After the first content download for Bethesda Softworks" The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion created a stir by charging Xbox 360 players $2.50 and PC players $1.99 to armour their horses, it appears the developer is exploring new approaches for its future expansions.
Bethesda is now saying that the next two downloads, The Wizard"s Tower and The Orrery, will include more bang for less buck. A posting on the official Elder Scrolls forums details new features for the two expansions, as well as a pricing structure and expected release date for The Orrery. According to the posting, the expansion should be out next week, and will sell for $1.89 to PC owners and 150 Marketplace points (about $1.88) to Xbox 360 owners.
"The Horse Armour Pack has been very popular, and exceeded what we thought it would sell," the posting reads. "Despite that, we"re still trying to find the right spot, so we"re putting a much larger plug-in out for less than the last one and we"ll see what happens."
The Orrery will feature a new quest with original dialogue, journals, and rewards, access to the eponymous dwarven machine in the Imperial City"s Arcane University, and new character powers based on the phases of the moon.
The Wizard"s Tower will be a new property available to players, complete with upgradeable furniture and facilities. Players who set up shop in the Tower will be able to grow herbs, make spells, summon atronachs, and perform other magic-oriented tasks. No release date for the Wizard"s Tower add-on has been announced yet.
Bethesda is also working on a pair of patches for the game. The first one will address a number of known issues in the game and debut on the PC in beta form before being cleared for both the PC and Xbox 360. After that, Bethesda will release a follow-up patch to clear up localization issues with the European version of the game.