I Really Want to Buy Season 2025, But I'm So Confused...

Asikoo · April 14

I'm really confused right now. What exactly is this new "Season 2025" all about?

Is it just one new chapter?
If we buy it, what happens in 2026? Do we lose access to the content we paid for in Season 2025?
From what I understand, this might just be a new chapter—but if that’s true, will ESO+ continue working the same way as before?
I’ve seen people saying we’ll lose access to all DLC and chapters that were previously included with ESO+—is that true?
If I don’t buy this Seasonal 2025 update, can I still play like I always have with ESO+? No changes?
If I skip buying this new season, will I lose access to all the DLCs and past chapters that ESO+ used to include?
And if I don’t buy Season 2025 now, is there no way to play this content in 2026, even with ESO+? Is it only available in 2025 and then gone forever?

I really don’t understand what’s going on. Can we please get a clear explanation from someone on the official ESO Team? @ZOS_Kevin Not just other players, everyone seems to be saying different things.
I actually want to pre-order the new chapter, but first I need to know exactly what I’m paying for.

And one last thing... if this is just a single chapter, why are they calling it “Seasonal”? To me, “seasonal” usually means it’s temporary. You play it now, and once the season ends, it’s gone. So are we actually losing access to the content once it ends?

I'm seriously confused…

ADarklore · April 14

The use of the term 'season' is really confusing a LOT of people, myself included. I finally did some YouTube searching and found someone who actually explained it more clearly- they also said 'seasonal' should not have been used. Too many MMO's have seasonal content, and the content only lasts the season and then disappears... which is why they should not be using this term.

From my research, with this purchase, we will gain a new zone 'Solstice' and that will be permanently available. The quests, etc... will be permanent. However, some of the 'real time' events that occur there will be time limited... but overall, we get to keep the zone, the quests, and will have permanent access to the dungeon DLCs. Some say this lessens the value of ESO+, but with ESO+ you only got to access the content- you never actually OWN it. So if for some reason you dropped ESO+, you also lost access to the zones and dungeons- which will not occur with the purchase of this 'seasonal'.

If you do not buy this seasonal content, you can play as you always have with ESO+, but you just wont have access to the new zone and additional dungeons. Same as if you never purchased the previous Chapters when they first came out.

Hope that helps.

Varana · April 14

1. Yes, kind of, but smaller when it comes to the main chapter area. Including the dungeon DLCs now, though, so if you have ESO+, you'll effectively pay twice for those.
2. No. They're calling it "season" for whatever reason, but so far, they've explicitly said that the content will remain accessible.
3. Yes, kind of. ESO+ continues to give you all the things it did give you so far, including the two dungeon DLCs this year, but not the main "chapter" area.
4. No.
5. We don't know, they haven't said anything about that.
6. No. You can look at the "season" as if it were a chapter purchase.
7. If you don't buy the "season", you don't get the new "chapter" area. You will get access to the two dungeon DLCs via ESO+, and to subclassing because it's a base game update.

Asikoo · April 14

Okay, so… let’s say Zenimax releases Season 2026 after this one—will Season 2025 then be included in ESO+?

@ADarklore – you said: "However, some of the 'real time' events that occur there will be time-limited."
Can you clarify what exactly that means? What content will only be available if we buy Season 2025 now, and what will be impossible to access or redo later if someone skips this seasonal pass?

@Varana – if we look at Season 2025 as just a “new chapter,” then yeah, I understand ESO+ won’t include it right away, because ESO+ has never included the newest chapter at launch. But will Season 2025 be included in ESO+ later on?

But you also said: “You will get access to the two dungeon DLCs via ESO+, and to subclassing because it's a base game update.”
I’m not so sure about that. From what I’ve seen, those two new dungeons are part of Season 2025, not separate DLCs. So if that’s true, why would they be available through ESO+?

This is exactly why I’m asking for clarification from someone on the official ESO team. I’ve already seen two replies here—and both say completely different things about how Season 2025 works.

Can we please get some official answers?

Varana · April 14

The two answers you got didn't say "completely different things".

