Main character decision

ChRiS_the_GaMeR · February 24

I don‘t know if my questions are weird or somewhat relatable but i‘m a returning player who never really had a main char and i‘m now looking for some advice or suggestions to help me decide to choose or create one.

I guess first of all I should explain what a main character means for me. It doesn‘t necessarily mean that i‘m playing that character most but from a player perspective it would mean to me that I would do every story/quest on that character and that he or she would also be my crafting main, therefore learn all the recipes and styles I get. Secondly it would mean that I would have somewhat of a connection to that character. I could for example delete all my currently existing characters and wouldn‘t even care. My english is limited so I don‘t know how to articulate it better but I never have rp‘ed before but I always have somewhat of an idea for my character in terms of how they should look or how they would be. So i‘m guessing I have kind of an tendency to rp in my head.

My „problem“ now is that it’s really challenging for me to choose one character and to stick with my decision because again from a gameplay or player perspective I like all classes and i‘m easily influenced by just watching a video. For example I could decide right now that it will be a warden and tomorrow i watch a dragonknight video and I want to play a dragonknight, I don‘t know if you can relate but i‘m that indecisive.

Since I came back I made a ton of new toons and even played 3 of them through the whole ebonheart pact storyline because I still couldn’t decide which one to choose as a main. But I find it to be pretty draining to play through each zone three times just because i‘m unable to make a decision. My recent approach was to choose a toon who can be played very versatile because i‘m interested in a lot of activities. That’s why I chose Dunmer for all three of them. Not because I love Dunmer’s but because they are at least somewhat suited to switch between different roles and playstyles.

But the last couple of days I played through the elswey chapter with a character while following the story and thought it would be cool to be a khajiit now. That brings me to my recent thoughts/idea that I maybe would have an easier time making that decision from an rp point of view rather than a gameplay BiS kind of view. So for example rather than trying to fit any kind of idea for a character I have into one toon maybe I should just try to choose one stereotype like for example a ranger type bow warden or a knight type sword and shield dragonknight or a sorcerer/templar battlemage.

My question now before I start the next character I don‘t stick with is can someone relate and even if I don‘t rp with others but in my head, could this approach help me to have kind of a connection to my character to have fun again while questing and to stick with it? I always thought that I may would get bored following one specific playstyle but thinking of it trying to be everything at once clearly didn’t work out so far. So getting away from a gameplay driven approach and leaning more into building a char rp wise is at least something I haven’t tried yet.

Sorry for the long read and thanks to any helpful advice in advance.

Soarora · February 25

Choosing an RP character might help, especially since you’re going to be questing. That said, my Vestige and main are different.

I had trouble choosing a main when I started so I just… made myself (with a different name, of course). If you’re having troubles, you could make yourself too or if you have a pet you can use them as a basis for appearance to help form a connection.

I’d suggest sorcerer because streak can be pretty awesome for overland exploring. NB would be a good choice too for major expedition and invisibility. NB will be the best for the thieves and dark brotherhood quests.

ChRiS_the_GaMeR · February 26

Soarora wrote: »

Choosing an RP character might help, especially since you’re going to be questing. That said, my Vestige and main are different.

I had trouble choosing a main when I started so I just… made myself (with a different name, of course). If you’re having troubles, you could make yourself too or if you have a pet you can use them as a basis for appearance to help form a connection.

I’d suggest sorcerer because streak can be pretty awesome for overland exploring. NB would be a good choice too for major expedition and invisibility. NB will be the best for the thieves and dark brotherhood quests.

Yeah I also thought about discarding the idea of one main because rp wise, I think, it wouldn’t make that much sense for a character to be involved in anything eso has to offer. But I wasn’t sure about that approach and how other players are doing that.

In the moment i‘m interested in a dragonknight „knight“ type character, an archer and than a battlemage or scholar. So in my head I developed that idea and thought of like three characters that are adventuring together. One of them for sure has to be a khajiit and I thought the archer would be the typical bosmer and the last one an argonian. Like the argonian and the Khajiit were both enslaved but the bosmer helped them escape and from that point on they traveled together. They would for example travel to murkmire and elseweyr to get to know their respective cultural roots.

But how far do I take this kind of rp? I‘m used to „complete“ my characters, meaning leveling all their skill lines. If one is a sword and board knight do I still level the other weapon lines but ignore them later, or wouldn’t I even level them?

Dipping my toes in this whole rp thing for the first time already feels quite exciting, because just thinking of my ideas for my characters gives an amount of fun I haven’t felt with the game for a long time.

I just don‘t know much about it or how far to take it.

