The Elder Scrolls Online will be free next week for PC on the Epic Games Store starting on July 20 at 11 AM ET. The promotion includes the base game, yours to keep and play as long as you claim it before July 27 AM ET when the offer ends.
This is a great chance for those who enjoyed Skyrim to try out a different spin on Tamriel and The Elder Scrolls franchise without any required cost. As mentioned, the offer only includes the base game which is still a substantial amount of content that offers more than enough to do before considering expansion DLCs or subscriptions.
However, it’s possible the Morrowind expansion is also included in this offer since it’s technically considered part of the base game now. The listing on the Epic Games Store doesn’t clarify, so we’ll have to wait and see.
Image via Bethesda Softworks
The original story takes place roughly 1,000 years before the events of Skyrim during a tri-faction war across Tamriel. A Daedric invasion on top of that means there’s a desperate need for heroes. You can check out a generous offering of zones across the content and play the main campaign.
So what’s with the MMO?
The Elder Scrolls Online plays similarly to what you’d expect out of an MMO but the graphics impress despite the age of the game, particularly in the newer zones. If you like what you see, there’s also the ESO Plus subscription which unlocks a significant amount of expansion content, provides Crowns in-game currency, and inventory perks for $14.99 USD per month. Coming from someone that started playing in 2021, the subscription is actually a good deal if you want to engage in a massive world and intend to play regularly.
The latest Necrom expansion is not included in the ESO Plus subscription, but expands the Morrowind region with a new zone on the Telvanni Peninsula. Necrom in combination with the Morrowind expansion are enough to evoke some fond memories of older entries in the series. Based on recent comments from Bethesda and Xbox, it’ll be several more years at least before The Elder Scrolls VI launches anyways, making Elder Scrolls Online the only source for official new franchise content.
Get Elder Scrolls Online and more for free
Epic’s also giving away a murder-mystery game called Mystery by Numbers if you’d like something else to check out. Train Valley 2 is also currently available for free.
