The next big content update brings the Endless Archives and host of other changes – let’s take a look at ESO Update 40: Everything We Know!
ESO Update 40
Prepare to journey through the lands of Tamriel once again, as we delve into the latest update for the Elder Scrolls Online: Update 40. Update 40 will be a free base-game patch that launches on October 30 on PC/Mac and November 14 on Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
In this comprehensive exploration, we’ll uncover all the essential information, improvements, and exciting additions that make up this significant update. Whether you’re a seasoned ESO adventurer or a newcomer to Tamriel, there’s something for everyone to discover. Join us as we take a closer look at ESO Update 40: Everything We Know.
Endless Archive
The most exciting element of Update 40 is a robust piece of new content called the Endless Archive. The Endless Archive is a new PvE feature that is similar in concept to arenas, with the significant difference that this one (as the name suggests) has no end. There is no Normal or Veteran mode. The Endless Archive simply gets continuously more difficult as you progress.
Additionally, unlike the more story-scripted dungeons or repeated combat encounters found in arenas, fights in the Endless Archives will have an element of surprise to them. You may fight similar enemies or bosses but not in quite the same way you encountered them before. And the order in which you encounter them will be different every time you play.
Location and Group Composition
You’ll find the Endless Dungeon in the Apocrypha zone, which is connected to a paid DLC. However, the Endless Archive is part of a free base-game Update. Even those who don’t have the DLC can still find it on the map and teleport directly inside.
You can choose to play the Endless Archive Solo, with a second-party member, or with a NPC companion. This second party member can be either another player or you can bring in one of the many companion characters that ESO has available. Depending on how much you’ve leveled your companion, they may not be a lot of help. Still, since there is no change in the difficulty level of the Endless Archives, you are still more likely to make it farther than playing Solo.
Endless Archive Rewards
The basic rewards you can receive for playing the Endless Archives are found in the Muniment Chests you can open after each Cycle, Arc, or bonus encounter. These can contain gold, equipment, soul gems, and a new currency called Archival Fortunes. Archival Fortunes can only be traded to the merchant in the entrance area of the Endless Archive. Their stock will rotate weekly and can include Monster Mask style motifs, Companion gear, non-combat pets, and more.
Additionally, for the first time in the game’s history, players will be able to earn items from class-specific sets. Each of these sets are tailored to certain classes and a specific skill line within that class. Generally, you will only be able to find set pieces for the class you are currently playing with. However, once you have collected all of those pieces, the game will then begin to reward you with items from other sets. The following is a list of all the class sets for ESO Update 40: Everything We Know:
Basalt-Blooded Warrior set features in Elder Scrolls Online:
- Class: Dragonknight
- Skill Line: Earthen Heart
- 2 items – Adds 129 Magicka Recovery
- 3 items – Adds 1206 Maximum Health
- 4 items – Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage
- 5 items – Casting an Earthen Heart ability grants you a Rock Stance buff for 20 seconds, with a 20 second cooldown. While on your Front Bar, you gain Molten Stance, granting you Major Heroism and Minor Heroism, generating 4 Ultimate every 1.5 seconds. While you are on your Back Bar, you gain Obsidian Stance, increasing your Healing Done and Damage Shields by 14%. Bar Swapping will swap your Stance automatically.
Wrathsun set features in Elder Scrolls Online:
- Class: Templar
- Skill Line: Dawn’s Wrath
- 2 items – Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage
- 3 items – Adds 657 Critical Chance
- 4 items – Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage
- 5 items – When you deal damage with a Dawn’s Wrath ability, gain a stack of Sunlight for 10 seconds, once per attack. You can have 50 stacks max and gain 12 Magicka Recovery per stack. When at max stacks, your Dawn’s Wrath abilities deal 25% bonus damage and a Wrathful Nova is automatically cast on the enemy, but you cannot refresh Sunlight. When Sunlight expires at max stacks, you lose 50% of your current Magicka.
Monolith of Storms set features in Elder Scrolls Online:
- Class: Sorcerer
- Skill Line: Storm Calling
- 2 items – Adds 657 Critical Chance
- 3 items – Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage
- 4 items – Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage
- 5 items – Dealing damage with a Storm Calling abilities’ initial hit or every 5th tick, creates a Monolith near the enemy for 10 seconds, up to one every 1 second. You may have up to 3 Monoliths at a time. Monoliths link to your other Monoliths within 28 meters of each other, each link dealing 3064 Shock Damage every 2 seconds to enemies between and near them. An enemy can only take damage from this set once every 2 seconds.
