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ESO Witches Festival 2026: How to Start The Witchmother’s Bargain
The Witches Festival brings bonus XP and a mix of new and returning spooky rewards back to Tamriel. Its introductory quest is available through the Crown Store or Olyve’s Brewery.
When the Witches Festival is active
The Elder Scrolls Online’s Witches Festival begins Wednesday, October 21 at 10:00 AM ET and continues through Wednesday, November 4. The limited window brings its haunted atmosphere back to players fighting monsters across Tamriel. Because the announced start uses Eastern Time, anyone playing in another time zone should convert it before planning a first-day session. The supplied summary does not specify a closing time on November 4.
The event’s two headline benefits are bonus experience and event-specific rewards. The available summary says the reward selection includes both new and returning spooky items, but it does not name each one or provide acquisition rates. Players should therefore enter with the confirmed general reward framework in mind, rather than treating any particular item as guaranteed.
How to get The Witchmother’s Bargain
The starting point is the introductory quest titled “The Witchmother’s Bargain.” The first access method is to open the in-game Crown Store, visit its Quest Starters section, and acquire the quest there. This is the clearly stated menu-based route, giving players who are unsure where to begin a specific section to check before heading into the event.
Players who prefer an in-world route can pick up the same quest manually at Olyve’s Brewery. The announcement identifies access in Glenumbra, Stonefalls, and Auridon. These are the three listed physical options for finding the quest. Whichever route you select, the goal is not to discover a separate event chain, but to begin the festival through the same introductory quest.
Returning participants can skip the repeat
Anyone who completed The Witchmother’s Bargain in a previous year does not need to complete it again. That detail prevents returning participants from spending time searching for a step they have already cleared. If you are unsure whether your character has prior completion, checking the current quest and event access state in game is safer than assuming the festival has added a new requirement.
First-time participants can simply choose between the two official entry routes: the Quest Starters area of the Crown Store or Olyve’s Brewery in one of the three named regions. The choices support different preferences, with one reached through a menu and the other through Tamriel itself. The available summary does not identify a third starting method beyond those options.
Plan around the bonus XP window
Bonus XP gives players a practical reason to combine the festival period with combat and progression they already intended to pursue. However, the source summary does not state a numerical bonus rate or a detailed schedule for separate activities. Building a plan around the known opening time and the November 4 closing day is more reliable than counting on an unspecified multiplier.
The concise plan is to convert the ET start to your local time, collect The Witchmother’s Bargain through either access route if needed, and focus on bonus experience and festival rewards while the event remains active. Outside the event, players trading ESO currency, items, or accounts can use escrow-protected listings on GameinShop to make transactions safer for both sides.
Source: Steam News