The Elder Scrolls Online News

The Elder Scrolls Online just had a huge patch drop yesterday—titled Seasons of the Worm Cult, this new update marks the start of a few key changes to the MMO, alongside a nice helping of content for current or returning players to sink their newly subclassed mitts into...
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Explore the mysterious island of Solstice and discover an old foe returned in the Seasons of the Worm Cult Part 1 and Update 46, now live on PC/Mac!

The Seasons of the Worm Cult Part 1 is now live on PC/Mac, Steam, and Epic Store. Featuring a brand-new saga and a true sequel to ESO’s base game questline, Seasons of the Worm Cult Part 1 is set in a land wholly new to the Elder Scrolls and is included in 2025 Content Pass and 2025 Premium Edition, both available now.
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Also releasing is the free Update 46 base-game patch, which features a host of new additions and fixes, including the Subclassing system, a new system to welcome back returning heroes, and more.

[h2]Seasons of the Worm Cult Part 1 [/h2]
In Seasons of the Worm Cult Part 1, you will delve into the mysterious new land of Solstice and investigate the resurgence of the dreaded Worm Cult. Note that this is only the first part of this adventure, with Part 2 arriving in Q4 of this year.

A True Sequel Story

In this new adventure and story, you will continue the narrative from ESO’s original main questline as you investigate the resurgence of the infamous Worm Cult. Together with new and returning allies, you must venture into the isle of Solstice, discover the cult’s plans, and uncover the secrets of the mysterious Writhing Wall that divides it.  
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Discover more about this new storyline in this deep dive blog.

Western Solstice Zone

This new release also introduces Solstice, a tropical island paradise never-before-seen in the Elder Scrolls series. As you explore the Western Solstice zone (with Eastern Solstice arriving later in Q4), a host of new locations and dangers await, including unique World Bosses and Delves, a Public Dungeon, special standalone story quests, and more.

Explore a brand-new zone

You can learn more about the new zone in this deep dive blog.

Ossein Cage Trial

Tamriel’s PvE players can put their teamwork and skills to the test with Western Solstice’s new Trial, Ossein Cage. This new 12-player challenge, set in Coldharbour but accessible from the new zone, sees teams venture into one of Molag Bal’s most infamous fortresses to capture a dangerous relic. New dangers, mechanics, and rewards await those willing to brave the Ossein Cage—the Fighter’s Guild needs your help!

Team up for a new Trial

You can find more information about the new trial in this deep dive.

Unique Rewards

While adventuring within Solstice, you can earn and unlock a series of new and unique rewards. This includes 16 new Antiquities (with three Mythic items), new item sets (in both the Trial and zone), and a ton of collectibles, ranging from crafting motifs to pets.

Earn unique rewards in Solstice

Even better, all adventurers will receive a 10% experience boost while adventuring in Solstice throughout this entire year!

[h2]Purchase Details & Requirements[/h2]
Access to the Seasons of the Worm Cult Part 1 is included in two editions of the game, the 2025 Content Pass and 2025 Premium Edition.

Both editions are available for purchase now and feature a whole year’s worth of adventure, including:

• Fallen Banners dungeon pack (now live)
• Seasons of the Worm Cult Part 1(now live on PC/Mac)
• Feast of Shadows dungeon pack (arriving Q3)
• Access to the Writhing Wall event (arriving Q4)
• Seasons of the Worm Cult Part 2 (arriving Q4)
• A unique mount, pet, and memento

In addition to the above, the 2025 Premium Edition also includes access to the game and ALL of ESO’s previous Chapters. For a full breakdown of everything included in both editions, visit the Content Pass page.

2025 Content Pass
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Note that to run ESO on PC/Mac, your machine needs to meet the game's requirements here: PC, Mac.

[h2]Getting Started [/h2]
Once you have access to Seasons of the Worm Cult Part 1, you can begin your new adventure in the following ways:

Via Wayshrine

You can teleport directly to the zone by accessing your map, selecting Solstice, and then selecting the automatically unlocked Sunport Docks Wayshrine.

Via the Seasons of the Worm Cult Main Quest

You can have the game lead you to Western Solstice by picking up the storyline’s first main story quest, “The Stirk Fellowship.” You can find it via your Collections menu by navigating to Stories, then New Releases, and finally selecting Solstice. 

