Tag: ESO tips

  • How to Avoid the Biggest Beginner Mistakes in ESO

    How to Avoid the Biggest Beginner Mistakes in ESO Title Image

    Choose Your Race and Class in ESO Wisely: The Optimal Pairing Mistake

    When creating your character in ESO, your initial choice of Race and Class is the single most important decision for long-term optimal performance, especially in endgame content like Veteran Trials and PVP.

    Optimal Pairing: Thoroughly research the best Race and Class combinations and meta builds for your chosen role.

    Min-Maxing: While any combo is viable for casual play, choosing a synergistic pairing is essential for min-maxing in challenging content.

    Character Investment: Smart initial choices prevent the need to purchase costly Crown Store Race Change Tokens or abandon a high-level character later.

    Unlock Essential ESO Skill Lines Early: Eliminate Backtracking

    The most time-efficient action you can take as a new player is to immediately join the three main in-game guilds: the Fighters Guild, the Mages Guild, and the Undaunted (at level 10).

    Why? Joining these organizations unlocks their respective Skill Lines. Once unlocked, these skill lines level up passively as you complete activities related to them.

    Fighters Guild: Killing Daedra and Undead (common enemies). Unlocks powerful passives and abilities for Stamina builds.
    Mages Guild: Finding and reading Lorebooks scattered throughout the world. Unlocks powerful passives and abilities for Magicka builds.
    Undaunted: Completing Dungeons and daily Pledges (unlocked at level 45). Unlocks the crucial Undaunted Mettle passive, which boosts resources.

    The crucial benefit is eliminating backtracking. By unlocking these skill lines right away, every monster you kill and every Lorebook you find contributes to your progression. This passive leveling ensures you won’t have to stop questing later to spend hours grinding these skill lines from scratch.

    Below are the three main Alliances and their locations.

    Embeddable Modal (JS) (DC) – Wayrest
    Embeddable Modal (JS) (AD) – Elden Root
    Embeddable Modal (JS) (EP) – Mournhold

    Find Your ESO Community: Join a Player Guild

    After setting up your character, your next crucial step is to use the Guild Finder in the Options menu to join a player-run guild immediately.

    These are groups of real players who band together to offer help, advice, and access to unique resources. Finding an active, helpful guild is essential because you will need their assistance for the very next important step in your character’s progression.

    Don’t delay! A supportive guild community is the single best resource for new players, providing:

    Real-Time Help: Get answers to your questions instantly.

    Mentorship: Find experienced players to guide your early build decisions.

    Trading Access: Gain entry to a guild store (if it’s a trading guild) to buy or sell gear.

    Group Content: Easily find groups for dungeons, world bosses, or other activities.

    Maximize XP Gain: Secure Your Training Gear

    While finding a helpful community is important, the absolute first request you should make to your newly joined player guild is to ask a Master Crafter for a set of Training Gear.

    Training Trait Info Card

    While finding a helpful community is important, the absolute first request you should make to your newly joined player guild is to ask a Master Crafter for a set of Training Gear.

    Training Gear is crucial for new characters. This special crafted equipment has the Training trait, which dramatically increases the Experience Point (XP) gain from all your kills.

    The best set to use while leveling is Heartland Conqueror. When you equip five pieces of this set, its unique bonus doubles the effectiveness of your weapon’s trait. By ensuring your crafted weapons also have the Training trait, you gain a massive, boosted XP bonus that lasts until you reach the max gear level (CP 160).

    Heartland Conqueror Info Card

    Why this is essential: Speed-Leveling with Heartland Conqueror: Combining the Training trait on weapons with the Heartland Conqueror five-piece bonus creates the fastest passive XP boost available, significantly accelerating your leveling speed.

    Skill Line Efficiency: To ensure you level all armor skill lines (Light, Medium, and Heavy) simultaneously, request a mixed set of armor: one piece of each weight and the remaining six in the weight appropriate for your build (e.g., five Medium, one Light, one Heavy for a Stamina DPS). This highly efficient method prevents the need to backtrack later just to level unused armor types.

    Guild Advantage: This is a classic example of why joining a guild is vital—you need a skilled, established player to craft this essential gear for you.

