The Elder Scrolls Online transforms the payment model again in 2026, presents unusual experiments

In a long livestream, the developers of The Elder Scrolls Online presented their plans for 2026. There was hardly anything to see. However, all fans of the MMORPG can expect a flood of – partly surprising – innovations.

What does the plan for ESO in 2026 look like? You have certainly noticed that the Zenimax team already changed a lot in The Elder Scrolls Online at the end of 2024. The annual chapters were history, instead, 2025 saw the start of the first season of the MMORPG, which also brought the new subclasses to Tamriel and marked the debut of the Content Pass.

Back then, it was clear that 2025 would be a transitional year and that only in 2026 would the seasons and the promised experiments really kick off. The current livestream about the future of Elder Scrolls Online convincingly reinforced this. For almost 45 minutes, the developers bombarded the community on Twitch with a barrage of information bites. The key insights:

• They want to continue bringing new content to Tamriel every quarter, but these should be more unpredictable and varied through the seasonal model than they have been in the past. 4 seasons per year, each lasting 3 months, are planned.
• All future playable content for ESO (such as new quests, zones, features, dungeons, and so on) will be free for every owner of the ESO base game starting from the launch of “Season Zero” (this also applies to players via Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus). No new Content Pass is planned for 2026.
• Old, previously paid add-ons will be gradually integrated into the base game. Starting in March with Update 49, the Thieves Guild, the Dark Brotherhood, and Orsinium will be included.
• A Battle Pass system will serve as a new monetization source; ESO Plus will continue to exist at the usual price, with the known benefits and some new bonuses (such as for progress in the Battle Pass or the cap for Transmutation Crystals). Anyone who subscribes to ESO Plus for a total of 12 months will receive a token each time for the most expensive version of the Battle Pass.
• From Update 49, all platforms will receive new content simultaneously. Console players will therefore no longer have to wait several weeks longer than their PC counterparts.
• Among the planned experiments they want to conduct in 2026 is the introduction of world oceans, large ships, and ship battles. An event zone for groups that will be significantly tougher than other content from ESO is also planned.
• Successful experiments may find their way into the game more frequently or permanently in the future.

Historical Change

During the stream, the developers emphasized once again that a departure from the chapters was necessary to maintain the required flexibility for upcoming content. Each expansion tied up a large part of the team for around 18 months, with a release cycle of 12 months. There was never much time to respond to feedback from the community or to take risks.

The new direction is expected to feel historically significant for ESO in hindsight, similar to the launch of One Tamriel 10 years ago. Back then, the developers introduced flexible level scaling in the world and completely overhauled the endgame.

Part of this change includes involving players earlier in the development of new content. Through earlier availability, improved transparency, surveys, AMA rounds on Reddit, and clear responses on how feedback from the community has influenced content.

What this can look like in practice has already been demonstrated by the developers with their detailed plans regarding upcoming adjustments for all classes.

In addition, a new task force within the ESO team has been formed, which has only one job: to identify the most requested features and improvements from the community, assess their feasibility, and gradually bring the feasible wishes into the game. The first of these implementations will come with Update 49 (see below).

The Roadmap for 2026

Here again are the known dates and innovations for 2026:

Season Zero and Updates 49 and 50 in Spring / Early Summer

• Release of Update 49: March 9, 2026 on all platforms
• Season: The first group event zone “The Night Market” with a very high difficulty level and a special reward (a playable house that can be upgraded through progress and has an integrated bank) – Start time: April 29, 2026, should be available until mid-June
• Season: Introduction of Battle Pass system called “Tamriel Tomes” – with free and paid pages that can be unlocked through all kinds of gameplay points, which can then be exchanged for rewards
• Season: New PvP progression system coming in June that aims to offer exclusive rewards for PvP fans
• Season: New difficulty levels for open world (first version to be expanded in the future)
• Season: Playable rewards through the new “Gold Coast Bazaar”, including formerly limited rewards that have not been available for a long time – the items available there will rotate and are paid for with the new currency “Trade Bars” (obtained through the Battle Pass (especially through the free path) and by playing the game)
• Update 49: Visual overhaul and balance adjustment for Dragon Knight class and two-handed weapon skills

• Update 49: Thieves Guild, Dark Brotherhood and Orsinium will become part of the base game
• Update 49: Account-wide outfit slots
• Update 49: Free respec within the interface
• Update 49: Return to the 30-day list of guild traders
• Update 49: Faster horse training (3 stat upgrades at a time instead of just one)
• Update 49: A new mount for gold is being added to the game. 16 other mounts will be removed from the Crown Store and also made available for gold in-game
• Update 49: The cap for furnishings will be increased in many properties (the missing properties are to follow gradually because some property types still have technical limitations that need to be resolved)
• Update 49: You can hide items like gloves, pants, chest armor, and shoes
• Update 49: Items for vampires and werewolves will disappear from the Crown Store, instead, there will be new starter quests, and the cleansing costs 0 crowns
• Update 49: The costs for bags and bank slots will be reduced, the UI for bags will be updated
• Update 50: Visual overhaul and balance adjustments for werewolf class

Season 1 and Update 51 in Summer / Fall

• Season: Story content and quests around the Thieves Guild
• Season: Feature “Sage’s Vault”, corresponding to the new Thieves Guild content
• Season: Multi-phase events for groups in the open world
• Season: Story content and quests around Sheogorath
• Season: Trial “Crimson Veldt”
• Update 51: Visual overhaul and balance adjustment for Warden class

Season 2 and Update 52 in Fall / Winter

• Season: Event “High Seas of Tamriel”, which is likely to revolve around the planned ship battles.
• Season: Solo dungeons “Moon Hunter Keep” and “March of Sacrifices” with multiple modes (including an easy story mode)
• Season: Grand world event in Skyrim: “Dynamic Storms”
• Update 52: Visual overhaul and balance adjustment for Sorcerer class
• Update 52: Chapter Greymoor will become part of the base game

The developers also gave a preview of various improvements that are to follow throughout the year, for which there are yet to be update assignments, including guild housing, improvements for guild mails and the guild bank, crossplay, and much more. Many detail improvements are also planned for the PvP area.

More about ESO:

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In the coming weeks and months, there will be a whole series of articles in which the developers will detail each feature and update. MeinMMO will keep you updated on the most exciting innovations in ESO, of course. It’s just a pity that the studio is no longer working on the new MMORPG: Microsoft scrapped its dream game, despite their love for it: Ex-CEO of Elder Scrolls Online explains why he left ZeniMax