Elder Scrolls Online: A Beginner's Guide to Dungeon Crawling

Seeking breakthroughs should be something that any MMORPG that wants to persist in operation must do. Even if the current game development trend is good, it will soon be eliminated by other competitors without maintenance and updates. That is why, in the current prosperous game market, the classic MMORPG Elder Scrolls Online follows the rules and trends and ushered in a new era of its own in 2025. As the first year after the game held its 10th anniversary event, 2025 has naturally become the best time node for ESO developers to implement various new plans. In fact, at the end of last year, the game gradually announced a number of new plans, such as the game update mode changed from a major annual update to a new season every few months, and the plan will be implemented through the launch of update 45 and the new DLC Fallen Banners. As time goes by, three or four days ago on March 10th, you can finally start to experience update 45 and the new DLC in ESO first through the PC/Mac platform (Xbox and PlayStation login will have to wait until March 26th). It is worth noting that update 45 is free for all subscribed players, but the new DLC has changed the old mechanism and needs to be obtained separately. Therefore, in order to help you consider whether to experience this DLC, we will focus on introducing you to the overview of the two dungeons in it. DLC Fallen Banners Overview The two new PVE dungeons in Fallen Banners DLC are Lep Seclusa and Exiled Redoubt. Although their exclusive plots are different, they have something in common: they will reward you with ESO Gold or other items necessary for playing the game after you complete the relevant tasks. Generally speaking, as long as you are a subscriber to Elder Scrolls Online, you can enjoy all DLC for free before, but perhaps due to the chain reaction caused by changes in the seasonal update mechanism and other aspects, you must currently have an ESO Plus membership to access the dungeons in Fallen Banners. Or you can just wait and see until the developers reveal other ways to get the DLC during ESO Direct on April 10. Dungeon 1 Lep Seclusa Most PVE dungeons in RPGs have a storyline all their own, and Lep Seclusa is no exception. It’s actually home to a little-known group of Redguard monks called Hel Netu, who have long been dedicated to erasing any knowledge of Hel Netu from the rest of Tamriel, making Lep Seclusa the perfect place to hide Elder Scrolls. It’s a method that worked for a long time, as Tamriel all but forgot about Lep Seclusa, Hel Netu, and the mysterious scrolls they held. But as you might guess, there are no secrets that last forever. As the dungeon content unfolds, Orpheon the Tactician and his deserter army have somehow learned about Lep Seclusa, and they believe that the prophecy on the scroll hidden here is the key to their control of Ruby Throne and the empire, so they will use all means to obtain the scroll, and what you have to do is to stop Orpheon and his army when they attack and defend Lep Seclusa with Moth Priests together. Dungeon 2 Exiled Redoubt Unlike Lep Seclusa’s own mysterious story, the relevant plot of Exiled Redoubt is much simpler and the difficulty level will be more friendly. Exiled Redoubt is the underground fortress of a former noble Cato Albus in ESO. He seems to be planning some ulterior conspiracy here, because the plot will tell you that many Alliance War veterans have disappeared here. What you have to do next is to fight in the dungeon with Battlemage Lucilla while investigating, find out the reason for the disappearance of veterans, and crush Cato Albus’s plan. After completing the dungeon, you will receive gold, unique dye, a monster mask, and three armor sets for each class of equipment as rewards. Don’t Miss ESO Direct! In order to let players know the next plan of the game in 2025, as well as the effects and feedback of the recent update rhythm and content changes, Elder Scrolls Online plans to hold an ESO Direct starting at 3:00 pm on Thursday, April 10. The reason why you are recommended not to miss this Direct and related programs is that on the one hand, it should reveal more new information about Fallen Banners DLC, as well as some content related to update 46; on the other hand, after watching the Direct and the program, you will have the opportunity to get Twitch Drops, including 150% XP scrolls for watching the live broadcast for 15 minutes and Skill Respecification scrolls for watching the program for 30 minutes. In addition, the one-year ESO 10th anniversary celebration, which started in April last year, has not yet ended, so the event will announce the bonus code set in this live broadcast, which you can use to redeem the 10th anniversary exclusive monkey pet in the game! In short, whether you are a new or old player of ESO, 2025 is definitely the year you should pay the most attention and energy to the game. I hope you can have a great gaming experience!

