PvPvE during the Imperial City Celebration, 2019
VaranisArano
✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭
The Imperial City Celebration opens up all of the Imperial City DLC Content for players from September 5-16th, offers a maximum of 2 Event Tickets per day, and makes the Imperial City DLC free for all players through the Crown Store!
https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/56931
The Imperial City DLC consists of two portions of content:
1. Two PVE Dungeons: White Gold Tower & Imperial City Prison
2. Imperial City, a Player vs Player vs Environment (PvPvE) zone with a main quest, patrolling bosses, dailies, and fully-enabled PvP.
2 Tickets can be earned once per day from one of the following activities:
Make sure you have less than 12 tickets before you do either of those activities!
If you don't want to do PvP at all, you can run the two PVE dungeons, White Gold Tower and Imperial City Prison.
But if you want the Imperial City zone rewards, you are going to have to enter a PvP-enabled zone during the busiest time of the year.
I'm going to assume that the PVE-only option of completing either of the Imperial City Group Dungeons is well-covered by a plethora of better dungeon-oriented guides, wikis, and youtube videos, so I shan't try to cover that ground again.
Instead, I'd like to focus mostly on the aspect of Imperial City that I see most players struggling with during past events: playing in a PvPvE zone.
What is a PvPvE zone?
Imperial City has a variety of threats. Some are NPCs: the wandering district or sewer boss monsters, the minibosses and mobs scattered about, and the enemies you'll fight while questing. Some are enemy players: anywhere outside of your home base, the safe area when transiting, and a few quest or crafting related buildings, you can be attacked or attack enemy players.
Imperial City is a part of the PvP Alliance War, just like the rest of Cyrodiil, so Alliances do matter. You will gain AP and can complete "Kill X Players" style quests by killing players who are not of your alliance, just as they can do the same to you. All three Alliances have home bases in the Imperial City Sewers with two districts each that have passages that are closer to their home base if you need to escape. Like objectives in Cyrodiil, Imperial City districts are "owned" by certain alliances via control of the flag at the innermost point of the district. If your alliance owns the district, you receive a buff to Tel Var gains and you can respawn at your safe point there. If you alliance does not own the district, you will be attacked by the NPC flag guards if you get too close to the flag.
Tel Var is the special currency of Imperial City. It can be obtained from killing NPCs, opening chests, turning in quests, or taken from players you have killed. The amount you gain increases by a multiplier based on how much Tel Var you are currently carrying, but is also split evenly between the members of your group or the players who attack the boss. When you die to either an NPC or another player, you lose half of your current load of Tel Var and get the choice of where to respawn. If you kill a player, you gain half of their currently carried Tel Var. (Note: when Imperial City launched, this used to be an 80% loss to a player and 10% to an NPC, but that led to an obvious tactic for Tel Var farming, and so it was changed. Learn more about the original design here: https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/25395 )
As an Alliance War zone, Imperial City does not allow normal fast travel methods. There are no wayshrines. To enter, you need to queue up via the Alliance War tab. To leave, you need to return to your home base in the Sewers either by traveling there through the sewers or. When you die, you cannot respawn in place; instead you will be given options for where to respawn or an ally can resurrect you. You can buy a "Sigil of Imperial Retreat" from your home base for AP that is a one time use item that will teleport you straight to your Alliance Home Base - ideal for getting a large haul of Tel Var to the bank safely without having to brave the Sewers.
In short, if you queue up for the Imperial City, come prepared for these things:
Be prepared to fight enemy players and Alliance War NPCs
be prepared to fight tough daedric minibosses and mobs
Be prepared to fight both at once
Be prepared to gain and lose your Tel Var
Be prepared to try, and die, and try again, and die again, and keep trying.
General PvPvE Tips for players who aren't experienced PvPers
Imperial City PvP is built around the risk/reward mechanic of Tel Var Currency and the close quarters combat of urban fighting. There are lots of choke points and spots that reward players who are willing to patiently wait for weaker, isolated players to come to them - i.e. IC is a ganker's paradise. Ganking is a playstyle of PvP that is entirely playing as intended, allowed, and encouraged by the design of the Imperial City.
In addition, Imperial City attracts a lot of small and large groups who farm during its Celebration, and most won't think twice about running down solo players or other groups of enemy alliances. Again, its a PvPvE zone, and that's intended, allowed, and encouraged behavior.
What can you do about that?
Come prepared. Just like you would prepare for a tough bit of PvE content, prepare for the unique challenges of the Imperial City. Here's some specific ways:
Finally...look, this has to be said.
You won't survive every battle. Even experienced PvPers don't survive every battle.
Sometimes the odds aren't in your favor.
Sometimes the other guy(s) are just better.
Sometimes you make a mistake and it costs you dearly.
The real key to PvP is perseverance and practice. Its the acceptance that you will die, you will lose progress, and yet you will get up and try again.
If that's not your cup of tea, I highly recommend that you approach Imperial City PvPvE with care. The whole zone is built around the risk/reward of losing progress if you die. If that's going to be immensely frustrating, be aware of that and don't make yourself miserable trying to do content that you just don't find fun. The above advice can help, but it cannot guarantee that you will be successful.
