The MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online receives Update 31 Waking Flame on August 23, 2021. This continues the storyline of the “Gates of Oblivion.” MeinMMO provides an overview of the most important new features.
The new Update Waking Flame will be released on August 23, 2021, for PC/Mac & Stadia. The release for Xbox and Playstation has been postponed from August 31 to September 8, 2021.
The exact time is not yet known, but you can check the server status anytime here
(via ESO Server Status). The servers have been down since 8 AM.
Yes. To access the new DLC dungeons, you need ESO+. Alternatively, you can purchase the DLC for Crowns in the shop. However, I recommend the ESO+ option as it has additional benefits for you.
What are the biggest new features of Waking Flame?
What is meant by Dungeons? These are PvE dungeons for up to 4 players. You can complete them in the difficulty levels Normal, Veteran, and Veteran including Hardmode.
With the new update, 2 new dungeons will be released that provide a glimpse into the storyline of the upcoming zone DLC in Q4. Additionally, you can obtain a total of 8 new sets in these two dungeons.
The new dungeon “Redblossom Bastion”
The Redblossom Bastion is located in the Glenumbra area. In the dungeon, you will receive the quest “A Rose of Many Thorns.”
What sets are available here?
- Prior Thierric (Monsterset, 2 pieces)
- Thundercaller (light, 5 pieces)
- Grotesque Gourmet (medium, 5 pieces)
- Silverrose Watch (heavy, 5 pieces)
The new dungeon “The Terror Cellar”
The Terror Cellar is located in the Darkwood area. There you will receive the quest “Trembling Terror.”
What sets are available here?
- Magma Incarnation (Monsterset, 2 pieces)
- Rising Agony (medium, 5 pieces)
- Feast of the Scorpion (light, 5 pieces)
- Split of the Crimson Oath (heavy, 5 pieces)
For more details on the new sets, you can find them in the article ESO: Everything we know about the new DLC Waking Flame – Release, Dungeons, Sets.
What are the main changes affecting all players?
Together with the DLC Waking Flame, Update 31 will be released, which affects all players of the MMORPG – regardless of whether a player has ESO+ or the DLC. Additionally, there was an important change to the Champion Points earlier this year that will be further refined with this update.
Adjustment of Champion Points (CP)
With the Update 29 Flames of Ambition, the CP system has been fundamentally reworked. It is divided into 3 attributes, for which you can choose 4 active Champion Points each. A more detailed explanation of the adjustments can be found here:
ESO overhauls the important Champion System – This is what changes for you.
With Update 30 and Update 31, there will also be minor changes. In Waking Flame, adjustments in the red “Might” tree will especially stand out. Here, there will now be 3 Champion Points with sub-points.
This is what the CP tree Might looks like as you knew it before. 
This is what the CP tree Might looks like from Update 31 onwards. 
CP Sub-point Might: Despite the Survivor. 
CP Sub-point Might: Wandering Fortress. 
CP Sub-point Might: Windrunner.
The change in the red tree affects the following points:
- Despite the Survivor: Mystical Tenacity (50), Ruthlessness (50), Escape from Pain (50), Endurance through Suffering (50)
- Windrunner: Haste (16), Refreshing Step (50), Swiftness (50), Hunt Lust (50)
- Wandering Fortress: Fleet Protector (6), Soothing Shield (50), Warding Anchor (50), Spellshield Master (50)
Two new houses
For housing fans, the new update brings two new houses to furnish: The Freshwater Cascades in Darkwood and the Ash Blight Plateau.
Changes to the combat system
All passive abilities will grant both types of attributes in the future. This affects Magicka and Weapon Power, as well as physical and magical resistance.
Changes in the PvP area Cyrodiil
Adjustment of player abilities: Stealth and invisibility will only be removed when direct damage is dealt, crowd controls (stuns or immobilizations) are inflicted, or revealing effects (“Master Hunter”, “Revealing Flames”) are cast.
These player abilities will no longer reveal opponents in the future:
- Damage over time (DoTs) abilities
- Area effects with damage over time (AoEs)
Additionally, there will be a brief window in which stealthed/invisible opponents cannot be immediately revealed again by single abilities after this effect occurs.
In recent months there has been a lot of back and forth in the PvP area as part of performance tests. This applies to the upcoming update:
- Proc sets and Champion Points will be disabled
- The artifact weapon Volendrung will be disabled
What sets can be worn now? In principle, you can equip the sets, but their effects will not activate. Here is a selection of sets that do not lose their bonuses:
- Azure Plasma
- Apprentice’s Armor
- Bee Keeper’s Gear
- Cunning Alfiq
- Heavy Draugr
- Resilience
- Brass Armor
- Grace of the Ancients
- Hunding’s Fury
- Impenetrable Armor
- Julianos’ Law
- Leviathan
- Mother’s Tears
- Plague Doctor
- Weaver’s Garb
- Thorns of the Twiggler
- Willpower
- Agility
Changes in PvE
In contrast to PvP, changes will be made here regarding damage calculation against undead enemies, werewolves, or vampires. The passive ability of the Fighters Guild “Experienced Tracker” will only retain its known effectiveness against other players.
Additionally, the effect of prismatic glyphs will be changed. To better fit the theme of triple regeneration, prismatic weapon enchantments will now drain all three resources from the target (similar to Health Drain or Magicka Drain).
Adjustment of item sets
Some older item sets are being changed as they have been particularly rarely used. The most important sets among them are:
- Sithis’ Touch
- Nikulas
- Warrior of Faith
- Pelinal’s Talent
Is it worth starting in ESO right now?
Definitely! Since the release of the base game, many features have been added that make starting in the MMORPG easier. The most important features are briefly presented:
- OneTamriel – You can travel to any area and everything scales so that it adapts to your level.
- Reward for leveling up – You receive additional rewards upon leveling up that are useful.
- Group finder – You can queue for dungeons without having a fixed group.
- Area guide – The area guide can be accessed through the map menu (M), which gives you an overview of your quest progress in the respective area.
- Faster leveling – With the adjustment of the Champion Points system, the amount of experience points required for leveling (up to CP 1800) has been noticeably reduced.
With the Blackwood expansion released 3 months ago, new features have also emerged that make the game even more beginner-friendly than before.
A new tutorial: Since Blackwood, there’s a new tutorial. In it, you learn the first steps in the game. At the end of your exploration, you can choose how you want to start in the game world. You have the choice from the base game as well as the various expansions that were released later.
All information about the new tutorial can be found here: Finally, ESO gets a proper start – This is what the new tutorial looks like.
Companions as help for newcomers: The companions that came with the Blackwood chapter assist you in many activities. Novice players thus find it a little easier to defeat enemy NPCs. This gives players who have not yet found a group or guild a helping hand.
Additionally, they can accompany you in dungeons. A dungeon group normally consists of 4 players. But now, one player slot can be filled with a companion. Therefore, you only need 2 players to form a complete dungeon group.
How do I get a companion? In this guide, we show you how to unlock companions in Blackwood. However, the new expansion must be purchased beforehand to access the companions.
With Update 29 Flames of Ambition, the exciting story of the “Gates of Oblivion” began. Waking Flame will not be the last part of this story. What to expect in the future is discussed in the article ESO reveals first details about upcoming DLCs – Announces new area Deadlands.
