Vampires are about as common in the mainline Elder Scrolls series as Imperial Guards and Daedric Cultists. Players are able to become a Vampire in Elder Scrolls Online too, though its effects are wildly different than the mainline games to be more suited for an MMO.
Being a Vampire in Elder Scrolls Online opens up lots of new abilities and skills that players can add to their normal repertoire. The affliction isn't without its downsides, like lowered Recovery and heightened incoming Fire Damage, but it's easily curable if you start to reconsider this dark, blood-fueled path into darkness.
Benefits Of Vampirism In ESO
Becoming a Vampire in Elder Scrolls Online opens up a new Skill Line, grants new Passives, and changes a player's stats based on their current stage of Vampirism. The new Skill Line is primarily Magicka-fueled with some Morphs that switch the resource over to Stamina instead. Abilities like Vampiric Drain and Mist Form are amazing for self-sustain, and others like Eviscerate and Blood Frenzy can make quick work of foes even when close to death.
The Skill Line itself is leveled up through normal XP gain, not by completing specific tasks like the Dark Brotherhood or Thieves Guild Skill Lines. As such, it's not a bad idea to pick up Vampirism as early as possible on a new character because the Skill will level up alongside Class Skills as you progress.
Stages of Vampirism
- Stage One: 10% reduced Health Regen, 5% increased Fire Damage received, Vampiric Abilities cost 6% less, and other abilities cost 3% more
- Stage Two: 30% reduced Health Regen, 8% increased Fire Damage received, Vampiric Abilities cost 10% less, and other abilities cost 5% more, Strike from the Shadows passive
- Stage Three: 60% reduced Health Regen, 13% increased Fire Damage received, Vampiric Abilities cost 16% less, and other abilities cost 8% more, Undeath passive
- Stage Four: 100% reduced Health Regen, 20% increased Fire Damage received, Vampiric Abilities cost 24% less, and other abilities cost 12% more, Unnatural Movement passive
There are four Stages to Vampirism, each with the same effects but heightened the deeper one falls into the affliction. By Feeding on a humanoid NPC players increase their Vampire Stage by 1 for four hours, starting of course at Stage One.
To reduce the Vampiric Stage, players can use a Purifying Bloody Mara, a potion brewed with Nirnroot, Tomato, Frost Mirriam, and Daedra Hearts. They can also go to a Basin of Loss to reduce their Vampirism, but this furnishing is only available in the Crown Store as part of a 4000-crown pack.
How To Become A Vampire
There are three main ways to become a vampire in Elder Scrolls Online: being bit by a Bloodfiend at night, being bit by another player, or buying the curse from the Crown Store. It is not recommended to go through the Crown Store, though, as it costs 1500 crowns when it can easily be acquired for free in-game.
The second-easiest method is getting Vampirism from a player. Simply send a message to the Zone Chats of popular areas asking for a bite – the Ritual Sites where the bite can be performed are located in Bangkorai, Reaper's March, and The Rift. The last method is to get infected naturally from specific Bloodfiends in these same three zones at night. It is contracted randomly in combat with these enemies, and the process of becoming a Vampire doesn't take very long after that.
The Elder Scrolls Online is available for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.