The Elder Scrolls Online has been a constant presence in my video game adventures over the last decade. I’m not currently an active player. That would require time I don’t have, and any streak would be constantly broken by the arrival of new games to play and review. But I have dived deeply into each new content expansion, to partake in my absolute favourite activities: wandering around, collecting quests I’ll complete at a snail’s pace, admiring the scenery, and making friends.
Typically, I’m not one to play The Elder Scrolls Online as a multiplayer title. That’s part of the beauty in this game: you can play it any way you intend, ignoring its MMO aspects to experience a sweeping fantasy story that would likely take hundreds (if not thousands) of hours to complete, given the sheer breadth of content available. But as part of a recent media tag-a-long, I was invited to attend a multiplayer dungeon crawl – and it’s sparked a renewed passion for this game.
Pairing up with veteran dungeon crawlers, I became the group’s de facto weakling (I’ve spent countless hours in ESO‘s Public Test Server without giving time to significantly level my main character), and set off to tackle two of the game’s newest dungeons. The headliner was Lep Seclusa, introduced in base-game Update 45, as part of the Fallen Banners plot.
I’ll be honest, at this stage, The Elder Scrolls Online‘s story is so sweeping that I’ve lost my bookmark in its pages. Suffice to say, story paled in importance to the actual act of adventuring, with my experience wandering through Lep Seclusa renewing my longing for extended time to play this game.
This particular dungeon spoke to me wholly, largely because its theming and boss are so reminiscent of The Mummy (pick from the original, or the 1999 film) in concept. You travel a dark, web-covered and sandy dungeon, drawn forward by the need to protect an ancient and magical Elder Scroll. In the darkness, an evil boss known as Orpheon the Tactician awaits your arrival, sending various monsters (a giant gryphon, fire monsters, golems) to cut your dreams short.
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What makes Lep Seclusa such a neat backdrop is that its danger unfolds with a steady pace. At the first mini-boss, I though my crew and I had done it. The boss was tough. It teleported around the stage and made itself a nuisance with backup support. I cheered. I whooped. ‘There’s like, at least three more bosses to go,’ I was told.
And then I grew afraid.
As you advance in Lep Seclusa, the enemies only get tougher, and the walls only get closer. You advance from great big stages of sand and dust, to arenas where storms of lighting force you into closer quarters. Then, when you finally approach Orpheon in his grand hall, you get one final surprise: dual walls of green flames that force you to fight in a single corridor packed with slimy tentacles and other terrors.
My gosh, this fight is fun. The core conceit is that you really can’t stand still. If you have to pause for even a moment – for example, because you accidentally switched weapons, and couldn’t access any of your abilities (this would definitely never happen to me) – you get swallowed by a wall of poison flames, with little chance for recovery. And in a cruel twist, none of your companions can rescue you, because they can’t enter the flames without being hurt themselves.
I’m proud to say that while I did need frequent resurrections, our team managed to flay Orpheon in our first round, with instructions passed around and yelled through microphones helping to direct the action. Someone would yell ‘the wall’s moving!’ and we’d all get our skedaddle on, attempting to avoid that crushing wall, while also protecting against spiders and roving tentacles.
It was, to put it mildly, a very satisfying experience when Orpheon finally bit the dust, and we could all collect our rewards (which, in my case, included rapid levelling thanks to the difficulty of the boss). It really is an unmatched feeling, to be spending an hour romping through a dungeon, panicking over mini-bosses and helping to keep everyone alive through teamwork, to find you’ve finally done it, and you’ve earned the victory.
What my travels most highlighted to me was the pure euphoria you can glean from travelling a video game world with friends, taking on challenges together, and fighting through impossible odds. By nature of my work and limited time for personal gaming, I’ve largely missed out on the joys of playing The Elder Scrolls Online while actually ‘online.’ In only my second major multiplayer session, I can feel the sparks pinging in my head.
Having friends by your side really does elevate the action, with shared emotion encouraging an onward march through danger. It’s a feeling I’d like to bottle, perhaps to share with others who have misconceptions of just how social and connective gaming can be.
When the fight was over and the day was won, I was left with such a tangible sense of camaraderie and appreciation for my battle friends – and of course, appreciation for getting my weakling hero over the line. I was full of energy afterwards. Buzzing about the little things. Being able to resurrect my friends in battle, despite my attacks having less-powerful impact. Avoiding the beak blasts of the gryphon enemies. And of course, most importantly, saving the Moth Priests and their precious Elder Scroll from the might of Orpheon the Tactician.
Playing video games with friends can be so cool. Revisiting The Elder Scrolls Online and heading to its latest dungeons, I was reminded of just how powerful and memorable playing games with friends can be.
The Elder Scrolls Online is currently rolling through its Seasons of the Worm Cult chapter, with new updates introducing fresh dungeons, quests, and activities on a steady basis. You can learn more about what’s next for the game on the Elder Scrolls Online website.
Access to The Elder Scrolls Online 2025 Content Pass was provided for the purposes of this review.
