Elder Scrolls Online Drops Update 39 And Its Newbie Quest Revamp On PC/Mac

Elder Scrolls Online has rolled out Update 39 as a standalone update without an accompanying chapter or DLC release. Despite the lack of new story content, the update comes packed with improvements and updates to existing gameplay systems that ZeniMax Online Studios promised at the start of the year.

“During the ESO Global Reveal back in January, we announced that we were taking the time during this development cycle to focus on polishing existing in-game systems and addressing some longstanding requests,” ZeniMax said.

“In addition to the many bug fixes […] we’ve spent some time improving some in-game experiences for newer players, cleaned up some item set sourcing, and added a number of new achievements for existing content,” the studio added.

PvP players also have new things to look forward to with the addition of new face and body markings, monster masks, a new PvP death notification feature, and improved loot drops from the Imperial City’s scamp mobs.

The developers also revamped the quest volume at lower levels and added navigator NPCs to point players to the said quests as part of their efforts to improve the new-player experience.

“As part of an ongoing initiative to improve the initial experience of the early game and make it less overwhelming with ‘endless quest pin spam’, we’ve revised many quests in major cities to show up later along your leveling path so as not to misdirect the unwary,” the developers explained.

The team notes that players may have to complete pre-requisite quests and tasks to gain access to certain locations. “Please note that if you acquire the quests any other way (such as being shared, or through the Crown Store for a prologue, etc.) then you should be able to continue them normally,” said ZeniMax.

Update 39 is now live on PC/Mac and will be coming to the console version of the fantasy MMORPG on September 5th. You can check out the extensive patch notes on the Elder Scrolls Online official site.

Update 39 has arrived for PC/Mac! From quest and content improvements to inventory management, check out the latest additions arriving with today's free base-game patch. https://t.co/8EsIrzOHhb pic.twitter.com/65xOTaEtas

— The Elder Scrolls Online (@TESOnline) August 21, 2023