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ESO Update 51 Patch Notes & Changes

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Up to date for: Update 51 - 29th September 2026
Last changed: Update 51 - 29th September 2026

This is my breakdown of the ESO Update 51 patch notes, including the release notes and changes from PTS. I put combat and build changes first, including Hybridization and Alchemy, class and skill changes, Werewolf, and item sets.

The New in the Release Notes section covers the latest additions and revised details from ZOS. The main sections below cover the full Update 51 changes.

I also found changes during PTS testing that aren't in the official notes. They're listed in the relevant sections and collected under Not in Patch Notes.

New in the Release Notes

  • 's damage bonus per negative effect is reduced to 3% against players
  • Tamriel Tomes carry over up to 5,000 points between seasons instead of 2,000
  • Excess Tome points convert to 25 gold each instead of 10
  • Weekly challenge gold rerolls have a smoother price increase
  • Tome rewards cannot be claimed if they would put you over a currency cap, including through the end-of-season automatic claim
  • Battle Spirit's shield-cap description now specifies a reduction of 40 percentage points per group member at 9 and 10 players, reaching 80% of Max Health at 10 players
  • Rumors and the Nowhere Vault arrive on September 28
  • High Seas of Tamriel starts September 30
  • Solo Dungeons arrive October 21
  • Werewolf Form, Red requires 10 Wolf Totem Shards and 10 Hunter Totem Shards from the two Solo Dungeons
  • All three Thorn's Bite Withersteed fragments should be available during High Seas
  • The first Grotto of Desires house fragment arrives during New Life

Known Issues

  • has many oddities with interacting with other effects, as well as populating caster ownership in damage logs
  • A poison Master Writ requesting Cowardice, Hindrance, and Detection remains impossible to complete
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Hybridization & Alchemy

Hybridization and Alchemy

Major and Minor Buff Consolidation

  • and now provide both Weapon and Spell Damage; and are removed and replaced by Brutality
  • and now provide both Weapon and Spell Critical Chance; and are removed and replaced by Savagery
  • Vexation is added as a healing-done reduction counterpart to

Class Group Passives

  • continues to grant , which now affects both Weapon and Spell Damage
  • continues to grant , which now affects both Weapon and Spell Critical Chance
  • replaces with a unique 2974 Offensive Penetration group buff
  • replaces with a unique 2974 Armor group buff

Mundus Stones

  • grants both Weapon and Spell Damage
  • grants 8% Experience and Inspiration gain instead of Spell Damage

Alchemy

Weapon and Spell Power traits are consolidated into Increase Power, while Weapon and Spell Critical traits are consolidated into Critical. Alchemy also gains Mending, Vexation, Damage Shield, Heal Absorption, and Force trait options, four new reagents, updated traits on existing reagents, and new potion and poison naming priorities.

The Maim trait is removed from Alchemy. Previously crafted potions with Maim are updated to Cowardice.

Enervation is now the counter-trait to Force. Previously crafted Weapon or Spell Damage and Critical potions provide both versions of their stats. Crafted potions have revised naming priorities, and potions and poisons use a wider variety of icons. Existing potions keep their names, with updated icons.

New Alchemy Traits

TraitPotion EffectPoison Effect
MendingMajor MendingMinor Vexation on the target and Minor Mending on yourself
VexationMinor VexationMinor Vexation on the target for longer than Mending poisons
Damage ShieldA damage shieldHeal Absorption on the target and a damage shield on yourself
Heal AbsorptionHeal AbsorptionHeal Absorption on the target
ForceMajor ForceMinor Enervation on the target and Minor Force on yourself

New Reagents

  • Cultivated Cryptpods primarily come from Solo Dungeons. Their traits are Heroism, Increase Power, Mending, and Damage Shield.
  • Daedra-Blood Maggots primarily come from the Imperial City Sewers. Their traits are Defile, Heal Absorption, Cowardice, and Entrapment.
  • Fossilized Verminous Bones primarily come from Treasure Maps in the original Alliance zones. Their traits are Heroism, Restore Stamina, Force, and Detection.
  • Winter's Grave Tongues primarily come from icy zones, either on wood or carried by undead. Their traits are Vexation, Heal Absorption, Defile, and Breach.
  • Blue Entoloma replaces Cowardice with Heal Absorption
  • Stinkhorn and Lady's Smock replace Increase Power with Force
  • Namira's Rot replaces Critical with Enervation
  • White Cap replaces Cowardice with Enervation
  • Blessed Thistle replaces Ravage Health with Heal Absorption
  • Bugloss replaces Cowardice with Mending
  • Nirnroot replaces Enervation with Heal Absorption
  • Water Hyacinth replaces its duplicate Critical trait with Damage Shield
  • Torchbug Thorax replaces Vitality with Mending
  • Spider Egg replaces Lingering Health with Damage Shield
  • Butterfly Wing replaces Uncertainty with Damage Shield
  • Scrib Jelly replaces Ravage Magicka with Vexation
  • Mother of Pearl replaces Lingering Health with Mending

Master Writs and Consumable Fixes

  • Existing Master Writs with combinations that can no longer be crafted are retroactively changed to possible combinations
  • One poison Master Writ requesting Cowardice, Hindrance, and Detection remains impossible. ZOS says to hold onto it until a future fix.
  • Three matching Heroism traits now correctly increase the Heroism effect's duration
  • Crown consumable effects no longer have shorter durations than their crafted counterparts
  • Several non-damaging poisons no longer count as damaging poisons

General Combat

Stealth and Invisibility

Almost every skill activation now removes Stealth or Invisibility.

