The Elder Scrolls Online continues to expand as previously paid DLC content for the Dark Brotherhood, Thieves Guild and many more will soon become a free part of the base game.
In March, with the release of Update 49, the Dark Brotherhood, Thieves Guild, Imperial City, and Orsinium expansions will be included in the base game and will be available to all players. Towards the end of the year, the Greymoor chapter will also be part of the base game.
Currently, ESO players need to sign up for the game's optional ESO Plus membership (around $15 per month) or purchase each DLC separately using the game's premium currency, crowns, to access the content described above.
Orsinium, released in 2015, added the homeland of the orcs and new dungeons that players can explore for 3,000 crowns, or about $25. The Imperial City DLC, released in 2015 for 2,500 crowns (roughly $20), allowed players to return to one of Oblivion's most iconic locations to stop the Daedric forces of Molag Bal from abusing the seat of power in the center of Tamriel. The Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild DLCs were released in 2016 and cost 2,000 crowns each, which equates to about $20 per DLC.
With the Dark Brotherhood DLC, players will be able to join a shadow organization of assassins and gain access to a new assassin passive skill line that makes it easier to kill NPCs. Those who join the Thieves Guild gain access to passive skills focused on stealing and stealing, allowing players to earn more money from stolen items and gain access to special treasures hidden throughout Tamriel.
Meanwhile, Greymoor will be the biggest addition to the bunch when it goes free sometime in Winter 2026. The chapter was originally released in 2020 and represented the Western regions Skyrimwhere players can go on a quest to stop an ancient vampire lord.
The news that previously premium DLC has become free appeared as part of the recent ESO 2026 Roadmap live broadcast. During the presentation, developer ZeniMax Online Studios laid out its plans for its MMORPG for the coming year, which include a new seasonal focus, the addition of a Battle Pass, and a class overhaul. ESO's move to a seasonal model comes after the transition year of 2025, in which no new chapter was released. Instead, one experimental season was released in 2025. Seasons of the Worm Cultwhat happened during the year.
In addition to the free DLC, ZeniMax Online also confirmed that it is working on finally adding cross play with ESO in the future, although it looks like it will still be some time before PC, Xbox and PlayStation players can play together.
