PTS Update 46 - Feedback Thread for Season of the Worm Cult Main Quest [SPOILERS]

SpaceElf · April 21

WhiteCoatSyndrome wrote: »

Soarora wrote: »

I think that's what they needed Vanus for, which makes sense to me given Mannimarco and Vanus' history.

It has to be a willing sacrifice though, and it was mentioned that coercion wouldn’t work so EX: torturing Vanus until he agreed to be sacrificed wouldn’t work.

Actually, I’m starting to reckon that they captured Vanus so Mannimarco can use him as a vessel like he did with Wormblood- that doesn’t require any consent. And then, if my logic on this tracks, Mannimarco could theoretically *then* use the Gift of Death on a possessed Vanus to resurrect his original body. But narratively wouldn't make sense- going through all that effort to kidnap the one guy sworn to stop him at all costs as a sacrifice for that purpose is silly.

With that out of the way, Galerion is probably one of my favorite NPCs so my story feedback is going to be a little biased.

1. I am really pleased to see that he’s changed a little bit since we’ve last encountered him because it wouldn’t make sense otherwise. He’s still fundamentally like himself, but I think slightly less ebullient, as if he were tempered by the past. Nice. I don't recall in the starter quest if he discussed what he's been up to since Coldharbour, although hilariously he's still in the chapel after you complete the prologue quest.
2. First time in a while I’ve been excited about a story in and of itself because I’m a little emotionally invested in the NPCs.
3. I was genuinely surprised at some of the plot twists. Nice.
4. The part where we had to look in the palace for the clues to find the Regent, selecting the note behind the throne before responding to Skordo upstairs results in the quest bugging out. Had to abandon and start over.
5. Colored Rooms scene before boss fight is almost impossible to find before it starts, and they’re too distant to be spotted easily
6. Vanus’ hair was better before, sorry. Draping locks might work better.
7. I laughed that I had the option to ask about the decomposition of Mannimarco’s corpse.
8. A lot of the dialogue suffers from ‘Vestige’s complete amnesia syndrome’. It really is quite distracting and it’s easy to lose immersion with that kind of thing.
9. Quest markers or kind of weird or unclear. I’m not a fan of separate instances within the same city. I think that makes the quest markers less helpful.
10. Where I was on the map versus where I was in the zone seemed off.
11. I chose to punch the captured worm cultist to get information and Walks’ response wasn’t very convincing. “I’m sorry I had to be a part of that.” Like… I maybe punched him twice, lol, I didn’t torture the dude. It stuck out as a little silly from a character who has seen and probably had done much worse.
12. Flirting with Raz was fun.

Margravigne · April 22

This line reads as humourous rather than kind to me, especially considering Gabrielle's response to it. Is this the correct tag?

TiaFrye · April 22

I've yet to try the zone MQ with ported character (because I'm playing on EU), but reading all the posts above regarding a certain comeback, I wanted to note something:

There's a quote from "Words of the Fallen" book you get at the end of Summerset MQ:

Perhaps we'll see each other again, in another place, another time. I probably won't be the version of myself that's writing these words, though. That me will be gone. I can live with that.

Given the fact that Summerset!Darien has the potential to end up in the wrong timeline but he remembers 'the future version' of our protagonist if you play Summerset before the Base Game (you're a heretic in that case but well) + his own last words + the fact that according to last dropped info and previous Summerset info he's a construct + the fact Meridia was blacked out for the most of Summerset + the fact that you're the only person from his 'previous life' who had an interaction with Summerset!Darien and the person who gave out their soul to pull him back from wherever he supposedly was knows only his 10 years back Base Game version...

Let's just say results might be unexpected. Strange. Angsty to some.

Aside from any traces of "make it new players friendly" part, I hate when it happens and I won't try to be an understanding one here. But yeah... I'm all for getting my man back, yet we basically given just a few moments with the version that is now in the world. Need more time and content to give my verdict on it. Unless someone posts the full look of Summerset mention and it turns out to be a bit icky and not just brushing the whole thing aside.

IldaraFathryon · April 22

TiaFrye wrote: »

I've yet to try the zone MQ with ported character (because I'm playing on EU), but reading all the posts above regarding a certain comeback, I wanted to note something:
There's a quote from "Words of the Fallen" book you get at the end of Summerset MQ:

Perhaps we'll see each other again, in another place, another time. I probably won't be the version of myself that's writing these words, though. That me will be gone. I can live with that.

Given the fact that Summerset!Darien has the potential to end up in the wrong timeline but he remembers 'the future version' of our protagonist if you play Summerset before the Base Game (you're a heretic in that case but well) + his own last words + the fact that according to last dropped info and previous Summerset info he's a construct + the fact Meridia was blacked out for the most of Summerset + the fact that you're the only person from his 'previous life' who had an interaction with Summerset!Darien and the person who gave out their soul to pull him back from wherever he supposedly was knows only his 10 years back Base Game version...

Let's just say results might be unexpected. Strange. Angsty to some.

Aside from any traces of "make it new players friendly" part, I hate when it happens and I won't try to be an understanding one here. But yeah... I'm all for getting my man back, yet we basically given just a few moments with the version that is now in the world. Need more time and content to give my verdict on it. Unless someone posts the full look of Summerset mention and it turns out to be a bit icky and not just brushing the whole thing aside.

That "Words of the Fallen" book has been my primary source of 'copium' that there's something more going on beyond, as you put it, 'new player friendliness', but I'll show you how he responds when you mention Summerset (Screenshots not mine, I'm also a PC EU player, and a kind person on discord took these for me:

SPOILER_3.jpg?ex=68087076&is=68071ef6&hm=3fe5b114f87f18608c0fe17a2855f4b8988caa63d673a3f137d24b1d28625693&

SPOILER_3.jpg?ex=68087076&is=68071ef6&hm=3fe5b114f87f18608c0fe17a2855f4b8988caa63d673a3f137d24b1d28625693&

SPOILER_4.jpg?ex=68087076&is=68071ef6&hm=c3730e7f706e1cc748b0e3865a34d50ac272151fbfc235b15f751765909a083c&

TiaFrye · April 22

IldaraFathryon wrote: »

TiaFrye wrote: »

I've yet to try the zone MQ with ported character (because I'm playing on EU), but reading all the posts above regarding a certain comeback, I wanted to note something:
There's a quote from "Words of the Fallen" book you get at the end of Summerset MQ:

Perhaps we'll see each other again, in another place, another time. I probably won't be the version of myself that's writing these words, though. That me will be gone. I can live with that.

