I want the original Start Back

MrKit

Support told me to go to the forums to post feature requests. They said the devs read these things, and didn't say which ones the devs read, or which category to use, so here I go.

I want my original start back. Ever since the Morrowind chapter came out, my characters start in a different place than the original game, and of course, Summerset did it to us again. So, we paid more money and lost the original opening. Why should we pay and lose stuff we really love?

I am an original player of The Elder Scrolls Online, with you since at least the beta. I checked. My Elder Scrolls Online account predates the official release of the game.

The game started in The Wailing Prison. It is a fantastic beginning. It is awesome storytelling that really sets up the game. Kudos to the ones who created the original start.

When you have Morrowind and Summerset and do Soul Shriven in Couldharbour after starting in another location, it is not the same. For one thing, you miss doing the tutorial that was original. Also, having done this recently, several times with several new characters, much of that original content is missing. The tutorial cannot be played that was there and about half of the encounters are gone.

So devs, I BEG you to restore the original start for all players no matter what DLCs, chapter and expansions they have, including all the original content from The Wailing Prison. If you won't do that, please, please, please, at least make an option so we can start in Summerset, Morrowind or The Wailing Prison. None of those other origins feel right.

I feel like I am being punished for having spent more money. If I never bought Morrowind and Summerset (two excellent chapters with much to love), I would be starting every character in the original manner. I did buy them and they are great chapters. It's just that The Wailing Prison scenes set up the rest of the story and the game. They were created for that very purpose.

I have written about what a fantastic way The Elder Scrolls Online starts, waking up in a prison cell with the skeleton. You don't know how long you've been there. Was that a cellmate that you ate? Are you a cannibal? You are rescued by someone who tells you that you are dead and without a soul. Excellent. You take a little time to wonder whether she is crazy or telling the truth. Then you meet The Prophet.

This is THE start, not to be missed, and totally out of place if you start somewhere else and fast travel to a location based on your alliance after having created a character somewhere else and seen some of the rest of the world. Better to wake up in a prison right from the start. It's what the devs originally intended and they were right.

Here's the deal. I promise to keep buying the chapters and to travel to them and see what they have to offer, and really enjoy them, if you promise to restore a way to start in The Wailing Prison, either by default or as an option.

NuclearSqworms

So I just returned after leaving during beta. After finishing Summerset, I was given an invitation that leads you right back into losing your soul in the Wailing Prison.

So it isn't completely missing. You will get an invite, then smacked on the head and stabbed through the heart and wake up in the prison. Just a FYI in case you didnt know.

idk

NuclearSqworms wrote: »

So I just returned after leaving during beta. After finishing Summerset, I was given an invitation that leads you right back into losing your soul in the Wailing Prison.

So it isn't completely missing. You will get an invite, then smacked on the head and stabbed through the heart and wake up in the prison. Just a FYI in case you didnt know.

Yes, they did the same thing for Morrowind.

Knootewoot

If you talk to the hooded figure, you will be dragged to the wailing prison and start in the cell like the original.

I must say, i liked the beta wailing prison better then the new one. One parr was the cave with the scaffolding you had to run over wirh some skellies. The new tutorial there where you lock in place if something happens and you need to do something i really don't like.

Betsararie

He has a point the wailing prison start was the best start by far

davey1107

You will get an invite, then smacked on the head and stabbed through the heart and wake up in the prison

OR as we say in West Hollywood, “Thursday”

LittlePinkDot

I dont understand how it can really make sense to start in summerset. If you beat clockwork city after summerset, isnt sotha sil still going to say theres a daedric threat to summerset even though you already beat them?

MLGProPlayer

Blanco wrote: »

He has a point the wailing prison start was the best start by far

And the only one that made sense in the context of the story.

Vuldovahkriid

Personally it wouldn't make sense to have Wailing Prison/Main Quest/(Orsinium even) start, after you've completed Morrowind/Clockwork City/Summerset.

***Minor spoilers***

Since Varen return's at the end of Orsinium(I never did Orsinium before the Main Quest, so idk if he says anything differently) , and warns of the coming Daedric War: "A great war is coming. A war between the forces of Oblivion. The Daedric Princes are choosing sides. The great deceiver, the sewer of discord, and the patron of darkness plot a great deception."

So why would we get a prophecy, if we already fulfilled it?

