Battle Pass = Golden Pursuits for $?

SummersetCitizen · January 8

As I anticipated, 2026 is shaping up to be a rather lackluster year.

Much of what was announced would not justify even half of a traditional chapter. Instead, the content appears to be stretched thin and monetized through enhanced Golden Pursuits, which function, in effect, as a paid seasonal battle pass. These rely on FOMO-driven cosmetics earned through typical repetitive tasks, with real money required to engage for the best rewards.

We are now being asked to pay for the privilege of completing menial activities in exchange for yet another currency—event tickets. It is deeply frustrating to see ZOS take an IP I care about in this direction. Expecting players to spend more after such a poorly received “transition” year is unrealistic and disappointing.

TheMajority · January 8

There's a free teir. It's not as bad as you make it out to be. It's all optional.

MashmalloMan · January 8

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills, did everyone miss the part where all gameplay related content will now be entirely free and the premium battlepass is purely cosmetic?

Also, this is by far the most packed year for content I've ever seen because they're finally addressing long standing requests from top to bottom. Just because it doesn't have the same content structure we got before with a major zone and 4 dungeons, doesn't mean it's any less.

The amount of work that presumably has to go into reworking 3 classes, multiple ui's and systems, currency's, introducing what looks like some very fun events like ship battles and skyrim storms, overland difficulty, a vet zone we haven't got since craglorn, etc. Hell they even threw in 2h and werewolf, which tells me there will probably be other weapons or skill lines adjusted too.

There's still a new trial and questline. Hell, multiple mentions of Winterhold with Skyrim as a focus in s2 tells me it's probably coming at the end of the year.

These are not minor by any stretch of the imagination. If losing out on 4 dungeons and a new mechanic that would just over saturate the game and be delivered in a half baked fashion means we get all of the above, I'm all for it.

Also, daily login, daily endeavors, and capped event tickets sucked. I'm happy to trade that for the free battlepass which identical in content mind you. Maybe with the 70$ I save from not buying a Chapter every year, I'll consider buying the premium version.

heimdall14_9 · January 8

MashmalloMan wrote: »

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills, did everyone miss the part where all gameplay related content will now be entirely free and the premium battlepass is purely cosmetic?

Also, this is by far the most packed year for content I've ever seen because they're finally addressing long standing requests from top to bottom. Just because it doesn't have the same content structure we got before with a major zone and 4 dungeons, doesn't mean it's any less.

The amount of work that presumably has to go into reworking 3 classes, multiple ui's and systems, currency's, introducing what looks like some very fun events like ship battles and skyrim storms, overland difficulty, a vet zone we haven't got since craglorn, etc. Hell they even threw in 2h and werewolf, which tells me there will probably be other weapons or skill lines adjusted too.

There's still a new trial and questline. Hell, multiple mentions of Winterhold with Skyrim as a focus in s2 tells me it's probably coming at the end of the year.

These are not minor by any stretch of the imagination. If losing out on 4 dungeons and a new mechanic that would just over saturate the game and be delivered in a half baked fashion means we get all of the above, I'm all for it.

Also, daily login, daily endeavors, and capped event tickets sucked. I'm happy to trade that for the free battlepass which identical in content mind you. Maybe with the 70$ I save from not buying a Chapter every year, I'll consider buying the premium version.

i have an diffrent outlook on it as with eso+ ( craft bag) this new pay pass will give out something ( form of currency ) that makes it an must, not an optional thing to get

MashmalloMan · January 8

heimdall14_9 wrote: »

MashmalloMan wrote: »

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills, did everyone miss the part where all gameplay related content will now be entirely free and the premium battlepass is purely cosmetic?

Also, this is by far the most packed year for content I've ever seen because they're finally addressing long standing requests from top to bottom. Just because it doesn't have the same content structure we got before with a major zone and 4 dungeons, doesn't mean it's any less.

The amount of work that presumably has to go into reworking 3 classes, multiple ui's and systems, currency's, introducing what looks like some very fun events like ship battles and skyrim storms, overland difficulty, a vet zone we haven't got since craglorn, etc. Hell they even threw in 2h and werewolf, which tells me there will probably be other weapons or skill lines adjusted too.

There's still a new trial and questline. Hell, multiple mentions of Winterhold with Skyrim as a focus in s2 tells me it's probably coming at the end of the year.

