Ancestral Imperial style...?

Sidereum

Hi everyone.

Recently, the PTS patch notes for updates 7.1.0 and 7.1.1 were posted, and it appears that there is still no mention of the Ancestral Imperial style, despite it having been datamined and having been applied to NPCs in Blackwood, and the new important NPC in the Waking Flame DLC (Lucilla Caprenia). Therefore, we can exclude the possibility that the Ancestral Imperial style is going to be released with Update 31/Q3/Waking Flame DLC.
If we consider that the Markarth update (Q4 for the Dark Heart of Skyrim) only came with one Ancestral style (Reach), then we can assume that, because the Q4 is speculated, almost confirmed to be set in the Deadlands, then the Q4 update of Gates of Oblivion will only come with one Ancestral style, the Daedric one, which is also confirmed to be a thing.
We can only hope that Zenimax makes an exception in Q4 and releases the Ancestral Imperial style alongside the Daedric one, because it would be really disheartening otherwise, considering the Gates of Oblivion season is the perfect time to release it due to the strong focus on imperials. I wouldn't see another time they would release it if not during this year.
Unless the Update 31/Q3/Waking Flame DLC patch notes are incomplete and they're actually going to release this style in August, since the patch notes for 7.1.2 on PTS are not out yet, but I doubt. Please Zenimax, do release this style this year, it's so good to pass on.

What do you guys think?

Luke_Flamesword

I'm still waiting for Ancestral Breton which was datamined last year, so I don't count on fast release.

tomofhyrule

We've seen Ancestral Breton on NPCs since the Stonethorn dungeons, and those haven't officially been added yet. Not to mention some of the other cosmetics like the NPC hairstyles that everyone's been begging for that have been seen since the Thieves Guild DLC over five years ago and still haven't come out (despite some of those even making it to PTS at one point).

I wish ZOS would be a bit better at releasing stuff. Even the showcases every month tend to be mostly non-combat pets, which I don't find very interesting personally, but there are very few character cosmetics like hairstyles and facial hairs.

I'm actually surprised they only put Ancestral Akaviri in Blackwood instead of a few others (especially since Ancestral Imperial/a hypothetical Argonian may have made more sense - there aren't many accounts of Akaviri in Blackwood - most Akaviri invasions came from the north, not the south)

I'm expecting that Ancestral Imperial - when it finally does release - will probably drop from Cyrodiil treasure maps. I just wish there was a better way to get the Ancestral motif leads because it's currently excruciating.

Peppo_Lives

imho, before releasing any new ancestral motif, they should improve how the motif is obtained......RNG on map drops plus RNG on lead drops and a 30days timer(only the first time you find it, luckily) is quite unreasonable (map prices are very high)......i completed ancestral reach with a modest sum (1,5M more or less on maps) but ancestral akaviri costed me WAY MUCH more

MaisonNaevius

I was surprised to see the Ancestral Akaviri style dating Blackwood. A real misunderstanding because I honestly thought it would be for Cyrodiil.
The Q4 DLC will focus on Ancestral Daedra. Maybe the Ancestral Imperial too? I mean, chances are we have some Imperials with the Battlespire in the Deadlands.

For Ancestral Breton, I have absolutely no idea when it will be released ... But it should not be long since it dates from last year.

For the Ancestral Imperial, I hope they don't wait for Colovia to release it. I suspect this region will come out in 2022 after Hammerfel in 2021 (using the IC (imp / daedra)> TG (red)> DB (colov) scheme).

Sidereum

MaisonNaevius wrote: »

I was surprised to see the Ancestral Akaviri style dating Blackwood. A real misunderstanding because I honestly thought it would be for Cyrodiil.
The Q4 DLC will focus on Ancestral Daedra. Maybe the Ancestral Imperial too? I mean, chances are we have some Imperials with the Battlespire in the Deadlands.

For Ancestral Breton, I have absolutely no idea when it will be released ... But it should not be long since it dates from last year.

