As the third instalment in Elder Scrolls Online’s 2025 Content Season Pass, Feast of Shadows lands with a sense of predictability. It delivers what it promises: two 4-player dungeons and a round of new gear to chase… but little else. While the better of the two dungeons is genuinely enjoyable, the overall package doesn’t quite reach the highs of ESO’s stronger mid-year updates. Instead, Feast of Shadows plays it safe, and as a result, feels more like a filler than an actual feast.
Two dungeons, one winner
Naj-Caldeesh is the better dungeon. Set in a vibrant Argonian backdrop, it breathes life and colour into a game that sometimes leans a little too hard on the grim and grey. The architecture pops, the fights escalate in satisfying ways, and there’s a strong sense of place that ties it back into the Solstice zone introduced earlier this year. The final boss especially feels like a refined version of the zone’s world bosses found across Solstice… familiar mechanics, but amped up to eleven.
Yes, there were rough edges. One frustrating moment saw me trapped on the outer rim of a boss arena surrounded by hazards, completely unrevivable unless my team wanted to get flattened too. But even with a few cheap deaths, the energy, pace, and flash of Naj-Caldeesh made it easy to forgive.
Then there’s Black Gem Foundry: a dungeon that looks like it crawled out of Coldharbour (because it did), and plays like it’s just trying to get through the motions. The premise is fine on paper: a forge where soul-bound weapons are being produced, with the Worm Cult eager to get their hands on them. The stakes are high, but the setting drags. After recently re-running the Coldharbour zone on a fresh character, I felt déjà vu fatigue immediately. The endless corridors and gloomy halls quickly became a blur.
The foundry’s gameplay loop doesn’t help either. The boss fights, while competent, are mostly forgettable, with the exception of one fight that cleverly used a furnace-grate arena and environmental hazards. But outside of that, it’s a lot of wading through mobs in cramped corridors, only to be stopped every couple of feet by another wave of filler enemies. It felt more padded than packed, and by the time our group wrapped it up (after an hour and a lost party member), it was more relief than reward.
Some gear to grind for
Feast of Shadows does provide strong incentives for gear-hunters. Both dungeons introduce new armour sets across all weights, alongside unique monster sets and collectables that reward repeat runs. I only hope you are more interested in the gear from Naj-Caldeesh than from Black Gem Foundry.
Base Game Boosts
Alongside the dungeon DLC, Update 47 quietly smooths out some of ESO’s long-standing rough edges. The most noticeable change? Mounts can finally swim. It sounds small, but after years of your horse vanishing the second you touch water, like it was some kind of cursed Gremlin, being able to just ride through lakes and rivers feels oddly liberating. There’s also a handy new feature that lets you replay quest dialogue, which I didn’t realise I needed until I spaced out during a cutscene and was able to instantly catch up without missing a beat. Inventory management’s been cleaned up too, thanks to stackable survey reports, and if you’re still grinding the Infinite Archive, rerolling your Visions is now possible. None of these changes are groundbreaking, but they add up to a smoother, less frustrating experience overall.
Conclusion
Feast of Shadows is classic Q3 content: dungeon-focused, loot-friendly, but not too heavy on story. This acts clearly as connective tissue between the story-heavy Q2 drop and the conclusion of the Season of the Worm Cult in Q4. I’m sure some of the fans will like these dungeons more than I did. I’m mostly looking forward to the writhing wall event and the opening up of East Solstice. Until then, I could chase some sets, but knowing me, I probably won’t bother.
