Choosing your side in Tamriel is basically the first real "stress test" the game throws at you. You’re sitting there at the character creation screen, looking at these three colorful banners, and wondering if picking the wrong one is going to ruin your life for the next 300 hours. Honestly? It might. But not for the reasons you think. Elder Scrolls Online the alliances system is the backbone of the game's massive player-versus-player (PvP) engine, and while the "Any Race, Any Alliance" upgrade has blurred the lines a bit, those core loyalties still run deep in the dirt of Cyrodiil.
It’s about more than just a color palette.
When Zenimax Online Studios launched the game back in 2014, the lore was strict. If you wanted to be a High Elf, you were Aldmeri Dominion. Period. If you were a Nord, you were Ebonheart Pact. Today, things are looser, but the cultural identity of these factions still dictates who you’re going to be sieging castles with on a Friday night.
The Daggerfall Covenant: More Than Just Merchants and Knights
If you like blue, you’re probably looking at the Daggerfall Covenant. It’s a bit of an odd-couple situation. You’ve got the Bretons, the Orcs, and the Redguards. Historically, these guys hated each other. Like, really hated each other. The Orcs especially have a rough history of having their capital, Orsinium, sacked by their current "allies."
High King Emeric is the guy holding it all together. He’s a merchant-king who basically realized that if they didn't stop stabbing each other, the rest of Tamriel would just steamroll them. The Covenant’s whole vibe is about restoring the Second Empire and bringing back trade stability. They’re the "capitalism and chivalry" faction.
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From a gameplay perspective, Covenant players often feel like the underdog. In the Gray Host campaign in Cyrodiil, you’ll see DC groups running highly disciplined "ball groups"—tightly packed units of 12 players who move like a single organism. It’s impressive and, if you’re on the receiving end of it, incredibly annoying.
Why the Aldmeri Dominion is the Most Polarizing Choice
The yellow banner. The eagle. Queen Ayrenn.
The Aldmeri Dominion consists of the Altmer (High Elves), Bosmer (Wood Elves), and Khajiit. They think they’re the only ones smart enough to keep the world from ending. To be fair, Ayrenn is one of the more fleshed-out NPCs in the game. She’s young, she’s traveled the world, and she’s trying to steer the Altmer away from their worst xenophobic tendencies.
But man, do people love to hate the AD.
If you go into Cyrodiil, you’ll notice that the Dominion often has the highest population during "prime time" on many servers. This leads to the infamous "zerg" meta. If you see a literal tidal wave of 50 players wearing yellow capes coming over a hill, just run. There is no shame in it. They have some of the most beautiful starting zones, like Auridon, which looks like a postcard from a magical summer camp. This beauty draws in a lot of new players, which gives the Dominion a reputation for having a "casual" player base, though their high-end PvP guilds are some of the sweatists in the business.
The Ebonheart Pact and the "Nord Bias"
Red. Fire. Dragons (well, not literal dragons you can control, but the vibe is there).
The Ebonheart Pact is an alliance of necessity between the Nords, Dunmer (Dark Elves), and Argonians. This is the most "unstable" faction in the lore of Elder Scrolls Online the alliances. The Dunmer used to enslave the Argonians. The Nords and Dunmer have fought countless bloody wars over the border in Morrowind.
They only teamed up because the Akaviri invaded, and they realized they were all going to die if they didn't play nice.
The Pact is incredibly popular because of Skyrim. People see a Nord, they think of the Dragonborn, and they click that red dragon icon. This means the Pact usually has a massive, somewhat chaotic presence in the open world. They own the northern part of the Cyrodiil map, which is filled with jagged mountains and snowy passes. It’s defensive terrain. If you like playing as a gritty survivor or a dark mage from the ashlands of Vvardenfell, this is your home.
Cyrodiil: The Only Place Where the Alliances Actually Fight
Here is the thing about Elder Scrolls Online the alliances: outside of PvP, your alliance barely matters anymore.
