BEST IN-GAME SETTINGS TO UPDATE
Here is a list of the top settings we have found most helpful to improve our gameplay and overall quality of life experience in game!
To start, you will access your settings menu by hitting “ESC” and then going to “Settings” while you are logged in.
AOE COLOR & VIBRANCY
Gameplay > Combat
From here, you can change both friendly and enemy Area of Effect colors and vibrancy. While default is green for friendly and red for enemy, we suggest using a hot pink for enemy and turning the vibrancy all the way up to make it easier to see in most situations. Color can be tough due to the different environments where different colors may blend in, but pink has been one of the more standout choices in our experience.
PREVENT ATTACKING INNOCENTS
Gameplay > Combat
Every veteran player will tell you they have been there and gotten a bounty for accidentally casting an ability that hits an NPC. Turning this setting on helps prevent those abilities from accidently affecting them. Note: if you plan on doing any Dark Brotherhood related quests you will need to turn this off as the quests often require you to kill innocents.
QUICK CAST GROUND ABLITIES
Gameplay > Combat
Turning this setting on will provide a quicker cast of your skills without having an extra click after casting. All you will need to do is aim and cast. Without the quick cast enabled you will need to cast, aim and then click to activate the skill.
CONSOLIDATE AREA LOOT
Items > Gameplay
Enabling this setting will loot all items in proximity, so if you have a pile of monsters you just defeated, looting one body will loot all bodies in proximity. You will want to turn this setting on to save you the hassle of having to loot individually.
AUTO LOOT
Items > Gameplay
With this setting on, interacting with a lootable item (i.e. monsters, containers, chests, etc) will automatically loot all items available to you in one interaction. Again, saving you some precious adventuring time.
PREVENT STEALING PLACED ITEMS
Items > Gameplay
This setting is a great fail safe for not catching an accidental bounty. This setting often comes in handy when doing your daily writs because there are many items placed around the turn in boxes. This setting will help prevent you from stealing things you didn’t intend on stealing in the first place. Note: if you plan on doing Thieves Guild related quests you may need to turn this off as some quests may require you to steal placed items.
AUTO ADD TO CRAFT BAG
Items > Gameplay
This setting is a must have setting turned on if you are an ESO+ subscriber with access to the unlimited craft bag. For any crafting items that you loot it will automatically move it out of your inventory and place it in your craft bag. Many players will tell you inventory management is the true end game and they’re not wrong. Give yourself one less headache and turn this setting on!
ABILITY BAR, TIMERS & BACK ROW
Combat > Heads-up Display
We'll start by recommending that you select “always show” for your ability bar. If you have it set to automatic you will not see your bar until you are targeting an enemy which can be really inconvenient. The other two settings on your ability bar are Ability Bar Timers and Ability Bar Back Row. Turning on the Ability Bar Timers will show timers over your skills to see how long each skill has left before a recommended recast. Turning on your Ability Bar Back Row setting will display the timers for your inactive bar.
RESOURCE NUMBERS
Interface > Heads-up Display
This setting refers to your resources as well as the target enemy’s health. Turning these to “Number and %” will show you the total number, but also a percentage amount at the same time. The % comes in handy as many skills and gear sets have additional benefits when you or the enemy are at a certain percentage of a particular resource. An example of this is the Executioner skill under the Two Handed Weapon skill line where you do 400% more damage when the enemy is under 50% health.
DISPLAY NAME
Interface > Heads-up Display
We recommend changing the display name from Character to User ID if you’re planning on doing group content. Doing this makes communication easier as the User ID is always the same but one player may have several character names. If you’re like us, you are more likely to recognize the player over the character.
ESO has an incredibly robust menu of settings to enhance your gameplay experience so we suggest combing through and finding the ones that work best for you. We hope this quick guide helps start you off with some of the settings we have found most helpful in game.