Official Discussion Thread for "ESO Morrowind: Vvardenfell Flora and Fauna"

ZOS_JessicaFolsom
ZOS_JessicaFolsom
Community Manager
9cdcb952c935222095b020c5825440ec.jpg

This is the official discussion thread for the blog article ESO Morrowind: Vvardenfell Flora and Fauna.

Vvardenfell is unlike anywhere else in Tamriel. In our first look at some of the wondrous creatures and dramatic environments you'll encounter in The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind, we introduce newcomers the Vvardvarks and Cliff Striders, and learn about a few of Vvardenfell's more verdant regions.
Edited by ZOS_JessicaFolsom on 20 February 2017 16:48
Jessica Folsom
Associate Director of Community - ZeniMax Online Studios
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  • Faulgor
    Faulgor
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    I have no idea what they look like, but I'd really like a Nix-Oxen mount ...
    Alandrol Sul: He's making another Numidium?!?
    Vivec: Worse, buddy. They're buying it.
  • menedhyn
    menedhyn
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    A fascinating article - love this kind of thing. Great artwork once again!
    'Jobal kha'jay'
  • Rev Rielle
    Rev Rielle
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    Insightful article, some of these sound quite interesting. I hope they have similarly interesting and unique mechanics (combat and/or otherwise) to go with them.

    If you can be anything, be kind.
  • Llevndryn
    Llevndryn
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    This is so cool ! Thanks for this article.
    I love to learn that kind of lore !
  • Elsonso
    Elsonso
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    I am sensing a Vvardvark pet in the future.
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  • deleted008293
    deleted008293
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    Slit Striders?
  • Recremen
    Recremen
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    This is some really cool stuff! I love the new visual interpretation of the cliff racer, it looks exactly like what I'd expect a high-def version of the Morrowind model to look like, except this one is without feathers. Maybe there's a difference between a cliff racer and a cliff strider, the former having feathers and this variety not so much? Alternatively, I could be misinterpreting what a "racer plume" was, but no matter, still quite in the right direction. I also LOVE the new look for the Hunger. It's actually a fair bit different from the Morrowind model but I just plain like this one more.

    The only thing I'm weirded out about is the "Vvardvark". I'm struggling to remember any hint of mammalian-style life on Vvardenfell and am only coming up with cave rats, which at least make some sense in that it's easy to see how they could be imported. Vvardvark seems like the wrong kind of weird for the wrong kind of region.

    I love the attention being paid to the flora as well, btw! Totally nailing all the important biomes, and it seems like you're even improving/expanding on the lore for them. Bravo!
    Men'Do PC NA AD Khajiit
    Grand High Illustrious Mid-Tier PvP/PvE Bussmunster
  • LMar
    LMar
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    Recremen wrote: »
    I love the new visual interpretation of the cliff racer, it looks exactly like what I'd expect a high-def version of the Morrowind model to look like, except this one is without feathers. Maybe there's a difference between a cliff racer and a cliff strider, the former having feathers and this variety not so much? Alternatively, I could be misinterpreting what a "racer plume" was, but no matter, still quite in the right direction. !

    The plume probably refers to the top bit of the head. the protrusion, which kinda is present here and on the cliffracers in Morrowind!
    "If a stick of fish is a fish stick, it will stick like other fish sticks stick"
    "Taller races now sit in chairs correctly"
  • WhiteCoatSyndrome
    WhiteCoatSyndrome
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    Glad to see they aren't just copy-pasting everything over from ES III Morrowind. :smiley:

    Concur with @Recremen that the Vvardvark looks weird. I'll wait to pass judgement though; there are hundreds of other things I'd rather worry about regarding the upcoming Chapter. :)
    #proud2BAStarObsessedLoony
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  • Enodoc
    Enodoc
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    Balmora means "Stone Forest", y'know. I don't think its supposed to have deciduous woodland around it.
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  • Elsonso
    Elsonso
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    Enodoc wrote: »
    Balmora means "Stone Forest", y'know. I don't think its supposed to have deciduous woodland around it.

