Changes to Ebonheart Pact Quests: Stonefalls [Spoilers]

tinythinker · March 2015

I've noticed some recent changes in Stonefalls, not sure if they are from 1.6 since I haven't been through in a couple of months, but they are interesting:

Davon's Watch (thumbs down) - For some reason when you go to destroy the Covenant weapons used to siege the city, they are no long right outside the walls. Instead they are down on the beach. Because firing ballistae at the stone cliffs below the city makes a lot of sense. Also, when you teleport to see Balreth take on the Covenant, it is on a ship now, which is fine, but there aren't multiple waves of Daggers, including an officer, trying to take him down. He just rains fire on a few enemies and then you have to jump off of the ship and swim back to the city.

Ebonheart (thumbs up) - When you drink the mead to brawl with the Nords, the effects simulating being drunk are better/more consistent.

Matron's Clutch (thumb wavering) - Many fewer Dreugh now instead of many waves in order to summon the Matron.

Hrothgar's Hold (thumbs up) - A cellar has been added to fight the invading goblins, and the battle has a giant spider at the end. Better graphics in all areas of Tamriel in which certain types of spiders descend on threads of spidersilk. In the deep part of the spider cave there is now a natural light well and below it a beautiful tree.

Fort Virak (thumbs down) - You used to get some cryptic mission from Garyn Indoril upon arriving at the fort, and as you fought Covenant soldiers you would randomly loot some rotting body parts. You discovered the "secret" of how the enemy forces were holding out through game play, then confirmed this with Garyn when you turned in the quest. Now it is spoiled by quest markers telling you to find pre-killed Covenant zombie soldiers. Also, when you become a little ball of light in the next quest step to slip through a crack in the wall and unlock a door, the number/speed of spirits that can knock you back to the start of that section of the quest seems greatly reduced. It takes zero effort now to get through. You (almost) have to actively try to fly into them in order to fail.

Kragenmoor (thumbs down) - There are now quest markers for quest to find and return the four missing guar, which really aren't needed since it is a "find the things" puzzle. The area you need to look in is pretty small, and this quest is just an easy/boring fly through now rather than a brief but amusing scavenger hunt.

Overall, the changes are good as the ones that get a thumbs up are thumbs way up and the thumbs down are disappointing or confusing but not really horrible.

adriant1978 · March 2015

They also appear to have changed the outcome of the choice you make in Bal Foyen between defending the docks and defending the fort.

My first new character to roll through there post-1.6 chose to defend the docks, and when I returned to the fort expecting to see the aftermath of a massacre nearly everyone was still alive as though nothing had happened. I think only a couple of NPCs whose deaths become significant later in the story had actually died.

Haven't tried it the other way around yet, but I imagine the impact of not defending the docks has also been reduced.

tinythinker · March 2015

Ahh, I skipped going back after choosing where to defend in Bal Foyen, but yeah, seeing everyone dead made the decision seem impactful. Thumbs down.

Talwyn_Aureliano · April 2015

In regards to my 1st play through I defended the docks in Bal Foyen because Captain Rana [?] was there and asked me for help.

However now on subsequent play through with alts I defend the castle as that is far more important than the docks. If you lose the castle then holding the line at the docks is irrelevant in a tactical/strategic sense. Having a secure castle allows you to make a counter attack on the enemy forces who have a beach head at the docks but losing the castle means you have lost the entire zone.

I do like how you have to make a brutal choice as to which to defend because you know that where you you go then that place will be saved and the other place will be over run.

UrQuan · April 2015

Talwyn_Aureliano wrote: »

However now on subsequent play through with alts I defend the castle as that is far more important than the docks. If you lose the castle then holding the line at the docks is irrelevant in a tactical/strategic sense. Having a secure castle allows you to make a counter attack on the enemy forces who have a beach head at the docks but losing the castle means you have lost the entire zone.

That's true, but with each of my alts who has done this quest, I always choose to defend the docks. That's because each of my characters believes that the castle, being a strong fortification manned by a professional garrison, will be able to hold off the attack without my aid, while the docks will surely fall if I don't go and lead the defense. My characters are always surprised to find that the castle was actually not able to hold.

Talwyn_Aureliano wrote: »

I do like how you have to make a brutal choice as to which to defend because you know that where you you go then that place will be saved and the other place will be over run.

Yes, I know that as the player, but my characters don't!

tinythinker · April 2015

Hmm, a few weeks ago I noticed that they made the rats for the Ghost Snake story bigger in Deshaan but you have to fight them now so it takes as much time to collect them as when you were squinting at the reeds and clumps of tall grass.

As for Bal Foyen and the hard choice/consequences, I hope there is much more of that kind of thing in future content. The "whatever you do you can't save everyone" dilemma is more memorable than the "superman swoops in and rescues everyone" approach.

driosketch · April 2015

UrQuan wrote: »

Talwyn_Aureliano wrote: »

However now on subsequent play through with alts I defend the castle as that is far more important than the docks. If you lose the castle then holding the line at the docks is irrelevant in a tactical/strategic sense. Having a secure castle allows you to make a counter attack on the enemy forces who have a beach head at the docks but losing the castle means you have lost the entire zone.

That's true, but with each of my alts who has done this quest, I always choose to defend the docks. That's because each of my characters believes that the castle, being a strong fortification manned by a professional garrison, will be able to hold off the attack without my aid, while the docks will surely fall if I don't go and lead the defense. My characters are always surprised to find that the castle was actually not able to hold.

Talwyn_Aureliano wrote: »

I do like how you have to make a brutal choice as to which to defend because you know that where you you go then that place will be saved and the other place will be over run.