If you look at the graphic here:
https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/67821

There are five components in this pass:

- The Fallen Banners dungeon DLC.
- The Feast of Shadows dungeon DLC.
These work like previous dungeon packs: you will "rent" them with ESO+, you can buy at least the first one separately for crowns (not sure about the second one), and you buy them with the season pass.

- The "Season of the Worm Cult" part one and two.
These work like chapter content. They're new quests and zones, and if you buy the season pass, you get access to them, and if not, then not. You cannot purchase just one of them, or just these, you have to buy the whole season pass.

These parts of the content will stay available "forever". They haven't said anything about shifting them into ESO+ later on.

- The "Writhing Wall Event".
This is what ADarklore was referring to with "time-limited real-time events". The actual event is taking place at a specific time and then it's over. You have to buy the season pass to take part in it, and if you're not online at that time, or don't have the season pass at that time, you'll miss it.
Two exceptions:
They've said that if you don't have the season pass and therefore no access to the event, you'll still be able to contribute in a minor way in other zones. How substantial this will be, we don't know.
And if you play the zone quest later, you'll still get some echo of the event (as it's part of the zone quest) but not how it was originally run.

---

That said, you're right that these clarifications should be made by someone from ZOS, so I'll stop explaining things now.

Veinblood1965 · April 14

I really hate how it was introduced on PS4/5 They just have an announcement but it really does not go into detail other than the "perks" you get by purchasing it. It's enough to make me just quit the game as it's a little inconsiderate that the announcement should go into detail, not leave it vague.

XSTRONG · April 14

Zos shouldnt have called this a season, I guess everything will still be there after it ends because we have paid for it, if not that would be really strange.

cyberjanet · April 14

ADarklore wrote: »

If you do not buy this seasonal content, you can play as you always have with ESO+, but you just wont have access to the new zone and additional dungeons. Same as if you never purchased the previous Chapters when they first came out.

This raises another question. In the past, you could always buy the new chapter on one the sales, July, October, Black Fredas, New Life...
But now, due to there being limited time content that will disappear, like that wall thing, once it's down it's down and it won't pop up again, will sales have any meaning? Will there even be sales?

And the community event traditionally scheduled for end Sep/Oct, with special rewards for completing it, what will happen to that? That will probably be the wall event now, and the the special reward is to have the fun of participating, and I'm really not sure how much fun that's going to be.

I need to go have a nap or do something else for a while. I'm talking myself into a terrible negative frenzy about this, and we don't have enough information so I really shouldn't be fretting.

(Such a fret I can't even do their/they're/there correctly.)

Asikoo · April 14

I'm really tempted to buy this new chapter right now, I genuinely want to. But I'm also afraid of paying now and getting absolutely nothing in 2026. Or worse, paying just to watch the game turn into a full-blown seasonal pass model, where we have to pay for everything. Paying for a new chapter, paying for the new pass, paying for ESO+ and at the end of the day, it just feels like we're throwing money at Zenimax. And in return, what do we really get?

It also feels like Zenimax is applying pressure to buy before May 7 (if I'm not mistaken). But there's no clear communication to customers, no transparent explanation. I want to buy it, but more than that, I want to understand what I'm actually buying and what the future of the game will look like.

I really don’t like the way this feels...

cyberjanet · April 14

Asikoo wrote: »

It also feels like Zenimax is applying pressure to buy before May 7 (if I'm not mistaken). But there's no clear communication to customers, no transparent explanation. I want to buy it, but more than that, I want to understand what I'm actually buying and what the future of the game will look like.

Even with the chapters, there was always pressure to pre-buy, so that's not new. And I don't like the way this feels either.

Asikoo · April 14

cyberjanet wrote: »

Asikoo wrote: »

It also feels like Zenimax is applying pressure to buy before May 7 (if I'm not mistaken). But there's no clear communication to customers, no transparent explanation. I want to buy it, but more than that, I want to understand what I'm actually buying and what the future of the game will look like.

Even with the chapters, there was always pressure to pre-buy, so that's not new. And I don't like the way this feels either.

But with previous chapter pre-orders, it was all about new cosmetics. Now... it's just so confusing! I know the pre-order still gives cosmetics like always, but this whole "seasonal" thing... oh boy.