Get started in Sunport

Note that while the zone features a sequel story to the ESO base game, there are no level or story requirements for jumping into your Seasons of the Worm Cult adventure. You can play with a new or existing character.

[h2]Update 46 [/h2]
Releasing alongside the Seasons of the Worm Cult Part 1 is Update 46. A free base-game patch for all ESO players, Update 46 introduces a series of new features, improvements, and fixes.

Subclassing System

With the new Subclassing System, you can mix and match up to two different class skill lines with your existing characters, unlocking new realms of customizability for your builds and playstyles.
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To get started with the Subclassing system, all you need is one character at level 50. You can then pick up the short system quest to begin—build a character uniquely you!

You can learn more about the Subclassing system in this deep dive blog.

Hero’s Return

Been away from Tamriel for a while? The new Hero’s Return system provides tools and guidelines to help get you back into the game and world of ESO as quickly as possible.

Welcome back with Hero’s Return

In addition to a short quest that reminds you of the game’s combat basics, this system also enables the Hero’s Return Golden Pursuits campaign and unique Login Rewards. Put your best foot forward when stepping back into Tamriel’s Second Era!

Furnishing Vault

A new ESO Plus™ benefit, the Furnishing Vault allows you to store up to 500 unique furnishing stacks in a special vault accessible for any of your homes in Tamriel.


Store almost anything in the Furnishing Vault!

All ESO Plus members can acquire this new collectible for free. You can access the Furnishing Vault via the Housing Editor while home decorating or by interacting directly with the item itself.

Console Add-Ons

When Update 46 arrives on consoles June 18, for the first time, Xbox and PlayStation players will enjoy add-on support previously available only to ESO’s PC/Mac players. Note that add-on support will be fully enabled on June 23 (the week after launch) and allow players to download add-ons from within the in-game UI on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 consoles. Only UI add-ons are available.

If you are a console add-on developer, you are invited to upload your creations using the uploader tool—we can’t wait to see how the console community reacts to add-on support!

Additional Changes

Finally, Update 46 also introduces a series of tweaks and improvements to the base-game experience. This includes improvements to the in-game map and better tutorials for the game’s Wayshrine system. Master crafters will also be thrilled to discover they are now awarded Master Writs in stackable envelopes—dramatically saving inventory space!

Patch Notes

These are just some of the highlights of the changes and additions coming to ESO with Update 46. For a full list of absolutely everything you can expect from this base-game patch, check out the Patch Notes.


Don’t forget, aside from the Furnishing Vault (which requires ESO Plus membership), the above Update 46 features are free for all base-game players.

[h2]The War Begins[/h2]
The dreaded Worm Cult has returned, and the people of Solstice need your help. Explore an island paradise, investigate the cult’s mysterious return, and discover the secrets of the Writhing Wall that now divides it all. Are you ready to begin your Seasons of the Worm Cult adventure? Perhaps you’re most looking forward to customizing your builds with the Subclassing system? Share your plans with us via Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook—we’ll see you in Tamriel!

The Seasons of the Worm Cult Part 1 and Update 46 are now live on PC/Mac and arrive June 18 for Xbox and PlayStation consoles. Part 1 is part of the 2025 Content Pass and 2025 Premium Edition, now available for purchase on elderscrollsonline.com.

Yesterday, ZeniMax Workers United-CWA, the union made up of more than 300 quality assurance workers at Microsoft via its subsidiary ZeniMax Media, reached a tentative contract agreement with Microsoft. The union was formed back in 2022, and has been bargaining with Microsoft in the intervening years since. Last month, the union was preparing to potentially strike against Microsoft, but now it seems like this may be avoided.

Read more

Customize your knowledge of the new Subclassing system with this developer deep dive.

[h2]Customize Your Class[/h2]
When the Update 46 base-game patch arrives June 2 for PC/Mac and June 18 for Xbox and PlayStation consoles, all ESO players can further customize their characters with the new Subclassing system.

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The team wants this new system to further bolster one of the game’s core elements: play your way. Subclassing allows you to replace up to two of your native class skills lines with those from other classes for your current build.

“Honestly it’s something we’ve talked about for a long time … a really long time,” explains Brian Wheeler, ESO’s Lead Combat Designer. “Subclassing leans into the core Elder Scrolls tenet that allows you to build your character how you want, with all the options available in the game.”