For the Ancestral Imperial, I hope they don't wait for Colovia to release it. I suspect this region will come out in 2022 after Hammerfel in 2021 (using the IC (imp / daedra)> TG (red)> DB (colov) scheme).

I am not sure about a possible Colovian Chapter being a thing anytime soon, it would be weird to release an Imperial chapter every other chapter, plus there is still so much land to cover in other places: the Telvanni peninsula in Morrowind, Solstheim, Whiterun, the middle of Black Marsh, and so on...

Also, not gonna lie, lore-wise the Ancestral Imperial style looks pretty Nibenese, I wouldn't see it worn by Colovian people, and it seems that game-wise it was made specifically for Blackwood where you can see it very often. That's why I am afraid if they don't ever release it during Gates of Oblivion, then they won't for a very long time. I really hope they release it now, also because I don't see much effort required on their part, if anything it would just get more players to play Blackwood or Q3/Q4 DLCs.

MaisonNaevius

I tell myself that Zos will take this diagram of the DLC that we had. If Hammerfell comes out in 2021, it will be a true coincidence if not a repeat.

I personally hope for a style, still typical Roman, but specific to colovians for Colovia.

Do you know tier 5 weapons? I imagine the tier 5 were to, at some point in the ESO initial plans, all come out for a specific DLC style. The imperial tier 5 could be for the previous Colovian Highlands planned in the Alpha.. Or the original Murkmire or Nibenay area of the Alpha too.
But all of this is in the past, plans have changed. And tier 5 sinks into oblivion.



Second Legion (from Kvatch, Colovia) has a very cool style. I hope we will have something in the same vein even if the Ancestral Imperial seems to become the generic style by default.
I would have loved to see TES L "Skingrad Soldier" (rename "Colovian Trooper") come to fruition in ESO. He also has the tier 5 imperial sword.
But then again, I think the idea has become obsolete.



Something else many have high expectations for: CGI cinematics trailers imperial armor. Suffice to say that the Ancestral Imperial is awful in comparison and CGI medium armor has no equivalent, heavy armor does not match what we have in game.




As much as we can hope. Many CGI armors have been adapted in-game.

LaerothKeykalyn

MaisonNaevius wrote: »

I tell myself that Zos will take this diagram of the DLC that we had. If Hammerfell comes out in 2021, it will be a true coincidence if not a repeat.

I personally hope for a style, still typical Roman, but specific to colovians for Colovia.

Do you know tier 5 weapons? I imagine the tier 5 were to, at some point in the ESO initial plans, all come out for a specific DLC style. The imperial tier 5 could be for the previous Colovian Highlands planned in the Alpha.. Or the original Murkmire or Nibenay area of the Alpha too.
But all of this is in the past, plans have changed. And tier 5 sinks into oblivion.



Second Legion (from Kvatch, Colovia) has a very cool style. I hope we will have something in the same vein even if the Ancestral Imperial seems to become the generic style by default.
I would have loved to see TES L "Skingrad Soldier" (rename "Colovian Trooper") come to fruition in ESO. He also has the tier 5 imperial sword.
But then again, I think the idea has become obsolete.



Something else many have high expectations for: CGI cinematics trailers imperial armor. Suffice to say that the Ancestral Imperial is awful in comparison and CGI medium armor has no equivalent, heavy armor does not match what we have in game.




As much as we can hope. Many CGI armors have been adapted in-game.

I Hope.🤞

Sidereum

Sooooo... yeah, no...
At this point it's quite obvious that we're getting no Ancestral Imperial with Waking Flame (Q3).
Let's hope it's at least in Q4, or else I'll die of heartbreak.

MaisonNaevius

Q4 is certainly ancestral Daedra.

Sidereum

Yeah I know.
If they make an exception, they will release both, or else just the daedric one. Such a shame, though.

ESO_Nightingale

MaisonNaevius wrote: »

Q4 is certainly ancestral Daedra.