Most Nightblade skills remain exceptions unless they provide major burst, heal allies, or create an area effect, while many low-noise skills retain their current behavior. Dealing direct damage with a Nightblade skill still removes Stealth and Invisibility.

, damage, heal, , , , , , , , , , , , , and now remove Stealth or Invisibility.

and no longer remove Stealth or Invisibility when cast.

Ground-area damage over time no longer incorrectly removes Stealth or Invisibility from its caster. Damage over time attached to an enemy should not remove them either, but damage over time that turns the caster into a damaging area does.

Effects That Prevent Stealth

  • , , , , , and their morphs prevent Stealth and Invisibility while active on the caster

Proc Attacks

  • Proc attacks no longer gain Sneak's bonus damage or guaranteed Critical Strike and no longer gain 's guaranteed Critical Strike.
  • and damage are now treated as proc events.

Summoned Combat Pets

  • Sets and abilities now only use the word “summon” for entities that count as summoned combat pets. For example, is no longer described as a summon.

Major and Minor Slayer and Aegis

  • , , , and now apply to all monsters, including player pets, NPCs in PvP-enabled areas such as guards and monsters in Imperial City, and monsters in overland zones, public dungeons, and delves

Status Effects

  • no longer leaves stuck on a target after the status effect ends
  • damage is no longer incorrectly treated as direct damage in some cases
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Class Changes

Dragonknight

  • and its morphs restore 12% of missing Magicka and Stamina instead of 15%. also heals for 20% less.
  • 's Seething Fury damage bonus to the skill is halved in PvP
  • 's Power Lash healing is reduced by 50% and Power Lash deals about 18% less damage
  • Generating Power Lash charges grants 3% damage done to monsters for 45 seconds
  • costs 3510 Magicka instead of 3780 Magicka and reduces damage taken by 15% while channeling
  • receives updated spike models
  • , , and now grant damage done to monsters instead of all damage
  • has a maximum of 12 stacks instead of 10. Stacks can be generated every 5 seconds at rank 1 and every 4 seconds at rank 2, instead of every 10 and 5 seconds. They last 6 seconds and decay one at a time if another stack is not generated within 6 seconds.
Earthspike Mantle's new spike model

Nightblade

  • and its morphs deal 1% more damage for every 2% Health
  • and cost 2700 Magicka and Health. Their base damage is 10% lower than before Update 51, but their Health scaling makes them deal 35% more damage at full Health.
  • 's base damage is about 17% lower than before Update 51, but its Health scaling makes it deal 25% more damage at full Health
  • and break Invisibility when cast

The release notes list 33% healing for and and 40% for . These numbers are wrong. All three heal for 35%, same as on PTS.

Sorcerer

  • once again triggers when attempting to activate a Dark Magic ability rather than only after a successful cast
  • has 3 charges instead of 2
  • heals for 3% of Max Health at rank 1 and 6% at rank 2 instead of 5% and 10%
  • restores 1.5% of Max Magicka and Stamina whenever it activates instead of 2%
  • triggers only from Sorcerer ability damage instead of any damage. Its base proc chance increases from 5% to 20%, and its cooldown is reduced from 300 to 100 milliseconds.

Templar

  • grants 1% Armor plus another 1% per Templar skill slotted at rank 1, doubled at rank 2. It also grants Weapon and Spell Damage equal to 0.2% of total Armor plus 37.5 per Templar skill slotted at rank 1, doubled at rank 2, with no cap.
  • adds 1600 damage instead of 1400

Warden

  • no longer cleanses itself. ZOS clarified that this fix increases its source of to 2.1 seconds
  • 's second cast deals 75% more damage instead of 60%
  • deals about 20% more damage per tick
  • , , and break Stealth and Invisibility while active

Necromancer

  • deals about 73% more Bash damage, while the Bash cooldown increases from 333 milliseconds to 1 second
  • , , and cost 150 Ultimate instead of 175
  • and deal 12.5% more damage. deals 12.5% more damage on the first hit, 18% more on the second, and 23% more on the final hit.
  • now guarantees only on its final hit instead of every hit
  • ZOS says these Colossus damage increases are temporary and will be reverted in Update 52 in favor of larger PvE-only bonuses
  • stacks last 12 seconds instead of 15, but decay two at a time instead of three
  • Corpse-enabling effects such as and no longer create false corpse availability or interfere with another Necromancer's corpses
  • , , and break Stealth and Invisibility while active

Arcanist

  • now correctly grants its effects when a target enters or leaves the area while sprinting
  • and its morphs trigger only from Arcanist skill damage rather than every class ability damage event
  • now correctly grants its Weapon and Spell Damage bonus

Not in patch notes

  • 's Born From Shadow duration increases from 10 to 15 seconds
  • , , and tooltips now clarify that their Heavy Attacks deal damage every 1 second. This was already how they worked.
  • 's Bash tooltip now says it hits in an area in front of you instead of saying it can hit multiple targets. This is only a wording change.
  • and portals last 15 seconds. 's Icy Escape synergy tooltip now says it can be activated by an ally in the area instead of only by an ally in the portal. This is only a wording change; the synergy already worked this way.