Soulcleaver set features in Elder Scrolls Online:
- Class: Nightblade
- Skill Line: Siphoning
- 2 items – Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage
- 3 items – Adds 1206 Maximum Health
- 4 items – Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage
- 5 items – While in combat and with at least 20 Ultimate, strengthen your Siphoning abilities at the cost of Ultimate: Increase the damage and healing of Siphoning abilities by 17% of your current Ultimate, up to 200 Ultimate, from a minimum of 3% to a maximum of 34%. Reduce the cost of Siphoning abilities by 15%. Casting a Siphoning ability while in combat drains you of 1% of your current Ultimate, with a minimum of 1.
Gardener of the Seasons set features in Elder Scrolls Online:
- Class: Warden
- Skill Line: Green Balance
- 2 items – Adds 4% Healing Done
- 3 items – Adds 129 Magicka Recovery
- 4 items – Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage
- 5 items – Casting a Green Balance ability grants you Herald of Spring, causing your Green Balance overheals to apply Minor Heroism for 3 seconds. Casting 2 non-Green Balance class abilities within 2 seconds consumes Herald of Spring and grants you Harbinger of Fall for 10 seconds, causing your Green Balance Overheals to create an 8 meter area for 5 seconds, applying Major Maim to enemies and Minor Vitality to allies within. You can only create an area once every 5 seconds. You cannot gain Herald of Spring while Harbinger of Fall is active.
Nobility in Decay set features in Elder Scrolls Online:
- Class: Necromancer
- Skill Line: Bone Tyrant
- 2 items – Adds 1206 Maximum Health
- 3 items – Adds 4% Healing Taken
- 4 items – Adds 1206 Maximum Health
- 5 items – Casting a Bone Tyrant ability while in combat grants you Beautiful Corpse, Minor Protection, and Minor Resolve for 16 seconds, reducing your damage by 5% and increasing your Armor by 2974. This can proc once every 20 seconds and is reduced by 2 seconds for each slotted Bone Tyrant ability. Casting a corpse consumer ability consumes Beautiful Corpse, treating you as a corpse.
Reawakened Hierophant set features in Elder Scrolls Online:
- Class: Arcanist
- Skill Line: Curative Runeform
- 2 items – Adds 1096 Maximum Magicka
- 3 items – Adds 1096 Maximum Magicka
- 4 items – Adds 1096 Maximum Magicka
- 5 items – Casting a non-Ultimate Curative Runeform ability grants an effect for 6 seconds to your affected allies based on how many Crux you had. At 1 Crux, allies gain a damage shield that absorbs 3618 damage. At 2 Crux, allies gain Minor Heroism. At 3 Crux, allies gain Major Protection.
Updated Group Finder
Next up in our ESO Update 40: Everything We Know article is some exciting changes coming to the Group Finder! The Group Finder in ESO is a game feature that has been plagued by bugs and issues for years. It’s mostly served its purpose if you were trying to find a dungeon group to complete a Pledge. Furthermore, the addition of the Daily Randoms was a great way for players to run a quick group for some great XP rewards. The most glaring omission of the Group Finder, however, was the lack of any ability to use it to find a group for Trial runs.
Now, with Update 40, the developers at ZOS will be giving the Group Finder a high-quality upgrade. Not only will players be able to search for Trials groups using the new Group Finder, but they can also search for an Endless Archive partner, a zone group, or even a PvP group within Cyrodiil! Additionally, they are also adding several ways for group creators to set the parameters of their groups. Limits can be set based on player CP levels, the use of voice chat, playstyle, and the type of group role (DPS, tank, healer) desired.
Combat Changes
Unlike previous updates that ESO has seen, this time around there aren’t any dramatic changes to combat or balancing abilities. However, as the patch notes suggest, that doesn’t mean that nothing has been adjusted. In general, the developers are continuing to adjust the way Area of Effects abilities perform on the backend, and some Ultimates have been boosted to affect up to 12 targets, rather than 6. This brings them more in line with the standard 12 targets used by other Ultimates.
Don’t expect a lot of balance adjustments this update; we’re slowing down to let changes to values and functionalities “bake” longer so we can get more robust data and patterns before adjusting anything – but that doesn’t mean there are none to be had this update.
PTS Notes v9.2.0
Secondly, another larger change implemented in ESO Update 40 we know about is redirecting buffs, healing effects, and other bonuses granted by player abilities or item sets. This has been done so that they bypass any nearby combat pets and instead directly affect other player characters. Many of the player abilities or item sets that grant these buffs typically have a target limit. If there are too many Sorcerer deadra or Warden bears in the vicinity, it’s been too often that these combat pets have soaked up all the helpful bonuses. Going forward, this should hopefully not be as much of a problem.
Overall, ESO’s combat, and balance between PvE and PvP content is always in flux. The majority of the changes will affect PvE content like dungeons, trials, and solo arenas. Meanwhile, PvP remains untouched in terms of additional content. The main influences on PvP combat systems are tweaks to skills and additional gear set availability. Check out our ESO builds page where we will adjust based on the meta shift in ESO U40.