Since its launch in 2014, Elder Scrolls Online has released a number of large expansion (often referred to as Chapters) and smaller DLC add-ons that complement the story and gameplay of the entire base game. Some time ago, the developer publicly announced that the next DLC for ESO is expected to be officially released on March 10, which may bring players more interesting game features, or some new expansion areas and storylines. However, during this relatively long wait, you can try some of the high-quality expansions in this series of games. Given that the quality of previously released expansion in terms of gameplay additions and overall storylines is uneven, this guide will introduce you to some expansions worth trying in the order of SAB Tiers, which may make your wait for new content more fulfilling. S Tier First, let’s take a look at some expansions that can be rated S Tier. They can perfectly combine storyline and gameplay, and have won unanimous praise from many players. The most worthwhile one is Morrowind, which brings the island of Vvardenfell in Morrowind province back to the game, and adds gorgeous new music that reimagines Nerevar Rising, which reminds players of many scenes in Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, with a retro atmosphere. Not only that, the dramatic scenes of Vvardenfell, the opportunity to meet Lord Vivec, and the fascinating storyline included in Morrowind are the main reasons why players voted it as one of the best expansions. Most importantly, this chapter is still free, so you may have no reason not to try it. Besides Morrowind, Thieves Guild is also very good. It can cleverly combine a great storyline with a series of potentially challenging heists, completely subverting the unconscious and repetitive task rules that often occur in MMOs, so that players can always feel a very fresh gaming experience in it. Thieves Guild is centered in Hammerfell in Abah’s Landing, which offers a lot of ESO Gold to power up your character, and is full of life, with players happy to interact with each other on small quests or trade cosmetics. If you want to choose one of the most beautiful ESO locations, it must be the island of the same name in Summerset expansion, which is the capital of Aldmeri Dominion. This add-on not only adds a lot of crafting materials and group challenges for players, but also provides a lot of new land to explore and places to discover, which will keep players exploring fresh. A Tier Compared to the expansions in S Tier, the expansions in A Tier are slightly inferior, but they are still relatively good in terms of overall lore, and all have some retro colors similar to the previous series of games. Dark Brotherhood has become the most impressive expansion in Elder Scrolls series of games because of its interesting storyline, because the main story is centered around this very popular faction. Its storyline mainly takes place in Gold Coast region of Cyrodiil and the iconic city of Kvatch, which are very important in Oblivion expansion. In fact, many players do not think that Necrom is a very good expansion because it has a very long and complicated storyline, but those who are keen on reasoning and exploration think that this is a very interesting expansion. This additional content introduces one of the most popular families among the five major families of Morrowind, Telvanni, in depth, and sets the entire story in Telvanni Peninsula of Morrowind. In addition to the overall storyline, Telvanni Peninsula in Necrom is also very legendary, and its connection to Hermaeus Mora’s plane of Oblivion, Apocrypha, makes it a very mysterious location, and continues the storyline of Shadows Over Morrowind and Secrets of Apocrypha. Orsinium expansion provides much-needed depth and insight into the location of Orsimer, even if it has very fascinating lore and culture in its own right. So with a well-written storyline, interesting side characters, and fascinating settings, Orsinium has become the most eye-catching existence in ESO’s small DLC. B Tier For the expansions and add-ons in B Tier, there may not be any specific issues with the locations and exploration areas provided, but the overall plot does not live up to the developers’ promise. For example, Elsweyr, where the exploration area is home to Khajiit, the cat-people of Tamriel, is full of diversity. Here, with multiple landscapes such as jungles, savannahs and deserts, players can experience a new exploration experience, and the overall plot also involves invading dragons and the addition of Necromancer class, but the execution of the plot is not ideal in the actual play of players, making players very disappointed. There is also High Isle, which also introduces a new area to Tamriel with unique landscapes that have never appeared in ESO lore. The visuals here are completely comparable to Summerset in S Tier. But unfortunately, its storyline development does not fully realize the promise of its background, and falls into an unpredictable trap. If you’ve tried Oblivion expansion before, Blackwood will be well worth your time, as it pays homage to that already very successful expansion in many ways, such as a very fun boss encounter that leads directly to Oblivion location after you complete it. The story takes place entirely in the area around Leyawiin in southern Cyrodiil, and the visuals here are some of the best in the entire series. What’s more, a companion system is also added in this add-on, which means you can summon two companions to help you explore. This sounds interesting, right? But in fact, the exploration difficulty in this expansion is too difficult, and not many players are willing to try the challenge, making this feature basically useless. These are some of the better expansions or small add-ons released by Elder Scrolls Online so far. You can explore them while waiting for the new DLC to come out, which may make your wait time fly quickly, and you can learn more about the legends of the continent of Tamriel from them. I wish you a happy game!

