The Elder Scrolls Online Expansion Pack Tier List

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home January 20, 2025 2 Views 9 Min Read
The Elder Scrolls Online Expansion Pack Tier List

The Elder Scrolls Online has seen several large expansions, called Chapters, and smaller DLC add-ons since its launch in 2014. These additions have been great boons to the lore, story, and gameplay of The Elder Scrolls Online, with most of them adding some sort of gameplay feature that enhances the experience in a multitude of ways, even outside the expanded area and story.

With so much content released over the past decade, the expansion packs have varied in quality regarding their gameplay additions and overall storyline. While all of them held promise at the outset, some of them didn’t quite live up to their promised content, particularly in regard to their story.

gold-road-eso

Related


Why The Elder Scrolls Online’s Lore Should Make a Mark on TES 6

The Elder Scrolls Online has kept the wait for The Elder Scrolls 6 more bearable with new stories and lore, and should be honored for its role.

S-Tier: Combining Storytelling with Gameplay Features

  • Morrowind
  • Summerset
  • Thieves Guild
  • Clockwork City

Morrowind is a return to the island of Vvardenfell in the province of Morrowind. With gorgeous new music that reimagines Nerevar Rising, and a revisit to the locations from The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, Morrowind is especially great for those who have played the single-player Morrowind game. There is, however, something for everyone here, with Vvardenfell’s dramatic settings, the chance to meet Vivec, and a compelling storyline. This chapter is also free, which gives no reason not to at least try it out. Morrowind goes hand-in-hand with ESO‘s smaller add-on, Clockwork City, which features one of the other members of the Tribunal, Sotha Sil.

Thieves Guild includes a great storyline and a series of heists that can prove to be challenging to perform, going beyond the mindless, repetitive tasks that often befall MMOs. The hub for Thieves Guild, located in Abah’s Landing, Hammerfell, is vibrant and a unique addition to Tamriel’s offerings.

Summerset features one of the best locations in The Elder Scrolls Online, the Summerset Isles, capital of the Aldmeri Dominion. Filled with history, this add-on includes the Psijic Order and an accompanying Skill Line, Jewelry Crafting, and new group challenges. The Summerset Isles are larger than the entirety of Vvardenfell, giving players an incredible amount of new land to explore and places to discover.

A-Tier: Expanding Lore and Returning to Familar Places

  • Dark Brotherhood
  • Necrom
  • Orsinium

One of the most popular factions in The Elder Scrolls, the Dark Brotherhood, makes a return in ESO with the Dark Brotherhood DLC. Its storyline takes place within the Gold Coast region of Cyrodiil, a region that featured prominently in Oblivion, and even features the iconic city of Kvatch, where Oblivion‘s player character forged their hero’s moniker.

Necrom gives insight into one of the most popular of Morrowind’s five Houses, the Telvanni’s, and takes place on the Telvanni peninsula of Morrowind. Its connection to Hermaeus Mora’s plane of Oblivion, Apocrypha, makes it an enigmatic location and continues the Shadows Over Morrowind and Secrets of Apocrypha storylines.

Orsinium gives much-needed depth and insight to the Orcs, a race which are often neglected in The Elder Scrolls storylines despite their fascinating lore and culture. With a well-written storyline, fun side-characters, and a compelling setting, Orsinium stands out as one of the best of ESO‘s smaller DLC.

B-Tier: Solid Adventures in New Places

  • Elsweyr
  • High Isle
  • Blackwood

Elsweyr is the home province of the Khajiit, the cat-people of Tamriel, and their home province is just as diverse as its people, with jungles, savannah, and deserts. The overarching plot of Elsweyr involves invading dragons and introduces the Necromancer class, but the execution of the Elsweyr‘s plot unfortunately fell flat for many.

High Isle introduces a completely new area of Tamriel, giving players a unique setting that’s never been seen before in The Elder Scrolls’ lore. With visuals that rival Summerset, High Isle features a gorgeous locale, but its story doesn’t quite deliver on the promises of its setting, falling into the trap of predictability that ESO‘s storylines have had an unfortunate tendency to do.

ESO’s Blackwood takes place in the area around Leyawiin in southern Cyrodiil, and pays homage to Oblivion in many ways, including a fun boss battle that includes portals to Oblivion. The add-on includes a companion system, which adds two recruitable companions who can be summoned, and a gorgeous setting featuring marshlands and the Deadlands.

The Elder Scrolls Online introduces new seasonal content model

Related


The Elder Scrolls Online Reveals New Seasonal System Change for 2025

Developer ZeniMax Online announces a new seasonal system for delivering The Elder Scrolls Online content to players starting in 2025.

C-Tier: Smaller Add-Ons and Those That Don’t Meet Their Potential

  • Dragonhold
  • Imperial City
  • Deadlands
  • Greymoor
  • Gold Road

Dragonhold, Imperial City, and Deadlands are smaller DLC add-ons that don’t include as much content as their counterparts, even if they deliver what they set out to do in their own right, or are so specialized that only certain types of players will enjoy the DLC. Imperial City is a PvP-focused DLC, and players who don’t have the correct build will see themselves be killed by other players in this area.

Greymoor sees a return to Skyrim, this time with a focus on its Western holds and Blackreach, one of the most iconic locations from 2011’s Skyrim. One of the new systems added to ESO with Greymoor is the Antiquities system, which allows players to excavate and sell artifacts for gold, a system which could be more meaningful.

Gold Road expanded upon Ithelia, the first new Daedric Prince introduced in The Elder Scrolls since Shivering Isles. Ithelia, the Daedric Prince of Fate, had enormous potential, but her storyline and character writing fell flat for many players. Gold Road‘s lackluster story and mishandling of Ithelia puts it on the bottom tier of this list despite its introduction of Scribing and its depiction of Skingrad.

Source link