[Feedback] 12 Years of ESO: Where are DX12 and the promised Texture Updates? We need to talk.

kafedristoran · June 29

Toriga wrote: »

While Nvidia users got DLSS, anyone on an AMD GPU, Steam Deck, or current-gen console is forced to use an upscaling tech from generations ago just because the engine won't move past DX11.

dlls implementation is terrible, amount of artifacts during movement is not acceptable
I can guarantee this is not dlss 3 or this is the worst dlss 3 implementation Ive ever seen in gaming.

Giraffon · June 29

No interest. I don't want to waste my time and money in that way.

p_tsakirisb16_ESO · June 29

Toriga wrote: »

The Lost DirectX 12 Update (And why it leaves AMD/Console users behind)

Given we are in 2026 and not 2016, Vulkan API makes more sense than DX11, not only on multiplatform PCs etc but also consoles.

However MS game utilizing Vulkan is no go. 🤷‍♂️

So we are stuck on DX11 if there is big hassle to move to DX12.

However staying on DX11, doesn't prohibit ZOS to raise the texture resolution to 4K. 2020+ PC hardware is powerful enough to make it work on DX11 inefficient API.

And don't start me with the scale of the game....
After seeing L.Torres lore accurate Elder Scroll cities etc size, ESO - Skyrim - Oblivion scale is putting me off.

Consider this, Auridon in Lore is the size of Madagascar and, Vulkhel Guard is a port city of 50,000 pops.
Khenarthi Roost the size of Cyprus with 75000 Khajiit population of which 20000-30000 live in Mistral!!!

IviRo · July 2

Toriga wrote: »

Hi everyone, and hopefully, hi to the ZOS Dev/Community team.

I’m writing this because, as a community, we love this game, but entering 2026 makes it impossible to ignore some massive technical promises that have been completely swept under the rug over the years.

While the art direction of The Elder Scrolls Online remains stellar, the technical foundation is severely showing its age, and we are still waiting for crucial updates that were either promised or are standard industry practice today.

The Lost DirectX 12 Update (And why it leaves AMD/Console users behind)

Back around 2016, ZOS explicitly stated they were working on a DirectX 12 upgrade. Years later, we are still running on an aging DX11 backend. This isn't just about CPU multithreading and Cyrodiil performance anymore; it's about modern feature support.

Because ESO is stuck on DX11, it cannot natively support modern upscaling technologies like AMD FSR 2, 3, or the current FSR 4. Instead, the game is still stuck with the obsolete FSR 1.0, which blurs and ruins image quality on non-Nvidia hardware.

While Nvidia users got DLSS, anyone on an AMD GPU, Steam Deck, or current-gen console is forced to use an upscaling tech from generations ago just because the engine won't move past DX11.

What happened to the DX12 migration? Why was a core engine update abandoned, leaving a huge chunk of the community with outdated performance tools?

The Missing 4K/HD Texture Pack (Requested Since Launch)

The contrast in ESO right now is jarring. While the assets in recent DLCs look incredible, the vast majority of the base game (which dates back to 2014) is stuck in blurry, low-resolution textures.

Many textures in zones like Auridon, Glenumbra, or Stonefalls look like 720p/1080p stretch-outs.

On modern 1440p and 4K monitors, this completely breaks immersion.

A 12-Year-Old Request: The community has been asking for an optional high-resolution texture pack since the game launched. Let's not forget that 4K technology became commercially available around 2013. ESO effectively launched with an already dated texture baseline, and we are still forced to look at it over a decade later.

The Solution is standard: Many MMOs and older RPGs offer an Optional 4K/HD Texture Pack download for PC and current-gen consoles, so players with older hardware aren't affected by file sizes.

Why this matters in 2026

Using modern technical tools (like neural network texture upscaling, e.g., ESRGAN, which has been standard industry practice for asset restoration long before the recent generative AI hype), remastering these old assets would require minimal effort compared to manual re-authoring.

We aren't asking for a complete engine overhaul from scratch. We are asking ZOS to bridge the gap between 2014 graphics and 2026 standards. We shouldn't settle for blurry rock and armor textures in a major, highly profitable MMORPG.

A Call to the Community & ZOS

If you want to see ESO thrive and look like a modern game, please keep this thread alive.

ZOS, please give us an update: Is a texture refresh or a modern API update (DX12/Vulkan) anywhere on the long-term roadmap, or has the base game been permanently left behind?

It seems to me that the main problem is that developers cannot abandon support for PS4, Xbox One and older PCs.
If they opt out of them, they'll unlock new features and be able to upgrade the game and engine. But they are sorry to lose players with old console and PC hardware, and in my opinion, this is a big mistake, and they understand it themselves, but the day will come when they will have to do it, and it needs to be done now.

IviRo · July 2

Toriga wrote: »

Hi everyone, and hopefully, hi to the ZOS Dev/Community team.

I’m writing this because, as a community, we love this game, but entering 2026 makes it impossible to ignore some massive technical promises that have been completely swept under the rug over the years.

