Coming Back Guide to ESO - Returning Players

This is the guide for players returning to ESO! If you are coming back to ESO, then this is your guide. Read it now to find out which major updates happened to the game in the past years!

Table of contents

48 Chapters

Feast of Shadows

Chapter 45 / 48

Release: Q4 2025

The Feast of Shadows DLC, is the third major content release in the Seasons of the Worm Cult storyline, providing a two-dungeon PvE challenge and a host of essential Quality-of-Life (QoL) improvements in the free base-game patch, Update 47.

The Feast of Shadows DLC: New Dungeons

The DLC is a Dungeon Pack, meaning it introduces two new 4-player PvE instances that continue the year's main narrative. Access is granted via ESO Plus membership, the 2025 Content Pass, or a direct Crown Store purchase.

Black Gem Foundry

Atronachs summoned from far planes of Oblivion power a pulsing forge at the heart of Coldharbour. Help Dalenor the Summoner destroy Soulbinder Vykand’s twisted fabrications before they make it to the hands of the Worm Cult.

Naj-Caldeesh 

Naj-Caldeesh story: 

Talen-Lah and his band of necromancers run amok in the legendary lost Xanmeer of Naj-Caldeesh. Stop them before their dark magic corrupts and destroys the ancient site.

Update 47: Base-Game Quality-of-Life (Free)

The free Update 47 patch introduces four major Quality-of-Life (QoL) improvements available to all players immediately upon logging in.

Mount Swimming in ESO!

A truly long-awaited ESO feature, players will finally be able to remain mounted while traversing water. This eliminates frustrating dismounts, offering a smoother and less interrupted Elder Scrolls Online exploration experience. Swimming mounts in ESO are finally here!

Stackable Survey Reports

Similar to the stackable crafting writs introduced in Update 46, this change will allow survey reports to stack in your inventory (1 stack per profession). This seemingly small but significant improvement will free up valuable inventory space, a welcome change for (not so) diligent gatherers. The change is not retroactive, meaning only new survey reports will stack.

Infinite Archive Vision Re-Roll

Update 47 introduces the highly requested ability to re-roll Visions in the Infinite Archive. While it will cost an increasing amount of Archival Fortunes, that amount will reset, offering players more strategic control over their Infinite Archive runs.   

Replayable Quest Dialogue

For those who enjoy revisiting ESO story elements or missed details, the ability to replay ESO quest dialogue is a fantastic addition, enhancing the narrative experience.  

Two new houses in Update 47

ESO housing enthusiasts, rejoice! Update 47 introduces two new homes:  

Hiddenspring Cottage

This charming medium home is located in the Gold Coast zone. Hiddenspring Cottagewill be available for purchase in the ESO Crown Store sometime after Feast of Shadows and Update 47 officially launches.  

Wildgrown Chapel of Julianos

A magnificent notable home found in the West Weald zone, the Wildgrown Chapel of Julianos is the highly anticipated final morphing collectible reward for the year.

Alcast

Alcast is a veteran gaming content creator with 15+ years of experience in MMORPGs, RPGs, and online games. Known for expert build creation, he’s a trusted voice in the MMO community—especially for his in-depth work on The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO).

Edenprime

Determined to write guides and articles that are easy to read and understand | ESO-HUB and AlcastHQ Content Writer | Playing ESO since Beta | Content Creator | Guildmaster of Dragonborn Inc

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