First Impressions - Choices and Consequences

manufails

I've been playing for about 2 weeks now. It's been fun enough (I even saw fit to buy ESO+ and some upgrades). I have one big concern you all may be able to address.

So, my choices don't seem to matter. The story does not branch off. Quest rewards don't change. I don't have to choose sides. I can join all guilds. I can steal things and murder people and still be reputable.

Not even class selection seems to matter. All classes can wear all armor types. All classes can fill any role in a group.

The only real choice I'm aware of is whether to be a werewolf or a vampire (and even then, it's easy to switch).

This game allows you to play a werewolf-sorcerer who doesn't know magic, fights using a bow, wears plate armor, and is a member of the Mages Guild, Thieves Guild, Fighters Guild, and Dark Brotherhood.

Is this awesome or ridiculous? I'm starting to think it's the latter. If you think it's great, how do you figure?

Furthermore, given this lack of consequence, what's the point of alts? Don't alts also have to join all the guilds and become werewolves or a vampires just to keep up? Is the entire point of alts to get access to class skills? How much do these class skills really change gameplay from class to class, considering all classes have access to the same weapon skills?

Thanks.

DKsUnite

manufails wrote: »

I've been playing for about 2 weeks now. It's been fun enough (I even saw fit to buy ESO+ and some upgrades). I have one big concern you all may be able to address.

So, my choices don't seem to matter. The story does not branch off. Quest rewards don't change. I don't have to choose sides. I can join all guilds. I can steal things and murder people and still be reputable.

Not even class selection seems to matter. All classes can wear all armor types. All classes can fill any role in a group.

The only real choice I'm aware of is whether to be a werewolf or a vampire (and even then, it's easy to switch).

This game allows you to play a werewolf-sorcerer who doesn't know magic, fights using a bow, wears plate armor, and is a member of the Mages Guild, Thieves Guild, Fighters Guild, and Dark Brotherhood.

Is this awesome or ridiculous? I'm starting to think it's the latter. If you think it's great, how do you figure?

Furthermore, given this lack of consequence, what's the point of alts? Don't alts also have to join all the guilds and become werewolves or a vampires just to keep up? Is the entire point of alts to get access to class skills? How much do these class skills really change gameplay from class to class, considering all classes have access to the same weapon skills?

Thanks.

class skills change the game quite a bit. You will see some classes excel at different things even if everyone can play every role. You will notice how for example, sorcs play mostly with shields, NBs with cloak/shade while DK and templar just take the damage and heal if they get too low. Its quite different between each class. In pvp anyway

Altaire

I think the OP is talking about immersion and how choices don't seem to matter, some quests are fun/funny and worth doing; but as for making wrong choices and having to live with them... Well ya can 'respec' your character for not to much gold or I
think there's a 'crown store' deal too;)
Hell, ya can use a cheat toy and play in 'GODMODE'. but that might get ya banned for 2 weeks.

dem0n1k

You may find that some random hybrid build is OK for general PVE & if that's all you want to do... then why not?

You may find group content & world bosses & PVP a tad difficult though.. so there are consequences of the choices you make with your build. You definitely don't need to go werewolf OR vampire to 'keep up' ... they just make more specific builds.

As for Alts... personally I made Alts with all the different class combos (ie:Stam DK, Magicka DK, Stam NB, Magicka NB, etc...). Firstly to just try all the combos to see what I liked, but also to allow myself to know what to expect from enemy players of all classes.

manufails

dem0n1k wrote: »

You may find that some random hybrid build is OK for general PVE & if that's all you want to do... then why not?

You may find group content & world bosses & PVP a tad difficult though.. so there are consequences of the choices you make with your build. You definitely don't need to go werewolf OR vampire to 'keep up' ... they just make more specific builds.

As for Alts... personally I made Alts with all the different class combos (ie:Stam DK, Magicka DK, Stam NB, Magicka NB, etc...). Firstly to just try all the combos to see what I liked, but also to allow myself to know what to expect from enemy players of all classes.

I don't think I explained myself well in regards to my class gripe. I meant that even one's choice of class seems to have limited consequences on gameplay because any class is able to wear any armor and fill any role. It's not that I'm against hybrid builds.

As to the werewolf/vampire observation, is it not true that becoming a werewolf has no drawbacks and actually increases your stamina while in human form? What reason is there to not become a werewolf, then?

devilsTear

Any class can fill any role but some classes are better suited for it, also there are class specific skills like dk's wings, sorc's streak, nb's cloak and templars healing.
Also you need to slot werewolf transformation as a Ult for the regen so you miss out on other ultimates.

SwaminoNowlino

OP it's also worth noting that classes like sorcerer in terms of elder scrolls lore are much different than the vast majority of other games. Some of your other complaints are valid, in that it would make for much more interesting role play or PVE in general if there was a fable type reputation based dynamic to the game. But alas, I doubt this will ever be true.

Sibenice

manufails wrote: »

As to the werewolf/vampire observation, is it not true that becoming a werewolf has no drawbacks and actually increases your stamina while in human form? What reason is there to not become a werewolf, then?

Far as I'm aware you have to have werewolf slotted to get the stam regen buff. That takes up an ultimate spot which, if you're not using werewolf for what it is, is probably better used for an ultimate you'd actually use.