    As soon as you join a guild, politely ask in chat if a Master Crafter would be willing to craft a basic set of Heartland Conqueror Training Gear appropriate for your level and chosen role! Make sure to specify you need one piece of Light, one piece of Heavy, and the rest in your primary armor weight—all with the Training trait.

    ESO XP Boost Consumables

    Exp Scrolls Banner

    One of the most effective and common ways to speed up your leveling in The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) is by using Experience (XP) boost consumables.

    These consumables generally come in two forms: Experience Scrolls (mostly from the Crown Store or Daily Login Rewards) and Ambrosia Potions (craftable via the Provisioning skill line or purchased from other players).

    You can only have one XP boost potion or XP scroll active at a time; they do not stack with each other. For example, using a Psijic Ambrosia (50%) and a 150% scroll will result in only the stronger 150% buff being active. However, the boost from a scroll or potion does stack with most other sources of XP gain.

    Don’t Buy, Train! Securing Your Free Mount

    As a new player, you should not spend gold on a horse right away. You will receive your first mount for free once your character reaches Level 10 as a reward for leveling up.

    While the free horse starts slow, the important thing is to immediately begin training your riding skills at a stable.

    Where to Train: Find a Stable Master in any major city.

    How Often: You can upgrade one of your mount’s stats every 20 hours in real time.

    Priority: Your primary focus should be upgrading Mount Speed. A faster mount dramatically improves your efficiency for questing, exploring, and traveling between locations.

    By consistently training your mount daily, you’ll ensure that your free horse quickly becomes as fast and useful as any purchased mount in the game.

    Secure Permanent Mount Speed: The Cyrodiil Quest

    While Mount Training is vital, there is an immediate, permanent upgrade available that significantly boosts your travel speed: the “Continuous Attack” passive.

    To acquire this crucial passive, you must travel to Cyrodiil (the Alliance War zone) as soon as you hit Level 10 and complete
    the introductory quest.

    Enter Cyrodiil: Travel to the Cyrodiil zone via the Alliance War tab in your menu.

    Complete the Quest: Immediately pick up and complete the short introductory quest, “Welcome to Cyrodiil”

    Unlock the Passive: Completing this quest grants you access to the Assault skill line, even if you never PVP again.

    Buy the Passive: Spend a Skill Point to unlock the “Continuous Attack” passive within the Assault line.

    Benefit: This passive gives you a permanent, passive 15% increase to your mount speed. This buff stacks with your daily Mount Training, making your free horse much faster immediately and ensuring you save countless hours of travel time throughout the game.

    ESO Power-Leveling Strategy: The Grind

    With your optimized build, essential guilds joined, and speed buffs secured, it’s time to put your plan into action and power-level to the maximum character level (Level 50).

    Your goal is to maximize kill XP by wearing your Training Gear (especially the Heartland Conqueror set), consuming your XP Scrolls/Ambrosia, and rapidly defeating large groups of enemies.

    The Grinding Location: (Crimson Cove) A highly effective and classic leveling spot is the Public Dungeon Crimson Cove in the Malabal Tor zone.

    The Strategy: Prep Your Buffs: Ensure your Training Gear is equipped and your XP Scroll/Ambrosia is active.

    Pull Large Groups: The layout of Crimson Cove allows you to run through large sections of the dungeon, “pulling” and consolidating dozens of NPCs (enemies) into one massive group.

    Burn Them Down: Use your strongest Area-of-Effect (AoE) abilities to quickly defeat the entire mob. Rinse and Repeat

    By executing this combination of preparation and repetition, you can reach Level 50 in a matter of hours, bypassing the days or weeks it would take through normal questing, and immediately unlocking access to the Champion Point (CP) system.

    These are in my opinion the Biggest Beginner Mistakes in The Elder Scrolls Online.