These are not minor by any stretch of the imagination. If losing out on 4 dungeons and a new mechanic that would just over saturate the game and be delivered in a half baked fashion means we get all of the above, I'm all for it.

Also, daily login, daily endeavors, and capped event tickets sucked. I'm happy to trade that for the free battlepass which identical in content mind you. Maybe with the 70$ I save from not buying a Chapter every year, I'll consider buying the premium version.

i have an diffrent outlook on it as with eso+ ( craft bag) this new pay pass will give out something ( form of currency ) that makes it an must, not an optional thing to get

By that logic, did you consider event tickets and endeavors a must?

How about the fact that you had to log in every single day to fully capitalize on them?

Or that you practically had to stalk the website every month for what events were coming next, how long it lasted, how many tickets you could get, how to get them, or if you're even interested in the handful of cosmetics that were temporarily available.

Was the 12 ticket limit annoying to you? Or what about missing out on a fragment you didn't know you needed to unlock something great, but now you've missed your chance and will never know when they'll return.

What about the daily login bonuses you didn't care for, but a new player might like potions or research scrolls clogging up your inventory?

All of this was solved with the new battlepass structure, and it's free. 100s of items available to buy with the bars (tickets) over the course of 3 months. You can stack the weekly tasks up to 12, reroll them if you don't like them, an unlimited cap, you can avoid buying things you don't want, you can pay to save that pass for next season.

How is any of this worse aside from you feeling a sense of fomo because someone spent 15$ on the pass and you didn't? How is that feeling and situation any different than seeing someone ride by on an apex crown crate mount you know they probably spent 200$+ on?

Free actual gameplay content forever, optional paid cosmetics, free same old as before, but easier and more forgiving to engage with.

Gabriel_H · January 8

MashmalloMan wrote: »

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills, did everyone miss the part where all gameplay related content will now be entirely free and the premium battlepass is purely cosmetic?

It would seem so.

I do have issue with the model that ZOS could easily clarify. Phrases like "The More You Play, The More You Earn" can have some serious negative connontations and health impacts, but as far as actual content, not cosmetics, ZOS have simply moved in the same direction that a lot of games have in the last decade.

Their hope is free content will draw people in, moving to them going for ESO+ and then chucking whatever spare change they have at the cosmetics. It's a sound financial model BUT what I hope is that ZOS realise that to keep all those new players the content is more important than the cosmetics.

Desiato · January 8

I think people are in for a big surprise if they think the "free" content will compare to a traditional chapter.

Also, I doubt the paid battle pass tiers will feel as optional when they're released as they are being positioned now.

I am pretty cynical about ESO's future. I think most of the people who are happy about the upcoming changes were mostly pretty happy already. I don't see what has been announced bringing a lot of players back or appealing to new players.

Gabriel_H · January 8

Desiato wrote: »

I think people are in for a big surprise if they think the "free" content will compare to a traditional chapter.

Who says it has to?

I'm a content junkie. I'll chew through a new chapter in less than 16 hours of play - every overland achievement, dungeons cleared usually nabbing a speed and HM, and having nothing left to do in overland.

I'm happy to pay the price they were charging for that. It's typically solid content (caveat for the bugs), that I find enjoyable, but I have zero reason left to go back to any overland zone after 16 hours of play.

Season 0 is the prologue. Season 1 is where is kicks off properly, and I and no one outside of ZOS, know what that content will actually look like.

If I get 4 hours of play out of it (being my usual 16 hours for a new zone divided by 4) then it's on par.
If I get more than 4 hours out of it then it exceeds chapters.
If I get less than 4 hours out of it and still enjoy whatever little there is, what do I care? It's free.

Everyone one is different, with different things they enjoy, but I would hope most players are here to have fun and get value for money. Whether it will be fun only time can tell, but you certainly can't say it isn't value for money.

Desiato · January 8

Gabriel_H wrote: »

Desiato wrote: »

I think people are in for a big surprise if they think the "free" content will compare to a traditional chapter.

Who says it has to?

Not me.

My point is that people are presenting the notion of "free content" as if it's going to like a traditional chapter with top quality writing, voice acting, translations, quests and most importantly, brand new art assets for buildings and other structures.

Yet battle passes have the potential to cost much more while providing with players who do pay with much less value than they received before.

