Elder Scrolls
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Elder Scrolls

I just bought the June Edition of Game Informer, where the featured story is The Elder Scrolls: Online.

Note: some of this may already be known. Anyways: Here's the summary:

  • Imperials: Weakened by previous wars.
  • Cyrodiil: Marked by constant warfare.
  • Tharn Family (Jagar Tharn's ancestors: have a aplot to bring Tamriel back under Cyrodiil's rule, and are working with Mannimarco (the Altmer Necromancer from Daggerfall and Oblivion)
  • Character's soul has already been stolen by Molag Bal, which is why you can come back from death if killed.
  • The game will feature the following provinces:
  • Ebonheart Pact: formed by Dunmer and Argonians out of necessity. (Threatened by Imperials). They still hate each other, however, both sides acknowledge external threats are more significant.
  • Aldmeri Dominion: Altmer, Bosmer and Khajiit. -> Original Aldmeri Dominion (First mentioned in the Pocket Guide to the Empire, First Edition)
  • The Daggerfall Covenant: Bretons, Redguards and Orcs: Uses its military might to secure trade routs and to form northwestern Tamrielic dominions.
  • "hubless" design to online questing: you clear out a dungeon that you have discovered. You might not have had this as an active quest, but, for example, the shade that you free by killing a necromancer at the end will reward you for their troubles.
  • Windhelm is confirmed to exist in the game.
  • "Public" dungeions will exist.
  • Mournhold will appear.
  • Approximately 120 hours (wildly variable based on playstyle) will be needed to reach max level, and each faction has its own set of levelling content.
  • Camlorn will feature prominently. A werewolf plague is besieging the town, led by a leader called Faolchu.
    • Battle will ensue, and you have the choice to either save a lady lieutenant, or chse Faolchu.
    • Faolchu's only weakness is Fire (demo shown took the lady lieutenant choice option).
    • If you elect not to save the lieutenant, during the resolution of the game, one NPC whose lineage will never have existed, will not be present .
    • Choices will not affect the larger storyline any more than individual quest decisions alter Skyrim's main plotline.
  • The series will handle different players at different quest stagues by the use of "phasing". Characters at different quest stages will experience the game differently, with interaction impossible.
  • After quest complete, you can join a party of someone at an earlier stage, and help them finish the quest.
  • Quest lines are not dependent on learning the weaknesses. (I.e. you can kill Faolchu without knowing he is weak against fire.)

Combat

  • Stamina bar: affects the ability to sprint, block, interrupt and break effects.
  • Stamina Management will be critical for PvP fighting.

Classes:

  • Each class has great abilities, and "each one of them can be awesome".
  • Classes WILL exist, like every Elder Scrolls game excepting Skyrim.
  • Performing well in battles will unlock "Finesse", a powerful skill slot.
  • Fighting together in multiplayer causes no penalties. Everyone who contributed gains full experience, loot, and quest credit.
  • There will be a battle in the Imperial City.
  • After completing the main quest (and at full level), there are futher modes available. For example: there are "heroic modes" of small-instance dungeons.
  • High-end public dungeons will also exist.


  • PvP-specific arenas will exist
  • Guild Reputations can continue to be increased after the main quest is completed (much like non-online games).
  • The last quest will take place in central Cyrodiil (Imperial City) - It can be reasonably assumed that this is to make sure that your "faction" gets crowned emporer.
  • Oblivion's topography is being modelled for the Cyrodiil battles
  • Cyrodiil's gameplay will, however, be dependent on other online characters: The Daggerfall Covenant may be the emporers for the moment, however, other factions can take it back.
  • In other words: there is no permanent ending to the game for your side.


Factions

  • Can ally with another faction (temporarily and locally) - to bring down the current alliance - is simple.
  • Zenimax intends for battles to be all the way up to 100 vs 100 characters.
  • Seige weapons can also be used (?) - Trebuchets
  • Defenders have advantage: High Keep Walls.
  • Smaller places, such as farms and mines, might have a single point of interest (e.g. a flag to capture), and few NPC defenders
  • Any team objective boosts your alliance's overall "score", which gives faction-wide bonuses and determines who gets control of Imperial City.
  • Once your team takes a commanding lead in points, they gain the chance to ride into Imperial City and sweep Molag Bal's Daedra from the streets.
  • It will be dangerous at the start (much like Kvatch)
  • Emporer-crowning is not via vote or social mechanism. Rather, it is which character has the highest contributions to the war. (The calculation method is still being finalised).
  • No special powers for being crowned emporer, just bragging rights.
    • As an aside: We need to work out if we are going to list the Emporers somewhere here or not. (Will need to be voted upon at a later date)
  • There will only be NINE playable Races. (Imperial is the one not playable, I think?)

Creatures:[]

(Just a few of the creatures mentioned in the article photos)

  • Spider Daedra -> Will use abilities used in Oblivion, and some new abilities.
  • Flest Atronach
  • Kagouti


Whats In The Game[]

Daedric Princes[]

  • Will be in the game
  • Vaermina: Features prominently in the overarching storyline of one of the "zones". (unspecified as of yet).
  • Other Princes appear in some form or other, but characters can't become "demigods" by running around doing Daedric Quests.
  • (Assumption): Azura will probably feature heavily in the province of Morrowind once more.

Crafting, Alchemy, Soul Stones[]

  • Will exist, but details are not being released yet

Vampires and Werewolves[]

  • Will appear as antagonists.
  • Will not be contractable, as it would be impossible to balance them.

Fast Travel[]

  • Wayshrines will enable characters to fast travel to other discovered locations
  • Will also serve as resurrection points.

Constellations/Birthsigns[]

  • Mundus Stone: Function just like Guardian Stones.
  • Iconic Constellations this time appear more frequently: this time, as, say, a clue to a puzzle room at the bottom of an ancient ruin.

Stealth[]

  • Sneaking is part of the game (further details not released yet)

Towns[]

Mounts[]

  • Will exist, as defined by the lore (so no flying mounts)

Dragons[]

  • Development team stressed that "this game takes place in a time in which dragons aren't involved much in Tamriel's history"

Romances[]

  • Zenimax isn't allowing Character and NPC Romances.
  • Instead, they are hoping to encourage characters to get married to other characters.

Full Voice Acting[]

  • FULL voice acting.

Radiant AI[]

  • Will exist
  • TES: Online will use its own AI system.

Whats NOT in the game?[]

  • Housing (Too Difficult at this time)
  • Pets (Not looking at this at this point in time).

Factions[]

Fighters Guild[]

  • Increase repution by destroying Dark Anchors.
  • Dark Anchors are enormous hooks sent by Molag Bal from Coldharbour to drag Tamriel into his realm.
  • Dark Anchors spawm semi-randomly, and drop from the sky.
  • Designed to be difficult for appropriately leveled characters, so grouping together with others is helpful (deliberately designed this way).
  • Reputation gain will lead to later rewards: From new skills to new abilities.

Mages Guild[]

  • Reputation is increased by searching the world for Lore books hidding throughout the provinces of Tamriel.
  • Books will appear everywhere from cities to forgotten caves.
  • New perks, skills and abilities will be unlocked.

Thieves Guild[]

  • Currently unknown how this will be included

Dark Brotherhood.[]

  • Will appear, but unknown in what form.
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