ESO PVP Guide
This ESO PVP Guide will help you understand how you can access PVP in ESO. As well as the different PVP modes you can enjoy! Player versus Player is an interesting and very fun aspect of The Elder Scrolls Online! PVP in ESO is dynamic and fast paced but at the same time requires strategy and planning.
Getting into PVP in ESO might be confusing for new players, since this part of the game is instanced. Even Cyrodiil, the PVP focused zone of ESO, is a large instanced zone, that you cannot access physically from anywhere in the world.
If you are looking for tips on how to become better in PVP, you can take a look at my ESO PVP Build Guide! Finally you can browse several PVP Builds for every playable Class in ESO at the end of this Guide!
Table of Contents
- How to Start PVP in ESO?
- Alliance Points
- Alliance War Skill Lines
- ESO PVP Modes
How to start PVP in ESO?
When you hit level ten(10), you will receive an invitation to visit Cyrodiil. From this point onward you can start PVP in The Elder Scrolls Online! Since Cyrodiil is an instanced zone, you can only enter it via the appropriate queue. Pressing “L” will open the Alliance War window! From there you can pick an ongoing PVP Campaign and enter the queue to join!
Pick the campaign of your choice and set it as your Home Campaign. By doing so, you will earn Alliance Points(AP) by completing activities in the zone! You can enter a Campaign as a Guest(not setting it up as your Home Campaign) but in this case you will not enter Leaderboards nor will you get a Reward at the end of the Campaign.
Alliance Points
Alliance Points is a special form of currency that you can use to purchase items in Cyrodiil but also advance your PVP Rank and PVP Skill Lines! You can use AP with the character that earns it or store it in the bank and have another character use it to purchase items.
PVP in ESO revolves around earning Alliance Points!
Alliance War Skill Lines
When you enter Cyrodiil for the first time, speak to the NPC in front of you to begin a short introductory Quest. When you complete the Quest, you will gain access to two new Skill Lines, Assault and Support!
Both lines contain several helpful skills, that can assist you in PVP but also PVE in the game. You can level up the lines and unlock the skills by earning Alliance Points from PVP activities.
ESO PVP Modes
In total there are three different PVP Modes in The Elder Scrolls Online!
- Cyrodiil Open World PVP
- Imperial City Open World PVP
- Battlegrounds
All three modes offer their own unique rewards and gameplay! All three are instanced areas as well.
Cyrodiil Beginner Guide – ESO PVP Guide
Cyrodiil is the main PVP focused zone of ESO and the first PVP area you will visit as a new player. Once you visit it at Level ten(10) you can continue visiting for PVP!
This is basically an ongoing battlefield between the three Alliances of the game, Aldmeri Dominion, Daggerfall Covenant and Ebonheart Pact. Players are divided in the three Alliances and fight for control of the zone and Emperor Status!
Before you enter Cyrodiil however it is important to pick a Campaign carefully. This is because each available Campaign has its own set of rules and offers a different experience. The available Campaigns at the moment are:
- Alliance Locked CP Campaign(30 Days)
- Standard No-CP Campaign(30 Days, no Alliance Locked, CP, Proc Sets & Volendrung Disabled)
- Standard Campaign(30 Days, no Alliance Locked, CP enabled)
- Below Level 50(7 Days, Only below level 50 characters allowed, CP & Alliance Locked are disabled)
You can join any Campaign at any level, except the Below Level 50 if you are above Level 50!
Keeps, Resources, Scrolls
The goal for every Alliance in Cyrodiil is to take control of as many Keeps(Castles), Resources and Scrolls as possible in order to collect Campaign Points and win!
Keeps are the various Castles scattered around the map. Controlling specific Keeps gives access to certain buffs for the entire Alliance. Outposts are smaller Keeps without walls to protect them from attacks.
In order to capture a Keep or an Outpost, you have to attack it with Siege Weapons and break through its defenses. Fights in Cyrodiil focus a lot on Siege gameplay so it is always advised to carry a few siege weapons with you.
By capturing the six Keeps in the middle of the map, your Alliance unlocks Emperor. The player with the most Alliance Points in the Campaign’s Leaderboards, becomes the Emperor. The Emperor offers special benefits to a faction.
Resources are points of interest around a Keep that strengthen its defenses and allow you to teleport there. Controlling all three of them around a hostile Keep will remove the Keep from the Transitus Shrines Network and make it difficult for the enemy to move around.
