Wow, the Imperial City quest line is not fun

RicAlmighty

Decided to give this a try today and it was just not for me. Lack of direction with the plant the rally banner objectives (one simply never showed up for me and others had waypoint markers nowhere near where you actually needed to go), getting absolutely ganked by a mob of NPCs with 300k health, impossible so one-shot instant death (honestly what fun is that?). Repetitive nonsense with (to me) artificial difficulty that is unnecessary. This is my least favorite thing I've done in this game after 200 hours, Maybe I'll try again later on when I am a much higher level.

EDIT: Thanks for the great conversation and suggestions. Looks like there was a possibility that the quests for AD members may be bugged and that was contributing to my frustration. I will come back and try the zone again once I hit 50/160.

AlnilamE

Are you on PC-NA? Do you need help?

IC can be rough if you're not used to it.

Vevvev

I found the story amazing, but you seem caught up on the gameplay loops. You can beat everything in there with a decent PvP build with players being the biggest threat there. I recommend tanking up to about 30k-ish HP, slotting a heal over time and a burst heal, and practicing fighting world bosses in the normal zones. Once you can reliably solo a world boss I'd recommend heading back to the Imperial City.

rexagamemnon

I found it fun, just extremely hard.

kringled_1

I'm not sure what the OP is talking about with rally banner objectives, and I've done this quest line three times in the last 6 weeks. But I know IC pretty well and it definitely can be a rough place for the novice.

Gaebriel0410

I always get lost in general, but I got super lost when I first went to Imperial City to do that storyline. It's been years since I did it so I'm not sure if the difficulty is the same nowadays, but I think I was at a low-ish veteran rank. I remember one bossfight midway really felt like an accomplishment when I beat it, as I had to retry it several times.

I definitely recommend doing the storyline perhaps after leveling up a bit more. Quest objectives in pvp zones tend to be a bit more simple, usually fetch quests, but the storyline was one of my favourites! The areas where you talk to the NPC's are all safe zones iirc, so you can enjoy the dialogue without having to be alert for enemies.

I really liked Drake of Blades as well, very sympathetic character. She did the 'awkward quirky hero' archetype so much better than Eveli who tries a bit too hard imo, especially in Blackwood.

FlopsyPrince

RicAlmighty wrote: »

Decided to give this a try today and it was just not for me. Lack of direction with the plant the rally banner objectives (one simply never showed up for me and others had waypoint markers nowhere near where you actually needed to go), getting absolutely ganked by a mob of NPCs with 300k health, impossible so one-shot instant death (honestly what fun is that?). Repetitive nonsense with (to me) artificial difficulty that is unnecessary. This is my least favorite thing I've done in this game after 200 hours, Maybe I'll try again later on when I am a much higher level.

You must be AD. The daily quest markers are whacked for them and still not fixed. (Not sure why.)

I found the other steps in the storyline to have proper indicators, except probably for the "plant the flag" quest that is supposed to help you find the quest giver in each area. It takes you through an enemy base!

Aardappelboom

I also loved the story, especially the ending, the ending has some very cool cinematics too!

As a side-note, I also liked the sewers. It felt like real dungeon crawling with a difficulty level above public dungeons which was just right at the time I did IC.

I agree it's rough, I stealthed all the way through the questline, but since overland is so easy, I liked the difference in difficulty for once. I played the story during MYM-event. So it was Massively crowded.

buttaface

IC is the worst PvP zone in any of the 10 or so PvP MMOs I played over the years, desperately needs reworking. It's not just you, OP. Protip to game devs, don't put PvP zones in a damn maze. I often think about starting up with IC again, then every time I go in there and see the ridiculous maze EVEN THE ENTRANCE AREAS ARE DUPLICATIVE MAZES, I go right back out. Try one simple landing pad for the zone with ONE vendor. That step alone would drastically increase people willing to play there and that would be just the start of what needs to be done in that zone.

Beardimus

buttaface wrote: »

IC is the worst PvP zone in any of the 10 or so PvP MMOs I played over the years, desperately needs reworking. It's not just you, OP. Protip to game devs, don't put PvP zones in a damn maze. I often think about starting up with IC again, then every time I go in there and see the ridiculous maze EVEN THE ENTRANCE AREAS ARE DUPLICATIVE MAZES, I go right back out. Try one simple landing pad for the zone with ONE vendor. That step alone would drastically increase people willing to play there and that would be just the start of what needs to be done in that zone.

Honnestly it's not a maze. You just haven't worked it out.

