The Elder Scrolls Online News

We explore Skyrim's granite heart in The Elder Scrolls Online: Markarth

As the days grow chillier and 2020 draws to a close, so too does The Elder Scrolls Online's year-long adventure, The Dark Heart of Skyrim. Markarth, the fourth and final portion of the MMORPG's voyage into Tamriel's frostiest region, takes us into the "untamed Reach" - one of Skyrim's nine holds, the capital of which is the titular Dwemer City of Stone - and brings an "epic conclusion" to its vampire-riddled storyline. If a whistle-stop tour of the DLC with the RPG game's devs is anything to go by, there's plenty to sink your fangs into. Spoilers ahead, folks.

The Reach, Skyrim's westernmost hold, is instantly familiar from The Elder Scrolls V even though ESO is set a millennium earlier in time. I saddle up with lead content designer Jeremy Sera on an insectoid Dwemer buggy - the new group mount - with lead gameplay designer Rob Garrett alongside on a boring old horse. The buggy is the perfect ride for exploring the Reach's rocky terrain: it can scutter up Skyrim's byways like a clanking metallic spider. Be warned, though - as Sera jokes, and I discover later at a river crossing, "If you have an incompetent driver, you might end up swimming".

Though its battlements are more primitive, with logs and tattered banners flanking its walls, Markarth is unmistakable. The city's recently been taken by The Reachmen, Sera tells me as we approach - these are a collective of clans led by Ard Caddach, the so-called 'Despot'.

Read the rest of the story...

Unlock Spooky Rewards during the Witches Festival Event

Tamriel’s most ghoulish gala returns! Put monsters to the sword to receive ghastly goodies and double XP during the Witches Festival in-game event!

[h2]A Frightful Fete[/h2]
The Witches Festival begins next Thursday, October 22 at 10:00AM EDT/03:00PM BST, and will run until Tuesday, November 3 at 10:00AM EST/03:00PM GMT. Throughout this terror-filled term, you can receive repulsive rewards in the form of spoopy Plunder Skull containers, a 100% XP boost, Event Tickets, and collectibles.

To take part in this ghoulish gala:

Navigate to the Holiday section of the Crown Store and acquire the free quest.
Complete the quest “The Witchmother's Bargain" to receive the Witchmother's Whistle memento.

If you completed the quest in previous events, you don’t need to acquire the Witchmother’s Whistle or complete the quest again, and you can use the whistle already found in your Collections menu.

Use the whistle to receive a two-hour 100% XP buff and summon the “Witchmother's Cauldron.”Use the Witchmother's Cauldron to transform your character into one of the undead.

#TamrielTogether—Promote Your Guild & Win Custom Collectibles!

Celebrate and showcase your guild by crafting a recruitment poster or video and you could win amazing in-game prizes for your whole guild, including a custom-made mount and furnishings.

#TamrielTogether is all about teaming up to do good in Tamriel, and one of the best ways to do that is to be a part of a Guild. To help showcase and celebrate some of ESO’s amazing guilds, we’re thrilled to announce the Tamriel Together Guild Contest.

[h2]Enter Now![/h2]
Does your guild run Veteran Trials? Or do you like to put on fashion shows or roleplaying events? Maybe you have an amazing guild house that you think deserves to be seen. Whatever makes your guild a unique and welcoming place for its members, we want to see it captured in a recruitment-styled poster or video.

Your entry should celebrate and promote your guild to the larger ESO community. Here’s what you need to do to enter:

Create a recruitment-styled poster or video that showcases your guild

If you’re recruiting, don’t forget to include information that’ll help players find your Guild!
Video submissions must be no longer than two minutes and be uploaded to YouTube
Poster submissions must be in JPG or PNG format

Enter your poster or video using this form by Friday, November 6 at 11:59PM EST
Please review the official rules before submitting your entry. Your guild can submit an entry for each category, but you should only enter each category once, so be sure to submit your best entry for each category to have the greatest chance of winning. Once you’ve successfully submitted, feel free to share it with us on social (@TESOnline, Instagram, or Facebook) using the #TamrielTogether hashtag, too!

We need YOU to showcase your guild

[h2]Win for Your Guild[/h2]
Once the entry period has closed, the ESO development team will review entries based on their quality, creativity, and adherence to the theme (guild recruitment), and select two grand and four runners-up prize winners.

Two Grand Prize Winners (one per category—poster or video)

3,000 crowns Crown Pack for each active guild member
For each active guild member, a unique mount based on the existing Alliance War Horse, decorated with the winning guild’s tabard colors and crest
A wall banner for the interior of the guild’s chosen base-game tavern bearing the winning guild’s tabard colors and crest, and a book retelling one of their favorite in-game memories together
For each active guild member, a house furnishing banner (for the wall) bearing the winning guild’s tabard colors and crest, matching the one that is in the tavern
For each active guild member, a house furnishing book that is a replica of the one we place in the tavern
A Guild Spotlight article on elderscrollsonline.com showcasing your community!