Resources are divided in Mine, Lumber Mill and Farm. They strengthen the defense of the Walls, the Doors and the Health of NPC Guards respectively.
Scrolls finally are special items that Alliances control. Each Alliance has two Scrolls and protecting them is very important. Capturing the enemy’s Scrolls generates more Campaign points and will help you win!
Rewards
Every time you earn 20000 Alliance Points, you get a Rewards for the Worthy coffer. This can contain Pieces from various Armor Sets, Transmutation Geodes and other rewards. When a Campaign ends you will receive additional rewards based on your Alliance Points collected and your place in the Leaderboards.
Amassing 25000 Alliance Points and getting to the lowest Tier 1, will reward you with fifty(50) Transmute Crystals! Getting Tier 1 in Cyrodiil with multiple characters is the best way to earn Transmute Crystals in the game.
Transitus Shrine Network
You can teleport around places in Cyrodiil by using the Transitus Shrine Network. The network connects Keeps and Towns under your Alliance’s control and allows you to reach an area faster.
You cannot travel to a Keep under attack or a Keep that has all three Resources under enemy occupation.
Volendrung
Volendrung is a special Artifact Weapon that appears in specific Campaigns and can assist the Alliance that controls it. You can learn more about Volendrung by reading my Volendrung PVP Artifact Weapon Guide.
Daily Quests & PVE
Cyrodiil may be the main PVP focused zone of the game but it also has a lot of PVE gameplay in it! You can clear Delves, Dolmens, collect Skyshards as well as accept PVP and PVE Daily Quests while in Cyrodiil for a mixed experience. You can find PVP Daily Quests in your Alliance’s Base while Towns around the map will offer several PVE opportunities.
To learn more about the Daily Quests in the zone, you can read my Cyrodiil Daily Quests Guide!
Completing these Daily Quests can help you earn unique rewards during Events like the Whitestrake’s Mayhem or Anniversary Jubilee!
The Golden
The Golden is a special NPC Vendor that appears in Cyrodiil every Weekend. You can find her in your Alliance’s Base and purchase Monster Sets and Jewelry from her for AP or Gold!
Imperial City Beginner Guide – ESO PVP Guide
The Imperial City is another Open World PVP instanced zone, in the middle of Cyrodiil! In order to access it, press again “L“, pick a Campaign and join the queue to enter it!
In total there are two Imperial City Campaigns available at the moment:
- Imperial City Campaign
- No CP Imperial City Campaign(CP & Proc Sets are disabled)
Unlike Cyrodiil, there are no Leaderboards here and no special rewards to earn, since the Campaign never really ends.
Tel Var Currency & Multipliers
Farming Tel Var is the main reason to enter the Imperial City and complete activities(other than the thrill of PVP of course). Tel Var is a special currency you earn by completing activities in the Imperial City. You can use it to buy items and Armor Sets only obtainable like this from special merchants in your Alliance base.
When you carry Tel Var on you, you get multipliers that allow you to earn more from enemies in the area.
- Carrying up to 100 Tel Var gives you a x1 Multiplier which earns you a normal amount of Tel Var as loot.
- Carrying up to 1000 Tel Var gives you a x2 Multiplier which earns you double the amount of Tel Var as loot.
- Carrying up to 10000 Tel Var gives you a x3 Multiplier which earns you triple the amount of Tel Var as loot.
- Carrying more than 10000 Tel Var gives you a x4 Multiplier which earns you four times the amount of Tel Var as loot.
Keep in mind that whenever you die you lose half of the Tel Var on you! If a player kills you, he will earn that half! So it is wise to bank your Tel Var often, especially if you are playing alone in the zone! The Imperial City is notorious for the extensive ganking taking place in there! After all it is easier to collect Tel Var by killing another player!
Imperial City Layout
The Imperial City is divided in two areas, the Irrigation Tunnels(Sewers) and the Imperial City Districts!
The Irrigation Tunnels is where your Alliance base is located and where you can find the several Tel Var Merchants! There are various Bosses and PVE objectives around this area to complete. However other players can find and attack you while farming Tel Var, so be careful. At the center of the Sewers you can fight The Simulacrum of Molag Bal as a Group Boss!
The Imperial City Districts are located above the Irrigation Tunnels and offer several PVE opportunities as well. Each District offers a Daily Quest you can complete and two Patrolling Horrors World Bosses. You can read more about the available Daily Quests in my Imperial City Daily Quests Guide.
Completing these Daily Quests can help you earn unique rewards during Events like the Whitestrake’s Mayhem or Anniversary Jubilee!
