Up next in 10
I came back to The Elder Scrolls Online after a year away… and it’s genuinely not the same game anymore.
Between the Dragonknight refresh, Season Zero, and everything coming next, ESO in 2026 feels better, smoother, and far more exciting than it has in years.
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0:00
I came back to The Elder Scrolls Online
0:02
just to check the Dragon Knight changes,
0:04
and I ended up realizing the whole game
0:06
feels better than it has in years. What
0:09
pulled me back in at first was the
0:11
Dragon Knight refresh. My first ESL
0:14
character and my main character was
0:16
always a Dragon Knight. And since I was
0:18
never really the biggest fan of
0:20
subclassing, seeing a proper refresh to
0:23
the class genuinely made me curious to
0:25
jump back in and see what they'd done
0:27
with it. But once I started to look into
0:29
everything else, that curiosity turned
0:32
into genuine excitement. The recent
0:34
updates, the reveals of upcoming
0:36
content, and the wider direction of the
0:39
game all made ESO feel fresh in a way I
0:42
really wasn't expecting. So, let's take
0:44
a look at ESO in 2026, what season zero
0:48
is all about, and why now feels like a
0:50
good time to start or return to the
0:52
game.
0:57
Thank you to Bethesda for sponsoring
0:59
this video. Season Zero, Dawn and Dusk,
1:03
is ESO's new seasonal roll out. Instead
1:06
of sticking to the more rigid structure
1:08
we used to get with dungeon DLCs, an
1:10
expansion, and then another major update
1:12
later in the year, ESO is now rolling
1:15
out a full season made up of rewards,
1:18
updates, features, and improvements
1:20
spread across a set period of time. A
1:23
large part of this content is also free,
1:25
either as part of the base game or as
1:27
additions to content you may already
1:29
own, which immediately makes this a very
1:31
good time to jump in. Season Zero has
1:34
already begun. Dragon Knights have had a
1:37
proper class refresh with improved
1:39
skills, animations, visuals, and sound,
1:43
and it now feels far more modern,
1:45
weighty, and satisfying to play. The
1:47
two-handed skill line has also had a
1:49
refresh, which adds even more to that
1:51
feel. We've also had a lot of long
1:54
requested quality of life changes that
1:56
make the game feel smoother, less
1:58
frustrating, and much more respectful of
2:01
your time. Honestly, those changes make
2:03
a bigger difference than people might
2:05
think, especially for newer or returning
2:07
players who want to catch up without
2:09
hitting many of the old roadblocks.
2:12
We've also had the Gold Coast Bazaar,
2:14
where you spend trade bars, earn from
2:16
events, and the Tamreel toms to unlock
2:19
costumes, cosmetics, mounts, pets,
2:22
houses, furnishings, and my personal
2:24
favorite, some really nice new skill
2:27
styles. Then there are the Tamreel tomes
2:29
themselves. Starting with the tome of
2:32
Dawn and Dusk, where you complete weekly
2:35
tasks across Tamreel, whether that's
2:37
gathering materials, killing bosses, or
2:40
doing PvP to earn tome points, which
2:43
unlocks reward pages. Then you choose
2:46
the rewards you actually want. There is
2:48
a free version for everyone and a
2:50
premium version if you want to access
2:51
even more. On top of all that, four
2:54
classic DLC adventures are now part of
2:56
the base game with Orinium, Imperial
2:59
City, The Thieves Guild, and The Dark
3:01
Brotherhood. All four bring back some
3:03
great memories for me personally, and
3:04
they're some of ESO's best early DLC's,
3:07
but more importantly, you're not just
3:09
getting extra zones and story here,
3:11
you're getting some genuinely iconic ESO
3:14
content included as well. Orinium gives
3:16
you access to Maelstrom Arena, which is
3:18
one of the most well-known solo
3:20
challenges in the game. and the Thieves
3:22
Guild unlocks more of Lorage, a
3:24
fantastic 12player trial for both new
3:28
and returning players. That is a huge
3:30
amount of extra meaningful content to
3:32
enjoy. There's also plenty more coming
3:34
during this season. One of the biggest
3:37
additions is the night market, a new
3:39
limited time PVE event zone running from
3:43
April 29th to June 17th, but it will
3:46
return again in the future. You choose
3:49
one of three factions to represent,
3:51
explore the districts of the night
3:53
market, earn favor, take on challenging
3:56
content, and unlock some worthwhile
3:58
rewards, including a huge free house
4:02
called the Night's Den. This is exactly
4:04
the kind of content that gives players a
4:07
proper reason to log in right now rather
4:10
than saying they'll come back later. And
4:12
I love that the team are experimenting
4:14
with this kind of fresh limited time
4:16
content. Update 50 is also on the
4:19
horizon, and one of the most important
4:21
additions there is the optional
4:23
challenge difficulty system. This will
4:26
finally let players increase the
4:27
difficulty of questing and overland
4:30
content. For years, one of the most
4:32
common complaints from veteran players
4:34
has been the overland content is too
4:37
easy. And while that was done
4:38
intentionally so that new players would
4:40
not get stuck, now you can choose to
4:42
make things harder with optional
4:44
modifiers and get increased rewards in
4:46
return. And because this is tied to each
4:48
player individually, you can still group
4:51
up with your friends while each using
4:53
your own difficulty settings. That is a
4:55
massive step in the right direction.
