The Elder Scrolls Online will remove level restrictions with the One Tamriel update
This fall, Elder Scrolls Online will remove content barriers and allow players of all levels to experience everything the game has to offer.
This news was unveiled during Bethesda's E3 2016 showcase.
After showing off a short trailer that boasted some impressive statistics about the game (including a player count of 7 million, although that actually refers to sales rather than currently active players), game director Matt Firor took the stage to announce the upcoming One Tamriel update, due this fall.
One Tamriel will remove restrictions based on player level, letting anyone access any part of the game and allowing for groups of players with vastly differently levels of experience, with the intention of making the game more attractive to newcomers.
Immediately after the showcase, Firor published a blog post that went into further details about the update:
- Characters will have their level scaled the same way that we currently scale players to the level of DLC zones (Imperial City, Orsinium, Thieves Guild, and Dark Brotherhood).
- You will be able to explore the entire world in any sequence you wish - just walk across the world and you will always find appropriately leveled content.
- You will be able to play and group with anyone in the game at any time (outside of PvP). No longer will you have to create a lower level character to play with a friend who has just joined the game. You will be able to group and adventure together from the moment your friend emerges from the tutorial.
- We are dropping all PvE Alliance restrictions. You will be free to explore of all Tamriel, including other Alliances. It is up to you how you want to role-play your character while doing this. “Silver" and “gold" versions of zones will be replaced by Cadwell quest storylines that you can do in any order you wish.
- Alliance restrictions will still be enforced in all PvP areas, of course. One Tamriel will not affect the PvP systems in Cyrodiil.
- In general, higher level players will be the same “level" as lower level players, but they will have far more tools in their arsenal: better gear, more abilities, and of course more Champion points.
- We will adjust gear rewards to scale appropriately to make sure that there is always a way to get more powerful via crafting, questing, PvP, and dungeon/trial boss loot drops.
- All Trials and Dungeons will continue with standard and Veteran difficulty modes, and you will have to be Veteran level to play veteran dungeon modes.
- The Coldharbour zone will be “roped off" from players who have not yet completed the quests that lead there. However, if you are invited to a group that is already there, or travel to a friend who is there, you can immediately access the zone.
The latest Elder Scrolls Online expansion, Dark Brotherhood, hit PC recently. It's due for release on PS4 and Xbox One on June 14. For more E3 updates, check out our E3 Hub.