Welcome to the ESO Battlegrounds Guide 2023! The Battlegrounds are short matches (max 15 min) between three teams, four players each, and multiple objectives that players need to follow to win the match. This PvP mode has a leaderboard with the best players and also can be very profitable. By playing Battlegrounds matches you collect many gear sets, achievements, furniture, outfit page styles and much more.
In the ESO Battlegrounds guide for Beginners, you’ll learn all the basics about battlegrounds. Also, we included an in-depth explanation of battlegrounds objectives, with strategies and tips for new or levelling characters. Later in the guide, we added available quests and collectibles and the best way to farm alliance points (AP) in the Battlegrounds
Battlegrounds Quests
When you hit level 10 and receive an invitation to Cyrodiil mail, you can start the first battleground quest. The starter quest “For Glory” introduces you to Battlegrounds simply by participating in any battleground.
To find the “For glory” quest the easiest is to travel to Vivec city (map click) in the Vvanderfel zone. On the city map as shown in the picture below, look for the sword and shield icon called Gladiator’s Quarters. Go to the location and find the board with the “For Glory” quest, that leads you to Battlemaster Rivyn. After you complete your first Battleground match now you always can pick more repeatable battleground quests from him.
This is the easiest location to find and part of the base game. However, Gladiator’s Quarters and Battlegrounds quests are in every big city of every zone in the game. In Gladiator’s Quarters, you can also find the Battlegrounds achievement furnishers Vendors and supply Merchant.
Repeatable battlegrounds quests:
After you complete your first match you’ll be able to pick up one of the repeatable quests from the Battlemaster Rivyn. Each completion of a quest grants the Alliance Points (AP).
- Let the Games Begin – Participate in five Battlegrounds matches
- To the Victor – Win three Battlegrounds matches
- Test of Mettle – Earn at least 1000 points in a single Battleground match
Daily random battleground match, similarly to the daily normal dungeon, can once a day reward you with a large amount of experience, alliance points (AP), transmute stones, style pages, and unique set pieces. It’s an extremely valuable activity. Especially if you are still levelling your character whether you are below level 50 or would like to earn more Champion Points (CP).
You can join battleground matches when you hit level 10. The game offers battlegrounds under level 50 and over level 50. This setting is automatically applied, based on your level. You can queue solo or with a 2-4 player group. However, if you are solo, always pick in the top expandable window the “Solo random Battleground” option. All battlegrounds are cp-disabled. So you can rely only on your skill, gear, abilities and passives.
Only two teams that earn the most points in the match will complete the daily random battleground and receive daily bonus rewards and experience. Also, everyone will obtain one transmute stone and winners will obtain an extra 4 transmute stones.
How to enter Battlegrounds?
Press the default key “P” to open the Group Menu or chose the “people” icon tab in the character menu. Choose the battlegrounds from the list. Pick if you want to queue solo or with a group and press “E” Simply wait for a window to pop up asking if you are ready. Confirm and join the Battleground fight!
In battlegrounds, your group role setting (healer, DPS or tank), and an alliance doesn’t matter. You are placed randomly in a group with any player from any alliance, or you can queue as a group of 2 – 4 players. You’ll be placed in one of three teams on a small instance map (list of maps)
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Battlegrounds objectives
The match objective is also picked randomly:
- Deathmatch: Find and kill enemy players. The team with the most kills wins the game. Multiple kills grant you additional points. Remember that everyone in battlegrounds should have some kind of healing ability equipped, but having one player with a build dedicated to healing in PvP (builds HERE) is very beneficial. You earn points for killing players, assisting in killing, and healing the group.
- Flag games:
- Chaos ball – In the centre of the map the game spawns a chaos ball. The objective is to grab the ball and hold to it as long as possible. However, every second, the ball increasingly damages its carrier. The enemy players will try to kill the carrier and grab the chaos ball themselves. Useful in this game mode are “tanky” builds (builds HERE) that can survive a lot of damage and ideally heal themselves for a big amount. Also, Healers that can provide a lot of utility to the group will help the carrier sustain and survive the pressure from the chaos ball and enemy players. You can also help mitigate some of the damage on the ball carrier by standing in the Ball AoE damage area (red circle by default). This way you will also take damage but your teammate that carries the ball will automatically receive less damage. While carrying the ball you are unable to use any special movement skills such as Streak (Sorcerer) or Shadow Cloak (Nightbalde). In this objective battleground, you earn points by carrying the ball or by healing the carrier.
- Capture the relic – On the map each team has its own relic on a shrine just next to the respawn point. The objective is to capture enemies’ relics and bring them to your own relic shrine. Don’t let the other teams steal your Relic! Picking up the relic from the enemies’ shrine has a short animation, that can be interrupted with bash or bashing abilities. While carrying the relic you are unable to use any special movement skills such as Streak (Sorcerer) or Shadow Cloak (Nightbalde). If your relic is stolen, you can kill the enemy that carries it before they rich their shrine. Pick your relic up and return it back to your shrine. In this objective battleground, you earn points for stealing the enemy relics and bringing them to your shrine, returning your own relic or healing the relic carrier. In the picture below you can see a player with enemys’ relic bringing it to his team relic (skull) and the shrine.