Okay, now I hate PvPvE. Can I still get Event tickets?
Yes, as long as you are okay with defeating the final boss of the group dungeon White Gold Tower or Imperial City Prison. Those are DLC dungeons, so they are more mechanics-intensive than the base game dungeons. If you aren't familiar with them, its worth looking up the basics of the mechanics with whatever style of guide you prefer.
Hint: have extra lockpicks on hand for White Gold Tower.
I hate dungeons and PvPvE. Can I still get Event Tickets this event?
Nope. Gotta do one or the other. Or buy them. Welcome to ZOS' wonderful world of events, where they get you to do all sorts of content in pursuit of shiny rewards. You'll have to wait till the 4th event of Quarter 3, and hope its not the PTS-tested Dungeon Event.
Now for the Imperial City PvPvE Event Ticket Activities:
ZOS' official post says "Slaying a patrolling monster in the Imperial City streets or mini-boss within the Imperial City sewers."
ZOS has now clarified that this means killing a Patrolling Horror or one of the Coldharbor Elite Guard.
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/492217/official-discussion-thread-for-get-the-imperial-city-dlc-free-earn-bonus-reward
According to players, the marked bosses in the sewers ALSO drop Event Tickets, but you MUST loot the tickets.
These bosses are marked in the sewers by Crossed Sword symbols.
The closest ones to your Alliance home base are:
EP - Wadracki
DC - Gati
AD - Hsu-hakan
As with other bosses, I recommend a group. Personally, I could solo most of the marked bosses, but you'll want protection from enemy players.
Slay a patrolling monster within Imperial City
Kill a Patrolling Horror. Each of the Imperial City Districts has a patrolling boss called a Patrolling Horror with a difficultly equal to or greater than a base game World Boss. There are two specific to each district, but only one will patrol at a time in that district. As with many world boss types, the difficulty varies. Unlike world bosses, the Patrolling Horrors are not leashed, so if one begins chasing you, you cannot escape by outrunning it (though you can have great fun by aggroing the Patrolling Horror and leading it to a large group of enemy players). They are designed to be defeated by groups, but of course players can solo them. During non-Celebration gameplay, its typical to tackle them in a rotation through the districts, but in my experience that goes out the window during the Celebration.
List of Patrolling Horrors: https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Patrolling_Horrors
Slay a mini-boss within the Imperial City sewers.
Kill a member of the Coldharbor Elite Guard. The Sewers have their own version of wandering, unleashed bosses in the form of the Coldharbor Elite Guard. These are Xivkyn Generals of Molag Bal who wear large Blue or Red banners on their backs and can suppress stealth in their vicinity. Blue banners indicate stamina-based generals, while Red banners are the more powerful magicka-based generals. They are about the same difficulty at the Patrolling Horrors. There are 9 generals up at any one time, 3 in each alliance territory. Be prepared to fight these generals in very close quarters in the sewer tunnels.
List of the Coldharbor Elite Guard and their Locations: https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Coldharbour_Elite_Guard
Special Note:The Patrolling Horrors and the Coldharbor Elite Guard split their large Tel Var reward between everyone who attacked them, just like every other mob in IC. So if you've jumped in to "help" someone fighting one of the bosses and they get angry with you, understand that its because now the Tel Var reward is split between you. Now, I'm of the opinion that during an Event, people jumping in to kill the bosses is to be expected, but not everyone may feel that way. So if someone does get angry, at least you know why.
Other Imperial City Activities
Main Quest
The Main Quest starts when you talk to the Drake of Blades in your Home Base and agree to help her uncover Molag Bal's plot. You will complete quests in each other six districts. Be prepared that only a few locations in buildings are safe areas while you talk to quest NPCs - most of the places you need to go are completely open for PvP. You will also need to return to the your Home Base after each quest, so its wise to buy Sigils of Imperial Retreat, or else brave the journey back through the districts/sewers.
In my opinion, this is an excellent quest that serves as a fitting end to the Planemeld arc.
Special Notes:
The Temple District quest has a daedric titan boss who may prove difficult to solo.
The Arena District quest has a multistage boss fight that may prove very difficult to solo. In addition, there is an achievement for killing enemy players within the Arena, so be prepared to deal with enemy players at the same time.
Alliance War Quests
You can pick up Scouting Quests in your Home Base that ask you to travel to the district and mark your symbol on the wall of your rally point and return. If you already own the district, its as easy as popping out at the respawn point, marking the wall, and then heading out to fight.
You can pick up Killing Quests in your Home Base that ask you to "Kill 20 Players" or "Kill 20 Nightblades" etc.
Daily Quests
Once you have completed the Main Quest, a daily quest becomes available in each District. These quests involve the war against Molag Bal and Legion Zero, but since they take place in the PvPvE zones of the districts, you will likely fight enemy players as well.
Defeat Molag Bal's Simulacrum within the deepest reaches of the Imperial City Sewers.
The Barathrum Centrata event in which your group summons and kills the Simulacrum of Molag Bal takes place at the center of the Sewers where all three Alliance paths converge. You will need to close portals, the final wave of which will summon more of the Coldharbor Elite Guard and then kill Molag Bal's Simulacrum.
