The Elder Scrolls Online is making a big change that could hint at how Bethesda approaches microtransactions in its games now that it’s a Microsoft subsidiary. Items available in loot boxes will soon also be available without having to spend any real money.
ZeniMax Online Studios made this known in a new update post (via Eurogamer) that previews content coming in a mid-June update, so you will have to wait a little longer before trying it out. A system called Endeavors will allow you to complete daily and weekly quests to earn rewards, including Seals of Endeavor that can be spent on any Crown Crate items currently in the game.
Tasks include stealing items, crafting or selling items, defeating enemies, harvesting resources, and several other quest types.
“For the first time in The Elder Scrolls Online, you can acquire these highly sought-after items via gameplay in addition to finding them within crates,” the developer said.
The amount you get will vary depending on the quests you completed, as well as the day, and any items you get through Seals of Endeavor cannot then be converted into gems–these are normally offered if you get a duplicate Crown Crate item.
You can see all the Crown Crate items available via Seals from the Crown Store menu, and when each day is over, daily Endeavors will be reset and the new ones will be activated.
The announcement comes just about one month after regulators approved Microsoft’s purchase of Bethesda parent company ZeniMax, bringing it into the Xbox Game Studios family.
With Xbox Game Pass such a large part of the company’s plans, offering more value in a now-first-party game seems like a logical decision. As Eurogamer pointed out, it also appears that Microsoft’s first-party studio loot box policy required the change anyway.
The Elder Scrolls Online is available now on PC, Stadia, Xbox One, and PS4. It will also be available natively on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 beginning this June, just in time for the Blackwood expansion.
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