From Markarth to Dragonstar

Supreme_Atromancer

I, like many others, came to this game after discovering the world of Tamriel through Skyrim. While playing that game, I was fascinated with the lore, character, story and evocative landscapes of Markarth and The Reach. Again, like many others, after exploring everything Skyrim had to offer, I pined to see what was beyond those mysterious mountains- the Druadachs and the Jerals- just tantalisingly out of view. This video shows that in certain places, ZOS have done a fantastic job of answering that.

I love how both Upper Craglorn and The Reach feel like aspects of the same landscape. This clip, involving a quick trip along the "road" between the Reach cities of Markarth and Dragonstar was made to highlight the similarities and to show through the eyes of someone who reads the world, and for whom the character of Tamriel, and the exploration of it are the primary appeals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMPKVvZIduk

I hope the devs will add a real road and path between the two zones.

I also think that Northern Bangkorai (the spiritual home of my main character, a Breton sorcerer from Evermore) should feel like the same kind of landscape as that shown in the video. I hope that Mournoth and Ephesus one day get the same amazing treatment.




TLDR: Clip of a random riding across the land for 5 minutes.

Kajuratus

I will never understand why they didn't include a gate that connects up to Jackdaw's Cove in Bangkorai when they released the Reach. Did they forget? Are they going to forget to connect Bal Foyen/Deshaan up to eastern Morrowind with the upcoming Necrom chapter? These roads and connections are what make the Tamriel of ESO feel like an interconnected world. Having bordered zones is a understandable setback of how the game was made, but the Reach only connecting up to Western Skyrim? Your version of the Reach is YOUR version of the Reach. Not TES V's. TES V's Reach may not have a path to High Rock, but yours can, and should. You made the right call with Leyawiin and changed it so that Lake Rumare actually connected to the sea. You can do the same thing with YOUR interpretation of the Reach

kaushad

If anywhere, I'd like to see the Jackdaw's Cove gate lead north.

Mournoth should really have more open plains, based on how the Bjoulsae was previously described.

Supreme_Atromancer

Yeah, more connections between zones, I'm all about that. I recently saw that Cyrodiil actually represents Pale Pass with a closed-off wall just north of Fort Dragonclaw. I'm sure its been long forgotten about even by the developers but as unlikely as it is, it would be great if it one day served as a functional connection between a pve-instanced cyro and a future Falkreath zone.


Also, yes: access to some future northern zone would also be a good outcome to that strange, non-functioning gate at Jackdaw Cove, I agree!

Supreme_Atromancer

Kajuratus wrote: »

Are they going to forget to connect Bal Foyen/Deshaan up to eastern Morrowind with the upcoming Necrom chapter?

Btw, both of those zones have connections to TP zone, I was stoked to discover. Very happy that ZOS have paid attention to detail with this.

There's still a bunch of base game zones I really hope they put connections in for.

Kajuratus

Supreme_Atromancer wrote: »

Kajuratus wrote: »

Are they going to forget to connect Bal Foyen/Deshaan up to eastern Morrowind with the upcoming Necrom chapter?

Btw, both of those zones have connections to TP zone, I was stoked to discover. Very happy that ZOS have paid attention to detail with this.

There's still a bunch of base game zones I really hope they put connections in for.

Yeah, its definitely been a sigh of relief on my end to see that on the PTS, and a pleasant surprise that they linked up both Bal Foyen and Deshaan. Hopefully the backlash to the Reach having no connections other than Western Skyrim has made ZOS realise this is vital to their game going forward. Luckily, it looks as though they've also included a gate up towards Firewatch/Port Telvannis in the north of the zone, so that whenever they get around to heading up there, the current "Telvanni Peninsula" has been future proofed. Unfortunately for me, they lost my confidence when they didn't include the Bangkorai gate. Now every release that borders an existing zone will be met with suspicion until I get confirmation that there's a gate connecting them up

Dark_Lord_Kuro

Kajuratus wrote: »

Supreme_Atromancer wrote: »

Kajuratus wrote: »

Are they going to forget to connect Bal Foyen/Deshaan up to eastern Morrowind with the upcoming Necrom chapter?

Btw, both of those zones have connections to TP zone, I was stoked to discover. Very happy that ZOS have paid attention to detail with this.

There's still a bunch of base game zones I really hope they put connections in for.

Yeah, its definitely been a sigh of relief on my end to see that on the PTS, and a pleasant surprise that they linked up both Bal Foyen and Deshaan. Hopefully the backlash to the Reach having no connections other than Western Skyrim has made ZOS realise this is vital to their game going forward. Luckily, it looks as though they've also included a gate up towards Firewatch/Port Telvannis in the north of the zone, so that whenever they get around to heading up there, the current "Telvanni Peninsula" has been future proofed. Unfortunately for me, they lost my confidence when they didn't include the Bangkorai gate. Now every release that borders an existing zone will be met with suspicion until I get confirmation that there's a gate connecting them up

The doors are already there on live server too! They have benn there since last dlc!

