A 2024 Recap of ESO's Main Story & Lore - The Elder Scrolls Lore 

Additional information & lore & more questline recaps below. Edit: lots of people are reporting the level cap is gone. I dont know why my low character was unable to progress then, but apparently the cap is gone. Which is heavenly to hear. (Although I cant personally confirm it, its just what I heard in these comments) Edit2: I verified that the levelcap is gone! Seems it was just a bug on my side as after 4 relogs I could continue without levelling! Introduction to TESLore: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6jCNpkRjaXo.html Biography of Clivia Tharn: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PXCgTXaua_Q.html Biography of High King Emeric (Daggerfall Covenant): ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-tyMeeAMtkQI.html Biography of Queen Ayrenn (Aldmeri Dominion): ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jkrhhGvScHc.html Biography of High King Jorunn (Ebonheart Pact): TBA The Story of Malkur Valos: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HxkArfgTg4k.html Old Reman Empire Video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IUIzoQcP594.html My other ESO Questline recaps: ESO Morrowind: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PK59OrxASbQ.html ESO Clockwork City: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zaJHPoDngck.html

YES. Now do every single dlc and every zone story

A wise man once said, “One fine day in the middle of the night, two dead kings got up to fight. Back to back they faced each other, drew their bows … and stabbed themselves!” I have to admit, one of the hardest choices I had to make in ESO was, whether I took Sir Cadwell out of Coldharbour or not. Some of my characters did free him, whilst others let him stay. But all in all, I still have no real answer for that question. But I tend to let him stay in Coldharbour.

23:00 my favourite Abnur Tharn moment is when he asks you to help him open a gate in the Elsweyr prologue and then tells you that you're also responsible when it backfires

So this is just my head canon, but I like to believe that the soul burst caused a dragon break that trapped Tamriel, and the three banners war in an endless cycle of repeated combat. That’s why, even after you’ve beaten Molag Bal the dark anchors still continue to fall, and the alliance leaders, even after having reached very peaceful communication during some of the chapters, still continue to battle pointlessly. There is nothing in the game that necessarily points to this, but it would make a lot of sense given just how devastating the soul burst was, and how incredible and undefinable a dragon break is.

I never realized how good the eso lore is until now. I never really followed it that well while playing the game. The context is really cool

You forgot to mention the true villain of ESO: Pacrooti lord of Crown Crates.

Hey thanks for this video! Im a huge tes lore fan but never got into ESO, this is the first time I'm seeing the entire of the main quest briefed in one video and it was really good. Would love to see the same treatment to the dlc storylines if possible!

Of the main story cast, cadwell was always my favorite. Of course, having John Cleese's voice helps.

i was waiting for this lore piece in special, im a avid eso player, with the huge amount of content i keep forgetting the history i just played, would be cool if you bring the lore of the dungeons too, since if you cant do it solo its impossible to stop and read the dialogos. thnks for the well done video.

by far my favorite elder scrolls lore channel. love the deliberate research and writing; the depth and the angle that you discuss things. more of this please!!

Imagine a Daedric prince invading your mind, and you decide in that moment to invade him back. Gigachad move

It's been so long since I did this questline that I forgot so many smaller details that you covered. Thank you

I would like you to do more eso lore videos. Ima eso main and the lore in this game is insane. Hopefully we can see more coverage of zones and dlc:)

Great! Thanks! Playing through it right now. Its an amazing story

Awesome channel! I feel like I just found the motherlode with it. I drive for a living and im always looking for something interesting to listen to when im on the road and i love elder scrolls lore so happy i found this channel with so much content.

Than you so much for this. I took a long break from eso and needed a refresher

Good video, but there's a big mistake at the end: since One Tamriel there haven't been any level requirements for the main story (so for like 6 years now). Now you instantly get the next quest after finishing the previous one regardless of level.

This is helpful and a fun watch. Thanks!

Loved this. We need more!!!

