Feast of Shadows Preview—Black Gem Foundry
Get an early look at Black Gem Foundry, a new dungeon coming to ESO in Update 47 with the Feast of Shadows dungeon pack.
The second dungeon pack of 2025, Feast of Shadows, is coming to live servers soon. It brings with it two new dungeons, Naj-Caldeesh and Black Gem Foundry. For now, the forgotten ruin of Naj-Caldeesh remains a mystery—perhaps to be unveiled soon. Instead, journey into the depths of Molag Bal’s Oblivion realm of Coldharbour to witness the perils of the Black Gem Foundry dungeon. Learn how events have unfolded there, what deadly threats it holds, and the precious rewards to claim from it.
[h2]Toil and Turmoil in a Foundry Full of Foes[/h2]
You can reach the entrance to the Black Gem Foundry from a cave in Western Solstice, but the Foundry itself—both a quarry and forge for black soul gems—is deep within Molag Bal’s Oblivion realm. A planar portal marks the work of nefarious hands, but so much worse awaits you in the foul pits of Coldharbour once you enter. What could possibly drive you to seek out such a place?
“It's the classic conundrum of something terrible being cooked up in Coldharbour and players being tasked to stop it,” explains Writer-Designer Juli Comstock.
The terrible something in question is weapons laced with soul magic, capable of ripping the vital animus directly out of a person. These armaments are the main product manufactured in this vile place, and they pose a terrible danger to Solstice and beyond if allowed to leave its forges.
“Dalenor, the summoner who discovered the true nature of this place, realizes too late that he's naively helped the Soulbinders ramp up foundry production with the aid of his summoned atronachs,” says Comstock. “He's desperate for someone strong enough to shut the place down and help him make things right.”
The Foundry is a forbidding sight
The weapons have not yet reached mass production, giving you a fighting chance to stop the whole operation—if you can conquer the Foundry’s defenses. The Fellowship of Stirk, the Alliances, and perhaps of all of Tamriel, are counting on you to defeat them and deny the Worm Cult access to these terrible tools of death.
[h2]Dark Innovations and Deadly Designs[/h2]
Terrible foes throng within the dungeon, including bosses wielding—or forged from—powerful soul magic. These dungeon bosses won't easily allow you to put a stop to their dire work.
“I love how the arenas for Quarrymaster Saldezaar and the Black Gem Monstrosity present very different field hazards to players, calling for the need to be really spatially aware to mitigate and even survive certain attacks,” shares Comstock. “High Soulbinder Vykand also tests that awareness, plus the player's attention and memory. It's the type of fight that rewards players for group coordination and communication.”
“The Black Gem Monstrosity is a towering atronach made from black gems that are held together with chains and twisted summoner magic,” says Senior Content Designer and Dungeon Team Product Owner Shane Slama. “It's a tough fight because you have to pay attention to the lava that rises and falls, all while making sure no one in your group gets singled out by its hyper-focused beam attacks.”
Test yourself against the Foundry’s challenges
“Keep your eyes peeled for any objects of interest, and don't hesitate to explore off the beaten path,” hints Slama. “Your efforts may provide a leg up in the toughest boss battles. Even more so for those with high-level crafting that know how to maximize the power of black gems.”
[h2]Black Gems and Glittering Gold[/h2]
Doing good deeds is its own reward, but you may well want more material compensation for your efforts in halting this threat in the form of new item sets, collectibles, achievements, and more.
Feast of Shadows rewards
“Skill styles are one of my favorite rewards and we've got one of those for the Fire Rune ability,” says Slama. “And if you love showing off the mementos you've earned, we've got an abnormally slick black gem that nobody seems capable of holding on to.”
You can also acquire several items from four new gear sets in the dungeon—one for each armor weight and a monster mask featuring the Black Gem Monstrosity. These include the Lustrous Soulwell light armor set, which greatly boosts your group’s recovery whenever you use an Ultimate ability. In the Black Gem Foundry, the rewards are worth the risk!
[h2]Fracture the Foundry[/h2]
Daedric domination awaits Tamriel if the Worm Cult triumphs, so be sure to oppose the forces of Molag Bal in the Feast of Shadows dungeon pack. Let us know if you'll be doing your part in this necromantic war via Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.
The Feast of Shadows dungeon pack arrives for 2025 Content Pass owners and ESO Plus™ members alongside the Update 47 base game patch on August 18 on PC/Mac and September 3 for Xbox and PlayStation Consoles. The dungeons will be available for purchase in the crown store.
