The Elder Scrolls Online is offering you a free ESO Plus subscription for a limited time. This allows you to play almost all content, DLCs and chapters in the game for free. However, since the time is limited, you cannot possibly play everything. Therefore, we have presented the most rewarding content here that you should not miss during the free trial.
What is the ESO Plus trial about? From October 12 to October 19, 2020, ESO players can get the subscription called ESO Plus for free. This brings you many advantages, including more experience and gold, double the number of housing items that can be crafted, and the immensely useful crafting bag, where you can store an unlimited number of crafting resources.
The most useful feature of the subscription is, of course, access to almost all DLCs and chapters released to date. A total of 17 additional content items are now available to you in ESO Plus. Only the current chapter Greymoor (but the DLCs Harrowstorm and Stonethorn) is not included, and if you want to play the classes Necromancer and Warden, you also have to purchase the respective chapters.
How to get the free subscription? You just need to log into your ESO account and then select the Crown Store. There you will find ESO Plus and choose “free trial”.
The Top 5 DLCs in ESO
Here we present you the best DLCs of ESO so that you can pick the best during the short subscription trial. We have selected the 5 best pieces of content and start with the 5th place and work our way to the top of the best DLCs you definitely should have played. Enjoy!
How was the selection made? The listing of the content is based on our own assessment of the MeinMMO editorial team, a survey on social media, and internet research. We have only focused on the zone DLCs here, not the much larger chapters or very short dungeon DLCs.
The chapters are all great but also very large. Therefore, at the end of the article, we have given a brief evaluation of the chapters and focused on the top 5 only on the smaller DLC areas.
5th Place – Thieves Guild
What is it about? Thieves Guild lets you become a member of the famous Thieves Guild. To do this, you first help a lovable elf and then later come to the desert region called “Hews Fluch” in the south of the Alik’r Desert.
There you will find a small quest area and a sprawling, winding city of the Redguards. Your task is to help the greatly troubled Thieves Guild regain its former glory and uncover the circumstances behind the recent decline of the guild.
Why you should play it: The main feature of this DLC is clearly the membership in the guild and the new skills that can be used and levelled up. You will retain these even after the subscription ends. So if you want to wreak havoc in Tamriel as a thief and need more skills, this is the place for you.
In addition, there is a really nice, whimsical story about the Thieves Guild in Hews Fluch. Throughout the course of the story, you will experience funny and dramatic scenes and twists. However, there is a lot of sneaking around and breaking into houses. If you prefer to go in swinging, you might be less happy here.
4th Place – Dark Brotherhood
What is it about? This DLC introduces the feared Dark Brotherhood as a playable faction. Early on in the DLC, you will become a member of the brotherhood and can visit their hideout on the Gold Coast. This area around the city of Kvatch should still be well remembered by any player who played the good old game Oblivion.
In the ESO timeline, the area is ruled by a ruthless warlord who has declared herself a tyrant. But that is not even the main problem, as someone is hunting down the members of the Dark Brotherhood and murdering the murderers.
Why you should play it: Those who join the brotherhood gain a hugely important skill: The Blade of Woe. This refers to the mysterious dagger that every member can summon when committing a murder. And as members, you can now do this as well.
Simply sneak up on a target and activate the skill. A surprisingly brutal and bloody animation follows, sending your victim off to the dark god Sithis. This not only allows you to quickly complete the numerous murder contracts in the DLC, but you can also quickly take out many opponents in the game from behind and save yourself tedious battles against trash mobs.
Additionally, there are more skills for assassins, a really cool, spooky sanctuary, quirky NPCs, and a dark, twisty story. However, as an assassin, you must murder a lot of people and serve a dark cult. If you’re faint of heart, you might want to play another DLC instead.
3rd Place – Murkmire
What is it about? Murkmire is a huge zone DLC that introduces a vast swamp full of Argonians and their problems. Here you can expect a story that is fully focused on the mysteries and history of the lizardfolk. The story revolves around the ancient Ayleid people and how their machinations influence the lives of the Argonians in the present time.
