Ready your weapons, champions! Two new arenas are ready for the Battlegrounds' uniquely fast-paced combat: Mor Khazgur and Deeping Drome. Learn everything you need to know about these new 4v4v4 arenas included in Update 17!

Mor Khazgur and Deeping Drome arrive as part of the Update 17 base-game patch and free for all ESO: Morrowind owners. Note that as with previous updates, you must own the ESO: Morrowind Chapter in order to play Battlegrounds matches.

When it comes to ESO's 4v4v4 game mode, you have to constantly be aware of everything that's going on in the chaos of battle. With these two brand-new arenas, maintaining map awareness is especially challenging for even the most experienced Battlegrounds veterans.

Mor Khazgur

Atop the mountains of Wrothgar, this Orc stronghold has been the center of countless conflicts over the centuries. Repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt throughout its violent history, the ruins now make for the perfect Battlegrounds arena for would-be champions.

When you fight in Mor Khazgur, the first thing you'll notice is the massive statue of Malacath in its center, but do not let the imposing figure of the Daedric Prince distract you – the arena's many stone and wooden bridges extend over perilously long drops. This means that if you're clumsy, the arena's ledges could result in a quick demise or, at least, a long run back up to the fight.

This treacherous location is made even more so thanks to a unique environmental threat: blinding white snowstorms that temporarily limit your visibility.

“With Mor Khazgur, we wanted to give players an open space to roam, and initially the map's main feature was the threat of its deep pits and ringouts," explains Brian Wheeler, ESO's PvP Lead. “But then we decided to up the ante and make it even more deadly with the inclusion of the snowstorms. As a result, map visibility greatly varies throughout the match."

When fighting in Mor Khazgur, the mountain's snowstorms will blow in at various times, and while you can see almost all of the arena when the weather is clear, during a storm, you must keep both eyes open – there's no better time for an ambush.

Deeping Drome

Deep underground, the subterranean arena known as Deeping Drome provides an entirely different kind of Battlegrounds experience. Illuminated by the glow of giant mushrooms, this cavernous location is perfect for those who enjoy Battlegrounds maps that encourage mobility.

Deeping Drome at first glance appears to be a large, open cavern, but once the match begins, you'll find that it's difficult to maintain sight on the enemy teams thanks to its hilly terrain and rocky features.

“When building Deeping Drome, we tried to combine the philosophies of both Foyada Quarry and Arcane University," explains Wheeler. “Players like Arcane because it has a lot of line-of-sight breakers and forces you to move around the map, but we also wanted to create something similar to the open-air experience of Foyada that allows you to see much of the arena right from the start."

This contradictory philosophy makes Deeping Drome especially interesting. When defending, the arena's numerous vantage points can help you locate and ambush unsuspecting attackers. However, if you're cunning, you can use tunnels underneath the center and the map's wide, ramping pathways to outmaneuver defenders.

“Thanks to the varied sight lines and the fact that the objectives are not directly under each team's spawn locations, there's a lot of movement in Deeping Drome," says Wheeler. “And the fact that you can run around a lot and go almost everywhere makes it a kind of opposite to Mor Khazgur."

Fight Hard, But Fight Smart

Both Mor Khazgur and Deeping Drome force you to keep one eye on your enemy and another on your surroundings, making them unique additions to the Battlegrounds map rotation. Will you be fighting for control of these brand-new arenas? Let us know on Twitter @ TESOnline and Facebook!

Update 17 is now live on PC/Mac, and will come to PlayStation®4 and Xbox One on February 27. Note that ESO: Morrowind is required in order to participate in Battlegrounds matches.