Four Runners-up (two per category—poster or video)

A 1,500 crown Crown Pack for each active guild member
For each active guild member, a house furnishing banner (for the wall) bearing the winning guild’s tabard colors and crest
A small nod to the guild in an in-game “one-sheet note” asset (a note, song, recipe, etc.) based on a favorite in-game memory that the guild experienced together
A “one-sheet note” collectible for each active guild member (matching the one above) that can be placed in their homes

Phew! That’s a lot of prizes for everybody in your guild. As mentioned above, only active guild members will receive these prizes should their guild win, which means they need to have logged into the game at least once from the contest start and be a member of the winning guild by Friday, November 6, 2020 at 11:59 PM EST. Please check the official rules for more information.

Note that winners will not receive all their prizes at once, and the ESO team will reach out to the submitters of the winning entries to discuss the creation of the custom collectibles and inform them as to when they can expect them in game.

[h2]#TamrielTogether Guild Contest[/h2]
We can’t wait to see what kind of creative and wacky posters and videos the ESO community comes up with for this new contest. Don’t forget to share your entries with us using #TamrielTogether on social via @TESOnline, Instagram, and Facebook—we’d love to also share them with the rest of the community and maybe get you some new recruits in the process!

#TamrielTogether is ESO’s end-of-year promotion, celebrating all the ways the ESO community jointly experiences the world of Tamriel. During this period, you can participate in in-game events, share your stories of camaraderie using the #TamrielTogether hashtag on social, and sign up for our massive sweepstakes—have fun!

Nearly every piece of Elder Scrolls Online DLC is free to try for one week

If you were after Elder Scrolls VI news, this unfortunately isn't it. However, if you've decided that booting up some new Skyrim mods for the eighteen thousandth time won't help you pass the time any quicker, maybe it's time to hop into the RPG game's online multiplayer companion series, The Elder Scrolls Online.

Elder Scrolls Online is a huge MMORPG that's free-to-play, but has a paid subscription model called ESO Plus, which offers premium players bonuses to help them progress easier. However, ESO Plus is free to try this week, from October 12 to 19, allowing you to get a head start in farming those materials and progressing in the game with no requirement to subscribe afterwards.

One other benefit of ESO Plus is that it grants you access to most Elder Scrolls Online DLC. So, for this week's free trial, you'll have access to 17 pieces of DLC, which are as follows: Orsinium, Thieves Guild, Dark Brotherhood, Shadows of the Hist, Morrowind (zone and story), Horns of the Reach, Clockwork City, Dragon Bones, Summerset (zone and story), Wolfhunter, Murkmire, Wrathstone, Elsweyr (zone and story), Scalebreaker, Dragonhold, Harrowstorm, and Stonethorn.

Read the rest of the story...

Access the Dark Heart of Skyrim DLCs & More with the ESO Plus Free Trial

[h2]You can check out ESO Plus membership during our free trial, running until October 19! No credit card info required; no strings attached–just activate it in the in-game Crown Store now![/h2][h2] [/h2][h2]Try ESO Plus Free[/h2]
The ESO Plus Free Trial is live and will run until Monday, October 19, at 10:00AM EDT/03:00PM BST. During the trial period, you gain access to the following ESO Plus benefits:

·        Full access to DLC game packs—new zones, quests, dungeons, and more

o   Includes Orsinium, Thieves Guild, Dark Brotherhood, Shadows of the Hist, Morrowind (zone and story), Horns of the Reach, Clockwork City, Dragon Bones, Summerset (zone and story), Wolfhunter, Murkmire, Wrathstone, Elsweyr (zone and story), Scalebreaker, Dragonhold, Harrowstorm, and Stonethorn (our most-recent DLC!)

·        A Craft Bag offering you unlimited storage for all your crafting materials

·        Double Bank space for all characters on your account

·        10% increase to Experience and Gold acquisition, Crafting Inspiration, and Trait Research rates

·        Double Furnishings and Collectibles space in player housing

·        Exclusive ability to dye costumes

·        Double Transmute Crystal storage

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the Dark Heart of Skyrim’s dungeon DLCs, Harrowstorm and Stonethorn, now you can, completely free! For more on the above benefits, check out our ESO Plus guide.

Note: The monthly crown stipend and ESO Plus deals are available only to paid members (not free trial members). Review everything that comes with ESO Plus on our website.

Here’s how you can get started:

1.      Log into The Elder Scrolls Online.

2.      Navigate to the Crown Store.

3.      Select the ESO Plus tab.

4.      Select “Free Trial!”

No credit card info is required to try out ESO Plus. Just visit the in-game Crown Store and activate it.

[h2]Membership Has Its Benefits[/h2]
Make the most out of boosts to XP, gold, crafting inspiration, plus venture out on new adventures and stuff your Craft Bag full of all the materials it can carry with the ESO Plus Free Trial. If you’re planning to make the most out of this new trial period, let us know via @TESOnline, Instagram, or Facebook.

The ESO Plus Free Trial begins today and will run until Monday, October 19, at 10:00AM EDT/03:00PM BST.