Weapons & Guild Skills

  • now costs 3240 Magicka instead of being free
  • and its morphs automatically block for 0.5 seconds after activation. This block has no cost.
  • and its morphs increase Stealth Detection Radius to the same range as a detection potion. They no longer apply an area reveal that prevents concealment after detection.
  • and its morphs increase weapon attack damage by 5% for 6 seconds after casting. raises this bonus to 8%. This buffs Light Attacks, Heavy Attacks, and weapon skills.
  • , , and now have 6 seconds to be consumed instead of 2 seconds. They can now be consumed by a Heavy Attack too, instead of only by a Light Attack, and no longer refund their resource cost when the effect expires without being consumed. 's also lasts 6 seconds instead of 5 seconds.
  • 's damage bonus now applies only to weapon attacks instead of all damage
  • deals about 21% more damage per tick. Its snare now lasts 2 seconds and is applied by every damaging hit instead of lasting 5 seconds and being applied only by the initial hit.

Werewolf

Werewolf

Active Skill Costs

  • costs 3213 Stamina instead of 1071 Stamina
  • Carnage costs 1188 Stamina instead of 995 Stamina
  • costs 4590 Magicka instead of 4320 Magicka
  • costs 3443 Stamina instead of 1071 Stamina
  • and cost 1800 Stamina instead of 765 Stamina; costs 1620 Stamina
  • and cost 2340 Stamina instead of 995 Stamina
  • costs 420 Stamina per tick instead of 383 Stamina

Healing

  • healing is reduced by about 13%
  • healing is reduced by about 10%
  • heals for 10.46667% of Max Health when dealing damage, once per second

Insatiable Hunger

  • 's Devour synergy moves to the lowest player-skill priority

Blood Hunger

  • now correctly benefits from Blood Hunger's damage bonus

Range and Animation Fixes

  • Carnage and its morphs correctly account for large monster hitboxes when determining activation range
  • Some Slaughter animations now show a spectral wolf striking the enemy instead of only a howl
  • Customized Actions no longer appear in Werewolf form, preventing animation and prop-placement problems

Not in patch notes

  • The and tooltips now correctly say the second hit deals 125% more damage below 25% Health instead of scaling up to 125%. The tooltip now correctly says the second hit deals 200% more damage below 25% Health instead of scaling up to 200%. The abilities already worked this way.
  • Blood Hunger no longer increases 's initial-hit damage. It only increases the healing by 25%.

Scribing

Traveling Knife

  • with now has a target cap of 6, matching other crowd-control effects
  • Vault with Crusader's Defiance no longer acts as a cleanse
  • Remaining references to the old Class Mastery script name now use Class Flourish

Item Sets

New Monster Sets

and are the two new Monster Sets from the new Solo Dungeons.

Gear

Tarcyr

Monster Set

(1 item) Adds 1206 Maximum Health

(2 items) While you don't have Battle Spirit, taking direct damage causes your attacker to cower in Fear for 2 seconds. Enemies immune to Fear are afflicted with for 3 seconds instead, reducing their Weapon and Spell Damage by 430.

This effect can occur once every 0.5 seconds.

Gear

Mylenne Moon-Caller

Monster Set

(1 item) Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage

(2 items) Dealing direct damage with a Class or Werewolf ability deals Bleed Damage to enemies within 8 meters of the target. This damage is increased by up to 100% against monsters based on your current Stamina. 10% of the damage done is restored to you as Stamina. This effect can occur once every 10 seconds.

If you are a Werewolf, gain 25 Fury and 1 Blood Hunger when this set activates.

Bleed Damage

Coefficient95.54% Weapon or Spell Damage
TagsBleedAoEDirect
  • applies for 3 seconds and has no per-target cooldown
  • requires direct class ability or Werewolf damage and deals up to 100% more damage to monsters based on current Stamina

Prebuffing

  • and now require combat to activate, preventing their effects from being triggered before combat

Stealth and Invisibility

The following sets now remove their wearer from Stealth or Invisibility when they activate:

  • also prevents Stealth or Invisibility while active and can no longer trigger on concealed targets

Pet Damage

  • , , , , , and now deal pet damage

Ground Area Damage

  • , , and can now activate when the incoming damage comes from a ground area effect

Other

  • 's damage bonus per negative effect is reduced to 3% against players. ZOS says its tooltip currently displays "It" instead of the value and will be fixed in a future update.
  • ' damage is now considered a Sorcerer ability
  • 's cooldown can no longer be ignored in some cases
  • now properly removes its bonuses when stacks decay
  • creates its area 3.5 meters in front of you instead of at a random location within 5 meters. The area radius is reduced from 4.5 to 4 meters, and it appears directly under you if you are stationary when it activates. The cooldown text has also been removed from the tooltip.
  • 's damage-done bonus increases to 373 from 330. Its 2- and 4-item bonuses now grant Weapon and Spell Damage instead of Maximum Magicka and Magicka Recovery. Its healing reduction now scales with item quality, and both the damage bonus and healing reduction are halved while Battle Spirit is active.
  • 's cooldown is once again shared per target between different wearers. Its Minor debuffs last 11 seconds instead of 9.
  • 's damage type changes to Disease
  • grants 154 Critical Chance per Major Buff instead of 128, with its 1536 cap unchanged, and received calculation fixes. Its bonuses still apply in combat but no longer appear on the character sheet.
  • grants 533 Offensive Penetration per Major Buff instead of 449 and 31 Weapon and Spell Damage per Minor Buff instead of 20. Its bonuses no longer appear on the character sheet.
  • adds one stack when it activates, up to once every 10 seconds

Known Issue

has many oddities with interacting with other effects, as well as populating caster ownership in damage logs.