You will want a group to do this with you as the portals do have a timer and enemy alliances will also be trying to defeat the Simulacrum to get tickets and the rewards.
Important Note: due to how ESO' loot rules work, only 12 players will get loot . From past events, players have found it doesn't matter how much DPS you do as long as you do at least 3% to get credit for the fight as the loot appears to be random between the group members present. If there are more an 12 players present, be prepared that not all players will get loot rewards from the event. (Yes, this sucks. No, ZOS hasn't changed it.)
Tel Var Farming
Many players focus on farming Tel Var during the Imperial City Celebration since Tel Var gains are doubled. There's no one way to go about it, only whatever way you think best.
Farming in districts you own grants a 33% bonus to Tel Var drops.
NPCs and Players split their stones between the attacking group. Groups are good for protection, but the larger the group, the less Tel Var each individual will get.
Gankers and Bombers will often focus on groups capturing the District Flags, since the risk/reward is very much in their favor even if they die.
If someone keeps killing you, move to another area. Sending toxic messages or begging them to leave you alone doesn't usually help. If you want to improve, asking them for advice sometimes works.
Sigils of Imperial Retreat are amazing if you don't want to carry your gains through the sewers each time you want to return to base.
In general, I would recommend that inexperienced players group up and return to the home base often to bank their rewards.
Other Useful Bits of Info
The nearest Districts to your Home Base, with the map of your sewer route back to base:
AD - Temple, Arboretum https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Irrigation_Tunnels
DC - Elven Gardens (much closer), Nobles District https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Lambent_Passage
EP - Arena, Memorial https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Harena_Hypogeum
District Info: https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Imperial_Districts
Sewer Info: https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Imperial_Sewers
Final Note:
I like PvP. I like PvE. I like PvPvE. I also recognize that learning to PvP or PvPvE is a steep learning curve that doesn't appeal to every player. Not every player is going to enjoy the Imperial City and that's okay.
If you know that the Imperial City is content that frustrates you, my advice to you is that you conquer the "Fear of Missing Out" that ZOS constantly leverages with these events and give the Imperial City portion of the Celebration a miss. If you are able, just don't subject yourself to something you don't enjoy in pursuit of some fleeting rewards. Leave Imperial City to those who enjoy it and run the PVE-only dungeons for your tickets. If you show up anyway, I'm going to ask exactly what result you expected from forcing yourself to do content you know you dislike.
On the other hand, it you aren't sure or you think you might enjoy Imperial City, give it a shot! The best thing you can do is come prepared for PvPvE, accept that you will die along with the rest of us and that's okay, and do your best to have fun as you experience what a busy, active Imperial City is like when its full of players!
I hope this helps players have fun in the Imperial City and to prepare for PvPvE!
And as always, if you spot an error or a correction that needs to be made, let me know! (Note: I'll be changing the section on IC Event Tickets once we either get clarification from ZOS or the IC event starts and we start killing things.)
Edited by VaranisArano on September 6, 2019 12:01AM https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/56931
The Imperial City DLC consists of two portions of content:
1. Two PVE Dungeons: White Gold Tower & Imperial City Prison
2. Imperial City, a Player vs Player vs Environment (PvPvE) zone with a main quest, patrolling bosses, dailies, and fully-enabled PvP.
2 Tickets can be earned once per day from one of the following activities:
- Defeating the final boss of either the Imperial City Prison dungeon or White-Gold Tower dungeon (PVE-Only group content)
- Slaying a patrolling monster in the Imperial City streets or mini-boss within the Imperial City sewers. (PvPvE content)
Make sure you have less than 12 tickets before you do either of those activities!
If you don't want to do PvP at all, you can run the two PVE dungeons, White Gold Tower and Imperial City Prison.
But if you want the Imperial City zone rewards, you are going to have to enter a PvP-enabled zone during the busiest time of the year.
I'm going to assume that the PVE-only option of completing either of the Imperial City Group Dungeons is well-covered by a plethora of better dungeon-oriented guides, wikis, and youtube videos, so I shan't try to cover that ground again.
Instead, I'd like to focus mostly on the aspect of Imperial City that I see most players struggling with during past events: playing in a PvPvE zone.
What is a PvPvE zone?
Imperial City has a variety of threats. Some are NPCs: the wandering district or sewer boss monsters, the minibosses and mobs scattered about, and the enemies you'll fight while questing. Some are enemy players: anywhere outside of your home base, the safe area when transiting, and a few quest or crafting related buildings, you can be attacked or attack enemy players.
Imperial City is a part of the PvP Alliance War, just like the rest of Cyrodiil, so Alliances do matter. You will gain AP and can complete "Kill X Players" style quests by killing players who are not of your alliance, just as they can do the same to you. All three Alliances have home bases in the Imperial City Sewers with two districts each that have passages that are closer to their home base if you need to escape. Like objectives in Cyrodiil, Imperial City districts are "owned" by certain alliances via control of the flag at the innermost point of the district. If your alliance owns the district, you receive a buff to Tel Var gains and you can respawn at your safe point there. If you alliance does not own the district, you will be attacked by the NPC flag guards if you get too close to the flag.
