Online:Buying Guide
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The Elder Scrolls Online has had several releases in multiple varieties, with different bundles, different branding, and multiple assortments of additional content available that can be obtained in different ways. Naturally, this can be confusing for someone looking to buy the game and/or all additional DLC and expansions. The purpose of this page is to help explain the different options available to help you decide which version is best for what you want to play and which will be the best value for your money.
The Basics[edit]
There are three types of content that make up Elder Scrolls Online: the base game, expansions called Chapters, and DLC:
- Elder Scrolls Online: The base game, previously branded as Tamriel Unlimited, is required to experience the below content. It is buy-to-play, meaning that once you have purchased it you have full access to the base game without any further payment or subscriptions required.
- DLC are small - medium-sized pieces of content usually based in group dungeons or zones roughly the size of the tutorial islands. DLC cannot be bought in retail/digital stores, but can be obtained either by buying them in the in-game cash shop (which is called the Crown Store) individually, or subscribing to ESO Plus (see below). Three DLCs are released every year.
- Chapters are expansions that are larger than normal DLC that are released in the second quarter of every year. Chapters are buy-to-play and not included in ESO Plus until the following year, when it gets rebranded as a DLC and the next Chapter is released. There have been eight Chapters so far: Morrowind,† Summerset, Elsweyr,† Greymoor, Blackwood, High Isle and Necrom† are now DLCs, while Gold Road is the current Chapter purchase.
† Note that in its DLC form, the Morrowind, Elsweyr and Necrom DLCs gives access to the zone only; access to the Warden, Necromancer and Arcanist classes is now a Crown Store add-on.
ESO Plus[edit]
ESO Plus is an optional subscription service for US$14.99/€12.99/£8.99/¥1,944 per month (discounted depending on how many months you choose in a single purchase). Among other bonuses, it gives you access to all DLC (but not Chapters) while subscribed. If your subscription ends, you no longer have access to DLC zones, but you keep all of the items, achievements, etc. that you have earned. The subscription also gives you 1,650 Crowns (in-game premium currency only available to use in the Crown Store) per month, which you can save up to buy the DLC permanently if you so choose.
Currently Available[edit]
The following are the currently available versions of the game:
| Cover | Name | Description | How to get all content |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100px 100px 100px100px | The Elder Scrolls Online:Gold Road | Contains the base game and the Morrowind, Summerset, Elsweyr, Greymoor, Blackwood Necrom and Gold Road Chapters.‡ There is also the Collector's Edition, which contains exclusive content such as a mount and emotes, and the physical collector's edition which includes those as well as a statue and coins. Note that versions with "Upgrade" in the name do not contain the base game and cannot be played without it; this is for people who already own The Elder Scrolls Online to purchase it at a slightly cheaper price than the version containing the base game. It also does not include the Morrowind, Summerset, Elsweyr, Greymoor, High Isle Blackwood and Necrom chapters, unlike the non-upgrade versions of Gold Road. |
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The Elder Scrolls Online Standard Edition | Contains the base game and the Morrowind Chapter.‡ |
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‡ The "Morrowind Chapter" included in the bundle includes the Warden class.
Previously Available[edit]
The following versions are no longer available on the official site, but might still be found elsewhere from other retailers. If you have previously purchased one of these editions, this can help you get up to speed on what to add.