MrKit

Okay, some of you missed my point. You CAN seek the nearest wayshrine when you start a new character, and, depending on your alliance, you travel to a location, talk to a hooded figure and wind up going to the Wailing Prison. So, what's wrong with that? You still miss the original tutorial, which was way better, IMHO, than the Morrowind or Summerset ones, and you also miss about half of what we played in the beta and original launches of the "Soul Shriven in Cold Harbour" quest. So, even if you do your best to go play this content, much of it is missing, and it doesn't make sense because it was designed as the start of the ESO game and works best only as the start.

I learned this when I was beta-testing Summerset. I had a level sixteen character. he had already been called "soulless" by several NPCs even though he had not been through the original quest, so he had no idea why people kept saying he had no soul. The game does expect that you have done "Soul Shriven in Couldharbour" whether you actually have or haven't. Doing it at level 16 made no sense storywise.

So, because some of you seem to think I didn't know this, I'll give you the chart. Based on your alliance, I'll tell you where to go to find the Hooded Figure to start the original Main Quest. Still, it will feel out of place, but do it as early in the game as you can manage. Try not to take any other quests or talk to any other NPCs once you emerge into the world, and it will be as natural as possible until what time, if any, that they restore, the natural order of things.

First is the alliance, second is the location to find the Hooded figure and the third is the location as it shows up in the Wyshrine at the start of the game.

Ebonheart Pact : Davon's Watch via Stonefalls
Daggerfall Covenant : Daggerfall via Glenumbra
Aldmeri Dominion : Vulkhel Guard via Auridon

So, I do know how to play what scant is left of the original start. You create a character, play the tutorial or not. When you start in the game world, make a beeline for the nearest wayshrine, talking to absolutely no one. This is for immersion purposes so that you don't know the world and take on a lot of quests. Using the chart, if you are Ebonheart pact, you go to a wayshrine, click on the Stonefalls map and travel to the Davon's Watch wayshrine. When the game updates, a Hooded figure will approach you and the Main Quest will begin. You will then play a stripped-down version of "Soul Shriven in Cold Harbour," which is the original beginning of The Elder Scrolls Online, and the reason people tell you that you have no soul.

It can be done. It just doesn't FIT well. It would be much better to restore the lost content and at LEAST make an OPTION to start the original way.

I think the devs are so excited about their new chapters and want them tested prerelease that they create new starts and then leave them in so that people who buy them instantly see something new when they start new characters. It is a WOW factor that definitely pays off. But many of us geezers who have been around a while remember the good old days of a beginning that made sense, was colorful and had the best start to the game. We shouldn't be forced to give that up because we bought more chapters.

Gprime31

They may read these things but then totally ignore them

Sengra

There should be a choice, nothing more, nothing less. While I'm not a great fan of the main story, the intro in Coldharbor is where you start bonding with Lyris (your first actual mission is to save her, remember?) and where you meet Cadwell and the prophet. To think that new people don't have the opportunity to experience that at all just sucks.

fredrum

I'd love to choose between the three beginnings when creating a new character, or even if it randomly rolled one of the three.

logarifmik

When Morrowind chapter came up, I wrote a post about the same subject as well. Nothing changed so far.

MrKit

logarifmik wrote: »

When Morrowind chapter came up, I wrote a post about the same subject as well. Nothing changed so far.

I didn't know you wrote that, as I didn't read every forum post before writing mine. I actually posted simply because the support people said they couldn't pass along suggestions, and that the devs read the forums. If I wanted to post suggestions for a better ESO, I would have to post them in the forums.

I SHOULD have started with the suggestion that support be more user-friendly and be allowed to pass suggestions they receive along to the devs.

Still, I started a Nord character tonight. I had to slide around NPCs, find a Wayshrine, travel to Davon's Watch, and talk to a Hooded Figure in order to start the Main Quest. Even so, at least half the original content was missing, like most of the enemies you face once you are SPOILER ALERT hanging with The Prophet before you leave for Tamriel. So, even going and artificially forcing the Soul Shrive in Cold Harbour quest feels a lot less satisfying than just playing the original way.

Hello Devs. Hear us roar! We love your original beginning. We pay for the game and then most of us pay to play it. We put food on your tables. Let us, the consumers, the ones who put shoes on your children's feet, have our original, full, start back, either as an option or GASP the default setting.