Not in patch notes

  • now increases Max Magicka by 14% while you have a summoned combat pet active instead of adding a flat Max Magicka bonus
  • 's cooldown after one of its shields breaks is reduced from 30 to 20 seconds
  • now requires direct damage to apply Malady instead of any damage
  • can now apply Eagle's Mark with a Light or Heavy Attack instead of only a Light Attack
  • 's tooltip now says the caster also receives its Crux effect when affected
  • 's tooltip now says the Cindermoth bursts when it comes within 3 meters of an enemy and that the effect reveals you. This is only a wording change.
  • 's tooltip now describes dealing damage as marking an enemy for 10 seconds, allowing any of your pet damage against that enemy to trigger the healing and Stamina restoration. This is only a wording change.

PvP

Vengeance

Cyrodiil Transmute Stations

The Transmute Station at the Southern Morrowind Gate now works.

Battle Spirit Damage Shields

Damage shield strength is limited to 300% of Max Health in groups of 1 to 4. The limit falls to 220% at 5 players. It drops by 20 percentage points per additional player through 8 players, reaching 160%, then by 40 percentage points at 9 and 10 players, reaching 80%. It drops by another 10 percentage points at 11 and 12 players, reaching 60% at 12 or more.

ZOS expects to adjust these limits based on feedback and may make them more restrictive in a future update. The Battle Spirit and Imperial City Battle Spirit tooltips have been updated for these limits.

Big Team Battles

Two-team and three-team Battlegrounds are combined into the Big Team Battles queue with 6v6v6 and 9v9 formats. The competitive queue remains two-team 4v4.

  • New medals reward damage shields worth at least 20% of your Max Health after they absorb at least 50% of their value before expiring
  • New medals reward Major and Minor buffs or debuffs that last at least 4 seconds
  • Scoreboards now show damage dealt, healing done, and objectives contributed toward
  • The Zone Guide is disabled in Battleground zones
  • Battle scaling has been fixed in affected level 10–49 Battlegrounds
  • The scoreboard can no longer be pushed off-screen at maximum UI scale and now abbreviates damage, healing, game scores, and Chaos Ball time
  • Damage shields no longer grant more medals than intended
  • You can no longer attack, block, or interrupt while the scoreboard is open in 4v4 competitive deathmatch

Cyrodiil Resources and Guards

  • Harvest nodes with a survey variant now use that variant and its yield in Cyrodiil, such as Rich ore and Pristine wood
  • Water, oil, leather, mushrooms, and water-based plants are not increased by this change
  • Archer guards have 30% less Health, while Honor guards have 33% more
  • Honor guards, Melee guards, and Menders have increased Physical Resistance to match their Spell Resistance
  • Several guard stuns now correctly grant crowd-control immunity
  • The guard version of Puncture is renamed to Perforate to distinguish it from the player ability
  • A fix prevents the wrong character from becoming Emperor when an account has multiple characters in the same Alliance and Campaign

Vengeance

Vengeance is available through the Group and Activity Finder. Siege vendors no longer show Cyrodiil-only siege weapons, forward camps, or keep recall stones that cannot be used in Vengeance.

  • New green, blue, and purple siege weapons deal increasing damage to players
  • Damage ability target caps increase from 3 to 12
  • Defensive and crowd-control ability target caps increase from 3 to 6
  • grants in addition to

Leaderboards and Veterancy

  • Leaderboards show your current character's ranked AP even if another character on the account has a higher score
  • Veterancy rank achievements now unlock correctly when you progress through multiple ranks at once
  • Veterancy menu navigation arrows remain usable at maximum UI scaling

Combat & UI QoL

Prioritize Damage Shield Visibility

A new optional setting at Settings > Gameplay > Combat > Prioritize Damage Shield Visibility controls which shield remains fully visible when multiple damage shields are active.

  • Off: All damage shields remain at the same visibility. This is the default
  • Current Shield Health: The damage shield with the most Health remains fully visible while the other active shields are reduced
  • Start Time: The earliest-cast damage shield remains fully visible while the other active shields are reduced

VFX Intensity Presets

Three optional settings under Settings > Video control VFX intensity separately for your character, friendly or neutral players, and hostile players. Changes update in real time without reloading your character.

  • Normal: Keeps the current VFX intensity and is the default
  • Low: Reduces VFX intensity by 60%
  • Minimal: Reduces VFX intensity by 90%
Normal
Low
Minimal

These settings affect mounts, combat abilities, emotes, mementos, item sets, vanity pets, and equipped gear. Every category is adjusted together for the selected Self, Friendly, or Enemy setting.

NPCs, Companions, combat pets, environmental effects, special quest scenes, and combat telegraphs are not affected. Models used within VFX are also unchanged, but the effects applied to those models are reduced, which can make some models appear more solid.

Interface Fixes

  • Bound items can now be used from quickslots
  • Antiquity item comparison tooltips no longer overlap
  • Editing a slotted Scribed ability no longer makes other hotbar skills appear unavailable
  • The Veteran Trial vitality counter no longer goes off-screen
  • Quest timers no longer duplicate when changing zones

Customizable HUD – Beta (PC Only)

Customizable HUD – Beta (PC Only)
  • Most on-screen UI elements can be moved, and their associated settings are available from the editor
  • Open the Systems menu and select Edit HUD (BETA), then hover over an element to identify it or select it for more details
  • Drag elements to reposition them, or reset one element or the entire HUD layout
  • Press Escape to confirm the layout and update the UI
  • Edit HUD now has a Help menu entry
  • The beta is currently limited to PC. The complete feature is planned for PC and console in a later update

Tamriel Tomes

Points and Rewards

  • The end-of-season Tome Point rollover cap increases from 2,000 to 5,000
  • Excess Tome Points convert to 25 gold each at the end of a season instead of 10 gold
  • Unlocking a Tome Page still costs 2,000 points
  • Rewards containing a capped currency, such as Transmute Crystals, cannot be claimed if they would put you over that cap. This also applies to the end-of-season automatic claim.
  • A fix prevents players from unlocking more Tome Pages than intended at the start of a season
  • The Companion Commendation Parcel no longer has a rare chance to fail to appear in your inventory after purchase

Weekly Challenge Rerolls

Gold rerolls now cost 500, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000, 2,500, 5,000, then 10,000 gold. The price cap remains 10,000 gold.