"Sometime, foreshadowing is obvious"

Abnur Tharn the Tywin Lannister of the Elder Scrolls

Videos like this are all I've ever wanted from an ESO content creator. Due to a lot of life stuff going on I don't have as much time to play ESO, so I love being able to just listen to the main stories summed up like this! I'd love to hear your take on the other expansions too :) I love what you did with morrowind!

EXACTLY what i was hoping to find :) thank you very much

Excellent, thank you, I was just looking for something EXACTLY like this a few months ago!

Sorry for being late like 11 months with this comment, but the general design of that story, and the thing that is even more obscured with the changes removing level caps and so on, is that this main quest is by design supposed to be intertwined with the map stories of your alliance. When you escape the coldharbour, you are placed on the starter island of your alliance, and then work your way through that story (that shows some bit of how alliance formed, and in some map cases showcases some of the three banners war) - prophet then contacts you as you reach the map where harborage is. Pretty much all the solo dungeon segments also are designed to have some time passing between them, be it prophet trying to locate Lyris, attempts to locate Sai Sahan, then Sai Sahans recovery from being tortured, during which time you are supposed to be progressing alliance story, where ultimately you gain trust of your alliance leader. After finishing those maps, the Vanus is supposed to contact you (seeing how you already become prominent hero of your alliance), and the invasion into coldharbour is culmination of those map stories. The last solo dungeon requiring completion is specifically to have player complete those alliance story before finishing the solo planemeld story. A little bit nitpick on the meeting on neutral grounds that Vanus organized - the issue was that the guilds, as a part of neutrality agreement with the alliances, was not allowed to do any operations that could impact any alliance without all alliance leaders agreeing. While Vanus was hoping to get their armies as well, the fact that they agreed to allow guilds to withdraw their members from alliances for the purpose of that invasion was already a success and sign of minimal good faith from aliance leaders (whom didn't commit their armies all in fear that other alliances would exploit it). In general, personally I think this story on a whole is basically oblivion main quest Molag Bal boogaloo edition, and while general concept is decent, it falls prey to the wonkyness of how it was implemented and then "streamlined". And I do agree that order of last two steps is awkward, invasion into coldharbour with molag bal depowered and wounded would make more sense.

It was really nice listening to you telling us about your favorite character. It showed. 😊😊 nice job.

Thank you very much, needed a recap!