Tel Var is the special currency of Imperial City. It can be obtained from killing NPCs, opening chests, turning in quests, or taken from players you have killed. The amount you gain increases by a multiplier based on how much Tel Var you are currently carrying, but is also split evenly between the members of your group or the players who attack the boss. When you die to either an NPC or another player, you lose half of your current load of Tel Var and get the choice of where to respawn. If you kill a player, you gain half of their currently carried Tel Var. (Note: when Imperial City launched, this used to be an 80% loss to a player and 10% to an NPC, but that led to an obvious tactic for Tel Var farming, and so it was changed. Learn more about the original design here: https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/25395 )
As an Alliance War zone, Imperial City does not allow normal fast travel methods. There are no wayshrines. To enter, you need to queue up via the Alliance War tab. To leave, you need to return to your home base in the Sewers either by traveling there through the sewers or. When you die, you cannot respawn in place; instead you will be given options for where to respawn or an ally can resurrect you. You can buy a "Sigil of Imperial Retreat" from your home base for AP that is a one time use item that will teleport you straight to your Alliance Home Base - ideal for getting a large haul of Tel Var to the bank safely without having to brave the Sewers.
In short, if you queue up for the Imperial City, come prepared for these things:
Be prepared to fight enemy players and Alliance War NPCs
be prepared to fight tough daedric minibosses and mobs
Be prepared to fight both at once
Be prepared to gain and lose your Tel Var
Be prepared to try, and die, and try again, and die again, and keep trying.
General PvPvE Tips for players who aren't experienced PvPers
Imperial City PvP is built around the risk/reward mechanic of Tel Var Currency and the close quarters combat of urban fighting. There are lots of choke points and spots that reward players who are willing to patiently wait for weaker, isolated players to come to them - i.e. IC is a ganker's paradise. Ganking is a playstyle of PvP that is entirely playing as intended, allowed, and encouraged by the design of the Imperial City.
In addition, Imperial City attracts a lot of small and large groups who farm during its Celebration, and most won't think twice about running down solo players or other groups of enemy alliances. Again, its a PvPvE zone, and that's intended, allowed, and encouraged behavior.
What can you do about that?
Come prepared. Just like you would prepare for a tough bit of PvE content, prepare for the unique challenges of the Imperial City. Here's some specific ways:
- DO NOT assume or hope that enemy players will let you pass unharmed. Imperial City is a Player v Player v Environment zone and you are a fair target, just like they are a fair target to their enemy alliances. There is NO safe conduct for anyone in the Imperial City. Treat it like the War Zone that it is. You must be prepared for enemy players (or you must accept that by not preparing, you are preparing to die miserably.)
- Team up with other members of your alliance. There is strength in numbers. - fortunately, Imperial City is very busy during the Celebration, so you should be able to find other members of your alliance. Options for finding groups include: forming your own group before you queue for IC, ask if your guilds are running an IC group, asking in zone chat within your home base, or asking in zone chat in the sewers or districts. Having other players around makes you a less likely target for gankers or small groups and gives you a better chance of defeating the larger groups that come to farm the bosses or Molag Bal.
- Read up on the mechanics and maps of the Districts and Sewers beforehand like you would prepare for a new dungeon or trial. Going in blind can make for a great challenge, but it also makes things a lot harder than they need to be. If you need to refresh your memory, find an out of the way spot and sneak before you check your map.
- Build Tanky and Heal Proactively. Its tempting to build for the sort of PVE DPS you need to take on the bosses, but in reality, the enemy players are the greatest danger you will face. Building tanky will make you less of an obviously weak target for gankers and make fights more forgiving when you make mistakes. Healing proactively keeps you out of execute range. If you can, a cheap set of impenetrable gear can help against critical attacks and it will keep your gear repair needs low.
- If you are helping to capture a flag, hold block and be alert for bombers.
- If you are just standing around or need to check your map or bags, sneak and find an out of the way spot first.
- If a player keeps killing you or you see a large group coming, moving to a different area is often the better part of valor, unless you really like banging your head against a wall.
- Bring Invisibility Potions. If you can't fight the enemy, the best thing to do is sneak by them.
- Bring Detect Potions. Detecting a ganker or a bomber can give you precious reaction time in a fight.
- Bring Repair Kits. Your armor won't take damage from PvP deaths, but you'll fight enough daedra that your armor will get battered. Remember, you need to return to your home base to find an NPC who can repair it otherwise.
- Clear your inventory of unnecessary stuff. When I farm Tel Var, I pick up a bunch of useless junk in the process of killing NPCs, and its dangerous to have to stop in the middle of farming to clear space in my inventory if I decide "Oh, I actually want that motif I just got with a chest."
- Buy Sigils of Imperial Retreat. Especially if you want to farm Tel Var, Sigils are crucial to making it back to your base without having to run a gauntlet of hunters in the sewer. They can also be amazing for escaping a zerg of enemy players sweeping through a district - just duck into a building out of sight and use the Sigil.
- For further general PvP tips, I have yet to find a better guide that @Joy_Division 's https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/427360/joys-2018-advice-for-midyear-mayhem-event
Finally...look, this has to be said.
You won't survive every battle. Even experienced PvPers don't survive every battle.
Sometimes the odds aren't in your favor.