Given the fact that Summerset!Darien has the potential to end up in the wrong timeline but he remembers 'the future version' of our protagonist if you play Summerset before the Base Game (you're a heretic in that case but well) + his own last words + the fact that according to last dropped info and previous Summerset info he's a construct + the fact Meridia was blacked out for the most of Summerset + the fact that you're the only person from his 'previous life' who had an interaction with Summerset!Darien and the person who gave out their soul to pull him back from wherever he supposedly was knows only his 10 years back Base Game version...

Let's just say results might be unexpected. Strange. Angsty to some.

Aside from any traces of "make it new players friendly" part, I hate when it happens and I won't try to be an understanding one here. But yeah... I'm all for getting my man back, yet we basically given just a few moments with the version that is now in the world. Need more time and content to give my verdict on it. Unless someone posts the full look of Summerset mention and it turns out to be a bit icky and not just brushing the whole thing aside.

That "Words of the Fallen" book has been my primary source of 'copium' that there's something more going on beyond, as you put it, 'new player friendliness', but I'll show you how he responds when you mention Summerset (Screenshots not mine, I'm also a PC EU player, and a kind person on discord took these for me:

Hmm, so it is casually brushed off as 'one of the instances'. And given the circumstances, I wouldn't discuss something like this myself in front of everybody. A neat way to wrap it up would've been separate conversation akin to what you have with Naryu after her quest in Necrom. Maaaybe it isn't implemented yet or moved to part two?
Anyway, best case scenario there is separate "hub" questline for the Gift of Death's origin in the second part with some lore dumping regarding this, because MQ in 5 quests is too short to my liking still. Worst case scenario it will be one relatively long quest during MQ visiting a hub/delve in the process in between cutscenes.

Or we're into "the other Gamora" situation and it will be... Ouch.

IldaraFathryon · April 22

TiaFrye wrote: »

IldaraFathryon wrote: »

TiaFrye wrote: »

I've yet to try the zone MQ with ported character (because I'm playing on EU), but reading all the posts above regarding a certain comeback, I wanted to note something:
There's a quote from "Words of the Fallen" book you get at the end of Summerset MQ:

Perhaps we'll see each other again, in another place, another time. I probably won't be the version of myself that's writing these words, though. That me will be gone. I can live with that.

Given the fact that Summerset!Darien has the potential to end up in the wrong timeline but he remembers 'the future version' of our protagonist if you play Summerset before the Base Game (you're a heretic in that case but well) + his own last words + the fact that according to last dropped info and previous Summerset info he's a construct + the fact Meridia was blacked out for the most of Summerset + the fact that you're the only person from his 'previous life' who had an interaction with Summerset!Darien and the person who gave out their soul to pull him back from wherever he supposedly was knows only his 10 years back Base Game version...

Let's just say results might be unexpected. Strange. Angsty to some.

Aside from any traces of "make it new players friendly" part, I hate when it happens and I won't try to be an understanding one here. But yeah... I'm all for getting my man back, yet we basically given just a few moments with the version that is now in the world. Need more time and content to give my verdict on it. Unless someone posts the full look of Summerset mention and it turns out to be a bit icky and not just brushing the whole thing aside.

That "Words of the Fallen" book has been my primary source of 'copium' that there's something more going on beyond, as you put it, 'new player friendliness', but I'll show you how he responds when you mention Summerset (Screenshots not mine, I'm also a PC EU player, and a kind person on discord took these for me:

Hmm, so it is casually brushed off as 'one of the instances'. And given the circumstances, I wouldn't discuss something like this myself in front of everybody. A neat way to wrap it up would've been separate conversation akin to what you have with Naryu after her quest in Necrom. Maaaybe it isn't implemented yet or moved to part two?
Anyway, best case scenario there is separate "hub" questline for the Gift of Death's origin in the second part with some lore dumping regarding this, because MQ in 5 quests is too short to my liking still. Worst case scenario it will be one relatively long quest during MQ visiting a hub/delve in the process in between cutscenes.

Or we're into "the other Gamora" situation and it will be... Ouch.

I really hope that this doesn't turn out to just be a sequel to the Coldharbour base game main quest, because in both Gabrielle, Skordo to a lesser extent, and Darien all seem to be acting/speaking/thinking like none of the little hint interactions we got in Wrothgar ('Plea for Help'), Gold Coast (Telling Gabrielle about 'Plea for Help'), Southern Elsweyr (Talking to Skordo about Summerset), or Western Skyrim (Telling Gabrielle about Summerset during the Antiquarian Circle) have happened, and all of those little hooks are important to those of us following them across the years since.

And I don't have a screencap on hand without playing the prologue again, but I'm reasonably certain Gabrielle mentioned the Antiquarian Circle at one point, so Solstice should technically be post-Summerset, right?

IldaraFathryon · April 24

IldaraFathryon wrote: »

TiaFrye wrote: »

IldaraFathryon wrote: »

TiaFrye wrote: »

I've yet to try the zone MQ with ported character (because I'm playing on EU), but reading all the posts above regarding a certain comeback, I wanted to note something:
There's a quote from "Words of the Fallen" book you get at the end of Summerset MQ:

Perhaps we'll see each other again, in another place, another time. I probably won't be the version of myself that's writing these words, though. That me will be gone. I can live with that.

Given the fact that Summerset!Darien has the potential to end up in the wrong timeline but he remembers 'the future version' of our protagonist if you play Summerset before the Base Game (you're a heretic in that case but well) + his own last words + the fact that according to last dropped info and previous Summerset info he's a construct + the fact Meridia was blacked out for the most of Summerset + the fact that you're the only person from his 'previous life' who had an interaction with Summerset!Darien and the person who gave out their soul to pull him back from wherever he supposedly was knows only his 10 years back Base Game version...

Let's just say results might be unexpected. Strange. Angsty to some.

Aside from any traces of "make it new players friendly" part, I hate when it happens and I won't try to be an understanding one here. But yeah... I'm all for getting my man back, yet we basically given just a few moments with the version that is now in the world. Need more time and content to give my verdict on it. Unless someone posts the full look of Summerset mention and it turns out to be a bit icky and not just brushing the whole thing aside.

