Learn about what makes Update 25 and the Patching Overhaul so important and the special pet we’re giving away in thanks!





What is the Patching Overhaul?

The Patching Overhaul is a massive part of the Update 25 base-game patch (arriving February 24 for PC/Mac and March 10 for PlayStation®4 and Xbox One) that completely overhauls how the ESO game client is downloaded, patched, and stored on local hard drives.





What are the benefits of this update?

Once this update is complete, you will see major improvements to the game’s load time and the speed at which assets are loaded into the world.

Most notably, this change dramatically reduces the patch sizes for all future updates, and it results in a major reduction of space taken up by the client on your machine’s hard drive. Our console players will feel this improvement most strongly, and PC/Mac players also benefit from this change.





What do I need to do?

ALL ESO players are required to completely re-download the game client upon the launch of Update 25. For the most part, this should not require any additional effort on your part; the ESO Launcher for PC/Mac or your console will begin the download automatically once the update goes live, so just let it run on its own. You shouldn’t notice any other changes to the launcher or download process, and your user settings and add-ons should remain untouched (although it never hurts to back them up!).

Unfortunately, it is not possible to begin the download for Update 25 early (nor simply use the files from the PTS)—it will begin the morning of the update’s launch. Once the download has begun, it’s simply a matter of waiting for it to complete and launching the game as normal. Easy!





Did I hear something about a free pet?

Yes! As a “thank you” to the ESO community for completing the re-download, we’re adding the Crimson Torchbug Pet to the Crown Store, completely free. This glowing gift can be found under the Pets category of the Crown Store and is available only for two weeks after Update 25’s launch. This means PC/Mac players can grab their pets from February 24 until March 9, and console players can get theirs from March 10 until March 24. Plenty of time to complete the re-download!