Take a Lore Dive into Origins, Dangers, and Potential of ESO's Endless Archive and Master Malkhest

The Elder Scrolls Online Update 40 and the Endless Archive dungeon will be live for PC/Mac in just three days, on October 30th. ZeniMax has a new lore preview focused on Master Malkhest, the caretaker and Master of the Endless Archive.

The Loremaster’s Archive entry is, as most are, in the form of letters, Malkhest gets to introduce himself, then answer the questions and situations the letters present. Malkhest calls himself a “humble researcher” among more prominent scholars in the world. 

“That said, I'm happy for the chance to discuss my work. The Endless Archive is a vast repository of knowledge embedded deep within Hermaeus Mora's realm of Apocrypha. I am, effectively, an attendant in a very fancy library,” he says in his intro before the letters.

One of the questions involves wondering how it's possible that the dungeon brings mortals, creatures, Daedra, and others to life within. The answer is that the Endless Archive catalogs whatever passes through it. If someone returns, it is their copy from right before that time. A backup copy of sorts, from the moment it was last backed up. 

Inside the dungeon, you’ll meet all kinds of creatures and enemies to slay, and they needed origins, looks, and backstories. “These strange Daedric beings mimic living beings and are created by the workings of the Daedric Lord Tho’at Replicanum. These Daedric beings are limited to the grounds of the archive, it seems. This holds with the promise of unique creatures, unique loot, and more to discover that you won't find anywhere else. One question is about pocket realms and whether the archive qualifies. “The Endless Archive is an adjunct realm that lies within the greater fabric of Apocrypha,” so it is separate, but related. 

Overall, read through this lore entryto set the stage for the procedurally generated, unique every time Endless Archive runs that you’ll get a chance to begin having next week. Console players have an additional two weeks to prepare, as the update will land on those platforms November 14th.