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Zenimax Online Studios is testing a radical overhaul of Cyrodiil’s PvP system in ESO with the Vengeance server—stripping away gear, limiting skills, and aiming to fix long-standing lag issues, but is it the solution players have been waiting for?
Imagine if Zenimax Online Studios fixed Cyrodiil—what would that look like? Well, they’re trying, and in this post, I’m diving deep into Vengeance, their latest attempt to resolve the lag and server issues that have plagued the game since the time of Moses.
Vengeance Server – ESO PvP
If Elder Scrolls Online is known for anything, its unique action-oriented combat system—and the persistent lag and latency issues on its servers. ESO originally launched in 2014, but the game’s infrastructure dates back to 2007, with outdated server technology that was only replaced in April 2023. This upgrade led to a temporary improvement in lag and a population spike of over 20%.
The only comparable population boost occurs with Chapter Releases, which introduce major yearly content. To build on this success, ZOS introduced a double AP event in December 2023 to test increased population caps.
For years, players have speculated about faction population caps in Cyrodiil, which have decreased over time. The original cap was estimated to be around 250 per faction, whereas today, it’s believed to be closer to 75 per faction. Given Cyrodiil’s vast open-world map, this lower cap often results in only a handful of active fights, with players spending more time riding between battles than engaging in combat.
As expected, the December test didn’t go well. More players or not, the lag persisted, as fights condensed into specific areas on the map.
Vengeance Server Rule Set
This brings us to the latest test:
Cyrodiil Champions PC/Mac Test ESO’s Alliance War veterans were invited to help test future changes in open-world PvP via a PC/Mac-only event called Cyrodiil Champions. The goal? Improve stability and performance in Cyrodiil (and possibly other PvP environments). A special campaign, Vengeance, ran from March 24-31, 2025.
Vengeance is a radical approach to PvP in Cyrodiil. Here’s what it changed:
- No gear except weapons. No monster sets, mythics, five-piece bonuses—just a shared base stat system for all players, with no Mundus Stones.
- Class-only base morph skills. No weapon, armor, guild, Psijic Order, or Vampire skills—just your class’s fundamental abilities.
- Reusable tri-potions and siege weapons. However, no Cold Fire or advanced siege weapons were included, keeping engagements simple.
The reasoning behind these restrictions? Processing all the game’s sets, champion points, and skills puts a massive load on servers. This radical test may be a last-ditch effort to make Cyrodiil functional without rewriting the game’s core code.
The Good with Vengeance PvP Server
You’re either going to love or hate these changes. High-skill players with optimized gear and small, sweaty groups? They’ll hate it. But for me, it was the most fun I’ve had in Cyrodiil in a long time.
With a simplified gear set and fewer siege weapons, the time-to-kill increased. No more unkillable ball groups spamming resto staff heals in min-maxed builds. Instead, fights became more about numbers and positioning, leading to wild Zerg vs. Zerg battles.
That said, the skill cap ceiling dropped significantly. I initially played my Dragonknight but got wrecked without my usual survivability tools like Mist Form. Switching to Sorcerer made a huge difference—Bolt Escape and shields let me roam solo and survive.
The changes also created class imbalances. Sorcerers and Nightblades, with built-in mobility and stealth, had a huge advantage over sluggish Templars and Dragonknights, who had no way to compensate for their lack of movement skills.
But one of the best aspects? No more siege spam wars. For years, Cyrodiil had devolved into factions camping inside keeps, spamming Cold Fire, and farming AP without ever engaging in real fights. Without that nonsense, the map moved FAST. In one hour, DC went from nearly crowning an Emperor to being reduced to a single Emperor keep. The absence of ball groups and excessive siege allowed for constant, dynamic battles.
The Bad with Vengeance PvP Server
Without bomb sets or AoE burst mechanics, fights turned into sheer numbers games. The largest group almost always won. While this made for prolonged, lag-free keep fights—one 50v50 battle I was in ran smoothly for ages—it also meant no one could flip a fight against the odds.
Additionally, ganking was nonexistent. Without cheesy proc sets or Vampire exploits, stealth attackers couldn’t one-shot players by charging a heavy attack and letting their gear do the work. While this was a welcome change for some, it also made 1vX nearly impossible—unless you played Sorcerer, which still had mobility and shields.
Another surprising outcome? Tons of low-level players in Cyrodiil. Since gear, skills, and champion points didn’t matter, anyone could jump in and contribute. A level 12 was just as viable as a CP 2000 veteran, making the server far more accessible.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the week-long test was fun, and the game actually worked. However, without a way for smaller groups to counter large zergs, battles became a numbers game. If ZOS wants to make this system viable, they need to introduce some mechanics that allow outnumbered players to turn the tide.
Another issue? Even on a Saturday, the server wasn’t pop-locked. This suggests that the majority of Cyrodiil’s dedicated PvP players weren’t interested in a test that removed their hard-earned gear and skills.
Still, this was a solid step in the right direction. Maybe ZOS can strike a balance—limiting sets and skills without removing them entirely. A hybrid approach could introduce a strategy while still improving server performance. Without that, hardcore Cyrodiil fans won’t return, and new players won’t be attracted to PvP anyway. Either way, I’d love to see Cyrodiil thrive again. Even after 10+ years, at least ZOS is still trying.
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