Choosing an alliance for Imperial race?

BuyMe500Pugs_Please

I just got the Imperial alliance upgrade, I'm stuck though. I always leave the different races in their respective faction but, Imperials aren't bound to one though... Struggling to choose tbh, I don't prefer any alliance over the others and what seems like a minor decision is kind of playing on my mind because i just don'tknow which to choose. Would an Imperial favor one alliance to the rest?

VaranisArano

Well, the Alliance choice will primarily effect which side you are on in PVP and which zones you'll do the Main quest, Fighters and Mages Guild quests, and Dark Brotherhood/Thieves Guild side missions (before level 50) in.

Other than that, your choice of Alliance won't effect how you experience the story if you don't want it to. That's because with One Tamriel's design, the whole world is open to you. You can adventure in any zone of any alliance and you'll be treated more or less like you're a member of that alliance or like your alliance doesn't matter. There's an actual lore reason for that, revealed at the end of the Main Quest.

Major Spoilers Below

Orginally before One Tamriel, you completed your alliance's zone quests then defeated Molag Bal, and as a reward, Meridia sent you back in time to experience the other faction questlines as if you had "washed up on another beach" and guaranteeing that you aren't seen as an enemy. With One Tamriel, you get that benefit at the beginning of the game and can go wherever you want.

So your Imperial can choose an alliance they want to be dedicated to or your Imperial can choose an alliance purely for PVP and otherwise ignore alliance loyalty completely. Or really you can roleplay your Imperial however you want to. There's a lot of freedom to do the quests while roleplaying whatever character motivation you want.

Personally, my imperial stam sorc is Ebonheart Pact because I only PVP for the Pact.
Roleplay-wise, my Imperial Stam Sorc chose the Ebonheart Pact as her alliance because as the most fractured of the alliances they represent the weakest contender to the Imperial Throne. Therefore, they will be the easiest opponent when the true Imperials return to claim the Cyrodiil Heartland. So, she seeks to weaken the Covenant and the Dominion wherever she can and aids the Pact's war effort, all the while laying the groundwork of the eventual Imperial victory by exploiting racial tensions within the Pact.

BuyMe500Pugs_Please

Thanks for the response, coincidentally I'm making a stam sorc aha. I noticed on the character creation that they have each alliance symbol on the bodymarking section, I'm clicking randomize body until i get one with a symbol and choose that. I was just wondering if lore wise they leaned more towards one alliance

VaranisArano

BuyMe500Pugs_Please wrote: »

Thanks for the response, coincidentally I'm making a stam sorc aha. I noticed on the character creation that they have each alliance symbol on the bodymarking section, I'm clicking randomize body until i get one with a symbol and choose that. I was just wondering if lore wise they leaned more towards one alliance

I think the idea is that with the Imperial Legions either scattered, corrupted by Molag Bal in the Imperial City, or following some not-very-loyal-to-the-empire Tharn scions in the alliance zones, most Imperials have fled Cyrodiil and joined up with one of the alliances that isn't ruled by a bunch of Molag Bal cultists like the current Empire.

So lore-wise, they don't lean more towards one alliance or the other. Its pretty much whatever you want to do.

MythicEmperor

If I were an Imperial, I’d give the Dominion a pass. No real reason to fight for elves and cats. The Pact is unstable; Imperials like order. Given that the Covenant sees itself as the continuation of the Reman Dynasty (http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:True_Heirs_of_the_Empire), it would make the best fit.

tyjoie

Pretty much the only faction an imperial may shy away from is the Aldmeri Dominion. They would probobly find more camaraderie among the Bretons or Nords than anyone else, with the AD missing any sort of human. However, this would again depend on whether you were to care to make a distinction between Nibenese and Colovian imperials, as Colovians have quite a bit of history with the Bosmer, however it's mainly with them being one of the groups vying for control over areas Reapers March.

WildRaptorX

Lore wise and goal wise they would side with the Daggerfall Covent.

Alliance goals:
Daggerfall covenant - Restore the empire to how it was before the Daedric invasion (We can guess that this is what the imperials want most)

Ebonheartpact - Idependent states. Example: The high king of Skyrim is the ruler of Skyrim, not the emperor. But the 10 races would join forces if the akaviri invaded for example. (Similar to the stormcloak ideologies in Skyrim)

Aldmeri Dominion: Wants eleves to rule and for a high elf to be on the ruby throne

I’m an Imperial and I’m in EP because I think independence is better and EP has a mix off all races. Human,Elf and Beast unlike the others.

The_Smilemeister

One thing for certain is that the least likely alliance an Imperial would join is the Aldmeri Dominion.

Any Imperial with an ounce of respect towards themselves, their people, and their Nedic and Cyro-Nordic predecesors will know that elven rule can only lead to the suffering of all non elves and the subjugation of humanity on Tamriel.

As for the Covenant and the Pact, it really does depend on personal belief. There are many reasons to join one or avoid one.

Daggerfall Covenant

Pros:
• Aim to restore the Empire
• Better trade relations
• Similarities between Breton and Imperial cultures and origins
• Predominantly human and opposed to elven rule

Cons:
• Very little contact and weak Breton/Imperial relations despite similarities
• Equally weak relations with Redguards and Orcs
• Lack of previous experience with empires
• Efforts to reform the Empire are a failed cause to begin with as a new one will eventually take its place

Ebonheart Pact

Pros:
• Strong ties between the Imperials and Nords
• Formidable military might
• Equally opposed to elven dominance
• A more realistic and justifiable cause

Cons:
• Poor relations with Dark Elves and Argonians, and arguably worse than their Covenant counterparts
• Absence of a long term vision for the future
• No ambition to forge a new empire despite the Nord's previous experience with one
• A rather hypocritical view regarding the sovereignty of Cyrodiil

These factors aside, even the type of Imperial you want to be may ultimately affect your choice of alliance.

Nibenese bankers, traders, politicians and nobles may be enticed by their Breton counterparts to join the Covenant. Colovian adventurers, hunters, sailors and warriors may join their Nordic cousins and fight for the Pact. Then again, a Nibenese wizard seeking isolation may prefer the fiercely independence nature of the Pact whilst a Colovian warlord may take advantage of the Covenant's war effort to advance their own careers and earn high positions and greater powers in the reformed empire.

At the end of the day, it's your decision. You won't stand out like a sore thumb in either alliance in comparison to the Dominion.

huschdeguddzje

MythicEmperor wrote: »

If I were an Imperial, I’d give the Dominion a pass. No real reason to fight for elves and cats. The Pact is unstable; Imperials like order. Given that the Covenant sees itself as the continuation of the Reman Dynasty (http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:True_Heirs_of_the_Empire), it would make the best fit.

I think the pact is way more stable than the covenant. The bretons can't even keep their own people together

OfTheEight

I think it would depend if your planning on roleplaying with your character and what realm your buddies are in. As well as PvP battles and what realm you buddies are in as well.