Elder Scrolls Online Stream Showcases Update 45's Cyrodiil PvP Plans And Previews 2 New Dungeons With Self-Contained Stories

Whelp, as expected, we didn't exactly get a lot of information from The Elder Scrolls Online team on today's stream regarding the MMORPG's more "seasonal" development approach. We hoped for some info, but given that the global reveal is coming in April, we kind of felt any info spilled would have been basic anyway.

What did Senior Creator Engagement Manager Gina Bruno, Associate Director of Community Engagement Jessica Folsom, and Lead Encounter Designer Mike Finnigan discuss then? Mainly base-game Update 45, which hits test realms this coming Monday (January 13th) and live servers on March 10th for PC players and March 25 for our console brethren.

Hitting the high points of Update 45, those looking forward to Cyrodiil changes will have an opportunity to test out the Cyrodiil Champions PvP campaign. There will be seven set (and locked) Cyrodiil Champion classes available for your to choose from for testing, and there will still be a few features locked for now. This is really more of a stress and data gathering test. Expect additional features and improvements later.

The starter zones of Betnikh, Stros M’kai, Bleakrock, Bal Foyen, and Khenarthi’s Roost have all undergone a makeover, bringing them more in line visually with the detail of ESO’s recent additions such as West Weald or the Telvanni Peninsula. This includes things like lighting, terrain textures, signs, and more. Be sure to take a tour. There's also a few quality of life improvements coming including an increase to beginning mount speeds. No, this doesn't mean their top speed is faster, too. This is just making things a bit faster for new players or characters.

Now, the new "Fallen Banners" dungeon DLC is actually not part of the base-game update, but they'll launch (and test) on the same dates. While that isn't new, what is new is that these dungeons will not initially be available for DLC purchase. You MUST have an active ESO Plus subscription to access them on launch day.

Also differing from past dungeons, these 2 dungeons really don't interface with existing stories. They each kind of tell their own story about other characters surrounding the Alliance War.

Exiled Redoubt, located in West Weald, sees a family send their son to make peace, getting killed instead, and his family building an army and kidnapping soldiers for revenge. Built in a big underground area, we're going to stop them. Finnigan says these dungeons hold a lot of new mechanics and the first one "maybe" has bonus bosses. 

As for Lep Seclusa in Hew's Bane, we've got a deserter of the war gathering other deserters from all sides and creating a faction. They apparently found an Elder Scroll and want to use it to cause destruction. Lep Seclusa is different in that it doesn't have side stuff, but is a more "traditional" dungeon with 3 "mini bosses," making 6 boss loot opportunities. All bosses are required for all loot and special prizes. In the preview stream below, a green magic stone rolled down the steps Indiana Jones style while Finnigan was running up them. As for the "poison" it gave Mike? He hints that it may be part of a "mechanic" in the dungeon

Hit up the PTS on Monday for your first look at the new updates.