What is the Level Cap in ESO for 2023?

The max base character level in The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) remains Level 50 in 2024, just as it has since the game launched in 2014. However, progression does continue past that in the form of Champion Points (CP)…

Leveling to 50 – A Quick Milestone

Reaching Level 50 is considered more of an early milestone in ESO rather than an end goal. While Level 50 used to take weeks for the average player, nowadays you can get there in:

• 10-30 hours if you optimize grinding
• 1-2 weeks for most focused players
• 1-2 months for casual players

So hitting the level cap is now relatively quick and painless compared to most MMOs. But Level 50 is just the beginning…

Here are the total XP requirements to reach Level 50 currently:

As you can see, early levels require trivial amounts of XP while later levels ramp up exponentially. Still, since most enemies scale with you now, grinding levels is easier than ever.

Overall, Level 50 can be seen more as a launch pad rather than a final destination now. The real journey begins once you start earning Champion Points.

What Happens at Level 50? – Enter Champion Points

Upon reaching Level 50, you stop earning regular levels that grant skill points. Instead you now earn Champion Points (CP) for every bit of XP you gain. This includes:

• Completing quests
• Killing enemies
• Discovering locations
• Crafting items
• PVP kills
• Dungeon runs
• And anything else that normally grants XP!

CP is an account-wide progression system. Any CP you earn can be spent across all your characters for bonuses.

These bonuses bolster your core attributes beyond what gear alone can provide. Things like:

• Max Health, Magicka, and Stamina
• Resource regeneration
• Critical strike chance
• Damage mitigation
• And much more

There are hundreds of CP bonuses you can unlock by investing in the Champion System tree.

And since CP is shared, you can have a mighty Level 50 character right away by spending CP earned on veteran characters. Making alts easier!

The Champion Point (CP) Cap – Now 3600

While Level 50 has remained static since 2014, the CP cap has increased a few times:

As you can see, the CP cap got its biggest bump ever in 2022 – jumping from 810 up to 3600 CP!

Why the big increase?

Well, many veteran players had essentially "maxed out" their potential Champion Point upgrades already by capping at 810 CP previously.

Adding another 2790 in 2022 and into 2023 reignited the progression chase for those veterans while also enticing lapsed players to return with a new goal horizon ahead of them.

The Long Journey to 3600 CP

Now, earning 3600 CP is no trivial feat. How much play time does it take?

• Reaching 3600 CP takes 7-9 months of consistent daily play for most veterans
• Casual players can expect to need 1-2 years of occasional play to hit the cap
• New players starting today have an incredibly long journey ahead!

In terms of raw numbers, you need just over 1 billion XP to reach 3600 Champion Points!

Thankfully there is no rush. Enjoy the slowburn progression.

Here is how much XP it takes to reach each Champion Point level:

Reaching 3600 takes about one thousand times more XP than reaching Level 50 initially did!

The Champion System creates an endless progression horizon while keeping the actual level cap static and approachable. Well played, ZOS!

What This Means for New Players

For new players, hitting Level 50 and beginning your CP journey should be seen as a milestone rather than an final objective.

The good news is you can be highly effective with only 100-200 Champion Points invested! Early CP offer the biggest bang for your buck.

Yet you‘ll always have incremental progression ahead of you for the months and years to come. That creates long-term incentives to keep playing and mastering your character without invalidating your growth so far.

And for Veteran Players?

Meanwhile that huge 3600 CP cap means veteran players with thousands of hours played still have new bars to chase rather than being "done" with progression.

Now you may be thinking – what‘s the point when the gear cap is still Champion Point 160?

And it’s true, while gear stops scaling at CP160, your overall stats and builds do continue benefiting from investing additional Champion Points beyond that gear cap.

In fact, a CP3600 player has roughly double the base attributes of a CP160 player with identical gear!

So veteran players keep becoming objectively stronger rather than hitting a brick wall. Just very slowly past CP810.

Impact on Builds and Viability

While a CP3600 player is undoubtedly stronger than a CP160 one in absolute terms, the game‘s balance and combat does counteract that gap to prevent trivializing content.

Higher CP doesn‘t directly translate into dealing twice as much damage for example. Solo content scales to you, while veterans raiding end-game Trials still need to play mechanically well since boss HP doesn‘t change.

Yet someone with 3600 CP will certainly have an easier time reaching various stat thresholds for builds to function smoothly. Ultimately though, skill matters much more than CP alone.

A cutting edge raid group doesn‘t require everyone be at the CP cap – but it certainly doesn‘t hurt!

Comparisons to Other MMOs

Compared to most MMORPGs, ESO‘s level and progression design is quite player friendly.

Both the Level 50 and CP 3600 caps are reasonably attainable milestones rather than stretching out arbitrarily forever as in say Everquest or World of Warcraft.

Yet the Champion system still provides veterans a practical reason to keep playing and cementing their power rather than capping out.

Many MMOs struggle to strike that balance. I feel ESO nails it.

Predictions – Will the Cap Raise Again?

Personally, I predict ZOS will bump the CP cap roughly every 2 years moving forward in smaller increments.

Maybe up to 4200-4500 next expansion, then slowly creeping to 5000 and eventually 6000 CP over the next 5-8 years.

This allows both veterans and newer players alike to always have a progression dangle ahead of them without constantly moving the goalposts to unattainable levels.

If you just reached 3600 CP, congrats! Enjoy end-game for a while until next major ESO chapter.

For everyone else, temper your expectations on chasing endless power growth. Focus less on the destination and more on enjoying the journey of mastering your character within the system given to us.

That mentality will lead to a much healthier relationship with ESO and grown rather than grind!

Wrapping Up

I hope this detailed guide gives you a better understanding of the Champion System and Level 50 cap specifics as they exist in 2024. Let me know if you have any other questions!

Now get out there, train up your skills, and claim those precious Champion Points! Glory awaits, my friends!