Challenges and Tracking

  • Defeat Overland Incursions now correctly counts closing Oblivion Portals and killing Dragons at Dragonscours
  • Bastion Nymic counts as an Incursion for Tome Challenges
  • Pinned challenges unpin once fully completed, including all repeats
  • Collect Nowhere Keys is renamed to Collect Wondrous Nowhere Keys, with an expanded description of the available sources. It still tracks the same item.
  • Healing challenges now say Heal Damage
  • The Daily Login seasonal challenge displays unlimited claims instead of 99. This changes the display, not how the challenge works.
  • Several weekly and seasonal challenges have updated HUD icons and colors

Solo Dungeons

Solo Dungeons become available on October 21, 2026.

Solo Dungeons

Solo versions of March of Sacrifices and Moon Hunter Keep can be entered through the world map or from their entrances in the relevant zones.

Story and Companions

The Solo Dungeons let you play through each story at your own pace, either alone or with an NPC Companion.

Meted Misfortunes

Optional Meted Misfortunes increase the difficulty and rewards:

  • 0 Misfortunes is comparable to overland difficulty
  • 1 Misfortune is comparable to a Normal solo arena
  • 2 Misfortunes is comparable to a Veteran solo arena
  • 3 Misfortunes is harder than other comparable solo content

Pulled Punches reduces damage done from all sources by 30%, including Heavy Attacks.

Rewards

Solo Dungeons award Undaunted Crests, which can be spent at vendors in the Undaunted Enclaves outside Wayrest, Mournhold, and Elden Root.

The vendor's key container requires completing the Taking the Undaunted Pledge quest.

They also award the new and Item Sets and their corresponding Style Pages.

  • Solo Dungeons drop dungeon Item Sets
  • Completing a Solo Dungeon with 0 Misfortunes awards 50 Undaunted Crests
  • Curated dungeon set containers require completing the Solo version of the associated dungeon
  • Undaunted Apothecary Parcels cost 50 Crests
  • Undaunted Key Containers cost 500 Crests
  • Dungeon Style Items cost 25 Crests
  • Dungeon Style Pages cost 1,000 Crests
  • Completing Solo Moon Hunter Keep or Solo March of Sacrifices awards the corresponding Mylenne Moon-Caller or Tarcyr Trophy. Completing the dungeon with a Misfortune active awards its Bust.

Titles and Dungeon Fixes

  • The March of Sacrifices and Moon Hunter Keep map icons now show as complete after finishing both the solo and group versions of their quests
  • The default keybind used to close the Meted Misfortunes interface has been updated
  • Solo Moon Hunter Keep quest markers now appear on the map while outside the dungeon
  • Moon Hunter Meted Masochist now rewards the Lone Wolf title
  • Tarcyr no longer has a chance to reset after completing the hunt phase
  • How Aghaedh's seasonal mechanics are telegraphed has been adjusted, and several mechanic issues have been fixed
  • Dire Wolf abilities that previously dealt no damage have been fixed
  • Marcher Meted Masochist now rewards the Apex Hunter title
  • Vykosa no longer drops twice the intended gold and Undaunted Crests at the lowest Solo Moon Hunter Keep difficulty
  • Mixed-up purchase requirements for some Undaunted Crest Merchant wares have been fixed

Player Experience Improvements

Update 51 includes several Player Experience improvements. The Customizable HUD and Hybridization changes are covered earlier in this article.

Favor Quest Fixes

The Lady Arabelle Favor step to help Gendinora find Nedras can also be completed by killing Nedras and looting the bag containing the book.

The final set of Lady Arabelle Favors no longer drops the quest when traveling to another zone.

Achievement Pinning

You can pin an unearned achievement to the HUD from the Achievements tab in the Journal. Pinned achievements share space with Golden Pursuit tasks, with a new keybind used to cycle between them.

Completing an achievement that belongs to an achievement line automatically advances the pin to the next achievement in that line.

Dynamic Encounters

Dynamic Encounters start every 15 minutes instead of every 30. Bilsa's Delivery, Flowervine Farm, and Vampire Hunt also have 15-minute downtime instead of 30.

Phynaster's Gem of Agility has a significantly higher drop rate. It is guaranteed from Dynamic Encounters after earning by completing 30 encounters, provided you have earned the Prowler's Amulet and have not already earned the Gem.

Antiquities Improvements

Scrying and Excavation now rank up faster at early levels. Blue Leads become accessible significantly faster, Purple Leads become accessible a little faster, and Purple Leads grant more skill line progress.

Entering a dig site now displays a prompt to use the Antiquarian's Eye. Its cooldown has also been reduced so it is easier to follow without overshooting the dig site.

Antiquity Leads retain their increased first-drop rate until their Codex is complete, which generally takes three drops. ZOS also increased the drop rates of many older Antiquities to match newer standards.

Some sources, including Arena Leads, are now guaranteed until their Codex is complete.

Transmute Stations

Transmute Stations are now available in each Alliance crafting hub in Cyrodiil and in each Alliance base within the Imperial City Sewers.

Undaunted Pledges

Undaunted pledges award Transmute Crystals directly instead of geodes.