That "Words of the Fallen" book has been my primary source of 'copium' that there's something more going on beyond, as you put it, 'new player friendliness', but I'll show you how he responds when you mention Summerset (Screenshots not mine, I'm also a PC EU player, and a kind person on discord took these for me:

Hmm, so it is casually brushed off as 'one of the instances'. And given the circumstances, I wouldn't discuss something like this myself in front of everybody. A neat way to wrap it up would've been separate conversation akin to what you have with Naryu after her quest in Necrom. Maaaybe it isn't implemented yet or moved to part two?
Anyway, best case scenario there is separate "hub" questline for the Gift of Death's origin in the second part with some lore dumping regarding this, because MQ in 5 quests is too short to my liking still. Worst case scenario it will be one relatively long quest during MQ visiting a hub/delve in the process in between cutscenes.

Or we're into "the other Gamora" situation and it will be... Ouch.

I really hope that this doesn't turn out to just be a sequel to the Coldharbour base game main quest, because in both Gabrielle, Skordo to a lesser extent, and Darien all seem to be acting/speaking/thinking like none of the little hint interactions we got in Wrothgar ('Plea for Help'), Gold Coast (Telling Gabrielle about 'Plea for Help'), Southern Elsweyr (Talking to Skordo about Summerset), or Western Skyrim (Telling Gabrielle about Summerset during the Antiquarian Circle) have happened, and all of those little hooks are important to those of us following them across the years since.

And I don't have a screencap on hand without playing the prologue again, but I'm reasonably certain Gabrielle mentioned the Antiquarian Circle at one point, so Solstice should technically be post-Summerset, right?

(Checked dialogue on UESP, and Gabrielle does reference the Antiquarian Circle a couple of times during the new prologue quests.)

TX12001rwb17_ESO · April 25

IldaraFathryon wrote: »

IldaraFathryon wrote: »

TiaFrye wrote: »

IldaraFathryon wrote: »

TiaFrye wrote: »

I've yet to try the zone MQ with ported character (because I'm playing on EU), but reading all the posts above regarding a certain comeback, I wanted to note something:
There's a quote from "Words of the Fallen" book you get at the end of Summerset MQ:

Perhaps we'll see each other again, in another place, another time. I probably won't be the version of myself that's writing these words, though. That me will be gone. I can live with that.

Given the fact that Summerset!Darien has the potential to end up in the wrong timeline but he remembers 'the future version' of our protagonist if you play Summerset before the Base Game (you're a heretic in that case but well) + his own last words + the fact that according to last dropped info and previous Summerset info he's a construct + the fact Meridia was blacked out for the most of Summerset + the fact that you're the only person from his 'previous life' who had an interaction with Summerset!Darien and the person who gave out their soul to pull him back from wherever he supposedly was knows only his 10 years back Base Game version...

Let's just say results might be unexpected. Strange. Angsty to some.

Aside from any traces of "make it new players friendly" part, I hate when it happens and I won't try to be an understanding one here. But yeah... I'm all for getting my man back, yet we basically given just a few moments with the version that is now in the world. Need more time and content to give my verdict on it. Unless someone posts the full look of Summerset mention and it turns out to be a bit icky and not just brushing the whole thing aside.

That "Words of the Fallen" book has been my primary source of 'copium' that there's something more going on beyond, as you put it, 'new player friendliness', but I'll show you how he responds when you mention Summerset (Screenshots not mine, I'm also a PC EU player, and a kind person on discord took these for me:

Hmm, so it is casually brushed off as 'one of the instances'. And given the circumstances, I wouldn't discuss something like this myself in front of everybody. A neat way to wrap it up would've been separate conversation akin to what you have with Naryu after her quest in Necrom. Maaaybe it isn't implemented yet or moved to part two?
Anyway, best case scenario there is separate "hub" questline for the Gift of Death's origin in the second part with some lore dumping regarding this, because MQ in 5 quests is too short to my liking still. Worst case scenario it will be one relatively long quest during MQ visiting a hub/delve in the process in between cutscenes.

Or we're into "the other Gamora" situation and it will be... Ouch.

I really hope that this doesn't turn out to just be a sequel to the Coldharbour base game main quest, because in both Gabrielle, Skordo to a lesser extent, and Darien all seem to be acting/speaking/thinking like none of the little hint interactions we got in Wrothgar ('Plea for Help'), Gold Coast (Telling Gabrielle about 'Plea for Help'), Southern Elsweyr (Talking to Skordo about Summerset), or Western Skyrim (Telling Gabrielle about Summerset during the Antiquarian Circle) have happened, and all of those little hooks are important to those of us following them across the years since.

And I don't have a screencap on hand without playing the prologue again, but I'm reasonably certain Gabrielle mentioned the Antiquarian Circle at one point, so Solstice should technically be post-Summerset, right?

(Checked dialogue on UESP, and Gabrielle does reference the Antiquarian Circle a couple of times during the new prologue quests.)

She also actively sends her notes after you dig up things.

And given how she involved in a Sacrifice that might be a bit of a problem as to how she can still actively be sending you information about items you dig up, there are some NPCs that should not be involved in situations such as this due to having roles in other parts of the game.

IldaraFathryon · April 26

TX12001rwb17_ESO wrote: »

IldaraFathryon wrote: »

IldaraFathryon wrote: »

TiaFrye wrote: »

IldaraFathryon wrote: »

TiaFrye wrote: »

I've yet to try the zone MQ with ported character (because I'm playing on EU), but reading all the posts above regarding a certain comeback, I wanted to note something:
There's a quote from "Words of the Fallen" book you get at the end of Summerset MQ:

Perhaps we'll see each other again, in another place, another time. I probably won't be the version of myself that's writing these words, though. That me will be gone. I can live with that.

Given the fact that Summerset!Darien has the potential to end up in the wrong timeline but he remembers 'the future version' of our protagonist if you play Summerset before the Base Game (you're a heretic in that case but well) + his own last words + the fact that according to last dropped info and previous Summerset info he's a construct + the fact Meridia was blacked out for the most of Summerset + the fact that you're the only person from his 'previous life' who had an interaction with Summerset!Darien and the person who gave out their soul to pull him back from wherever he supposedly was knows only his 10 years back Base Game version...

Let's just say results might be unexpected. Strange. Angsty to some.

Aside from any traces of "make it new players friendly" part, I hate when it happens and I won't try to be an understanding one here. But yeah... I'm all for getting my man back, yet we basically given just a few moments with the version that is now in the world. Need more time and content to give my verdict on it. Unless someone posts the full look of Summerset mention and it turns out to be a bit icky and not just brushing the whole thing aside.