Sometimes the other guy(s) are just better.
Sometimes you make a mistake and it costs you dearly.
The real key to PvP is perseverance and practice. Its the acceptance that you will die, you will lose progress, and yet you will get up and try again.
If that's not your cup of tea, I highly recommend that you approach Imperial City PvPvE with care. The whole zone is built around the risk/reward of losing progress if you die. If that's going to be immensely frustrating, be aware of that and don't make yourself miserable trying to do content that you just don't find fun. The above advice can help, but it cannot guarantee that you will be successful.
Okay, now I hate PvPvE. Can I still get Event tickets?
Yes, as long as you are okay with defeating the final boss of the group dungeon White Gold Tower or Imperial City Prison. Those are DLC dungeons, so they are more mechanics-intensive than the base game dungeons. If you aren't familiar with them, its worth looking up the basics of the mechanics with whatever style of guide you prefer.
Hint: have extra lockpicks on hand for White Gold Tower.
I hate dungeons and PvPvE. Can I still get Event Tickets this event?
Nope. Gotta do one or the other. Or buy them. Welcome to ZOS' wonderful world of events, where they get you to do all sorts of content in pursuit of shiny rewards. You'll have to wait till the 4th event of Quarter 3, and hope its not the PTS-tested Dungeon Event.
Now for the Imperial City PvPvE Event Ticket Activities:
ZOS' official post says "Slaying a patrolling monster in the Imperial City streets or mini-boss within the Imperial City sewers."
ZOS has now clarified that this means killing a Patrolling Horror or one of the Coldharbor Elite Guard.
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/492217/official-discussion-thread-for-get-the-imperial-city-dlc-free-earn-bonus-reward
According to players, the marked bosses in the sewers ALSO drop Event Tickets, but you MUST loot the tickets.
These bosses are marked in the sewers by Crossed Sword symbols.
The closest ones to your Alliance home base are:
EP - Wadracki
DC - Gati
AD - Hsu-hakan
As with other bosses, I recommend a group. Personally, I could solo most of the marked bosses, but you'll want protection from enemy players.
Slay a patrolling monster within Imperial City
Kill a Patrolling Horror. Each of the Imperial City Districts has a patrolling boss called a Patrolling Horror with a difficultly equal to or greater than a base game World Boss. There are two specific to each district, but only one will patrol at a time in that district. As with many world boss types, the difficulty varies. Unlike world bosses, the Patrolling Horrors are not leashed, so if one begins chasing you, you cannot escape by outrunning it (though you can have great fun by aggroing the Patrolling Horror and leading it to a large group of enemy players). They are designed to be defeated by groups, but of course players can solo them. During non-Celebration gameplay, its typical to tackle them in a rotation through the districts, but in my experience that goes out the window during the Celebration.
List of Patrolling Horrors: https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Patrolling_Horrors
Slay a mini-boss within the Imperial City sewers.
Kill a member of the Coldharbor Elite Guard. The Sewers have their own version of wandering, unleashed bosses in the form of the Coldharbor Elite Guard. These are Xivkyn Generals of Molag Bal who wear large Blue or Red banners on their backs and can suppress stealth in their vicinity. Blue banners indicate stamina-based generals, while Red banners are the more powerful magicka-based generals. They are about the same difficulty at the Patrolling Horrors. There are 9 generals up at any one time, 3 in each alliance territory. Be prepared to fight these generals in very close quarters in the sewer tunnels.
List of the Coldharbor Elite Guard and their Locations: https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Coldharbour_Elite_Guard
Special Note:The Patrolling Horrors and the Coldharbor Elite Guard split their large Tel Var reward between everyone who attacked them, just like every other mob in IC. So if you've jumped in to "help" someone fighting one of the bosses and they get angry with you, understand that its because now the Tel Var reward is split between you. Now, I'm of the opinion that during an Event, people jumping in to kill the bosses is to be expected, but not everyone may feel that way. So if someone does get angry, at least you know why.
Other Imperial City Activities
Main Quest
The Main Quest starts when you talk to the Drake of Blades in your Home Base and agree to help her uncover Molag Bal's plot. You will complete quests in each other six districts. Be prepared that only a few locations in buildings are safe areas while you talk to quest NPCs - most of the places you need to go are completely open for PvP. You will also need to return to the your Home Base after each quest, so its wise to buy Sigils of Imperial Retreat, or else brave the journey back through the districts/sewers.
In my opinion, this is an excellent quest that serves as a fitting end to the Planemeld arc.
Special Notes:
The Temple District quest has a daedric titan boss who may prove difficult to solo.
The Arena District quest has a multistage boss fight that may prove very difficult to solo. In addition, there is an achievement for killing enemy players within the Arena, so be prepared to deal with enemy players at the same time.
Alliance War Quests
You can pick up Scouting Quests in your Home Base that ask you to travel to the district and mark your symbol on the wall of your rally point and return. If you already own the district, its as easy as popping out at the respawn point, marking the wall, and then heading out to fight.
You can pick up Killing Quests in your Home Base that ask you to "Kill 20 Players" or "Kill 20 Nightblades" etc.