Pevey · April 14

Asikoo wrote: »

I really don’t like the way this feels...

This is my feedback in a nutshell, as well.

With the feedback data ZOS says they are collecting and analyzing now, I hope they will look hard at one key question marketers always ask: "Would you recommend this product to a friend?"

For ESO, that metric must be astoundingly low. Even people who are currently playing the game often go out of the way to tell friends NOT to start playing or avoid admitting that they play at all. ZOS needs to have a good think about some of the reasons for that and how to fix them.

DigiAngel · April 14

Here's a video that explains it pretty well:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=jYDoxjXITxU

Asikoo · April 18

Let's pray everything goes the way we all hope... I did buy it, but my faith is lower than zero... Oh boy...

cyberjanet · April 18

The issue is not really buying the content pass; the issue is do we keep the ESO+? Mine was due to expire, so I renewed it for just one month (I have a non-recurring membership with Paysafecard, so that I can manage it). Had I waited for it to expire completely in three days, I could have got it half price. Oh well. But I also bought the content pass, because I will want to play the content.

JeroenB · April 18

Varana wrote: »

[...]
- The "Season of the Worm Cult" part one and two.
These work like chapter content. They're new quests and zones, and if you buy the season pass, you get access to them, and if not, then not. You cannot purchase just one of them, or just these, you have to buy the whole season pass.
[...]

(Emphasis mine.) Has this been confirmed anywhere? Will it be impossible to buy just the Chapter-like story zones, perhaps later in the year or in 2026?

Traditionally a Season Pass is a cheaper bundle of all the DLC to be released in a given season, but you can still choose to buy each piece of DLC separately. (Using the general definition of DLC, not ESO's confusing use that excludes Chapters.)

Destai · April 18

I'm confused too.

I've asked a few times if I can purchase the season content after the season ends, still waiting for a reply. I get it'll still be accessible, but will it be purchasable? @ZOS_Kevin @ZOS_JessicaFolsom can you answer this question please?

I really don't get why they chose this year to rebrand/reword their content when it's virtually the same as the YLS style content. It just seems like an unnecessary added layer of confusion.

So, I don't see a reason to get the season pass personally. I'm already subbed for a year, so I'm not buying it for dungeons. And the zone is much lighter in content - looks like a normal DLC zone with half of the features (3 delves, 1 public dungeon, etc.). I'm not paying more money for less content, or double paying in the case of the dungeons. If anything, I'll get the zone on discount at a later time. If I even can.

I also don't like the way this feels.

CoronHR · April 18

even though it's pricier, i bought it because with the purchase, you also get the dlc dungeons. the dlc dungeons, while accessible through eso+, are 'rented', as someone above said. to own any dlc dungeon, you do have to buy it, either with crowns or real money. with crowns, you can exchange with in-game gold, so you really could get them for free in a sense, but i never go that route because the crown-to-gold ratio is and has been insane for a long time

Desiato · April 18

I could be wrong, but it seems to me the purpose of rebranding chapters is to give us less while charging us about the same.

I couldn't help but notice how few new art assets there seemed to be in the new trial, and the major new feature is a rework of the existing classes.

Last year it was theorized that a lot of developers were transferred to the other game they're working on, and it could be those theories had merit.

I honestly hate posting negative opinions because I know the devs at ZOS all work extremely hard, but I'm just calling them as I see them.

Elrond87 · April 18

Asikoo wrote: »

Let's pray everything goes the way we all hope... I did buy it, but my faith is lower than zero... Oh boy...

i tried to buy it but cant redeem it as account website has been down for 2 days

wolfie1.0. · April 18

For the Withering Wall event. It's basically the same as the Q3 community events they have done the past few years, all of which you had to have the latest chapter. Where the community had to complete X objectives inorder to get y awards. This time around it's server based apparently.

Asikoo · April 18

Elrond87 wrote: »

Asikoo wrote: »

Let's pray everything goes the way we all hope... I did buy it, but my faith is lower than zero... Oh boy...

i tried to buy it but cant redeem it as account website has been down for 2 days

Something is not right in there. http:// seems not secure at all.

