The Elder Scrolls: Online has a wealth of diverse content for players to enjoy, both on their own or with friends. The game offers players the opportunity to delve into a variety of dungeons, facing hordes of enemies and powerful bosses.
Public Dungeons can be an exciting challenge for players of any level. Every zone has a public dungeon (though some expansion zones have two) each with its own unique foes, exciting - and sometimes tragic - story, and gorgeous setting. Players seeking their next challenge in The Elder Scrolls: Online should consider braving some of the game's more interesting Public Dungeons.
10 Bad Man's Hallows
Zone: Glenumbra
Located just outside Daggerfall is this creepy, folk horror-themed dungeon. Upon entry, players are welcomed into a quaint grove in which a band of cheerful folk is preparing to make offerings to the Bad Man, a harvest god, as they celebrate the Harvest Festival.
But once the ritual is performed, everything goes wrong. The grove is set aflame, and players find themselves in a cavern beneath it. They must then fight their way out and disrupt the Bad Man's tyranny for good.
9 Forgotten Crypts
Zone: Deshaan
The Forgotten Crypts is an ancient Dunmer tomb currently housing a band of refugees, fleeing a devastating plague. However, the refugees find themselves trapped in the crypt by swarms of undead.
Players must help a refugee find her missing husband, but as the story unfolds, a dark and tragic secret is revealed. The conclusion is one shrouded in moral ambiguity, and players must make a difficult decision to determine the fate of the refugees who now call the tomb home.
8 Lost City Of The Na-Totambu
Zone: Alik'r Desert
In this dungeon, players explore a lost Yokudan city hidden away in a desert canyon, half-buried by the shifting sands of the Alik'r desert. They are tasked with helping a historian gain access to the archives of his ancestors and can admire the beautiful architecture of the ancient Yokudan civilization as they travel through the ruins.
Once players reach the end they meet the ghost of a long-dead king and are put to the test before they can unlock the secrets held within the ruins. Players must choose between three trials: the trial of combat, the trial of kingship, and the trial of bloodlines.
7 Sanguine's Demesne
Zone: Shadowfen
Sanguine, the Daedric Prince of debauchery, is presiding over a celebration within an old ruin. Players are welcomed to the party by a Dark Seducer, who requests the Vestige's help with a small matter: she and her lord want three Aldmeri spies to partake of Sanguine's drink. But there's a twist. All who indulge in the liquor this party has to offer are eternally bound to it, and can never leave.
Players encounter some interesting and amusing scenes as they traverse this dungeon - including the dancing skeleton of a guest who could never leave!
6 Village Of The Lost
Zone: Coldharbour
The main storyline of The Elder Scrolls: Online revolves around a plot by the Daedric Prince Molag Bal to fuse Mundus with his own plane, Coldharbour. Many are lost during this existential struggle, including whole villages!
The Village of the Lost sees players help a Khajiit seal three tears in space, through which parts of Tamriel have fallen into Oblivion. Along the way, players learn the tragic stories about the desperate pacts three villagers made with a Dremora, resulting in their villages being taken by Coldharbour.
5 Imperial Sewers
Zone: Imperial City
This Public Dungeon is unique in that it contains an additional element for players seeking an extra challenge. It is located within a PvP zone, so while facing the difficult enemies inhabiting the sewers players may also encounter other players from enemy factions - and for those unseasoned in PvP combat, the ensuing struggles often end poorly.
Any who wish to venture into the Imperial Sewers should go prepared and avoid traveling alone, for while the bosses in this dungeon are particularly tough, the veteran players they might meet are even more challenging.
4 Old Orsinium
Zone: Wrothgar
Old Orsinium gives Elder Scrolls fans new insight into the tragic history of the Orcs. Players must explore the ruins of a once-mighty Orc city sacked during the First Era to light the Great Pyre of Malacath.
While journeying through the overgrown ruins of Old Orsinium, the setting gives players glimpses of a past now lost and can see in the city's shadows its ancient grandeur. The city attests to the sadness and pain that the Orcs have suffered throughout their history, and players who enjoy exploring lost civilizations would love this dungeon.
3 Labyrinthian
Zone: Western Skyrim
Fans of Skyrim and Arena would feel a sense of nostalgia exploring this vast Public Dungeon. Players may already be familiar with these ruins from Skyrim's College of Winterhold questline, during which they must face Morokei, a powerful Dragon Priest.
During the Vestige's journey into Labyrinthian, a necromancer seeks to awaken Morokei, so players must work to stop him and keep the Dragon Priest sealed - at least until he wakes again in the Fourth Era.
2 Forgotten Wastes
Zone: Vvardenfell
This is an exciting Public Dungeon with a thrilling setting, deep within the heart of an active volcano. Players must fight their way through this volcanic wasteland to foil a plot to restore the accursed House Dagoth by descendants of Morrowind's antagonist, Dagoth Ur.
Dagoth Ur does not make an appearance in The Elder Scrolls: Online, but the references to him in this dungeon may invoke a sense of nostalgia in fans of Morrowind.
1 Rimmen Necropolis
Zone: Northern Elsweyr
Rimmen Necropolis is one of the most beautiful Public Dungeons in the game, boasting gorgeous Khajiiti architecture choked by thriving plant life. Players must help a Khajiit appease an ancestor he offended, all while caught in a struggle between Daedra and the undead.
The enemies in this dungeon can be challenging, so it is important players go prepared. As with all Public Dungeons, bosses are powerful and regular enemies are clustered in large groups, so teaming up with other players can be beneficial.
But for those players seeking an extra challenge, braving these dungeons alone can be just as fun!
The Elder Scrolls Online is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.