‘Elder Scrolls Online’ Will Be Free To Play On Xbox One And PC This Weekend
Those who have yet to try The Elder Scrolls Online or want to try the MMO role-playing title out on a different platform will get a chance the weekend starting on Thursday, December 10. Zenimax Online announced a Free Play Weekend for Xbox One and PC owners with the incentive to purchase the game for a chance to win a million dollars.
The Elder Scrolls Online will be available to download for all Xbox One owners starting at 3 a.m. ET on Thursday, December 10. PC players will have to jump through a few hoops, but can download the game now once they obtain a Free Play Weekend code from various gaming sites listed on the Elder Scrolls Online website.
Alternatively, existing PC players will receive an email containing a Free Play Weekend Code from Elder Scrolls Online starting Tuesday, December 8 according to a forum post from a Zenimax Online Community Manager. This can be shared with friend to get them in the game.
Once a game account is created and activated for Elder Scrolls Online for the PC, players will be able to redeem the code and download the game client. This will allow them to immediately jump into the Tamriel as soon as the free-to-play weekend goes live at 3 a.m. ET on Thursday.
Download and play #ESO with your friends this weekend for free! https://t.co/53v7m3IlzC pic.twitter.com/v046D0KlcI
— Elder Scrolls Online (@TESOnline) December 7, 2015
The Elder Scrolls Online free-to-play weekend will last until Monday, December 14 at 3 a.m. ET/12 a.m. PT and will include full access to the game minus the DLC releases for The Imperial City and Orsinium. However, the expansions can be purchased with the in-game Crown currency.
Speaking of Crowns, Zenimax Online will discount the purchase of the micro-transaction currency from the in-game Crown Store. Xbox LIVE will sell 1,500 crown packs at a 25 percent discount, 3,000 crown packs at 33 percent off, and 5,500 crown packs at 40 percent off. PC will have the same discounts available, but will also have 750 crown packs available for 25 percent off.
Elder Scrolls Online will also be severely discounted during the Free Play Weekend. Zenimax Online is marking the Xbox One and PC versions of the game 60 percent off, which brings the price down to $24. This is the second time the game has been put on sale at this steep of a price, most notably around Black Friday.
Those who play through the weekend and decide to buy The Elder Scrolls Online will keep any characters created and all progress. Additionally, all players with a purchased copy of the game for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC will have the opportunity to win $1 million. Details and the entry form for the sweepstakes can be found on the “#ESO #MillionReasonsToPlay” contest page.
Submitting the form and playing Elder Scrolls Online prior to January 10 is all players need to do to be entered to win.
For those who don’t know, The Elder Scrolls Online is a “pay to play” MMORPG versus a free-to-play or subscription-based game. That means you purchase the game once and you are able to play it with no additional fees.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t additional ways to spend money, though. Zenimax offers an ESO Plus subscription service that gives Crowns to spend every month, access to all DLC, and character experience bonuses. Crowns are the other way money can be spent to purchase cosmetic items like costumes, mounts or helpful items like potions. The DLC game packs for The Imperial City and Osinium are the final way to spend money at 2,500 and 3,000 Crowns each.
[Image via Bethesda]
