The Elder Scrolls Online devs promise that its new seasonal model ‘is the beginning of a major shift’ for the decade-old MMO: ‘Frankly, we think we could make the game more rewarding and exciting’

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The Elder Scrolls Online has faced some challenges lately. A recent update to how players customize their skills didn’t quite work as intended, and major layoffs at Microsoft, including the departure of the game’s director, added to the difficulties.

Despite recent changes, the developers at The Elder Scrolls Online assure players the game isn’t going anywhere. They’ve recently revealed plans for a seasonal content system, suggesting a continued commitment to updates and new experiences.

During a recent livestream, game producer Nick Giacomini reflected on the game’s 12-year history, explaining that the team often made groundbreaking choices when necessary. He said these decisions were the best ones for establishing the game’s core and demonstrated their ability to make significant, foundational changes whenever required.

We’ve noticed the game has become a bit predictable and repetitive, based on feedback from players like you. We believe we can make it more enjoyable and exciting again.

Giacomini explains that this update isn’t simply about how the game receives patches; it’s an opportunity to address player frustrations and collaboratively build the future of The Elder Scrolls Online. He compares this to the significant ‘One Tamriel’ update from a decade ago, emphasizing that while they’ll be making substantial changes, the approach will be entirely different this time around.

Gina Bruno, who leads creator engagement, explained that they recognize they need to be more open and responsive to the community. She agreed with Nick’s point that their previous chapter rollout process felt rushed and impossible to slow down.

According to Bruno, this approach will give you a preview of our work as it progresses, allow us to get your feedback sooner, and show you how your input impacts our development process.

Seasons change

So, what exactly is a season? Think of it as a three-month period with updates. What those updates include is intentionally varied and unpredictable – like the game Calvinball! – but generally involves new things to do for both player-versus-player and player-versus-environment activities, along with new features, story developments, and areas to explore. The main idea behind this system is that each season will offer fresh rewards to earn.

Okay, so they’re adding a battlepass! It’s called “Tamriel Tomes,” and honestly, it looks pretty good. There’s a free track you can work through just by playing, and the best part? Once you unlock a tome, it stays unlocked forever – kind of like how the Warbonds work in Helldivers 2, which is awesome!

The Gold Coast Bazaar is launching alongside this new feature, and it works a lot like the Trading Post in World of Warcraft—you can purchase cosmetic items using a currency you earn while playing. The main difference is you can also earn this currency through Tamriel Tomes, but the ESO team promises most of it will be available even if you don’t buy the battle pass.

I’m really excited about the first season! They’re adding something called the “Night Market,” which sounds like a super challenging area for players who’ve reached the endgame. It’s a PvE zone where you’ll be working with or against three different factions, and it’ll be around for seven weeks. The best part? ZeniMax is planning to bring it back in future updates, along with other similar event zones, so we’ll get a chance to make different choices and earn new rewards each time!

If you’ve been having trouble enjoying The Elder Scrolls Online recently, all this talk might seem overwhelming. Luckily, the developers at ZeniMax are working hard to fix many of the game’s biggest issues.

A scroll rewritten

Over the next few months, players can look forward to several improvements, including the ability to freely reset skills, unlock outfit slots across all characters, adjustments to combat difficulty in open areas, and quicker mount training. These changes are coming thanks to a new team dedicated to implementing the most requested quality-of-life features and other enhancements, according to executive producer Susan Kath.

The development team is working to fix problems caused by the new subclass system with a series of balance changes. As Giacomini explains, the intention was to give players more freedom in how they build their characters, but the new system has unfortunately led to a very limited and frustrating set of popular strategies.

We’re actively working to improve things, focusing on making each class feel distinct, ensuring that basic class types are strong, and creating a wider variety of effective character builds for all types of gameplay. You can find details about these updates in our new roadmap, which shows we’ll be addressing classes one at a time, starting with the Dragonknight.

“To be clear,” Giacomini continues, “This doesn’t mean that we won’t make other changes to classes along the way—we do want to address outstanding issues throughout development, not just focus on one class at a time at the expense of all else.”

Overall, ZeniMax appears committed to improving The Elder Scrolls Online. The upcoming “Season Zero” update, launching on April 2nd (following smaller improvements in March), signals a significant shift in direction, and I’m hoping they successfully implement these changes.

The game has a dedicated and passionate player base, and I understand how frustrating it is when a beloved game faces difficulties – I’ve been there myself. Hopefully, ZeniMax will recover and things will improve for players in the future.

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2026-01-08 00:04