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ZeniMax Online Studios held their ESO April Dev Updates stream, covering what's heading to the PTS next week alongside in-game previews of Season One content. The stream featured Gina Bruno, Wheeler, Jason Barnes and Finn walking through PvP Veterancy progression, new story content and upcoming systems.
The Public Test Server opens April 13 with Veterancy, Challenge Difficulty, the Thieves Guild sequel, Dynamic Encounters and more. For the full 2026 roadmap, see the Seasons Direct recap article.
What's Coming to ESO PTS on Monday
PTS opens April 13 with content from both Season Zero (U50) and Season One (U51). The table shows the systems that are (and aren't) testable next Monday.
| On PTS April 13 | Not on PTS |
| Veterancy (U50) | Warden class refresh (Season 1) |
| Challenge Difficulty (U50) | Rumors system (U51) |
| Werewolf changes (U50) | Medium-form PvP area (TBA) |
| Class Mastery skill line passives (U50) | |
| Player experience improvements (U50) | |
| Thieves Guild sequel (U51) | |
| Favors (U51) | |
| Sheogorath questline (U51) | |
| Dynamic Encounters (U51) |
ESO Update 50: Season Zero Systems on PTS
Below is what was covered on the stream. For the Update 50 player experience improvements, see the dedicated QoL breakdown news article.
Veterancy: ESO's PvP Progression System
Veterancy is a free PvP progression system with no purchases of any kind.
- Rank increases through Alliance Points and XP earned in any PvP area (Cyrodiil, Imperial City and Battlegrounds)
- Account wide. All characters contribute to the same track
- Dueling and Tribute do not count
- Season duration is approximately six months (six campaign cycles)
- Quick to rank 50, then the curve flattens
Veterancy Rewards
Rewards include outfit styles, skill styles, permanent and seasonal titles, Vengeance perks, Tel Var Stones, Transmute Crystals, Trade Bars, crafting materials, XP scrolls and more.
- Vengeance perks are front-loaded and stop at rank 33
- Titles below rank 50 are temporary to the season. Ranks 50 and 100 unlock permanent titles
- A new veterancy rank icon replaces the CP icon on target frames in PvP, shown alongside the existing alliance rank
ESO Season One Content (Update 51)
Some Season One content is also heading to the PTS on April 13 for early testing. These systems are scheduled for Update 51 later in the year.
Thieves Guild Story Sequel
A direct sequel to the original Thieves Guild storyline, set in Glenumbra with quests starting in Daggerfall.
- 8 quests with no reputation requirements
- Completing the original Thieves Guild is not required but unlocks additional dialogue
- Glenumbra receives a visual refresh: new textures, foliage and structures added to Daggerfall including new interiors
- A new Thieves Den inside the Outlaw's Refuge in Daggerfall
- Earnable outfit through the questline (Quen's outfit)
- New timeline pop-up warns you about chronological story order
- New daily missions and heists. Heist detection penalty reduced from 60 seconds to 30 seconds
Thieves Guild Mythic Necklace
Prowler's Talisman is a new upgradeable mythic item unlocked by completing the first Thieves Guild quest. Four additional upgrades are hidden across Season One content with in-game clues guiding you to each shard. The item helps with stealth missions and upgrades are account wide
- (1 item) While Battle Spirit is inactive, bracing while crouching turns you invisible for 10 seconds. This can occur once every 45 seconds.
- Increase your chances of successfully Pickpocketing by 5%.
- On dealing Critical Damage, increase your Max Magicka and Max Stamina for 10 seconds, up to 1900 at 10 stacks.
- On dealing non-Critical Damage, increase your Health, Magicka, and Stamina Recovery for 10 seconds, up to 160 at 10 stacks.
- Either effect can occur up to once every 1 second.
Favors System
Favors are a reworked approach to daily quests, accessible from Free Runner's Post Boards in each tier-one alliance city.
- Three characters at launch: Lady Arabelle (Daggerfall Covenant), Holgunn One-Eye (Ebonheart Pact) and Urcelmo (Aldmeri Dominion)
- Each character draws from a pool of tasks: delves, world bosses, fishing, gathering and more
- Some tasks direct you to rare, low-completion quests hidden in the base game. If you have already completed the quest, you receive a free reward instead
- Guild-themed favors are planned next
Sheogorath Questline
A standalone six-quest storyline following Sheogorath as he wanders Tamriel.
- Quests span multiple zones, unlike the Glenumbra-specific Thieves Guild content
- The Shivering Shack, inside an old abandoned house in Stormhaven, serves as a recurring hub
- No prior quest requirements. Tracked in a new journal category called Tamriel Tales
- The housing team has been notified about the Shivering Shack as a potential player home
Dynamic Encounters
Previously announced as Dynamic World Events, now renamed to Dynamic Encounters.
- Multi-stage area encounters with stories, automatically joined when entering the area
- Not combat-only: stages include putting out fires, rescuing animals, tracking targets across the zone and boss fights
- Three at launch: Auridon (farm defense, smaller scale), Stonefalls (werewolf-themed) and Glenumbra (tracking a vampire lord across the zone, larger scale)
- Progress bar can be seen in the quest tracker area. Map icon appears when active, similar to Dark Anchors
- Mid-stage and completion chests. Rewards include collectible fragments for the Rogue's Refuge house, an armor set and consumables
Rumors System Preview
Rumors are not going to be on the PTS (launches with Update 51), but the system was previewed on stream.
- Clue-based scavenger hunts with no quest markers, tracked in a new Rumors section of the journal
- Three difficulty tiers: Whispers (easiest), Plots (harder) and Conspiracies (hardest)
- Starter quest available in Daggerfall. Rumors are spread throughout base game zones including Orsinium, Hew's Bane and the Gold Coast
- Mouse-over hints help locate initial clues, similar to skyshard hints. Beyond that, no hand-holding
- Multiple story paths, multiple endings and hidden secret endings
- Character specific, not account wide, so you can pursue different endings per character
Thanks for reading! Stay up to date in the News Overview Page or join the Community Discord to discuss.
