Entering its 12th year, Zenimax Online Studios has done a brilliant job over the little more than a decade rejuvenating and breathing new life into Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) through its many expansions and yearly updates. The 2025 Content Pass is this year’s new cycle, releasing updates throughout the year to keep players looked after.

The first of these is Update 45, or the Fallen Banners update. The update adds two new dungeons, new armour sets, housing options, map changes, quality-of-life improvements, and more.

Exiled Redoubt follows the traditional ESO dungeon structure, complete with main bosses and hidden secret bosses. Discovering these secrets can grant buffs that make subsequent encounters easier. Its layered design and added incentives encourage replayability and exploration, making it likely the favourite of the two among players.

Lep Seclusa, by contrast, is far more linear, with a greater emphasis on intense, coordinated boss fights. While some definitely may find its straightforward layout underwhelming compared to Exiled Redoubt’s design, the boss encounters themselves are engaging and demand teamwork. Without spoiling anything, I’ll say that the mechanics in both dungeons are varied and rewarding enough, especially when tackled as a group.

Both dungeons support multiple difficulty tiers, including a hardcore mode for competitive players seeking greater rewards and achievements. While I didn’t attempt the hardcore versions myself as I don’t think I’m ready yet, their inclusion provides welcome replayability and challenges for the more experienced players.

Narratively, each dungeon carries its own themes, but both centre around the Alliance War ravaging Tamriel. In Exiled Redoubt, the imperial battlemage needs help investigating missing soldiers but, in doing so, discovers a plot that threatens all of Cyrodiil. However, in Lep Seclusa, you must defend the Moth Priests, their sanctuary and their precious Elder Scroll.

It’s worth mentioning that players with an ESO Plus membership can only access these new dungeons and cannot purchase them using the in-game currency Crowns at this point.

This update includes 11 new armour sets, most of which can be found in the two new dungeons and three from Rewards of the Worthy. I have yet to see all the new sets, but some will complement some people’s builds well. Lucilla’s Windshield gave me a giggle due to its name, but its effects are solid. It increases critical damage by 10% when blocking three enemy attacks within 10 seconds. 

Houses are an essential part of the Elder Scrolls experience, and this update gives us two more choices: Castle Skingrad and Shattered Mirror, located in West Weald and Fargrave City, respectively. New housing is always fun, and it’s a good way to allow for player customisation and something for them to truly make their own.

Numerous quality-of-life improvements aim to make the game a better experience, which should always be complimented. Graphical overhauls to some starting zones make them more in line with the rest of the game and more enjoyable. Mount speed has been increased so you may get around the map quicker, and the champion point tree has been changed a little to make it a bit easier for newer players to understand.

Fallen Banners serves as a strong start to 2025’s ESO Content Pass. The dungeons are well-designed and mechanically engaging, the new gear offers fresh build possibilities, and the quality-of-life updates show an ongoing commitment to player experience. While the content may not reinvent the wheel—and the ESO Plus paywall is a sore point for some—it’s a satisfying appetiser ahead of the larger expansions.

Written by: Dylan Kocins