General:Creating ESO: Flame Atronach

The original article was posted here on August 19, 2013.

Peek behind the scenes and learn how we bring Tamriel to life in The Elder Scrolls Online.

If you're familiar with The Elder Scrolls, chances are you've encountered atronachs of several varieties during your travels—maybe you've even summoned some of these powerful Daedra yourself. Do you enjoy the challenge of going head-to-head with these dangerous foes and those who command them? Then you won't be disappointed; you'll see plenty of atronachs as you explore Tamriel in ESO. Let's take a closer look at what you can expect from ESO's flame atronach.

The flame atronach in Skyrim had a fluidity and otherworldly grace that we wanted to exaggerate for ESO. It floats off the ground, wreathed in fire as it spins and twirls with ease. Our Effects Artists created an intricate effect of flickering flames that dance across the atronach's body. For all our creatures, we focus on creating believable effects that fit with the creature and look right in the world.

Comfortable both in melee and at range, the flame atronach can lob deadly balls of fire, and it radiates a continuous burning aura, making it quite dangerous at any distance. Unwary adventurers may also find themselves scorched by the Daedra's most impressive attack, a geyser of flames that erupts from the ground. The flame atronach can even be deadly once defeated, when it explodes in a last-ditch effort to destroy attackers.

Sound effects are critical for any creature—especially for one with so many kinds of movements and attacks. Most of us are familiar with the kinds of sounds fire can make, but how do we create believable audio for a creature of animate, magical flame? Our Sound Designers get a good look at creatures and their animations before they get to work to get an idea of the kinds of sounds they'll need to create. For the flame atronach, they imagined how its various attacks would sound right away. Utilizing huge sound libraries, they found sounds for swinging torches, campfires, and even an actual geyser.

When they found the sounds they wanted to work from, the Sound Designers got to work combining and adjusting sounds, adding effects, and using videos of the flame atronach to time the sounds just right. They've described the process as almost an "audio collage," piecing together new sounds that fit on a twirling, fiery Daedra by altering recognizable ones. Once the process is complete, our Sound Designers have created believable sounds for a creature that isn't real at all.

(A video is embedded in the article. The video can be viewed here.)

When you're out exploring, keep your ears open for crackling flames—it may save you! Check out the video below to get a look at the flame atronach in action. We hope you enjoyed this Creating ESO. There's still plenty behind-the-scenes info we want to share, so make sure to check back for our next edition!