Welcome to part two of the Battleground Bully series where we cover The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) Battleground Basics. Battlegrounds (BGs) are instanced based small-scale Player vs. Player (PvP) with three teams of four players each. BGs are not faction specific, meaning an Ebonheart Pact player may group with a Daggerfall Covenant player and queue up together. You can also queue solo or with up to four people in your group. Keep reading for how to get started, incentives, and general strategies!

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Getting Started


You must be at least level 10 in order to start queuing for BGs. To start, simply click your group menu button, go to Battlegrounds, then you have a choice of options. Randomly queuing daily gives a nice reward while choosing a specific mode does not. Newer players looking to experience BGs and find their niche should hit random. Leaving a BG early will incur a penalty not allowing you to queue for 20 minutes, so don’t rage quit! Champion Points (CP) are currently disabled in BGs allowing new or returning players to enjoy the content rather than spending hours catching up.

Once queued, you'll be placed in a Match Making Ranking (MMR) system with the pool of other players. MMR is a complex topic and will be covered in a separate article later. Essentially, the higher your rating (medals earned weekly), the more likely you are to face higher ranked players. When starting BGs, you'll likely get queue pops quickly and play matches repeatedly without having to wait. The higher you are on the leader board, the more likely you are to wait to be paired with similar players. Keep in mind this isn’t always the case as the players base could be massive at peak hours and low during off hours.

Battleground matches typically last ten minutes. though they can last a maximum of 15 minutes. Game modes currently have a max score of 500. There are also two different brackets for players, levels 10-49 and 50 or end game players. You can also queue while in Cyrodiil or anywhere else in the world making it very accessible. Upon entering the BG you will be assigned one of three teams Green (Pit Daemons), Orange (Fire Drakes), or Purple (Storm Lords).
Modes and Maps

The game currently has five different game types broken down into three different categories in which you can select via group activity finder (adding with more DLC). We will cover strategies and Meta in later posts but this is an overview of the system. The first to 500 win the match (or the team with the highest after 15 minute duration). Keep in mind, winning a match and moving up the leader board are two separate things. We will cover more information on leader boards and medals below.

Modes

Deathmatch - Killing opponents gives points (sigils may/may not be removed).

Flag Games

Capture the Relic- Three relics, one for each team. You must own your team’s relic in order to steal and capture another team’s (100 points each score). Once you score or capture a relic, it is returned to that team’s base. In order to pick up the opponents relic you must be stationary and not taking damage, stunned or interrupted. If you die carrying the relic, it will remain in place for 10 seconds before returning to base automatically. Think of this as a three way capture the flag.
Chaosball - The purpose of this game is to score points by holding the ball as long as possible. As you hold the ball, you'll progressively start taking more damage from the ball. There's also a big red circle that amplifies the damage if teammates remain inside it. When a player dies, anyone can pick up the ball assuming they are not stunned or incapacitated.

Land Grab

Crazy King - The goal of Crazy king is to capture a specific flag point that needs to be held by your team (maximum of two points). Think of the flag point as a resource/keep flag point. The more people standing on it from your team, the faster you "flip" it. Once captured fully, you'll start earning points until another team flips it to their team.
Domination - This mode is similar to Crazy King but there are more points and they change position more often. Think of it as mobile king of the hill.

Maps

Ald Carac: A Dwemer city ruin with environmental damage on the bottom floor center.
Foyada Quarry: A quarry set in the shadow of Red Mountain. This map features tons of knock back points that you can kill your enemy with environmental damage.
Ularra: An old overgrown Daedric worshiping site with a massive central point that you have to "teleport" to to access.
Arcane University: A ruined outer district of the Imperial City, once Tamriel's center of magical learning (Horns of the Reach DLC).
Mor Khazgur: An Orcish stronghold on the eastern slopes of the Druadach Mountains (Dragonbones DLC)
Deeping Drome: A cavern containing a mysterious Dwemer ruin (Dragonbones DLC)
Istirus Outpost: A fortification in southwestern Cyrodiil (added in Wolfhunter DLC)

Leaderboards

Battlegrounds feature three separate leader boards that reset every week (same time as Veteran Maelstrom Arena/Trials/Etc.). These leader boards are broken down into Death match, Flag Games and Land Grab. You earn points via medals which are listed below or found in game under Help>Tutorial>Battleground. While winning influences the rewards you receive at the end, it does not influence medals. Medals from each match are awarded for specific actions like a huge 10,000 point damage hit or holding the Chaos-ball for 60 seconds. Medals alone give you a score which applies to your leader board ranking, not wins or losses. I’m not a fan of this, but it’s the reality in ESO.

