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The Elder Scrolls Online has been a steady presence in the MMORPG community since 2014. The game continues to hold the attention of its fans, thanks to the consistent release of expansions that add new content, mechanics, and overall depth to the continent of Tamriel. To date, there are seven major expansions that have been added to the title.
However, not every expansion has been well-received, and some have performed better than others. Here is a ranking of every single expansion that has been added to Elder Scrolls Online since it was first released.
Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer
What is the best Elder Scrolls Online expansion?
7) Blackwood
Blackwood added a new gameplay mechanic that allowed players to employ an NPC companion to aid them in their adventures around Tamriel. This mechanic was especially useful for those who did not have a regular group to play with.
However, Blackwood was severely lacking as an expansion, and Reddit user u/GgMc47 summarizes its weaknesses well.
Blackwood does not do as well as the other expansions for The Elder Scrolls Online in the story department. Players felt that the main plot of the added storyline was bland and overdone. The "world is coming to an end" narrative is overused, and the game does not add anything new to the tired cliche.
This, and the fact that its best feature, the companions, felt underwhelming, places Blackwood at the bottom of Elder Scrolls online expansions.
6) Necrom (2023)
Necrom is the newest expansion to be added to The Elder Scrolls Online. It became available for PC and Mac players earlier this month and will be arriving on consoles on June 20.
Necrom sees players visit the Telvanni Peninsula and the realm of Apocrypha. A new trial and world event have also been added to the game.
The world event has already been criticized and is falling out of favor among those who play solo. Many players share the sentiments of Redditor u/dolphinpainus and feel that the Bastion Nymic World Event makes it difficult for those who mostly play alone to enjoy the expansion. Others believe that it takes up too much time to complete for a daily event.
It seems that this expansion misunderstood what players wanted and is alienating part of the player base.
5) Greymoor
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the most popular single-player RPG games ever. The Elder Scrolls Online attempted to capitalize on that popularity by introducing Western Skyrim.
This expansion did well to capture the feeling that players had when they first jumped into Skyrim's frozen tundras, and fans enjoyed the Antiquity mechanic that was introduced. However, it fell flat in other areas. The positives that it brought to the game felt superficial and did nothing to improve it as a whole.
Many players who played Skyrim purchased Greymoor and were disappointed that the plot of its storyline felt similar to the Skyrim DLC Dawnguard. Others were disappointed that the characters were terribly written, and many felt it was unfairly priced as a full expansion while failing to add anything significant.
4) High Isle
The High Isle expansion was added to the game in 2022 and gave players a new region that has never been featured in any Elder Scrolls game.
Players got to explore the Systres Archipelago of Tamriel, where they got to deal with a conspiracy that threatened to derail peace talks between three factions that have been at war. Aside from this, a new card-based minigame was also added to the game.
High Isle's newly added areas were praised due to their aesthetics. Overall, the locations that were included in this expansion were some of the best that were added to The Elder Scrolls Online.
However, despite having a strong storyline, the expansion just did not add anything substantial to the game as a whole compared to others. Reddit user u/Cassanova1226 pointed this out while offering a possible explanation as to why it is the case.
3) Morrowind
Morrowind was the very first expansion to be added to The Elder Scrolls Online, adding the island of Vvanderfell as a new area for players to explore. A new questline was also added, wherein the player was tasked with stopping a meteor from crashing into Morrowind. Additionally, a new class was added, along with a new 4v4v4 PvP game mode called Battlegrounds.
Despite adding a dash of nostalgia and a great new questline, some players felt like this expansion did not have enough depth and that it lacked replayability.
In their post, Reddit user u/DragoneerFA summed up the feelings of all players who were somewhat disappointed with the expansion.
2) Summerset
High Elves have a prominent presence in Elder Scrolls lore, and the Summerset expansion allowed players to visit their home. The expansion added incredible storylines and mechanics that players thoroughly enjoyed. Additionally, fans praised the aesthetic of the new zones.
Despite being released before Greymoor, it was constantly compared to that expansion, as seen in u/imfadedterrance comment on a thread dedicated to praising Summerset.
Compared to Greymoor, the characters were better written, and the story was significantly better. The new mechanics were also more substantial than what Greymoor had in store.
As a whole, Summerset added so many new things to The Elder Scrolls Online that players thoroughly enjoyed.
1) Elsweyr
Elsweyr is the home of the Khajit, and many fans of The Elder Scrolls series have wanted to see it as the main setting in a game.
Many players got their wish in a way when Elsweyr was added to The Elder Scrolls Online. Even though it is not a standalone title, it still had an overwhelmingly positive reception.
The setting and its aesthetics received plenty of praise. Players enjoyed the Necromancer class that was added with the expansion, along with the new trials. The expansion also added dragons to the game.
Overall, Elsweyr is widely considered the best expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online.
The Elder Scrolls Online continues to have a strong player base and is one of the better MMORPGs right now. Fans are sure to see more additions to the game in the future. While each expansion aims to tweak the player experience in a positive way, not every single one will be a hit, as we've seen in the past.
