To start the Markarth DLC in The Elder Scrolls Online, open your Collections menu, select Stories, and pick Markarth under Zone DLC; that gives you the opening quest, which points the way to the Reach. Markarth’s zone and storyline became free for every ESO player on November 9, 2026, as part of Season Two: Echoes of Skyrim, so you no longer need ESO Plus or a Crown Store purchase to play it.
Below are the steps on PC, Mac, Xbox and PlayStation, a quicker way in, whether you need to finish anything first, and what the Reach holds once you get there.
Markarth Is Now Part of the Base Game
ZeniMax Online Studios announced the move in its Season Two launch post, which said the Markarth DLC would move to ESO’s base game on November 9. Its Markarth post on November 11 confirmed the zone and storyline are “now free as part of ESO’s base game and Season Two,” covering the Reach in southwestern Skyrim “and an expanded Blackreach.”
Markarth finishes the Dark Heart of Skyrim saga that began with the Greymoor Chapter, and Greymoor is free now too: it moved to the base game on October 19, alongside the Wolfhunter dungeons we covered in our Season Two solo dungeons story.
How to Start Markarth, Step by Step
ZeniMax’s November 11 post gives the route: “navigate to your Collections UI, select Stories, and then find Markarth listed under Zone DLC. You will acquire the opening quest, which points the way to this treacherous part of Skyrim.”
On PC and Mac:
- Open the main menu bar, which runs along the top of the screen whenever a menu such as your inventory is open, and click Collections.
- Select Stories.
- Under Zone DLC, select Markarth.
- Accept the quest it offers. When Markarth launched in 2020, ZeniMax named this opening quest “The Despot of Markarth.”
- Open your journal or map and follow the quest marker to the Reach.
On Xbox and PlayStation:
- Press the Menu button (Xbox) or the Options button (PlayStation) to open the main menu.
- Select Collections.
- Select Stories, then Markarth under Zone DLC.
- Accept the opening quest and follow its marker to the Reach.
The quest lands in your journal like any other, so you can pick it up on any character and travel when it suits you.
The Faster Way In: North Markarth Wayshrine
ZeniMax’s 2020 launch post for Markarth gave a second route: teleport directly to the North Markarth wayshrine from your map. That drops you straight into the Reach, where you can explore, find the story’s start or go after the zone’s delves and world bosses before taking the quest. The Collections route is still the cleaner choice if you want the story in order, because it hands you the opening quest first.
Do You Need to Finish Greymoor First?
No. ZeniMax’s Markarth posts list no level requirement and no quest you must complete before you start. The 2020 launch post calls the Markarth storyline “a complete tale from start to finish.”
There is a reason to play Greymoor too, though. The same post says that once you have completed both the Greymoor Chapter’s main story and the Markarth DLC’s main story, you unlock additional quests that bring the Dark Heart of Skyrim to its “final epic conclusion.” With both now in the base game, every player can reach that ending without paying for either.
What You Will Find in the Reach
Markarth’s content, as ZeniMax described it at launch, includes:
- Two zones: the Reach, around the Dwemer-built city of Markarth, and Arkthzand Cavern, the part of Blackreach beneath the city.
- The storyline: you join the local Reachfolk against the Gray Host, standing with Ard Caddach, the “Despot of Markarth,” to stop the Vampire Lord Rada al-Saran.
- Open-world content: quests, delves, world bosses and Harrowstorms in both zones.
- Rewards: three zone item sets and three crafted sets, plus Achievements and collectibles.
ZeniMax’s warning in the November 11 post: the people of the Reach “are especially stubborn and suspicious of outsiders.” When Markarth launched in 2020, ZeniMax also gave a free hat, the Arkthzand Anfractuosity Shroud, the first time you set foot in the Reach; its 2026 posts do not mention it.
The Markarth DLC also came with a solo arena, Vateshran Hollows, in 2020. ZeniMax’s 2026 posts describe the free move as Markarth’s zone and storyline and do not mention the arena.
If the city’s name rings a bell, ESO’s Markarth is the same stone city where you can buy a house in Skyrim, visited roughly a thousand years earlier. Our Elder Scrolls hub collects every guide for the series.
Bonus Rewards: Return to Western Skyrim
ZeniMax timed a Skyrim-themed Golden Pursuits campaign with the move. Return to Western Skyrim runs from November 9 until December 2, 2026, at 10 AM ET. Its activities include using the Antiquities system, reading lore books, defeating bosses, questing in Western Skyrim and crafting, and you find the full list in the Golden Pursuits section of the Activity Finder.
| Activities completed | Milestone reward |
|---|---|
| 5 | Antiquities revealer and leads bundle |
| 10 | 10,000 Gold |
| 15 | Antiquities booster, leads and crate bundle (with a Sovngarde Crown Crate) |
| 20 | Sea of Ghosts Coral Crab pet |
| 25 | Antiquities mythic leads and crate bundle (with a Sovngarde Crown Crate) |
| 30 | Sea of Ghosts Coral Wolf mount |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need ESO Plus to play Markarth now? No. ZeniMax moved Markarth’s zone and storyline into the base game on November 9, 2026, so every ESO player can play it at no cost.
Is there a level requirement for Markarth? ZeniMax’s Markarth posts list no level requirement and no prerequisite quest. You can start it from the Collections menu on any character.
Do I have to finish Greymoor before Markarth? No. The Markarth story is a complete tale on its own, but finishing both Greymoor’s and Markarth’s main stories unlocks extra quests that conclude the Dark Heart of Skyrim.
Where does the Markarth quest send me? To the Reach, in southwestern Skyrim. You can also teleport to the North Markarth wayshrine from your map.
How long does the Return to Western Skyrim campaign run? From November 9 until December 2, 2026, at 10 AM ET. Its top reward, for 30 activities, is the Sea of Ghosts Coral Wolf mount.