General:Update 44 Preview—Battlegrounds, New Companions, & More!

Originally published September 10, 2024. The original article can be found here.

Learn about the upcoming Update 44 base-game patch, including major changes to Battlegrounds, new Companions, and more.

The Update 44 base-game patch arrives October 28 for PC/Mac and November 13 for Xbox and PlayStation consoles. This new update introduces new features, changes, and quality-of-life improvements, and it is free for all existing ESO players (with the notable exception of the new Companions, who you can purchase for free with ESO Plus™ membership or with crowns from the Crown Store…more on them below!).

Major Battlegrounds Update

If you enjoy the fast-paced PvP combat of the Battlegrounds, Update 44 introduces big changes to the current format. In this update, Battlegrounds is shifting to two-sided matches, instead of the traditional three-sided. At launch, there will be two main Battlegrounds match types:

• 4v4—a competitive mode between two teams of four
• 8v8—a standard mode featuring powerups and two teams of eight

The traditional 4v4v4 game mode will no longer be available for queues; however, it may return in the future for limited times during special mini-PvP events. This new two-sided format also includes seven brand-new maps to battle your fellow players within.

Battle within all-new maps

All the traditional Battlegrounds game modes will remain, including Team Deathmatch, Crazy King, Domination, Chaosball (8v8 mode only), and Capture the Relic (8v8 mode only). In addition, the 8v8 matches will also house four unique powerups that spawn during the game. Powerups can provide temporary boosts to your damage absorption, speed, damage output, and ultimate—everything you and your team need to dominate the match.

New Companions

Update 44 also introduces two brand-new Companions to ESO: Tanlorin and Zerith-var. Tanlorin is a scrappy High Elf who mixes Soul Magic with Dragonknight abilities, while the stoic Khajiit Zerith-var utilizes the power of Necromancy.

At launch, you can acquire both new allies for free with an active ESO Plus membership or purchased with crowns from the in-game Crown Store. Once acquired, you can find and recruit them within the zones of Auridon (Tanlorin), and Reaper's March (Zerith-var).

Tanlorin and Zerith-var

Like previous Companions, each will have their own introductory quest that you will need to complete before you can summon them. In addition to being unique new characters (with their own stories, personalities, and quest lines), these two new Companions each also provide a special passive perk when adventuring with them:

• Tanlorin grants "Tanlorin's Finesse," which provides an increase to the time it takes to pick a lock, an increased chance to force a lock, and a reduced chance to break a lockpick.
• Zerith-var grants "Zerith's Guidance," which highlights valuable bags of loot found throughout Tamriel.

While these perks are active when adventuring with each Companion in question, they can be permanently unlocked by completing each ally's unique Achievement.

Scribing Powers Up (Your Whole Party)

Update 44 also introduces the game's first brand-new Grimoire since Update 42's launch in June: Banner Bearer. The scribes of the Mages Guild, under the leadership of Votary Nahlia, have been studying Ulfsild's work in the Scholarium at Eyevea. Banner Bearer is their newest creation, the first new Grimoire of the Second Era.

Banner Bearer is from the Support Skill Line and allows you to throw a banner on your back, leading the charge with an AoE buff to your group's abilities that match your chosen Focus. No matter what shape your party takes, this new Grimoire will ensure you can give your allies the support they need!

In addition to Banner Bearer, this patch also adds greater support for nine Grimoires by granting them access to 14 additional Focus Scripts, providing more damage options and utility. Check the Patch Notes when they arrive for info on which specific scripts are being added for which Grimoires.

Additional Update 44 Changes and Additions

In addition to the above, this base-game patch introduces a host of fixes, changes, and quality-of-life improvements that all ESO players will appreciate.

Update to the In-Game Tutorial

Update 44 reinstates the first chapter of ESO's main questline as the game's primary tutorial. This means that the old tutorial quest "Gates of Adamant" will be retired (although if you're still in progress you can complete it as normal) in favor of the original "Soul Shriven in Coldharbour" quest.

In addition to returning, ESO's original tutorial quest has undergone a series of changes and improvements. This includes changes to the quest structure, new and additional weapon drops, a more gradual introduction to game systems, and a modernizing of the combat, lockpicking, stealth tutorials, and more. There’s never been a better time for you (or a friend) to adventure in and explore Tamriel's Second Era.

Imperial City Itemization Improvements

With this update, the heart of the empire also receives a series of itemization improvements, designed to help better reward those brave warriors willing to battle both the Daedra and their fellow players within the city's streets and sewers.

Chase improved rewards in the Imperial City

This includes changes to how the Imperial Vaults work. For example, Imperial City keys and key fragments have been converted to new Imperial Fragments, the key fragment requirement to enter vaults have been removed, treasure chests have been replaced with vendors, and more.

In the sewers, you can find many changes to the existing vendors, improving the quality and selection of wares, including both item sets and collectibles.

Golden Pursuits

Complete challenges, earn rewards! A brand-new activity and rewards system coming with Update 44, Golden Pursuits are dynamic, one-off campaigns (accessed from the Group & Activity Finder) that allow you to earn additional rewards during special limited-time windows. When a Golden Pursuit is active, you can complete a batch of curated, unique activities to claim in-game items while working towards a special capstone reward.

Rewards will vary but can include collectibles, items, in-game currencies, and more. Keep an eye out for the first Golden Pursuit campaign sometime after Update 44 launch.

New Skill Styles

Helping you stand out in the crowd in this update are four new Skill Styles. To start, both Psijic Order skills Accelerate and Undo (the ultimate) are getting purple variants. Even more dramatically, the One-Hand and Shield skill line's Puncture ability is getting a molten variant, while the Destruction Staff's Force Shock ability is getting a wildburn variant. Both Puncture, Lavaburst and Force Shock, Wildburn feature all-new special effects—the first of their kind!

You can acquire these new Skill Styles via new in-game Achievements or with Archival Fortunes, with the exception of the Accelerate, Purple style, which can be rarely found within Psijic Portals. Keep an eye out for specifics on how to get your hands on these exciting new styles at launch!

These are just some of the major changes coming with Update 44, but there's a host of additional improvements, changes, and features we're not quite ready to share fully yet. For example, this update also includes an increase of furnishing base materials in regular harvest nodes, adds HDR support for PC, and provides quest pips for Master Writs. Finally, as part of this update, ESO Plus members will also enjoy a 10% bonus to Tel Var Stone and Alliance Point gains—phew!

For everything you need to know, keep an eye out for the patch notes when this base-game update arrives soon!

New Battles, Allies, Powers, and More

We've only just begun to delve into what's coming soon with the Update 44 base-game patch. Keep an eye out for more on elderscrollsonline.com in the coming months as we get closer to release. Are you excited to take to the new Battlegrounds? Which new Companion will you recruit first? Let us know via X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

The Update 44 base-game patch arrives October 28 for PC/Mac and November 13 for Xbox and PlayStation consoles.