Faction Change - let's have the option please

Vonatar · December 2014

ZeniMax, will you please let us have the ability to move to a different faction? The game has been out for long enough now that people, myself included, have characters pretty much stranded in a faction where their friends have left and no longer play, and now such people, myself included, play a different character in a different faction. I like my nightblade, I want to play him, but he's stuck all by himself in AD when I now play DC. Sure I can chat in my guilds, but I can't do group content with my friends. Ever. He's level 42, I don't want to delete and make a new nightblade in DC to level up again so I can play him with friends.

I know faction change has implications for pvp. So, make it €40, restrict it to a certain number of times per account, make it so someone in an active campaign can't do it, or put it on a long cooldown. I really don't care. But I think it's something we should have at this point.

JamilaRaj · December 2014

I, for one, do not want to see failed individuals buying membership in our noble Covenant. Choice of faction should be permanent and account-wide.

Tandor · December 2014

We need faction change about as much as we need another thread about it.

hammer_fella · December 2014

It can't work for obvious reasons, so there's no point even talking about it.

Vonatar · December 2014

hammer_fella wrote: »

It can't work for obvious reasons, so there's no point even talking about it.

Why can't it work? Just interested in why the various counters to abuse I proposed don't deal with the "obvious reasons".

hammer_fella · December 2014

Vonatar wrote: »

Why can't it work? Just interested in why the various counters to abuse I proposed don't deal with the "obvious reasons".

It's got nothing to do with abuse.

You aren't just transferring a character disconnected from the world, you're transferring all that character's progress and accomplishments, which are in another faction. All the areas you had discovered, all the skyshards you had collected, and all the quests you had completed would be in Veteran zones now, for example.

hutchinsonhatch · December 2014

Vonatar wrote: »

ZeniMax, will you please let us have the ability to move to a different faction? The game has been out for long enough now that people, myself included, have characters pretty much stranded in a faction where their friends have left and no longer play, and now such people, myself included, play a different character in a different faction. I like my nightblade, I want to play him, but he's stuck all by himself in AD when I now play DC. Sure I can chat in my guilds, but I can't do group content with my friends. Ever. He's level 42, I don't want to delete and make a new nightblade in DC to level up again so I can play him with friends.

I know faction change has implications for pvp. So, make it €40, restrict it to a certain number of times per account, make it so someone in an active campaign can't do it, or put it on a long cooldown. I really don't care. But I think it's something we should have at this point.

Why would you propose content for an ingame shop in a subscription based game.
Go, re-roll, if you make the wrong decisions and accept them. Don't try to buy your way out.

Mordria · December 2014

I think something like EQ2's betrayal quest in ESO would be fun. When it was first introduced in EQ2 it was a really tough quest that took days to complete.

Vonatar · December 2014

Mordria wrote: »

I think something like EQ2's betrayal quest in ESO would be fun. When it was first introduced EQ2 it was a really tough quest that took days to complete.

To be honest, this would be my most preferred option!

Reiterpallasch · December 2014

Vonatar wrote: »

Why can't it work?

Because he doesn't want it. You want something he doesn't want, so he doesn't want you to have it.

hutchinsonhatch wrote: »

Why would you propose content for an ingame shop in a subscription based game.

Because having a subscription doesn't mean everything else needs to be handed to you for free. As it turns out, extra revenue means extra resources to create content in game.

hutchinsonhatch · December 2014

Reiterpallasch wrote: »

Because having a subscription doesn't mean everything else needs to be handed to you for free. As it turns out, extra revenue means extra resources to create content in game.

This statement made my day. Make a donation, if you like to further support ZOS.

Let me enlighten you: If you pay a subscription, nothing is "handed for free"

Xjcon · December 2014

Lvl 42? That's not to much of a challenge to reroll....

hammer_fella · December 2014

Reiterpallasch wrote: »

Vonatar wrote: »

Why can't it work?

Because he doesn't want it. You want something he doesn't want, so he doesn't want you to have it.

