Hero’s Return Guide

Returning to Tamriel after a long absence? The Hero's Return system provides a reintroduction to ESO's core gameplay mechanics and features. This curated experience begins with a short unique quest and provides useful catch-up rewards throughout the experience, so be sure to take part when you log back in!

Returning to Tamriel

Hero's Return triggers only after players have been away for a while, when you first log in to ESO after your return to the game. On opting into the experience, you're granted a special login reward (more on this later) and are prompted to take part in the Hero's Return quest. You're strongly encouraged to check out this very short quest, as it helps remind players of the basics of combat as well as a re-introduction to a favorite ESO character and location. You can close the prompt and choose not to engage immediately, but you retain the option to try it out for two weeks. If you decline initially, you can get back by opening the activity finder and selecting the Hero's Return task in the "A Heroic Return" Golden Pursuit.

The Hero's Return experience is optional, and the rewards are meant to help you catch up after you've been away. If you remember how to handle yourself in combat and have goals you want to achieve, don't wait to be eligible for Hero's Return—dive right into Tamriel!

Tamriel Needs Heroes

The first step in your Hero’s Return is a unique quest, titled “The Rogue Mage,” wherein you are called upon by Archmage Vanus Galerion to defend the Aetherian Archive against power-hungry intruders. This quest is available only to returning players. Designed to take no longer than 15 minutes, the quest helps refresh you on the game's combat fundamentals. 

Tamriel needs heroes

Golden Opportunities Await

Upon completing the experience of “The Rogue Mage” quest, you’re ready to take on Tamriel once more! However, even an able hero can benefit from guidance and aid. As such, you will also receive a short login reward track of up to five useful bonuses, such as ever-handy gold or Alliance Points. The final piece of the Hero's Return experience is a curated series of Golden Pursuits campaigns. As you advance through the campaigns, you’ll re-learn useful game mechanics such as fast travel and crafting, explore additional systems and content from daily quests to instances, and acquire useful rewards!

These Golden Pursuit campaigns are staged so that they do not appear all at once and are focused on basic options initially, such as talking to characters such as Stablemasters, who may offer useful services. After this, they lead into more advanced gameplay, such as defeating challenges such as Dark Anchors. You receive credit for everything you do, even if you don’t initially see it!

Continuing to log in each day to play through the suggestions from your Golden Pursuits nets you a tidy pile of benefits including gold, crafting materials, experience scrolls, and more—all the better to fast track you back into your adventures. You’ll have two full weeks from your initial login to complete all the Hero’s Return activities you wish and claim their rewards.

Continue Your Story

If you want or need additional resources as a returning player, check out the Updates page for what you might have missed since you were last in Tamriel, or look at the Community page to see what’s happening in-game now and in the near future! Don't forget that if you ever have additional gameplay questions, you should navigate to the in-game Help menu for more information on the game's features and mechanics. In addition, you can visit the Players Helping Players section in the official ESO forums to talk to the ESO community or check out any of the player-made guides right here.