The Complete Guide to Discord for ESO Players

Discord has become the go-to communication app for The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) community, with over 75% of active players using it daily. This free platform offers game-changing coordination, socialization and knowledge sharing tools that have taken ESO gameplay to the next level.

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll explain everything a new or experienced player needs to know about optimizing Discord for ESO. Let‘s dive in!

Why Gamers Love Discord

But first, what exactly is Discord? It‘s a flexible chat app that utilizes voice, text, video and image sharing to connect gaming communities. Here‘s an overview of some standout features:

• Crystal Clear Voice – Lag and distortion free audio via the Opus codec. Discord hit the sweet spot of quality and low resource usage.

• Text Channels – Threaded conversations are easier to follow than chaotic chat rooms. Users can @ mention others to notify them.

• Direct Messages – Private 1-on-1 chats avoid the noise of big servers. Great for private conversations.

• Security – Encryption for chats and no phone number required. Much safer than alternatives like Skype.

• Media Sharing – Drag and drop to upload images, GIFs and files up to 100MB in size. Perfect for memes and screenshots.

• Server Organization – Categorize discussions into separate channels under one roof. Never miss important conversations again.

• Role Management – Admins can assign colored roles to members for permissions and identification. Useful for ranking by experience, guild membership etc.

• Platform Agnostic – Apps available for all platforms including Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android and web. Stay connected on the go.

Over 150 million gamers use Discord monthly, with explosive growth since its launch in 2015. It achieved critical mass by fulfilling fundamental voice and chat needs in an intuitive package.

How ESO Players Utilize Discord

So why do ESO players love Discord so much compared to built-in chat features? Here are some of the most common uses:

Looking for Group (LFG)

Trying to find a PvE dungeon or PvP battleground group can be frustrating and time consuming in zone chat. 63% of players use Discord‘s dedicated LFG channels to quickly find teams for all activities. Need a tank for your vet trial? Ask a few thousand fellow players in seconds.

Trading & Price Checks

With over 75,000 player-run guilds, trading is a cornerstone of ESO‘s economy. Discord servers make price checking items a breeze with channels for requesting assessments. Trades happen instantly rather than waiting around hoping for a buyer.

Build Advice

ESO has nearly endless skill and gear combinations for characters. Getting build help in zone chat is woefully disorganized. Class channels on Discord let you ask thousands of experts for advice on perfecting your playstyle.

Guild Management

Running a trading guild or endgame PvE/PvP guild comes with overhead. Discord provides indispensable administration tools like calendar event creation, polls, file storage for rules/rosters and applications. 51% of guilds rely on Discord as their primary hub.

Beginner Help

The leveling journey in ESO can be daunting for new players. Discord communities provide guided learning resources and patient veterans willing to answer any questions. You‘ll get practical advice instead of RTFM responses.

Datamining & PTS Discussion

Every ESO patch that hits the public test server (PTS) is combed for clues about upcoming features. Discord brings together the brightest lore experts and theorycrafters to analyze datamined assets and predict future updates.

Roleplaying

For those who enjoy character-driven stories, Discord facilitates dynamic collaborative roleplaying across languages, regions and platforms. Find a welcoming RP community and let your imagination run wild in Tamriel.

Discord is the lifeblood of the ESO community, enabling players to connect in ways never possible in-game. But how can you get started?

Joining & Configuring Your First ESO Server

Ready to enhance your ESO experience with Discord? Follow these steps:

Step 1 – Download Discord

First, download and install the Discord desktop and/or mobile app. Accounts are free and don‘t even require an email address if you wish.

Discord installers for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android. Image credit Discord.

Step 2 – Create an Account

Next, create your Discord account. The easiest option is using an existing Google, Facebook, Twitter or Apple ID. Or you can register with an email.

Choose a username and password, then customize your profile with a nickname and avatar image. This is what fellow community members will see.

Step 3 – Join ESO Servers

Now comes the fun part – joining ESO Discord servers! Popular public ones include:

• The Elder Scrolls Online Official – General discussion and news
• ESO University – Help for new players
• ESO Builds – Build advice and theorycrafting
• ESO Reddit – Community server for r/elderscrollsonline
• ESO Roleplay – Roleplaying across Tamriel
• ESOPvP – Cyrodiil, Battlegrounds and Imperial City
• ESO Trading – Price checks and economic discussion

Can‘t find the invite link? Search Google for "ESO Discord" followed by your desired focus like trading, PvP etc and you‘ll likely find public servers.

Also join any Discord servers set up by guilds you‘ve joined in-game for guild-specific news.

Step 4 – Personalize Settings

Once you‘ve picked some ESO servers to join, personalize your Discord experience in User Settings:

• Notifications – Reduce pings from busy servers by tweaking notification options per server.

• Keybinds – Set push-to-talk, deafen and mute keys for voice chat convenience.

• Appearance – Change your theme from the default dark to light or add custom backgrounds.

• Game Activity – Enable displaying the game you‘re playing under your avatar.

• Streamer Mode – Anonymize your info if live streaming ESO on Twitch or YouTube.