I explained clearly why it can't work. I apologize if you're too dense to understand. As for me not wanting him to have it, I personally couldn't care less; it makes no difference to me whatsoever.

zaria · December 2014

hammer_fella wrote: »

Vonatar wrote: »

Why can't it work? Just interested in why the various counters to abuse I proposed don't deal with the "obvious reasons".

It's got nothing to do with abuse.

You aren't just transferring a character disconnected from the world, you're transferring all that character's progress and accomplishments, which are in another faction. All the areas you had discovered, all the skyshards you had collected, and all the quests you had completed would be in Veteran zones now, for example.

Good argument, say you are level 48 in coldharbor you switch faction.
Your old zone is now gold or silver and done, your new zone is pristine but all the quests and enemies are grey.

Breg_Magol · December 2014

JamilaRaj wrote: »

I, for one, do not want to see failed individuals buying membership in our noble Covenant. Choice of faction should be permanent and account-wide.

I .. for one? A bit redundant old chap, and makes you sound pompous.

I for one, suspect you like the sound of your own voice? But I guess I for one, know that because I ARE one .. lol.

Well, not to sound like I'm rubbing it in (yeah right!) I for one and one for I, think that choice has an intrinsic quality of warm-n-fuzzy to it.

I like the idea of options; but maybe it can be integrated via a quest. Just like in real life, the discovery of hitherto unknown tidbit of information can be the cause for a shift in perception and bias.

In other words, if I discover the Ebonheart Pact lied through their teeth at the Council of Wizards, Imps, Elves and F@rty-Fairies that the Daggerfall Covenant had caches of poisonous staffs and deadly pointy hats ... and based on those lies convinced the population of the Pact to proceed to destroy the peoples of the Covenant, I may in hindsight (and driven by an innate sense of fair-play) start to act against the Pact in small ways. So yes .. via a mission, and the outcome of the mission allows the player to make a switch.

jeevin · January 2015

Mordria wrote: »

I think something like EQ2's betrayal quest in ESO would be fun. When it was first introduced in EQ2 it was a really tough quest that took days to complete.

This is a great idea and I really hope Zeni can implement something like this in the future. I for one

I mean I have toons in two factions and it would be nice to consolidate them on the one faction where I actually do group content.

TheShadowScout · January 2015

I for one would enjoy seeing something like that as well, someday. Though I suppose to prevent the trouble with keeping track of quests, it might need to be handled carefully... one option would be to only unlock the "defection" quest once a character has gone through and done all of cadwells silver & gold...

It might take the form or a questline every character gets to do, but within it one big choice to either stay true to your fraction, or defect to a new one. That way it could be done only once, but would not be a questline the majority of those who don't want to change have to miss out on...

Well, maybe someday.

Lynnessa · January 2015

Vonatar wrote: »

Mordria wrote: »

I think something like EQ2's betrayal quest in ESO would be fun. When it was first introduced EQ2 it was a really tough quest that took days to complete.

To be honest, this would be my most preferred option!

That does sound fun! Maybe after your character completes Cadwell's (which is supposed to be like a vision or something, right?) he/she uses what was learned to defect!

Runefell · January 2015

While on one hand, I would make use of this myself, as I have two DC's and an EP, and I wouldn't mind switching one to AD, I don't see this as being very feasible for one really big reason. Most races are locked into their respective alliance, unless you pre-ordered.

As somebody who has preordered, and thus can have any race in any faction, I still wouldn't mind sharing that bit of cross-faction goodness with a 'betrayal quest' at the end of Cadwell's Gold. I think that, if it's not a one-time quest, that there should be a long cool-down time before you can take the quest again, like a year or something.

Volla · January 2015

the char is only 42.... Takes 2 days to do it again, maby less
just reroll on another faction then

jeevin · January 2015

Volla wrote: »

the char is only 42.... Takes 2 days to do it again, maby less
just reroll on another faction then

It takes a lot longer than two days to gain 42 level plus any skyshards found, plus any quest skill points and any dungeon skill points. I like the idea that a one off quest(per character) somewhere after level 50 to change faction.

Iago · January 2015

faction change would be okay if it reset the characters back down to base level removed anything earned such as skyshards dungeons and quest.