That "Words of the Fallen" book has been my primary source of 'copium' that there's something more going on beyond, as you put it, 'new player friendliness', but I'll show you how he responds when you mention Summerset (Screenshots not mine, I'm also a PC EU player, and a kind person on discord took these for me:

Hmm, so it is casually brushed off as 'one of the instances'. And given the circumstances, I wouldn't discuss something like this myself in front of everybody. A neat way to wrap it up would've been separate conversation akin to what you have with Naryu after her quest in Necrom. Maaaybe it isn't implemented yet or moved to part two?
Anyway, best case scenario there is separate "hub" questline for the Gift of Death's origin in the second part with some lore dumping regarding this, because MQ in 5 quests is too short to my liking still. Worst case scenario it will be one relatively long quest during MQ visiting a hub/delve in the process in between cutscenes.

Or we're into "the other Gamora" situation and it will be... Ouch.

I really hope that this doesn't turn out to just be a sequel to the Coldharbour base game main quest, because in both Gabrielle, Skordo to a lesser extent, and Darien all seem to be acting/speaking/thinking like none of the little hint interactions we got in Wrothgar ('Plea for Help'), Gold Coast (Telling Gabrielle about 'Plea for Help'), Southern Elsweyr (Talking to Skordo about Summerset), or Western Skyrim (Telling Gabrielle about Summerset during the Antiquarian Circle) have happened, and all of those little hooks are important to those of us following them across the years since.

And I don't have a screencap on hand without playing the prologue again, but I'm reasonably certain Gabrielle mentioned the Antiquarian Circle at one point, so Solstice should technically be post-Summerset, right?

(Checked dialogue on UESP, and Gabrielle does reference the Antiquarian Circle a couple of times during the new prologue quests.)

She also actively sends her notes after you dig up things.

And given how she involved in a Sacrifice that might be a bit of a problem as to how she can still actively be sending you information about items you dig up, there are some NPCs that should not be involved in situations such as this due to having roles in other parts of the game.

Apparently there's a new Antiquarian NPC being added with Solstice, and the last couple of Loremaster's Archive posts have referenced Gabrielle being 'unavailable', at least temporarily, so who knows?

PrinceShroob · April 26

This is in feedback rather than bugs, though it seems like it could be either.

During "The Writhing Wall,"

when speaking to Vanus' projection, the projection fades in and out to indicate that Vanus is "breaking up." However, whenever this happens, you get repeated briefs views of his eyeballs and teeth--somewhat similar to talking to ghosts in Dragon Age: Origins with a failing Xbox. The effect is both horrifying and distracting. If this visual effect can be changed, it'd be greatly appreciated.

I tried to take a screenshot, but I couldn't quite capture it, since the projection flickers so quickly.

Margravigne · April 26

It's a bit odd having Gabrielle explaining who Darien is to my character, when she's not only known him (slightly) longer than Gabs has, but was in Summerset with him (and having rescued him after speaking with Meridia about his role as her champion, then watching him restore Dawnbreaker, knows all about that side of him)

I really hope there are more dialogue alternatives from NPCs in the final version that don't treat your more experianced characters as either not having done certain chapters, or as having the memory of a goldfish.

Ilsabet · April 26

Overall I enjoyed the Solstice questline, and the climax of the final quest was the most emotionally floored I've been watching or playing something in quite a while. There are of course improvements that could be made, so we'll see what kind of essay this turns into.

(Side note, what are we calling this zone/release? Solstice? Western Solstice? Seasons of the Worm Cult Part 1 is way too long and clunky. Someone get on that.)

General Comments

This questline is noticeably shorter than other zone MQs, especially in comparison to what we're used to with chapters. While this isn't fatal in itself, it does reinforce the notion that we're being charged more for less content, particularly for ESO+ subscribers who would reasonably expect to have the rest of the year's content included in the sub.

On the plus side, I didn't feel like there was a lot of fluff or filler like we sometimes see, so what we did get was reasonably substantive. Enjoyability is of course subjective, but I felt satisfied with the story that was told.

Our interactions with returning NPCs would benefit from more of a connection to previously-established relationships and experiences for players who have completed relevant content. In most cases I can be satisfied with being greeted as a friend or getting a cursory acknowledgement of stuff we've done together, but there were some conversations where those experiences are either glossed over, misrepresented, or not mentioned at all, or in the worst cases egregiously stomped on. (Seriously, we shouldn't be flabbergasted that Skordo knew Darien if we've done the base game MQ and/or certain DC zones.)

Particularly,

I would love to have either a warmer reception from Darien or an explicit indication that he doesn't remember everything we've been through together. He's awfully blase about seeing us again, considering the "I wouldn't do this for anyone else" and "I don't know if they'll understand how much they truly meant to me" we got in Summerset. You don't have to let me throw myself into his arms, but at least make it seem like he's happy to see me.

(Or give me a reason why he's not.)

On a related note, while I understand that there will be opportunities for this as the story continues, it would be great to get at least some definitive info on what Darien's (and Meridia's) situation has been since Summerset. Was he actually dead? Was he in some kind of in-between state or in the Void? How much does he remember about his time(s) on Nirn? Is he still mad at Meridia? Is she still mad at him? CAN WE HAVE SOME TEA PLEASE.

Ahem. If this is all in the works for part 2, and we're meant to leave off on a cliffhanger or something, then okay. But since it's established that the Fellowship is going to need some time to plan their next move, and our boy is going to be just standing around in the throne room until then, it would be nice to find some time to pull him aside and be like "hey bro I'm really happy to see you again, can you tell me what the heck has been going on with you?"

Also if I can at least tell him I'm really happy to see him again, maybe as a dialogue choice option, that would be super great and help reinforce that kind of connection I was talking about.

Also thank you for finally continuing his story after leaving us hanging for 7 years. I'm really excited to have him back and to see what's in store.

Okay there's my obligatory Darien diatribe. Thank you for your consideration.

I was so happy to see that Skordo wasn't from Jersey anymore. Whatever happened to him in the prologue, I'm glad he managed to find himself again.

More Specific Comments

Some of the set pieces, like the Palace District battle sequence and grappling up the mountain pass, were pretty cool and different from the standard "go here, talk to some people, fight some baddies" quest objective fare. The Palace District sequence reminded me of the Battle of Denerim in Dragon Age: Origins, which was enjoyable even if the attack kind of came out of nowhere and everything went back to normal immediately afterward.

