The Elder Scrolls Online is getting a series of major shakeups in 2026, as the game’s development team at ZeniMax Online Studios pursues new, experimental features, and quality of life fixes to streamline the experience.
In a recent Seasons showcase, the team revealed a host of tweaks arriving in the game from March 2026 onwards, including the arrival of a battle pass system, known as Tamriel Tomes.
The Elder Scrolls Online 2026 roadmap – quick links
What to know about the new Elder Scrolls Online battle pass system
As described, the Tamriel Tomes system allows players to earn rewards on free, premium (USD $14.99), and premium-plus (USD $29.99) tracks.
Free users will gain access to the Tamriel Tomes battle pass for the duration of the entire in-game season, and they’ll be able to earn cosmetics, items, and currencies by progressing on their track. Those who purchase a Premium Tome will have no time limit to complete their track, and they will earn additional premium cosmetics, items and currencies. Premium+ Tomes feature everything in the base Premium tier, as well as faster progress with ‘instant’ Tome points, and additional cosmetics.
Tiers will unlock as players participate in weekly and seasonal in-game challenges, including quests, trials, and PvP matches, with multiple rewards awaiting active players. Everyone will immediately gain access to the free tier of the Tamriel Tomes battle pass system on launch.
New Tamriel Tomes will launch with each in-game season, which will correspond with real-life seasons, seemingly lasting a few months each.
The Elder Scrolls Online: What to expect in 2026
In a timeline detailing what to expect, the ZeniMax Online Studios team confirmed The Elder Scrolls Online will be getting its Tamriel Tomes system on 2 April 2026, to align with the launch of the game’s ‘Season Zero’ of new content.
As well as the battle pass, Season Zero will also include a new group event zone known as The Night Market, a new PvP progression system, and various quality of life upgrades. These include easier options for re-building skills and attributes, as well as account-wide outfit slots, faster mount training, and increases for furnishing limits.
Looking beyond Season Zero, players can expect additional features and tweaks in future game seasons, which will land throughout 2026.
Season One, which will start in the wake of Winter 2026 [Southern Hemisphere] will introduce a new story and quests focused on the Thieves Guild and Sheogorath, as well as new trials (Crimson Veldt), new dynamic world events, and more. This will be accompanied by a visual refresh and balance updates.
Season Two will kick off in the wake of Spring 2026 [Southern Hemisphere] with a new ‘High Seas of Tamriel’ in-game event, new solo dungeons for players who prefer to travel alone, and a large-scale world event in Skyrim which will feature dynamic storms (and hopefully some neat surprises).
With all of this on the way, it does appear there’s plenty to come for The Elder Scrolls Online in 2026, despite a move away from major content and story packs.
We’re yet to see the full extent of the game’s new battle pass system, and that could cause some concern amongst players who fear missing out on good items and being required to pay more beyond the price of the game, but we’ll just have to wait to see how this pans out, and what rewards are offered.