Elder Scrolls Online is https: https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-gb/home

edit:
The most common error in that case could be having the wrong time on your computer. If the date and time aren't correct, that error can occur and it's the most common cause.

IviRo · April 18

Asikoo wrote: »

I'm really confused right now. What exactly is this new "Season 2025" all about?
Is it just one new chapter?

If we buy it, what happens in 2026? Do we lose access to the content we paid for in Season 2025?

From what I understand, this might just be a new chapter—but if that’s true, will ESO+ continue working the same way as before?

I’ve seen people saying we’ll lose access to all DLC and chapters that were previously included with ESO+—is that true?

If I don’t buy this Seasonal 2025 update, can I still play like I always have with ESO+? No changes?

If I skip buying this new season, will I lose access to all the DLCs and past chapters that ESO+ used to include?

And if I don’t buy Season 2025 now, is there no way to play this content in 2026, even with ESO+? Is it only available in 2025 and then gone forever?

I really don’t understand what’s going on. Can we please get a clear explanation from someone on the official ESO Team? @ZOS_Kevin Not just other players, everyone seems to be saying different things.
I actually want to pre-order the new chapter, but first I need to know exactly what I’m paying for.

And one last thing... if this is just a single chapter, why are they calling it “Seasonal”? To me, “seasonal” usually means it’s temporary. You play it now, and once the season ends, it’s gone. So are we actually losing access to the content once it ends?

I'm seriously confused…

The Elder Scrolls Online: Content Pass is a subscription to all content released throughout the year!

- Future ESO seasons may last as long as this year (1 year), or they may be shorter, 3-6 months. Not all seasons will be linked, such as this year's seasons of Cult of Worms, Part 1 and Part 2, but they will be included in the Content Pass.

- When the Content Pass expires, all content released during the year stays with you and also becomes available in the Crown Store.

- Accordingly, the Content Pass will need to be purchased each year as a subscription.

- Remix Seasons - An approach to seasons that revisits storylines and old regions.

- The first season in 2026 will be Dark Brotherhood-related, but it's not yet known how long it will last or what will be included.

Asikoo · April 18

IviRo wrote: »

The Elder Scrolls Online: Content Pass is a subscription to all content released throughout the year!

- Future ESO seasons may last as long as this year (1 year), or they may be shorter, 3-6 months. Not all seasons will be linked, such as this year's seasons of Cult of Worms, Part 1 and Part 2, but they will be included in the Content Pass.

- When the Content Pass expires, all content released during the year stays with you and also becomes available in the Crown Store.

- Accordingly, the Content Pass will need to be purchased each year as a subscription.

- Remix Seasons - An approach to seasons that revisits storylines and old regions.

- The first season in 2026 will be Dark Brotherhood-related, but it's not yet known how long it will last or what will be included.

Yeah, it's all good, I think... I mean, I don't know, but there's nothing I can do for now. The truth is, I'm very, very skeptical about all of this, and I don't have any faith. But I'll wait to see what happens and what changes will come.
My biggest concern is about ESO+, because players are saying we're going to lose DLCs and other things in there, and I don't see anyone from the team saying loud and clear: "This is what will happen, here and here."

IviRo · April 19

Asikoo wrote: »

IviRo wrote: »

The Elder Scrolls Online: Content Pass is a subscription to all content released throughout the year!

- Future ESO seasons may last as long as this year (1 year), or they may be shorter, 3-6 months. Not all seasons will be linked, such as this year's seasons of Cult of Worms, Part 1 and Part 2, but they will be included in the Content Pass.

- When the Content Pass expires, all content released during the year stays with you and also becomes available in the Crown Store.

- Accordingly, the Content Pass will need to be purchased each year as a subscription.

- Remix Seasons - An approach to seasons that revisits storylines and old regions.

- The first season in 2026 will be Dark Brotherhood-related, but it's not yet known how long it will last or what will be included.

Yeah, it's all good, I think... I mean, I don't know, but there's nothing I can do for now. The truth is, I'm very, very skeptical about all of this, and I don't have any faith. But I'll wait to see what happens and what changes will come.
My biggest concern is about ESO+, because players are saying we're going to lose DLCs and other things in there, and I don't see anyone from the team saying loud and clear: "This is what will happen, here and here."

