Elder Scrolls Online devs explain Dragonknight rework changes after Update 49

The Elder Scrolls Online’s first class refresh is now live with Update 49, and ZeniMax Online has shared more detail on how it handled the Dragonknight rework after player feedback from the PTS.

In a new official post, the team says it tries not to replace skills unless it has to, and instead looks at things like class identity, whether an ability supports a specific gameplay niche, and how much it adds to the class overall. That came up in community questions about removed or replaced abilities, including Eruption and some poison-based tools.

According to the studio, some older Dragonknight abilities were originally added to cover gaps in the kit rather than because they were a perfect long-term fit. Eruption was one example. The team said it came from an earlier push to add Stamina functionality within the limits of what the game supported at the time.

ZeniMax also said PTS feedback led to changes before launch, including adjustments to damage-over-time power as well as some visual and audio tweaks. So while the refresh is already out on all platforms, the studio says it’s still watching how the class performs.

This is also the first pass in a broader class update plan. The team says it’s now working on Class Mastery and Werewolf changes for Update 50, along with the next class refresh for Warden.

The full blog goes further into a few other recurring concerns, including disruptive VFX, Champion Points, and the team’s broader balance goals. If you’ve been trying to figure out why certain Dragonknight skills changed and what kind of feedback actually moved the needle, it’s a useful read.