The Elder Scrolls Online is entering a new era on 2nd April with the start of Season 0 and a new format for bringing updates and content to the long-running MMORPG. This is just the start, with a new Night Market event zone and Challenge Difficulty, but the team has also teased content for further afield, including a return to Skyrim in 2027!
Season 0: Dawn and Dusk will run from 2nd April to 8th July, with various new areas and game events to explore during that time. One of the biggest of these is The Night Market (available from 29th April to 17th June) an area within Fargrave that features high-end PvE battling for those that want it. The Night Market will see you pledge allegiance to one of three factions and fight in their name, with the possibility to earn a new Night’s Den home in the process.
Also coming in Season 0 is Challenge Difficulty, which affects the difficulty level of overland encounters to give you greater rewards – this will arrive on 8th June with four difficulty tiers to choose from. Beyond that, PvP and combat will also be updated through the season with a new Veterancy PvP progression system, Class Mastery, and there’s dozens of Player Experience Improvements already live in the game, from faster mount training, free character respecs, increased furnishing limits and more.
Accompanying this is a Battle Pass system branded as Tamriel Tomes, with a free entry level tier and then paid Premium Tomes that remove time limits to complete and add further tracks of cosmetics and items to earn.
Looking ahead to Season 1 this summer, the Thieves Guild will return with a new story and alongside a visual overhaul of the Glenumbra zone. Thieves will be able to get up to plenty of shenanigans, like hiding in plant pots and behind curtains, a new ability to stun guard, and with a mythic item that you’ll upgrade throughout. You won’t have to have played the original, but it will give you more options if you have.
This also introduces The Sage’s Vault, a puzzle-focused region that you can dip in and out of through the season. You’ll need to track down Nowhere Keys by performing some other activities in the game, using these to open up three wings of the vault, each of which features a randomised set of rooms built around puzzles, traps, stealth or traversal. It’s a giant puzzle that you’ll be trying to solve, though a checkpoint system will ensure that you’re not constantly starting over. It’s oriented toward solo play, but can be tackled as a group.
Elsewhere, Sheogorath will return with a Tamriel-spanning quest as he chooses to be mortal for a while and his powers get out of control. There’s also a refreshed daily quests system called Favours, which are an homage to the old Hireling letters and have little narrative arcs to follow, and dynamic world events will be revamped with scalable difficulty based on player counts, varying goals, and the potential to expand this idea in future seasons.
Further afield with Season 2, the High Seas of Tamriel will bring ship battles and underwater exploration. Solo dungeons will see Moon Hunter Keep and March of Sacrifices remixed with solo-oriented gameplay, optional difficulty increases and bespoke rewards, and stormy weather will emerge, teasing at the arrival of the Skyrim region in 2027!
And around all of this will be further updates to refresh the Werewolf, Warden and Sorcerer with better visuals and balance, similar to the already released Dragonknight overhaul, and regular Player Experience Improvements.
