Part 1 - Flame and Flesh Atronachs

Flame Atronachs are somewhat of a symbol, marking a lot of players first encounter with any sort of summoned Daedra. Found in games as early as Daggerfall, these Flame Atronachs always prove to be a daunting adversary, though they are inherently the least powerful Atronachs a player comes across. While lacking in background information, they are a wonder to watch in action with their impressive fire spells.

(Current Game) Statistics

level - 5-35
Health - 111-358
Magicka - 174-270
Spells: Firebolts, Flame, and Flame Cloak

Even after death, a Flame Atronach deals damage. The corpse explodes after a few moments of being stationary, injuring those in close proximity. They also can hold their own in close-combat battles, using their three sharpened fingers as deadly weapons.


Appearance

Previous Games: Dating back to the days of Morrowind, players saw male figures of flames adorned with minimalistic armour and pointed helmets. As years progressed, they took on a more feminine form in Oblivion and then shed their armour in Skyrim. However, we saw a different sort of Flame Atronach in Daggerfall, as they were defined as "Golems" and were constructed by mages. These Golems were very much in the likeness of man, but made of lava and flame.

Elder Scrolls Online: Taking a page from the book of Skyrim, you can most certainly see the similarities between it's version and the Elder Scrolls Online version of the Flame Atronach. The differences are few and far between, mimicking the same sort of burnt flesh and horns we saw in Skyrim, but with more extended shoulder protrusions. Personally, I believe they look a bit more sinister than their predecessors, and are very well done overall. However, I do miss the intimidation factor of the hellish armour the Morrowind and Oblivion versions came equipped with. If it was incorporated somehow into this newer model, they would be perfect in this writer's humble opinion.


Hopes for Flame Atronachs in TESO

Throughout my Elder Scrolls adventures, I've grown fond of these Atronachs in particular. Though I was never one for conjuration, I appreciated the unmatched beauty of the fiery figures and their relentless spell-casting. I hope to see them as mobs in locations congruent to their aesthetics (I.E Daedric Ruins or regions like Molag Amur) but not as conjurable creatures. In my opinion, they should be a rarity, and having them randomly summoned cheapens the feel of the Daedra.





Hideous beasts constructed from cadavers and sewn together to create a malformed and terrifying creature, the Flesh Atronach made it's first appearance in Daggerfall, but is better known for it's role in the Oblivion DLC - "The Shivering Isles". These Frankenstein-esque monsters are technically Golems, but seem to be inhabited by Daedra.

(Current Game) Statistics

Flesh Atronach Levels:
Mangled Flesh Atronach- 1-3
Torn Flesh Atronach - 6-10
Stitched Flesh Atronach - 11-15
Sewn Flesh Atronach - 16-20
Mended Flesh Atronach- 21-(Approximately) 25

Gatekeeper:
Level - 3-33
Health - 80-800
Magicka - 20

All Flesh Atronachs are entirely immune to poison and have a resistance to fire. Mangled and Torn Atronachs are also resistant to magicka, and Stitched, Sewn, and Mended all have spell absorption powers. The Gatekeeper cannot be paralysed and has a 75% magicka resistance.


Appearance

Previous Games: These ugly monstrosities are the epitome of what my nightmares are made of. Their skin is dead and sewn together, branded with strange markings and symbols. The Atronachs abdomens are ripped open, showing a strange illumination of yellow, red, or purple, and the same light is apparent on their foreheads, hands, and knees. They sport metal braces on their necks, wrists and ankles, and a larger one around their waists. The Gatekeeper is relatively similar, but much larger and more vicious. A sword, mace, or hammer is forged with one hand, making it a walking weapon.

Elder Scrolls Online: While we have not seen the smaller Flesh Atronachs, the Gatekeeper is very much apart of TESO. The new version seems to be larger and even more hideous, which is a rather discouraging feature for this writer. The heap of flesh has a very dramatically hunched back and a menacing weapon attached to his hand much like the one seen in the Shivering Isles.


Hopes for Flesh Atronachs in TESO

We have seen the likes of an Elder Scrolls Online Gatekeeper, so that hope has already been converted to fact. Perhaps, not unlike Oblivion's Gatekeeper, the Flesh Atronachs will be guarding the Real of Sheogorath or another exciting prospect. The big, brutish, heinous monsters will hopefully be used as mini bosses in dungeons where as their smaller counterparts could be strewn throughout the depths of ruins. Maybe there may even be a side quest to do as we did in the Shivering Isles DLC and create another Gatekeeper!


The Next Article

Since there is an unbelievable amount of information to cover, we will see the addition of both "Frost" and "Storm" Atronachs in my up-coming article related to this series. As usual, I do hope you enjoyed your time reading, so if you did, make sure you keep an eye out for "TESO Creature: Atronachs - Part 2".