New Player - Just Saying Hi!

Shogun

Downloading the game now - it's freaking huge. I played the beta very briefly and was entirely turned off by it. However, it has now been several years and I've been looking for something to play, since WoW has pretty much jumped ship. From what I've seen, they've done some great stuff with this game - and they've created Morrowind again!

I have no idea where to start or what to do - but I'm looking forward to jumping in. I have no idea what class to play - I'm hoping there's a ranger type of class, and I'm hoping Mages are fun. I've seen some videos of people pulling off some crazy spell casting that looks interesting.

I went ahead and went with the Collector's version that comes with pretty much everything they've done to this point. From what I understand, I can even go to Morrowind from the get go and level up there?

TheCyberDruid

It depends on which collector's edition you bought. ESO's Morrowind/Vvardenfell is pretty different from TES3's version of it, but it does tick a good amount of boxes. ESO has changed a lot and if you didn't like the beta there's a good chance that things are much more to your liking now.

Shogun

It's called ESO Collection. Comes with the base games, two expansions, and a bunch of DLC.

TheCyberDruid

Ah, okay. There's a good thread about what it includes and what not: https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/420197/does-the-collection-edition-have-all-dlcs

Shogun

Thanks! Glad I didn't buy it on steam! Thought about it, but that would have meant installing Steam again, which I didn't want to do.

Aurie

Welcome, @Shogun !

Hope you have a lot of fun this time round

Shogun

Hopefully I get to play some time!

I went to bed with like 5GB of download left - woke up and it said the launcher crashed - and now it's redownloading the ENTIRE 55GB again! Why does it not save your download progress!?! This is ridiculous.

kadochka

Shogun wrote: »

Hopefully I get to play some time!

I went to bed with like 5GB of download left - woke up and it said the launcher crashed - and now it's redownloading the ENTIRE 55GB again! Why does it not save your download progress!?! This is ridiculous.

It's a bit annoying when it happens, but just try, try again! hope it all goes well! Welcome (back) to the game!

SHADOW2KK

Welcomes

RABIDxWOLVERINE

Hi new player! Welcome

tinythinker

Shogun wrote: »

Downloading the game now - it's freaking huge. I played the beta very briefly and was entirely turned off by it. However, it has now been several years and I've been looking for something to play, since WoW has pretty much jumped ship. From what I've seen, they've done some great stuff with this game - and they've created Morrowind again!

I have no idea where to start or what to do - but I'm looking forward to jumping in. I have no idea what class to play - I'm hoping there's a ranger type of class, and I'm hoping Mages are fun. I've seen some videos of people pulling off some crazy spell casting that looks interesting.

I went ahead and went with the Collector's version that comes with pretty much everything they've done to this point. From what I understand, I can even go to Morrowind from the get go and level up there?

Hello.

No ranger class per se. Weapons aren't tied to classes, so any of them can use dual swords or daggers with a bow. All classes can focus on magicka (spellcaster, healer), stamina (physical damage dealer), or health (tank). Most weapon skills are stamina, but not all. Most class skills are magicka, but not all, and you unlock lots of other skills besides.

For a stealthy ranger: stamina nightblade.

For a nature-magic ranger: stamina warden

I guess those are the closest to that traditional class fantasy.




For less traditional variants...

shock/thunder-ranger: stamina sorcerer

For melee-fire ranger (is that a thing??): stam dragonknight

For sun-magic ranger: stamina templar



For classic "mage": magicka sorcerer



You can find lots of builds here, on Reddit, on Youtube, and at some popular build sites to get you started based on what sounds most like what you are looking for.


Or ask on the build forums -- like, "Advise for dual wield/bow build for wardens?"


Good luck. Have fun!

Shogun

Thanks for the posts!

I finally got into it, just for a couple of minutes. Man, am I ever lost! I created a Breton Sorcerer and I'm running around by some water talking to people.

I have no idea what to even do! I'll have to check out some stuff.

Something also throwing me off is the crazy stats I start out with. I'm used to a game where you start out with say 100 mana or something; small numbers. I have something like 11k mana already and some crazy looking armor. I'm wondering what's up with that!

Anyway. Bed time - but I'm going to have to do a lot of exploring and figuring out what is going on!

tinythinker

Shogun wrote: »

Thanks for the posts!

I finally got into it, just for a couple of minutes. Man, am I ever lost! I created a Breton Sorcerer and I'm running around by some water talking to people.

I have no idea what to even do! I'll have to check out some stuff.

Something also throwing me off is the crazy stats I start out with. I'm used to a game where you start out with say 100 mana or something; small numbers. I have something like 11k mana already and some crazy looking armor. I'm wondering what's up with that!

Anyway. Bed time - but I'm going to have to do a lot of exploring and figuring out what is going on!

LEVELING

It used to be zones were staggered. Like one part of a base-game zone was scaled from level this to to level that, and so on. So it got harder as you followed the story throughout the zone. And then off to the next zone for more of the story and more progression in mob and quest difficulty. Your stats were crap until you leveled enough and improved your gear.

When they introduced One Tamriel a couple of years ago, they wanted people to be able to go anywhere in any order, including new zones from DLC and Chapters people could buy. So scaling was more or less equalized for open world across the game. But lower level characters have fewer skills and cool bonuses from gear sets, so you get your stats auto-buffed to make you competitive.