Crafting Changes
Grand Master Crafting Stations
As ESO has expanded over the last nine years, numerous gear and weapon sets have been added to the game. For all of the craftable sets, this could mean a lot of porting back and forth between zones for players. In response, developers created the attunable Crafting Stations. These allowed players to set up crafting stations as furniture pieces in their in-game homes. Each individual station could be attuned to one in the overland world, and then it could be used to create that specific set. The result, for some incredibly dedicated players, were homes stocked to the brim with multiple crafting stations. Each one attuned to the many different set stations found all over Tamriel.
With ESO Update 40, Zenimax Online Studios will be introducing Grand Master Crafting Stations. These mighty furnishings will allow you to consolidate all your home’s attuned crafting stations for a crafting skill line into a single furnishing. This is a fantastic improvement which means that crafting stations will take up a lot fewer housing slots, which are often at a premium.
Jewelry Crafting Rebalance
Secondly, another major change to crafting in ESO Update 40 we know will be coming is an update to Jewelry Crafting. Jewelry Crafting is a skill line that was introduced to ESO with the Summerset chapter in June of 2018. On top of the late addition, the developers restricted the amount of Grains players received when breaking down jewelry pieces. This has led to a dramatic difference in economy between jewelry materials and the more common materials found for all of the other crafting skills.
Now with Update 40 the developers will be rebalancing Jewelry crafting. This surprising change will include completely removing Jewelry Crafting grains and converting them into straight platings. The result of this will immediately give players a lot more usable jewelry crafting materials. Consequently, ZOS has also clarified that they have also adjusted the amount of platings needed to craft a piece. Hopefully, these two changes together will help make jewelry crafting more accessible, without crashing the market prices for materials.
New Collectibles
New Tales of Tribute Deck
For players looking to get a new competitive edge in the card game Tales of Tribute, Update 40 will introduce the Hermaeus Mora Patron Deck. The cards from this deck can all be found within the confines of the Endless Archive. Fittingly, the patron of this deceptive deck is the Daedric Prince of forbidden knowledge, Hermaeus Mora. This new deck is sure to grant players both knowledge and power, but players have been warned that some of these cards carry the risk of helping your opponent.
It stands to reason that within the myriad, mazy halls of the Endless Archive, a cultural curiosity can be uncovered. A game amongst mortals, Tales of Tribute, has indeed ended up in the seemingly infinite of the Archive — why wouldn’t it?
Official ZOS Description – PTS Notes v9.2.0
New Antiquities
There are 31 Antiquities in total for this update. According to the PTS Notes v9.2.0, many Leads are found in Endless Archive, including:
- Apocryphal Clothier Station
- Vision of Mora
- Infinite Tome
- Archival Fortune stashes
In addition, you may come across new Leads in the following zones:
- Reaper’s March
- Glenumbra
- Alik’r Desert
- Deshaan
- Shadowfen
- Gold Coast
- Clockwork City
- Summerset
- Northern Elsweyr
- Southern Elsweyr
- The Deadlands
Quest and Experience Updates
Improved Daily Guild Quest Rewards
While many players take part in daily Pledges for the rewards, fewer take the time to do the daily quests offered by the guilds. Some may not even know these are available! Partly this has been due to a lack of reward incentives and with these changes, ZOS are hoping to change that.
You can accept daily quests from all of the main guilds in ESO: Fighters Guild, Mages Guild, and Undaunted. According to PTS Notes v9.2.0, the reward coffers you earn will now contain:
- Companion Gear
- Overland Set Gear (from the zone to which the quest takes you).
- Ornate Gear
- Gold!
- Deconstructable Equipment
- A selection of random crafting materials
- A small chance for a new Guild Commendation, which upon consumption grants you a small amount of reputation with the guild.
- A chance for a Draugr motif-style page, with an exceedingly tiny chance at the whole motif book.
Additionally, drops for the Fighters Guild daily prioritize Heavy Armor, One and Two-Handed Axes, One and Two-Handed Maces, and Shields. Drops for the Mages Guild daily prioritize Light Armor and all Staff-type weapons. Finally, Drops for Undaunted prioritize Medium Armor, One and Two-Handed Swords, Daggers, and Bows.
Prologue Quests
Long-time players will be familiar with the many ‘Prologue Quest Bestowers’ that crowd the starting zones of Tamriel, insisting you speak with them and pick up the quests for new chapters or DLC. With the many additions of new zones throughout ESO’s lifespan, there can be a lot of demands for attention. And such can be especially confusing for new players, who are not familiar with the original story order of the game.