  • SHATTER the Writhing Wall: The ULTIMATE Guide to ESO’s Game-Changing Event

    The Writhing Wall – A Turning Point for Tamriel

    The Writhing Wall event, officially scheduled to begin on October 13, 2025, represents a significant evolution in The Elder Scrolls Online’s approach to content delivery and player engagement. Far from a conventional, repeatable festival, this initiative is a “once-in-history,” server-wide communal effort designed to conclude the first major narrative arc of the Seasons of the Worm Cult storyline and grant access to the subsequent chapter content. The event is a groundbreaking departure from the traditional model of time-limited, daily-grind activities, instead centering on a live, progressive content unlock. The following report provides a comprehensive analysis of the event’s foundational lore, its innovative phased mechanics, its unique reward structure, and the strategic implications for players and the game’s future. The analysis highlights its strategic role in fostering community-wide participation, transcending distinctions between players who own the new content and those who do not.  

    1. Introduction: A New Paradigm for In-Game Events

    The established rhythm of The Elder Scrolls Online’s in-game events has long been defined by a predictable and repeatable format. Festivals such as the Jester’s Festival or the Undaunted Celebration offer daily quests and Event Tickets, which players can then use to purchase fragments for a yearly morphing collectible. This model, while effective for sustained engagement, can lead to a sense of routine.  

    2. Lore and Narrative Foundations

    To fully appreciate the scope of the Writhing Wall event, one must first understand its deep roots within the game’s evolving narrative. It is the culmination of a year-long story arc, the Seasons of the Worm Cult, and is inextricably linked to the franchise’s overarching lore.

    2.1 The Resurgence of the Worm Cult

    The Worm Cult, a shadowy organization dedicated to the Daedric Prince Molag Bal, has returned as the primary antagonist of this year’s storyline. Their sudden resurgence marks a direct continuation of conflicts first explored in the base game’s main quest. Under the command of a new leader known only as “Wormblood,” the cult has unleashed a new and horrifying weapon: the “Soul Reapers”. These devices are capable of harvesting souls on a massive scale, with the ultimate goal of blanketing all of Tamriel in a “great soul net” to “siphon all souls” from the world and “bring death to all of Nirn”. The Writhing Wall itself is not merely a metaphor; it is a physical manifestation of this threat, a “colossal wall composed of the massive amount of souls the Worm Cult has harvested”. It is a soul-forged barrier stretching across the island of Solstice, a visual and visceral representation of the cult’s nefarious plans.

    2.2 The Fellowship of Stirk and the Call to Arms

    In response to this existential threat, a formidable alliance has been forged. Dubbed “The Fellowship of Stirk”—a name that recalls the historic ceasefire from the base game—this coalition brings together the Fighters Guild, the Mages Guild, and key representatives from each of the three Alliances. Players will join forces with familiar and beloved NPCs, including Razum-dar for the Aldmeri Dominion, Walks-in-Ash for the Ebonheart Pact, and Skordo the Knife for the Daggerfall Covenant. These figures, updated with new visual assets, will coordinate the defense against the Worm Cult and rally heroes from across Tamriel, providing a direct link back to the player’s early adventures and reinforcing a sense of a shared, lived-in world.

    2.3 The Island of Solstice: A Stage for Conflict

    The Writhing Wall event is geographically centered on the island of Solstice, a “tropical paradise” located south of Murkmire. This new zone, introduced as the setting for the

     Seasons of the Worm Cult Part 1, is physically divided into two main regions: Western Solstice, which has been available since the chapter’s launch, and Eastern Solstice, which remains sealed behind the imposing soul barrier. The event’s narrative and mechanical purpose is to unite the community to shatter this wall, thereby unlocking the eastern part of the island and allowing players to venture into the second half of the zone to confront the Worm Cult’s ultimate plans.

    3. Event Mechanics and Phased Progression

    The unique structure of the Writhing Wall event is its most defining feature, unfolding in three distinct and progressive phases that rely on the cumulative effort of the player base.

    3.1 The Event Calendar and Dynamic End Date

    The official start date for the event is confirmed as October 13, 2025. However, unlike typical ESO events with a predetermined duration, the Writhing Wall’s conclusion is contingent upon player participation. The event’s final phase culminates only when a collective, server-wide progress bar is filled, causing the wall to shatter. This dynamic end date has led to community discussion regarding its authenticity. Some players have voiced skepticism, suggesting the progression is likely time-gated by the developers to ensure the content unlock aligns with a pre-planned schedule, such as the upcoming Update 48 patch. This highlights a prevailing tension between developer promises of a true community-driven experience and a player base that has become accustomed to scripted, time-locked content releases.