| Cover | Name | Description | How to get all content |
|---|---|---|---|
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The Elder Scrolls Online, or Tamriel Unlimited |
This is the base game. This can no longer be purchased separately and must be bought alongside one of the Chapters, as listed above. |
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The Elder Scrolls Online: Imperial Edition | Contains the base game and the Imperial Edition upgrade. This was the collector's edition at launch, and is no longer available to purchase, but the upgrades specific to this edition can be purchased in the Digital Imperial Edition Upgrade bundle through the Crown Store for 2,100  . |
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The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Edition | Contains the base game, a Palomino Horse mount, and the first four DLC: Imperial City, Orsinium, Thieves Guild, and Dark Brotherhood. These four DLC are also available as a bundle on the Crown Store called Guilds and Glory for 5,500 , though it does not contain the mount.This version has also been discontinued for purchase, replaced with the Elder Scrolls Online Collection which also contains both Chapters. |
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The Elder Scrolls Online Collection | Contains the base game, the Gold Edition (four DLC - Imperial City, Orsinium, Thieves Guild, and Dark Brotherhood - plus a Palomino Horse mount), and the Morrowind‡ and Summerset chapters. |
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| 100px 100px 100px100px | The Elder Scrolls Online:Necrom | Contains the base game and the Morrowind, Summerset, Elsweyr, Greymoor, Blackwood and Necrom Chapters.‡ There is also the Collector's Edition, which contains exclusive content such as a mount and emotes, and the physical collector's edition which includes those as well as a statue and coins. Note that versions with "Upgrade" in the name do not contain the base game and cannot be played without it; this is for people who already own The Elder Scrolls Online to purchase it at a slightly cheaper price than the version containing the base game. It also does not include the Morrowind, Summerset, Elsweyr, Greymoor, High Isle and Blackwood chapters, unlike the non-upgrade versions of Necrom. |
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| 100px 100px 100px100px | The Elder Scrolls Online:High Isle | Contains the base game and the Morrowind, Summerset, Elsweyr, Greymoor, Blackwood and High Isle Chapters.‡ There is also the Collector's Edition, which contains exclusive content such as a mount and emotes, and the physical collector's edition which includes those as well as a statue and coins. Note that versions with "Upgrade" in the name do not contain the base game and cannot be played without it; this is for people who already own The Elder Scrolls Online to purchase it at a slightly cheaper price than the version containing the base game. It also does not include the Morrowind, Summerset, Elsweyr, Greymoor and High Isle chapters, unlike the non-upgrade versions of Blackwood. |
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| 100px 100px 100px100px | The Elder Scrolls Online:Blackwood | Contains the base game and the Morrowind, Summerset, Elsweyr, Greymoor and Blackwood Chapters.‡ There is also the Collector's Edition, which contains exclusive content such as a mount and emotes, and the physical collector's edition which includes those as well as a statue and coins. Note that versions with "Upgrade" in the name do not contain the base game and cannot be played without it; this is for people who already own The Elder Scrolls Online to purchase it at a slightly cheaper price than the version containing the base game. It also does not include the Morrowind, Summerset, Elsweyr and Greymoor chapters, unlike the non-upgrade versions of Blackwood. |
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The Elder Scrolls Online:Greymoor | Contains the base game and the Morrowind, Summerset, Elsweyr, and Greymoor Chapters.‡ There is also the Collector's Edition, which contains exclusive content such as a mount and emotes, and the physical collector's edition which includes those as well as a statue and coins. Note that versions with "Upgrade" in the name do not contain the base game and cannot be played without it; this is for people who already own The Elder Scrolls Online to purchase it at a slightly cheaper price than the version containing the base game. It also does not include the Morrowind, Summerset, and Elsweyr chapters, unlike the non-upgrade versions of Greymoor. |
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The Elder Scrolls Online:Elsweyr | Contains the base game and the Morrowind, Summerset, and Elsweyr Chapters.‡ There is also the Collector's Edition, which contains exclusive content such as a mount and emotes. Note that versions with "Upgrade" in the name do not contain the base game and cannot be played without it; this is for people who already own The Elder Scrolls Online to purchase it at a slightly cheaper price than the version containing the base game. It also does not include the Morrowind and Summerset chapters, unlike the non-upgrade versions of Elsweyr. |
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The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset | Contains the base game and the Summerset Chapter. Upon the release of Elsweyr, Summerset was rebranded as DLC, and are Collector's Edition upgrade are available to purchase from the Crown Store. The "Upgrade" editions, which were only available digitally, do not contain the base game and cannot be played without it; this is for people who already own The Elder Scrolls Online to purchase it at a slightly cheaper price than the version containing the base game. |
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The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind | Contains the base game and the Morrowind Chapter. This was replaced with the very similar Standard Edition, which also contained the base game and Morrowind chapter. At this time, Morrowind's zone/story was added to the ESO Plus subscription and the Crown Store, the Warden class became a separate purchase in the Crown Store, and Battlegrounds were added to the base game. The digital contents of the Collector's Edition upgrade are available to purchase from the Crown Store. The "Upgrade" editions, which were only available digitally, do not contain the base game and cannot be played without it; this is for people who already own The Elder Scrolls Online to purchase it at a slightly cheaper price than the version containing the base game. |
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‡ The "Morrowind Chapter" included in the bundle includes the Warden class.
Notes[edit]
- If you already have The Elder Scrolls Online and purchase a version of Morrowind, Summerset, Elsweyr, or Greymoor that contains the base game, it can still be applied to your account and is treated the same as the upgrade alone. If it can be found on sale for a cheaper price than the upgrade edition, this makes it the better option of the two.
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