The Imperial Edition of The Elder Scrolls Online was announced a couple of days ago. Players who pick up this special edition of the game are entitled to receive an exclusive playable race, the Imperials, along with a host of goodies including an exclusive pet, an exclusive mount, and bonus treasure maps.
Given that the Imperial Edition costs more than the standard version of the game, and that the Imperials are touted as one of its main selling points, it would therefore be inaccurate to assume that players will have any way of unlocking the Imperial race inside of the game, just by playing it.
As a matter of fact, Bethesda explicitly states on its FAQ that players can upgrade their standard editions of the game at launch to the Imperial Edition to get the unlock. The details are as follows:
Can I upgrade to the Digital Imperial Edition?
Starting April 4th, 2014 all customers who pre-purchased the Digital Standard Edition can upgrade to the Digital Imperial Edition by visiting The Elder Scrolls Online Store (https://store.elderscrollsonline.com). This will allow them to receive the exclusive collection of in-game rewards available from the Digital Imperial Edition. This upgrade service will be available from April 4th, 2014. If players have purchased a physical copy of the Standard Edition but wish to upgrade to the Digital Imperial Edition, our upgrade service is there to help you do so. If you pre-ordered a physical edition at a retailer, please contact that retailer to discuss changing your pre-order.
In spite of this information, one fan believes he has managed to gleam new information from Bethesda customer support personnel, sharing the following chatlog on Reddit:
It should be taken with a huge heaping of salt, however. As one redditor notes, “It's kinda been proven the live CS team doesn't really know what they're talking about.”
