The Elder Scrolls Online 2014

About

The Elder Scrolls Online came out on April 4, 2014 for Mac and PC, then for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on June 9, 2015 and for Google Stadia on June 16, 2020. It is on Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, Essential, PC. On Steam, 82% of 134,683 player reviews are positive (Very Positive). 9,328 people are playing it on Steam right now, with a peak of 12,829 in the last 30 days. It is Verified on Steam Deck.

Every legend starts somewhere and in The Elder Scrolls Online, it starts with you. Write your story into a vibrant chapter of Tamriel’s distant past that takes place nearly 1,000 years before the iconic TES V: Skyrim, and discover a world steeped in adventure and possibility.

Story

The game is set in the Second Era, in 2E 583, during a period of time known as the Interregnum. It was a period of time known for its political instability. Daedric prince Molag Bal has taken advantage of this instability to try and pull all of Tamriel into his realm of Coldharbour. Bal is doing so by sending devices called "Dark Anchors" into Tamriel. The Fighters Guild have taken it upon themselves to remove them. The Tharn family, current rulers of Cyrodiil through Empress Regent Clivia Tharn, has made a pact with the King of Worms, who has agreed to supplement the Imperial's forces by resurrecting their soldiers. Secretly, Mannimarco is conspiring with Molag Bal, the Daedric Prince of Corruption and Domination, to take over Mundus. Molag Bal is also harvesting the souls of mortals. The Hero is an adventurer whose soul has been taken, which allows them to constantly return to life.

What is happening now

The Elder Scrolls Online is a long-running fantasy MMO launched in 2014 across PC and macOS, offering players an interconnected Elder Scrolls experience with both PvE and PvP content. The game has faced uncertainty following significant layoffs at Bethesda and its parent company Xbox, which affected ZeniMax Online Studios' leadership including studio head Jo Burba. While the scale of departures raised concerns about the game's future among its playerbase, the developer has moved to reassure fans that The Elder Scrolls Online remains actively supported. ZeniMax has posted an extended roadmap reaffirming its commitment to delivering new content, though the studio has acknowledged reduced team bandwidth has impacted some operations, including limitations on cash shop updates and blog communications. Despite these challenges, the team is proceeding with planned events, including a celebration of Bethesda's 40th anniversary next month alongside PvP-focused activities and Update 51 on the public test server.