ZeniMax unveils first chapter of The Elder Scrolls Online's expansion-less future

ZeniMax Online Studios announced a while back that it was doing away with The Elder Scrolls Online's annual expansion format in favour of a more seasonal approach, all in the effort of providing fans and players with a steadier stream of content throughout the year, instead of one big batch of content in the summer and then a trickling amount throughout the rest of the year. We now know what this will be looking like, as the "2025 Content Pass" has been revealed and affirms that the game will be paying homage to its beginnings.

Sticking to the June release cadence, TESO will be debuting Seasons of the Worm Cult - Part 1, which will pick up and continue a story that first began when the MMO originally launched in 2014. It will include a new zone to explore and another storyline to follow, and as for what we can expect, we're told:

"Divided by the mysterious Writhing Wall, the isle of Solstice is beset by the dreaded Worm Cult. For the first time in the game's history, the Seasons of the Worm Cult saga continues a story that began in the ESO base game, although players don't need to have completed the game's original story to enjoy this one."

Seasons of the Worm Cult - Part 1 will kick off on PC/Mac on June 2 and then be followed by the console editions on June 18, continuing the staggered release setup for TESO content. It will be part of the 2025 Content Pass, which also includes the Fallen Banners dungeon pack that is now available, the Writhing Wall Event that is planned for Q3 this year and promises a "world-changing in-game event" and that will debut around the same time as the Feast of Shadows dungeon pack, plus the Seasons of the Worm Cult - Part 2 when that debuts in Q4 and offers a zone expansion and the story finale.

Speaking about what else fans can expect in TESO this year, the Writhing Wall Event promises the following:

"Splitting Solstice in half is the Writhing Wall, a gigantic magical barrier the Worm Cult uses to conceal and protect their activities in the island's east. In another ESO first, the Writhing Wall will be the focus of a world-changing collaborative in-game event later this year, where players must team up to assault the barrier, break through to the other side, and open the door to Seasons of the Worm Cult Part 2."

The dungeon packs will offer "two unique PvE four-player dungeons, complete with their own storylines, challenges, achievements, and rewards." On top of this we can expect the summer content to launch alongside Update 46, which introduces a "new Subclassing system that will allow players to replace up to two of their character's three class Skill Lines with those from the other six classes," and Hero's Return, which is "designed for players who haven't played ESO in a while, this system will serve as the perfect refresher to ease players seamlessly back into the world of Tamriel."

Will you be checking out all of the new The Elder Scrolls Online content?