The Elder Scrolls Online: Waking Flame & Update 31 Preview

The Elder Scrolls Online’s Gates of Oblivion adventure is set to continue on August 23, 2021 with the launch of the Waking Flame DLC and the free Update 31 for the base game. As is usual for this sort of update, the DLC will feature two expansive, lore-rich dungeons, while the update will work on improving the game’s combat and making it overall more player-friendly.

Here are some additional details:

THE GATES STAND OPEN

The schemes of the Prince of Destruction were not thwarted during the events of The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood, only delayed, and his influence and power grows stronger in The Elder Scrolls Online: Waking Flame DLC game pack.

Arriving on August 23 for PC/Mac and Stadia, then August 31 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 consoles, you can experience new Gates of Oblivion stories as part of two challenging four-player PvE dungeons: the Dread Cellar and Red Petal Bastion. Both dungeons are available in Normal, Veteran, and Hard Mode difficulties, have their own unique rewards (including item sets and collectibles), and expand upon the larger Gates of Oblivion narrative that began with the Flames of Ambition DLC in February and continues throughout the rest of 2021.

Upon launch, Waking Flame will be available for purchase with crowns via the in-game Crown Store or unlocked as part of an active ESO Plus™ membership.

THE DREAD CELLAR

Formerly a clandestine prison for the Empire’s most dangerous foes, discontents, and radicals, the Dread Cellar has begun radiating mysterious magical energies, prompting the investigation by the Imperial Legion’s Battlemages.

In this new dungeon, you must team up with Lucilla Caprenia, a Battlemage in training, and her master Martus Tullius to investigate this once-feared prison and uncover the origins of the Daedric cultists and monsters that now inhabit it.

RED PETAL BASTION

Once, the order of the noble Knights of the Silver Rose dedicated itself to protecting Tamriel from Daedric threat, but recently, the warriors of Red Petal Bastion have begun to pillage nearby temples, stealing away their holy relics.

At the doors to the Red Petal Bastion dungeon, a devotee of Azura needs your help to reclaim his shrine’s stolen artifacts from this once-honorable order and discover the terrible secrets behind their ignoble fall to darkness and subsequent hoarding of Tamriel’s relics.

UPDATE 31

Launching in tandem with the Waking Flame DLC, the Update 31 base-game patch is a free update for all ESO players. This patch includes a host of bug fixes, quality of life and performance improvements (such as a reply function for in-game mail), and new houses, furnishings, and houseguests in the in-game Crown Store.

Want to know more? You can get a rundown of the combat changes arriving with Update 31 via this preview from the Combat Team on our official forums.