The Elder Scrolls Online News

Take a tour of ESO’s latest housing feature with the developers as your guides.

The free Update 43 base-game patch brings a variety of new features and quality of life changes to ESO, including Home Tours. This new feature allows you to share and visit player homes and experience the incredible creativity of the ESO housing community. This update officially arrives August 19 for PC/Mac and September 4 for Xbox and PlayStation consoles, but you can try out these changes on the Public Test Server right now. 
[h2]Opening the Door to New Possibilities[/h2]
“Home Tours is a way for anyone, regardless of where they are in their housing journey, to share that creativity and become inspired,” says Cullen Lee, one of ESO’s Senior Systems Designers. “We wanted to provide a tool that would help connect folks with a shared interest in housing, introduce folks to what’s possible in housing, and generally help build the housing community with a focus on positivity!”

“Home Tours is our next evolution toward building a stronger housing community,” explains James Sammartino, a Senior UI Engineer. “It gives you a way to share your creativity and passion with everyone easily and in one central place.”

Make yourself at home and share with the community

So how does the new tool work? In short, it allows you to find, visit, share, and recommend ESO’s player-made homes.

“Anyone can go into a new section of the Activity Finder and list their homes for folks to tour, and tour homes themselves,” explains Cullen. “You can choose to anonymously recommend a limited number of homes each week, and those recommendations help determine a rotating selection of fantastic homes to visit in the Recommended section of Home Tours. You can also choose to favorite any home (even outside of Home Tours!) and revisit it later. When listing a home, you can include a custom nickname, as well as up to three tags to help communicate the overall vibe or focus of the home."
[h2]Building a Strong Foundation[/h2]
“We always start by asking ourselves what we want to accomplish, and by thinking about the people we're building the system for,” says Cullen. “For Home Tours, our two big goals were to make it easier to find amazing homes, and to help grow the housing community in a positive way. By keeping these in mind, we were able to make sure that the system is easy to hop into and keep our focus on creativity and visual variety.”

When building this new feature and the way it categorizes houses with tags, the team looked closely at the housing system’s existing player experiences and creations.

“As we iterated on our tags, we looked at a whole bunch of houses that the community has shared previously,” says Cullen.  “We practiced tagging them to find which areas we wanted to reinforce with additional tags and which tags could be cut to keep the overall list concise. Once we were happy with our list internally, we asked for community feedback on PTS, and incorporated that feedback. Once the community has had a chance to play further, we plan to continue to evaluate feedback and iterate as needed.”

Be a courteous guest and a gracious host!


Of course, this is only the beginning of what’s possible with Home Tours.

“Home Tours is powered by you, the creator,” explains James. “If you have homes that you want everyone to check out, then we encourage you to list them. There is no limit. You could list one home, two homes or even every home that you own—it's up to you.”
[h2]Be Welcome in Tamriel with Home Tours[/h2]
 When the feature goes live, the team is excited to see how players embrace its potential, visit new homes, and share their own creations.

“I’d love for the folks who are masters of the system to get more widely recognized for their creations, and to continue to inspire each other to greater heights,” says Cullen. “I’d love for more people to see what’s possible in our housing system and eventually get the itch to build some homes of their own.”

The housing community is the heart of Home Tours

“Our housing system is one of my absolute favorite features of The Elder Scrolls Online,” says James. “As a member of our vibrant housing community, I have had the good fortune to be able to see some truly incredible homes and custom builds created by our players. I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to giving everyone that plays our game the opportunity to find, enjoy, and share those amazing designs.”

“Everyone who tries out housing should be proud of their creations,” says Cullen. “You don’t have to spend 1,000 hours on a home or have a master’s degree in architecture to make something meaningful or cool. We built this system, but it’s your passion and dedication that will bring it to life.”

Are you ready to see the housing experience in ESO expand and evolve with Home Tours? Share your plans (and your favorite builds) with us via X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook. 

Update 43 is a free base-game patch for all ESO players and arrives August 19 for PC/Mac and September 4 for Xbox and PlayStation consoles.  

Learn more about the additions coming to Infinite Archive as part of Update 43 with these developer insights.

