Online:Buying Guide

The Elder Scrolls Online has had several releases in multiple varieties, with different bundles, different branding, and multiple assortments of additional content available that can be obtained in different ways. Naturally, this can be confusing for someone looking to buy the game and/or all additional DLC and expansions. The purpose of this page is to help explain the different options available to help you decide which version is best for what you want to play and which will be the best value for your money. 

The Basics

There are three types of content that make up Elder Scrolls Online: the base game, expansions called Chapters, and DLC:

Elder Scrolls Online: The base game, previously branded as Tamriel Unlimited, is required to experience the below content. It is buy-to-play, meaning that once you have purchased it you have full access to the base game without any further payment or subscriptions required. 
DLC are small - medium-sized pieces of content usually based in group dungeons or zones roughly the size of the tutorial islands. DLC cannot be bought in retail/digital stores, but can be obtained either by buying them in the in-game cash shop (which is called the Crown Store) individually, or subscribing to ESO Plus (see below). Three DLCs are released every year.
Chapters are expansions that are larger than normal DLC that are released in the second quarter of every year. Chapters are buy-to-play and not included in ESO Plus until the following year, when it gets rebranded as a DLC and the next Chapter is released. There have been five Chapters so far: Morrowind,  Summerset, Elsweyr and Greymoor are now part of ESO Plus, while Blackwood is the current separate purchase.

  Note that in its DLC form, the Morrowind and Elsweyr DLCs gives access to the zone only; access to the Warden and Necromancer classes is now a Crown Store add-on. 

ESO Plus

ESO Plus is an optional subscription service for US$14.99/€12.99/£8.99/¥1,944 per month (discounted depending on how many months you choose in a single purchase). Among other bonuses, it gives you access to all DLC (but not Chapters) while subscribed. If your subscription ends, you no longer have access to DLC zones, but you keep all of the items, achievements, etc. that you have earned. The subscription also gives you 1,650 Crowns (in-game premium currency only available to use in the Crown Store) per month, which you can save up to buy the DLC permanently if you so choose.

Currently Available

The following are the currently available versions of the game:


  The "Morrowind Chapter" included in the bundle includes the Warden class. 

Previously Available

The following versions are no longer available on the official site, but might still be found elsewhere from other retailers.  If you have previously purchased one of these editions, this can help you get up to speed on what to add.


  The "Morrowind Chapter" included in the bundle includes the Warden class. 

Notes
If you already have The Elder Scrolls Online and purchase a version of Morrowind, Summerset, Elsweyr, or Greymoor that contains the base game, it can still be applied to your account and is treated the same as the upgrade alone. If it can be found on sale for a cheaper price than the upgrade edition, this makes it the better option of the two.