Elder Scrolls Online - Dungeons, Player Housing

[Aubrielle]

Big updates are coming for The Elder Scrolls Online, including a dungeon pack slated for August and player housing coming in 2017.

Two years after the PC release and one after launching on PS4&XB1, The Elder Scrolls Online is thriving. The Dark Brotherhood DLC just came out and Zenimax Online announced more updates at E3 2016.

During Bethesda’s E3 Showcase, it was revealed that over 7 million players bought The Elder Scrolls Online since its release. Game Director Matt Firor then announced One Tamriel, a new feature that allows players to group with friends anywhere in the PvE world regardless of the character level or alliance. This sounds very similar to the system used in Guild Wars 2.

Here’s how it works:

• Characters will have their level scaled the same way that the game currently scales players to the level of DLC zones (Imperial City, Orsinium, Thieves Guild, and Dark Brotherhood).
• You will be able to explore the entire world in any sequence you wish – just walk across the world and you will always find appropriately leveled content.
• You will be able to play and group with anyone in the game at any time (outside of PvP). No longer will you have to create a lower level character to play with a friend who has just joined the game. You will be able to group and adventure together from the moment your friend emerges from the tutorial.
• All PvE Alliance restrictions are being dropped. You will be free to explore of all Tamriel, including other Alliances. It is up to you how you want to role-play your character while doing this. “Silver” and “gold” versions of zones will be replaced by Cadwell quest storylines that you can do in any order you wish.
• Alliance restrictions will still be enforced in all PvP areas, of course. One Tamriel will not affect the PvP systems in Cyrodiil.
• In general, higher level players will be the same “level” as lower level players, but they will have far more tools in their arsenal: better gear, more abilities, and of course more Champion points.
• Gear rewards will be scaled appropriately to make sure that there is always a way to get more powerful via crafting, questing, PvP, and dungeon/trial boss loot drops.
• All Trials and Dungeons will continue with standard and Veteran difficulty modes, and you will have to be Veteran level to play veteran dungeon modes.
• The Coldharbour zone will be “roped off” from players who have not yet completed the quests that lead there. However, if you are invited to a group that is already there, or travel to a friend who is there, you can immediately access the zone.

Chances are we’ll get a lot more information on both those upcoming DLC packs at Quakecon, due August 4-7 in Dallas, Texas.

A couple days later, Firor revealed to IGN that the next DLC will be an Argonian Dungeon Pack, due to release this August alongside the barber shop. Player housing, on the other hand, is planned to become available in the first quarter of 2017.

More information.

 

[Lev]

So, that basically means that leveling has been removed from the game. You can still improve your skills and equipment through the game.
I have some doubts that ESO can be still considered as MMOPRG after this change.
Is it now shooter or perhaps "Adventure game with battles and RPG elements"?

 

[Ovenall]

This game is a joke. I bought it for my Mac (use it for work) a couple years ago. Now it will not install, even though I am 100% up to date.

Walk anywhere? Do anything? Any level?

What's the point?

 

[Thrasher]

The most hardcore players want to be able to level up their characters as fast and easily as possible and they are very vocal. This facilitates that. You can just grind in your starter zone. :/ Yeah, it's gross.

Leveling champion points definitely matters in PvP battles. At least on the CP campaigns.

And it's not clear if leveling will happen for Trials or Group instanced Dungeons.

 

[Deleted User]

I think some MMORPGs might go this route eventually.

When I was playing LOTRO, my kinmates thought I was nuts for leveling slowly and even at one point buying the "XP Stopper" in the store because I didn't want to out-level the quests and certain zones. My whole thing was wanting to explore every area, do quests and enjoy the story-telling and world-building of the game.

To most other players, though, it was all about a rush to max level. Why, I'm not sure. I think it had something to do with "raiding" and that sort of thing. That was far, far from why I was playing the game.

To each their own and all that. I don't think I'd be too interested in an RPG that doesn't feature leveling up, though. That's kind of a critical aspect as to why I enjoy the genre in the first place.

 

[Thrasher]

Yeah, I agree with you. But, I admit I am getting suckered into the PvP stuff. The camaraderie (via Teamspeak) adds a whole new dimension to the game. Probably why I liked ME3 multiplayer too.

Most of the ESO PvE is too easy. It's mostly only the group play (PvE or PvP) that's challenging.

 

[Deleted User]

LOTRO had some challenging PvE. Moria was once notoriously difficult but they changed it to make it easier over time. It seems most of the changes they made were to make the game more casual and easier.

Still, I died plenty of times both in PvE and group content. Not sure what it's like now as that was about 3 years ago.

 

[Thrasher]

The PvE content intended for groups (group dungeons, Craglorn, and trials) are definitely challenging, but again you are expected to group for those.

All other PvE is a push over. This scaling may change that for those of us who are overlevelled always. Full exploration does that. We will see.

 

[Jaz]

Housing! I'm looking forward to that.

 

[Eron]

Too bad they are about to ruin it with level scaling..

 

[azarhal]

Actually that "level-scaling" looks interesting. One of my main complains about ESO is the very linear nature of it with zones with level ranges which removes a lot of TES open-world feels.

In fact, that updates seems to cover most of the complains on the forum during closed beta. All that remains is removing the classes and we might get a proper TES online game.