ESO Battlegrounds Guide for Beginners

In the ESO Battlegrounds guide for Beginners, you’ll learn all the basics, battleground strategies, and tips for new or leveling players.

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.

ESO For glory

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!

ESO Battlegrounds

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)

ON-icon-Pit Daemons.png
Pit Daemons

ON-icon-Fire Drakes.png
Fire Drakes

ON-icon-Storm Lords.png
Storm Lords

Battlegrounds objectives

The match objective is also picked randomly:

  • Deathmatch: Find and kill enemy players.
  • 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.
    • 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! 

ESO Capture the relic

  • 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.
    • 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.

You can read more about Battlegrounds’ objectives and strategies in our dedicated guide.

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.

ESO Colovian War Torte

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.
ESO Recipe: Colovian War Torte

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

ESO Fire Drake

Storm Lord

ESO Storm Lord

Pit Daemon

ESO Pit Daemon

Battleground Runner

ESO 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

 


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