Supreme_Atromancer

Dark_Lord_Kuro wrote: »

Kajuratus wrote: »

Supreme_Atromancer wrote: »

Kajuratus wrote: »

Are they going to forget to connect Bal Foyen/Deshaan up to eastern Morrowind with the upcoming Necrom chapter?

Btw, both of those zones have connections to TP zone, I was stoked to discover. Very happy that ZOS have paid attention to detail with this.

There's still a bunch of base game zones I really hope they put connections in for.

Yeah, its definitely been a sigh of relief on my end to see that on the PTS, and a pleasant surprise that they linked up both Bal Foyen and Deshaan. Hopefully the backlash to the Reach having no connections other than Western Skyrim has made ZOS realise this is vital to their game going forward. Luckily, it looks as though they've also included a gate up towards Firewatch/Port Telvannis in the north of the zone, so that whenever they get around to heading up there, the current "Telvanni Peninsula" has been future proofed. Unfortunately for me, they lost my confidence when they didn't include the Bangkorai gate. Now every release that borders an existing zone will be met with suspicion until I get confirmation that there's a gate connecting them up

The doors are already there on live server too! They have benn there since last dlc!

Yeah, I saw them both quite early on. They obvs. planned it early, and very deliberately.

Kajuratus wrote: »

Supreme_Atromancer wrote: »

Kajuratus wrote: »

Are they going to forget to connect Bal Foyen/Deshaan up to eastern Morrowind with the upcoming Necrom chapter?

Btw, both of those zones have connections to TP zone, I was stoked to discover. Very happy that ZOS have paid attention to detail with this.

There's still a bunch of base game zones I really hope they put connections in for.

Yeah, its definitely been a sigh of relief on my end to see that on the PTS, and a pleasant surprise that they linked up both Bal Foyen and Deshaan. Hopefully the backlash to the Reach having no connections other than Western Skyrim has made ZOS realise this is vital to their game going forward. Luckily, it looks as though they've also included a gate up towards Firewatch/Port Telvannis in the north of the zone, so that whenever they get around to heading up there, the current "Telvanni Peninsula" has been future proofed. Unfortunately for me, they lost my confidence when they didn't include the Bangkorai gate. Now every release that borders an existing zone will be met with suspicion until I get confirmation that there's a gate connecting them up

Yeah. I got stuck in a Reddit rabbithole recently and found a very old interview with former Creative Director Paul Sage, anticipating ESO's imminent launch. Someone asked whether it would be possible to run from one side of Tamriel to another, to which Sage responded he had no idea. It was interesting because it demonstrates that not only that the possibility has always been a big appeal of "all of Tamriel", but that maybe not everyone fully recognises that value.

I think its obvious that the worldbuilders do know and think about it. TP will be thoroughly connected, just as Blackwood was, as Elsweyr was, etc., so it probably shouldn't be surprising that they got it right (mind you, I was one of those people who's first priority on the PTS was to check). They also took the time to actually go back and make travel between Bangkorai and The Reach possible when people complained. If, like in any commercial production, time is at a premium, then that represents time and work to remedy what we were complaining about. If the solution wasn't ideal (and I honestly agree there could have been a more thoughtful and interesting way to do it), I don't think anyone can say they don't care.

There are still some places that would be awesome if they went back and connected. Obviously Craglorn/Reach. Alik'r and southern Bangkorai absolutely feel like there should be a pass between them, and the fact that Alik'r is pretty much otherwise completely isolated highlights the want for it. I'd honestly spend more time in Murkmire if there was a route between it and Blackwood. And honestly, the biomes between Northern *Murkmire and Blackwood's Gloomire are so similar, it would just feel so right to have a passage there.

ghastley

The Alik’r Desert also “connects” to Bangkorai via a tunnel between Satakalaam and Hallin’s Stand. However, you destroy that in one of the zone story quests, leaving it only reachable by boat.

Supreme_Atromancer

ghastley wrote: »

The Alik’r Desert also “connects” to Bangkorai via a tunnel between Satakalaam and Hallin’s Stand. However, you destroy that in one of the zone story quests, leaving it only reachable by boat.

Oh, nice find @ghastley - I went back and investigated. You're right that its an "implied" connection, sadly. But it is interesting that the non-functional door that theoretically leads to Halin's has an orientation arrow on the map, suggesting it was once a load-in point. I wonder if it ever allowed you to move between the zones?