Disclosure: WigSec purchased this game for review purposes. The developer and publisher have no editorial input on this content.
The Basics
Game: The Elder Scrolls Online: 2025 Premium Edition Platform: PC (Steam), PlayStation, Xbox, Mac ESRB Rating: M for Mature 17+ (blood and gore, sexual themes, use of alcohol, violence) Price Model: Buy-to-play with optional ESO Plus subscription ($14.99/month) and Crown Store microtransactions Online Features: Always-online MMO with thousands of concurrent players
Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) is a massively multiplayer online RPG set in the Elder Scrolls universe. Unlike single-player Elder Scrolls games (Skyrim, Oblivion), this is a persistent online world where thousands of players exist simultaneously. It requires a constant internet connection and involves extensive interaction with other players.
Content Considerations
Violence: Combat involves swords, magic, and blood effects. Enemies include undead, demons, and humanoids. It’s fantasy violence—intense but not realistic.
Sexual themes: Some quests reference sexual content, brothels exist in-game, and character dialogue can be suggestive. Nothing explicit is shown.
Alcohol: Taverns are common. Characters drink. Some quests involve alcohol.
Dark themes: Quests involve murder, betrayal, cults, torture, and other mature narrative elements. The Daedric Prince storylines in particular deal with corruption and evil.
Player interactions: This is where content becomes unpredictable. Other players can say anything in chat or voice. You cannot control what your child will encounter from the community.
Online and Privacy Exposure
This is an MMO—online exposure is inherent to the experience.
Account requirements: ESO requires a ZeniMax Online account linked to your platform account (Steam, PlayStation, Xbox). This means:
- Email address required
- Date of birth
- Agreeing to privacy policy
- Platform account linking
Chat systems: ESO has multiple text chat channels:
- Zone chat (all players in the area)
- Guild chat (up to 5 guilds)
- Group chat (party members)
- Whispers (private messages from any player)
Voice chat: Available in groups and guilds. Not required but commonly used for difficult content.
Guild system: Guilds are essentially clubs within the game. They range from casual social groups to hardcore trading operations. Each guild is a community with its own culture—some are family-friendly, many are not.
Social features: Friend lists, ignore lists, player inspection (seeing others’ gear/achievements). Character names are visible to everyone.
Third-party addons: PC version supports addons that can extend functionality and potentially collect data. Some popular addons track player activity.
Privacy Settings to Configure
ZeniMax Account
- Use a dedicated email address
- Enable two-factor authentication (protects account and linked payment methods)
- Review privacy settings at account.elderscrollsonline.com
- Opt out of marketing emails
- Don’t link social media accounts
Steam Level
- Profile to Private or Friends Only
- Game activity to Friends Only
In-Game Settings
- Chat filters: Enable profanity filter in Social settings (it’s not perfect, but it helps)
- Create a non-identifying character name: No real names, birth years, or identifying information
- Zone chat: Consider leaving zone chat channels in populated areas—they’re often toxic
- Whispers: You can set whispers to friends-only or disable them
- Voice chat: Disable if not doing group content, or set to push-to-talk
- Guild membership: Be selective about guilds—review their rules and culture before joining
Addon Considerations (PC)
- Be cautious about addons that require external accounts
- Stick to well-known addons from reputable sources (Minion addon manager)
- Review what data addons collect before installing
Talk to Your Kid About
- Character names matter: Other players will see this constantly. No real information.
- Stranger danger still applies: People in MMOs aren’t automatically trustworthy. Don’t share personal information with guildmates or group members.
- Guild vetting: Not all guilds are appropriate. Some have mature themes, drama, or toxic cultures. Help them find age-appropriate communities.
- In-game economy: ESO has real-money transactions (Crown Store) and an in-game gold economy. Set clear expectations about spending.
- Time investment: MMOs are designed to be played indefinitely. Set session limits.
- It’s okay to leave situations: If a group or guild becomes uncomfortable, they can leave. No content is worth enduring harassment.
Bottom Line
ESO is lower-risk than many MMOs due to its relatively mature community and strong moderation, but it’s still an always-online game where your child will interact with thousands of strangers. The M rating is appropriate—the game content plus unpredictable player behavior makes this unsuitable for younger teens.
Privacy configuration matters more here than in most games because the social exposure is constant. Non-identifying character names, careful guild selection, and chat management are essential. The subscription model (ESO Plus) actually reduces some predatory monetization compared to free-to-play MMOs, but Crown Store purchases can still add up.
If your teenager is interested in MMOs, ESO is one of the better options—the community is generally more mature than games like Fortnite or Roblox—but it requires active privacy configuration and ongoing conversations about online interactions.