Don‘t be afraid to explore all the customization options. And feel free to mute or leave any servers that aren‘t enhancing your gameplay.

Step 5 – Set Up Voice Chat

Now you‘re ready to join voice channels for actual voice conversations with fellow ESO players.

Plug in a headset, pick a non-AFK voice channel and start talking! Push the keybind you set for push-to-talk to avoid an open mic.

Consider using a noise suppression filter to reduce background noise on your end. You can adjust input volume in User Settings too.

Chatting about ESO in a Discord voice channel. Image credit u/Srikandi715 on Reddit.

And that covers the basics of getting started on Discord for ESO!

Essential Tips for Flourishing on ESO Servers

Mastering Discord does take some time and practice. Here are some pro tips:

• Read pinned messages – Announcements and rules are critical to follow. Ignorance is no excuse.

• Assign helpful roles – Roles like your class and champion level help others assess your questions.

• Mention users – Type @Name to directly notify another user and get their attention.

• React to messages – Jump in ongoing conversations with emoji reactions.

• Quote replies – Use the Quote Reply function to keep responses threaded.

• Save images – Drag and drop any image into Discord chats to save them.

• Bookmark key channels – Quickly navigate to frequently used channels like LFG.

• Report rule breakers – Keep servers fun by reporting toxic behavior to mods.

• Stay patient – Don‘t spam messages if you don‘t get an instant response.

Put thought into content formatting and server etiquette for the best experience.

Expanding Your Discord Horizons

Once you‘ve grown accustomed to Discord for ESO, consider exploring some of its power user features:

• Server boosting – Boost servers you love to unlock perks like higher quality streams

• Bots – Bots can pull data from ESO like guild trader prices right into Discord

• Threads – Threaded replies keep rapidly evolving topics organized

• Stage channels – Admins can control a "stage" voice channel for announcements

• Markdown – Level up your text chat with bold, italics, underline etc

• Webhooks & RSS – Automatically embed feeds like ESO news into channels

• Official integrations – Link other gaming accounts for shared statuses

• RPC activity – Display your in-game location and other rich presence data

The possibilities are endless for community building!

Alternative Voice Apps for ESO Players

While Discord dominates, it isn‘t the only voice chat option out there. Teamspeak and Mumble offer similar functionality:

Feature	Discord	Teamspeak	Mumble
Voice Quality	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Text Chat	Threaded Channels	Basic	None
Mobile Apps	Yes	Minimal 3rd Party	Some 3rd Party
User Base	Huge	Large	Small
Learning Curve	Easy	Moderate	Moderate
Customization	Extensive	Limited	Limited
Cost	Free	Paid Servers	Self-Hosted Servers

Discord pulled ahead by appealing to a more mainstream audience. But longtime Teamspeak or Mumble communities may prefer sticking with their chosen platform. All offer the core voice comms needed for ESO.

The Business of Discord

Let‘s shift gears and talk about Discord as a business. Despite offering a free service beloved by gamers, they need to monetize somehow to survive. Their main revenue streams include:

• Nitro subscriptions – Optional premium tiers with perks like animated emojis
• Game store – Selling verified digital games with a special launch experience
• Server boosting – Paid boosts that unlock features like higher bitrate streams
• HypeSquad – Cosmetics and swag for appointed community ambassadors
• Verified servers – Paid verification for legitimate organizations
• Developer partnerships – Recruiting developers to integrate with Discord

Discord struck a smart balance between incentivizing premium subscriptions without limiting free users. Their focus on nurturing the core chat experience shows commitment to the community.

The Future of Discord

What does the future hold for Discord and its relationship to gaming? A few trends stand out:

• Deepening platform integrations – Expect more games like ESO to embed Discord directly into game menus and vice versa. Soon voice chat may shift entirely to Discord across multiple titles.

• Expanding business model – Nitro subscriptions and verified servers likely make up a fraction of their hoped-for revenue. We could see more virtual goods or creator monetization options.

• Social media crossover – Discord realizes non-gaming communities want similar tools. But maintaining a laser focus on their roots is wise.

• Safety & trust battles – Any fast-growing tech platform deals with harms like hacking, grooming and toxicity. Discord will continue investing in trust and safety to protect their reputation.

• New product experiments – Discord may dip their toes into adjacent spaces like streaming or digital storefronts. But they won‘t lose sight of chat as their crown jewel.

The ESO and gaming communities are lucky to have a company like Discord that actually cares about their needs. Discord‘s bright future is assured by genuinely improving gamers‘ lives around the world.

Discord Transforms the ESO Community

Discord utterly transformed The Elder Scrolls Online, unlocking social and collaborative potential that forever changed the player experience. The app handily recognises ESO‘s unique needs around trading, group finding and game knowledge.

This guide just skimmed the surface of Discord‘s capabilities and channels for delighting users. If you‘ve yet to incorporate it into your ESO gameplay, don‘t wait any longer. Join vibrant servers teeming with friendly, knowledgeable players eager to share their passion for Tamriel.

See you in chat!