    The following table provides a chronological overview of key content and events for 2025, placing the Writhing Wall in its proper context.

    Content/EventRelease/Start DateNotes
    Fallen Banners (Dungeon Pack)Now AvailablePart of the 2025 Content Pass
    Seasons of the Worm Cult, Part 1Now AvailableExplorable on Western Solstice
    Feast of Shadows (Dungeon Pack)Q3 2025Part of the 2025 Content Pass, Undaunted Celebration
    Undaunted CelebrationSeptember 18, 2025Runs until September 30, 2025
    The Writhing Wall (In-Game Event)October 13, 2025Dynamic end date tied to server progress
    Seasons of the Worm Cult, Part 2Q4 2025Unlocked after the Writhing Wall event

    3.2 The Three Phases of Conflict

    • Phase One: Mobilization and Incursion: The initial phase focuses on preparation and defense. Players will assist the Stirk Fellowship with a variety of daily tasks, including gathering supplies, crafting, collecting Vitrified Souls, and fending off enemy attacks. These contributions, which can be repeated multiple times a day on different characters, form the foundation of the community’s progress.
    • Phase Two: The World Boss: The stakes are raised with the introduction of a new World Boss named Ghishzor. Defeating this formidable enemy on Solstice is a critical milestone that is “crucial to advancing the event” and is designed to rally players for a large-scale, group-based challenge.
    • Phase Three: The Climactic Breach: The final phase is the climax of the entire event. As the server’s collective progress bar fills, the final confrontation will begin, leading to the shattering of the Writhing Wall and the permanent unlocking of Eastern Solstice for all players.

    3.3 Participation by Content Ownership

    A key component of the event’s design is its inclusivity. Players with the 2025 Content Pass can directly participate on the island of Solstice, completing quests near the wall. However, players who do not own the new content are not excluded from the collective effort. The “Support the Fellowship” quest, available for free in the Crown Store, allows them to contribute from the base-game island of Stirk, completing their own version of the tasks. This dual-participation model ensures that every single player on a given megaserver can play a role in the event’s progression, reinforcing the communal nature of the experience and making every action a meaningful contribution.

    4. Rewards and Collectibles: An Analysis of the Loot Pool

    The reward system for the Writhing Wall event represents a significant departure from the standard Event Ticket model that has governed most recent festivals.

    4.1 The Glorious Writhing Reward Coffer

    The primary source of rewards is the Glorious Writhing Reward Coffer, which is earned from the first completed daily quest of the day. 1 Any subsequent daily quests will yield standard blue coffers. The Glorious Coffer contains a variety of unique, themed items that are directly related to the event’s narrative, including:

    • Wormwrithe Outfit Style pages: A new cosmetic armor style
    • Wormwrithe Haj Mota Hatchling pet fragments: Collectible fragments that, once assembled, form a unique in-game pet.
    • Bone Skill Style fragments: A new style page that requires twenty-five fragments to create a usable style.

    4.2 Quest-Specific and Furnishing Rewards

    In addition to the coffers, players can earn rewards tied to specific quests. The Stirk Fellowship motif pages are available from quests provided by General Zasimba, a quest-giver located exclusively at the Solstice Fellowship camp, making these rewards accessible only to players who own the new chapter. Furthermore, new Worm Cult-themed furnishings will be available, allowing players to decorate their homes with unique relics from the event.

    4.3 The Absence of Event Tickets

    A crucial distinction of this event is its lack of Event Tickets. This removes the central mechanic that has driven participation in recent festivals, where players complete activities to earn tickets for a year-long morphing collectible from the Impresario. By omitting Event Tickets, the developers have deliberately shifted the focus away from a repetitive daily grind for a common currency and toward the direct acquisition of unique, event-specific rewards. This re-focuses player motivation on the event’s content itself rather than a metagame of collecting currency. The fact that some of these rewards, such as the style pages and furnishings, are tradable on guild traders provides a powerful incentive for players to participate, offering a new avenue for earning in-game gold that is distinct from the traditional event structure. This choice suggests a conscious effort to address player burnout and provide a more rewarding experience tied directly to the event’s narrative and lore.

