The Vampire's Unexplained Lore and Nonsensical Design

Ethromelb14_ESO

It seems that very little is known about the sun resistant vampire in the Tamriel world. Typically a pale individual is so because of the absence of sunlight. Yet the disease of the afflicted vampire comes ONLY from the Bloodfiend that reveals and dwells only at night. Then the afflicted vampire of ash-colored skin, (displaying no fanged feature) seem to vacuum blood from their unsuspecting victim WITHOUT killing them, and can ONLY sate this thirst by sneaking. And for some odd reason Drain Essence can not sate a vampire - even a little, yet it replenishes health and can kill a target.

While this afflicted vampire is at stage 1 of vampirism that only last 30 minutes, the vampire receives no buffs to their health regeneration as an incentive to feed to stay at this stage, and yet suffers major penalties of 75% reduction and a 40% fire DMG increase for NOT feeding in a timely manner. Vampires get no option whatsoever to feed QUIETLY to go along with the very restrictive means of accomplishing the deed. Instead after a successful sneak attempt (that gets no natural helpful bonuses from the class), a feeding vampire wakes the whole darn village, only to even have the victim that was fed on fight you along with every other enemy NPC. The victims that have been fed upon receive no negatives as a result of having their blood depleted.

Players don't get recognized as a vampire in the open world by, well.... ANYBODY. Vampires can't see in the dark for some reason, despite the lore in the book IMMORTAL BLOOD. So vampires that are suppose to thrive at night that last all of 1 hour, can't at least SEE during night better than a mortal creature. No one sees fit to at least give vampires 20% increased running speed by foot without requiring them to go in to mist form that only last a measly 4 seconds and consumes major magicka?

UltimaJoe777

Yeah Vampires really aren't all that awesome to be but mine is obligated to exist regardless of how useless it currently is lol

Ethromelb14_ESO

UltimaJoe777 wrote: »

Yeah Vampires really aren't all that awesome to be but mine is obligated to exist regardless of how useless it currently is lol

Yeah, I kind of feel the same way. I'll keep trudging on... lol

Vizier

Well. To be fair the RP value of vampires isn't very high. And there's not a very deep underworld for vampires, etc, etc.

Personally. I kind of like that they just telekenisis the blood right out of someone's body. That's actually pretty damn cool. And while Vampires traditionally had things like detect life or night vision it doesn't really get that dark in ESO. Night is as bright as a cloudy day here so it wouldn't benefit anyone to have "night vision."

Look. I'm yanking your chain a bit.... The vampire story line and place in society is pretty much non-existent here. It would be nice if it was fleshed out a bit. I mean the initial mini-quest IMO was actually pretty cool Wouldn't mind to see that extended. It also would be pretty nice to see Ravenspire quest line for DC have more impact and meaning for vampires during and after the quest. For instance society could shun vampires after stage 2 or 3 and attack on sight but Ravenspire might offer safe haven and a place to buy and sell goods and craft and bank.

Edited: mispelling.

MornaBaine

Welcome to the half-baked and, frankly, pretty awful vampires of ESO. I say that as someone who plays 3 different vampires, including my main since launch. I have made post after post dealing with the way vampires in no way fit pretty much any of the lore from the previous games and that, worse, they don't even fit the lore established by THIS game. In DC there are at least 2 vampires that look like completely normal humans, Count Verandis Ravenwatch and Heloise, a healer. During the quests involving them they do not look like vampires until AFTER you have "discovered" their secret. Verandis even TELLS you that he "hides" his vampirism and keeps it a secret at the insistence of High King Emeric. Now some argue that this means he's NOT of the Noxiphilic Sanguivoria that is the only strain of vampirism available in the game so he can hide his vampirism while your character cannot and ALWAYS looks "like a vampire." However, Heloise, encountered early in Rivenspire, looks completely human for quite some time, even AFTER she has killed most of a family she was supposedly trying to help. One of her surviving victims even TELLS you that she looked just like a regular person even as she was attacking and killing his father. Oh and he ALSO says she has FANGS, which we NEVER see on ANY vampires in the game! Yet Heloise herself tells you she was SCRATCHED by a bloodfiend, which is EXACTLY the way player characters contract Noxiphilic Sanguivoria so she IS, without a doubt, the exact same kind of vampire that players are. But wait, there's more! At the end of the vampire quest Lamae herself tells you that her children are everywhere and that they wear both rags and crowns and she challenges you to find them. This CLEARLY indicates that vampires of the Noxiphilic Sanguivoria strain ARE able to "hide in plain sight." Yet at NONE of the 4 stages do vampires look like normal humans, mer or beastfolk. Nor is there ANY ability that allows them to do so. So ZoS can't even manage to follow THEIR OWN ESTABLISHED LORE. And that's not even getting into have VERY BAD the mechanics are for vampires.