So if you’re looking to be competitive, you’ll really need to think about your build and how it fits into a specific mode. For instance, a heavily armored tank is going to have a hard time climbing the deathwatch leader boards. You can access these leader boards within your journal like you would for Maelstrom, Dragonstar Arena, Trials, etc.
Medals

Medals: Team Death match

Damage

Bruiser (50 points): Deal at least 5k damage
Fearsome Fighter (100 points): Deal at least 25k damage
Gladiator (200 points): Deal at least 50k damage
Heavy Hitter (5 points*): Score a 10k damage hit
Crushing Blow (10 points*): Score a 11.75k damage hit

Healing

Minor Mender (50 points): Heal for at least 5k damage
Heroic Healer (100 points): Heal for at least 25k damage
Medic (200 points): Heal for at least 50k damage
Fearless Physician (400 points): Heal for at least 375k damage
Critical Heal (5 points*): Score a 7.5k healing hit
Rapid Recovery (10 points*): Score a 15k healing hit

Kills

First Strike (111 points): Earn the 1stkilling blow
Assist (100 points*): Help a team mate kill an enemy player
Killing Blow (100 points*): Earn a killing blow
Double Kill (222 points*): Kill a player within 10 seconds of a prior kill
Triple Kill (333 points*): Kill a player within 10
Quadruple Kill (444 points*): Kill a player with 10 seconds of a earning a triple kill

Medals: Capture the Relic

Relic Capture

First Relic (111 points: Capture the first Relic of a match
Relic Runner (500 points*): Capture a Relic
Relic Hunter (100 points*): Kill a Relic carrier
Assist (100 points*): Help a team mate kill a Relic carrier

Damage

Relic Brusier (50 points): Deal 5k damage to Relic carriers
Relic Fearsome Fighter (100 points): Deal 25k damage to Relic carriers
Relic Gladiator (200 points): Deal 50k damage to Relic carriers
Relic Champion (400 points): Deal 375k damage to Relic carriers
Relic Crushing Blow (10 points*): Score an 11.75 damage hit to a Relic carrier

Healing

Humble Protection (100 points): Do 5k healing on a Relic carrier
Devoted Protection (200 points0: Do 18.7k healing on a Relic carrier
Relic Protector (300 points): Do 37.5k healing on a Relic carrier
Relic Guardian (400 points): Do 375k healing on Relic carriers
Critical Healer (100 points*): Score a 7.5k healing hit on a Relic carrier

Domination

Capture Points

Dominator (100 points*): Capture a capture point
Vigilant Defender (500 points*): Earn 250 defense points at a capture point

Defense

Gleaming Guardian (50 points): Take 15k damage
Dauntless Defender (100 points): Take 30k damage
Valiant Vanguard (200 points: Take 60k damage
Steady Centurion (400 points): Take 250k damage
Iron Soul (50 points*): Survive a 10k damage hit
Steel Skin (50 points*): Survive an 11.75k damage hit

Healing

Humble Protector (100 points): Do 5k healing while defending a capture point
Devoted Protector (200 points: Do 25k healing while defending a capture point
Sublime Protector (300 points): Do 37.5k healing while defending a capture point
Divine Protector (500 points): Do 375k healing while defending a capture point
Helping Hand (50 points*): Score a 10k healing hit on an ally defender

Damage

Offensive Execution (10 points*): Kill a defender at a capture point
Defensive Execution (5 points*): Kill an attacker while defending a capture point

Medals: Chaosball

Chaosball Carry

First Carry (10 points): First player to pick up the CHaosball
Ball Bearer (33 points*): Earn points by carrying the Chaosball
Thirty Second Carry (300 points*): Carry Chaosball for 30s
Sixty Second Carry (600 points*): Carry Chaosball for 60s
Nighty Second Carry (900 points*): Carry Chaosball for 90s

Damage

Chaos Bruiser (50 points): Deal 5k damage to Chaosball carriers
Chaos Devastator (100 points): Deal 25k damage to Chaosball carriers
Chaos Destroyer (200 points): Deal 50k damage to Chaosball carriers
Chaos Champion (400 points): Deal 500k damage to Chaosball carriers
Ball Buster (10 points*): Score a 11.75k damage hit on a Chaosball carrier
Chaos Hunter (100 points*): Kill a Chaosball carrier
Assist (100 points*): Help kill a carrier