Update 43 is on its way with a host of quality of life improvements and base-game refinements free to all ESO players, including substantial updates to the Infinite Archive. This update officially arrives August 19 for PC/Mac and September 4 for Xbox and PlayStation consoles, but you can try out these changes on the Public Test Server right now.
[h2]Refreshing the Infinite [/h2]
“The goal with Infinite Archive is to give players a changing experience they can jump into and always find new challenges and ways to play,” says Mike Finnigan, ESO’s Encounters Lead. “It was built from the ground up to be able to be augmented, changed, and added to.”

“Infinite Archive is all about variety of experience, and [with Update 43] we wanted to pump up the volume on that variety,” explains Shane Slama, the Dungeon Team Product Owner. “We added new methods of dispatching maligraphies (the arena’s various foes), new maligraphies from all over Tamriel to test your skills, and all-new environments that have their own challenges.”

With these goals and features in mind, the team worked hard to create new experiences in the Infinite Archive with the free Update 43 base-game patch.

“The biggest change is the two new arena types you will see,” says Finnigan. “While we maintain the Apocryphal feel of the original, adding new fire and ice elements really gives them a unique feeling.”

Survive all-new arenas

“One of the requested features since the launch of Infinite Archive was to diversify the look of the different combat settings,” says Shane Slama. “The fiery reds and icy blues stand out from the Apocrypha greens, while also still having the elements that define the appearance of the Infinite Archive.”
[h2]New Challenges, New Tricks[/h2]
To survive this augmented Infinite Archive, you (and your teammate or companion) will need to discover and utilize new strategies and power.

“How players tackle the ice and fire stages will be intriguing, because both arenas play so differently,” says Finnigan. “You might want to move more in the fire arena, while in the ice one, its best to find the safe spots while you fight.”

You’ll certainly have to watch your feet while battling within the two new arenas, but to help survive these new challenges, this update also includes a whopping eight new Verses and 10 new Visions.

“You’ll see new options when selecting your Verses and Visions which may expand on your particular build and impact the way you approach the upcoming stage,” explains Slama. “For example, depending on your selections, you can block attacks to unleash a devastating explosion with your next Bash via the Reflected Ruin Verse.”

Find new strategies and power

“One of my favorites is the Phalanx Verse, which summons a line of soldiers to block attacks, giving you a damage shield if you stand behind them while they attempt to stagger foes,” says Finnigan.

“I also enjoy the Storm Projection Offensive Vision,” says Slama. “It’s unique in that it provides a passive increase to all your Shock damage, but it also functions like a Verse by adding chain lightning to any of your direct attacks.”
[h2]Claim the Archive’s Relics[/h2]
New challenges mean new rewards for those venturing into the Infinite Archive, and this update introduces additional collectibles and, most importantly, seven new Class Sets that can be found only in this specific location.

“Our goal for the new Class Sets were to better represent the aesthetic themes and mechanical gameplay of each skill line while keeping the sets simpler than their previous counterparts,” explains Nadav Pechthold, one of the team’s Combat Designers.

“For example, we wanted the Dragonknight wearing Pyrebrand to be a representation of the Ardent Flame skill line, making use of damage over time abilities to build up to a huge payoff. You can become the flame and then the explosive force that comes after.”

Of course, the additional Class Sets aren’t the only new rewards on offer, and those who delve deep into the Infinite Archive will discover all kinds of goodies up for grabs.

“With this update, we have cooked up some new consumable rewards for players,” says Finnigan. “Including a new consumable that allows you to transform into a random avatar without the need for the requisite Visions.”

“I really like the new Eye of the Infinite account upgrade Tool, which summons up a shard of Tho’at that hovers up into the air and bursts apart,” says Slama. “It’s a cool effect that may be used anywhere just like a Memento, but if you use it while inside Infinite Archive, a maligraphic Watcher emerges from the burst and joins your group to help bust up Tho’at’s forces.”
[h2]Challenge the Infinite Archive Anew[/h2]
The Infinite Archive grows even more vast and dangerous with Update 43. Are you ready to return to the halls of Hermaeus Mora for new arenas, new foes, and most importantly, new rewards? Let us know via X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook. 

Update 43 is a free base-game patch for all ESO players and arrives August 19 for PC/Mac and September 4 for Xbox and PlayStation consoles. 

Enjoy discounts on select Crown Packs and game editions for a limited time during QuakeCon 2024!