ShadowHvo

Welcomr to MMO Balancing, the bane of all lorewhores, here is your free membership card, enjoy your stay. <Gives card> ....... Cheesy stuff aside, its just for balancing issues. I too hate and despise it, I want the real power of a tes vampire AND the real weakness. (yes, I want us to burn in the sun) but alas, nope. Its not a single player game, but an Mmo, balancing is a hard nut to crack. If we're realistic too, then PVP balance would be 100% broken if the vampires got their standard vampiric might, as they have in other TES games.

GreySix

Yeah, I made a comment in the game the other day after seeing one that vampires looked utterly ridiculous, and the fact that those things can just saunter about in broad daylight just baffles me.

Ethromelb14_ESO

Vizier wrote: »

Well. To be fair the RP value of vampires isn't very high. And theirs not a very deep underworld for vampires, etc, etc.

Personally. I kind of like that they just telekenisis the blood right out of someone's body. That's actually pretty damn cool. And while Vampires traditionally had things like detect life or night vision it doesn't really get that dark in ESO. Night is as bright as a cloudy day here so it wouldn't benefit anyone to have "night vision."

Look. I'm yanking your chain a bit.... The vampire story line and place in society is pretty much non-existent here. It would be nice if it was fleshed out a bit. I mean the initial mini-quest IMO was actually pretty cool Wouldn't mind to see that extended. It also would be pretty nice to see Ravenspire quest line for DC have more impact and meaning for vampires during and after the quest. For instance society could shun vampires after stage 2 or 3 and attack on sight but Ravenspire might offer safe haven and a place to buy and sell goods and craft and bank.

That idea about Ravenspire sounds super awesome. I would love that.

Stravokov

i love the way vampires look at stage 4 personally. they are monsters after all (also love having to avoid guards thanks to the justice system). ZoS should allow the player to customize their vampire, or allow a spell/toggle to have a predesigned disguise appearance. they could even have something in the cash shop if they wanted to make a little money from it. heck even in EQ2 players had a vampire/human form for their vampire race that players could customize both.

to bad suggestions fall on deff ears with this company. would be nice to see Vampirism get some much needed attention.

madchuska83

I like being a Vampire, I've had a fascination with them since childhood. No, not the teenie bopper Vampires of today, I grew up with Vampire books and movies based on Bram Stoker's lore. The Vampire gameplay in Oblivion has been the best in the series for me with real benefits at night and severe disadvantages during the day. It seems that there are NO advantages to being a Vampire in ESO. You get an increase to fire damage and a decrease to health regeneration, rediculous. The only thing that Vampirism offers is the powers it provides, and they aren't worth the de-buffs.

Gidorick

I agree... they need an overhaul.

notimetocare

madchuska83 wrote: »

I like being a Vampire, I've had a fascination with them since childhood. No, not the teenie bopper Vampires of today, I grew up with Vampire books and movies based on Bram Stoker's lore. The Vampire gameplay in Oblivion has been the best in the series for me with real benefits at night and severe disadvantages during the day. It seems that there are NO advantages to being a Vampire in ESO. You get an increase to fire damage and a decrease to health regeneration, rediculous. The only thing that Vampirism offers is the powers it provides, and they aren't worth the de-buffs.

All the people playing Vampires in pvp would disagree with you.

xMois

notimetocare wrote: »

madchuska83 wrote: »

I like being a Vampire, I've had a fascination with them since childhood. No, not the teenie bopper Vampires of today, I grew up with Vampire books and movies based on Bram Stoker's lore. The Vampire gameplay in Oblivion has been the best in the series for me with real benefits at night and severe disadvantages during the day. It seems that there are NO advantages to being a Vampire in ESO. You get an increase to fire damage and a decrease to health regeneration, rediculous. The only thing that Vampirism offers is the powers it provides, and they aren't worth the de-buffs.

All the people playing Vampires in pvp would disagree with you.

You mean all of us that get one-shot by just about anything kinda fiery? lol
Balista? Dead
Treb? Dead
Meteor? Dead
Vampire's Bane? (obvious) but dead
Radiant Destruction? Dead
Lava Whip? Dead
Fire Rune? Dead

This could go all day.