The DLC does not feature new skills or features. Instead, you have a large new area full of quests. Especially the old temple complexes immediately evoke a classic Indiana Jones feeling. In addition, there is a group arena in the Blackrose Prison, where you can smash wave after wave of enemies.
Why you should play it: Murkmire is a treat for lore fans. Especially if you have always wanted to know more about the Argonians. You will learn among other things, how the lizardfolk reproduce and what role trees play in it.
Additionally, there is an excitingly told story, which, however, unfolds slowly, but really scores and can convince towards the end. So if you enjoy ESO’s storytelling, you will get your money’s worth here.
2nd Place – Clockwork City
What is it about? This DLC brings a completely new, never-before-seen world into the game. The legendary Clockwork City, a dimension outside of Nirn, where the manic tinkerer god Sotha Sil has created his life’s work: A whole world of clockwork and metal.
But of course, not everything goes well in the Clockwork City, and your heroes must see to it that everything is all right. There, you explore the city and the surrounding areas. There – apart from Sotha Sil’s pilgrims – everything is made of metal, including the animals and plants. Lakes are filled with bubbling oil, and the spirit of the steampunk genre lives here.
Why you should play it: In Clockwork City, you won’t gain a new skill line, but you’ll be presented with a truly unique new setting. So if you are into steampunk and are familiar enough with the more tranquil areas of Tamriel, you are presented with something completely new.
Additionally, there is a nice story that is gradually told through the quests in the area. The plot of Clockwork City is a continuation of the story from Morrowind and the precursor to the story of Summerset. So if you want to play these two chapters, make sure to plan a detour to the Clockwork City in between.
1st Place – Orsinium
What is it about? Orsinium takes you to the namesake, barren land of the Orcs. There, the new Orc king is currently rebuilding the ancient Orc kingdom and has a lot of trouble with foreign invaders and various Orc clans, all of whom have different ideas about how the new Orsinium should look.
However, these problems are only the beginning of one of the best stories in ESO to date. For the story of Orsinium ultimately reveals what the repercussions of the main game’s story are, and even the Daedra shine here in a completely new light. Overall, it can be said that the story of Orsinium shaped the narrative arc leading to the chapter Summerset.
Why you should play it: Orsinium offers everything a fan of ESO could wish for. Don’t be misled by the obvious Orc theme; the story has much more to offer than just Orcs and their problems. That’s not to say that an Orc fan won’t find plenty to enjoy and learn a lot about the culture of these rugged but honorable beings, who incidentally belong to the race of elves (Orsimer).
Alongside the numerous quests and challenges that the vast land of Orsinium offers, there is the legendary Maelstrom Arena, where you can face increasingly difficult challenges and earn some of the most powerful weapons in the game.
Bonus: The best chapters in ESO
Three of the chapters released in ESO so far are included in ESO Plus. However, you only get the story and areas, not the classes like the Necromancer or the Warden. The chapters are all very large and extensive. Nevertheless, we present a ranking here:
- Elsweyr: The penultimate chapter brought us a huge zone in the land of Khajiit. Just the exotic architecture and varied landscape are worth a trip here. Additionally, there’s a self-contained story about dragons that fly around and promise epic battles.
- Summerset: Here we go to the island of the High Elves. There you will find those snobby pointed ears, as well as beautiful landscapes and dreamlike cities. But there are tensions beneath the shiny surface, and at the climax of the story, which began with Orsinium, the narrative finds its worthy conclusion here. Additionally, you receive the skill of Jewelry Crafting for free when visiting Summerset.
- Morrowind: This chapter was the first of its kind and brought the island of Vvardenfell, a setting that especially players of the old game Morrowind will remember well in a cozy, nostalgic way. In Morrowind, you uncover the mystery of a god’s waning power and continue the story from Orsinium.
So much for our ranking of the free content in ESO. If you have any comments on this, please feel free to write them in the comments. If you want to know where the journey will go in the new ESO chapter 2021, then check out our article about it here on MeinMMO.
