Elder Scrolls Online has been running for over a decade, and Zenimax Online Studios still manages to drop updates that make veteran players put down their coffee and actually pay attention. Update 45, released on March 10, 2025 for PC/Mac and March 25–2026 for consoles, is one of those updates. If you want to level up your experience faster or skip the grinding curve entirely, services like ESO Boost are worth knowing about: but first, let's dig into what this patch actually delivers.
Fallen Banners DLC: Two New Dungeons
The centerpiece of Update 45 is the Fallen Banners Dungeon Pack, which ships two brand-new group dungeons rooted in the lore of the Three Banners War. Both are part of the ESO Plus subscriber offering at launch, though they became available via Crown Store after the console release.
Exiled Redoubt follows the story of Orpheon the Tactician, a former battlefield emperor of Cyrodiil who broke from his alliance and built his own army of disillusioned war veterans. The dungeon drops players into a confrontation with that army, featuring unique boss mechanics and a dedicated loot table with exclusive item sets and collectibles.
Lep Seclusa takes place in Hew's Bane and has a more traditional layout: three mini-bosses leading to a final encounter, making six boss loot opportunities total. The stakes are high: a rogue faction has gotten hold of an Elder Scroll and has no good intentions for it. All bosses are required for full loot access, which keeps groups from skipping ahead.
Key things both dungeons share:
- Each dungeon has its own self-contained storyline tied to the ongoing Three Banners War narrative.
- Unique item sets and collectibles are available only from these two encounters.
- Both support Normal and Veteran difficulty, with Hard Mode options for the most dedicated groups.
- Achievements are tied to specific objectives inside each dungeon, rewarding thorough exploration.
Cyrodiil Champions: A PvP Experiment Worth Watching
The Cyrodiil open-world PvP zone has had performance issues for years: lag during large-scale battles is practically a running joke in the community. Update 45 introduces the first live test of Cyrodiil Champions, a stripped-down PvP campaign designed specifically to collect performance data.
During the test window (March 24–31 on PC NA/EU), players could choose from seven preset class templates with locked abilities, attributes, and gear. Crown Store provisions and outside items were blocked, putting everyone on a level playing field. The stated goal is data gathering on how servers handle mass combat with simplified ability calculations: not a permanent redesign of PvP.
What the test campaign restricted:
- Crown Store provisions and any items outside the class templates were disabled.
- Character-specific stats, attributes, and gear were replaced by the locked class build.
- Seven pre-made Cyrodiil Champion classes were available, each with fixed skill loadouts.
- Mount speeds were equalized across all participants to remove gear-based advantages.
Quality-of-Life Changes at a Glance
Beyond the big headline features, Update 45 ships a solid batch of base-game improvements. The table below covers the main ones:
FeatureWhat Changed
|
Map Overhaul |
Tamriel view now shows one Wayshrine per zone; dungeons, trials, and non-favorite homes are hidden by default to reduce clutter. |
|
Mount Speed at Start |
Beginning mount movement speed was significantly increased, reducing early-game frustration for new players. |
|
Green Champion Point Stars |
The Green constellation received improvements making the progression clearer and more impactful at lower point thresholds. |
|
Player Response Options |
New roleplay-style dialogue choices were added to quest interactions, giving players more agency in NPC conversations. |
|
Starter Zone Visual Refresh |
Bleakrock Isle, Bal Foyen, Stros M’kai, Betnikh, and Khenarthi’s Roost received updated terrain, lighting, and atmosphere. |
|
Stealth System Clarity |
Transitioning to Hidden now shows a visible status effect on the buff bar, making stealth mechanics easier to track. |
|
Combat Calculation Hardcoding |
Several common damage effects (including the baseline 10% player damage reduction) were hardcoded for faster server-side processing. |
Starter Zone Refresh: First Impressions Matter
Five starter zones: Bleakrock Isle, Bal Foyen, Stros M’kai, Betnikh, and Khenarthi’s Roost: received a visual overhaul designed to bring them closer to the visual standard of recent expansions like the Telvanni Peninsula or West Weald. The changes cover terrain transitions, material quality, lighting, and environmental atmosphere.
This matters more than it might seem. These zones are the first thing new players see, and they were built over a decade ago. A fresh player loading into Bleakrock in 2025 now gets a world that doesn’t look noticeably behind everything added in the past five years. Veteran players returning after a long break will also notice the difference immediately.
What the visual refresh covers across all five zones:
- Terrain transitions were improved to reduce visible seams between biome types.
- Material quality was updated across environmental assets including rocks, foliage, and ground textures.
- Lighting and atmospheric effects were reworked to match the mood of each zone more consistently.
- Signage and smaller environmental details received updated models to reduce the contrast with newer content.
The Bottom Line on Update 45
Update 45 is a well-rounded patch that covers multiple player types. PvE players get two new dungeons with original storylines and exclusive loot. PvP players get the first real step toward addressing Cyrodiil’s long-standing performance problems, even if it’s a test run rather than a finished product. Everyone benefits from map improvements, better mount speeds out of the gate, and a starter experience that no longer looks like it belongs in a different game.
The Cyrodiil Champions test is probably the most interesting thing to watch going forward. If the data Zenimax collects translates into actual server stability improvements, it could meaningfully change how open-world PvP feels: and that would be a bigger deal than any new dungeon. For now, Update 45 is a solid start to ESO’s 2025 content calendar.