As you get closer to and reach level 50 that wears off. Gear bonuses, which are always important, become even more so, or you will get relatively weak. You have to now use skill and better gear to fill in for the auto-bonus. Plus you also use Champion Points, a secondary progression system, to fill in that gap. You earn those at level 50 by gaining experience. Once you hit Champion Rank 160 you will be at gear level cap, so when you craft or farm new weapons and armor you don't have to replace it anymore with higher item level pieces. Though you may decide to try other gear sets.


QUESTING/ADVENTURING


In terms of adventuring, you can go anywhere in the open world to explore and quest. Some instanced content will be closed to you until your character is more powerful. If you have a sub you can go to the zones released as DLC. Alternatively you can purchase those DLC if you don't sub and want to try something new. Chapters are supersized DLC (not actual expansions) that even subs must buy to play (until after a newer chapter is released). Yet even with no sub, no DLC, and no chapters there is a ton of stuff to do. If you are an Elder Scrolls fan go see the places you loved in other games. If you are new to this gaming world go out and find something cool to do.

Click below for additional detailed guide on using the optional/original questing sequence as well as a sequential list of content released since the base-game:

In terms of playing "the original way" (the original way is NOT REQUIRED) for you or any new player who is curious and who has purchased and made to start in the zone of a chapter like Morrowind or Summerset, you would take an NPC boat or get a friendly player to take you to a zone like Auridon, Glenumbra, or Stonefalls (other base game zone may work as well? not sure?). A mysterious Hooded Figure will approach you on the docks. Follow that person and it will start the game's main questline. That will take you to a new zone for a brief adventure that used to be a tutorial, then you will be dropped onto the starter island for your faction (Khenarthi's Roost for AD, Stros M'kai for DC, or Bleakrock Isle for EP). You will there pick up a faction questline that you can follow from the starter island(s) to the five main zones of your faction while simultaneously doing the main storyline for the game. Eventually both of those storylines will end in far-off place, leaving you with lots of options for what to do next.

Again, the above paragraph isn't how you have to play, it's just how the base-game and its storylines work, so that's the order that makes the most sense if you are trying to follow along. It will also give you chance after you complete the main storyline and your own faction's storyline to have a lore-based excuse for doing the storylines of the other two factions. But again, with One Tamriel you can just go to another faction's zones anyway whenever you like so it isn't necessary to follow the original pathway.

(FYI Craglorn was a zone you originally did after completing your Alliance zones that was partly released early on and finished a few months after game launch -- it was the last part of the original game release. Similar to the post-base game zones that would follow with the introduction of DLC, it is self-contained in its story and questing.)

The release of new content after base game so far has been:

• The Imperial City - new zone (PvE + PvP)
  
• Orsinium - new large zone
  
• Thieve's Guild - new zone
  
• Dark Brotherhood - new zone
  
• Shadows of the Hist - new dungeons
  
• Morrowind - new large zone
  
• Horns of the Reach - new dungeons
  
• Clockwork City - new zone
  
• Dragon Bones - new dungeons
  
• Summerset - new large zone
  
• Wolfhunter - new dungeons
  
• Murkmire - new zone (just released on October 22nd, 2018 for PC)

Again, these all have self-contained stories so you can do them in any order or not at all. Some NPCs from the base-game will have a line or two of dialogue "recognizing" you if you met them in the base-game quests but that's it. Technically there is a story arc that spans the very last dialogue of Orsnium, gets going in Morrowind, heats up in Clockwork City, and ends in Summerset. So that sequence makes the most sense for those zones. BUT, they made it so you can still play those zones in any order.

There is also PvE and PvP in the Cyrodiil zone (released with the original base-game), which you can access starting at level 10. It's basically a PvP map for siege warfare, open world battles, etc., but it is stocked with PvE quests and objectives as well. You can also try Battlegrounds (added later to the base-game) at level 10 for a faster, briefer, smaller PvP experience.

Shogun

Thank you very much for taking the time to put that all down. Going to jump back in now, have a look around and figure out where to head!

The leveling thing makes sense. The only MMO I've really put time into is WoW, so I have big time tunnel vision in the genre, and trying out a different one is throwing me off! I did play LoTRO for a fair bit, but I never really got into it. It never quite felt right.

Morrowind was my absolute favorite of the enter series, so I'm considering maybe doing some other stuff first to figure out how the game works and then head there when I feel more comfortable so I can enjoy exploring more, and not be distracted by figuring out how to play!

tinythinker

Shogun wrote: »

Morrowind was my absolute favorite of the enter series, so I'm considering maybe doing some other stuff first to figure out how the game works and then head there when I feel more comfortable so I can enjoy exploring more, and not be distracted by figuring out how to play!

Have fun

GreenhaloX

'Sup.. welcome and enjoy the game and experiences to follow. There will be bad and good, negative and positives, as we are all from different perspectives and background playing this game. There are saints and sinners, heroes and cowards, but, overall, just have fun and play the way you want to play. Don't let the poor others say otherwise or tried to bully you into what they want you to be or how they want you to play. . However, if it's a constructive and helpful means, please do listen. Otherwise, just enjoy the game.

Idinuse

Hey hey!

greenmachine

Welcome! Start researching crafting traits now, when you're almost done in a year you'll be glad you did.