    RewardHow to ObtainTradability
    Wormwrithe Outfit Style pagesGlorious Writhing Reward CofferYes
    Wormwrithe Haj Mota Hatchling petFragments from coffersYes
    Bone Skill Style25 fragments from coffersYes
    Stirk Fellowship Motif pagesQuests from General ZasimbaYes
    Worm Cult-themed FurnishingsCoffersYes

    5. Strategic Insights and Community Dynamics

    The Writhing Wall is not just a content release; it is a live-service experiment that has sparked considerable discussion within the community.

    5.1 Preparing for the Event

    The event’s phased structure offers a clear path for players to prepare. The first phase, with its emphasis on crafting and gathering, suggests that players who stockpile common materials in advance will be well-positioned to contribute to the war effort from the start. Similarly, the introduction of the new Ghishzor World Boss in Phase Two highlights the importance of optimizing character builds for large-scale PvE combat. Players should review and refine their damage-dealing and support setups to effectively contribute to the collective effort. The event provides a natural incentive for players to engage with all aspects of the game, from resource gathering and crafting to challenging group content.

    5.2 The “Once-in-History” Hype

    The marketing language surrounding the event—particularly the phrase “once-in-history”—has been met with a mix of excitement and guarded cynicism from the community. On one hand, players are eager for a truly monumental, non-repeatable event that will permanently alter the game world. On the other, many express concern that this is simply a marketing ploy to time-gate the release of

    Seasons of the Worm Cult Part 2. This response is not without precedent; a player base conditioned by years of seasonal content has learned to be wary of over-hyped promises. The authenticity of the “server progress bar” is a central point of this discussion, with some players openly speculating that its progression is pre-scripted to ensure the wall falls on a predetermined date. The successful execution of this event, and the perceived transparency of its progression, will be critical in building or eroding player trust in future communal events.

    5.3 Comparing the Event Model

    A comparative analysis of the Writhing Wall’s format provides critical context for its innovative design.

    • Versus the Witches Festival: The Writhing Wall’s release in October 2025 places it in close proximity to the annual Witches Festival. The Witches Festival is a prime example of a traditional, repeatable event that is known for its specific mechanics, such as obtaining Plunder Skulls and participating in the Hollowjack boss quest, all for the purpose of earning Event Tickets. The Writhing Wall stands in stark contrast by not offering Event Tickets and instead focusing on a progressive, narrative-driven objective. The potential for these two events to overlap will create an interesting dynamic for players, forcing them to choose between two very different types of engagement.
    • Versus the Undaunted Celebration: The Undaunted Celebration, which takes place in late September, is a dungeon-focused event that rewards players with double Undaunted Keys and Event Tickets for completing group dungeons. This is a model built on repetition and reward optimization for individual progression. The Writhing Wall, with its open-world, collective, and non-ticketed design, represents a deliberate move away from this long-standing formula. It is an attempt to create a different kind of motivation for players—not to grind for a reward currency, but to participate in a shared, world-changing moment.

    6. Conclusion and Future Implications

    The Writhing Wall event stands as a significant experiment in The Elder Scrolls Online’s content delivery strategy. It is an ambitious attempt to fuse narrative progression with player participation in a way that is unprecedented for the game. Its success will be a litmus test for whether a live-service MMO can effectively transition from a model of predictable, repeatable content to one of unique, story-driven, and truly communal experiences. The event’s design—from its dual-participation model to its non-ticketed reward structure and its reliance on a server-wide progression—demonstrates a clear effort to innovate and address player fatigue with the traditional event format.

    If the Writhing Wall successfully captures the imagination of the player base and its progression feels genuinely communal, it could set a powerful precedent for future content. Developers may move away from the static, daily-grind festivals towards a more dynamic, story-centric format that makes players feel like active participants in a changing world rather than simply consumers of new content. The event is a bold step forward, one that promises to reshape the very nature of in-game events in Tamriel for years to come.