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The Battle for the Writhing Wall Event, a massive, server-wide community challenge in the "Seasons of the Worm Cult" storyline in The Elder Scrolls Online kicked off on October 13, 2025. The goal is to breach the enormous soul-forged wall and permanently unlock the Eastern Solstice zone on each megaserver. But the initial enthusiasm has been met with community backlash.
Below, we detail the Phase 1 progress, explain why players are disappointed, answer most common questions and explain what happens next.
Issues & Current Status: The Slow Grind & Progress Bar Controversy
In a response to overwhelming player feedback regarding the slow rate of progress in the Battle for the Writhing Wall Event, ZOS has eased the completion thresholds for Phase 1 (Setting Up & Supplying Your Camps). This adjustment was intended to make player efforts feel more rewarded. The change resulted in an immediate jump in progress: PC EU's completion rate increased from 9% to 23% (on Oct 16).
However, this deliberate increase of the progress bar fueled existing player cynicism. Despite ZOS clarifying an earlier day-one progress bar fluctuation as a bug, the new adjustment led many players feel like the completion rate is being manipulated by ZOS rather than driven by player effort.
Related: Battle for the Writhing Wall Event Guide.
Player Disappointment: Tedious Grunt Work
Despite the initial hype for the massive and once-in-a-lifetime event, player reception to Writhing Wall Phase 1 has been quite negative.
Key Criticisms from the Community
The disappointment seems to come from these core issues:
- Tedious and Repetitive Gameplay: The daily quests are described as mundane fetch quests or simple "grunt work." Veteran players did not like that their powerful characters are tasked with collecting basic resources like lumber, fat, or furs. Siege Camps are often referred to " Aliki'r Dolmen grind v2".
- Poor Coffer Rewards: The repeatable blue-quality Writhing Reward Coffers are considered poor as they mainly drop a piece of overland gear. Even the daily guaranteed Golden-quality Glorious Writhing Coffers have been considered underwhelming.
- Quest item Drop Rate: The low drop rate for necessary quest items (like Vitrified Souls or creature fat) forces players to compete for mob spawns, making the tasks frustrating and long during peak hours.
Answering most common questions about the Writhing Wall Event
Is the event buggy?
Yes, common bugs included the Stirk Wayshrine not allowing fast travel from it and Siege Camps occasionally getting stuck. ZOS has since hotfixed some issues, including the premature appearance of the Phase 2 World Boss, Ghishzor and the Stirk Fellowship motif not dropping.
Do I need the Solstice Chapter (2025 Content Pass)?
No. All players, including those with only the base game, can fully participate and earn most rewards by completing daily quests on Stirk Island.
Where is the best place to farm quest items?
- Vitrified Souls (Orinde's Quest): Ignore the map markers. Souls drop from Worm Cultists/Daedra/Cultists anywhere in Tamriel, including Siege Camps. Public dungeons in Coldharbour have a high mob density as well.
- Gathering Quests (Quartermaster): Items drop from the specific monster type (trolls, spriggans, etc.) anywhere in the appointed zones, not just inside the circled areas (including Delves and Public Dungeons.
How can I speed up the quests?
Group Up: Drops are shared in a group for gathering quests. Even the Vitrified Souls progress gets shared, even though the quest can not be shared.
Why can't I complete my regular dailies?
If a delve or public dungeon is "invaded" (blue glow), the normal Undaunted or Delve dailies associated with that location are temporarily disabled/unavailable. This is working as intended during the event.
Which event activities are permanently limited?
The Writhing Fortress Instance and the exclusive "Wall Breaker" title are only available for a limited time (about one week) after the Wall is cleared in Phase 3. The non-Siege Camp daily quests are also temporary.
See all exclusive rewards on our The Writhing Wall Explained: ESO Community Challange and Zone Unlock Guide.
How many Golden Coffers can I earn daily?
You can earn a maximum of three Golden Coffers per day, per account.
What Lies Ahead in Phases 2 and 3
Prepare now with our Writhing Fortress Guide found towards the end of our Battle for the Writhing Wall Event Guide!
Phase 2: Charging the Meridian Lens
A new world boss Ghishzor should appear on the Solstice map. Since Ghishzor was prematurely released he will not show up until Update 48 goes live even if Phase 1 is completed before it. Additional Daily quests will become available in Western Solstice and Stirk. Siege Camps will increase in difficulty and multiple will be active at the same time.
Phase 3: The Final Assault on the Writhing Fortress
The Meridian Lens breaches the wall, creating a portal to the Writhing Fortress. The Writhing Fortress is only available for 7 days after your megaserver clears it for the first time. Phase 3 won't start until Update 48 is live, so October 27 2025 at the earliest.
The Writhing Fortress Aftermath
After you destroy the Soul Spire Core inside the Writhing Fortress, the Writhing Wall will be permanently breached for your megaserver. This grants all players on that server access to the Eastern Solstice zone through a yellow hole in the wall.