That's kind of ESO for me in a nutshell, that bit at the end about how something is good and bad at the same time. There's a lot I do like in ESO (Including Abanar Tharn). Some of it is I admit incredibly silly and probably no one but me would like. For example I really like the Crafting in ESO. I like the idea that unlike other Elder Scrolls games say "Elven Armor" isn't just a one off set based on a particular tier/material. But instead is a style that High Elves use. That takes a variety of material forms based on what the craftsman has the skills to do. It's honestly kind of neat and I hope that system carries forward in the other games. Where in an Elder Scrolls 6 if I'm Dunmer I can make "Dunmeri" armors and weapons be it a humble Iron or some sort of exotic magical cloth armor. It's a neat idea honestly that should be kept around. And the food. It sounds silly but I never really play games that are about Cooking (or Fishing) primarily. Like I don't pick up something Bass Pro Fisher 2020 or whatever. But I love RPGs including that aspect in it. And ESO has this wide array of food and recipes to find and there's that giddy part of me happy that (Unlike Skyrim's base game) my choice of food isn't basically simple soups or roasted meat but I can really kind of RP that gourmand who makes delicacies to enjoy and have a wide palette. I even like SOME of the retconned lore. Like the Origins of the Fighter's Guild in ESO, where a book mentions how it was actually created in an attempt to limit the private armies of local nobles. By outsourcing their thugish strongarm needs not to their own personal retinues, but to an Empire spanning group of professional mercenaries that would have no loyalty to a particular local lord. Thus avoiding this horrible civil war situation prior that prompted their creation and the need to limit the size of private armies any particular King could raise up. It's honestly neat and more interesting than the Fighter's Guild lore in previous games of "Well Tiber Septim's Empire decided to formally recognize several guilds one year and they were one of them". But then there's parts that just slap me in the face. Like retconning that Tamriel didn't have any native human populations and that Nedes were just Nords from Atmora. Or in Stonehills where during a few quest lines the Tribunal Temple members say they don't even know if the Tribunal really exists or is just a philosophical concept imagined up by the priests praying to basically nothing... when the entire point of the Tribunal is that they were "Living Gods" who made personal and regular appearances and interventions. Or just some of the Dungeon designs which are, pretty boring all told and you can tel how the MMORPG mechanics of the game severely limited creativity with them. Or heck, and this is one that probably really does only bother me... I dislike that you can't be non-magical in it. Because Lore wise the implication I always got was that the ability to use magic was actually a fairly rare gift in Tamriel. Not everyone could do it, no matter how much training they had. And we see reference to non-magical people all the time. But ever since Daggerfall really every game has just presumed a character is a potential magical titan with near unchecked potential. And of all the classes in ESO... all of them kind of have magical powers. There's nothing like a Fighter, or a straight up Thief who isn't magical, or an Acrobat, or any sort of classic non-magical Elder Scrolls class. It kind of hampers the RP for me and fantasy. Because sometimes it's fun to be that non-magical schmuck that basically Conan the Barbarian's your way through things with brutality, cunning, and fortitude. I'd like it to at least be an option in Elder Scrolls games. And of course kind of the disappointment as you mentioned that you can't really focus down a particular storyline as you mentioned. Because they do tie together your character HAS to be a Mage, and a Fighter, and the Vestige, and an Undaunted, etc, as things tie together. And of course, personal gripe, the money scamming at times in ESO. Where I remember picking up a DLC for it because it explicitly said "If you buy this, you get all previously released DLCs". And then finding out it was a lie and "Actually except all these other DLCs like the Thieves Guild that we don't count as DLCs despite them all literally being DLCs".

I stop playing the game a few years ago due to the lack of friends to play with, after seeing this video i want to go back :D Also, i remember not understanding the quest the first time i play because of what you said about the cap level. I had to create a new character and follow a guide online to "play it the right way" and experience the story in a way that make sense. Great work!

"You must be the ugliest princess I ever rescued from a tower, Tharn"

Thank you for this comprehensive video! ESO is a little overwhelming for me, so watching this and the one on Greymoor was really helpful to get an idea of what's going on without having to go through so many UESP articles lol. That thing is a rabbit hole.

Awesome work, and I feel the same. I mean I'm glad they have single player quests, but as you said, they feel inconsequential to the world since it is just tacked on to an MMO experience. But having to wait over a decade for the next main entry in the series; this at least fills the gap some.

Dope video thank you bro

There are very few beautiful things in this world. This video is one

This was really fun. I liked your explanation of a story I’ll never play cuz I can’t play online games. Your play by play was awesome! I’d love more!

I just found this channel and im so glad!!!! im gonna watch everything lol

You should do more lore videos on ESO quests and worldbuilding. Possibly locations and faction questlines.

Awesome!!

Thanks so much for making this video. I have not watched but I am very excited to!

Love these videos man ❤️

Excellent video, good sir

"Quite Long" bruh, this is a warmup for a lore video. I love your stuff though. You could go for 8 hours and I'd watch.

Great job 👏👏

I would love for you to do a Wrothgar story recap.

