The Elder Scrolls Online's new Necrom chapter is taking us to Apocrypha, Hermaeus Mora's Oblivion realm, which we previously visited in Skyrim via the Dragonborn DLC's Black Books. It was here that we fought against Miraak, the first Dragonborn, who was staging a coup against Hermaeus Mora. And since he's been there since the Merethic Era, he'll still be there by the time of ESO, meaning that we could bump heads with him.
For context, Miraak used Hermaeus Mora's forbidden knowledge to fight back against his dragon overlords, all in a bid to grow in power and strength. However, he failed, as Vahlok the Dragon Priest defeated and imprisoned him on Solstheim. As he was about to be executed, Hermaeus Mora saved him and brought him to Apocrypha, where he stayed for over 4,500 years before Skyrim's Dragonborn finally ended his life.
We don't know much of what he got up to in those 4,500 years, but since we're visiting Hermaeus Mora's realm in ESO, there's finally room to expand on his character and history, giving us a glimpse into what Miraak was like before his attempt to escape. And that's exactly what fans are hoping for.
ESO features a few familiar faces already, like Vivec, Divayth Fyr, Gothren, and even Skyrim's Velehk Sain, the Pirate King of the Abecean, a Dremora who raided the coasts during the second era. Bringing back old characters in their youth isn't unprecedented for ESO, and there's already a Miraak nod in-game.
Zenimax released an Artifact outfit style called the Firstblade which adds Miraak's sword from Skyrim, though this was added way back in 2021 in a limited Crown Store bundle. Perhaps we'll get to see Miraak himself brandishing it soon enough, whether in a side quest or a main quest cameo. Or, ESO may side-step Miraak altogether to avoid him overshadowing its new story. We'll have to wait and see.
A Reddit post also cropped up yesterday about wanting to see Miraak again, arguing that "a champion of Mora would have a sizeable presence in Apocrypha", though Hermaeus Mora may be keeping him a tightly-held secret. But we're the Vestige - we've uncovered plenty of secrets, from political figureheads betraying their alliances to Daedric Lords scheming against each other.
Whatever the case, we're diving back into Apocrypha for the first time since 2012, and whether we see Miraak or get nods to his existence somewhere out there, there'll be plenty to uncover. It is a giant swamp library filled with Lovecraftian monsters, after all.