Then the faction change would not affect game play

Swen_von_Walhallion · January 2015

Mordria wrote: »

I think something like EQ2's betrayal quest in ESO would be fun. When it was first introduced in EQ2 it was a really tough quest that took days to complete.

y was prety hard with my iksar enchater, but it have lvl restriction. If you dont make it before you advanced vlasy training you have no choice how change side afrer. In tese it will be proly after you left tutorial starting location around lvl 3. After its imposible or mebe if it reset all progres and you start ať lvl 3 as all others wwhy not

Aimora · January 2015

I wanted this from the beginning of the game, seeing as we do all areas just in a different sequence, when you are a v14 I can't see how it would be an issue with switching. They could do it as a quest line of sabotage (undermining the faction you are with and helping the faction you want to join) and they could restrict it to a once only switch so people don't switch back and forth. I think it would be a great option.

Ahdora · January 2015

Breg_Magol wrote: »

JamilaRaj wrote: »

I, for one, do not want to see failed individuals buying membership in our noble Covenant. Choice of faction should be permanent and account-wide.

I .. for one? A bit redundant old chap, and makes you sound pompous.

I for one, suspect you like the sound of your own voice? But I guess I for one, know that because I ARE one .. lol.

You're the one who sounds pompous and ridiculous right now.

The phrase "I, for one" simply means that a person is speaking for themselves alone, not trying to speak for a group or assume that others feel the same.

Perfectly acceptable usage of the phrase.

As for the OP, while I wouldn't mind the option of a long and arduous betrayal quest (like in EQ2 before it was made a simple task), with the current game it's not really feasible. It would fit into lore and such just fine... people defect, it happens. As others have pointed out, however, the veteran system being the way it is now would make it far too complicated, or perhaps impossible.

Vizier · January 2015

Dude. After CP system is completely in place it won't matter much. You just have to level a toon to 50 and your good to go.

WhiskyBob · January 2015

Faction Change - yes but only IF they remove pvp buffs in pve enviroment.

AngryNord · January 2015

Only if it COSTs 50-100$, is one-time only and makes you start from Level 3 again.

Iluvrien · January 2015

AngryNord wrote: »

Only if it COSTs 50-100$, is one-time only and makes you start from Level 3 again.

Or at V14 only, after all quests had been completed, all skyshards found, all lorebooks located... at which point it would be a possibility as a betrayal style quest. After which any npc/mob/character of note in your old faction would instantly aggro (even common townsfolk) and rush you out of any settlement where they could gather enough people.

... I would be interested to see how many people would take it up then.

TheShadowScout · January 2015

The whole point is to offer a fraction change option as alternative to just rerolling the character. Which is only a issue when a character is somewhat advanced anyhow.

Of course, it should be limited to once per character. And perhaps even give a new title "-original fraction- defector"... But if it lessens the characters advancement, it would be worthless.

It -could- add a special drawback thogh... like, say, earning only half AP in PvP for a while (noone trusts the "traitor" yet), or even forever (some stimga never fade...) - that would make any PvP-enthusiast really think twice about switching alliances I suppose...

Iluvrien · January 2015

TheShadowScout wrote: »

The whole point is to offer a fraction change option as alternative to just rerolling the character. Which is only a issue when a character is somewhat advanced anyhow.

True enough, but a character is more than just the sum of its stats. So I would hope that this process would carry in-character repercussions (one of those "affect the world" choices that people bemoan the quests for lacking).

TheShadowScout wrote: »

Of course, it should be limited to once per character. And perhaps even give a new title "-original fraction- defector"... But if it lessens the characters advancement, it would be worthless.

But it wouldn't really do that, it would just prevent them undertaking normal actions in their old Faction. Nothing to stop them from doing things in their new one though.

TheShadowScout wrote: »

It -could- add a special drawback thogh... like, say, earning only half AP in PvP for a while (noone trusts the "traitor" yet), or even forever (some stimga never fade...) - that would make any PvP-enthusiast really think twice about switching alliances I suppose...

...better that than offering the option with no consequences or limits and having people change faction at the drop of a helmet

.