Death occurs when your Health is reduced to zero. Normally, you will be given the option to revive in place at the cost of a Soul Gem, or respawning at the nearest Wayshrine. If you are in an interior area such as a Delve or Dungeon, you will respawn at the entrance instead. If you choose to spend a Soul Gem and revive in place, you will be revived in ghost-form, unable to attack or be damaged for several seconds. The Soul Summons passive in Soul Magic can save you a Soul Gem provided you haven't died recently. If there are allies nearby, they may spend a Soul Gem to Resurrect you in place without the ghost-phase. This can be very helpful in boss battles, because if your whole group dies, you'll have to start the battle over. Each time you die your armor is damaged.
Death in PvPEdit
CyrodiilEdit
When you die in Cyrodiil by PvP, you will not have the option to revive in place, but instead be forced to respawn at a Keep of your choice which your Alliance controls, or possibly a Forward Camp if one exists. You may not respawn at a Keep which is currently under attack. You can still be Resurrected by your allies if any are around.
Imperial CityEdit
Dying in the Imperial City to most PvE enemies will give you the option to respawn in your current location at the cost of a Soul Gem (giving you several seconds in ghost-form as usual), or to Release, which will cause you to respawn at your Alliance's Rally Point in the District you are in or your section of the Imperial Sewers. In the case of deaths to PvP enemies, or NPC soldiers of the opposing alliances, the Release option is the only one available. You will lose Tel Var Stones in either case, and in the event of a PvP death, the player who killed you will claim those stones.
DuelingEdit
Dying in a duel in PvE zones allows you to revive in place for free, without the damage to your armor or spending a Soul Gem, though you still have to spend several seconds in ghost-form.
Death RecapEdit
When you die, you have the option to see a recap showing you the most recent source(s) of damage, and possibly providing tips to avoid dying in the same way again. The types of damage in recaps are shown in the following table:
| Damage Type | Description | |
|---|---|---|
   |
Bleeding | Damage over time from certain attacks, notably Axe-wielding enemies |
  |
Cold Area | Cold Damage area attacks |
  |
Cold Melee | Cold Damage melee attacks |
  |
Cold Ranged | Cold Damage ranged attacks |
  |
Disease Area | Disease Damage area attacks |
  |
Disease Melee | Disease Damage melee attacks |
  |
Disease Ranged | Disease Damage ranged attacks |
  |
Environmental | Environmental hazards such as lava or Slaughterfish |
  |
Fall Damage | Damage from falling from heights |
  |
Fire Area | Fire Damage area attacks |
  |
Fire Melee | Fire Damage melee attacks |
  |
Fire Ranged | Fire Damage ranged attacks |
  |
Magic Area | Magic Damage area attacks |
  |
Magic Melee | Magic Damage melee attacks |
  |
Magic Ranged | Magic Damage ranged attacks |
  |
Melee Basic | Physical Damage from basic melee attacks |
  |
Melee Heavy | Physical Damage from heavy melee attacks |
  |
Poison Area | Poison Damage area attacks |
  |
Poison Melee | Poison Damage melee attacks |
  |
Poison Ranged | Poison Damage ranged attacks |
  |
Ranged Basic | Physical Damage from basic ranged attacks |
  |
Ranged Heavy | Physical Damage from heavy ranged attacks |
  |
Shock Area | Shock Damage area attacks |
  |
Shock Melee | Shock Damage melee attacks |
  |
Shock Ranged | Shock Damage ranged attacks |