MashmalloMan · January 8

Desiato wrote: »

Gabriel_H wrote: »

Desiato wrote: »

I think people are in for a big surprise if they think the "free" content will compare to a traditional chapter.

Who says it has to?

Not me.

My point is that people are presenting the notion of "free content" as if it's going to like a traditional chapter with top quality writing, voice acting, translations, quests and most importantly, brand new art assets for buildings and other structures.

Yet battle passes have the potential to cost much more while providing with players who do pay with much less value than they received before.

That would be those peoples faults. ZOS was very clear in their stream and marketing that battlepasses are a substitute for the daily endeavor, login, and event ticket systems we've come to loath with some premium crown store like items for an additional cost, all cosmetic.

The rest of the content, the real gameplay content we previously purchased will be free. It remains to be seen if that content will be equal in quality and quantity as before, but that has nothing to do with paying for the pass. I rarely ever cared for the cosmetic unlocks in chapters anyhow, so maybe people are considering that angle? They were never that great to begin with.

All that said, roadmap looks good to me, tons of old requests being addressed, but I'm of the camp that never really cared for story or zones because they were mind numbingly easy. I'm happy to trade that content for things I care about like Class reworks or challenging content. Let's hope they deliver.

heimdall14_9 · January 8

MashmalloMan wrote: »

heimdall14_9 wrote: »

MashmalloMan wrote: »

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills, did everyone miss the part where all gameplay related content will now be entirely free and the premium battlepass is purely cosmetic?

Also, this is by far the most packed year for content I've ever seen because they're finally addressing long standing requests from top to bottom. Just because it doesn't have the same content structure we got before with a major zone and 4 dungeons, doesn't mean it's any less.

The amount of work that presumably has to go into reworking 3 classes, multiple ui's and systems, currency's, introducing what looks like some very fun events like ship battles and skyrim storms, overland difficulty, a vet zone we haven't got since craglorn, etc. Hell they even threw in 2h and werewolf, which tells me there will probably be other weapons or skill lines adjusted too.

There's still a new trial and questline. Hell, multiple mentions of Winterhold with Skyrim as a focus in s2 tells me it's probably coming at the end of the year.

These are not minor by any stretch of the imagination. If losing out on 4 dungeons and a new mechanic that would just over saturate the game and be delivered in a half baked fashion means we get all of the above, I'm all for it.

Also, daily login, daily endeavors, and capped event tickets sucked. I'm happy to trade that for the free battlepass which identical in content mind you. Maybe with the 70$ I save from not buying a Chapter every year, I'll consider buying the premium version.

i have an diffrent outlook on it as with eso+ ( craft bag) this new pay pass will give out something ( form of currency ) that makes it an must, not an optional thing to get

By that logic, did you consider event tickets and endeavors a must?

How about the fact that you had to log in every single day to fully capitalize on them?

Or that you practically had to stalk the website every month for what events were coming next, how long it lasted, how many tickets you could get, how to get them, or if you're even interested in the handful of cosmetics that were temporarily available.

Was the 12 ticket limit annoying to you? Or what about missing out on a fragment you didn't know you needed to unlock something great, but now you've missed your chance and will never know when they'll return.

What about the daily login bonuses you didn't care for, but a new player might like potions or research scrolls clogging up your inventory?

All of this was solved with the new battlepass structure, and it's free. 100s of items available to buy with the bars (tickets) over the course of 3 months. You can stack the weekly tasks up to 12, reroll them if you don't like them, an unlimited cap, you can avoid buying things you don't want, you can pay to save that pass for next season.

How is any of this worse aside from you feeling a sense of fomo because someone spent 15$ on the pass and you didn't? How is that feeling and situation any different than seeing someone ride by on an apex crown crate mount you know they probably spent 200$+ on?

Free actual gameplay content forever, optional paid cosmetics, free same old as before, but easier and more forgiving to engage with.

tbh i play the game and get everything i want in game and out sub year round and pre ordered everything im just pointing out this MIGHT look good but it can be bad if they make it like ESO+ ( craft bag) more an have to have then an option due to in game event (NEW ITEMS) will be behind this format now and im not really wanting to be locked into buying seasons just to get NEW ( in game) EVENT ITEMS that has been earnable by playing the event

wolfie1.0. · January 8

Desiato wrote: »

Gabriel_H wrote: »

Desiato wrote: »

I think people are in for a big surprise if they think the "free" content will compare to a traditional chapter.