    Balmora predates ESO by quite a few years. Maybe there was a stone forest in that location 1000 years ago.
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  • Heroeric1337
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    Now I have to know...Will cliff racers be a thing in Vvardenfell like in TES3??
  • Ariotar
    Ariotar
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    OMG I already NEED a Vvardvark in my life!!! Really amazing article! It's nice to see Hungers returning because I thought they were a nice, albeit creepy, addition to Oblivion through The Shivering Isles. HYPED!!!!!
    Proud AD for life
  • WhiteCoatSyndrome
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    @Heroeric1337 - I will note you can already see Cliffracers in Stonefalls, so there's absolutely no reason why they shouldn't be present in Vvardenfell too. :) The question is whether or not they'll be fight-able mobs.
    #proud2BAStarObsessedLoony
    PAWS (Positively Against Wrip-off Stuff) - Say No to Crown Crates!
    A useful explanation for how RNG works

    How to turn off the sustainability features (screen dimming, fps cap) on PC
  • Gan Xing
    Gan Xing
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    As an Ecologist, this was a joy to read
    Gan Xing - Crafting Nightblade
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    Odin banker - obv banker
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    Seeks the unusual and unique playstyles...
  • Enodoc
    Enodoc
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    Enodoc wrote: »
    Balmora means "Stone Forest", y'know. I don't think its supposed to have deciduous woodland around it.
    Balmora predates ESO by quite a few years. Maybe there was a stone forest in that location 1000 years ago.
    True enough. I think Balmora is late First Era. What even is a "stone forest" anyway? At least Sadrith Mora (mushroom forest) actually makes sense.
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  • SlayerSyrena
    SlayerSyrena
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    Needs moar Silt Striders!
    PC/NA, Level 50 * Current Champion Points: 1600+
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  • Gilvoth
    Gilvoth
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    you have made it "look" and "appear" as if morrowind is lush with vegetation and forest like.
    it is Not iether of those things.
    Vvardenfell and morrowind's landscape is dusty and dry everywhere. ash, is constantly present, and it simply is not forest like, nor lush with vegetation.
  • Gilvoth
    Gilvoth
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    Enodoc wrote: »
    Balmora means "Stone Forest", y'know. I don't think its supposed to have deciduous woodland around it.

    this ^
  • Recremen
    Recremen
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    you have made it "look" and "appear" as if morrowind is lush with vegetation and forest like.
    it is Not iether of those things.
    Vvardenfell and morrowind's landscape is dusty and dry everywhere. ash, is constantly present, and it simply is not forest like, nor lush with vegetation.

    Several areas such as the swamplands of Bitter Coast were easily identifiable as lush and forested, given all the trees and swamps that were present. Then we have the grazelands, which were, you know, grassy as heck. The area around Vivec City had a boatload of green, as I recall, plus a bunch of giant mushrooms to jump on if you were acrobatic or had a decently-powered jump spell. It was not all dusty and dry everywhere, but had a range of biomes. Further, Red Mountain and the Blight, it can be assumed, were not omnipresent issues in every era. I see no reason to not explore how those areas may have looked before Dagoth Ur's rise and the increased activity of Red Mountain.

    It is perfectly within the right of the storytellers to give us a lush forested landscape around Balmora since it already supported a decent amount of plantlife, all things considered. Remember the bittergreen and scathecraw around the gates of Balmora? Those hardier species are likely all that's left of the once-great forests, decimated by the third era due to blight and ash. And let's not forget the chokeweed, the roobrush, the fire fern, the comberry, and actually you know what just have this giant list of Vvardenfell flora still growing as of the 3rd Era.
    Men'Do PC NA AD Khajiit
    Grand High Illustrious Mid-Tier PvP/PvE Bussmunster
  • Gilvoth
    Gilvoth
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    Recremen wrote: »
    you have made it "look" and "appear" as if morrowind is lush with vegetation and forest like.
    it is Not iether of those things.
    Vvardenfell and morrowind's landscape is dusty and dry everywhere. ash, is constantly present, and it simply is not forest like, nor lush with vegetation.

    Several areas such as the swamplands of Bitter Coast were easily identifiable as lush and forested, given all the trees and swamps that were present. Then we have the grazelands, which were, you know, grassy as heck. The area around Vivec City had a boatload of green, as I recall, plus a bunch of giant mushrooms to jump on if you were acrobatic or had a decently-powered jump spell. It was not all dusty and dry everywhere, but had a range of biomes. Further, Red Mountain and the Blight, it can be assumed, were not omnipresent issues in every era. I see no reason to not explore how those areas may have looked before Dagoth Ur's rise and the increased activity of Red Mountain.