As a MMORPG with more than a decade of game history, there must be a reason why Elder Scrolls Online is still popular with players. Whether it is its stunning scenery or immersive soundtrack, it is an important factor that makes players linger here. But after all, more than 10 years have passed since ESO was first released, and many players want to know whether it is still worth playing in 2025, and whether it can still catch up with the old players who have been here and really enjoy it. But to know the answer to this question, you still have to ask yourself what you are pursuing. Let's discuss it from all aspects. Diverse Gameplay First of all, ESO has achieved a good balance between single-player games in Elder Scrolls series of games and more traditional MMO elements, allowing you to play games continuously. If you don’t like typical MMO gameplay, you will be happy to know that the world of Elder Scrolls Online is very large and single-player and casual games are very welcome, although there are some parts of the game that you need to bring others to play with you. That being said, the main contributor to ESO’s success is the game’s engaging and helpful community, but it also encourages you to find your own rhythm and interact with others when you want to. However, ESO is an MMO, so there is no way to turn off viewing other players, but you can choose to ignore social activities. Contradictions Caused By Level Scaling Unlike many MMOs, ESO has level scaling, and equipment will always drop with your level. Combat is the same as enemies, and even your own damage numbers scale with your level. And since there are no level restrictions, you can go anywhere and play with friends from the beginning, regardless of level differences. Combat in ESO does not have the feel of a single-player Elder Scrolls series game, but instead utilizes traditional MMORPG elements such as combat timers, ideal rotations for using skills, and global cooldowns before using other skills. It also utilizes the typical tank, healer, and damage dealer group dynamic. To be honest, ESO does offer a lot of freedom, but because of the freedom the game offers it is easy to accidentally get equipment or skills that don’t match what you want for your character. Therefore, most players have very extreme attitudes towards the combat system, either loving it or hating it. Another common complaint from players is that combat throughout the land area content feels too easy. While this provides a better initial game experience for new players, if you only complete the land content, your character may start to feel weak or unable to cope with the team content. Character Customization There are many options for customization in ESO, such as housing and designing character clothing. For many people, fashion is the real end goal! Of course, you can customize your character at the beginning of the game, but after the character creation is over, you need to spend ESO Gold to change their physical characteristics, such as eye color, height or face shape. However, you can add items to your collection, such as hairstyles and skins that can be applied directly from Collection menu. You can add items to your collection through Crown Store, or by completing achievements, participating in monthly or seasonal events, and simply logging in. These features all provide a foundation for players who like to customize their characters and show their own style and charm. Huge Content For pure lore lovers, ESO has a lot to offer. There are peaks and valleys in the storytelling, and some areas really stand out in that regard. However, the game is massive, and if you like to play games in the order they were written or intended, ESO might be hard to navigate, as there are 10 years of content to explore, and there’s still a lot to do! And while Elder Scrolls Online lets you join 5 player guilds at once, and there’s a player trading system, it doesn’t offer a traditional auction house, instead requiring guilds to bid for control of physical trader locations around the world. As a result, shopping in the game often requires traveling to different towns to find what you want. While PC players currently have the option of using add-ons to improve the user experience in various aspects, console players don’t have add-on options. So you need to consider whether your device is suitable for this. Pay-To-Win? Finally, let’s look at the paid elements in ESO. First, its base game is a good deal, usually given away for free, but only includes hundreds of hours of base content. But you can also choose to get a collection version of expansions, which includes the base game, the current expansion, and all previous expansions. If you hold off on using these expansions, you’ll essentially get a ton of content as a reward when you finally make up your mind to get them, a payment model that’s very new to the game. However, expansions and DLC are different, and these smaller DLCs aren’t included in the collection version, but they’re included in the optional subscription, which can cause confusion when players are deciding what to order. And, as mentioned before, ESO also has an in-game store with a special currency available for use called Crowns. You can use them to unlock more content for permanent access after your subscription ends, or redeem them for cosmetics, horses, houses, furniture to decorate your house, and other timesaving extras. But the game doesn’t force a real-world economy on you, and it’s completely optional. Some players aren’t happy with the amount of cosmetics that end up being sold for Crowns versus the amount of rewards you get, but the game is definitely not pay-to-win, it’s just pay-to-win for convenience and to look particularly fancy. While the timesaving crowns option does include things like upgrading skill trees, it’s important to point out that you do need to organically upgrade those skill trees once before the option is unlocked for your account. Some players will notice that there are also Experience Scrolls for sale in the store, which may fall into the “pay to win” category, but ESO also offers free XP boosts, usually in items you can earn when you log in each day, as well as craftable drinks. So do your research before you use crowns, should you do it? If you don’t need them, don’t waste crowns! Will ESO Continue To Be Updated? As for how long the game will be updated, only the developers know the proper answer. However, with a new class added last year, the game is still making money, and this live service game is still rolling out updates. Therefore, I think this game will still be around for a few years to come. Also, the game currently has no cross-platform play or cross-platform progression, and any in-game items are locked to the server you choose. Although the number of console players is considerable, the number of PC players is even greater. So think carefully when choosing a device to start the game. Final Thoughts In summary, ESO is very friendly to new players, the play style is very flexible, and there is still a lot of content to come. If you are interested, it is definitely worth continuing to try it in 2025, no matter which platform you choose. However, ESO’s biggest problem right now is player retention. While there are tons of new players, the end-game community struggles to maintain player numbers, because of severe nerfs, skill gaps, large meta changes, or an inability to find and form a group of like-minded players. If you do give the game a try, don’t burn yourself out by rushing to level up just to catch up with the old players. If you want to speed up your game progress, you can keep an eye on the giveaway channel in iGMeet Discord, where there are often some sweepstakes. As long as you are lucky enough, you can get some coveted game resources for free. Regardless, focus on the adventure, lore, and world building in the game, and relax, because in the end it’s all about your journey and exploration!

