Do I need to buy all expansions for Elder Scrolls Online?

The short answer is no. While Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) offers a wealth of DLC game packs and Chapters that expand on the base game, subscribing to ESO Plus grants access to the majority of additional content for one flat monthly fee.

With hundreds of hours of adventures across Tamriel already part of the core game, ESO does not require players to buy every single expansion to enjoy the game. Here‘s a deeper look on what game content is available with and without DLCs or ESO Plus.

What Do You Get from Just the Base Game?

ESO‘s base game contains the entirety of Tamriel‘s mainland continent with over 50 explorable zones spread across the provinces of Elsweyr, Black Marsh, Hammerfell, High Rock, Skyrim, Morrowind, and Cyrodil.

This includes major cities like Riften, Windhelm, Daggerfall and Wayrest, along with endless caves, tombs, forests and wilderness for you to discover. With several hundred quests built into the base game alone, new players can easily sink over 100+ hours into the main stories, faction campaigns, side quests and dungeon delving before running out of activities.

Some key features accessible with just the base game:

• 30+ dungeons and 12 public dungeons to battle through
• Over 300 Skyshards to collect
• Hundreds of treasure maps and points of interest
• 3 large PvP campaigns with the 30 km2 Imperial City at the center
• 19 crafting skill lines to progress
• Gigantic guild trader network with player driven economy

According to analytics site HowLongToBeat, completing all the quests fully in ESO takes over 363 hours on average. In terms of pure exploration, playable hours extend into the thousands.

Compared to other MMOs, ESO‘s base game zones provide significantly more playtime than both Final Fantasy XIV and Guild Wars 2‘s starter areas. You‘ll also find greater build variety in ESO, with ample depth for theorycrafting.

What Do DLCs and Chapters Provide?

While ESO‘s DLC game packs and Chapters offer exciting new zones, quests and special features, none of them are essential to enjoy the core game.

DLC Game Packs – Smaller DLCs that add 2-4 hour adventures with new dungeons, zones and quests. Examples include Shadows of the Hist, Horns of the Reach and Murkmire.

Chapters – Larger expansions that introduce new territories, skill lines, quest arcs and gameplay features. The most recent chapter is High Isle.

Here‘s a quick overview of how much it would cost in CAD to buy all the current DLCs individually, excluding any discounts or sales:

As you can see, buying all DLCs separately is quite costly. This is where ESO Plus subscription shines.

ESO Plus Grants Access to Almost All DLCs

An ESO Plus membership currently costs about $20 CAD a month. This grants you unlimited access to all DLC game packs, Chapters (except the most current one), the Craft Bag and more while you stay subscribed.

Over its 8+ years of operation, Elder Scrolls Online has seen excellent consistent updates and improvements that have steadily enhanced the game. During this time, ESO Plus has remained one of the most worthwhile investments to experience new content drops as soon as they launch.

Some particularly great perks of an active subscription include:

• The Craft Bag – Unlimited storage for all crafting materials
• A monthly 1500 Crown cash shop allowance (worth ~$25 CAD)
• 10% bonus XP, gold and inspiration gain
• Double bank space for all characters
• Additional character slots
• Exclusive ability to dye costumes
• Double furnishing space for player housing

The Craft Bag alone is a huge advantage for player inventory management and storage. And the monthly Crown grant enables access to DLCs, cosmetics and more from the cash shop when used judiciously.

Diving into some numbers, ESO Revenue has surpassed $1 billion USD as of 2021 driven by digital purchases and subscriptions. Despite being 7 years old, the game hit an all-time concurrent player count on Steam in 2022. This showcases the ongoing content and value ESO Plus provides.

Do You Need the Latest Chapter?

High Isle launched in 2022 as the newest Chapter, introducing the tropical Systres Archipelago for players to explore. It offers 30+ hours of quests and adventures across two new zones packed with interesting characters, stories and memorable scenery.

As with all previous Chapters, High Isle is not covered by ESO Plus membership and needs to be purchased separately if you wish to play it. It is currently priced at 5000 Crowns, though likely to see discounts through 2023.

While the Systres Archipelago is beautiful with fun questlines, you can still enjoy hundreds of hours of existing adventures without it. I recommend playing through some of the base game and previous DLCs first before deciding on High Isle.

Key Takeaways – Start with ESO Plus

In summary, while ESO offers no shortage of paid expansions, you get abundant value from the base game and ESO Plus subscription alone:

• The base game lets you adventure across the entirety of Tamriel with hundreds of quests
• ESO Plus grants access to all DLC packs & all Chapters except the latest – extremely cost effective!
• I recommend ESO Plus first before buying any other DLCs/Chapters individually
• High Isle not needed immediately to enjoy the core maps and content

Considering the $168 CAD it would take to buy every DLC individually, an ESO Plus subscription is hands down the most economical way to unlock nearly all the additional content. With so many zones, stories and features to experience across 800+ hours of gameplay, you‘ll be kept busy for a long time before needing to spend extras.

Whether you‘re a new or existing player jumping into ESO, I hope this overview has helped demystify what game content is available with and without DLCs. Let me know if you have any other questions!