The Elder Scrolls Online is an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) that requires only the purchase of the base game to play, but it also offers an optional paid subscription model to its players called ESO Plus. This subscription includes VIP Perks that are otherwise inaccessible or would require separate purchases to obtain. All The Elder Scrolls Online expansions become available to players with an ESO Plus subscription, and also the option to earn premium currency in-game.
The Elder Scrolls Online takes place in the same universe as Bethesda's main Elder Scrolls Series and is set hundreds of years before the events of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The game sees players create their own character to adventure across Tamriel with, only this time being able to do so online with friends and other players. The Elder Scrolls Online has previously offered free trials of ESO Plus lasting a specified number of days, but a subscription can be purchased anytime. A one-month subscription will cost $14.99, three months costs $13.99/month, six months costs $12.99/month, and a year subscription will cost $11.67/month. There are many benefits that come along with an ESO Plus subscription,
ESO Plus subscribers will receive an automatic deposit of 1,650 Crowns per month to their account at the time of purchase, meaning a player buying a three-month subscription would receive 4,950 Crowns immediately and every time the subscription renews. Crowns are a premium currency in The Elder Scrolls Online used to purchase in-game items in the Crown Store, with this allowance being worth a bit more than $15. Players can purchase a wide variety of items in the Crown Store including convenient traveling services and tokens used to change player appearances in The Elder Scrolls Online, as well as rare cosmetic items. Exclusive deals also become available in the Crown Store with ESO Plus. These two benefits are not available in the free trial, however.
Benefits Offered With An Elder Scrolls Online Plus Subscription
Even though The Elder Scrolls Online lacks the over-encumbered mechanic seen in Bethesda's main Elder Scrolls titles, such as Oblivion and Skyrim, storage space can still feel limited, and especially when it comes to collecting the crafting materials found commonly across the setting of Tamriel. Each crafting material a player picks up will fill a space in their inventory that could have held an epic weapon or enchanted armor, which will help them defeat the enemies in The Elder Scrolls Online's story. With ESO Plus, though, crafting materials will be kept in the Craft Bag instead, found as a new section in the inventory menu that has nearly infinite storage space.
An active ESO Plus subscription will also grant players access to all DLC game packs in the Crown Store, with more than 20 currently available. Many of these game packs include massive expansions to The Elder Scrolls Online, including The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset, The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind, and DLC packs based around the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood. Some will unlock whole new areas of the map with new quests and dungeons, offer exclusive loot, or add new skills lines like scrying for antiquities in The Elder Scrolls Online's Greymoor chapter. In total, an ESO Plus subscription will unlock 20 of The Elder Scrolls Online's 24 DLC packs, encompassing many of the most expansive additions developer ZeniMax Online Studios has brought to the game since its launch in 2014.
Players can dye pieces of armor to their preferences in The Elder Scrolls Online, though dying costumes isn't possible without an ESO Plus Subscription. Costumes are clothing worn for appearances only that will cover up any armor players have equipped. Owned costumes are kept in the collectibles tab.
There are six classes of homes in the game, with Elder Scrolls homes available for purchase in ESO using Gold or Crowns in the Crown Store, each class having different maximum capacities for furnishings and collectibles. These range from a maximum of 15 traditional furnishings in an inn room to the 350 max found in manors. Capacity for furnishings and collectibles in purchasable Elder Scrolls homes will double with an ESO Plus subscription, though the maximum number of visitors to a home will not increase. This increase is particularly significant with the special furnishings and special collectibles capacities, manors have the most space available but still only allow a maximum of five specials to be placed, doubling to ten with ESO Plus.
ESO Plus subscribers receive a 10% increase in their Experience and Gold acquisition, as well as Crafting Inspiration and trait research rates. Crafting Inspiration is the Experience players gain from crafting that allows them to rank up in the related professions, with ranking up allowing players to craft better gear in The Elder Scrolls Online. Trait research rates refer to the speed at which a given player's character can learn a trait from an item being researched at a crafting station, which can be found in different locations dotted around the game's map.
Transmute Crystals are an uncommon currency in The Elder Scrolls Online players can earn by completing veteran dungeons and trials. The maximum Transmute Crystals an account can hold is 500, but with ESO Plus that amount increases to 1,000. Available bank space will also double with an active subscription of ESO Plus.
Canceling an ESO Plus subscription will not cause a player to lose any progress or new items and gear they may have unlocked in ESO while their subscription was active, but it will remove access to all available perks going forward and any DLC not purchased with Crowns from the Crown Store. If players have filled their houses doubled capacity these items will not be removed, but players won't be able to place more furnishings until they are under the maximum limit again. Transmute Crystal capacity and bank space would be handled in this same manner. Players who cancel their ESO Plus subscription but who continue to play The Elder Scrolls Online will still be able to access their Craft Bag and all materials stored inside, but they will not be able to store newly collected materials in the Craft Bag without an active subscription.