4:58
There is also new story content on the
5:00
way as well, including Sha Gorath and a
5:03
new Thieves Guild quest line as well,
5:05
which adds even more variety into what
5:07
this year looks like. PvP players are
5:09
not going to be left out. There is a new
5:12
vetery system, which adds a new
5:14
six-month reward structure for
5:16
battlegrounds, Siridil, and Imperial
5:19
City. By taking part in PvP, you'll earn
5:22
ranks and unlock titles, cosmetics,
5:25
perks, and other rewards tied to your
5:27
progression. So, if you feel like PvP
5:29
hasn't been rewarding enough, this gives
5:32
players now a much clearer reason to
5:34
engage with it. We're also going to see
5:36
class mastery passives. While the team
5:39
continues working on class refreshes for
5:41
all of ESL's classes, just like they
5:44
have with the Dragon Knight, class
5:46
mastery gives extra benefit to players
5:48
who stay as a pure class instead of
5:51
using subclassing. For someone like me
5:53
who never really connected with the
5:54
subclassing system in the first place,
5:56
this is actually a really nice addition
5:58
because it gives more identity and value
6:00
back to sticking with the class that you
6:02
actually love. Dragon knights feel more
6:05
distinct again. Class mastery gives more
6:07
value to staying as a pure class, and
6:09
the overall combat refreshes makes some
6:12
of these older classes feel less
6:13
outdated. It is a really good example of
6:16
how season zero is supporting players
6:18
who want their class to actually feel
6:20
like their class again. And for me
6:22
personally, the Dragonite refresh has
6:24
genuinely reignited my enjoyment of the
6:26
DK after I moved over to the more modern
6:29
feeling Archanist when that launched.
6:31
And if you enjoy playing as a creature
6:33
build, the werewolf refresh is also
6:36
bringing improved visuals, animations,
6:38
skill updates, and a fresher feel
6:40
overall, which is another example of the
6:42
team going back and modernizing older
6:44
parts of ESO instead of just piling more
6:47
systems on top. Werewolf tanking might
6:50
no longer just be a fun meme option. It
6:52
actually looks like it could become a
6:54
legit play style. So why start ESO in
6:57
2026? Well, as a new player, you are
7:00
getting the most refined and accessible
7:02
version of The Elder Scrolls Online yet.
7:05
There are more quality of life
7:07
improvements, making the game more
7:08
accessible, more streamlined, and more
7:11
respectful of your time. More zones and
7:14
story content included in the base game,
7:16
giving you plenty to enjoy and explore.
7:19
And almost all of the upcoming seasonal
7:21
content is part of that wider
7:22
experience, too. You have hundreds of
7:25
hours of content to work through and
7:27
explore, far more freedom in how you
7:29
approach progression, and a much
7:31
smoother starting experience than ESO
7:34
had in the past. Even the combat is
7:36
starting to feel fresher thanks to the
7:38
improvements to class and skill
7:40
animations, which helps the game feel
7:43
more modern. Why return to ESO in 2026?
7:46
Honestly, I understand exactly why
7:49
people stopped playing, because I did.
7:51
In my case, I had basically done
7:53
everything that I wanted to do at the
7:55
time, and a lot of my friends,
7:57
guildmates, and trial teammates had also
7:59
stopped around the same period. But what
8:01
is happening now feels very different. I
8:04
came back because I was curious about
8:06
the Dragon Knight. But once I saw the
8:09
wider direction of the game, I realized
8:11
that this was bigger than one class
8:13
refresh. ESO suddenly feels like it has
8:16
momentum and focus again. Since coming
8:19
back, I've started seeing guild activity
8:21
rise again, more returning players
8:23
logging in, and more excitement around
8:26
the game. Day by day, the night market
8:28
already looks like a genuinely exciting
8:30
new addition. There have been some
8:32
really strong new dungeons, and I
8:34
especially love the black gem foundry,
8:37
which has some really interesting
8:38
mechanics. But even beyond what is
8:40
already here, it's not hard to be
8:42
excited about what has been revealed for
8:44
the future. Naval combat. Some of the
8:47
older dungeons remastered for solo play
8:50
with opt-in difficulty modifiers,
8:52
dynamic world events in the overland,
8:54
which is one of my very own most
8:56
requested features for ESO, and a brand
8:59
new trial crimson with a more advanced
9:02
hard mode structure called hard mode
9:04
base pop, which will be amazing for
9:06
endgame players. and even the longerterm
9:09
ambition around things like crossplay
9:11
all make ESO feel fresh in a way I
9:14
genuinely did not expect. A big part of
9:17
what makes this so exciting is that
9:19
there really is something here for
9:21
everyone. Newer players get a better,
9:24
smoother experience with more to
9:25
explore, while endgame players can
9:27
clearly see more difficult content and
9:30
more variety on the horizon, too. And I
9:32
think that is the biggest reason why now
9:34
is such a good time to play ESO. Whether
9:37
you are brand new or someone who has
9:39
been away for a while, the game feels
9:41
like it's moving again. It feels more
9:44
ambitious, more player focused, and more
9:47
willing to evolve. That is what has
9:49
pulled me back in. And if you've been
9:52
waiting for the right time to give ESO a
9:54
proper shot or return and see what has
9:56
changed, this really does feel like that
9:59
moment.
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