The MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) is introducing a major change to the Champion System with Update 29 in March. We will explain what is new.
What are Champion Points? Those who have reached the level cap of 50 in the MMORPG ESO can continue to progress. This is done through the Champion System. You start at Champion Level 1 and continue to level up from there. This allows you to continuously improve your character.
However, this does not earn you regular skill points anymore, but Champion Points, which you can invest in several new skill trees to unlock bonuses. These are represented by stars. The more points you invest in a star/skill, the greater the bonus.
The new Champion System is designed to solve several problems of ESO
Why is the system being changed now? According to Zenimax Online, ESO has evolved over the years, leading the team to take another look at the Champion System.
It turned out that it is a rather simple system, where players spend their Champion Points on stars that support their playstyle. Currently, players of magic classes invest points in bonuses for Magicka, damage dealers invest in damage, and so on, making them become stronger in these areas.
So far, it is a vertical system: The more points you spend on a skill, the stronger it becomes. However, the system is based on passive skills, which has become a problem for technical reasons.
Every action that the hero performs in the MMORPG requires the game to perform a skill check for the passive skills and calculate the bonuses. Whether it’s consuming a potion, dodging, or simply using an ability. This puts a strain on the server and affects its performance accordingly. Especially since this applies to all players.
Zenimax Online wanted to develop a new system for the year 2021 that would put less load on the servers and simultaneously introduce horizontal progression. This means that the quick increase of a Champion Skill will not be the focus anymore, but more options will be available for players to live their gameplay style.
These are the changes
What is changing now? You will spend your accumulated Champion Points in the new system across the three skill trees Warfare, Crafting, and Fitness. Here too, the more points you invest in a star, the higher the bonuses. However, the improvements per skill in the Champion System that you achieve with more points are significantly less than they were before.
Additionally, it is possible to unlock new skills (stars). To do this, you must invest a specific number of Champion Points into a star. Only then do you have access to new stars that provide you with additional bonuses.
This means that the skill does not just improve by investing more points; you also get the opportunity to unlock new stars/skills.
The stars also branch out. You have to decide which path you want to take and how you want to distribute your Champion Points.
Also new is that you must place some stars in the new Champion Bar to make them active. This bar has 12 slots. You need to decide which of the unlocked skills you want to activate. This does not apply to all skills; some remain automatically active.
The decision about which 12 stars or skills you add to the Champion Bar means that not as many passive bonuses can be active simultaneously for players. This alleviates the load on the ESO server.
What are the additional benefits of the new system? Zenimax explains that the new Champion System can further evolve. New special stars may be added, which you must unlock. Stars can also receive what are called clusters, which are essentially sub-constellations with additional skills that grant extra bonuses.
This means for you: With Champion System 2.0, you gain a greater variety of stars and more options for developing your character. Additionally, you must approach more tactically because you cannot use all already unlocked bonuses simultaneously anymore. The performance of ESO should also improve.
When will the new system be introduced? The Champion System 2.0 will be introduced with Update 29 on March 8th for the PC version of the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online.
The versions for PS4/PS5 and Xbox One as well as Xbox Series X/S will follow on March 16th.
What do you think of the new Champion System? Do you like it or would you have preferred something different?
Zenimax Online recently commented on the player numbers of ESO in 2021: “The community has never been stronger”
