Veteran Rank 16 is coming to The Elder Scrolls Online.

Some exciting news was revealed in yesterday’s ESO Live – Episode 21. Eric Wrobel, Lead Combat Designer, explained some of the major changes coming to The Elder Scrolls Online in Update 7, including an increase in Veteran Ranks to VR16.

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Veteran Rank 16

As explained by Eric, it’s “painful” to achieve Veteran Ranks in The Elder Scrolls Online. Most veteran players would agree that it takes a long time to level-up past 50. The devs sped things up somewhat with the release of the Champion progression system in Update 6, but by and large it’s still a long leveling slog.

4 Changes To Experience Values

With Update 7, the devs are introducing Veteran Rank 16. Along with the VR16 increase, global experience values in the game are changing dramatically in an effort to speed up leveling.

1. The amount of XP needed to level a  Veteran Rank is decreasing by 15%.
2. Veteran Rank quest rewards will grant 50% more XP.
3. The amount of XP in Public Dungeons will double.
4. XP in Craglorn will increase by 20%.

Eric indicated that the changes to Experience will help players gain Veteran Ranks faster, and will help players “catching up.” The Elder Scrolls Online has never seen an increase in XP values of this magnitude, and the numbers were determined via internal game testing.

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Take Away

There’s been a lot of chatter on the official Elder Scrolls Online forums in regards to the Veteran Rank 16 introduction. Like most changes made to the game, the VR16 decision is somewhat controversial, but it appears that most players are in support of it (see this Yes to VR16! forum thread to gain some insight).

Eric also clarified that it’s still a goal to eventually remove Veteran Ranks from the game altogether, but indicated that it’s “more of a long term goal.” In the meantime, players will be given the opportunity to level faster — and higher — after the next major content update.

ESO Live – Episode 21

If you’re interested in hearing what Eric has to say regarding Veteran Rank 16 and the upcoming combat changes to the game, you can watch ESO Live – Episode 21 below. The entire video runs over 2 hours, but Eric starts his presentation around the 33 minute mark.

[youtube_sc url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0mfkYIR8OE”]