How does that even work? Especially given the meaning of Daedra lol

Sidereum

I mean, ever since TES III: Morrowind, the Daedric armor has always appeared to be the dremora-ish from the Deadlands kind of armor. I imagine it like some sort of revamped version of the daedric armor from one of the mainline TES games. So as much as I understand your confusion, Bethesda, and consequentially also Zenimax, has attributed a very specific aesthetic to the concept of "Daedric", namely the demonic dark spiky type of look, even though the concept of Daedric is very vague and diverse. But I guess it's a matter of confering identities to things.

I digress. If Q4 really also has to do with the Battlespire, then we still have a chance to get the Ancestral Imperial style. You know, it frustrates me because the Ancestral Imperial style has been used so blatantly on many NPCs, even essential ones, all over Blackwood, almost as if they wanted you to notice it. And it's so damn beautiful, especially the light one and the weapons. I did see a few complaints about the heavy one, and I see why, but I think overall it looks amazing too, and the lack of buttflap can be remedied with a simple Ivory Brigade legs.

MaisonNaevius

I think the Ancestral Daedric will be a Daedric style remake (motif 14). So not a representation of a Daedric style from another TES.

I am very disappointed with the Ancestral Imperial style .. But a remake was needed ... This is an opportunity to update some of my character's armor pieces adopting motif 10.
Many criticize the pauldrons of the heavy armor. But there are so many other pieces that I could criticize: the swelling of the elbows on the light armor. Incomplete arm cops on the medium armor..
And the weapons... We were expecting a remake of the motif 10 tier 5 weapons... And we got something not so good.

For tier 5 weapons, I feel a real injustice for the Imperials. Each tier 5 racial weapons is in the environment of their respective region. But among the Imperials, it is still Breton weapons.

Sidereum

To be fair, though, I much prefer the Ancestral Imperial staves over the Tier 5 Imperial staves, they look much smoother and cleaner, and more proportioned too.

Sidereum

@MaisonNaevius Okay so, we might actually be onto something here.

CW: Waking Flame DLC spoilers:

I played both the new Dread Cellar and Red Petal Bastion dungeons added with the Waking Flame DLC, and paying attention to the dialogues, I noticed that there is a lot of talk about the Battlespire: Martus Tullius and Lucilla Caprenia (the two important NPCs and quest givers in the Dread Cellar) are both battlemages trained in it. If this is so emphasized now, we might actually see the Battlespire in Q4, and that would mean we could also see the Ancestral Imperial style, as it would be most coherent to what the DLC would be about. Plus, Martus and Lucilla are blatantly wearing this style. What do you think?

MaisonNaevius

@Sidereum

At the level of the presentation of Lucilla, I suspected her to be the fourth Ambition ... Mainly because of her precocious but naive abilities like the other Ambitions (and to be in the Battlespire, in Oblivion, was able to contain her power).

I obviously hope that we will see Lucilla and Martus again. Those who have finished the dungeon know how this relationship ends. Martus feared one thing: that Lucilla's naivety would take over. And it happened. Passionate about the Empire but she ignores everything about the ground.
At the end of the day, Martus' fate or not is decided. I think the hope Lucilla embodied definitely buries the idea of an Imperial or Legion track.

The fact that the Battlespire is mentioned also makes me think we will have the Battlespire. I thought the Battlespire would serve as a "safe" city like Hollow City.
Check out the concept art for Deadlands ... The kind of place in a City. Could this be the Battlespire? And in the Deadlands and Damnation trailer, Moricar stands on a balcony overlooking Deadlands. Could this also be the Battlespire?

However, it seems that the safe city in Deadlands will be an Daedric city. No idea about Battlespire other than a mention in Waking Flame.

For the ancestral imperial style, I am still hesitant. I would have said: why not if we were in Nibenay ... But it will be Deadlands. And Ancestral Daedric who was datamined will be the likely candidate.
Ancestral Imperial can come out too ... But it would be extremely boring to have a small area with two Ancestral styles mixed together.
The wisest solution would be to wait for Colovia ... whom I still suspect will come after Martelfell next year. However, I also think that the style will be released for the Cyrodiil area.

