There’s been a lot of controversy around Elder Scrolls Online’s addons recently, and while Zenimax did severely limit some of the potential capabilities addon developers are still hard at work creating helpful ones. The default interface is very minimalistic, somewhat optimized for console gamers and as such has certain downsides. Regardless of your opinions on addons there are a few which are very useful, and here’s some which I’ve been using so far!

For info on how to find and install addons jump to the end of this article.

1. Wykkyd’s Framework

Wykkyd’s Framework has been extremely helpful for me. It adds a bar showing your character’s level and XP bar, amount of Soul Shards, mount feed timer, clock, zone you’re in, available and used bag space and several other pieces of information which are very useful to see at all times.

While the information it provides can be found otherwise, having it up the entire time has been a real time saver for me. Constantly opening my inventory to see how much space I have left or checking character stats to see experience progress to next level can get tedious after awhile — with Wykkyd’s Framework you can choose to display all or just some of these stats all the time. Not crucial to have by any means, but something that I feel should definitely be on everyone’s to-do list.

(Wykkyd’s Framework on Esoui)

2. ZrMiniMap

This is one of those add-ons that’s simply a must-have for anyone who thinks immersion is just another buzzword. I played without a minimap for a couple of days, and as soon as I realized this feature existed I never looked back. It’s a very simple addon that does exactly what you think: adds a small version of your map to a customizable place on your screen. Navigating to quest givers, public dungeons or wayshrines becomes (surprisingly) a lot easier, so ZrMiniMap is one addon you should definitely consider installing.

(ZrMiniMap on Esoui)

3. Craft Research Timer

Another self-explanatory addon. To see research timers normally you’d have to visit a crafting station and check it manually: no more, as Craft Research Timer allows you to view the exact time when your research for Clothing, Blacksmithing or Woodworking will be completed. Since research times will take an enormous amount of time maximizing your research downtime is very important, especially early on when they don’t take too long.

If you’re like me and trying to level all professions, keeping track of research times for 6 or even 9 different traits can get overwhelming, and Craft Research Timer will absolutely help with that. It’s certainly not the prettiest addon and I wouldn’t mind more customization, but it does its job effectively.

(Craft Research Timer on Esoui)

4. Foundry Tactical Combat

Though not for everyone, Foundry Tactical Combat is incredibly helpful for players who are often grouped or engage in Cyrodiil’s PvP combat. Scrolling combat text and buff tracking are just some of the features of FTC, and for everyone who feels they’re lacking combat information this addon should do the trick.

(Foundry Tactical Combat on Esoui)

5. SpamFilter

Everyone who’s completely against addons in ESO, you’re now eating your words! Except for a rudimentary ignore list the developers didn’t seem to implement any kind of spam filters to keep unwanted (and annoying) gold spam messages from the zone chat, and there sure is a lot of it going around in starting zones.

I’m sure anyone will agree that this is one addon you absolutely want to have and keep updated, so be sure to install it and enjoy a spam-free experience.

(SpamFilter on Esoui)

Finding Addons

The largest and most popular website for finding ESO addons is Esoui.com. Developed and maintained by Zam, Esoui has the biggest database of updated addons and if it exists, chances are you’ll find it there. Addons on Esoui are categorized into easy to understand sections like Action Bar, Combat, Tradeskill and similar, making finding whatever you need a breeze.

Alternatively you can use Nexusmods. If you previously played and used addons for Fallout, Skyrim or other single-player RPG games it’s not unlikely to know about Nexusmods. Their site and addon download manager also supports Elder Scrolls Online, and while their mods database isn’t as large or updated as Esoui’s it still has the most popular addons.

Installing Addons

There are two options for installing ESO addons. First solution is to manually download files and copy them to your ESO’s folder, which you can find in “My Documents” > “Elder Scrolls Online” > “Live” (or “liveeu” for european client) > “AddOns”. Simply paste the appropriate addon files to this folder and if necessary activate them once you launch the game. Instructions should also be provided in every addon’s readme files in case you need additional help.

Alternatively, you can install Esoui’s Minion which will handle downloading and installing addons for you. It’s a small downloadable app which will make adding and removing ESO addons a breeze and I highly suggest checking it out. It’s way more convenient and as safe as it can be.

There’s plenty of other addons which are fairly helpful such as EsoHead Markers, Research Assistant, Inventory Grid View, Multi Quest Tracker and more, and I advise you to explore and find ones you want yourself. In time I’m sure we’ll see plenty of other helpful addons, and I for one am excited about it. Default interface has its limitations, and I’d rather have Zenimax developers working on new content and leave user interface to the community.

Despite a fairly small but vocal part of the community being against addons there’s no denying they can make your gaming experience much more pleasurable. There’s nothing forcing to use any addons if you don’t want to, but fortunately for everyone who prefers convenience and functionality over “immersion” (sigh) there’s quite an active addon development community working to make our lives easier.

So what’s your preference, are you using any addons? If the answer is yes, give everyone your recommendations below!