    It is perfectly within the right of the storytellers to give us a lush forested landscape around Balmora since it already supported a decent amount of plantlife, all things considered. Remember the bittergreen and scathecraw around the gates of Balmora? Those hardier species are likely all that's left of the once-great forests, decimated by the third era due to blight and ash. And let's not forget the chokeweed, the roobrush, the fire fern, the comberry, and actually you know what just have this giant list of Vvardenfell flora still growing as of the 3rd Era.

    here is the graze lands
    all dry and dead
    grazelands-morrowind.jpg
    /460px-Morrowind1.jpg[/img]
    morrowind_43_by_grishnak_mcmlxxix-d3eszii.jpg
    dry and ash
    0000009077.1920x1080.jpg
    dry and barren, no lush areas of vegitation.
    swamp lands, dry and barren
    d58ead080397144e3d2c221f4fed7ed145e667f4_large.jpg
    Vvardenfell, Dry and Ash!
    chapels-of-vvardenfell.jpg


    Edited by Gilvoth on 21 February 2017 04:43
  • Gilvoth
    Gilvoth
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    those screen shots are the Vvardenfell original build, not tainted by horrible modds and addons.
    i think alot of people remember morrowind with the modds they had and not what came with the original game.
  • BACONCHEESEBURGER
    those screen shots are the Vvardenfell original build, not tainted by horrible modds and addons.
    i think alot of people remember morrowind with the modds they had and not what came with the original game.

    "Balmora, in the southwest and inland from the Bitter Coast, is still forested, though ash from Red Mountain eruptions threatens to denude the slopes."

    de·nude
    dəˈn(y)o͞od/
    verb
    strip (something) of its covering, possessions, or assets; make bare.


    This was hundreds of years before TESIII...

    And i can clearly see a few trees, small flora, and grass in your "dry and barren" pictures.
    And calling a swampland dry and barren is like calling Alaska humid and tropical...Its a SWAMP; i can see dozens of trees and water in that picture.
    Edited by BACONCHEESEBURGER on 21 February 2017 05:12
  • Gilvoth
    Gilvoth
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    dont hurt morrowind, Vvadrenfell ...
    sad-boy-gif.gif
    Edited by Gilvoth on 21 February 2017 05:13
  • Recremen
    Recremen
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    Recremen wrote: »
    you have made it "look" and "appear" as if morrowind is lush with vegetation and forest like.
    it is Not iether of those things.
    Vvardenfell and morrowind's landscape is dusty and dry everywhere. ash, is constantly present, and it simply is not forest like, nor lush with vegetation.

    Several areas such as the swamplands of Bitter Coast were easily identifiable as lush and forested, given all the trees and swamps that were present. Then we have the grazelands, which were, you know, grassy as heck. The area around Vivec City had a boatload of green, as I recall, plus a bunch of giant mushrooms to jump on if you were acrobatic or had a decently-powered jump spell. It was not all dusty and dry everywhere, but had a range of biomes. Further, Red Mountain and the Blight, it can be assumed, were not omnipresent issues in every era. I see no reason to not explore how those areas may have looked before Dagoth Ur's rise and the increased activity of Red Mountain.

    It is perfectly within the right of the storytellers to give us a lush forested landscape around Balmora since it already supported a decent amount of plantlife, all things considered. Remember the bittergreen and scathecraw around the gates of Balmora? Those hardier species are likely all that's left of the once-great forests, decimated by the third era due to blight and ash. And let's not forget the chokeweed, the roobrush, the fire fern, the comberry, and actually you know what just have this giant list of Vvardenfell flora still growing as of the 3rd Era.

    here is the graze lands
    all dry and dead
    grazelands-morrowind.jpg
    /460px-Morrowind1.jpg[/img]
    morrowind_43_by_grishnak_mcmlxxix-d3eszii.jpg
    dry and ash
    0000009077.1920x1080.jpg
    dry and barren, no lush areas of vegitation.
    swamp lands, dry and barren
    d58ead080397144e3d2c221f4fed7ed145e667f4_large.jpg
    Vvardenfell, Dry and Ash!
    chapels-of-vvardenfell.jpg