While the art direction of The Elder Scrolls Online remains stellar, the technical foundation is severely showing its age, and we are still waiting for crucial updates that were either promised or are standard industry practice today.

The Lost DirectX 12 Update (And why it leaves AMD/Console users behind)

Back around 2016, ZOS explicitly stated they were working on a DirectX 12 upgrade. Years later, we are still running on an aging DX11 backend. This isn't just about CPU multithreading and Cyrodiil performance anymore; it's about modern feature support.

Because ESO is stuck on DX11, it cannot natively support modern upscaling technologies like AMD FSR 2, 3, or the current FSR 4. Instead, the game is still stuck with the obsolete FSR 1.0, which blurs and ruins image quality on non-Nvidia hardware.

While Nvidia users got DLSS, anyone on an AMD GPU, Steam Deck, or current-gen console is forced to use an upscaling tech from generations ago just because the engine won't move past DX11.

What happened to the DX12 migration? Why was a core engine update abandoned, leaving a huge chunk of the community with outdated performance tools?

The Missing 4K/HD Texture Pack (Requested Since Launch)

The contrast in ESO right now is jarring. While the assets in recent DLCs look incredible, the vast majority of the base game (which dates back to 2014) is stuck in blurry, low-resolution textures.

Many textures in zones like Auridon, Glenumbra, or Stonefalls look like 720p/1080p stretch-outs.

On modern 1440p and 4K monitors, this completely breaks immersion.

A 12-Year-Old Request: The community has been asking for an optional high-resolution texture pack since the game launched. Let's not forget that 4K technology became commercially available around 2013. ESO effectively launched with an already dated texture baseline, and we are still forced to look at it over a decade later.

The Solution is standard: Many MMOs and older RPGs offer an Optional 4K/HD Texture Pack download for PC and current-gen consoles, so players with older hardware aren't affected by file sizes.

Why this matters in 2026

Using modern technical tools (like neural network texture upscaling, e.g., ESRGAN, which has been standard industry practice for asset restoration long before the recent generative AI hype), remastering these old assets would require minimal effort compared to manual re-authoring.

We aren't asking for a complete engine overhaul from scratch. We are asking ZOS to bridge the gap between 2014 graphics and 2026 standards. We shouldn't settle for blurry rock and armor textures in a major, highly profitable MMORPG.

A Call to the Community & ZOS

If you want to see ESO thrive and look like a modern game, please keep this thread alive.

ZOS, please give us an update: Is a texture refresh or a modern API update (DX12/Vulkan) anywhere on the long-term roadmap, or has the base game been permanently left behind?

@ZOS_GinaBruno
@ZOS_Kevin
@ZOS_JessicaFolsom

ivaylo.krumoveb17_ESO · July 2

I wouldn't keep my hopes high if i were you. The current team lacks the knowledge, expertise, will and funding to make any improvements to the core engine. They can't even make it working stably on latest OoOE CPUs, you want DX12 support. Framegen next maybe? Forget it, they are completely satisfied when the crown shop sales cover their salaries. And with M$ sharpening their axe for next budget cut... Just forget about it and move along.

ivaylo.krumoveb17_ESO · July 2

BetweenMidgets wrote: »

NoticeMeArkay wrote: »

I really don't want to see the demand for upgraded graphics being pushed while we all get to watch hardware upgrades become barely affordable for quite a lot of people.

I do not disagree with OP, but my true thought was said well by @NoticeMeArkay .

Right, and the ppl who can afford 6000€ gaming rigs can just go and moan elsewhere. Oh wait, they are the same ppl who spend most in the crown shop. Snap.

JillWarrick · July 2

p_tsakirisb16_ESO wrote: »

Toriga wrote: »

The Lost DirectX 12 Update (And why it leaves AMD/Console users behind)

Given we are in 2026 and not 2016, Vulkan API makes more sense than DX11, not only on multiplatform PCs etc but also consoles.

However MS game utilizing Vulkan is no go. 🤷‍♂️

So we are stuck on DX11 if there is big hassle to move to DX12.

However staying on DX11, doesn't prohibit ZOS to raise the texture resolution to 4K. 2020+ PC hardware is powerful enough to make it work on DX11 inefficient API.

And don't start me with the scale of the game....
After seeing L.Torres lore accurate Elder Scroll cities etc size, ESO - Skyrim - Oblivion scale is putting me off.

Consider this, Auridon in Lore is the size of Madagascar and, Vulkhel Guard is a port city of 50,000 pops.
Khenarthi Roost the size of Cyprus with 75000 Khajiit population of which 20000-30000 live in Mistral!!!

I'm here to be annoying, but 4K textures ≠ 4K resolution. Uncompressed textures would be a more reasonable ask.

We're at a point where there's a gazillion textures in the game and asking them to redo all of them so that they can be "4K" (which I guess is generally 4096x4096) would require a sizable budget, forming a new art team and at the very least a 2 year development window. I made all of that up based on my own assumptions that they do not have higher quality versions of the current textures. They also wouldn't use the AI slop machine to make them "higher res".
Regardless, the game folder would quadruple in size and the VRAM requirements would skyrocket.
A lot of people also play in third person with the camera distance set to its max so it'd be a questionable allocation of resources at the time where the Xbox overlords are breathing down their necks.