  • Maj's DLC pledges award 5 Transmute Crystals on Normal
  • Maj's DLC pledges award 10 Transmute Crystals on Veteran
  • Maj's DLC pledges award 15 Transmute Crystals on Veteran Hard Mode

Level Up Rewards

  • The Level Up Rewards screen no longer lists every additional dungeon unlocked through the Dungeon Finder
  • Level 27 now awards 1,000 gold instead of a treasure map choice
  • Level 43 now awards 2,500 gold instead of an Attribute and Skill Respecification Scroll

Quest Starters

Quest Starter descriptions now state which quest they begin.

Housing

Favorited homes and your Primary Residence are now sorted to the top of the Houses tab on the map.

Inventory and Assistants

  • New unbound copies of stackable items no longer become bound by incorrectly stacking with bound copies
  • Xyn, Planar Purveyor can be used while mounted without dismounting you
  • Houses offered in the Gold Coast Bazaar can now be purchased with Trade Bars while previewing them

Dungeon and Trial Fixes

  • In Lair of Maarselok, the Azureblight Lurcher no longer heals itself for an unreasonably long time
  • Lady Thorn's Batswarm safe area no longer becomes visually desynced. Players attempting to resurrect outside the safe area are temporarily protected from damage.
  • Lord Falgravn's Hard Mode Blood Anchors no longer become invisible in some cases and have an additional area telegraph
  • Exarch Kraglen's Blood Rage no longer persists when entering another group's Stone Garden instance
  • Multiple players can earn Slowed Not Stopped against Orpheon the Tactician at once. Its text now correctly says resources must fall to 30% or less, not 25%.
  • The Flesh Abomination's Bloody Bash in the Bahsei encounter no longer causes a Health and resource desync
  • Mylenne Moon-Caller no longer gets stuck repeatedly casting Mark of the Pack
  • Vykosa's Ary and Zel no longer remove their initial taunt and again respect their shared chain length. On a Short Leash is awarded when its conditions are met.
  • Player Werewolves can use Prowl to avoid Tarcyr's teleport in March of Sacrifices. Boon of Prowling grants 3,000 Stamina instead of removing the Stamina cost of moving in Stealth.

Witches Festival Fixes

  • The Lord of Fear and Pluck the Crow now correctly award Trade Bars
  • The Garden of Shadows, where you fight the Crowborne Horror, allows Challenge Difficulty
  • Plunder Skulls no longer award Hagmatron items

Eidetic Memory

ZOS fixed issues with more than 50 Eidetic Memory books, including books that were unavailable after their associated quest or were not added to the collection correctly.

Fixed Eidetic Memory Books
  • Tamrielic Twins of Myth
  • Invitation Cover Letter
  • Letter to Matus Amnis
  • Letter to Vibius Sosia
  • Nishzo's Journal
  • Fable of the Crow
  • Gray Host Communique
  • Illuminus
  • Knight Richel's Orders
  • Letter to Dockmaster Arnauld
  • Letter from Sister Glynolde
  • Journal of Dionus Trutor
  • Letter from the Intended Couple
  • The Library of Arkthzand
  • Gilraedal's Book of Obscure and Ancient Spirits
  • New Solution Instructions
  • Blightcrown's Orders
  • Which Guild is for You?
  • Work for Hire in Markarth
  • Worm Cult Correspondence
  • Letter from Aradros
  • Reward for Missing Steed
  • Invitation from the Gardener
  • Letter to Zerith-var
  • Snapdragon's Burnt Notes
  • The Rose of Navire, Part the Third
  • Items Needed for Curative
  • Letter from the Stirk Fellowship
  • Prisoner Manifest
  • Gleaner's Claim
  • Cipher Akacirn's Journal
  • From Exile to Exodus, Pt. 1
  • From Exile to Exodus, Pt. 2
  • Hezsatari's Instructions
  • Panicked Note
  • Hastily Written Observation
  • Rotting Journal
  • Note About Paths
  • Misplaced Journal
  • Dread Lady's Letter
  • Elegian's Notes
  • Journal of Hostia Asellus
  • Crow and Raven: Three Short Fables
  • Gray Host Intelligence Dispatch
  • Knight Ondrisse's Orders
  • Gamwyn's Journal
  • Irgnar's Journal
  • Arrest Writ
  • Note From Orlugash
  • Scroll of Vaia
  • Scroll of Avalian
  • Scroll of Usunok
  • The Grandeya is in Custody
  • Note to Sir Quatrius
  • Mannimarco's Notes

High Seas of Tamriel

High Seas of Tamriel starts on September 30, 2026.

High Seas of Tamriel

High Seas of Tamriel is a new 2026 in-game event. The Gold Coast plays host to a ghost, with two quests available during the event.

Raising the Riotous Redress

The spirit of Olsien Guy Mard, Baron-Captain of the All-Flags Navy, has washed ashore. You work with him and several new allies to restore an enchanted ship's bell, break a Sload curse, and raise a sunken vessel.

Bounty of the Abecean Sea

The daily quest sends you into a ship-to-ship battle against the Maormer Lousewhisperer cult. Afterwards, you dive underwater to fight sea creatures and recover sunken treasure.

Event Improvements

  • Assistants and other ally characters can now be summoned in the depths of the Abecean Sea
  • Saltwater fishing holes remain active for longer
  • Players are no longer pulled underneath the ship or shown skating across it
  • Losing deep-sea bubble protection has clearer visuals so enemy attacks and the environment remain easier to see
  • Abecean Undersea Explorer has revised text for several related locations and objects

Rewards

Completing event quests awards Deep Plunder Boxes. The first box each day is Legendary and contains 300 Trade Bars alongside a chance at additional rewards. Subsequent event quests can award an Epic Deep Plunder Box once per character each day.

