What happened to visually updating old zones?

cmetzger93 · January 9

This was talked about a while back and they started with the starter zones and the expectation was they would continue to update the base game zones visually over time. I assumed this would be addressed in the reveal but haven't heard anything. Is this still happening?

AllenaNightWood · January 9

me and my friends have been wondering that to
@ZOS_Kevin

baltic1284 · January 9

It wasn't much a thing to start with yes; they announced a rework of the starting zones i went to take a look and didn't notice much change. Many graphic errors I had reported multiple times weren't fixed at all quality and fidelity of the graphics still look like matting from late 90s game era, grass was still 2 plane intersection graphics from mid 90s Zelda game, and i think that was the issue they mad some changes showed what they changed but didn't really work on graphics just added new stuff and ships in select locations.
If you want to make it about graphics it has to be seen and experienced, And simply put it wasn't for many players, on top of that the decline of the community lately and the many problems that causes, and the choices made that lead up to that took a higher note than a failed we did graphics things that really wasn't much of an improvement.

Malyore · January 9

Well they're finally addressing hybridization again after like, what, 5 years? So give it a few more years for them to finally add the next IA set after class adjustments, then add some more scribing grimoires, add some more companions, then they'll get to the zones.

MATH_COW · January 9

They clearly don't have time to really continue that project and I think they don't really want to. They focus mostly on doing new content.

When they were releasing chapter with a dlc zone they needed a year, and a chapter zone is as big than a simple zone (6 delve, 6 wb, etc) so imagine how long it would take to do the base core game. 15 zones for all the alliance, Coldharbourg, Cyrodiil, Craglorn, also the four first dlc zone because they are also in the "old zone" imo so.

They would need a big break in content release (not crownstore/crate/battlepass stuff, I mean not doing new zone, dungeons and trials) or to hire a big team only for that but as Microsoft layoff certainly affected Zenimax I doubt it would happen.
Maybe with the season system they gonna have more time, maybe not we'll see.

One of my hot take about the game was always thinking they should not release chapter every year, giving them time to be able to fix and rework stuff in peace, having year with only the dungeon DLC.

A lot of franchise like to release game every year and it always lead them to do worst and worst.

licenturion · January 9

When we get no new dungeons and no new zones I was hoping they would add new quests in a few basegame zones and freshen up those zones one or two at a time.

But seeing they are adding wrothgar, hews bane and greymoor to the basegame, it seems they only want to add new stuff and events to zones that already look way better.

So I don’t think they are planning to update basegame zones anytime. Besides the art asset team will be too busy now creating truckloads of cosmetics for battlepasses, crates and crown store.

SkaiFaith · January 9

I was a promoter of reworking old zones but new considerations have emerged: for one, I'm happy with all the good changes they are already working on; then comes the IRL tech economy situation... PS6 and Next Xbox are likely going to be delayed because of the insane prices the market is facing due to AI. This could result in PS4 and Xbox One support to be prolonged - I don't want "my huge visual update to ESO" to happen when 16 years old hardware is still being considered. Let new gen hardware come and get rid of old first, so that we can get a proper visual upgrade worth of the time and effort.

Gabriel_H · January 9

SkaiFaith wrote: »

I was a promoter of reworking old zones but new considerations have emerged: for one, I'm happy with all the good changes they are already working on; then comes the IRL tech economy situation... PS6 and Next Xbox are likely going to be delayed because of the insane prices the market is facing due to AI. This could result in PS4 and Xbox One support to be prolonged - I don't want "my huge visual update to ESO" to happen when 16 years old hardware is still being considered. Let new gen hardware come and get rid of old first, so that we can get a proper visual upgrade worth of the time and effort.

Not necessary with the proper coding. The PC Graphic Settings:

There is nothing stopping ZOS from putting in options for grass view distance, or including limits on plant numbers withing the texture settings or having it's own settings, or a dozen options that can affect what is rendered and how for the player.

They can then set those for older consoles for what is currently there, and allow newer consoles and PCs to show the additional reworks.

tsaescishoeshiner · January 9

It was a nice thought, but I don't think they made much of a difference, honestly. The environmental textures (grass, rocks), character outfits, and structures would need to be updated for that, which is a lot lot more work.

SkaiFaith · January 15

SkaiFaith wrote: »

I was a promoter of reworking old zones but new considerations have emerged: for one, I'm happy with all the good changes they are already working on; then comes the IRL tech economy situation... PS6 and Next Xbox are likely going to be delayed because of the insane prices the market is facing due to AI. This could result in PS4 and Xbox One support to be prolonged - I don't want "my huge visual update to ESO" to happen when 16 years old hardware is still being considered. Let new gen hardware come and get rid of old first, so that we can get a proper visual upgrade worth of the time and effort.

Wanted to add one thing: PC players said they didn't notice much difference with the past update to starter zones, while console players noticed major improvements. What I think is happening is that even newer consoles are still displaying things such as textures at a much lower resolution than what they could (referring to base game zones obviously, not DLCs) because they are still "set to low".
I would appreciate if, even without a proper rework as the one done for starter zones, at least texture quality could be bumped up and put on par for all the rest of the base game zones: it's weird to have super high definition ground and rocks in starter zones (and DLCs) and then go to other base game zones like Garthwood or Eastmarch and find very low quality textures...
We can give ZOS time for the proper "visual remaster", but just this I think is much needed asap, on current gen consoles at least.

Orbital78 · January 15

SkaiFaith wrote: »

Wanted to add one thing: PC players said they didn't notice much difference with the past update to starter zones, while console players noticed major improvements

It wasn't night and day difference, but I definitely noticed on PC. Especially things like the updated sails.

I'm guessing the Microsoft cuts didn't help, probably part of why 2025 was so bad. No excuse for a company like Bethesda though. They bragged about such record breaking incomes from the game, least they can do is invest more back into it. There are some nice QoL stuff announced for 2026, hopefully they put revitalizing base game too.

I'd like to see some of the older outfit styles updated too, and things like the floating Mannimarco shoulders and oddities like that.

Wolfshade · January 15

Still a great fan of that rework. Think that this stopped in one way like things stopped from one year to the next, sadly unfinished.

Good visual improvements were brought to the game the last couple of years. This year they do Animations of Dk while stopping the Zones. Think we can put this point to the "Unfinished Tales Chapter".

Northwold · January 15

I definitely noticed the change on PC. It wasn't fundamental oh my god it looks like cyberpunk everywhere. But it stopped being like you'd accidentally travelled into the previous decade.

AScarlato · January 15

I never got around to doing the Daggerfall questline until late last year and it was hard to go back to everyone wearing almost the same outfit and the world looking comparatively dingy, compared to how far they have come on the new zones.

Fortunately I enjoyed some of the darker writing than we have gotten of late, so at least I still enjoyed being in those zones for that reason. But, hope they go back at some point and continue that project.

Fata1moose · January 16

The starter zone refresh did not go far enough, especially in terms of textures and outfits on NPCs so I'm hoping they're re-evaluating it for improvements.

scrappy1342 · January 16

wasn't much of a difference for me. if no one had told me they did it, i probably never would have noticed... except for that one treasure map that became useless >.> that was definitely the biggest thing i noticed lol

robwolf666 · January 16

cmetzger93 wrote: »

This was talked about a while back and they started with the starter zones and the expectation was they would continue to update the base game zones visually over time. I assumed this would be addressed in the reveal but haven't heard anything. Is this still happening?

Well, this would be a great time for them to get back on that, don't you think?
I liked what they did with the starter zones personally.