Yes, I know that as the player, but my characters don't!

I always had the opposite take. The strongest fighters and most of the professional soldiers are at the docks. The fort is full of non combatants and rookie soldiers who can barely hold a blade. (I don't know if it was an animation error but one was holding the sword above the hilt. It really sells the hopelessness of the people there if you don't help them.)

Shennynerd · April 2015

I'm disappointed that the "Help! The cat's chasing me!" quest is completely removed.

tinythinker · April 2015

Shennynerd wrote: »

I'm disappointed that the "Help! The cat's chasing me!" quest is completely removed.

I did that one a month ago. Has it been taken out since then? I assume we are talking about the mammoth? After you drink the potion Nojaxia gives you for the quest "Enlightenment Needs Salt" when you visit the village of Lukiul Uxith?

Shennynerd · April 2015

That

tinythinker wrote: »

Shennynerd wrote: »

I'm disappointed that the "Help! The cat's chasing me!" quest is completely removed.

I did that one a month ago. Has it been taken out since then? I assume we are talking about the mammoth? After you drink the potion Nojaxia gives you for the quest "Enlightenment Needs Salt" when you visit the village of Lukiul Uxith?

Is that where it was? I could swear up and down it was in Bal Foyen. Never mind then. *blush*

tinythinker · April 2015

Shennynerd wrote: »

That

tinythinker wrote: »

Shennynerd wrote: »

I'm disappointed that the "Help! The cat's chasing me!" quest is completely removed.

I did that one a month ago. Has it been taken out since then? I assume we are talking about the mammoth? After you drink the potion Nojaxia gives you for the quest "Enlightenment Needs Salt" when you visit the village of Lukiul Uxith?

Is that where it was? I could swear up and down it was in Bal Foyen. Never mind then. *blush*

No worries, I've done Bleak Rock --> Bal Foyen --> Stonefalls many times and I still forget where things are.

bellanca6561n · April 2015

Yeah, I video captured that one.....I only capture the weird moments of this game.

Shennynerd wrote: »

That

tinythinker wrote: »

Shennynerd wrote: »

I'm disappointed that the "Help! The cat's chasing me!" quest is completely removed.

I did that one a month ago. Has it been taken out since then? I assume we are talking about the mammoth? After you drink the potion Nojaxia gives you for the quest "Enlightenment Needs Salt" when you visit the village of Lukiul Uxith?

Is that where it was? I could swear up and down it was in Bal Foyen. Never mind then. *blush*

That's a pity....I love the quirky quests. I video captured that one because I only bother to save the odd ones

https://youtu.be/8-rAUf5GdL4

golfer.dub17_ESO · April 2015

Matron's Clutch (thumb wavering) - Many fewer Dreugh now instead of many waves in order to summon the Matron.

Solid thumbs down.

Matron's Clutch used to be the go-to grinding spot for low level characters. Now it's worthless.

Even ignoring the grinding aspect, the game needs more interesting boss fights. They just removed one of the few unique ones.

Also, when you teleport to see Balreth take on the Covenant, it is on a ship now, which is fine, but there aren't multiple waves of Daggers, including an officer, trying to take him down. He just rains fire on a few enemies and then you have to jump off of the ship and swim back to the city.

Honestly it's pretty derpy either way, but it was really derpy before.

From what I remember a tiny amount of soldiers would attack him, say some really unconvincing "gods, no!" style of line, then he would stomp the ground, then they would die like two seconds later.

I didn't really appreciate the gravity of the moment to say the least.

I'm disappointed that the "Help! The cat's chasing me!" quest is completely removed.

The mammoth one? That one is still in the game, did it last week on my alt.

Shennynerd · April 2015

bellanca6561n wrote: »

That's a pity....I love the quirky quests. I video captured that one because I only bother to save the odd ones

https://youtu.be/8-rAUf5GdL4

I was wrong, I would've bet money that the quest was in Dhalmora in Bal Foyen, but as your vid shows it's in Stonefalls, at an area I haven't gotten to yet on this alt.

Still I'm glad you uploaded it. I tried looking for a video of it before posting all this, but nothing came up when I searched "elder scrolls online cat mammoth."

bellanca6561n · April 2015

Thank you....and thank you for forgiving me for getting the quest name wrong in the title *blush*

UrQuan · April 2015

driosketch wrote: »

UrQuan wrote: »

Talwyn_Aureliano wrote: »

However now on subsequent play through with alts I defend the castle as that is far more important than the docks. If you lose the castle then holding the line at the docks is irrelevant in a tactical/strategic sense. Having a secure castle allows you to make a counter attack on the enemy forces who have a beach head at the docks but losing the castle means you have lost the entire zone.

That's true, but with each of my alts who has done this quest, I always choose to defend the docks. That's because each of my characters believes that the castle, being a strong fortification manned by a professional garrison, will be able to hold off the attack without my aid, while the docks will surely fall if I don't go and lead the defense. My characters are always surprised to find that the castle was actually not able to hold.

Talwyn_Aureliano wrote: »

I do like how you have to make a brutal choice as to which to defend because you know that where you you go then that place will be saved and the other place will be over run.

Yes, I know that as the player, but my characters don't!

I always had the opposite take. The strongest fighters and most of the professional soldiers are at the docks. The fort is full of non combatants and rookie soldiers who can barely hold a blade. (I don't know if it was an animation error but one was holding the sword above the hilt. It really sells the hopelessness of the people there if you don't help them.)

Oh man, I never noticed one of them holding a sword wrong! If I had noticed that I would have come to the same conclusion as you: these guys can't save themselves, even if they are in a strongly fortified position!