Ultimate ESO Alliance Guide

In the Elder Scrolls Online, your choice of Alliance can significantly impact your gameplay experience. If you’re not sure which Alliance to pick or you need help changing your Alliance then this guide is perfect for you!

How to get an alliance in ESO

Immediately during character creation, players must choose between the Aldmeri Dominion, the Daggerfall Covenant, or the Ebonheart Pact. You cannot begin playing the game until you designate an Alliance for your character.

Does choosing an Alliance matter in ESO?

Your Alliance selection determines which of the 10 ESO Races you can play as, with each Alliance having three available races, unless you have purchased the Collectors Edition or Adventurer/Explorer’s Pack. This choice also affects your starting location and which zones you will initially encounter, with five zones per Alliance in addition to optional starter zones.

This is an important decision, as it is difficult (and potentially expensive) to change your race after starting your character though it can still be done. See: How to change races in ESO.

Other than Race selection, your choice of Alliance truly only has an effect in PVP, most especially in the areas of Cyrodiil and the Imperial City. Players are segregated by Alliance as these areas are where the Alliance war unfolds. This is typically where many players unfortunately find out, sometimes after many hours and levels that their Orc (Daggerfall Covenant Race) and Nord (Ebonheart Pact) friends cannot go siege a castle together in Cyrodiil if they themselves are an Aldmeri Dominion Race.

ESO PVE Content And Alliances 

For PVE content such as Dungeons and Trials, you can group and play with whomever you want, regardless of the Alliance they are part of.

Knowing this beforehand will save you and your friend’s blood, sweat, and tears, and ultimately money as well, more on that at the end where we talk about how to change Alliances. 

What is the best Alliance in ESO?

The best alliance in ESO for you will depend on which race option you want to play and if you want to group with other players in Cyrodiil and The Imperial City for PVP.

1. Aldmeri Dominion

The Aldmeri Dominion includes the Summerset Isles, Valenwood, and Elsweyr, with races such as High Elves (Altmer), Wood Elves (Bosmer), and the Khajiit. Its capital is Elden Root, and players that want to complete the Aldmeri Alliance story quest will visit Auridon, Grahtwood, Greenshade, Malabal Tor, Reaper’s March, and Khenarthi’s Roost.

Note that if you wish to change your character’s race to one that is part of a different ESO Alliance then you will also need to purchase the Any Race, Any Alliance Upgrade in the Crown Store to do so. This upgrade allows you to change your character Race to any other Race option you can access regardless of your character’s selected Alliance.

2. Daggerfall Covenant

The Daggerfall Covenant covers Hammerfell and High Rock, with races that include Bretons, Orcs (Orsimer), and Redguards. Players will explore the zones of Glenumbra, Stormhaven, Rivenspire, Alik’r Desert, Bangkorai, Stros M’Kai, and Betnikh.

3. Ebonheart Pact

The Ebonheat Pact features the regions of Morrowind, Skyrim, and Black Marsh, with the races of Dark Elf (Dunmer), Nords, and Argonians being playable options. The playable zones representing Ebonheart Pact include Stonefalls, Deshaan, Shadowfen, Eastmarch, The Rift, Bleakrock Isle, and Bal Foyen.

ESO Alliance Story and Quests

Each Alliance has its own storyline and cast of important characters, with the player’s character taking a unique role in each. 

The Ebonheart Pact story consists of Nords, Dark Elves, and Argonians, with a tense atmosphere due to their conflicting natures and the threat of Molag Bal’s scheme weighing heavy on an already tenuous alliance of military-minded races while taking place in harsh, unforgiving landscapes. 

The Daggerfall Covenant story comprises Bretons, Redguards, and Orcs who are unified under a strong and inspiring leader, resulting in a less serious yet still substantial tone and exploring various themes across its very rich, vibrant cultures and drastically differing beautiful landscapes from deserts to forested highlands.  

The Aldmeri Dominion’s story with High Elves, Wood Elves, and Khajiit has a lighter feel due to the humorous nature of the latter two races and the tropical climates of its well-civilized locales.

How to change your alliance in ESO

There are two possible options for changing your alliance in The Elder Scrolls Online: purchasing an Alliance Change Token or starting a completely new character.

Typically creating a new character in the alliance of your choice is the recommended option for most players as it is of course free. However, if you have already sunk a lot of time, effort, and resources into a character and need to change its Alliance then there is an option from the Crown Store. 

The Alliance Change Token for 2,500 crowns will allow you to change the Alliance of 1 character permanently. The token is used on the character select screen (as shown below). 

After using the token, the next time you login to the character, they will be teleported to the capital city of their new alliance. 

Please note that some quests that were in progress may be reset or replaced entirely. Furthermore, your PVP Home campaign and associated leaderboard placement will be reset and you can select a new home campaign after 12 hours has passed from token activation. 

Where to go next in ESO

Ready to continue your journey learning everything there is to know about The Elder Scrolls Online? Then check these additional helpful guides and resources!

New to The Elder Scrolls Online? These quick guides can help you learn the basics!!