What Do You Lose When You Cancel ESO Plus? A Comprehensive Guide
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So, you’re thinking about canceling your ESO Plus subscription? It’s a big decision, and one you should make with all the facts. In a nutshell, canceling ESO Plus primarily means losing ongoing access to DLC game packs and the convenience of the Craft Bag. You’ll also stop receiving the monthly crown stipend and will forfeit the various quality-of-life bonuses that come with the subscription. However, crucially, you keep all items, gold, experience, and achievements earned while the subscription was active. Let’s dive into the specifics.
The Core Losses: Access and Convenience
The most significant loss is undeniably access to the DLC game packs that you haven’t purchased individually with crowns. With ESO Plus, you can explore zones like Orsinium, the Thieves Guild hideout, and Clockwork City without needing to buy them separately. Once your subscription ends, access to these areas, quests, and associated content is revoked until you either renew your subscription or purchase the DLC.
The other major convenience you’ll be without is the Craft Bag. This unlimited storage space for crafting materials is a game-changer. While you retain all the crafting materials already in your bag, you can’t add any more once your subscription lapses. This can quickly lead to inventory management woes, forcing you to constantly juggle resources between your character inventory, bank, and possibly alt characters.
Other Bonuses You’ll Miss
Beyond DLC access and the Craft Bag, consider these additional benefits that disappear when your ESO Plus subscription ends:
- Monthly Crowns: Say goodbye to your monthly stipend of 1650 Crowns. These Crowns are valuable for purchasing cosmetic items, mounts, and even DLCs outright, but they cease accumulating upon cancellation.
- Double Bank Space: ESO Plus doubles your bank space. When you cancel, your bank will revert to its original size. If you’re over the base limit, you won’t lose items, but you won’t be able to add anything more until you clear some space.
- Increased Transmutation Crystal Storage: The increased storage for Transmutation Crystals, vital for changing traits on gear, also reverts to the base limit.
- 10% Experience and Gold Boosts: ESO Plus provides a 10% boost to experience, gold, and crafting inspiration gains. This bonus vanishes, slowing down your progression.
- Reduced Housing Placement Cooldown: For those who enjoy decorating their in-game homes, the reduced cooldown for placing housing items disappears.
- Dye Stamps: ESO Plus grants the ability to dye costumes. Without the subscription, this functionality is lost.
What You Keep
It’s important to reiterate what you don’t lose. All of the following remain yours, even after cancelling ESO Plus:
- Items and Gear: Any armor, weapons, jewelry, or other items you’ve acquired remain in your possession.
- Gold: Your accumulated gold stays put.
- Experience and Levels: Your character’s level and experience points are unaffected.
- Achievements: Achievements earned during your subscription are permanently unlocked.
- Purchased DLC: DLCs you’ve bought with Crowns remain accessible.
- Crafting Materials in the Craft Bag: You can still use the crafting materials in your bag, but you cannot add more.
Making the Decision
Ultimately, deciding whether to cancel ESO Plus depends on your playstyle and priorities. If you primarily play the base game content and don’t rely heavily on crafting, the impact might be minimal. However, if you enjoy exploring new zones, delve into crafting, or value the convenience features, the loss can be significant.
Consider purchasing your favorite DLCs outright with the Crowns you earned during your subscription, or wait for sales on DLC bundles. Weigh the cost of renewing your subscription against the cost of purchasing individual DLCs. Also, remember you can always resubscribe later if you find you miss the benefits. It is always a great idea to learn more about games and how they impact our lives from resources like the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Canceling ESO Plus
Here are 15 frequently asked questions addressing common concerns about canceling your ESO Plus subscription.
1. Will I lose my character if I cancel ESO Plus?
Absolutely not. Canceling ESO Plus does not delete your character or any of your progress. Your character, levels, skills, and all associated data remain intact.
2. What happens to my housing if I cancel ESO Plus?
Your houses remain yours even if you cancel ESO Plus. You can still access and decorate them. The reduced cooldown bonus for placing housing items will no longer apply, however.
3. Can I still use the items I got from DLC zones if I cancel ESO Plus but keep the items?
Yes, you can still use any items you acquired from DLC zones, even after your ESO Plus subscription ends. The items themselves are not tied to your subscription; only access to the DLC zones is affected.
4. Will I lose access to skills or skill lines gained from DLCs if I cancel ESO Plus?
If you have not permanently unlocked the DLC that unlocked access to a skill line like the Psijic Order skill line, for example, you will not have the ability to progress that line any further. You will be able to keep any skills already unlocked in that line, though.
5. What happens to my companions if I cancel ESO Plus?
Companions are tied to specific DLC or Chapter content. If you lose access to that content, you will no longer be able to summon those companions.
6. Will I be charged immediately after canceling ESO Plus?
No. Your subscription will remain active until the end of your current billing cycle. You will not be charged again unless you reactivate your subscription.
7. How do I cancel ESO Plus on PlayStation?
To cancel ESO Plus on PlayStation: Sign in to PlayStation Network, go to Settings > Account Management > Account Information > Services List. Select the ESO Plus subscription and then select Turn Off Auto-Renew.
8. How do I cancel ESO Plus on Xbox?
To cancel ESO Plus on Xbox: Sign in to your Xbox account, go to Settings > Subscription > The Elder Scrolls Online. Select Cancel and follow the prompts.
9. How do I cancel ESO Plus on PC/Mac?
To cancel ESO Plus on PC/Mac: Log into your ESO account on the Elder Scrolls Online website, go to Account Summary, click Manage Subscription, and then select Cancel Membership.
10. If I rejoin ESO Plus, will I get all the benefits back immediately?
Yes! As soon as you resubscribe to ESO Plus, you regain access to all its benefits, including DLC access, the Craft Bag, monthly Crowns, and other perks.
11. Is it better to buy DLCs with Crowns or subscribe to ESO Plus?
This depends on how many DLCs you’re interested in and how long you plan to play. If you want access to almost all DLCs for a limited time, ESO Plus is more cost-effective. If you only want a few specific DLCs permanently, buying them with Crowns might be better.
12. What happens if I have more items in my bank than the base limit after canceling ESO Plus?
You won’t lose any items. However, you won’t be able to add any more items to your bank until you reduce the number of items below the base limit.
13. Can I still access dungeons from DLC I don’t own after canceling ESO Plus?
No. You need access to the DLC to enter its associated dungeons. This requires an active ESO Plus subscription or purchasing the DLC.
14. What’s the best time to cancel ESO Plus?
The best time to cancel ESO Plus is right after your monthly Crowns are awarded, but before your next billing date. This way, you get the full benefit of your last month without being charged again.
15. Does ESO Plus give me access to all content, including Chapters?
No. ESO Plus provides access to DLC game packs available in the Crown Store but does not include the latest Chapters (like Necrom when it was the most recent, or Gold Road now). Chapters must be purchased separately.