The bait-and-switch with Rigurt and Walks was hilarious.

When Gabrielle is reminiscing about Darien in Li-Xal Pass, her response to the "kind" dialogue option indicating that she was in love with Darien was a welcome bit of emotional connection (and potential gut-punch for those with particular investment in either or both of the characters). It also adds emotional weight to what comes later.

Props for the Senalana throwback with Raz. That could be milked a lot harder, maybe with an extra dialogue exchange rather than him just telling us to bring the building down and we do it and run off.

In the same fight against Wormblood, I could use more time to look around and find a pillar to hide behind before the nuke goes off. I was looking behind me, at what turned out to be a chunk of wall that I couldn't get behind, and by the time I saw the green circle next to Raz it was too late and I got smacked.

There were a few places later in the questline where I was unable to speak to NPCs that seemed like they should have something to say:

When I contact Wormblood to arrange the meeting at the temple, after his projection disappears I can't talk to anybody except Gabrielle (the quest objective NPC). They're similarly silent after Gabrielle sends me to the temple.

I had Skordo as my official sidekick in the Colored Rooms, and I was unable to speak with him before or after Gabrielle's sacrifice. I'm not sure if it's the same with Raz or Walks, but it seems like the choice of sidekick should have some weight with getting their reactions to what happens. (Especially given Skordo's history with Gabrielle and Darien.)

After Darien tells me to take the Light of Meridia, I can't talk to him, Azah, or Skordo.

When the quest objective is to use the Light of Meridia on the soul reapers, everyone has something to say except Azah.

The sequence after arriving in the Colored Rooms was more disorienting than it needed to be (unless you intend for the player to be confused about what's going on), mostly because it's easy to miss the disembodied theater lines while we're distracted moving through the area fighting enemies (and having our companion talk over those lines... thanks Bastian). I made a point of proceeding cautiously to avoid missing things, but players who are more focused on moving forward will be even more likely to lose context.

The lead-up to the interaction between Vanus and Gabrielle was a particular trouble spot. The quest objective suddenly changed to "Find Vanus Galerion" before Vanus even started talking, and then Skordo started yelling about Vanus being on a wall while I was fighting a couple of enemies, and it took me a while to figure out where I should be looking because Vanus was itty bitty at that distance. Fortunately I spotted him before Gabrielle arrived, and the rest of the interaction played out fine, but I would recommend either removing the two enemies from that room or delaying the dialogue until after they're dead.

I was also generally confused about where Wormblood was and what he was doing (although the latter is mostly due to Bastian talking over his line about starting the ritual). In retrospect I think that the initial quest objective to find Wormblood made his whereabouts seem more important than they ended up being, so his interjections during certain dramatic moments were mostly a distraction that made it more annoying when I looked around and still didn't see him. But maybe that's a me thing.

If it were me, I might delay the Vanus quest objective and him calling out, have Skordo/Raz/Walks comment on the barrier while we're fighting the enemies in that room, the objective becomes looking through the barrier, we see Wormblood doing his ritual in the next room, then Vanus calls to us and the objective changes to finding him and Skordo/Raz/Walks tells us he's on the wall and we have a moment to get eyes on him before things proceed with Gabrielle.

Mannimarco's voiced dialogue was very quiet. I had to read the subtitles to know what he was saying.

Bugs and Errors

+1 to the random Azah line persisting throughout the questline. In context it's pretty clear that it's meant for the very end of the questline, so it's really weird to have it there from our first interactions with him. At least it's not terribly spoilery, but it really should be scrubbed.

There are two characters who state that Vanus was captured in the Earth Forge, but this is incorrect. He was captured in the Worm Nest (before the Earth Forge) during the prologue.

Walks has this line of dialogue in which Darien's last name is misspelled:

And I guess that's enough for now.

Orbital78 · April 27

Have the leads for the new mythics started to be revealed yet? I don't PTS, and am curious how hard they will be to access.

Freelancer_ESO · April 27

Orbital78 wrote: »

Have the leads for the new mythics started to be revealed yet? I don't PTS, and am curious how hard they will be to access.

Below are the leads that I am aware of at the present time.

Ilsabet · April 27

Ilsabet wrote: »

Particularly,
I would love to have either a warmer reception from Darien or an explicit indication that he doesn't remember everything we've been through together. He's awfully blase about seeing us again, considering the "I wouldn't do this for anyone else" and "I don't know if they'll understand how much they truly meant to me" we got in Summerset. You don't have to let me throw myself into his arms, but at least make it seem like he's happy to see me. (Or give me a reason why he's not.)

On a related note, while I understand that there will be opportunities for this as the story continues, it would be great to get at least some definitive info on what Darien's (and Meridia's) situation has been since Summerset. Was he actually dead? Was he in some kind of in-between state or in the Void? How much does he remember about his time(s) on Nirn? Is he still mad at Meridia? Is she still mad at him? CAN WE HAVE SOME TEA PLEASE.

Ahem. If this is all in the works for part 2, and we're meant to leave off on a cliffhanger or something, then okay. But since it's established that the Fellowship is going to need some time to plan their next move, and our boy is going to be just standing around in the throne room until then, it would be nice to find some time to pull him aside and be like "hey bro I'm really happy to see you again, can you tell me what the heck has been going on with you?"

Also if I can at least tell him I'm really happy to see him again, maybe as a dialogue choice option, that would be super great and help reinforce that kind of connection I was talking about.

Also thank you for finally continuing his story after leaving us hanging for 7 years. I'm really excited to have him back and to see what's in store.

Okay there's my obligatory Darien diatribe. Thank you for your consideration.

I have further thoughts on this after rewatching relevant conversations and considering some of the earlier posts in this thread.

So the vibe I'm getting, upon rewatching Darien's final conversation in the throne room, is that he doesn't fully remember his experiences in either Coldharbour or Summerset. He describes what we would understand as the Final Assault in terms reminiscent of one of his hazy dreams, mostly focusing on his purpose as the carrier of Meridia's Light. And when he brushes off our mention of seeing him in Summerset, it's more like he's taking our word for it that he was there and rationalizing it as just another time that Meridia must have needed him to carry out some purpose.

My best guess, upon reflection, is that he's had some kind of reset and now mostly sees himself in more generic terms as a tool of Meridia rather than "the mortal Darien Gautier" that he had come to believe himself to be. But he does remember Gabrielle, and seems to have fond memories of her, so it can't have been a full factory reset, which still leaves me wondering how much he has retained. And he does call us "friend" in a way that I initially interpreted as him knowing who we are, but maybe that's just a general "I recognize that you are on Team Good and so I think we can get along" type of greeting.

