ZeniMax Online Studios is preparing for a transformative year for The Elder Scrolls Online in 2025, marking a significant shift in how the decade-old MMO delivers content and engages with its growing player base, which now exceeds 26 million players.
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| A promotional artwork from "The Elder Scrolls Online," showcasing a sense of adventure and exploration in a vibrant fantasy setting |
The End of Annual Chapters
ZeniMax is officially moving away from its traditional yearly Chapter release model in favor of a more flexible seasonal content approach. This transition begins with the Seasons of the Worm Cult in 2025, allowing the development team to be more experimental with content releases rather than adhering to a rigid schedule. Players will access this content through a new Content Pass system, replacing the previous model where players purchased Chapters separately from other DLC content.
Seasons of the Worm Cult
The new seasonal content serves as a direct sequel to the base game's main storyline from 2014, bringing back fan-favorite characters like Razum-dar, Skordo, Gabrielle, and Vanus Galerion. The story takes players to Solstice, a tropical island where Argonians and High Elves coexist. The island features the bustling city of Sunport, run by Corelanya Elves and a new Argonian tribe called the Tideborn. Players will also encounter previously unseen Argonian variants including Behemoths and Stone Argonians as enemies.
Community-Driven Content
One of the most innovative aspects of the upcoming content is a server-wide event centered around the Writhing Wall erected by necromancers. Similar to World of Warcraft's Gates of Ahn'Quiraj event, players across the server will need to work together to bring down this magical barrier to access the second half of the Solstice island. The event, scheduled to begin in late summer, will be available to all players regardless of whether they've purchased the Content Pass. Different servers may complete this challenge at different times depending on community participation.
Revolutionary Subclassing System
Perhaps the most significant gameplay change coming to Elder Scrolls Online is the introduction of subclassing. Starting in June with Update 46, players who have at least one character at level 50 will be able to mix and match skill lines from different classes. While characters must maintain at least one skill line from their original class, this system opens up over 3,000 possible skill line combinations. Importantly, skill line progression will be account-wide, meaning once a skill line is unlocked on one character, it becomes available to all characters through the subclassing system.
New Endgame Content
The June update will also introduce Ossein Cage, a new 12-player Trial located in Molag Bal's Daedric realm of Coldharbour. This challenging content revolves around a powerful relic called the Dolorous Cista, which transforms pain into power. Players must prevent Molag Bal and his servants from acquiring this dangerous artifact.
Improved Experience for All Players
ZeniMax is also focusing on enhancing the game for both newcomers and returning players. The tutorial system has been updated, and a new Welcome Back feature will help returning players reacclimate to the game while earning rewards. Starting zones are receiving major graphical improvements, and the team continues to work on revamping the PvP experience, combat feel, and user interface on PC.
A Bridge to the Future
Studio head Matt Firor described 2025 as a bridge year between the previous Chapter model and a completely new approach planned for 2026. With the content pipeline already established for 2025, this year serves as a transition period while ZeniMax continues implementing smaller quality-of-life improvements with each update. The changes reflect ZeniMax's commitment to keeping Elder Scrolls Online competitive in the MMO market as it enters its second decade of operation.