You also still have access to the DLC (Dungeouns pack) and what was included in the content pass (after completing the content pass). ZOS announced ESO plus improvements on the stream, the first of which will be a furniture safe. We'll find out more details throughout the year.

AusarViled · April 19

Let me ask yall a question. Are you all streamers? Do you need to have 100% of everything right away? I get it if your the asmongold of ESO and need to hoard stuff, then I can understand the pressure to buy it on launch.

If your not making money of the game, and are not a streamer then you got no need to buy ANY of the new content on launch, or at all really. The best solution to cravings of compulsive spending is analyzing your craving.

Just wait, its no rush, some of you also got millions of gold, just trade for it. No reason to ever buy anything spontaneously, this is an expansions not a stock market rush for bitcoins.

Arunei · April 19

IviRo wrote: »

Asikoo wrote: »

I'm really confused right now. What exactly is this new "Season 2025" all about?
Is it just one new chapter?

If we buy it, what happens in 2026? Do we lose access to the content we paid for in Season 2025?

From what I understand, this might just be a new chapter—but if that’s true, will ESO+ continue working the same way as before?

I’ve seen people saying we’ll lose access to all DLC and chapters that were previously included with ESO+—is that true?

If I don’t buy this Seasonal 2025 update, can I still play like I always have with ESO+? No changes?

If I skip buying this new season, will I lose access to all the DLCs and past chapters that ESO+ used to include?

And if I don’t buy Season 2025 now, is there no way to play this content in 2026, even with ESO+? Is it only available in 2025 and then gone forever?

I really don’t understand what’s going on. Can we please get a clear explanation from someone on the official ESO Team? @ZOS_Kevin Not just other players, everyone seems to be saying different things.
I actually want to pre-order the new chapter, but first I need to know exactly what I’m paying for.

And one last thing... if this is just a single chapter, why are they calling it “Seasonal”? To me, “seasonal” usually means it’s temporary. You play it now, and once the season ends, it’s gone. So are we actually losing access to the content once it ends?

I'm seriously confused…

The Elder Scrolls Online: Content Pass is a subscription to all content released throughout the year!

- Future ESO seasons may last as long as this year (1 year), or they may be shorter, 3-6 months. Not all seasons will be linked, such as this year's seasons of Cult of Worms, Part 1 and Part 2, but they will be included in the Content Pass.

- When the Content Pass expires, all content released during the year stays with you and also becomes available in the Crown Store.

- Accordingly, the Content Pass will need to be purchased each year as a subscription.

- Remix Seasons - An approach to seasons that revisits storylines and old regions.

- The first season in 2026 will be Dark Brotherhood-related, but it's not yet known how long it will last or what will be included.

Where have they said any given Season will move to the CS after that Season ends? I haven't seen or heard the devs confirm that anywhere yet.

Arunei · April 19

Asikoo wrote: »

IviRo wrote: »

The Elder Scrolls Online: Content Pass is a subscription to all content released throughout the year!

- Future ESO seasons may last as long as this year (1 year), or they may be shorter, 3-6 months. Not all seasons will be linked, such as this year's seasons of Cult of Worms, Part 1 and Part 2, but they will be included in the Content Pass.

- When the Content Pass expires, all content released during the year stays with you and also becomes available in the Crown Store.

- Accordingly, the Content Pass will need to be purchased each year as a subscription.

- Remix Seasons - An approach to seasons that revisits storylines and old regions.

- The first season in 2026 will be Dark Brotherhood-related, but it's not yet known how long it will last or what will be included.

Yeah, it's all good, I think... I mean, I don't know, but there's nothing I can do for now. The truth is, I'm very, very skeptical about all of this, and I don't have any faith. But I'll wait to see what happens and what changes will come.
My biggest concern is about ESO+, because players are saying we're going to lose DLCs and other things in there, and I don't see anyone from the team saying loud and clear: "This is what will happen, here and here."