In order to help clear out some of these staring areas and decrease the confusion, in ESO Update 40 we know many of these quest bestowers will be moving to new locations. As you can see from the list below, many will be moving to locations that tie in appropriately with the quest zone/storyline they are offering.
The new prologue quest bestowers are are listed below:
- Of Knives and Long Shadows (Clockwork City Prologue): Mages Guild of Vivec City, Vvardenfell
- The Ravenwatch Inquiry (Markarth Prologue): Outside of Evermore in Bangkorai, near the wayshrine.
- The Missing Prophecy (Vvardenfell Prologue): Mournhold, Deshaan
- The Demon Weapon (Elsweyr Prologue): Rawl’kha, Reaper’s March
- A Mortal’s Touch (Blackwood Prologue): The Hollow City, Coldharbour
- An Apocalyptic Situation (Deadlands Prologue): Belkarth, Craglorn
- Ascending Doubt (High Isle Prologue): Wayrest, Stormhaven
- Ruthless Competition (Murkmire Prologue): Stormhold, Shadowfen
- Sojourn of the Druid King (Firesong Prologue): Evermore, Bangkorai
- The Coven Conspiracy (Greymoor Prologue): Riften, The Rift
- The Dragonguard’s Legacy (Dragonhold Prologue): Sentinel, Alik’r Desert
- Eye of Fate (Necrom Prologue): Sadrith Mora, Vvardenfell
Updated Quest XP
The developers at ZOS have also sought to make an overall adjustment to the way the entire game distributes Quest XP (experience points), as well as gold rewards. These changes will bring the highest rewards for completing story quests of all kinds, Battleground quests, and Trial quests. Additionally, you can receive maximum XP but minimum gold from Master Crafting Writs. And the reverse is true for Basic Crafting Writs: minimum XP, but maximum gold.
The full list of XP and gold rewards adjustments from the PTS Notes v9.2.0 are:
- Maximum possible Gold and XP rewards: Zone Stories, Main Stories, Prologues, Battleground Quests, Trial Quests
- High Gold and XP rewards: Most objective/point of interest quests, “Incursion” Daily Quests (Dragons, etc.), World Boss Daily Quests, Dungeon Quests, Dungeon Pledge Quests, Public Dungeon Quests
- Standard Gold and XP rewards: Miscellaneous zone content quests, Fighters/Mages/Undaunted Daily Quests, Delve Daily Quests
- Low Gold and XP rewards: Event Quests
- Minimum possible Gold and XP rewards: “Trivial” and “Vector” Quests (the kind that exist only to direct you from one place to another).
- Minimum possible XP, maximum possible Gold: Basic Crafting Writs
- Maximum possible XP, standard Gold: Master Crafting Writs
- Any Cyrodiil quests were left alone from what they were previously set to.
New Homes & Furnishings
Two New Homes
The two major home additions to the game come in ESO Update 40, and we know that they will be available in the Crown Store soon after launch. The first house, called Gladesong Arboretum, is located in the Galen and Y’ffelon zone. This zone came to the game with the Firesong Story DLC in 2022. The Gladesong Arboretum, as the name suggests, is a home with a lot of nature-based features. It has plenty of open outdoor space for additional plants and trees, and the sound of waterfalls helps create a relaxing atmosphere. The home itself is made of stone, with the multiple interiors creating small, cozy spaces to retreat.
The second home, called the Tower of Unutterable Truths is located within Apocrypha, the Oblivion realm of Hermaeus Mora. This zone is available with the purchase of the Necrom chapter released earlier this summer. If you’re a Slytherin fan with an affinity for a glowing green aesthetic, then this is the house for you! There isn’t a lot of exterior to be found, but the home itself is expansive. A center spiral staircase goes both up to a second floor and down to a basement.
New Furnishings
Additionally, ESO Update 40 will also bring with it a lot of new furnishings. The majority of these can be found within the Endless Archive, but there are a surprising number of new furnishings that have also been spread about many of the older zones. For a full list, check out PTS Notes v9.2.0. Here are a list of the new furnishings found in the Endless Archive:
- 71 new furnishing plans, which can be acquired via the vendors from the Endless Archive or from chests in the Endless Archive.
- 11 new achievement furnishings that can be earned from the Endless Archive achievements and purchased from the Endless Archive vendors.
- 14 new Antiquity furnishings with its leads acquirable from the Endless Archive and excavatable in the Telvanni Peninsula Zone.
- 65 new interactable book furnishings, which can be acquired via the vendors from the endless Archive.
- 7 new furnishings which can be acquired from chests in the Endless Archive.
- 16 new Home Goods furnishings which can be purchased from the Telvanni Pennisula’s Home Good vendor.
- 4 new Tales of Tribute tapestry furnishings, which can be acquired from Tribute victory coffers.
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