I have theory of just how powerful the Vestige might be. When you look up the definition of Vestige. Which has many different ones dependent on use. But it could mean "fragments, or echo, or a small part or amount of something larger, stronger, or more important that still exists from something that existed in the past". Which case, what if all player characters in ESO are fragments of a single, more powerful entity. The reason they are fragments, is because no single being can help all of Cyrodiil as quickly or effectively like the way these Vestiges can. Plus with the skyshards, and what the game lore says about them and why the player can interact with them. "Sometimes called Shards of Aetherius, skyshards are shards of Aetherial magicka that carry the essence of Nirn. They are sometimes linked to Lorkhan or Anu." This leads me to believe that Nirn, required a Lorkhan avatar "something that still exists (Residents of Nirn, which Nirn chose the Vestige) from something that existed in the past (Lorkhan)". Which is why I believe the Vestige is a Shezzarine. The Vestige is the incarnation or fragment(s) of Lorkhan, or one of his aspects. People say the Vestige is weak because it takes multiple players to take down a dragon or roll through a dungeon or trial. But based off the definition of Vestige. To me sounds like all Vestiges are a part of the same entity. All Vestiges are the same person. Each Vestige is an aspect of what that entity can do when they are whole. So instead of just being a templar or necromancer or arcanist. The single entity can do and be all of its fragments. But when the Vestiges story ends, they'll return to being a single entity. Who's capable of being all classes. That's my theory of who and what the Vestige is.

Love your work! Keep it up because I’ve watched for years and this is such a great resource video for those who care about all aspects of the lore.

Brilliant 😎

Awesome summary! The eso story is quite good tbf, definitely better written than Skyrims main quest

I've started ESO a couple times, with different characters. Never got very far. I'm starting a new one now (well, 2 days ago) and giving it another go. I've also seen the beginning of the game on RU-vid a few times..... And I didn't even realize ESO HAD a "main story". Every time I've started a new character, or seen someone else start one, they always start in a different location than another one, and they're just dropped into the middle of a quest. There's no build up. A game like Skyrim for instance, has you wake up, ride slowly to town where you get some information fed to you, then you're saved and have to escape the town while learning more stuff, then as you play, more and more things happen to you and there's a big build up and stuff. But in ESO, it feels like you're being dropped 12 hours into the middle of a questline. Like, I just got out of the tutorial, and I'm immediately already helping some important higher ups in some important life or death questline. No build up, no meeting ahead of time, or "do some dumb nothing quests to prove we can trust you" or anything. Just BAM, you're helping now. It gives me that feeling of coming back to a game that I stopped playing somewhere in the middle, and now I'm just dropped in and have to figure out what's been happening on my own, while also attempting to follow what's currently happening, with no context.

Hey there friend, I'm glad to see ESO be put on a pretty descriptive highlight! I play the game pretty extensively in its every aspect, and if you wish, I can help you get around. There's amazing lore hidden away at the DLC dungeons for example, but I can help you with anything you wish

Good assessment. 😁

Would love you to do the prologue quest lines from the dlcs as well

love Sir Cadwell he is awesome great story line do him next :)

Holy moly! NICE!

I would love to see videos for the dlc as well, I don't play ESO a lot, and mostly just run around looking at things when I do lol

One of the best quest on the game, an the Best one from the base Game. Alfred Molina as Abnur Tharn is a 💯/💯

7:16 the mages: i felt a great disturbance in the force as if millions of voices cried out in terror and then was suddenly silenced

Love this

That would make such a great tv series 😁

Basically Zen Max has really good writers that implemented a really good main quest in a weird way

I'm pretty sure the Main Quest no longer has a level cap, it used to but that's not been the case for a while. I remember doing the final boss fight at level 38 a year or two ago.

I appreciate you.

Here after Necrom, and the reveal of the newest Daedric prince. If possible I would love to see a video about Ithelia, prince of paths. There isn’t much but nonetheless would be interesting.

I'd love a video the main questline of the factions, especially the AD

Ebonheart pact represent

keep it uo!

Great video! I will never play ESO because I don’t like MMOs so this was a great way to catch up on the storyline and lore of that game. Have you done these for the single player games like Oblivion, Morrowwind, Daggerfall, etc? I’ve played Skyrim completely through and some of Oblivion but haven’t played any of the older games. Would be great to hear you take us through those main storylines as well. Thanks for all your good work with these videos!

