Season 0

Type: Free Gameplay Content + New Seasonal Systems
Release Schedule:
March 9: Update 49
April 2: Season Zero: Dawn and Dusk

Season Zero TL;DR for Returning Players

If you haven’t played ESO in a while, here’s what matters most in Season Zero (Update 49):

All future gameplay content is free: New zones, stories, and systems are no longer sold as Chapters or DLC. Everyone with the base game can play new content as it releases.
New reward system: Tamriel Tomes replace Daily Login Rewards and Endeavors with seasonal challenges and unlockable rewards.
New event currency: Trade Bars replace Event Tickets and are used in the Gold Coast Bazaar to buy event items, mounts, and cosmetics.
Harder open-world content: The Night Market Event Zone adds group-focused PvE, faction progression, and a new 12-player Trial.
Huge QoL update: Free respecs, faster mount training, cheaper bag/bank upgrades, stacked treasure maps, and account-wide outfit slots.
Combat updates: Dragonknight and Two-Handed weapon skills received visual and mechanical refreshes.
More free content: Warden Class, Imperial City, Orsinium, Thieves Guild, and Dark Brotherhood are now part of the base game.
PVP Progression System: A complete modernization of how players advance and earn rewards in PvP.

You no longer need to buy expansions to keep up with ESO. Season 0 shifts the game to a fully shared content model with monetization focused on cosmetics and optional premium reward tracks.

Overview

Season Zero: Dawn and Dusk marks the beginning of ESO’s new Season-based content structure and is one of the most system-heavy updates since One Tamriel. Instead of focusing on a large story Chapter, Update 49 introduces new reward tracks, currencies, gameplay loops and friction-reducing systems that affect the entire game.

For returning players, this update primarily changes how you earn rewards, how events function and how quickly you can progress characters.

Key Features Added in Season Zero

New Tamriel Tomes seasonal progression system
New Gold Coast Bazaar store using earnable Trade Bars
New The Night Market Event Zone with group-focused PvE
Major Player Experience Improvements (QoL update)
Combat refresh for Dragonknight and Two-Handed skill lines
Multiple older DLC systems added to the Base Game

Tamriel Tomes: New Seasonal Reward System

With Update 49, ESO introduces Tamriel Tomes, a seasonal progression system similar to a battle pass, designed to unify several previous reward systems.

Tamriel Tomes replaces and absorbs several older ESO reward systems:

Seals (Previously Seals of Endeavor): Seals will no longer have separate tasks or their own UI. Seals are now earned directly through Tome progression.
Daily Login Rewards: The whole Daily Login Reward system is removed from the game. Many of its rewards can be found in Tamriel Tomes.
Trade Bars (New): A non-premium currency used at the Gold Coast Bazaar to purchase older collectibles. You can earn an unlimited amount of Trade Bars, but you can not buy them with Crowns.
Event Tickets cease to exist: As of Update 49 (March 9 2026), Event Tickets will cease to exist and will automatically convert to Trade Bars at a rate of 1 Ticket = 100 Trade Bars.

Full breakdown of weekly and seasonal challenges: Tamriel Tomes Explained Guide

Gold Coast Bazaar and Trade Bars

Season Zero introduces a new earnable-currency shop called the Gold Coast Bazaar, located inside the Crown Store interface.

What is it? A new in-game storefront for earning legacy and limited-time rewards via gameplay.
Old Reward Types found in the Bazaar: Golden Pursuit, Daily Login, Events, Promotional rewards (Twitch Drops, Prime Gaming, etc). and ESO Plus monthly freebies
Currency: Trade Bars will replace Event Tickets. (1 Event Ticket = 100 Trade Bars.)
Launch Date: March 25, 2026. Full Bazaar offerings added as Season Zero starts April 2, 2026.
Main Source for Trade Bars: The Tamriel Tomes System

See what’s currently available: Gold Coast Bazaar Items List

The Night Market: New Event Zone (High-Difficulty PvE)

The Night Market is ESO’s first Event Zone, a new type of open-world area designed to be much harder than normal zones and focused on group gameplay.

Event Type: Limited-time PvE Event Zone
Access: Free
Location: The Night Market Event Zone in Fargrave
Difficulty: Veteran-focused, group-oriented
Key Systems: Faction Favor, Tiered Bosses, Boons & Oddities
Major Rewards: Free Night’s Den house, exclusive gear, furnishing and collectibles

Full Night Market walkthrough:

PVP Progression System

Rank up and earn new rewards, such as unique visuals for armor and weapons alongside new titles, regardless of whether you PVP in Battlegrounds, the Imperial City, or Cyrodiil's campaigns. For Vengeance, specifically, you'll also earn new Vengeance-specific Perks through the Veterancy system

Update 49: Player Experience Improvements (Quality of Life)

Update 49 delivers one of the largest QoL passes in ESO history, targeting long-standing friction points.

Character Progression

Free respecs from the UI for skills and attributes. Unavailable in combat or leaderboard content
Back-bar weapons now gain XP (disabled with [Oakensoul])