MrKit

Actually, in order to create the Nord character, I had to pay out some Crowns for a new character slot, to which I also object strongly, and then come up with a clever name and then create the actual player character. I also did the tutorial. When he was ready to enter the game world, I looked up where his Alliance starts the Main Quest. Being a Nord, he best fit the Ebonheart Pact. So, I ducked down and ran for the nearest Wayshrine, ignoring all the NPCs that were coming up to me, begging me to help them out and start the Main Quests and Side Quests of the Summerset chapter expansion. I pulled up Stonefalls on the Wayshrine and then clicked on the Davon's Watch Wayshrine of the Stonefalls map. Upon arriving in Davon's Watch, the game kind of hiccupped and then when it seemed to calm down, a Hooded Figure approached. I spoke to her in order to start the Main Quest, find out where to go in order to wind up in The Wailing Prison so I could experience about half of the original start. I have never worked this hard to get arrested in a game or in reality in my life.

essi2

Am I having some sort of weird amnesia? What is the half of the original start you are missing?

Vahrokh

essi2 wrote: »

Am I having some sort of weird amnesia? What is the half of the original start you are missing?

The original quest had more stuff to do, more monsters to kill, different beginner weapon tutorial and other.

Anzaman

I ran the original tutorial (Prison) as I returned from couple years break earlier.

Decided to buy expansions, made myself Warden and got the new Summerset -tutorial instead. Did that, after I got out of the tutorial zone teleported to where I would have normally landed, progressed until I got to Davon's Watch and got greeted by hooded figure.

Went to quest location she offered, got original cutscene and found myself in Wailing Prison and whole thing was exact same as my character before purchasing expansions.

Only thing that seems different is the timing for it.. also my character was way overpowered for that zone with gear and abilities unlocked, but eeh..? Now (with different start) you could have some sort of played RP-backstory for your character, what s/he did before s/he was chosen to be sacrificed. Say example you helped bunch of people escape from island and made some significant impact on the course of events, this could draw attention to you.

Tho, I understand if people wish to have more open start for them and honestly you should have option offered out of any three (+) starts game has for offer. They already have window asking if you want to skip tutorial if you have already completed it before, wouldn't really be that complicated to have option there to choose starting point as well.

ADarklore

I think the new Summerset 'tutorial' is absolutely AWFUL in comparison to Morrowind's tutorial. I too wish there was an option to select which tutorial you want for a new character, especially considering how bad Summerset's tutorial is.

Violynne

The reason I dislike these new chapter starts is how they break the tradition of every Elder Scrolls game to start off from a prison. There's a reason we start off from a prison: it allows us to define our characters and who we want to be.

Perhaps RP allows us to be bad, and we continue being bad, or the experience has straightened us out to do good.

Stepping out and being hit with a world Domino Pizza would rip down in two seconds is jarring, and I didn't like it one bit.

Once I figured out how to start the "old start", I ran to the hooded figure as quickly as I could.

I didn't hit Morrowind until I was done with my starter areas, despite knowing I could go at any time.

Now that I've experienced Morrowind, I never, ever want to go back to this place ever again. Curse those surveys taking me back. Curse them all!

Hluill

I miss the original start as well. It defines and provides backstory to all that follow, especially mechanics. I also like how the expansions build on each other. Each one has its own baddie, it's own plot and subplots. It gets disjointed and broken when done out of order. Some of the characters and their roles don't make sense.

If my character doesn't start in Cold Harbor, or even go to Cold Harbor, is she soulless? Does she need skyshards then?

I enjoy the open world design of One Tameriel. I enjoy that the quests are on "iron rails" leading me through THE story. But, the way the stories interact should be cleaner. When I am in Sumerset, has Molag Baal been defeated? Maybe a little more insight into the myriad of Daedric schemes and plots would help. Maybe they are happening simultaneously.

It's tough to write linear stories in MMOs and maintain consistency.

MEBengalsFan2001

MrKit wrote: »

Support told me to go to the forums to post feature requests. They said the devs read these things, and didn't say which ones the devs read, or which category to use, so here I go.

I want my original start back. Ever since the Morrowind chapter came out, my characters start in a different place than the original game, and of course, Summerset did it to us again. So, we paid more money and lost the original opening. Why should we pay and lose stuff we really love?

I am an original player of The Elder Scrolls Online, with you since at least the beta. I checked. My Elder Scrolls Online account predates the official release of the game.

The game started in The Wailing Prison. It is a fantastic beginning. It is awesome storytelling that really sets up the game. Kudos to the ones who created the original start.

When you have Morrowind and Summerset and do Soul Shriven in Couldharbour after starting in another location, it is not the same. For one thing, you miss doing the tutorial that was original. Also, having done this recently, several times with several new characters, much of that original content is missing. The tutorial cannot be played that was there and about half of the encounters are gone.