    @dwemer_paleologist

    Honey if you don't see all the green in those pictures then I just don't know what to tell you, you are literally looking at a place with vibrant plant life and calling it dry and ashy.
    Men'Do PC NA AD Khajiit
    Grand High Illustrious Mid-Tier PvP/PvE Bussmunster
  • Cinbri
    Cinbri
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    we didn't see Hungers for so long..
  • Enodoc
    Enodoc
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    grazelands-morrowind.jpg
    /460px-Morrowind1.jpg[/img]
    morrowind_43_by_grishnak_mcmlxxix-d3eszii.jpg
    d58ead080397144e3d2c221f4fed7ed145e667f4_large.jpg
    Wherever those are, they all have trees in. They look a bid dead, and dead trees can stick around for a long time, but not a very long time. 50-100 years or so ago those would all have been alive. Particularly that last one could easily have been a thriving forest 700 years beforehand. I just don't think it should be near somewhere specifically named after the stone.
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  • Turelus
    Turelus
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    Enodoc wrote: »
    Enodoc wrote: »
    Balmora means "Stone Forest", y'know. I don't think its supposed to have deciduous woodland around it.
    Balmora predates ESO by quite a few years. Maybe there was a stone forest in that location 1000 years ago.
    True enough. I think Balmora is late First Era. What even is a "stone forest" anyway? At least Sadrith Mora (mushroom forest) actually makes sense.

    Maybe long ago before it was settle all the vegetation was covered in ash, so those who first arrived saw it as a forest of grey stone, and as such named their new city "Stone Forest".
    @Turelus - EU PC Megaserver
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  • Enodoc
    Enodoc
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    Turelus wrote: »
    Enodoc wrote: »
    Enodoc wrote: »
    Balmora means "Stone Forest", y'know. I don't think its supposed to have deciduous woodland around it.
    Balmora predates ESO by quite a few years. Maybe there was a stone forest in that location 1000 years ago.
    True enough. I think Balmora is late First Era. What even is a "stone forest" anyway? At least Sadrith Mora (mushroom forest) actually makes sense.
    Maybe long ago before it was settle all the vegetation was covered in ash, so those who first arrived saw it as a forest of grey stone, and as such named their new city "Stone Forest".
    I was thinking about this a bit more, and maybe Balmora was built on the site of a petrified forest. Still though, that would imply that there's no forest there now.
    UESP: The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages - A collaborative source for all knowledge on the Elder Scrolls series since 1995
    Join us on Discord - discord.gg/uesp
  • Darkonflare15
    Darkonflare15
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    Enodoc wrote: »
    grazelands-morrowind.jpg
    /460px-Morrowind1.jpg[/img]
    morrowind_43_by_grishnak_mcmlxxix-d3eszii.jpg
    d58ead080397144e3d2c221f4fed7ed145e667f4_large.jpg
    Wherever those are, they all have trees in. They look a bid dead, and dead trees can stick around for a long time, but not a very long time. 50-100 years or so ago those would all have been alive. Particularly that last one could easily have been a thriving forest 700 years beforehand. I just don't think it should be near somewhere specifically named after the stone.

    Here is real life place called a stone forest.
    Enodoc wrote: »
    grazelands-morrowind.jpg
    /460px-Morrowind1.jpg[/img]
    morrowind_43_by_grishnak_mcmlxxix-d3eszii.jpg
    d58ead080397144e3d2c221f4fed7ed145e667f4_large.jpg
    Wherever those are, they all have trees in. They look a bid dead, and dead trees can stick around for a long time, but not a very long time. 50-100 years or so ago those would all have been alive. Particularly that last one could easily have been a thriving forest 700 years beforehand. I just don't think it should be near somewhere specifically named after the stone.

    Here is the real life place called a stone forest.Stone%20Forest%20Shilin%20b13.JPG

    A stone forest is just really a bunch of rock formations surround by a actual forest. So my hunch is either Balmora is called stone forest because there used to be stone formations there and now they use that stone to build the buildings there. It could be called a stone forest because the buildings are made out of stone and they are surrounded by a forest. Last thing in the past, the forest area could of been covered in ash which end up petrified it thus being called a stone forest because it became a petrified forest.
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