Daoin · February 26

in the end i think your just all around right in liking them all the same with no preference its like your being forced to choose just one to like

Soarora · February 26

ChRiS_the_GaMeR wrote: »

Soarora wrote: »

Choosing an RP character might help, especially since you’re going to be questing. That said, my Vestige and main are different.

I had trouble choosing a main when I started so I just… made myself (with a different name, of course). If you’re having troubles, you could make yourself too or if you have a pet you can use them as a basis for appearance to help form a connection.

I’d suggest sorcerer because streak can be pretty awesome for overland exploring. NB would be a good choice too for major expedition and invisibility. NB will be the best for the thieves and dark brotherhood quests.

Yeah I also thought about discarding the idea of one main because rp wise, I think, it wouldn’t make that much sense for a character to be involved in anything eso has to offer. But I wasn’t sure about that approach and how other players are doing that.

In the moment i‘m interested in a dragonknight „knight“ type character, an archer and than a battlemage or scholar. So in my head I developed that idea and thought of like three characters that are adventuring together. One of them for sure has to be a khajiit and I thought the archer would be the typical bosmer and the last one an argonian. Like the argonian and the Khajiit were both enslaved but the bosmer helped them escape and from that point on they traveled together. They would for example travel to murkmire and elseweyr to get to know their respective cultural roots.

But how far do I take this kind of rp? I‘m used to „complete“ my characters, meaning leveling all their skill lines. If one is a sword and board knight do I still level the other weapon lines but ignore them later, or wouldn’t I even level them?

Dipping my toes in this whole rp thing for the first time already feels quite exciting, because just thinking of my ideas for my characters gives an amount of fun I haven’t felt with the game for a long time.

I just don‘t know much about it or how far to take it.

Heck yeah! I’m glad you’re enjoying it! I do all my quests on my main but in “lore” she doesn’t do most of them. For RP I do separate the quests out among several characters. This means I do quests multiple times, once on my main for dialogue referring to other content, once on the character it matches.

Nestor · February 26

One Tamriel has pretty much divorced the character from the Alliance Story lines, unless you want to RP those. Which I get, as I do that myself. However, I hop around doing what I want, not what the game wants.

Other than Class, you can change anything about your character at any time, so nothing is really locked in. See the next tip

Once you get a character to CP160, then every other character after that you only have to get to L50, as they immediately go to the highest rank any character has attained. So, Alts are really easy to level up now. Once at CP160, your gear will always be max level as you acquire it.

So, focus on getting a character to CP160. Then, any other classes you only have to get to L50 (which you can do in an afternoon with certain grinding methods)

Mesite · February 26

Just call all your toons by almost the same name, then choose whichever class you want to play on the day. Pretend it's the same person. No one will know.

Mesite · February 26

That may not have been helpful, I narrowed it down by deciding between mag and stam first (mag) then race (based on lore), and finally class based on the most enjoyable rotation. Incidentally oakensoul is most natural for me because I like to see all of the diagrams of the buffs showing - makes me feel powerful.

tsaescishoeshiner · February 26

I have one crafter and one quester (I wish I'd known ahead to make them the same character!), and then lots of other PvE, PvP, and "social" characters (ones I log onto just to hang out and be aesthetic and goof around).

Recently, I'm a bit bored of my quester's heavy attack build. I was thinking of switching it up to a fun bow build or something. But I totally re-did the character's outfit and cosmetics too, and it's on my list to come up with some more character backstory.

If you're happy making new characters for new questlines, I think that's a kinda fun idea lol. There's only a teeny tiny bit of extra dialogue and characters saying "oh I remember you!" that you'd miss out on.

Personally I think there's more payoff for sticking with one quester and changing them to spice it up. I just started using Volcanic Rune so I can send quest mobs to the stratosphere lol. Mad Tinkerer would let you go bowling.

You could try new sets and outfits for each quest zone--Way of Fire or Flame Blossom for Deadlands, Grave-Stake Collector for Murkmire, use Warhorn for fighting in Elsweyr like a dragon horn, etc.

Zodiarkslayer · February 27

ChRiS_the_GaMeR wrote: »

... In the moment i‘m interested in a dragonknight „knight“ type character, an archer and than a battlemage or scholar. ...

And that is the problem right there! This sentiment is superficial and generic. Knights and Battlemages are everywhere. You can put them in any given fantasy franchise and they'd fit somehow.
How are you going to form a deep connection with a character, if the character itself is shallow? Its impossible.

I started my character creation with the race and its deep lore. I have always played Bretons in Elder Scrolls games, because they were magically talented humans. But also because they had a diversity within their culture. Knightly Orders, Druids, Elven ancestry, mercantile, breton cuisine. It is so rich. In my opinion richer and more diverse than the cyrodillic Imperials.