Healing

Chaos Protector (100 points): Do 5k healing to Chaosball carriers
Chaos Healer (200 points): Do 25k healing to Chaosball carriers
Chaos Shaman (200 points): Do 50k healing to Chaosball carriers
Chaos Guardian (400 points): Do 375k healing to Chaosball carriers
Chaos Mender (100 points*): Score a 5k healing hit on a Chaosball carrier

Medals: Crazy King

Capture Points

Dominator (100 points*): Capture a capture point
Vigilant Defender (500 points*): Earn 250 defense points at a capture point
Offensive Execution (10 points*): Kill a defender at a capture point
Defensive Execution (5 points*): Kill an attacker while defending a capture point

Defense

Gleaming Guardian (50 points): Take 15k damage
Dauntless Defender (100 points): Take 30k damage
Valiant Vanguard (200 points): Take 60k damage
Steady Centurion (400 points): Take 250k damage
Iron Soul (50 points*): Survive a 10k damage hit
Steel Skin (50 points*): Survive an 11.75k damage hit

Healing

Humble Protector (100 points): Do 5k healing while defending a capture point
Devoted Protector (200 points: Do 25k healing while defending a capture point
Sublime Protector (300 points): Do 37.5k healing while defending a capture point
Divine Protector (500 points): Do 375k healing while defending a capture point
Helping Hand (50 points*): Score a 10k healing hit on an ally defender

Incentives

Besides the pure enjoyment of nuking other players in BGs, there are a decent amount of incentives. After each match you will be awarded item(s) (in mail), gold, experience and Alliance Points (AP). Medals and how your team placed determine the quality of your reward. You can also earn a gold item or the highest quality item from the weekly leader board (top 500 players) for each category (death match, flag or land grab). There are also a number of achievements, dyes and titles to obtain and the game keeps expanding on the rewards system.


Here are the Battleground items you’ll receive in the mail (set bonuses subject to change with future patches). Keep in mind they come in different armor weights, jewelry and weapons.

Wizard’s Riposte (light armor weight only)

(2) Max Health
(3) Spell Damage
(4) Magicka Recovery
(5) When you take Critical Damage, you apply Minor Maim to the enemy for 15 seconds, reducing their damage done by 15%.

Knight Slayer (Light armor weight only)

(2) Max Magicka
(3) Spell Damage
(4) Max Health
(5) Your fully-charged Heavy Attacks against Players deal an additional 8% of their Max Health as Oblivion Damage.

Coward’s Gear (Medium armor weight only)

(2) Max Health
(3) Stamina Recovery
(4) Stamina Recovery
(5) While Sprinting you gain Major Expedition and Major Protection, increasing your Movement Speed and reducing your damage taken by 30%.

Vanguard’s Challenge (Heavy armor weight only)

(2) Max Health
(3) Max Health
(4) Healing Taken
(5) When you taunt an enemy Player, they deal 50% less damage to all other Players but 100% more damage to you for 15 seconds. This effect is lost if you enter sneak, invisibility, or move further than 28 meters away from the enemy player.

Impregnable Armor (All armor weight)

(2) Max Health
(3) Max Stamina
(4) Max Magicka
(5) Adds 2500 Critical Resistance

General Strategies

Learning Tax

Plan on dying a lot, getting frustrated, and not understanding what's going on. This happens learning any new "thing" and BGs are no different. Stick with it. Once you understand what mode(s) you enjoy, then you can start changing your build (skills, gear, passives, etc.) to suit that role and excel.

Build for Mode

If you truly want to optimize your build and maximize your character, pick for a specific mode. Sure hybrids work and there are great all-around builds, but most players will benefit from specialization. More in-depth strategy later but here’s a quick list.

Death match – Have an execute ability, gear for high damage, even retrait jewelry to buff execute damage.
Land grab – Focus on speed and survivability. Bring speed potions, retrait jewelry for speed, even change mundus stone to have a super agile character that can zip around the map
Flag games – Pick a specific role that you can fulfill like a monster tank that makes sure no one grabs their Relic. Play a stealthy Nightblade that takes out Relic protectors and carriers. Even a healer is very useful in this mode.

Play for Fun or Nah?

The last thing you should decide if you're going to play for fun or seriously try to get #1 on the leader board. This will determine how medal hungry you become. Building a heavy hitting execute machine in death match in order to reach #1 in a week will take a lot more effort and determination than queuing up for two hours on a Saturday.


That concludes a basic overview of Battlegrounds. In our next article, we will be covering class strengths and weakness so you can see what suits you best. Thanks for reading and stopping by the website!

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