Can Eso be made playable on steam deck please.

nb_rich · January 2023

I just bought a steam deck and thought it would be amazing to be able to play Eso in my bed. The controls are there but yet its not playable on steam deck.

Does anyone know if this is in the works and if not this needs to happen asap

Ragnarok0130 · January 2023

According to the steam ESO forums you can play ESO on Steamdeck.

couriersix · January 2023

You can run ESO on the Steam deck, it just requires a bit of work:

https://youtu.be/zqXBwbofbDQ

jtm1018 · January 2023

couriersix wrote: »

You can run ESO on the Steam deck, it just requires a bit of work:

https://youtu.be/zqXBwbofbDQ

Please elaborate, I am planning on buying a steamdeck just for eso. But, is it ok or a pita?

CameraBeardThePirate · January 2023

jtm1018 wrote: »

couriersix wrote: »

You can run ESO on the Steam deck, it just requires a bit of work:

https://youtu.be/zqXBwbofbDQ

Please elaborate, I am planning on buying a steamdeck just for eso. But, is it ok or a pita?

Literally all you have to do is enable a different version of Proton (what SteamOS uses to run windows programs). It takes all of 5 minutes and you should be able to find a guide or YouTube video on it.

Edit: better yet, to save you time I did the Googling for you

https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2022/06/how-to-play-the-elder-scrolls-online-on-steam-deck/

Dr_Con · January 2023

apparently you can use add-ons as well.

Tommy_The_Gun · January 2023

ESO is playable on a Steam Deck. You can even install a "non-steam" stand alone game.

It will require a little bit of going back & forth between desktop mode & steam deck mode.

Go to desktop mode, download an installer, add it to steam as a "non-steam" game.

Switch back to steam deck mode and go to properties of "install_eso.exe" and set compatibility to newest non-experimental version of proton. Then you run the game (installer) and it installs the game. Don't change the default "C:\Program Files" to anything else as it is an "emulated" location anyway.

Once the installation is completed, you can boot the game, but in order for it to work properly, you need to add the installed game to the Steam too. Otherwise you will keep installing the game ever time you will run "install_eso".

Go to the desktop mode again. You need to find the installed (Launcher) game and add it to steam. Those should be in:
Home/.local/share/steam/steamapps/compatdata
(may require to show hidden folders ^)

Inside there should be a folder (one or more) named like this: 254657657677 (basically random ID code) that will contain Windows style emulated folders, like Program Files, Documents with addons, screenshots etc.

In one of them you should find installed game. Add the launcher exe file to steam (as a new non-steam game) that you normally use in Windows to start the game. Then, switch back to Steam Deck mode, go to properties & set compatibility to newest non-experimental version of proton (same as before) and run the game.

Bonus: In desktop mode steam client, you can even set the box art & various other icons for a non-steam games, so even ESO that is a non-steam game may look nice in your steam deck library. There are universal guides for it on the Internet & it is quite easy. You can find community-made box art stuff for ESO on steam grid website.

https://www.steamgriddb.com/game/4849/grids

Once you boot the game, all you need to do is to enable accessibility mode (the game asks you about it the 1st time you run it or alternatively you can go to game options & turn it on).

What accessibility mode does is it automatically enables controller (so steam deck controller works flawlessly). Just like you would be playing on a console. It also increases some HUD ui elements - which is also perfect for a steam deck hand held smaller screen.

nb_rich · January 2023

Thanks everyone ima check look more into it. Sucks ima have to start over since im on console but with the announcement of the new class I might wait until it comes out then switch to pc/steam