Seismic savings are available during the QuakeCon2024 sale. Starting right now, you can grab a copy of The Elder Scrolls Online Standard Edition for up to 70% off, pick up select editions of the new Gold Road Chapter for up to 35% off, and stock up with select Crown Packs at up to 40% off. This sale is active on all platforms for a limited time, although access to discounts for certain Gold Road editions may vary depending on your platform of choice.

The Elder Scrolls Online Standard Edition offers the full ESO base game, which includes four of the game’s classes (Sorcerer, Nightblade, Templar, and Dragonknight), 24 unique zones to explore, and access to ESO’s PvP game modes such as the Battlegrounds and the Alliance War.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road, ESO’s latest Chapter, just released this past June, and this is your first opportunity to acquire it on sale. Gold Road features the zone of West Weald, home to the bustling city of Skingrad, a storyline featuring a lost Daedric Prince, and the all-new Scribing system to customize your character’s skills. The Gold Road Collection and Deluxe Gold Road Collection editions also provide access to previous Chapters—seven in all! For more on what Gold Road has to offer, visit this Chapter page.

Walk the Gold Road
[h2]Platform Sale Information[/h2]
Check out the dates listed below to know when the QuakeCon 2024 Sale will be live on your platform of choice, including specific editions:
[h2]Xbox[/h2]

• Standard Edition—August 8-August 21
• Deluxe Gold Road Editions—August 8-August 21

PlayStation

• Standard Edition—July 30-August 14
• Deluxe Gold Road Editions—July 30-August 14
• Non-Deluxe Gold Road Editions—August 14-August 28
  

Elder Scrolls Online Store

•  Standard Edition—August 8-August 21
• All Gold Road Editions—August 8-August 21

Steam Store

• Standard Edition—August 8-August 21
• All Gold Road Editions—August 8-August 21

Epic Games Store

• Standard Edition—August 8-August 21
• All Gold Road Editions—August 8-August 21

Head over to the Buy Now page to get ahold of these discounts and set yourself up for savings on your next adventure!
[h2]Crown Pack Sale[/h2]
In addition to the sales on the game itself, from August 8-14 you can save on select Crown Packs. If you have a nice Crown Store item in mind, or you want to stock up for the future, now’s the time! Check out the individual Crown Pack discounts below:

• 21,000 Crown Pack—40% off
• 14,000 Crown Pack—35% off
• 5,500 Crown Pack—30% off
• 3,000 Crown Pack—25% off
• 1,500 Crown Pack—20% off

You can make use of this sale right now by visiting the Buy Crowns page. Make sure to check out the in-game Crown Store to see the great offerings available for your new supply!

What are you picking up during this year’s QuakeCon sale? Let us know via X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook. 

Steam players can unlock free in-game rewards simply by playing ESO via this exciting 10-year Anniversary partnership with Alienware!

The 10-Year Anniversary Celebration is still going strong, as is ESO’s continued partnership with Alienware™. This means even more in-game rewards to claim! During the next phase of this ongoing promotion, you and your fellow Steam players can obtain the Grim Harvester costume and ×3 Grand Gold Coast Experience Scrolls by collectively playing 70,000 hours of ESO from now until Monday, August 12.

The Grim Harvester costume

To participate in this community promotional event, you’ll need to sign in or create a free account with Alienware Arena and connect your Steam account by following the steps below:

1. Travel to the account settings page
2. Select the Steam icon and sign into your Steam account
3. Next, open Steam and navigate to your profile
4. Select “Edit Profile” and navigate to “Privacy Settings”
5. Change “My Basic Details”, “My Profile”, and "Game Details" to Public.
6. Uncheck "Always keep my total playtime private even if users can see my game details"

By following these steps, Alienware Arena can log the community’s cumulative playtime until it reaches its 70,000-hour cap. Once the #ESOFam has reached the finish line, all eligible players can collect their free rewards!

To claim these goodies, travel to the giveaway’s page and select “GET KEY”. Afterward, you can redeem your Reward Code on the official ESO website using these steps:

1. Copy the Reward Code provided in your email from Alienware
2. Confirm that you own a copy of The Elder Scrolls Online before redeeming a Reward Code
3. Navigate to this URL and sign into your ESO account: https://account.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/redeem-code
4. Enter the code and click Redeem Code to submit

For more information and support, visit Alienware’s official website.

Are you prepared to terrify your foes while adorning the macabre guise of the Grim Harvester? Let us know via X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.