ESO: Challenge difficulty mode, explained

Challenge difficulty on The Elder Scrolls Online Lets players choose how punishing the overworld experience is in the game. The higher the difficulty, the less damage you will do, and the more damage you will take. In exchange, you can get 100% bonus XP and 200% more gold than normal difficulty. There are some small but important details on how to challenge difficulty E.S.O Works, though, so here's a breakdown covering all the important things you need to know about this system.

How to change difficulty in ESO

How to change ESO difficulty
Elder scrolls online change difficulty button
Image via GameRant; Source: Bethesda

To adjust your challenge difficulty setting, Open the character screen, then check the window on the left. There is a small icon that leads to the challenge difficulty options. From there, you can choose any difficulty setting you like, and you can do it any time you want.

Difficulty is saved on a per-character basis, And you can crank up the difficulty as soon as you start the game. Just keep in mind that the hardest difficulty setting is designed for group play.

ESO difficulty options

Difficulty

effect

Advantages

brave

vanilla E.S.O Experience

None

Experienced

Damage increased by 100%

50% reduced damage

20% XP gain increased

Gold has increased by 50 percent

Master

Damage increased by 300%

Damage reduced by 65%

75% XP gain increased

100% gold gain increased

vestiges

Damage increased by 600%

Damage reduced by 80%

100% XP gain increased

200% increased gold gain

As mentioned earlier, Vestige difficulty Reserved for players who want to explore ESO's open world as a group. You will take six times more damage than normal and deal significantly less damage against enemies. Vestige mode isn't impossible for single players, but it requires mastery of your chosen class as well as a very good build that can keep you alive against multiple enemies.

XP bonuses granted by challenge difficulty settings stack with XP boosting effects from other sources.

Are the higher difficulties worth it?

ESO Dragonknight Open World Combat
The Elder Scrolls Online DragonKnight Open World Battle
Image via GameRant; Source: Bethesda

Yes, but it purely depends on personal preference. The increased XP and gold gain is nice, but only if you want to earn money or level up quickly E.S.O, There are better ways to do that. If increasing the difficulty drastically increases your overall time to clear overworld encounters, then it might not be worth doing.

If you think the game is too easy, then I recommend bumping the difficulty up to at least a season. Here, even a group of three or four regular enemies can take you down. You have to make a conscious effort to keep yourself alive while playing on experienced difficulty, making the game more engaging.

Challenge difficulty restrictions

Modifications applied by challenge difficulty settings apply only to you, and they only work in the open world and public spaces within it. Staged dungeons are not affected by challenge difficulty settings, but public dungeons are. Difficulty modifiers only affect you, and not other players.


The Elder Scrolls Online tag page cover art


issued

April 4, 2014

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and gore, sexual themes, use of alcohol, violence


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