By capturing the control point of a district you can earn more Tel Var(+33%) from enemies in that specific district. The main reason to visit the Imperial City is to farm and collect Tel Var, that you can later exchange for items and Armor Sets. Several “Vaults” lie around the zone as well. You can enter these safe areas and open their chests if you have the appropriate Keys!
The chests can reward you with motifs, armor sets pieces from the zone and other rewards. It is possible to access the districts by finding entrances around the Sewers or by using the ladders in your Alliance base.
Battlegrounds Beginner Guide – ESO PVP Guide
Battlegrounds is another PVP mode in ESO. Unlike Cyrodiil and Imperial City, Battlegrounds are not an open world PVP experience and aim to provide a faster and shorter PVP gameplay! There are three enemy teams with four players each in every Battlegrounds match, trying to complete various objectives.
This is another good way to earn Alliance Points and enjoy ESO’s PVP gameplay.
How to Join Battlegrounds
When you hit level 10 you can start participating in Battlegrounds! Open the “Group & Activity Finder” and go to the “Battlegrounds” Tab. There are two options to queue, as a solo player or with a group!
There are five different modes of Battlegrounds Matches with their own unique rules and objectives!
- Deathmatch(Kill as many enemies as possible)
- Domination(Capture static Control Points)
- Crazy King(Capture moving Control Points)
- Capture the Relic(Capture enemy Relics)
- Chaos Ball(Capture & control the Ball)
You can win each mode by reaching a specific number of points or having the most points when the time ends! Battlegrounds rely more on teamwork and strategy than PVP gameplay in Cyrodiil or the Imperial City!
Completing your first Battlegrounds every day, grants you a nice EXP reward as well!
Battlegrounds Daily Quests
You can accept repeatable Daily Quests from Battlemaster Rivyn in every Battlegrounds Tent around Tamriel. These quests are:
- Test of Mettle(Earn 1000 Medal Points)
- Let the Games Begin(Play in five Battlegrounds)
- To the Victor(Win three Battlegrounds)
Completing these Daily Quests can help you earn unique rewards during Events like the Whitestrake’s Mayhem or Anniversary Jubilee!
ESO PVP Tips
The first thing you must keep in mind, is that what works for PVE rarely works for PVP in ESO! Armor Sets, Traits and consumables are very different between these two gameplay modes. So you should prepare yourself accordingly before jumping into Cyrodiil, Imperial City or Battlegrounds!
You can find more info on the best Traits, Sets, Potions, Poisons and more by reading my ESO PVP Build Guide.
Cyrodiil and Imperial City are large Open areas that do not offer a fast teleport back to your base(unless you die!). You can travel faster back to your base however by using the appropriate item! A “Keep Recall Stone” will teleport you back to a Keep(owned by your Alliance) of your choice in Cyrodiil. You can buy this item with Alliance Points.
A “Sigil of Imperial Retreat” on the other hand will allow you to travel fast back to your Alliance base in the Irrigation Tunnels, while in The Imperial City! You can buy this item with Tel Var!
Teamwork is necessary! Working with your group is very helpful in every PVP mode and especially in Battlegrounds! Working together to complete the objectives will help you win a match faster!
You can use Alliance War Boosters to advance your Alliance War skill lines faster! There are three Alliance War Boosters:
- Colovian War Torte(50% boost)
- Molten War Torte(100% boost)
- White-Gold War Torte(150% boost)
You can craft those yourself or buy them from other players.
FAQ
When you hit level ten(10), you will receive an invitation to visit Cyrodiil. From this point onward you can start PVP in The Elder Scrolls Online! Since Cyrodiil is an instanced zone, you can only enter it via the appropriate queue. Pressing “L” will open the Alliance War window! From there you can pick an ongoing PVP Campaign and enter the queue to join! To learn more about PVP in ESO, you can read this ESO PVP Guide!
The Magicka Sorcerer is a strong PVP Class in ESO and very new player friendly! Other powerful PVP Classes include the Magicka Necromancer and Magicka Dragonknight! You can learn more about the Best PVP Class in ESO by reading this ESO PVP Tier List!
More ESO PVP Guides & Builds
- How to Build Your Character for PVP!
- ESO PVP Tier List
- Sorcerer PVP Builds
- Necromancer PVP Builds
- Nightblade PVP Builds
- Warden PVP Builds
- Dragonknight PVP Builds
- Templar PVP Builds
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