Daily Quests
Once you have completed the Main Quest, a daily quest becomes available in each District. These quests involve the war against Molag Bal and Legion Zero, but since they take place in the PvPvE zones of the districts, you will likely fight enemy players as well.
Defeat Molag Bal's Simulacrum within the deepest reaches of the Imperial City Sewers.
The Barathrum Centrata event in which your group summons and kills the Simulacrum of Molag Bal takes place at the center of the Sewers where all three Alliance paths converge. You will need to close portals, the final wave of which will summon more of the Coldharbor Elite Guard and then kill Molag Bal's Simulacrum.
You will want a group to do this with you as the portals do have a timer and enemy alliances will also be trying to defeat the Simulacrum to get tickets and the rewards.
Important Note: due to how ESO' loot rules work, only 12 players will get loot . From past events, players have found it doesn't matter how much DPS you do as long as you do at least 3% to get credit for the fight as the loot appears to be random between the group members present. If there are more an 12 players present, be prepared that not all players will get loot rewards from the event. (Yes, this sucks. No, ZOS hasn't changed it.)
Tel Var Farming
Many players focus on farming Tel Var during the Imperial City Celebration since Tel Var gains are doubled. There's no one way to go about it, only whatever way you think best.
Farming in districts you own grants a 33% bonus to Tel Var drops.
NPCs and Players split their stones between the attacking group. Groups are good for protection, but the larger the group, the less Tel Var each individual will get.
Gankers and Bombers will often focus on groups capturing the District Flags, since the risk/reward is very much in their favor even if they die.
If someone keeps killing you, move to another area. Sending toxic messages or begging them to leave you alone doesn't usually help. If you want to improve, asking them for advice sometimes works.
Sigils of Imperial Retreat are amazing if you don't want to carry your gains through the sewers each time you want to return to base.
In general, I would recommend that inexperienced players group up and return to the home base often to bank their rewards.
Other Useful Bits of Info
The nearest Districts to your Home Base, with the map of your sewer route back to base:
AD - Temple, Arboretum https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Irrigation_Tunnels
DC - Elven Gardens (much closer), Nobles District https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Lambent_Passage
EP - Arena, Memorial https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Harena_Hypogeum
District Info: https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Imperial_Districts
Sewer Info: https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Imperial_Sewers
Final Note:
I like PvP. I like PvE. I like PvPvE. I also recognize that learning to PvP or PvPvE is a steep learning curve that doesn't appeal to every player. Not every player is going to enjoy the Imperial City and that's okay.
If you know that the Imperial City is content that frustrates you, my advice to you is that you conquer the "Fear of Missing Out" that ZOS constantly leverages with these events and give the Imperial City portion of the Celebration a miss. If you are able, just don't subject yourself to something you don't enjoy in pursuit of some fleeting rewards. Leave Imperial City to those who enjoy it and run the PVE-only dungeons for your tickets. If you show up anyway, I'm going to ask exactly what result you expected from forcing yourself to do content you know you dislike.
On the other hand, it you aren't sure or you think you might enjoy Imperial City, give it a shot! The best thing you can do is come prepared for PvPvE, accept that you will die along with the rest of us and that's okay, and do your best to have fun as you experience what a busy, active Imperial City is like when its full of players!
I hope this helps players have fun in the Imperial City and to prepare for PvPvE!
And as always, if you spot an error or a correction that needs to be made, let me know! (Note: I'll be changing the section on IC Event Tickets once we either get clarification from ZOS or the IC event starts and we start killing things.)
71
-
idk✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Thx for posting this since more will see it. I know I do not always check the news section.
I do laugh though because just a week ago I said there was still time for Zos to have this event and someone told me how wrong I was with a coy little "not really. . ." because of a lame reason.0 -
max_only✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Oh boy. Even the thrice nerfed Planar inhibitor proves to still be a challenge.
At least on norm I can carry that fight these days.#FiteForYourRite Bosmer = Stealth
#OppositeResourceSiphoningAttacks
|| CP 1000+ || PC/NA || GUILDS: LWH; IA; CH; XA
""All gods' creatures (you lot) are equal when covered in A1 sauce"" -- Old Bosmeri Wisdom2 -
TeamSeinfeld✭✭✭Excellent guide, thank you! Personally I’m more of a PVE player but when I decided to tackle the Imperial City main quest, I sort of fell in love with the sewers/ districts. Now I find myself spending at least half my time split between PVE and running the sewers. You know you’ve spent a lot of time in the sewers when you get the cunning and trove scamp Acheivements!3
-
Ozzymandius✭✭Last time I went in to imperial city it was totally controlled by AD - I am EP so no chance to do anything there - Xbox EU.1 -
xF1REFL1x✭✭✭PvP or PvE... I hope everyone has a great experience. No need to start taking sides before it even starts... lol. The more players enjoying it the better.1 -
Beardimus✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭@VaranisArano great guide mate. I shall be pointing people here.