Possible rewards include new outfit style pages, progress towards a unique mount, treasure maps, furnishings, Pirate Gold, and more.

Antiquities

The event introduces new nautical Antiquities, including tradeable Antiquity Leads. These can be traded or sold before being consumed to add the Lead to your Antiquities Journal.

Some furnishing crafting recipes can also be obtained as Antiquity Leads. Excavating one of these Leads awards a recipe that can be crafted repeatedly.

Antiquities are planned to become part of the base game shortly after the event ends. Antiquities earned during the event will remain in your journal, including for players who do not own Greymoor.

Rumor System

Rumors arrive with Update 51 on September 28, 2026.

Rumors

Rumors are a new type of content that sends you across Tamriel to investigate mysteries. Unlike quests, they do not provide step-by-step objectives or direct you through the UI. You have to interpret the clues and work out how to solve each mystery.

Getting Started

The introductory quest, Rumors Abound, is available from the Quest Starters section of the Crown Store. You can also begin by speaking to Tilli the Gossip at the southern docks of Daggerfall.

Rumor Journal

The Quest Journal now has a toggle between Quests and Rumors. Every clue you collect is stored in the relevant Rumor entry so you can review what you have found.

Rumor Types

Rumors are split into three categories based on their difficulty and complexity:

  • Whispers
  • Plots
  • Conspiracies

Finding Rumors

Each Rumor entry includes a hint about where it can be acquired. Once you obtain it, the game leaves you to follow the clues and uncover the solution for its reward.

Hints and Progression Fixes

  • All Rumor turn-in locations now have visual effects that become visible when turn-in is possible
  • May the Gold Lead Guide You has more text explaining that it can be turned in early for a reward
  • Greenwater Manse can be entered after its quest is complete so the Rumor Hint can still be found
  • Rumors have additional visuals that help locate hints and endings
  • Looking for Love no longer has a hint that despawns as you approach after finishing the quests in the area
  • Books for A Cage that Shines, A Cage that Shimmers, and A Cage that Sparkles now spawn at a second location so the Rumors can still be acquired and turned in
  • The Beriel Heirloom has revised hint text that is no longer misleading
  • Mizah's reaction during Somber News has been adjusted to better convey her emotion
  • A new indicator directs you to the Rumors UI when you receive a Rumor or uncover more information about one

The Nowhere Vault

The Nowhere Vault arrives with Update 51 on September 28, 2026.

The Nowhere Vault

Urli appears in Daggerfall's Thieves Den and invites players carrying Wondrous Nowhere Keys to face the trials of Sage Voernet.

The Vault is a collection of rooms suspended between realms. Its three wings contain randomized puzzles, stealth encounters, navigation challenges, combat encounters, and hidden objectives.

Accessing the Vault

You need at least one Wondrous Nowhere Key in your inventory to enter. The entrance is in Daggerfall's Thieves Den, and the Invitation to Treasures quest from the Crown Store's Quest Starters section directs you there.

The Nowhere Vault can be explored alone or with a group of four players.

Playing the Vault

You choose one of three wings when entering. Each standard challenge room requires one Wondrous Nowhere Key. The key opens the room for the entire group, so only one player needs to use it.

The Hourglass at the entrance can reset an instance after it has been open for at least 5 minutes. Only the group leader can activate it.

Special Rooms

  • Story Rooms reveal more about the Vault and its inhabitants, and may contain treasure chests or clues tied to its secrets
  • Jackpot Rooms can appear when leaving after completing a wing and contain valuable treasures, crafting resources, or other rewards

Story Rooms and Jackpot Rooms do not require a key to exit.

Nowhere Chests

Special Nowhere Chests are hidden throughout the Vault. Opening one costs another Wondrous Nowhere Key, so that key cannot be used to unlock the next standard room. These chests spawn separately for each player.

Chest Rewards

  • Room completion chests contain a consistent selection of valuable items, ranging from overland Item Sets to tradeable Antiquity Leads
  • Stash room chests contain a varying selection of valuable items
  • Nowhere Chests contain an elevated selection of valuable items, ranging from Trial Item Sets to valuable crafting materials

Wondrous Nowhere Keys

Existing Unformed Planar Keys will be converted into Wondrous Nowhere Keys. The new keys are tradeable and can be sold through Guild Stores.

Keys earned by characters of different levels now stack.

They can be found uncommonly through:

  • Heists and Thieves Troves
  • Delves, World Bosses, and Treasure Chests
  • Favors and Dynamic Encounters
  • Rumors and Solo Dungeons

Secrets of the Vault

Almost every room contains a hidden objective connected to the Sage's greatest treasure. These objectives are tracked through associated Rumors, while additional hints found inside the Vault help explain how its secrets connect.

