My Ultimate Wish for ESO Questing

ArchMikem

As many have no doubt noticed with this year's Content, specifically. Questing has become increasingly geared to setting us on a direct path, telling us where to go, what to do, and how to do it. Dialogue is full of reminders. Puzzles are no longer actual Puzzles, but "Press A until something happens" mechanics. Elder Scrolls: Online, to me, is removing any and all of the challenge, surprise, and enjoyment of problem solving that The Elder Scrolls is known for. Everything is being laid out for you, and repeated to you so you couldn't possibly fail or become lost.

As an example, from my time with Elder Scrolls V from recent memory, with a Markarth side quest. A Cultist approaches you into luring a Priest out to a Daedric Shrine. As an overall "Good" player, I begrudgingly went along with it, because I wanted to see Quests through. I got the Priest to the Shrine and the awaiting Cult and discovered what this was about. They were Cannibals. The head Cultist put the Priest under a spell, got him onto the table and were about to Sacrifice him before having their feast. However it was left up to me to perform the Sacrifice. It was all lined up for me. Pull the lever to kill him. The Quest even told me, pull the lever to kill him. Instead I drew my Dagger on the Cultist. A brawl ensued and the Priest got up to aid me. What shocked me though was after every Cultist was slain, the Quest completed, the Priest actually had dialogue for me. I was stunned. I made the choice to fight thinking I was breaking the Quest, instead my choice was a part of the quest the entire time, it just wasn't made known to you until you made it yourself. I even had the dialogue option to say I knew I was luring him there but I just couldn't sacrifice him. The Quest gave me dialogue that fit exactly how I, the player felt about the situation. I was floored and IMMENSELY impressed.

In six years with ESO, I've unfortunately never had an experience like that, here. With future Chapters still to come, I still hope I can someday.

Danikat

Ok now that's interesting, the fact that there was a choice but the game didn't let you know, just let you discover it for yourself.

Now I'm wondering if I might have missed hidden choices like that in other quests. Maybe from now on I'll try doing things differently more often and see what happens. I suspect there won't be many quests like this one, but maybe I'll be surprised.

colossalvoids

Yeah that's one of the things why eso feels like a theme park and not an actual game from tes series. But looking back when eso storytelling was better overall it wasn't as big of an issue as it is nowadays.

This_0ne

It is wery interesting but too difficult for eso. the developers do not even cope with the intrigue and spoil in the quests with a choice [during this action the NPC will die]

TheImperfect

This would be brilliant.

VaranisArano

One quest that I thought ESO did very nicely in Blackwood was The Face of Change. Much like in Summerset's House of Revelries, all of the clues are NOT spelled out beforehand in dialogue or in the quest markers, and so you'll miss stuff if you don't slow down and really pay attention to the surroundings instead of just what the quest markers tell you.

That's twice now that Varanis has gotten absolutely schooled by Alchemy, and as a player it was wonderful.

Whichever writer did that quest must be a fan of mysteries!

phaneub17_ESO

My ultimate wish for questing is having 3 companions out at the same time while solo be our own little party. Of course they need to add more of them first to do that.

SirAxen

If they had more development time for each Chapter, we would probably see more stuff like what you're suggesting.

katanagirl1

ArchMikem wrote: »

As many have no doubt noticed with this year's Content, specifically. Questing has become increasingly geared to setting us on a direct path, telling us where to go, what to do, and how to do it. Dialogue is full of reminders. Puzzles are no longer actual Puzzles, but "Press A until something happens" mechanics. Elder Scrolls: Online, to me, is removing any and all of the challenge, surprise, and enjoyment of problem solving that The Elder Scrolls is known for. Everything is being laid out for you, and repeated to you so you couldn't possibly fail or become lost.

As an example, from my time with Elder Scrolls V from recent memory, with a Markarth side quest. A Cultist approaches you into luring a Priest out to a Daedric Shrine. As an overall "Good" player, I begrudgingly went along with it, because I wanted to see Quests through. I got the Priest to the Shrine and the awaiting Cult and discovered what this was about. They were Cannibals. The head Cultist put the Priest under a spell, got him onto the table and were about to Sacrifice him before having their feast. However it was left up to me to perform the Sacrifice. It was all lined up for me. Pull the lever to kill him. The Quest even told me, pull the lever to kill him. Instead I drew my Dagger on the Cultist. A brawl ensued and the Priest got up to aid me. What shocked me though was after every Cultist was slain, the Quest completed, the Priest actually had dialogue for me. I was stunned. I made the choice to fight thinking I was breaking the Quest, instead my choice was a part of the quest the entire time, it just wasn't made known to you until you made it yourself. I even had the dialogue option to say I knew I was luring him there but I just couldn't sacrifice him. The Quest gave me dialogue that fit exactly how I, the player felt about the situation. I was floored and IMMENSELY impressed.

In six years with ESO, I've unfortunately never had an experience like that, here. With future Chapters still to come, I still hope I can someday.

Those Daedric quests left scars on me. I didn’t know there was another option.

At least I got payback with Boethiah with that one, he he.

bmnoble

I don't mind hidden choices in quests but have no love for puzzles that exist solely to slow you down.