So I can't believe I'm saying this, especially after we all rail against having our hands held, but what I think I would like is to be hit over the head with a straight-up "I'm sorry, but I don't really remember you" to confirm that that's what's going on. What we have now is the sort of thing where we can read into the context clues given enough repetition and consideration, but on the first go-through it's really easy to miss if that's what's going on. (This of course assumes that my interpretation is correct; the fact that there are so many interpretations floating around reinforces the need for more definitive clarity.)

Also that would be a really great opportunity to plug in a dialogue choice where we can say we're happy to see him again, and then the way he responds (maybe with something like "you seem like a nice person so I think we can be friends but I don't remember how things were between us before") would be that nail in the coffin confirmation that we're not just going to pick right back up where we left off in Summerset. And that honestly would be a more conclusive way to leave off on the cliffhanger, since it means we're going to have to gradually rebuild a relationship with him as the story progresses.

Thank you once again for coming to my Darien Talk.

TX12001rwb17_ESO · April 28

IldaraFathryon wrote: »

TX12001rwb17_ESO wrote: »

IldaraFathryon wrote: »

IldaraFathryon wrote: »

TiaFrye wrote: »

IldaraFathryon wrote: »

TiaFrye wrote: »

I've yet to try the zone MQ with ported character (because I'm playing on EU), but reading all the posts above regarding a certain comeback, I wanted to note something:
There's a quote from "Words of the Fallen" book you get at the end of Summerset MQ:

Perhaps we'll see each other again, in another place, another time. I probably won't be the version of myself that's writing these words, though. That me will be gone. I can live with that.

Given the fact that Summerset!Darien has the potential to end up in the wrong timeline but he remembers 'the future version' of our protagonist if you play Summerset before the Base Game (you're a heretic in that case but well) + his own last words + the fact that according to last dropped info and previous Summerset info he's a construct + the fact Meridia was blacked out for the most of Summerset + the fact that you're the only person from his 'previous life' who had an interaction with Summerset!Darien and the person who gave out their soul to pull him back from wherever he supposedly was knows only his 10 years back Base Game version...

Let's just say results might be unexpected. Strange. Angsty to some.

Aside from any traces of "make it new players friendly" part, I hate when it happens and I won't try to be an understanding one here. But yeah... I'm all for getting my man back, yet we basically given just a few moments with the version that is now in the world. Need more time and content to give my verdict on it. Unless someone posts the full look of Summerset mention and it turns out to be a bit icky and not just brushing the whole thing aside.

That "Words of the Fallen" book has been my primary source of 'copium' that there's something more going on beyond, as you put it, 'new player friendliness', but I'll show you how he responds when you mention Summerset (Screenshots not mine, I'm also a PC EU player, and a kind person on discord took these for me:

Hmm, so it is casually brushed off as 'one of the instances'. And given the circumstances, I wouldn't discuss something like this myself in front of everybody. A neat way to wrap it up would've been separate conversation akin to what you have with Naryu after her quest in Necrom. Maaaybe it isn't implemented yet or moved to part two?
Anyway, best case scenario there is separate "hub" questline for the Gift of Death's origin in the second part with some lore dumping regarding this, because MQ in 5 quests is too short to my liking still. Worst case scenario it will be one relatively long quest during MQ visiting a hub/delve in the process in between cutscenes.

Or we're into "the other Gamora" situation and it will be... Ouch.

I really hope that this doesn't turn out to just be a sequel to the Coldharbour base game main quest, because in both Gabrielle, Skordo to a lesser extent, and Darien all seem to be acting/speaking/thinking like none of the little hint interactions we got in Wrothgar ('Plea for Help'), Gold Coast (Telling Gabrielle about 'Plea for Help'), Southern Elsweyr (Talking to Skordo about Summerset), or Western Skyrim (Telling Gabrielle about Summerset during the Antiquarian Circle) have happened, and all of those little hooks are important to those of us following them across the years since.

And I don't have a screencap on hand without playing the prologue again, but I'm reasonably certain Gabrielle mentioned the Antiquarian Circle at one point, so Solstice should technically be post-Summerset, right?

(Checked dialogue on UESP, and Gabrielle does reference the Antiquarian Circle a couple of times during the new prologue quests.)

She also actively sends her notes after you dig up things.

And given how she involved in a Sacrifice that might be a bit of a problem as to how she can still actively be sending you information about items you dig up, there are some NPCs that should not be involved in situations such as this due to having roles in other parts of the game.

Apparently there's a new Antiquarian NPC being added with Solstice, and the last couple of Loremaster's Archive posts have referenced Gabrielle being 'unavailable', at least temporarily, so who knows?

Except she is in the antiquities for Solstice as well.

IldaraFathryon · April 29

TX12001rwb17_ESO wrote: »

IldaraFathryon wrote: »

TX12001rwb17_ESO wrote: »

IldaraFathryon wrote: »

IldaraFathryon wrote: »

TiaFrye wrote: »

IldaraFathryon wrote: »

TiaFrye wrote: »

I've yet to try the zone MQ with ported character (because I'm playing on EU), but reading all the posts above regarding a certain comeback, I wanted to note something:
There's a quote from "Words of the Fallen" book you get at the end of Summerset MQ:

Perhaps we'll see each other again, in another place, another time. I probably won't be the version of myself that's writing these words, though. That me will be gone. I can live with that.

Given the fact that Summerset!Darien has the potential to end up in the wrong timeline but he remembers 'the future version' of our protagonist if you play Summerset before the Base Game (you're a heretic in that case but well) + his own last words + the fact that according to last dropped info and previous Summerset info he's a construct + the fact Meridia was blacked out for the most of Summerset + the fact that you're the only person from his 'previous life' who had an interaction with Summerset!Darien and the person who gave out their soul to pull him back from wherever he supposedly was knows only his 10 years back Base Game version...

Let's just say results might be unexpected. Strange. Angsty to some.

Aside from any traces of "make it new players friendly" part, I hate when it happens and I won't try to be an understanding one here. But yeah... I'm all for getting my man back, yet we basically given just a few moments with the version that is now in the world. Need more time and content to give my verdict on it. Unless someone posts the full look of Summerset mention and it turns out to be a bit icky and not just brushing the whole thing aside.