Since the "One Tamriel" update years ago, a Daggerfall Covenant player can quest in the Ebonheart Pact zones with zero penalties. You can group up with friends from other factions for dungeons, trials, and housing tours. The walls came down.
Except for the Three Banners War.
If you step through the portal into Cyrodiil or the Imperial City, the game checks your alliance tag. If you’re Pact and your best friend is Dominion, you are now enemies. You cannot group. You will see a red health bar over their head. You can—and should—hit them with a fireball.
- Territory Control: You’re fighting over keeps, outposts, and resources.
- The Elder Scrolls: These are literal physical artifacts that give your entire alliance buffs to weapon damage or resistance.
- The Emperor: If your alliance captures the six keeps surrounding the Imperial City and you’re the top-ranked player on your leaderboard, you become the Emperor. You get a massive stat boost and a unique costume. It’s the ultimate flex.
It’s messy. It’s laggy when 200 people are on screen. It’s some of the most fun you’ll have in an MMO.
The "Any Race, Any Alliance" Factor
You need to know about the "Any Race, Any Alliance" bundle. It’s a paid upgrade in the Crown Store.
Without it, you are locked into the racial choices of your faction.
- Want to be a Khajiit in the Ebonheart Pact? Nope.
- Want to be a Breton in the Aldmeri Dominion? Not happening.
If you’re a min-maxer, this matters. Certain races have passives that are objectively better for certain roles. Orcs are incredible for stamina-based damage dealers because of their movement speed and brawn. If you want to play a competitive stamina Nightblade for the Daggerfall Covenant, you’re fine. But if you want that Orc to fight for the Queen in the Dominion, you have to pay for that privilege.
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Is it a "pay-to-win" mechanic? Not really. It’s more of a "pay-for-aesthetic-freedom" tax. Most veterans consider it a mandatory purchase if they plan on doing any serious end-game PvP with friends.
Misconceptions About the Story
Some people think that picking an alliance locks you out of the other stories. That’s totally false. Once you finish your main alliance questline (or even before, honestly), you can just wander over to the other territories and do theirs.
In fact, the "Cadwell’s Silver" and "Cadwell’s Gold" achievements specifically require you to play through the other alliances' stories. You get to see the war from the other side. You realize that everyone thinks they’re the hero and everyone else is a war criminal. The writing is surprisingly nuanced there. The "bad guys" in your starting zone are usually the heroes of their own story ten miles away.
Choosing Your Home
When you’re picking from the Elder Scrolls Online the alliances, don’t look at the stats. Look at the map.
Do you want to spend your first 50 levels in the deserts of Alik'r (Covenant), the lush forests of Grahtwood (Dominion), or the volcanic tundras of Eastmarch (Pact)? You’re going to be looking at these textures for a long time.
Also, ask your friends. There is nothing worse than hitting level 50, wanting to try out the chaotic fun of Cyrodiil, and realizing all your buddies are on the Blue team while you’re wearing Red. You can buy Alliance Change Tokens, but they are expensive and have some restrictions on when you can use them.
Actionable Steps for New Players
If you’re staring at that screen right now, here is the move.
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First, check if you have friends playing. If they are even 1% likely to play PvP with you, join their alliance. Period.
Second, if you’re a solo player, decide what "vibe" you want for your home base. The Daggerfall Covenant (DC) has a very traditional high-fantasy feel. The Aldmeri Dominion (AD) feels more "magical" and high-concept. The Ebonheart Pact (EP) feels rugged, harsh, and dark.
Third, don’t stress the racial passives too much unless you’re trying to be in the top 1% of Raiders or PvPers. The gap between the "best" race and the "worst" race for a specific role is usually around 3-5% total efficiency. For 99% of content, it doesn't matter.
Finally, get into Cyrodiil early. Even at level 10, you can join the "Below Level 50" campaign. It’s a great way to learn the ropes of the Three Banners War without getting evaporated by a player who has 3,000 Champion Points and gear made of literal god-slaying dragon scales. Just pick up a restoration staff, stay behind the guys with the shields, and heal. You'll get plenty of Alliance Points and see why this decade-old war is still raging.