayleid ruins. The zone is visually distinct from earlier chapters, trading the volcanic landscapes of Morrowind and tropical shores of Summerset for dense fog, murky waterways, and crumbling Imperial forts.
Exploration rewards are scattered across the map, including skyshards, lorebooks, public dungeons, and delves that each tell their own self-contained story within the broader Mehrunes Dagon narrative.
Blackwood's headline feature is the Companions system, which lets you recruit persistent NPC allies that fight alongside you in the open world and most PvE content. At launch, two Companions are available: Bastian Hallix, a noble-born Imperial with a sense of justice, and Mirri Elendis, a Dunmer adventurer with a pragmatic streak.
Each Companion has their own personality, backstory, and approval system. Your in-game actions affect their rapport. Bastian disapproves of theft and the Dark Brotherhood, while Mirri dislikes cowardice but enjoys exploring Dwemer ruins.
You can equip Companions with gear, assign their skill loadouts, and direct their combat role as tank, healer, or damage dealer. They level up through combat and gain access to new abilities over time. The system was popular enough that subsequent chapters expanded the roster with additional Companions.
Oblivion Portals are Blackwood's signature world event, functioning as randomised group encounters scattered across the zone. When a portal opens, a pillar of light marks its location on the map, drawing nearby players into a fight.
Entering a portal transports you to a pocket of the Deadlands, Mehrunes Dagon's plane of Oblivion. Inside, you face waves of Daedra across a hellscape of lava flows and jagged rock before confronting a final boss. The encounters scale to group size and reward gear sets exclusive to the Blackwood chapter.
The portals echo the Oblivion Gates from TES IV but are designed as repeatable group content rather than story-driven solo instances.
The main questline follows the player and Eveli Sharp-Arrow, a Bosmer scout, as they uncover a conspiracy involving the Four Ambitions, mortal vessels imbued with fragments of Mehrunes Dagon's power. The Longhouse Emperors of Cyrodiil made a pact with Dagon centuries ago, and the consequences of that deal are coming due.
The story weaves through Leyawiin politics, Argonian tribal tensions, and Dremora incursions, building toward a confrontation in the Deadlands. Side quests in the zone explore the lives of locals caught between Imperial governance and the encroaching Daedric threat.
The narrative connects to the Flames of Ambition dungeon DLC that preceded it and continues into the Waking Flame and Deadlands DLCs that followed, forming a complete four-part story arc across 2021.
Rockgrove is Blackwood's twelve-player Trial, set in an Argonian settlement overrun by a Daedric cult. The Trial features three boss encounters with mechanics that require coordinated group play on both normal and veteran difficulties.
Veteran Rockgrove with hard mode active is among the more challenging Trials in ESO, demanding tight execution from all twelve players. The Trial drops exclusive gear sets that became staples in endgame builds for several roles.
While earlier ESO chapters introduced new classes (Morrowind's Warden, Elsweyr's Necromancer), Blackwood focused on a systemic addition. The Companions system gave every player an AI partner, making overworld content, world bosses, and even some dungeon content more accessible to solo players without trivialising the difficulty.
The Oblivion nostalgia factor also plays a role. Revisiting Leyawiin and stepping into the Deadlands appeals to fans of TES IV, and the expansion leans into that connection without requiring knowledge of the single-player game.
Blackwood does not add a new class or weapon skill line, which was a point of criticism at launch. Instead, it invested in quality-of-life improvements and the Companion framework that extended its value beyond the chapter itself.
No. ESO chapters are standalone purchases. Buying Blackwood gives you access to the Blackwood zone, story, Companions, and Trial without requiring ownership of Morrowind, Summerset, Elsweyr, or Greymoor. However, the smaller DLC packs between chapters (like Flames of Ambition) are separate and require ESO Plus or individual purchase.
Companions can be summoned in most overworld PvE content, public dungeons, and normal dungeons when your group has fewer than four players. They cannot be used in Trials, PvP zones like Cyrodiil and Battlegrounds, or solo arenas.
As of 2023, Blackwood was added to the ESO Plus chapter rotation. ESO Plus subscribers can access the Blackwood zone, story, Companions, and Trial without purchasing the chapter separately.
The main questline takes roughly 10 to 15 hours depending on your pace. Adding side quests, exploration, and daily content extends the chapter to 30 or more hours of play.