Playing The Elder Scrolls Online packs in Order – Where to begin?

Seven years of massive updates and the addition of expansion packs have rendered The Elder Scrolls Online a vast game, making it confusing for newcomers. Since its primary release in 2014, the game has received six main expansions and a plethora of smaller DLCs.

With a bunch of stories available, finding the best Elder Scrolls Online order, whether chronological or release date-wise, can be a daunting task.

The base game is the earliest in The Elder Scrolls Online series. It’s set in the second era of Tamriel in a period called Interregnum, a time lacking a unified empire rule. Although the release date is a tempting order to begin the series, the chronological order makes way more sense.

In The Elder Scroll Online’s base game, the Three Banners War, aka the Alliance War, is ongoing, serving players with the chance to fight for one of three in-game factions, namely the Aldmeri Dominion, the Daggerfall Covenant, and the Ebonheart Pact.

Since 2017, The Elder Scrolls Online has been getting a new expansion pack almost every year. These expansion packs can be considered standalone games with independent stories so players can begin from any point. But each pack develops on the story from the previous one, making the release order seem like the best way to navigate through The Elder Scrolls Online series.

Here’s more about how to play The Elder Scrolls Online games in order.

1. The Chronological Order to Play The Elder Scrolls Online Series

The Elder Scrolls Online series consists of many main expansion packs, DLCs, and additional content. So, it’s virtually impossible to pinpoint the chronological order to play the franchise by yourself.

Hence, in case you want to grab hold of the game’s storyline, mentioned below is the chronological order to play The Elder Scrolls Online series.

1. ESO Base Game
2. Imperial City (DLC)
3. Orsinium (DLC)
4. Thieves Guild (DLC)
5. Dark Brotherhood (DLC)
6. Morrowind (Expansion Pack)
7. Clockwork City (DLC)
8. Summerset (Expansion Pack)
9. Murkmire (DLC)
10. Elsweyr (Expansion Pack)
11. Greymoor (Expansion Pack)
12. Markarth (DLC)
13. Blackwood (Expansion Pack)
14. The Deadlands (DLC)
15. High Isle (Expansion Pack)

If you’re looking for the chronological order to play the primary games/expansion packs only, a condensed version of the above order is the following.

1. ESO Base Game
2. Morrowind
3. Summerset
4. Elsweyr
5. Greymoor
6. Blackwood
7. High Isle

2. The Release Order to Play The Elder Scrolls Online Series

Surprisingly, the release order to play The Elder Scrolls Online series is pretty similar to its chronological order, with some minor difference when it comes to the DLCs.

The below-mentioned release order to play the Elder Scrolls Online series isn’t very ideal for beginners as the same amount of effort goes into playing the series according to the storyline.

1. ESO Base Game – 2014
2. Imperial City (DLC) – 2015
3. Orsinium (DLC) – 2015
4. Thieves Guild (DLC) – 2016
5. Dark Brotherhood (DLC) – 2016
6. Morrowind (Expansion Pack) – 2017
7. Clockwork City (DLC) – 2017
8. Summerset (Expansion Pack) – 2018
9. Murkmire (DLC) – 2018
10. Elsweyr (Expansion Pack) – 2019
11. Greymoor (Expansion Pack) – 2020
12. Markarth (DLC) – 2020
13. Blackwood (Expansion Pack) – 2021
14. The Deadlands (DLC) – 2021
15. High Isle (Expansion Pack) – 2022

Given that the above-mentioned list is rather overwhelming, here’s a condensed list of the release order to play The Elder Scrolls Online expansion packs.

1. ESO Base Game – 2014
2. Morrowind (Expansion Pack) – 2017
3. Summerset (Expansion Pack) – 2018
4. Elsweyr (Expansion Pack) – 2019
5. Greymoor (Expansion Pack) – 2020
6. Blackwood (Expansion Pack) – 2021
7. High Isle (Expansion Pack) – 2022

3. Which The Elder Scrolls Online game should you play first?

Regardless of the edition you opt for, The Elder Scrolls Online game you should play first is the base game, known as the Main Quest or “Planemeld.” This game includes a storyline of choosing one of three in-game factions and working to stop the evil plans of Molag Bal, the antagonist.

However, regardless of the ESO game you play first, the game will greet you with a universal tutorial to teach you how to play it. Furthermore, new players are recommended to choose one of the base faction’s locations, as it’ll help them prepare for future quests.

If you join the Aldmeri Dominion, the game will take you to Khenarthi’s Roost. If you’re partial to the Daggerfall Covenant, you’ll need to go to the Stros M’Kai, while players inclined to join the Ebonheart Pact will travel to Bleakrock Isle.

4. Do you need to play The Elder Scrolls Online series in order?

Technically, you don’t need to play The Elder Scrolls Online games in any particular order. The Tamriel update from 2016 allows players to explore the game in whichever order they prefer. Nevertheless, it’s wise to start the game from the main quest, at least since it’ll offer you the chance to gain a decent idea about the series.

Moreover, whether you go about ESO in order or not also depends on the edition of the game you possess. While the Standard edition allows you to start with any of the Alliance War factions’ locations and Morrowwind’s starting location, The Elder Scrolls Online Collection: Blackwood lets you start from any expansion pack/DLC.

5. Are all The Elder Scrolls Online games connected?

Although it’s mentioned in this guide that every expansion pack can be considered standalone, there’s definitely a connection between all the expansion packs. That being said, each expansion pack has enough substance to act as a standalone.

In addition, the lore and books in The Elder Scrolls Online series that bridge the narrative between the various expansion packs and DLCs are easy to grasp. As a result, even if you don’t play the series in the recommended order, you won’t find it challenging to connect the dots. So, feel free to play the ESO series in any order you like!

6. Does The Elder Scrolls Online have a main story?

Yes, The Elder Scrolls Online does have a main story. Although each expansion pack and DLC has its own separate story, connected via simple narratives, the base game’s storyline in The Elder Scrolls Online series is the main story.

The main story of ESO is set in Planemeld. It involves players choosing one of three distinct war factions, participating in the Alliance War, and preventing the antagonist, Molag Bal, from executing his evil plans.

7. How long does the ESO main story take?

The main story in The Elder Scrolls Online is significantly short and takes approximately 7 to 8 hours to beat for beginners. On the other hand, if you do all alliance quests and side quests, you can easily reach 50 to 100 hours of gameplay.

Additionally, the Elder Scrolls Online series, including the expansion packs, DLCs, and dungeons, requires over 1000 hours of gameplay. Needless to say, ESO is a massive game, and the addition of an expansion pack every year makes the series huge. Nevertheless, such a completion time is typical for massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs).

8. Which The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle Edition should you buy?

There are two editions of The Elder Scrolls Online High Isle available at the moment, The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle Upgrade and The Elder Scrolls Online Collections: High Isle. Also, both the above-mentioned editions contain a couple more sub-editions, namely Collector’s edition and Standard edition.

If you are new to the ESO series and don’t possess a single expansion or the base game, go for The Elder Scrolls Online Collections: High Isle, as it consists of the base game and all chapters until the most recent expansion pack, i.e., High Isle. But, if you already possess the base game and the previous chapters, you can purchase The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle Upgrade and upgrade till the latest expansion pack.

Lastly, to purchase the numerous DLCs, you must head to ESO Plus or the Crown Store.

9. About The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was developed by Bethesda Game Studios for platforms like Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

The plot of this role-playing action game takes players to the events that took place 200 years after the end of Oblivion.

Set in the land of Skyrim, the story involves Dovah-Kiin aka the Dragon Born who is on a crusade to defeat Alduin or else the entire world will be burned to the ground and be all demolished.