They just did a new "pass" at the textures in Glenumbra so that's the very best you can expect for the future, I suppose. I'm with you that a lot of textures are downright butt ugly and you are right to ask for better, but I've given up hope long ago for anything better. Anyways, going from DX11 to DX12 is fully in the realms of possibility and I don't have anything in me to justify why they haven't made the jump yet.

Faltasë · July 2

Why does this even need to be priority for them right now? You want them to get sidewalled by MORE <snip>?

I want quality of life texture updates too, and hdr fixes and res fixes, but for the love of god, we need to make them focus on priority number one, a foundational aspect of the game: the combat. The class refreshes need to be number one priority, they need to put everything on the backburner, because balance is what matters most since it is a FOUNDATIONAL aspect of the entire game. Without things being properly addressed there, it poses itself as a really big issue underneath a floral display of aesthetic distractions that they should be spending their time on doing the class refreshes.
<snipped for profanity/cursing filter>

IviRo · July 3

Faltasë wrote: »

Why does this even need to be priority for them right now? You want them to get sidewalled by MORE <snip>?

I want quality of life texture updates too, and hdr fixes and res fixes, but for the love of god, we need to make them focus on priority number one, a foundational aspect of the game: the combat. The class refreshes need to be number one priority, they need to put everything on the backburner, because balance is what matters most since it is a FOUNDATIONAL aspect of the entire game. Without things being properly addressed there, it poses itself as a really big issue underneath a floral display of aesthetic distractions that they should be spending their time on doing the class refreshes.
<snipped for profanity/cursing filter>

There’s no single top priority here, and it’s also important to realise that studios have different teams responsible for different areas – or do you think the game is made by the same people? Fortunately, that’s not the case; there are specific teams, each with their own area of responsibility.

IviRo · July 3

Look, we can’t deny one fact: ZOS will simply be forced to improve the game in every respect, including the graphics. GW3 is coming out soon, and a new WoW is also in development; if the game wants to remain competitive, it has two options:
1 – scrap everything old and carry out a complete overhaul, including updating the engine
2 – create ESO 2.0 (but nobody’s going to do that)

The last major graphics update was back in 2013, when they significantly improved everything; I reckon it’s high time for an update and for the game to stop standing still, clinging to the old ways.

SerafinaWaterstar · July 3

ivaylo.krumoveb17_ESO wrote: »

BetweenMidgets wrote: »

NoticeMeArkay wrote: »

I really don't want to see the demand for upgraded graphics being pushed while we all get to watch hardware upgrades become barely affordable for quite a lot of people.

I do not disagree with OP, but my true thought was said well by @NoticeMeArkay .

Right, and the ppl who can afford 6000€ gaming rigs can just go and moan elsewhere. Oh wait, they are the same ppl who spend most in the crown shop. Snap.

Are they? Any evidence of this?

Confused by your comment as it seems to suggest only the wealthy should be able to enjoy gaming - is that what you meant?

NoticeMeArkay · July 3

SerafinaWaterstar wrote: »

Are they? Any evidence of this?

Confused by your comment as it seems to suggest only the wealthy should be able to enjoy gaming - is that what you meant?

I believe they were pointing out that zos will unfortunately cater to those who spend the most which sadly are also those who are not troubled by the hardware shortage. They were not putting whales on a pedestal.

IviRo · July 6

ivaylo.krumoveb17_ESO wrote: »

I wouldn't keep my hopes high if i were you. The current team lacks the knowledge, expertise, will and funding to make any improvements to the core engine. They can't even make it working stably on latest OoOE CPUs, you want DX12 support. Framegen next maybe? Forget it, they are completely satisfied when the crown shop sales cover their salaries. And with M$ sharpening their axe for next budget cut... Just forget about it and move along.

Microsoft is not preparing for budget cuts, it is preparing a wave of layoffs across all organizations, and as I know, they have increased funding for Zenimax Media Inc. this year by 3%.

L_Nici · July 6

As soon as the old gen consoles get killed, they can finally do something there, until then the consoles as usual keep the game back.

AlterBlika · July 6

Tbh while DX12 is clearly superior to DX11, especially on newer cards, DX11 can still look fine. ESO suffers from outdated lightning (we only get shadows from one direct lightning source) and poor texture choices (no tesselation, no detail maps, extremely blurry diffuse maps).

It'd be fine if the artstyle weren't realistic. But as is, there's no excuse for it in big 26

kevkj · July 6

Gabriel_H wrote: »

I'll skip over all the misinformation and go straight to the main incorrect presumption: It's at 71 fps because that's where I cap it. If I were to uncap it, I'd be running at 120+ fps and the bottleneck would still hit the GPU before the CPU.

The straws have been grasped.

laniakea_0 · July 6

I can see the use the use in some of these, but I definitely do not want ZOS to foster reliance on AI upscaling or artificially remastered assets.