Today we'll show the three new Ultimate abilities coming with the Arcanist class in ESO Necrom. Like all classes, the Arcanist has three skill lines, each one including an Ultimate ability that has a basic version and two morphs. The Unblinking Eye Ultimate The Unblinking Eye is the ultimate ability in the Herald of the Tome skill line, the DPS focused skill line of the Arcanist Class. This ultimate summons a Watcher above your head that will deal heavy damage in a small AOE with its beam attack. Its two morphs are The Languid Eye and The Tide King's Gaze. The Languid Eye is the strongest morph in terms of its damage output - while it has a shorter duration than the other morph, this is more than made up for because its damage value increases 7% each tick (it ticks every 0.5 seconds for 6 seconds). The total damage output from this skill is quite similar to Elemental Storm, a commonly used ultimate for DPS characters. It also costs less ultimate to cast, 200 instead of 250, however the radius is smaller. So using this as your main DPS ultimate is definitely viable. On the other hand, The Tide King's Gaze deals less damage but lasts for 8 seconds instead of 6, and it also automatically follows your target wherever they go, rather than needing to be manually retargeted. This makes it more suited to PvP situations as it prevents your opponent from avoiding the damage. Gibbering Shield Gibbering Shield is the Apocryphal Soldier ultimate, and like the entire skill line it is focused on mitigating damage, making it ideal for a tank. This skill gives you a strong health-scaled damage shield for 10 seconds, which will reflect all absorbed damage to nearby enemies as an AOE DoT when it expires or is broken. This damage reflection is spread out over another 10 seconds. The first morph of this ultimate is Gibbering Shelter, which removes the damage reflection but instead grants up to six allies a fairly strong damage shield whenever your shield absorbs damage. This is definitely the best option if you're tanking a dungeon or trial with a group, the shields you give to your allies will help to keep them alive during tough parts of the fight. However you honestly might be better off just using Barrier if you want a good shield ultimate for your team. The other morph is Sanctum of the Abyssal Sea which just gives you a somewhat stronger shield compared to the unmorphed version, which also has the side-effect of slightly increasing the amount of damage you can reflect. While this damage reflection might sound good on paper, it's generally not that helpful in PvE , and in PvP opponents can pretty easily move away from you to avoid the damage. This skill is a nice idea on paper but in most situations it really doesn't feel strong enough to compete with existing skills. Vitalizing Glyphic Vitalizing Glyphic is the ultimate from the Curative Runeforms skill line, focused on healing and buffing yourself and allies. It's a pretty unusual skill in terms of how it works - it summons a glyphic which pulses every second, healing nearby friends and increasing their weapon & spell damage. Healing the Glyphic increases the effect. Glyphic of the Tides is the first morph of this skill, which just causes the Glyphic to spawn at a higher health percentage than the original. Healing the glyphic isn't that hard so this is only a minor buff. The skill's effect in general though is pretty interesting - having an Arcanist in your group drop this into the group gives us another new way to buff the damage output of DPS players, which basically gives us another skill to use in optimized raids besides Aggressive Horn and Frozen Colossus. Arcanist healers definitely have something new to bring to the table thanks to this ultimate, and that's great. The other morph, Resonating Glyphic, has the same effect but instead gets stronger the lower its health is. This might be preferred if you don't have a healer in your group or if you're playing solo - you can pretty easily get the Glyphic down to 0% health with some AOE effects, which will maximise the effect of the buff and heal. This ultimate is definitely going to bring something new to the table for optimised groups in PvE, and probably PvP too. It will be interesting to see if this finds a place in the meta or if it will just be an interesting off-meta option.