Who says it has to?

Not me.

My point is that people are presenting the notion of "free content" as if it's going to like a traditional chapter with top quality writing, voice acting, translations, quests and most importantly, brand new art assets for buildings and other structures.

Yet battle passes have the potential to cost much more while providing with players who do pay with much less value than they received before.

I guess its a matter of what you would prefer. The options are most likely going to be a chapter content that is scaled down for the same price or smaller more incremental content releases that you gain access to buy just owning the game that is subsidized by an optional purchase?

From what was said and what I have read the game will likely scale down the size of releases, but hopefully that means that the quality of it when it does goes up. And it gives zos a true opportunity to fix all of the broken and QoL things players want done.

SolarRune · January 8

From what they said, paying for the battle pass means you have the related content for ever, not just for the season meaning it can be done at any point. So in my opinion the paid tiers actually reduce the FOMO - but it is paying for that.

licenturion · January 8

MashmalloMan wrote: »

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills, did everyone miss the part where all gameplay related content will now be entirely free and the premium battlepass is purely cosmetic?

I have been here many times before when games I loved switched business models. I can assure you, that free content for everyone will be a fraction than what we got before.

For example the Battlefield series. We used to buy a premium pack, so we got new maps/weapons/vehicles to play. In Battlefield 1 we got 20 big maps and 39 weapons within 1 year.

Compare this with Battlefield 2047 where we got all content for free the first year after release. We got 1 brand new map and some small reworks of existing maps. We got 3 weapons in total that year.

Same goes for other games as well that switched from DLC to free content. The content significantly dropped and is released in small bits and pieces. Most of this content is also remastered maps (old content) or bringing older weapons back with a new skin. And a lot of new content are now 'temporary event modes', a thing ZOS also announced here with their new experimental idea approach they hinted at and Night Market.

Sea Of Thieves is another of those games. They switched from cool unique content additions with new stories like Pirates Of The Caribbean, Monkey Island and other big things to adding a few little things here and there and QOL-stuff. But nothing major got added to the world map for years now after they switched to seasons.

So yeah, all new content is free. But don't expect chapter size stuff anymore or big drops like that. I have seen this switch of release and business model many times now, and I know what it means for a gamer like me.

Gabriel_H · January 8

licenturion wrote: »

So yeah, all new content is free. But don't expect chapter size stuff anymore or big drops like that. I have seen this switch of release and business model many times now, and I know what it means for a gamer like me.

Define "chapter size". I can knock out all overland content and achievements in around 15 - 20 hours from a Chapter. I'm a content junkie though, so most players will average around 40 hours - a standard amount of time for most game expansions.

We are likely not to get a big map again, but that doesn't mean we won't get events, small zone, and one-offs that all add up to the same amount of gameplay i.e. content.

SummersetCitizen · January 8

No new zone, nothing remotely close to a normal chapter… but it is free! It is a pittance of content but since you aren’t paying for this you should be happy!

Want to do something engaging to get the best rewards? That will be 30 per quarter plus your ESO+.

Syldras · January 8

wolfie1.0. wrote: »

I guess its a matter of what you would prefer. The options are most likely going to be a chapter content that is scaled down for the same price or smaller more incremental content releases that you gain access to buy just owning the game that is subsidized by an optional purchase?

I'd prefer reasonably-sized good quality content with a reasonable price that reflects the content's scope. Too much?

Syldras · January 8

SummersetCitizen wrote: »

No new zone, nothing remotely close to a normal chapter… but it is free! It is a pittance of content but since you aren’t paying for this you should be happy!

It comes up in this forum all the time. Honestly, I don't understand this argument. What worth does free content have if it's not appealing? If someone leaves a moldy tomato in front of your door - you should not question it and be happy because, hey, it's free? I rather pay for content that does interest me.

licenturion wrote: »

Same goes for other games as well that switched from DLC to free content. The content significantly dropped and is released in small bits and pieces. Most of this content is also remastered maps (old content) or bringing older weapons back with a new skin. And a lot of new content are now 'temporary event modes', a thing ZOS also announced here with their new experimental idea approach they hinted at and Night Market.

Exactly. Experience shows that making everything free will usually mean a huge drop in terms of quantity as well as quality.