That "Words of the Fallen" book has been my primary source of 'copium' that there's something more going on beyond, as you put it, 'new player friendliness', but I'll show you how he responds when you mention Summerset (Screenshots not mine, I'm also a PC EU player, and a kind person on discord took these for me:

Hmm, so it is casually brushed off as 'one of the instances'. And given the circumstances, I wouldn't discuss something like this myself in front of everybody. A neat way to wrap it up would've been separate conversation akin to what you have with Naryu after her quest in Necrom. Maaaybe it isn't implemented yet or moved to part two?
Anyway, best case scenario there is separate "hub" questline for the Gift of Death's origin in the second part with some lore dumping regarding this, because MQ in 5 quests is too short to my liking still. Worst case scenario it will be one relatively long quest during MQ visiting a hub/delve in the process in between cutscenes.

Or we're into "the other Gamora" situation and it will be... Ouch.

I really hope that this doesn't turn out to just be a sequel to the Coldharbour base game main quest, because in both Gabrielle, Skordo to a lesser extent, and Darien all seem to be acting/speaking/thinking like none of the little hint interactions we got in Wrothgar ('Plea for Help'), Gold Coast (Telling Gabrielle about 'Plea for Help'), Southern Elsweyr (Talking to Skordo about Summerset), or Western Skyrim (Telling Gabrielle about Summerset during the Antiquarian Circle) have happened, and all of those little hooks are important to those of us following them across the years since.

And I don't have a screencap on hand without playing the prologue again, but I'm reasonably certain Gabrielle mentioned the Antiquarian Circle at one point, so Solstice should technically be post-Summerset, right?

(Checked dialogue on UESP, and Gabrielle does reference the Antiquarian Circle a couple of times during the new prologue quests.)

She also actively sends her notes after you dig up things.

And given how she involved in a Sacrifice that might be a bit of a problem as to how she can still actively be sending you information about items you dig up, there are some NPCs that should not be involved in situations such as this due to having roles in other parts of the game.

Apparently there's a new Antiquarian NPC being added with Solstice, and the last couple of Loremaster's Archive posts have referenced Gabrielle being 'unavailable', at least temporarily, so who knows?

Except she is in the antiquities for Solstice as well.

She is, but it seems likely to be the case she's only providing commentary for leads that you excavate off the island:
https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Western_Solstice_Antiquities

Ilsabet · April 30

The Gift of Death
We updated multiple theater scenes and NPC interactions during those scenes.

Has anyone run through the quest since the update to see what has changed?

Ilsabet · May 2

Ilsabet wrote: »

The Gift of Death
We updated multiple theater scenes and NPC interactions during those scenes.

Has anyone run through the quest since the update to see what has changed?

If anyone's keeping score,

The only change I noticed was that this:

There were a few places later in the questline where I was unable to speak to NPCs that seemed like they should have something to say:

When I contact Wormblood to arrange the meeting at the temple, after his projection disappears I can't talk to anybody except Gabrielle (the quest objective NPC). They're similarly silent after Gabrielle sends me to the temple.

has been rectified and everybody can be spoken with at these points in the scene.

I didn't notice anything different about the Colored Rooms sequence or the final conversation in the palace.

TiaFrye · May 8

Since EU has finally been copied to PTS, I've decided to give the Main Quest a meaningful re-run (already done on template character) with my DC allied main character who completed most of the content available to date. And write an extended review on it.

I might be insufferable (but softly) on certain parts, but please bear with me. I also realize that my points might've been voiced by others already and are taken into consideration. Only providing ideas here, not demanding stuff. As both legacy player (playing since Open Beta) and DC enthusiast.
Back in the days I switched alliances solely because of the fact that in Coldharbour I've met a lot of cool DC characters and wanted to stick around and learn more about them (EP, I started with, and AD were less represented there). Since this season is a sequel to Coldharbour mainly and not to later content, I feel like it's important to mention that.

On the beginning and accepting the first quest:

As a returning player (my last full year was 'Legacy of Bretons', topped with one side quest of a returning character and one recruited companion in Necrom) I've chosen a back to back walkthrough with corresponding Prologue and... accepting quest for Solstice in zone or from Collections sends you to talk to Mirmal regardless with amnesiac questions about the Order and the Fellowship to progress in the conversation.
I understand that people on live server will likely not play these back to back as I did, there will be months in between, but maybe make those questions optional? With one 'Where I can find the prince?" (tinted red to indicate that it will make permanent progress in the conversation) or something like that to skip right to the last bit? That would change the feel *a LOT*.

On reactive dialogue from NPCs based on content done:

With combat animations and UI being reworked towards saving space, I now start to suspect that we've lost the previous reactionary dialogue model of new-new and old-old and instead having new-new or old (with dependency) to saving space as well. Because it's having 3 audio files instead of 4. It's sad, but I suppose I can understand and live with that.

It hits the hardest at the beginning because you don't encounter much of it after. Only during re-introductions and remembrance.

I think I've encountered a bug? Asking Gabrielle about "her friend Darien" is far from just generic and should have dependency option for people who finished base game DC, Coldharbour (which this questline is a direct sequel to) and Summerset, all or individually.
Darien might not be everyone's friend, I get that, but the line appears to be the same regardless of previous experiences. It's very strange to make one go trough this option to actually get another to now mention Summerset. "Darien... I haven't heard that name in a long while." - would be generic enough variant to fit and reflect content dependency.
The bit I've got after suffering trough a generic loop with Gabrielle (after Summerset is mentioned by the player) was good all things considered. It's tender and sad.
The other dialogue option on the topic in late quest with her was nice as well. Eye opening I would say. Elaborating later on that.

Although when dependency is not that complex I've got an absolutely expected, voiced and warm reaction towards my character from a minor character (compared to Gabrielle) Walks-in-Ash! Both Skordo and Razum-Dar's were fine as well. Good to have them back.

On overall story and its progression:

It's solid. For the past few years (roughly ever since Elsweyr) I felt like my character, the main character of ESO - the Vestige, was forced to take a backseat and become a mere spectator for the unraveling narrative. Mercenary as the game constantly reminded me. Only in few instances I willingly became a second to superior written characters (like Verandis, for example).
This year a lot of my old buddies, who knew me before I've slayed Molag Bal at the end of base game MQ, are here instead of disposable cast of new characters I will never see again outside of their respective season/dlc. I can forgive a lot to my old acquaintances. Especially since they're actually doing something and not just here for the spectacle.