It's my favourite zone and event. Yet its the most misunderstood, hopefully read this and come prepared..Xbox One | EU | EP
Beardimus : VR16 Dunmer MagSorc [RIP MagDW 2015-2018]
Emperor of Sotha Sil 02-2018 & Sheogorath 05-2019
1st Emperor of RavenwatchAlts - - for the Lolz
Archimus : Bosmer Thief / Archer / Werewolf
Orcimus : Fat drunk Orc battlefield 1st aider
Scalimus - Argonian Sorc Healer / Pet master
Fighting small scale with : The SAXON Guild
Fighting with [PvP] : The Undaunted Wolves
Trading Guilds : TradersOfNirn | FourSquareTraders
Xbox One | NA | EP
Bëardimus : L43 Dunmer Magsorc / BG
Heals-With-Pets : VR16 Argonian Sorc PvP / BG Healer
Nordimus : VR16 Stamsorc
Beardimus le 13iem : L30 Dunmer Magsorc Icereach2 -
Kel✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Hoping Zos will offer the Cyrodiil sets in the golden for the event, despite removing IC from Cyrodiil.
We missed out when they canceled midyear mayhem.
Great guide!0 -
SeaGtGruff✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Make sure you bank all of your TV before you go to the IC!
Assuming you'll still get event tickets for killing any of the district street monsters or mini-boss monsters-- and not just the Patrolling Horrors-- the easiest way to earn your tickets each day would be to L queue to the IC sewers, go up a ladder to one of the districts, kill a monster, then L queue to your alliance base in Cyrodiil.
You won't earn much TV that way, but the less TV you earn, the less TV you'll lose if another player kills you.
Of course, farming TV from the district street monsters and mini-boss monsters can be great fun-- if you can avoid getting killed and losing half of your TV-- so don't be afraid to sneak around killing monsters for as long as you can stand it.
Even if you end up losing half of your TV to another player, you'll still have more than you started with-- assuming you banked all of your TV beforehand.Edited by SeaGtGruff on September 4, 2019 8:55AMI've fought mudcrabs more fearsome than me!1 -
Nordic__Knights✭✭✭✭✭
✭Anyone got pictures of the items that are coming to the Merchant for this event0 -
Diarf✭✭✭Lovely events!
I'm ready for forum PvE salty tears, hate whispers and everything from them
4 -
EmEm_Oh✭✭✭✭✭My initial advice is go with a group if you're not used to pvp.
Been noticing a few bombers testing out their attacks, so be aware of that as well.
Craft, have somebody craft for you, or buy a lot of potions. You will need them.1 -
Nordic__Knights✭✭✭✭✭
✭Pulled in over 3 million stones last years event see if i can top it this year1 -
redlink1979✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭@VaranisArano Nice guide. Thanks for the effort."Sweet Mother, sweet Mother, send your child unto me, for the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear"- Sons of the Night Mother [PS5][EU] 2165 CP
- Daggerfall's Mightiest [PS5][NA] 1910 CP
- SweetTrolls [PC][EU] 1950 CP
- Bacon Rats [PC][NA] 1850 CP
0 -
Holycannoli✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭SeaGtGruff wrote: »Make sure you bank all of your TV before you go to the IC!
Assuming you'll still get event tickets for killing any of the district street monsters or mini-boss monsters-- and not just the Patrolling Horrors-- the easiest way to earn your tickets each day would be to L queue to the IC sewers, go up a ladder to one of the districts, kill a monster, then L queue to your alliance base in Cyrodiil.
You won't earn much TV that way, but the less TV you earn, the less TV you'll lose if another player kills you.
Of course, farming TV from the district street monsters and mini-boss monsters can be great fun-- if you can avoid getting killed and losing half of your TV-- so don't be afraid to sneak around killing monsters for as long as you can stand it.
Even if you end up losing half of your TV to another player, you'll still have more than you started with-- assuming you banked all of your TV beforehand.
Ok what is the difference between an IC mini-boss and patrolling horror? I thought it was different terminology for the same thing.0 -
VaranisArano✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Holycannoli wrote: »SeaGtGruff wrote: »Make sure you bank all of your TV before you go to the IC!
Assuming you'll still get event tickets for killing any of the district street monsters or mini-boss monsters-- and not just the Patrolling Horrors-- the easiest way to earn your tickets each day would be to L queue to the IC sewers, go up a ladder to one of the districts, kill a monster, then L queue to your alliance base in Cyrodiil.
You won't earn much TV that way, but the less TV you earn, the less TV you'll lose if another player kills you.
Of course, farming TV from the district street monsters and mini-boss monsters can be great fun-- if you can avoid getting killed and losing half of your TV-- so don't be afraid to sneak around killing monsters for as long as you can stand it.
Even if you end up losing half of your TV to another player, you'll still have more than you started with-- assuming you banked all of your TV beforehand.
Ok what is the difference between an IC mini-boss and patrolling horror? I thought it was different terminology for the same thing.
It depends on exactly what ZOS defines as a miniboss.
In the Districts, you see a mix of mobs. Regular 30kish health mobs, the 100kish health mobs like Xivkyn, Daedroths, and Harvesters, and then the Patrolling Horrors with a millionish health. There are also some quest bosses scattered about, like the Xivkyn who patrolls the Foundry area where legion zero makes their weaponry.
For the purposes of Tel Var farming, your best returns are going to come from the Patrolling Horrors.