One of the people who worked on Seasons, idr her name, said we aren't losing anything from ESO+ in the after show stream. I'll grab a link later, but basically people saying we're losing those from ESO+ because the Season Pass will include DLC Dungeons for this Season, and it feels like ESO+ is losing value for it.

Except that's assuming every single Content Pass for every single Season will include any given Dungeon DLC, which I don't think has been said will be the case.

allochthons · April 20

This doesn't answer all of your questions, but Kevin did give a few answers here.

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Some answers for you @allochthons.
How will those seasons interact with the game after they end?
They will interact as normal. You will be able to tackle content however and whenever you like. It's just changing when you get the content and how you originally interact with it, like getting access to the second half of Solstice after the Writhing Wall event.

Is there content still there, or does it disappear?
The content for Seasons of the worm cult will still be there. Once you the content release and you pay for it, you own it.

We need more information on how this works going forward before we shell out this much money.
We have an FAQ on Content Pass here.

I mean, I assume the dungeons and new trial will still be available, but what about Solstice itself?
Solstice will remain and be available once you own it.

I'm waiting for many more answers before buying the new content.

Dagoth_Rac · April 20

Imagine that in 2023, Necrom got released in 2 parts. Telvanni Peninsula in Q2 and Apocrypha in Q4. Instead of Telvanni Penisula and Apocrypha both coming in Q2. That is pretty much what the Season Pass is. It is the Chapter split in two. You don't get it as part of ESO+, just like a Chapter. I can almost 99.99% guarantee that, like a Chapter, it will become part of ESO+ next year when they release a new season. It is not going to disappear forever in 2026, just like Chapters do not disappear. You will not lose content to existing ESO+ content, just like not buying Gold Road this year did not remove access to older content via ESO+.

Just treat it like a Chapter split in 2 and ignore all the other noise around it. ZOS was probably seeing game population really plummet outside Q2 the past couple of years, when there was only new story content in Q2. So they are releasing in pieces throughout the year to keep players from disappearing for 9 months.

Don't overcomplicate it. It is really like 95% the same as their existing business model.

IviRo · April 24

Arunei wrote: »

IviRo wrote: »

Asikoo wrote: »

I'm really confused right now. What exactly is this new "Season 2025" all about?
Is it just one new chapter?

If we buy it, what happens in 2026? Do we lose access to the content we paid for in Season 2025?

From what I understand, this might just be a new chapter—but if that’s true, will ESO+ continue working the same way as before?

I’ve seen people saying we’ll lose access to all DLC and chapters that were previously included with ESO+—is that true?

If I don’t buy this Seasonal 2025 update, can I still play like I always have with ESO+? No changes?

If I skip buying this new season, will I lose access to all the DLCs and past chapters that ESO+ used to include?

And if I don’t buy Season 2025 now, is there no way to play this content in 2026, even with ESO+? Is it only available in 2025 and then gone forever?

I really don’t understand what’s going on. Can we please get a clear explanation from someone on the official ESO Team? @ZOS_Kevin Not just other players, everyone seems to be saying different things.
I actually want to pre-order the new chapter, but first I need to know exactly what I’m paying for.

And one last thing... if this is just a single chapter, why are they calling it “Seasonal”? To me, “seasonal” usually means it’s temporary. You play it now, and once the season ends, it’s gone. So are we actually losing access to the content once it ends?

I'm seriously confused…

The Elder Scrolls Online: Content Pass is a subscription to all content released throughout the year!

- Future ESO seasons may last as long as this year (1 year), or they may be shorter, 3-6 months. Not all seasons will be linked, such as this year's seasons of Cult of Worms, Part 1 and Part 2, but they will be included in the Content Pass.

- When the Content Pass expires, all content released during the year stays with you and also becomes available in the Crown Store.

- Accordingly, the Content Pass will need to be purchased each year as a subscription.

- Remix Seasons - An approach to seasons that revisits storylines and old regions.

- The first season in 2026 will be Dark Brotherhood-related, but it's not yet known how long it will last or what will be included.

Where have they said any given Season will move to the CS after that Season ends? I haven't seen or heard the devs confirm that anywhere yet.

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/comment/8304599#Comment_8304599?utm_medium=social&utm_source=discord&utm_campaign=dwemer_automaton