ZeniMax Unveils The Elder Scrolls Online's 40th Major Update for PC and Mac

ZeniMax Online Studios has rolled out the 40th significant update for its MMORPG, The Elder Scrolls Online, available on PC and Mac from today. The same update will be rolled out to console users after the usual fortnight delay on November 14th.

The no-charge update (about 2.78GB in size) includes several features requested by the gaming community. Some notable additions are a Group Finder tool for creating groups and identifying fellow heroes interested in various activities, Grand Master crafting stations for Grand Master crafters to consolidate craft stations for each trade skill into one, and a complete rebalance of Jewelry crafting to align its costs with other trade skills.

Other enhancements include improved rewards from daily quests of the Fighters Guild, Mages Guild, and Undaunted, adjustments to gold and experience rewards across all game quests, and a fresh Patron Deck for the card game 'Tales of Tribute', introduced in the High Isle Chapter last year.

In addition to these features, Elder Scrolls Online's Update 40 bundles a host of bug fixes and balance tweaks, all of which are detailed in the official patch notes. The standout element of this update is the new Endless Archive, an endless dungeon experience specifically designed for solo and duo players.

ZeniMax Lead Encounter Designer Mike Finnigan explained in an interview why they opted for the solo and duo player option. They were responding to feedback received since the introduction of the Maelstrom arena, where players expressed the desire to experience it with a partner. The importance of maintaining a solo-playing option was emphasized, hence the creation of a two-player variant, reflecting years of player requests for dedicated duo content.

Finnigan mentioned that the Elder Scrolls Online development team continually monitors community feedback, so if there is a growing demand for expansion of the Endless Archive for a four-player setup, it might be considered for future updates.