Characters feel... older too. It's very nice. Time passing was apparent even in the Prologue. Gabrielle grew up and more strict now. Skordo suffers from something internal (survivors guilt, perhaps?). Vanus is more kind towards the people he has a past with but still prickly towards his foes.

The Wormblood was a decent antagonist while it lasted. Not too stupid, not too overpowered. His immediate resurrection seemed oddly... Vestige-like? Hm.
(Back in the base game we, the player, were brought to an Aedric Plane by Septima Tharn in Bangkorai who knew about our nature (DC was hella good with acknowledging the Vestige as Soul Shriven) so we could be killed there because we couldn't be killed on Nirn. Much like we did with WB and Colored Rooms in this storyline. Just a thought.)
Beating his bosmer sidekick felt good too.

I miss longer MQs we had in Chapters (7 or 8 quests compared to 5 in DLC). My hope is for Q4 side quests to answer a lot of pressing questions on the backstory of the current McGuffin and more.

On reclamation of whom was lost and found:

This is the part when I'd advice my gals, gents and non-bins to shed their headcanons and bear with me on this even harder. It's been 7 real life years, 11 in total if we're counting launch time, we have baggage. BIG baggage. Devs can't take all of that into accord. They can only reference what was actually in the game.
And what we have in game is encounters you can count with one hand - 5 instances, 5 zones. Some extended options for gals, a solid friendship for everyone else. And one very specific book.

Going back to that conversation with Gabrielle in Li-Xal Pass when you can confess that you miss Darien too and she spills the tea...
Trough the years I was quite salty that I was locked out of anything that would count towards Darien's possible return one day. I felt outright betrayed when my 'last kill' was stolen by Gabrielle when I was going trough MQ on a template character.
It's my third run and I've decided to take a different approach this time.
And it was a revelation for sure.

If you're someone who didn't want or anticipated Darien's return, Gabrielle is a reflection of those of us who did wait. She waited, she searched, she worked hard and eventually... accepted his death. She misses him still and the whole thing, this Planemeld 2.0 business, reminds her of him and what he did to stop it the last time.

If you're someone who waited, and waited, chocking on breadcrumbs left in not so obvious places - Gabrielle is your mirror image. Not a rival. She's not bound by game mechanics, she works hard behind the scenes and shares your want to get that final closure. She sees that when you share the sentiment about missing the guy. She confesses her feelings for him to *you* because maybe - just maybe - she sees that in this reflection of hers too.

Her death was crushing. Because in her last moments she not only wants to save the world and bring back a worthy protector, but to give *you* or others, who might share her wish to see a person she cares about at least once more, their own last wish come true. And she sees him, at last. Then fades away.

It's a reminder that life has a price, that it's fleeting and second chances are the stuff of fairytales. I'm tearing up typing these words and I suppose it says a lot about the quality of writing in game regarding this. Thank you for giving us, those who waited, this second chance at long last and for *how* it was given.

Compared to previous template character runs, on legacy character Darien is warmer. Jumpier. Where it's appropriate. In short, more... himself. He still brushes Summerset off, but I feel we'll have this conversation again when the time is right.

Ooof, that was... I lot. I've spent my entire working day on this and the playthrough itself. Hope that brings some insight both ways. So far I'm *in love* with what we got. Even though it wasn't love from the first sight.
I'll be waiting for the Part II with high hopes. And for the release version of Part I to play in on live when I return to the game.

Ilsabet · May 8

TiaFrye wrote: »

I've chosen a back to back walkthrough with corresponding Prologue and... accepting quest for Solstice in zone or from Collections sends you to talk to Mirmal regardless with amnesiac questions about the Order and the Fellowship to progress in the conversation.
I understand that people on live server will likely not play these back to back as I did, there will be months in between, but maybe make those questions optional?

This reminds me of how Skordo mentions Solstice when he's offering the first quest, and I say "I never heard of Solstice" as if I didn't just literally hear of Solstice at the end of the prologue quest.

Margravigne · May 24

I have a query regarding the new Flirting system in the Dialogue options:

I ran this initially on an alt who took all three opportunitites to flirt with Raz so that I could see each of his responses, and I liked that there was a gradual progression with it; his initial response being that he was 'not not interested', then he was 'intrigued' and finally we get an invitation to 'discuss pleasure' once the immediate business is concluded.

However, I then checked on a different run/alt what would happen if you skipped the first, or even first and second opportunities, and only took the flirty option the second or third time it was offered, and found that his responses are tied to their locations, rather than being a linear progression of romance.
For anyone undecided on whether to flirt immediately with a particular character, it could feel like a bit of a 0-60mph experience if this is how it's applied overall.

So my question is this: would it be possible to detach the relevant line in his responses from their location (at least partially, so as an example keeping the "sparkly" comment tied to it's location, but swapping out 'not not interested' / 'intrigued' / 'Then...' to give us that gradual progression regardless of when we decide to start flirting?

Margravigne · May 24

I really hope this particular line's instance gets fixed, because right now talking to Azah for any reason feels a bit like:

Margravigne · May 26

Is it far too late, or could Darien have a different version of dialogue for the post-Colored Rooms scene in Vinutilmo Palace, depending on whether your Vestige completed MQ/Coldharbour?

Because these lines about him "releasing the Light inside" during the Planar Vortex make a lot less sense if said to a Vestige who completed MQ/Coldharbour than one who didn't.
This alt had completed DC/MQ/Coldharbour & Summerset with him, and he definitely didn't look like he was glowing in Coldharbour, plus it contradicts his lines in Summerset, where he claims to have no idea what Meridia wants with him, or why he has her 'magic' inside him:

He does make a few new comments right before restoring Dawnbreaker, but I don't think that changes how he viewed things during Coldharbour:

The existing 'Summerset done' sequence works if said to a Vestige who has completed Summerset but not Coldharbour:

I also ran the questline on a completely inexperienced template-alt, and there wasn't an option to mention Summerset, which was perfect.

But for a Vestige who has done all relevant content, I would have liked to see a dialogue sequence something more like this:

EDIT: Whoops, I meant the time he "...restored Dawnbreaker in the Crystal Tower", he initially 'repaired' it on Artaeum to reset the Dawnstar gem.
And the wording in the line about him being outside Meridia's barrier is just a quick example of something he might say to explain the Light came from the Vestige but in that moment he understood it was the same Light that he carried within himself, and he came to whatever conclusion ties everything together without a major retcon issue.