ESO 2026 Roadmap Revealed: Seasons, Battle Pass, and Big Changes

ZeniMax Online Studios has officially revealed what to expect from The Elder Scrolls Online in 2026, and there are some major changes coming to the MMORPG this year.

Elder Scrolls Online – The Beginning of Seasons

ZeniMax is making the full transition to seasonal content this year. Each season will feature a distinct theme and run for three months. The new structure begins with Season Zero: Dawn and Dusk, launching on April 2, 2026, across all platforms.

Each season can include a mix of new content, such as a new zone, dungeon, storyline, and even new classes, skill lines, or additional systems.

What sets seasons apart is that all seasonal content will be added to the base game for free. There will be no additional cost tied directly to seasonal content.

Instead, ZeniMax is introducing its take on a battle pass system called Tamriel Tomes, which will run alongside each season. As expected, Tamriel Tomes will include both a free rewards track and a premium track.

Weekly in-game challenges will allow players to progress through Tamriel Tomes more quickly.

Premium Track and ESO Plus Subscribers

Unfortunately, ESO Plus subscribers will not automatically receive access to the premium track of a season’s Tamriel Tome. Instead, subscribers earn one token for every 12 months of active subscription, which can be used to unlock a premium track of their choosing.

Season Zero: Dawn and Dusk

The first season of 2026 will launch simultaneously on PC and consoles this April and will conclude on July 8, 2026.

Dawn and Dusk introduces a new limited-time event zone called The Night Market, located in Fargrave within the Oblivion realm. This marks ESO’s first-ever event zone and will be available for seven weeks, featuring challenging PvE encounters and exclusive rewards.

Players will choose one of three unique factions and experience new stories, characters, quests, and even new in-game home rewards tied to the event.

Because The Night Market is limited-time content, ZeniMax confirmed that similar event zones will return in future seasons. This gives players another chance if they missed the event or want to experience it again with a different faction.

Update 49 Launches on March 9

Ahead of the first season, Update 49 launches on March 9 and focuses heavily on quality-of-life improvements. ZeniMax is addressing long-standing player requests, including free skill and attribute respecs directly from the UI, faster riding skill progression, increased furnishing limits, and more.

Combat and Class Changes

Update 49 and Season Zero will also bring notable combat adjustments and class refreshes. During the first season, the Dragonknight class will be the primary focus, receiving visual updates across several abilities along with reworks to its core skill lines.

The Two-Handed weapon skill line is also getting a visual refresh, and Werewolves will see visual improvements later in the season, including the addition of a female werewolf model.

PvP is receiving attention as well, with the introduction of the Vengeance PvP Progression system. This new system allows players to rank up, earn rewards, and unlock unique passive abilities through PvP play.

Season Zero and Beyond

ZeniMax also shared a broader look at ESO’s 2026 roadmap, confirming plans for both Season One and Season Two.

Season One Includes:

• New system: Sage’s Vault

• Multi-stage cooperative events (dynamic world events)

• New in-game event: High Seas of Tamriel

• New Trial: Crimson Veldt

• Warden class refresh (visual and balance improvements)

Season Two Includes:

• Return of The Night Market event zone

• Solo Dungeons: Moon Hunter Keep and March of Sacrifices

• Large-scale world events in Skyrim (dynamic storms)

• Sorcerer class refresh (visual and balance improvements)

• Greymoor DLC added to the base game

In 2024, ZeniMax moved away from traditional annual expansions and shifted toward seasonal content in 2025, featuring two major drops through a paid content pass. They also finally added subclassing last year. Now, in 2026, the studio is committing fully to a seasonal structure.

From what I’m seeing, this looks like ZeniMax’s attempt to make The Elder Scrolls Online more accessible to newcomers and returning players. Picking up the 2025 premium content pass now grants access to previous expansions, making it easier to catch up without feeling buried by years of content.

Seasons, meanwhile, seem designed to strengthen the base game as they roll out, rather than endlessly expanding the backlog for new players. Whether this approach actually works is another question. The 2025 content plan didn’t land particularly well for its community, and it remains to be seen if this seasonal model will fare any better.

For a full rundown of everything planned, you can see the official 2026 reveal below.

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About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.