But if you arent willing to take on IC's equivalent of world bosses, the quest bosses and the 100kish health miniboss types give pretty good Tel Var compared to the regular mobs. So Xivkyn, Daedroths, Grievous Twilights, etc all give decent Tel Var and are worth killing.
For Event tickets...
ZOS still hasn't clarified exactly what we have to kill to get our tickets. So unfortunately, it could be as simple as killing a single mob in the Districts or as hard as a Patrolling Horror.0 -
Holycannoli✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭I think it's only the patrolling horrors with the anti-stealth rings, but SeaGtGruff is implying mini-bosses are not the same as patrolling horrors and I'm wondering what and where those mini-bosses are.0 -
Tommy_The_Gun✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Just in case... make sure you have a backup keyboard & mouse if you plan to PvPvE in IC...
0 -
VaranisArano✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Holycannoli wrote: »I think it's only the patrolling horrors with the anti-stealth rings, but SeaGtGruff is implying mini-bosses are not the same as patrolling horrors and I'm wondering what and where those mini-bosses are.
I would guess they are referring to the quest bosses or the mini-boss type daedra like Daedroths or Grievous Twilights who have larger health bars.0 -
Holycannoli✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭Tommy_The_Gun wrote: »Just in case... make sure you have a backup keyboard & mouse if you plan to PvPvE in IC...
Oh it's gonna be a clusterfunk
1 -
Nordic__Knights✭✭✭✭✭
✭There's a list of the bosses you have to beat by name under the holiday section of your achievement Journal I believe some are the top bosses that rotate between the two per area and then the three patrolling guards( be the bander adds with ring at feet )within the sewerEdited by Nordic__Knights on September 4, 2019 1:06PM0 -
Holycannoli✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭Nordic__Knights wrote: »There's a list of the bosses you have to beat by name under the holiday section of your achievement Journal I believe some are the top bosses that rotate between the two per area and then the three patrolling guards within the sewer
I will first try a sewer boss and see if it qualifies for the tickets. If it doesn't, I'll try a district boss. And there will actually be people there to help with it. It's only been me pretty much in IC when I'm there.0 -
Nordic__Knights✭✭✭✭✭
✭Holycannoli wrote: »Nordic__Knights wrote: »There's a list of the bosses you have to beat by name under the holiday section of your achievement Journal I believe some are the top bosses that rotate between the two per area and then the three patrolling guards within the sewer
I will first try a sewer boss and see if it qualifies for the tickets. If it doesn't, I'll try a district boss. And there will actually be people there to help with it. It's only been me pretty much in IC when I'm there.
Yes any of those should work for the tickets if you were looking for the overall achievement for killing them all during the event there is a listing of them all is well0 -
Palidon✭✭✭✭✭
✭Word to the wise. Do not keep a lot of TelVar on you when in IC. Purchase recall stones from the TelVar vendor and return to your safe zone and bank excess Telvar you have accumulated every once and a while. It's gank city mania during the event. Not every player will be in there for the event tickets. They will be in there after your telvar stones.
I tell you this because last event I made over 300k telvar just from ganking. Many times getting between 3 to 5k telvar from a player I killed. One time I got 25k just off one player. That is a lot to lose. Be warned and don't send me hate mail complaining. The only one to blame is yourself for having a lot of telvar on you when you are killed.
Good luck4 -
VaranisArano✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭ZOS has now clarfied that Event Tickets are gained by killing Patrolling Horrors or the Coldharbor Elite Guard.ZOS_SarahHecker wrote: »thatlaurachick wrote: »Serious question: are the scamps ever going to be fixed? DC's rarely spawn, EP's don't appear on their full route (and a few dont take damage), pretty sure at least 1 of AD's are bugged too. I'm still *(after 4 years!) missing the Trove and Treasure scamp achievements, as I only see them when I'm in AD or EP territory (why does everything suck for DC?)
We made some adjustments to these with Elsweyr launch. Are you still seeing issues with them?ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »- Treasure scamps now spawn more frequently.
- Adjusted the pathing of various treasure scamps so they will no longer disappear when moving from point to point.
Pyr0xyrecuprotite wrote: »@ZOS_SarahHecker
1. will ZoS open some extra temporary "campaigns" for IC during the event, if IC becomes pop-locked?
2. will daily repeatable quest rewards be double drops, at least for the tel var portion of the Siege merchant lockbox and any other dailies turned in?
3. Will there be double quest rewards, like during previous IC events, at least for the tel var portion? (For people doing the questline for the first time, you used to get double the usual "hefty" tel var packages during the event.)
4. Does "Double drops from bosses" include the Molag Bal sewer event, like in previous IC anniversaries? I'm thinking more of double hakeijo drops rather than just telvar, frags, or the skin/pet (which were already mentioned).- Yes, we are planning on opening more campaigns during this event.
- For 2 & 3, yes Tel Var should be doubled for quest rewards too.
- While the drops are increased, the number of Hakeijo runes is not doubled.
This refers to the patrolling horrors or Xivkyn elite.HowTaoBrownCow wrote: »"[...] you can earn new Event Tickets by completing [...] Slaying a patrolling monster in the Imperial City streets"
Do you mean any old wandering monster? There are a few that patrol back and forth along the streets, that are killable by a single player.0