Achievement Requirements

  • Nowhere Vault Savant requires 25 keys
  • Heir to the Sage requires 75 keys
  • Garden Stroll and its related requirements are now one achievement awarded when entering the Meditative Garden
  • Lucky Arrivals requires opening 10 stash room chests
  • Fortune Favors the Persistent requires opening 20 stash room chests
  • Safer Together requires 10 challenge rooms
  • Elite Research Team requires 20 challenge rooms

Rewards and Room Fixes

  • Nowhere Chests contain more gold
  • Chests in the Magicka Flow Junction stash room received a further gold increase
  • Missing maps and map keys have been added to several rooms
  • Nowhere Chests no longer become impossible to interact with if they are not looted shortly after spawning
  • The Moonlit Isles no longer lets players teleport directly to the end after reaching the Skyshard early, and additional return portals have been added
  • A slab in the Sinking Courtyard no longer incorrectly counts as sinking quicksand
  • The Meditative Garden now spawns loot, triggers achievement and challenge progress, and gives better rewards
  • The Gallery of Curios has revised hint text and a book from the room has been added to the Lore Library
  • Invitation to Treasures no longer lets players enter the Vault before returning to Urli with the requested keys
  • Invitation to Treasures is now offered as an event notification when entering the Nowhere Vault

Collectibles

Name Preview How to Get It
Thorn's Bite Withersteed
2026 Events Combine Blooming Saddle, Gilded Stirrups, and Withered Antlers, purchased from the Impresario. All three fragments should be available during High Seas of Tamriel.
Roseblood Bat
Event Collectible Fragments Combine Crimson Bat Statuette, Red Rose Petals, and Sharp Rosebush Thorn
Roseblood Wings Recall
Event Collectible Fragments Combine Embellished Dance Card, Rosy Boutonniere, and Sanguine's Goodbye Kiss
Abecean Sea Privateer Weapon Style Pages
High Seas of Tamriel Event Can drop from Legendary Deep Plunder Boxes
Ostentatious Pirate Wig and Hat
High Seas of Tamriel Event Complete the Raising the Riotous Redress quest
Suncleft Grotto Ornaug
High Seas of Tamriel Event Combine Galen Seawater from Deep Plunder Boxes, Captured Systres Zephr from undersea bosses, and Arcing Ornaug Energy from Flight of the Albatross
Ancient Direnni Quasigriff
Nowhere Vault Complete achievement in the Nowhere Vault
Evasion, Cyan Blue
Nowhere Vault Complete by using 25 Chameleon Tincture Phials from Vault chests
Summon Shade, Cyan Blue
Nowhere Vault Complete by using 25 Spectral Distillation Ampoules from Vault chests
Tarcyr Style Pages
Solo March of Sacrifices The Tarcyr Mask is obtained rarely by defeating Balorgh. The Tarcyr Shoulder is purchased from Veya Thenim for Undaunted Crests.
Mylenne Moon-Caller Style Pages
Solo Moon Hunter Keep The Mylenne Moon-Caller Mask is obtained rarely by defeating Vykosa the Ascendant. The Mylenne Moon-Caller Shoulder is purchased from Veya Thenim for Undaunted Crests.

Werewolf Form, Red

Use 10 Wolf Totem Shards and 10 Hunter Totem Shards from Solo March of Sacrifices and Solo Moonhunter Keep to unlock the red Werewolf skill style.

Titles, Dyes, and Witches Festival

  • Baron-Captain is awarded for completing Baron-Captain on Deck during High Seas of Tamriel
  • Rumormonger is awarded for completing I Heard a Rumor
  • Resurrection Mint dye is awarded for completing Expert Resurrectionist
  • Urli Indigo dye is awarded for completing Legend of the Nowhere Vault
  • The Zhekleg outfit comes from Dremora Plunder Skulls and the Impresario during Witches Festival

New Homes

  • Grotto of Desires is a Manor-sized home themed around Sanguine. Its first fragment becomes available during New Life at the end of 2026.
  • Sheogorad Chateau is a Notable home with a Hlaalu exterior and an upside-down interior themed around Sheogorath. It becomes available for purchase later in the Update 51 cycle.

Furnishing Plans and Rewards

  • 27 structural furnishing plans come from Glenumbra Thieves Guild Daily Coffers and Nowhere Vault chests
  • 7 new Master Writ furnishings can be purchased from Rolis Hlaalu
  • 1 structural furnishing comes from Vvardenfell Treasure Map chests and Nowhere Vault chests
  • 3 new achievement furnishings can be purchased from Lozotusk
  • 2 new furnishings drop from Nowhere Vault chests

Not in Patch Notes

All of these changes are also listed throughout the article in their relevant sections, but I'm also listing them here to keep track of them.

Class Changes

  • 's Born From Shadow duration increases from 10 to 15 seconds
  • , , and tooltips now clarify that their Heavy Attacks deal damage every 1 second. This was already how they worked.
  • 's Bash tooltip now says it hits in an area in front of you instead of saying it can hit multiple targets. This is only a wording change.
  • and portals last 15 seconds. 's Icy Escape synergy tooltip now says it can be activated by an ally in the area instead of only by an ally in the portal. This is only a wording change; the synergy already worked this way.

Werewolf

  • The and tooltips now correctly say the second hit deals 125% more damage below 25% Health instead of scaling up to 125%. The tooltip now correctly says the second hit deals 200% more damage below 25% Health instead of scaling up to 200%. The abilities already worked this way.
  • Blood Hunger no longer increases 's initial-hit damage. It only increases the healing by 25%.

Item Sets

  • now increases Max Magicka by 14% while you have a summoned combat pet active instead of adding a flat Max Magicka bonus
  • 's cooldown after one of its shields breaks is reduced from 30 to 20 seconds
  • now requires direct damage to apply Malady instead of any damage
  • can now apply Eagle's Mark with a Light or Heavy Attack instead of only a Light Attack
  • 's tooltip now says the caster also receives its Crux effect when affected
  • 's tooltip now says the Cindermoth bursts when it comes within 3 meters of an enemy and that the effect reveals you. This is only a wording change.
  • 's tooltip now describes dealing damage as marking an enemy for 10 seconds, allowing any of your pet damage against that enemy to trigger the healing and Stamina restoration. This is only a wording change.


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