As for the ridiculous size of the pauldrons, I believe that the developers wanted it to be mixable with light and medium armor ... We can see it precisely on our two protagonists of the last DLC.

Sidereum

@MaisonNaevius

(CW: Update 32 Patch Notes Spoilers)

Is... is this what I think it is? Please dude, tell me I am not delusional, tell me my hopes are real.

MaisonNaevius

Damn ... I think so..

But why "House Hexos" ?

We will find out ...

Sidereum

Maybe they want to create a pattern with the "Ancestral Breton" style by calling it "House Ravenwatch"... mhhh...

tomofhyrule

As soon as I saw 'Etched Nickel,' my mind went to 'Ancestral Imperial.' Still surprised it's not a torturous drop from Cyrodiil treasure maps like the other ancestral motifs though - but a welcome change if that's the case.

I do know that seeing the light Ancestral Imperial (Hexos?) motif on people like Lucilla from the last DLC was gorgeous, especially with that laurel brooch on the chest.

Still seems like oddly few motifs for a Q4 DLC, but I'll take it. Now just need them to start releasing some of these hairstyles they've been teasing us for ages...

Inval1d

This'll trigger my OCD...

MaisonNaevius

Can anyone on the PTS confirm that the Hexos is indeed the Ancestral Imperial ?

SilverIce58

MaisonNaevius wrote: »

Can anyone on the PTS confirm that the Hexos is indeed the Ancestral Imperial ?

I think that it is. Feels weird to release it like that, but it certainly looks cool, and its better than digging around for it honestly.

Sidereum

@MaisonNaevius YES!!! It's the one! I downloaded the PTS and tried it at the outfit station.
The light version is so beautiful, and to heavy looks better than we first thought, especially if you use Ivory Brigade legs with it. The weapons are all *gorgeous*.

THANK YOU ZENIMAX. THANK YOU SO MUCH IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL. I'm so hyped. I love you and your game. @ZOS_GinaBruno

Maitsukas

House Hexos is indeed Ancestral Imperial, it is seen on certain Blackwood random encounter NPCs, Martus Tullius & Lucilla Caprenia in The Dread Cellar. Further confirmation can be seen on the icon name structure in the game data: gear_imperialv2.

MaisonNaevius

Here is my review/opinion of the Hexos armor.

Male
- Light armor
* I find it a shame the swelling in the elbows.
* Sash is too small.

- Medium armor
* I like it a lot despite a feeling of discomfort of the Arm Cops (absent pteruges).
* Belt's diamond is too showy and small.

- Heavy armor
* For the Cuirass, I find the forward and backward shoulder movements quite uncomfortable. Movements can be limited (good, talking gameplay who cares).
* The Pauldrons are ridiculously small. I'll never get used to it. When I see Martus or Lucilla, I tell myself that the small size of the pauldrons is justified in the sense that it would adapt to the light armor...
* I really like the new Helm, Gauntlets, Girdle and Sabatons.

Female
- Light armor
* The paragnatids of the hat are swollen ???
* I find it a shame the swelling in the elbows.
* Sash is too small.

- Medium armor
* The paragnatids of the helmet are too long...
* Belt's diamond is too showy and small.
* I like it a lot despite a feeling of discomfort of the Arm Cops (absent pteruges).

- Heavy armor
* Pauldrons and Cuirass are quite... strange... Very cartoonish effect.
* I really like the new Helm, Gauntlets, Girdle and Sabatons.
* The texture of the mesh on the Cuirass and Greaves is quite unpleasant.
* In fact, female models in general are too skinny with this armor.

- Weapons
I regret Tier 5 Imperial weapons. Especially the staff. I wish I knew what the tier 5 bow looks like, at least the quiver.
The shield looks like a kid's toy version of the tier 5 shield.
I do not understand the use of the 'medallion' on swords and dagger.
The bow is very successful.