- Land grab:
- Domination – The flags are spread on the map. The goal here is to stand next to the flag until it flips and hold as many flags as possible, for as long as possible. Teams will fight with each other over the flag sides. If next to the flag is one player from each team, the flag will stay neutral because you need numerical superiority to capture it. In this game, are a couple of strategies that players use. You can travel as a team, capture the flag and move to the next or spread and capture multiple flags at once. The second method seems more practical but it’s much harder to survive and kill other players. Being in stealth will not advance the progress of capturing the flag. In this objective battleground, you earn points by capturing the flags and holding them for as long as possible.
- Krazy king – Similar to domination, the goal here is to capture the flags. However, in this match, flags will disappear, reset and spawn in different locations. Only 1-4 flags will be available at the same time. Teams need to constantly move around a map, and capture or fight over the flags before flags disappear and reset again. Being in stealth will not advance the progress of capturing the flag. In this objective battleground, you earn points by capturing the flags and holding them until it resets and moves to a different location.
In Battleground matches, teamwork is extremely important, as well as off-healing. You can also enter the battleground as PvP Healer, and focus on your group’s survival while your other teammates will try to reach the match objective. Battlegrounds are a PvP activity so is advancing your war rank and rewarding you with AP.
How to farm Alliance Points (AP) and Alliance War skill trees in Battlegrounds?
To boost your Alliance Points (AP) gain in Battlegrounds use a special consumable called the Colovian War Torte. The ESO Colovian War Torte increases the AP and Alliance War Skill Line experience gain by 50% from all sources for 30 minutes. The timer pauses when you are offline, and continues when you return. This bonus is compatible with other foods or drinks.
The Recipe for Colovian War Torte can be found only in the Cyrodiil zone. The small book with a green glow around replaces the classic materials node and is very rare. Once you pick it up it becomes an item the “Recipe: Colovian War Torte”. You can also buy the Colovian War Torte recipe and/or the Colovian War Torte food from other players in guild traders.
Battleground Rewards
Every battleground match will reward you with Alliance Points (AP) and a mailed battleground reward box with a random piece of the set gear item. A number of points and rewards received are based on your personal score and the place your team will complete the battleground match.
- First Place – 12000+ AP + an extra champion reward through the mail.
- Second Place – 10000+ AP
- Third Place – 7250+ AP
If you queue with a daily random battleground quest you’ll obtain one transmute stone. Winners will obtain an extra 4 transmute stones.
Often battleground matches are part of daily or weekly ESO Endeavours.
After each battleground match you have a chance to receive one style page from styles unique to Battlegrounds: Fire Drake (image click), Storm Lord (image click), Battleground Runner (image click) or Pit Daemon (image click).
Fire Drake Style
Storm Lord
Pit Daemon
Battleground Runner
What is ESO MMR (Match Making Rating)
ESO Match making Rating (MMR) is a hidden score of every character that defines “skill tier” and what tier opponents you will encounter in a battleground match. We don’t have any information from ZOS on how it exactly performs in ESO, however, we have some theories.
In theory, MMR has a couple of tiers but looks like sometimes it’s ignored and you can be placed with players from a higher tier. MMR is distinctive for each character and not the account. So it isn’t guaranteed that you will be always placed with the same “skill tier” players. Furthermore, looks like MMR is based on objective games score. So your points at the end of the match have a higher impact on the MMR than kills, assists, healing or deaths (exception is deathmatch). MMR is not defined for each type of game mode, instead is shared across all of them. Meaning if you are good at deathmatch games but not with flag games you will be placed based on your overall MMR score not your MMR in the specific game mode. The battleground’s leaderboard represents overall scores, so illustrates how much you play.
Useful Information and tricks
- Battle spirit – It’s the passive that is automatically applied to all players in Battlegrounds, Imperial City and Cyrodiil. Adds 3 000 health and reduces healing and damage.
- In Battlegrounds, you respawn at your team’s starting point with, 20 seconds cooldown. So if you die after 15s from your last respawn you need to wait for only 5s more, before you can respawn again.
- Players can resurrect their teammates
- Use the surroundings that many battlegrounds maps offer to survive or kill players. Hide behind the objects, use speed or stealth, knock players from the edges or stun them! Remember when they don’t see you they can’t hit you!
- Teamwork is essential to win!
- ESO PvP Tips, Tricks and Hints – written guide and YouTube video
- The Best PvP Ultimates in The Elder Scrolls Online – YouTube video
- The reasons you’re dying too much in ESO PvP – YouTube video
Do you have questions about Cyrodiil, the guide is HERE. The best method to farm AP HERE! Looking for updated PvP builds HERE?
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