Based on that preference, I created a background story, which roots in the elder scrolls universe. In my case: A disgraced Noble's child, victim of a court intrigue against her father, a count. Send away for arcane studies and so being spared the tragic fate of the rest of her family. Upon return she is forces to live in the streets and gets approached by a hooded figure.
The rest of her story is basically an elder scrolls interpretation of the Count of Monte Christo, but interwoven with the main quest, Daggerfall Covenant zone quests and so on.
And so I care for the character, not the class.
The fact she is a Nightblade is partially based on the street life and her magical talent, but not that relevant for her character. It is secondary at best.

@ChRiS_the_GaMeR My recommendation is this. Ignore class and skills and looks and all that at first. Focus on a story. A rich story, that you want to tell.

ChRiS_the_GaMeR · March 1

Zodiarkslayer wrote: »

And that is the problem right there! This sentiment is superficial and generic. Knights and Battlemages are everywhere. You can put them in any given fantasy franchise and they'd fit somehow.
How are you going to form a deep connection with a character, if the character itself is shallow? Its impossible.

Zodiarkslayer wrote: »

@ChRiS_the_GaMeR My recommendation is this. Ignore class and skills and looks and all that at first. Focus on a story. A rich story, that you want to tell.

Thanks to the responses in this thread I really got into the lore the last days using the uesp site and watching many race focused lore videos. I think your advice is a good approach to character invention.

The last days I was really focused on Khajiit lore but also have been a bit disappointed that their aren’t any clear mage focused factions inside their culture or at least I couldn’t find any. But otherwise if I would decide to go with a Khajiit char that narrows my decisions in a positive way I think, in terms that the char would be a physical type of character like a thievery nightblade or an Anequina warrior so that I could fit my sword and shield type of idea in.

Today I got into the Breton lore and like you were fascinated by the diversity. A Breton could be a warden representing a Druid, or again a knight or a wizard.

But I specifically like that the Breton text mentioned so many factions inside the lore like while following the paladin link on uesp I found out about the altmeri jephrine paladins which could be played as altmer warden knights in eso.

I like how these niche factions are an inspiration in that regard but I whish I would now more of them since not all articles on uesp are as in depth as the Breton one, which makes it easy to overlook such interesting factions and orders.

Edit: Just found the factions page on uesp. Reading through all of these will take a while

AcadianPaladin · March 3

Mesite wrote: »

Just call all your toons by almost the same name, then choose whichever class you want to play on the day. Pretend it's the same person. No one will know.

This is pretty much what I do. ^

My characters actually 'are' each other. I've been playing the same little wood elf since 2007 (Oblivion at that time), through Skyrim and into ESO. She mastered time travel long ago so chronology/era-hopping is of no concern to her. She wakes up in the morning and decides whether to grab her staff or bow and moves among the differing versions of herself (magplar, magsorc, stamsorc, etc) as easily as she changes hairstyles or costumes. Each version of her looks identical and has only minimal different modifiers to her base name (Buffy).

We find the game too limiting in skills to fully represent what we want to do with one class. Also, when a class gets nerfed by the revolving 'balance' hammer, we can let that class 'rest' a bit until it comes back in favor. This is what keeps me in the game instead of getting frustrated and moving on.

Necrotech_Master · March 6

my "main" is always the first character i make, but i also have alts to allow for different builds and playstyles

freespirit · March 6

My original main is now my crafter, my second character is probably my main, I've never been much into lore but what has evolved in my mind over the last ten years, is how my characters are related to each other.

It's funny how this started to happen in my head, it is honestly down to housing!

First off I decorated by just throwing items into a house and following the "needs a kitchen, a living space and a sleeping space" pattern.

Then I made my first build with an actual character in mind for it, a place she would like to call home and why...... it was a party house, loads of drink and food, a place to crash and a slightly dodgy cellar BUT I had a story in my head as to why it existed.

Coming right up to now, I am gradually making homes for all my girls, they have now morphed into a misfit family, some related by blood, some not but all related by experiences.

That first home still exists but it's owner has moved up in the world, she now owns a beautiful Ski Chalet, unfortunately it's also a badly disguised gambling den....... she has some issues!

I now write back stories for most of my homes too but I suppose my point is my characters have grown over time, there is maybe no need to get too tied up over stories at character creation! 💕

ChRiS_the_GaMeR · March 7

It‘s fascinating for me how different the topic of a main or characters in general is for many players and I really like reading about it from many people.

I really assumed it would be like @Necrotech_Master said and most people use their first created character as main. So it‘s really refreshing to read something different.

For me it just didn’t clicked with my first character and I started to play to many toons simultaneously way to early so that I just never had a character on which I did most quests but that‘s what I whish to have now.