Thanks for the eso vid! I play all the time and love the lore it adds but there so much content I always forget some stories. My biggest complaint with eso is that the devs claim it all happens in the same year hopefully that gets changed

If you start as a low Player you can also play the Complete main quest since One Tamriel. As i started in 2017 i Was done with the Main quest as i was lvl 16 or so but not higher. At the beginning of the game you had this Level caps but in one Tamriel they removed it. And also for the Cold Habour Quest you only need to free the Mage and the Aleyid King and do 1 or 2 quests more then you can start the Rest of the quest. Since One Tamriel they made the Mainstory much much better

You should make a video about abnur tharn

Wow, ESO has quite the fascinating main quest. Personally, I'm not really a fan branching decision based MMOs like ESO as it doesn't feel like your choices matter in the greater world (which is ironic compared to more linear MMOs), so I probably won't ever playout the story directly, which is a bit of a shame. Neat to finally see a summary of how the main story generally goes though. Delightful video.

There NEEDS to be serious work done on novel series for the Elder Scrolls universe

You know, i can understand why Varen believed Mannimarco. Dragons and their domineering nature would still be fairly well known at thie point in time, if some details are lost to time. It would make sense for Akatosh, the _Dragon_ God of Time, to share some of their traits. With this logic in place, conquering an empire in decline could gain you favor from a dragon.

would be nice if you would do a recap of each dlc chapter since there are no videos about it

Elder scrolls online is amazing that is what I currently play after years of wow painful years.

Can you do the DLC main quests too? Idk how dragons in Elsweyr or Hermaeus Mora connect to this and O really like your videos

Could you make a video on Mannimarco?

Just imagine the dragonborn from skyrim ruled became a Emperor in the imperial citadel!

Intriguing

Thanks. Agree it is one of the best story quests. If they could remove the level cap, it would be great.

Though the gameplay needs work the storyline and quests are fucking amazing and i dont regret my hours in these vast lands. The friends and foes i made, people i helped and momsters slain were the greatest adventurers ive had in any scifi/fantasy game i have played

yeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssss

If the elder scroll fan remakes in skyrim finish and beyond skyrim releases a lot of regions then maybe a group will form to remake ESO stories in skyrim too. That would be awesome.

Hey. Imperial. Could you make a Video about the City Rockgrove in the Time of The Elder Scrolls Online and the Events That Happen there? For me i am Running there the Trial 3 times per week to get Planesbreaker but i have actually no plan of the Story there but it seems like the Trial and the Sul-Xan have a Really cool Story

Damn I wish I can go back and play ESO but I can't I simply don't have enough time to play. this game have alot of interesting lore and also provide alot of answer. each topic in this series are really deep.

When the flower and mushroom lore video happening?

Is there any reason to do the main quest? Since im watching this cus i despise coldharbour as a quest so much

The video is also great for non-eso players to get some insight into the lore

I long Imperial Knowledge video? Sign me up!

Thank you so much for this. I really, really want to enjoy ESO but god, it’s just another MMO and the world, whilst gorgeous, is not immersive at all (imo) I fully agree with you when you said this questline would be some of the best storytelling if it were a main line game. I hope we get some parts of the story added into ES6, some sort of continuation.

Just discovered this channel after alllll this time. 😆. Since 2020. Anyways love your vids they are the best lore vids for ESO on YT. But can you try talking a little slower? I tend to have to put closed caption on because your talking so fast lol..not American Southerner slow, American Mid East slow, would be perfect lol

"Abnur tharn is my favourite character " Well..how to say it... Well, i hope you made a bideo about him too!

Yea the guy who voiced the prophet...was none other than Albus Dumbledore. At least the one after Sir Richard Harris

22:23 like a true imperial

Dare say that if you have a leveled character, this beats a lot of MMO main quest lines, including World of Warcraft and that’s just my opinion but also, if you go beyond the quest line, it helps that the game is a whole doesn’t shove you into a toxic end game right from the start basically trying to over level you so you can grind and game gear all day with rude people because half of the development feels like they really want you to absorb the universe

Make videos for the chapter too please!

does this take place before or after the main story of the traditional Elder Scrolls (Skyrim and Oblivion, etc)

Can you please make a video on the gray host, I have been playing Skyrim and I want to know about that lore without having to play eso

🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