Summary
- ESO introduces subclasses, allowing over 3,000 unique ability combinations beyond the limited 7 classes.
- Subclass update is account-wide, allowing inheritance of skill ranks, but progress might be slower due to new requirements.
- Players must reach level 50 and maintain one original skill line while selecting one from other classes to subclass.
After a decade of existence, one would think that a massively multiplayer online game like The Elder Scrolls Online would celebrate its anniversary with an event with massive storyline drops and rewards. It did so, with a roadmap of various in-game and in-person events lined up for ESO's anniversary year, but that's not all it has in store for players. Zenimax Online Studios, the developer of ESO, is shaking up the game's meta by introducing subclasses, which opens a plethora of roleplaying and combat opportunities for all players.
The Elder Scrolls Online was released in April 2014 with a class system that remained relatively the same for over 10 years. When players select a class, they have access to three skill trees. Each tree has specialized abilities that players can activate. For example, one of Nightblade's skill trees is Siphoning, which has abilities that usually focus on draining an enemy's life force to heal oneself and/or teammates. ESO's subclass update will let players go beyond their chosen class' skill tree choices, which opens the floodgates for character customization.
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What Players Should Know About the Elder Scrolls Online's Subclass Update
ESO's subclass feature will be released with the Seasons of the Worm Cult Part 1 patch, coming to PC and Mac on June 2, 2025. Meanwhile, consoles will get this update around June 18. There are a few key things that players should know before diving into this feature.
How Subclasses Work in ESO
The Elder Scrolls Online's subclass system allows players to use skill trees from other classes than their character's. Rich Lambert, ESO's game director, stated in an interview that this feature allows for over 3,000 unique ability combinations that players can experiment with. That's a big jump from the three narrow skill lines from each of the seven classes that the game currently has. This feature is an upgrade to the base game, so F2P players don't need to buy the latest DLC to access it. All they need to do is keep their copy of ESO updated.
This feature is account-wide, so players can access the skill lines from their other characters. Even the skill line rank can be inherited. This way, players don’t have to grind too much if they want to use subclassing for different characters. Those who have always wanted to play a Spellblade can now integrate Sorcerer and Arcanist skill lines to their Nightblade and vice versa to get their preferred mix of physical and magical power. Meanwhile, players can mix the Warden and Necromancer skill trees to access a variety of summon units.
The Requirements and Tradeoffs of ESO's Subclasses
The possibilities are abundant for ESO’s subclassing, but not limitless, as the mechanic does have some boundaries. These are as follows:
- Level Requirement: All players need to go through a short quest called “A Study in Discipline” to start subclassing, which they can access starting at level 50.
- Subclassing Boundaries: Players need to keep at least one skill line from their original class, and they can only select one line from each of the other classes.
- Slower Progress for Subclass Skill Lines: Maxing out a skill line rank only unlocks its abilities for other characters in the account. This means that players still need to use skill points to access each ability. Each subclass's ability costs two SP, compared to the one SP that the main class skills usually cost. As such, players should expect their subclass progression to be slower.
The new subclass update gives players more liberty to truly customize their hero the way they want. Plus, having account-wide skill line rank progression makes this endeavor accessible, especially for players who have various characters in different classes in ESO. Meanwhile, its limitations, like only selecting one skill line per subclass and the two SP tradeoffs for subclass abilities, reassure players that the new system will have some semblance of balance amidst the myriad of possibilities it opens up.
The Elder Scrolls Online
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 71 /100 Critics Rec: 39%
- Released
- April 4, 2014
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- ZeniMax Online Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
- Engine
- proprietary engine, heroengine
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- The Elder Scrolls
WHERE TO PLAY
Experience an ever-expanding story across all of Tamriel in The Elder Scrolls Online, an award-winning fantasy RPG. Explore a rich, living world with friends or embark upon a solo adventure. Ultimate freedom—Create your ultimate RPG character, play solo or adventure with friends, and determine your fate in an ever-expanding world. With no level restrictions, go anywhere at any time in a truly open world.
Choose your adventure—Begin your adventure where you like: emerge from Coldharbour in the Base Game, battle Dragons in the Elsweyr Chapter, or get ready to face the Prince of Destruction, Mehrunes Dagon, in Blackwood. All content is accessible for new players, and you can switch adventures whenever you like.
- Genre(s)
- MMORPG
