Elder Scrolls Online is making some genuinely massive changes to how it doles out new content, as well as to the size, scope, and frequency of new content.
In an end-of-year update from ZeniMax Online studio director Matt Firor, it's revealed that Elder Scrolls Online will no longer be doing the big, yearly chapters that have been series mainstays since they were first introduced with 2017's Morrowind release. Instead, the MMO is shifting to a seasonal update structure that'll see the release of "smaller bite-sized" content drops several times a year.
We will be talking much more about this in the future, but in 2025 expect to see named Seasons of three or six months duration with a mix of themed story content, events, store items, dungeons and more. Seasons will be named and themed like a lot of modern live-service games, and they'll last anywhere from three to six months. Firor says there will still be "some larger items" the studio's been working on for more than a year, but there's still a tight lid on that stuff.
"Freeing up the dev team from needing to adhere to a strict annual cycle means we will be able to have teams launch content when it is ready throughout the year and not work to a date in June – this will let us focus on a greater variety of content spread over the year," Firor explains. "This supports the new Seasons model, and will enable us to release content, updates, fixes, and systems in a more efficient manner."
While new content-wise, it's hard not to look at this as a downsizing, Firor detailed some actual, meaningful changes designed to address various pain points. Chiefly, he says the studio needs "to experiment more, to shake things up and not be so predictable."
Going forward, ESO will start testing out new and experimental content that will be marked as such in the patch notes and "may or may not be fleshed out into full game systems. With our new focus on breaking up content into seasons and away from years, it gives us time to do these experiments and changes."
Here's where things get interesting, because Firor actually gets into some specifics. Notably, he says Zenimax needs to "seriously address Cyrodiil performance," which is a long, long-standing issue that's yet to be properly addressed. The PvP zone has suffered for years with performance, and Firor says the plan is to "experiment with a Cyrodiil campaign where all classes will have PvP-specific (and more performant) skills that replace the standard player skills with the expectation that we can support more players per campaign."
Elsewhere, ESO's standard overworld combat difficulty will be increased, and the "overall feel of combat with animation, FX, and potentially audio work" will be improved. There are also plans to bring in more zones similar to Craglorn, "although not as large in area or scope," designed for high-end group play and proportionate gear rewards.
Recruiting, managing, and interacting with guild should also be a little "easier and more logical."
I'm of the ESO player variety that drops in to check out the big, annual chapter and then dips out until the next one, and so I'm jumping for joy to hear that Zenimax is "concentrating on new and returning user experience" in 2025. Truly, this might be my favorite thing I've ever read from Zenimax:
"It is long past time that we address ESO's new and returning user experience," Firor says, to thundering applause from me and my cats. "The game is so large at this point that we need to refine the new user experience. Our goal is to shield new players from being overwhelmed by dozens of content options presented to them on entering the world, and instead give them the essential guidance they need to enjoy the game before opening it up to all possibilities.
"Additionally, we have many millions of players who return to the game every year after taking months to years off – and it is often confusing to them what they should be doing. We need to address this by making sure that the game’s map and other quest/informational UI areas clearly show the user where they were when they left, what has been added since then, and where they will find content they will love."
As part of this initiative, PC players will be treated to a new patcher with improved visuals and performance. The original Wailing Prison tutorial area, which is where all new players start now, will be regularly tweaked "to improve the experience."
Firor also says the base game zones will be improved visually "with updated textures and art assets, starting with the 'starter islands.'" These improvements are scheduled to go live in March.
And thank goodness, new players won't be able to see prologue quest or chapter quest compass pins, which I've always found to be distracting when trying to focus on the main quest.
Otherwise, Firor says the map and UI systems are being tweaked to be more friendly to new and returning players, but specifics beyond that are unclear. He does say the PC UI has been spruced up "for a modern visual upgrade" he says was "long overdue."
Overall, I'm not sure how to feel about all of this. On one hand, I worry that the main draw that's been pulling me back to ESO year after year is being removed, but on the other hand a lot of the frustrations I feel as an on/off player are being addressed, so it's possible I'll be more compelled to become a more regular player, even without the big, flashy new chapters every year.
Firor says ESO will keep on telling new stories in content updates, but it won't be adding massive new zones anymore. At least not for now. Instead, the game will focus on "bringing back familiar characters and telling "new stories focused on hallmark Elder Scrolls organizations like Dark Brotherhood, Thieves Guild, Fighters Guild, and Mages Guild," which doesn't sound so bad, especially if you're a big fan of the series already.
Find out where ESO ranks on our list of the best MMOs to play in 2024.