“In ESO, players can change their appearance, names, races, and even faction, but this has not been true with class,” notes Carrie Day, one of the Systems Designers behind the Subclassing system. “If players wished to experience other classes and their combat capabilities, they were forced to create a new character. With the Subclassing system, we really want customization to give players more control over their player fantasy.”

Further customize your builds with Subclassing

There’s a lot of different types of ESO players, and whether you’ve principally stuck to one character throughout all your adventures or have maxed out your character slots, the Subclassing system will be of interest to you.

“We wanted to introduce a way to allow our players to expand their experiences and try out all the different class skill lines we have introduced since launch,” says Day. “Players who have played on multiple classes and characters will also need to think about these skill lines, and how they might be combined, totally differently than they have for the last 11 years.”

[h2]Keeping Subclassing Simple[/h2]
When the Subclassing system arrives with Update 46,  almost everyone can pick up and start experimenting with it easily since it requires only a single character on your account to be level 50.

"There’s a very short quest that on-ramps you to the system, and then you’re off and running,” explains Wheeler. “It should take you about five to 10 minutes at the most going through the tutorial.”

Unlock Subclassing with a short quest

 

“As there are now 21 total skill lines you can unlock and play on your account, it will be a long-term project to max all of them out,” says Day. “However, there is also a new champion star, called Disciple's Artisan, to help you level your skill lines faster."

Once utilized, your new skill lines will look and behave like any other class skill lines you have experienced previously.

“One of the primary questions early on was what should a subclassed player have access to? Should it include all of a skill line’s passives, abilities, and ultimate? Should the abilities function differently if subclassed or not? We decided to maintain continuity between the abilities so your experience with the skill lines is consistent. This also gives value to our long-term players who already know abilities and makes it easier to jump straight into the system.”

Subclassing offers many options


[h2]Meta and Class Identity[/h2]
Subclassing offers a whole new way to play if you want to engage. However, player choice remains at the forefront of ESO’s design philosophy—including the choice to keep your character as it is now.

“We know the Subclassing system will infuse power into the player community. For example, players can drop their tank and support skill lines for more damage-dealing abilities and passives,” notes Day. “However, there is a trade-off—by taking all damage skill lines, you are more reliant on your team for support healing, shielding, and protection. Also, there is no desire to reduce the effectiveness of pure classes and their ability to complete content, and overall, the system should make the content more accessible to all players.”

Oops all pets build coming soon!

You might wish to push the limits of subclassing to the max, or maybe you’re attached to your character’s class and playstyle. Fortunately, this system allows you to use as much or as little as you like.

“Class identity is still important for key aspects of our game: Achievement, class styles, class scripts, class item sets, and so much more,” Day emphasizes. “If you wish to have two or more skill lines of a class, you must be that class. You can keep your character pure and continue to complete content as you have before, but you are still locked into that character creation decision.”

Become the light of death

Of course, with a change of this magnitude, there are balance concerns, but the team is prepared for what may come.

“In general, with more options comes more combinations, which can lead to different capabilities beyond what players had prior to the Subclassing system,” Wheeler explains. “That’s something we’ll monitor while also looking for outlier combinations of abilities and item sets, so the game’s content isn’t suddenly a lot easier to complete. We will be looking at feedback as always, and we plan to make adjustments as needed after we go live.”


[h2]Your Hero, Your Way[/h2]
When it comes to builds and playstyles, a lot of new options are on the horizon, and many decisions must be made.

 “My personal first subclassing build will be to modify my March 30, 2014, Templar to be a duality of life and death,” says Day. “I want to incorporate the Grave Lord skill line into my magicka Templar rotation, which has been a lot of fun in playtesting already.”

“I may snag the Sorcerer’s Storm Calling skill line for my main, so I can get a bit more offense and movement with the Streak ability,” says Wheeler. “Honestly, I’m just excited we’ll have all the options out there!”

How will the Subclassing system change your builds? What class combinations will you try out first? Let us know via Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

The Subclassing system is free for all players and arrives as part of the Update 46 base-game patch on June 2, 2025, for PC/Mac and June 18, 2025, for Xbox and PlayStation consoles.