Bethesda's changing how The Elder Scrolls Online rolls out new DLC
The Elder Scrolls Online switches from major expansions to seasons, but a subscription isn't required
Published 20 hours ago
Change has come to ESO, but not necessarily to your wallet
The Elder Scrolls Online goes Fortnite with Seasons and a battle pass
Image: ZeniMax Online Studios/Bethesda Softworks
After 10 years, The Elder Scrolls Online will change its update schedule from massive, permanent expansions to smaller, seasonal changes. As detailed in a recent announcement, the citizens of Tamriel, no matter if they're Altmer, Redguard, or Khajiit, will have to get used to words like "seasons," "battle pass," and "premium bonus tier." But don't let it strike fear into your heart just yet, as ESO's "buy it once, never spend money again" formula still prevails.
Previously, The Elder Scrolls Online received one major expansion per year. These expansions, called Chapters, always included a large new zone and a main story quest, usually accompanied by new trials, challenges, and dungeons. Following the release of the eighth and final Chapter in June 2024, titled "Gold Road," the developers have been working on the transition to a seasonal system.
As explained in the 2026 reveal video posted by Bethesda on Wednesday, the seasonal system offers smaller but more frequent updates, with new content arriving every three months. Like Chapters, Seasons may include a variety of new zones, quests, dungeons, rewards, and perhaps even classes — just don't expect all those changes within the same seasonal package.
The first ESO Season, "Season 0: Dawn and Dusk," will launch on April 2. It will contain the following content:
- The Night Market zone. Situated in the Oblivion realm of Fargrave, you may explore a new area, meet new characters, and complete new quests here.
- The first Tamriel Tome, a.k.a. ESO's first battle pass: The Tome of Dawn and Dusk.
- A new in-game rewards store: Gold Coast Bazaar.
- Many quality of life improvements, including account-wide outfit slots, faster mount training, increased furnishing limits, mounts that can be purchased with gold, and the option to respec skills and attributes anytime, for free.
Season 1 and Season 2, which should arrive in early July and October respectively, shall drop a new Thieves Guild questline, a new endgame trial, and solo dungeons. Oh, and Sheogorath, everyone's favorite Deadric Prince of Madness, should make an appearance…
Image: ZeniMax Online Studios/Bethesda Softworks
The most important change between Chapters and Seasons, however, is the price tag. In the past, new ESO Chapters required a one-time purchase or an active Elder Scrolls Online Plus subscription, but the upcoming seasonal content is free for all players, including those without a membership. Keep in mind that the free updates don't work retroactively; if you wish to play the old DLC, you still need to dig out your wallet.
Furthermore, Seasons will arrive at the same moment no matter which platform you're using; whereas Chapters were released on PC weeks before arriving on Xbox and PlayStation platforms, Seasons launch on the same day, same time, for everyone.
The battle pass system that will arrive alongside the Seasons in The Elder Scrolls Online is called the Tamriel Tome, and it works similar to the battle passes seen in other live-service games such as Fortnite. By completing weekly and seasonal challenges (e.g., completing quests and clearing dungeons), you'll receive Tome Points to spend on seasonal rewards. Which reward (fancy fit, lovely hairstyle, cool mount, etc.) you'll get, is entirely up to you, but you must have progressed the Tamriel Tome far enough to unlock the desired reward.
Beware that the Tamriel Tome comes with a free and a premium tier, which means that some rewards are locked behind a paywall. If you wish to get extra rewards and continue your battle pass progression even after a Season has ended, you must purchase a Premium Tome for $14.99. If you want extra cosmetics and faster Tome progression, you can purchase the Premium Bonus Tome for $29.99 instead.
In line with its tradition of using overly complex monetization systems, The Elder Scrolls Online won't drop the ESO Plus subscription, which still offers access to previous DLC as well as various other benefits, such as extra gold, more bank space, and bonus crowns.
If you're an ESO Plus member, you might've been hoping for free Premium Tomes, but don't get too excited; if you want the ESO Plus boons and the premium battle pass rewards, you must purchase both. That said, you'll receive extra Tome Points along with one free Premium Bonus Tome of your choosing if you've subscribed to ESO Plus for a total of 12 months.
So, ESO turning seasonal is both good news and bad, depending on where you're standing. The double premium battle pass tiers seem quite expensive, and the fact that they won't replace the ESO Plus membership may not be music to everyone's ears, but as a non-membership player, you'll get to play new content for free.