The new Night Market Event Zone has some important tricks and secrets, so we’re shedding some light on a few with this preview!
ESO’s Season Zero, the first of its kind, is in full swing, and it’s only going to get more exciting with the arrival of the Night Market. As the game’s first-ever event zone, the Night Market is available for a limited period of time only. That means you can enter the Night Market and face its challenges from April 29 to June 17, after which it vanishes from the reach of Tamriel and Oblivion alike until it returns in a later Season. But what exactly goes on in the Night Market and why would you want to go there?
“The doors to the Night Market are unlocked and open! Across Fargrave, factions band together to journey into the three dangerous districts inside,” says Senior Writer-Designer Helena Wachhaus. “Hopefully, they’ll return with secrets, treasures, and respect. Surviving long enough to uncover everything the Night Market holds is no easy feat, but no one says you have to do it alone.”
Night Market Mysteries
The Night Market has its roots in an existing ESO zone, appearing within the Oblivion realm of Fargrave from the Deadlands DLC. However, it also has its own curious history and nature, separating it from the zone you might be familiar with.
Many flock to the Night Market while it is open
One of the key pieces of strangeness about the Night Market is its here-now, gone-later nature, where it simply vanishes for long stretches of time and is not always the same when it returns. What could cause this behavior?
“Plenty of Fargravians have been asking the same thing. They have a ton of theories!” says Wachhaus. “Some think the Night Market is beholden to the whims of some terrifyingly powerful creature. Others think it’s a coalescence of fate and possibility. Picking at all the threads of truth, you’ll have to weave the answers for yourself.”
Whatever the cause, while the Night Market is here, there’s plenty to claim from it, with fierce challenges and rich rewards. To aid you in your efforts to make the most of it, you’ll need stout allies—and a patron from among the Night Market’s power players.
Who Are the Factions?
Access to the Night Market is watched carefully by three powerful factions: the Ruckus, the Thousand Eyes, and the Glittering Goad. Each faction has their own goals and methods, from the ostentatious magnates of the Glittering Goad to the cunning spies of the Thousand Eyes or the spirited mortal champions of the Ruckus, but they all want access to the wealth and power the Night Market contains.
Three factions vie to control the Night Market
You can enter with or without their approval, but to make the most of your experience, you’ll want to join one and seek their Favor—a measure of esteem for your skills and successes. Earning Favor unlocks benefits such as wares at faction merchants and decorations for the Night’s Den house (did we mention there’s a free house available … more on that below!). Once you choose a faction, the decision is locked in for your account—at least until the Night Market’s next appearance. As such, the decision of whose backing to seek can be an important one.
“I’ve gone back and forth on which faction I intend to join up with. They all offer great rewards and I can play together with friends or guildmates no matter which faction we all select,” shares Lead Dungeon Designer Shane Slama. “So, for me it’s going to come down to which of the patrons I want to visit with regularly, as you’ll be seeing a lot of one another.”
Ready Your Expedition
Getting involved in the Night Market is simple. While the Event Zone is active, you can travel to the Starlit Plaza, a safe zone held jointly by all three factions. There, you’ll be greeted by the enigmatic Curator and set on your path to join a faction and complete the zone’s main quest.
The Curator awaits
Alternatively, or at any point in that process, you can simply walk through the gates of one of the three connected districts and start exploring. You may want to find allies first, though—the Night Market is challenging content and best handled with others. You’re not required to group, but seeking help in some form would be wise.
“It’s similar to the challenge of a dungeon, but unlike a dungeon, it’s not just your group fighting to survive and collect loot. So, imagine running a dungeon and being able to high-five another group as they pass by,” notes Slama. “Or your group rushes in to save someone in over their head with a tough boss battle. It’s more dynamic and social in that regard.”
All new dangers await within the Event Zone
The districts in the Night Market are called Sorrow’s Friend, the Skittering Precinct, and the Parch. Each has unique traversal challenges that initially bar you from exploring certain regions within them. There are perpetual sandstorms that block off some of the paths within the Parch, grapple points in the Skittering Precinct, and a strange phenomenon called the Baleful Darkness that cloaks portions of Sorrow’s Friend.
As you battle through the enemies in each district, you can find Relic Splinters, fragments that help you unlock special district relics for traversing otherwise inaccessible regions of that district. For example, to press past the Baleful Darkness, you need to assemble the Gleaming Lamp. That relic can push back the shadows, making them safe to travel for its bearer and unblocking various routes into new areas.
It’s not all fighting and exploring in the Night Market, either. There are also races where you must move swiftly and avoid danger, puzzles, quests, and more.
Night Market Rewards
The treasures of the Night Market are legendary within Fargrave, and you can earn a share of them by taking down foes, completing activities, and working for your chosen faction. What’s more, as a new agent in the Night Market, you’re welcomed with a grand gift—the Night’s Den house—simply for completing the introductory quest in the Starlit Plaza.
This house has special features like a treasure room that updates visuals in accordance with your wealth and additional wings that unlock with your progress on the district relics.
Unlock a new home in the Night Market
Beyond this warm welcome, you can earn rewards in a variety of ways. Defeated monsters drop all the loot you might expect in terms of gold and gear, and then some new additions as well. You can earn a small amount of Trade Bars for taking down certain bosses, as well as motifs, recipes, and more. Earning Favor unlocks wares from your faction’s vendor, all available for a price in gold once available. Buy furnishings, style pages, and curated set gear among the various offerings.
With everything from monster masks to antiquity leads available somewhere in the Night Market, you’ll want to make the most of your adventures there. There’s even an ongoing Golden Pursuits campaign live while the event zone is open for even more ways to earn rewards as you adventure.
Night Market zone and Golden Pursuits rewards
“It’s really all about defeating monsters and completing activities, especially the things your patron asks of you. You’ll want to explore all three of the districts and make sure to open your map to check on what challenges may be available and where,” says Slama. “And lastly team up with others in the Starlit Plaza or scan the group finder tool before venturing out. If you do risk it alone, find where the action is at and lend a hand!”
The Dremora Is in the Details!
The Night Market is full of secrets, and we hope this preview has whet your appetite for them—we’ll have further articles and deep dives with even more information coming soon, so be sure to check back in the lead up to the Night Market opening its gates on April 29. Are you excited to face the challenges of the Night Market? Let us know via Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.
The Night Market Event Zone is part of Season Zero and is live from April 29 until June 17.