The Elder Scrolls

Buy the core game first. It already contains the full three-act campaign system and enough build combinations for repeated play. Add character or region content only after your own campaigns reveal what you want more of.

Only for a proven lifestyle game. All Gameplay is the practical ceiling for repeat players; the highest tiers add material luxury and storage rather than a proportionate amount of better campaign design.

Yes. The core is a complete game with five provinces, nine guilds and extensive race, class, skill and item combinations. Expansions become most valuable after several campaigns reveal which kind of variety you want.

Special is the best premium core-box choice for most buyers. It adds hero miniatures and meaningful quality-of-life upgrades without forcing you into every adventure or miniature pack.

Scout is the cleanest content-first route: the Special core, all three adventures, and Companions. Explorer adds the major miniature packs, so choose Explorer only when models and painting are part of the value for you.

Yes, if you have one to three people who will play it repeatedly over months. At $199.99 for ~300 hours of campaign, that's roughly 67 cents per hour — the best value in the hobby. But the value only exists if you actually log those hours; for a casual or infrequent group, no price is low enough, and it becomes a $200 shelf decoration.

The 2nd Edition keeps the same world and story but reworks nearly everything mechanically: it has 101 scenarios (up from 95, with over a third redesigned), 18 classes (up from 17) with broken classes like the Eclipse and Music Note rebalanced, 180 events (163 brand-new), a new faction-reputation system, expanded Battle Goals (24 to 60), new miniatures, and a completely rewritten rulebook plus a Learn-to-Play guide. Reviewers say it feels like a fresh game.