So devs, I BEG you to restore the original start for all players no matter what DLCs, chapter and expansions they have, including all the original content from The Wailing Prison. If you won't do that, please, please, please, at least make an option so we can start in Summerset, Morrowind or The Wailing Prison. None of those other origins feel right.

I feel like I am being punished for having spent more money. If I never bought Morrowind and Summerset (two excellent chapters with much to love), I would be starting every character in the original manner. I did buy them and they are great chapters. It's just that The Wailing Prison scenes set up the rest of the story and the game. They were created for that very purpose.

I have written about what a fantastic way The Elder Scrolls Online starts, waking up in a prison cell with the skeleton. You don't know how long you've been there. Was that a cellmate that you ate? Are you a cannibal? You are rescued by someone who tells you that you are dead and without a soul. Excellent. You take a little time to wonder whether she is crazy or telling the truth. Then you meet The Prophet.

This is THE start, not to be missed, and totally out of place if you start somewhere else and fast travel to a location based on your alliance after having created a character somewhere else and seen some of the rest of the world. Better to wake up in a prison right from the start. It's what the devs originally intended and they were right.

Here's the deal. I promise to keep buying the chapters and to travel to them and see what they have to offer, and really enjoy them, if you promise to restore a way to start in The Wailing Prison, either by default or as an option.

We should be able to pick which intro we want to play if you own all three: Morrowind, Summerset and the main game. This way, we can decide where we start for our characters and it gives us more options, which is never a bad thing.

I personally like current one, it is much shorter but I do miss the original intro vs. the new one.

Ilithyania

agree. Wailing Prison then either Bleakrock, Stros Mkai, Auridon was a great start.

Morrowind and Summerset are kinda too large and overwhelming for new players.

Ajaxandriel

Even if I disliked the original start...

Yes we should have a menu to chose Original / Morrowind /Summerset start and tutorial

josiahva

I agree, there needs to be an option to start chronologically at the beginning, instead of Morrowind or Summerset, or rather I should say that default should be soul shriven in coldharbor...with the OPTION of starting in Morrowind or Summerset

Farscape76

I think the ability to choose our opening would be ideal.

That being said the only real reason I would start with Cold Harbor over the others would be nostalgia.
Tutorials are just supposed to show you the basics and turn you loose. All three do that. I don't see a measurable difference in the three openings in this regard.

From a RP perspective it makes a certain kind of sense to me that your character has adventured and made a bit of a name for themselves before hitting Cold Harbor. The idea being that this adventuring is what brought you onto Mannimarco's radar in the first place.

blacksghost

The Summerset start is so much more about mechanics than previous starts. Which in its self is okay but the original had story it made you feel part of the story. Now it reminds you it’s all only a game.

Robo_Hobo

I feel sorry for all those new players playing through Summerset, meeting all these recurring characters, and even the big return of

Darien, who they won't care about because they never met him before, only to see him end up dead again in the end, sorta

and then be confused when they see him again either in the Daggerfall Zones, or Coldharbour, not remembering them at all.

Meeting all those characters I'd missed was a big part of my enjoyment for the story, and I think it is for a lot who enjoyed those characters, but the game kinda throws you in the direction to have the story mean the least to you.

lionofjudah7

MrKit wrote: »

logarifmik wrote: »

When Morrowind chapter came up, I wrote a post about the same subject as well. Nothing changed so far.

I didn't know you wrote that, as I didn't read every forum post before writing mine. I actually posted simply because the support people said they couldn't pass along suggestions, and that the devs read the forums. If I wanted to post suggestions for a better ESO, I would have to post them in the forums.

I SHOULD have started with the suggestion that support be more user-friendly and be allowed to pass suggestions they receive along to the devs.

Still, I started a Nord character tonight. I had to slide around NPCs, find a Wayshrine, travel to Davon's Watch, and talk to a Hooded Figure in order to start the Main Quest. Even so, at least half the original content was missing, like most of the enemies you face once you are SPOILER ALERT hanging with The Prophet before you leave for Tamriel. So, even going and artificially forcing the Soul Shrive in Cold Harbour quest feels a lot less satisfying than just playing the original way.

Hello Devs. Hear us roar! We love your original beginning. We pay for the game and then most of us pay to play it. We put food on your tables. Let us, the consumers, the ones who put shoes on your children's feet, have our original, full, start back, either as an option or GASP the default setting.

Optional would be amazing

Orange_fire_dragon

I would like the option to choose between beginnings when making a new toon and the main menu songs shuffling, sometimes it is the new Summerset song, sometimes it is the original ESO theme and sometimes that Morrowind song.