Kyne’s Aegis calls for aid! Secure Skyrim’s first line of defense in this new 12-player Trial coming with The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor.

Invasion from the North

Once a prosperous fishing and mining village, Kyne’s Aegis is besieged. Swarming from massive longboats and led by a powerful vampire lord, an army of Sea Giants, Half-Giants, and vampires have broken through the island’s meager barricades and now threaten to wipe out its few remaining defenders.

Gather your allies and defend Kyne’s Aegis

Though once thought to be Skyrim’s first line of defense, time has taken its toll on the island’s preparedness, and the invaders have swiftly exploited this weakness.

“The Island of Kyne’s Aegis was just that, a shield in the north of Skyrim set up to be a bulwark from invasions from the sea,” explains Mike Finnigan, ESO’s Lead Encounter Designer. “Over the years, the island’s defenders have become complacent, resulting in a lack of urgency when an invasion did happen.”

Before they are completely overwhelmed, Thane Ogvar sent out a call for aid, and now you and your allies must mount a counterattack against the invasion and confront the monster at its heart.

An Army of Monsters

When designing this new PvE challenge, the team worked from feedback provided by the community on Sunspire, the Trial from last year’s Chapter, The Elder Scrolls Online: Elsweyr.

“Every trial, we try to build upon the successes and learn from player experiences,” explains Finnigan. “We learned quite a bit from Sunspire, and while we think we struck a good tone in difficulty with three bosses and three hard modes, we DID hear the feedback that players desired a more linear experience and feeling of progression. Not only that, they wanted more impactful non-boss encounters to engage with.”

Repulsing these invaders won’t be easy, and to break the siege, you and your team must battle your way through a horde of monsters, including crazed vampire thralls, their masters, and of course, rampaging Half-Giants.

Giants (and worse) attack!

To make matters worse, a great tempest surrounds the island, harrowing defenders with bitter winds and striking them down with lightning from the sky. These occurrences may appear to be natural events, but in truth, they are anything but:

“The Sea Giants are very shamanistic by nature, so they use the elements to their advantage when hunting out at sea or invading islands,” explains Finnigan. “They have dedicated Stormcallers who can harness the power of the storm to call lightning strikes, all with the purpose of keeping the defenders’ heads down.”

In addition to the monstrous army you must fight your way through, you must also face three challenging boss battles in Kyne’s Aegis, including two colossal Sea Giants.

Against Yarnir the Butcher, you have to deal with various totems that cause new mechanics to be introduced into the fight as well as his pets. While Captain Vrol uses the Sea Giant’s seafaring nature during the fight, and you’ll need to use ballista and travel to a longboat to defeat him.”

Skyrim’s defenders confront Lord Falravn

Most challenging of these boss battles, of course, will be the final fight, during which you must face the vampire Lord Falgravn.  

“The final boss, Lord Falgravn, is a true standout here,” says Finnigan. “I won’t spoil too much, but he goes through multiple phases with new abilities in each phase, which require players to learn each phase in order to defeat him. There are a lot of tricks the vampire lord uses, which require communication and coordination to defeat.”

Giant-Sized Loot

While Lord Falgravn’s army plunders the island, when tackling this new Trial, you and your party can earn plenty of loot for yourselves, including new Achievements, trophies, titles, gear sets, and a unique skin—and all of this is available only in Kyne’s Aegis!

These new items include the Roaring Opportunist set, which allows you to utilize heavy attacks to provide a huge boost to your team’s damage.

The Roaring Opportunist set

Even better, should you complete Kyne’s Aegis on veteran difficulty, you’ll earn Perfected versions of these items, providing extra bonuses not available with the normal gear.

In addition to powerful new sets, as you complete various Achievements associated with the Trial, you can also earn the Sea Giant skin, and a fun, communal memento called the Ritual Circle Totem.

The Sea Giant skin and Ritual Circle Totem memento

With this new memento, you can place four totems around your character, allowing your party members to interact with them!

Fight for Skyrim

Kyne’s Aegis stands on the brink, as rampaging Giants, Half-Giants, and vampires threaten to wipe out the island’s few remaining defenders. Will you and your allies stand with the besieged Nords and repulse this monstrous invasion? Let us know if you’re ready and willing to fight for Skyrim and take on this new 12-player Trial via @TESOnlineInstagram, or Facebook.

Part of the Dark Heart of Skyrim year-long adventure, The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor arrives May 26 for PC/Mac and June 9 for Xbox One and PlayStation®4. Pre-purchase Greymoor now digitally to receive unique bonus rewards and gain immediate access to the Holdbreaker Warhorse in-game mount (digital only—conditions apply). Don’t miss out!