Each alliance has a base. Each base is close to two deer entrances. You don't really need the sewers unless you want to NPC grind Tel Var or go do the Molag Bal event.

Each district has a ladder. You go up the ladders to clear that zone. And ensure you plant banner or accept the daily on the balcony before you hop off as once down only two ways back to your base.
1. Hope down one of the two sewer entrances near your alliance.
2. Use the teleport tool (20k AP)

If you orientate yourself it's simple.

Kwoung

Beardimus wrote: »

buttaface wrote: »

IC is the worst PvP zone in any of the 10 or so PvP MMOs I played over the years, desperately needs reworking. It's not just you, OP. Protip to game devs, don't put PvP zones in a damn maze. I often think about starting up with IC again, then every time I go in there and see the ridiculous maze EVEN THE ENTRANCE AREAS ARE DUPLICATIVE MAZES, I go right back out. Try one simple landing pad for the zone with ONE vendor. That step alone would drastically increase people willing to play there and that would be just the start of what needs to be done in that zone.

Honnestly it's not a maze. You just haven't worked it out.

Each alliance has a base. Each base is close to two deer entrances. You don't really need the sewers unless you want to NPC grind Tel Var or go do the Molag Bal event.

Each district has a ladder. You go up the ladders to clear that zone. And ensure you plant banner or accept the daily on the balcony before you hop off as once down only two ways back to your base.
1. Hope down one of the two sewer entrances near your alliance.
2. Use the teleport tool (20k AP)

If you orientate yourself it's simple.

3. Port to Cyrodiil and back again
4. Use /stuck

Beardimus

RicAlmighty wrote: »

Decided to give this a try today and it was just not for me. Lack of direction with the plant the rally banner objectives (one simply never showed up for me and others had waypoint markers nowhere near where you actually needed to go), getting absolutely ganked by a mob of NPCs with 300k health, impossible so one-shot instant death (honestly what fun is that?). Repetitive nonsense with (to me) artificial difficulty that is unnecessary. This is my least favorite thing I've done in this game after 200 hours, Maybe I'll try again later on when I am a much higher level.

@RicAlmighty as per my post above if you are getting lost.

As for PvE, it one of the best questlines out there in my opinion. You just haven't orientated yourself with Imp City. Use the ladders to go plant, and use the sewers to return

NPCs are strong and Thats a good thing, all other overground content is a cake walk..

Use it to improve. Have you cleared Vet Maelstrom yet? As if you can do that you can do Imp City easily..

Less hate, more learning and Imp City is awesome.

Kwoung

Beardimus wrote: »

RicAlmighty wrote: »

Decided to give this a try today and it was just not for me. Lack of direction with the plant the rally banner objectives (one simply never showed up for me and others had waypoint markers nowhere near where you actually needed to go), getting absolutely ganked by a mob of NPCs with 300k health, impossible so one-shot instant death (honestly what fun is that?). Repetitive nonsense with (to me) artificial difficulty that is unnecessary. This is my least favorite thing I've done in this game after 200 hours, Maybe I'll try again later on when I am a much higher level.

@RicAlmighty as per my post above if you are getting lost.

As for PvE, it one of the best questlines out there in my opinion. You just haven't orientated yourself with Imp City. Use the ladders to go plant, and use the sewers to return

NPCs are strong and Thats a good thing, all other overground content is a cake walk..

Use it to improve. Have you cleared Vet Maelstrom yet? As if you can do that you can do Imp City easily..

Less hate, more learning and Imp City is awesome.

I will stick with hate for IC and I know the zone very well. The questline is cool, but the zone as a whole is garbage.

mickeyx

RicAlmighty wrote: »

Decided to give this a try today and it was just not for me. Lack of direction with the plant the rally banner objectives (one simply never showed up for me and others had waypoint markers nowhere near where you actually needed to go), getting absolutely ganked by a mob of NPCs with 300k health, impossible so one-shot instant death (honestly what fun is that?). Repetitive nonsense with (to me) artificial difficulty that is unnecessary. This is my least favorite thing I've done in this game after 200 hours, Maybe I'll try again later on when I am a much higher level.

Why you think that place is always empty outside of events? Neither the pve is fun in that place nor the PvP. Once done on my main I never stepped foot there again except for events. I just buy the skyshards for crown on my alts.

NerfSeige

For anyone having trouble questing in PVP areas, malcolm just released a tank build than you can use for pvp questing.

At least for me, if I encounter you, attack you, and you’re a pvp tank, I wouldn’t even bother.

_Zathras_

As an aside, waaaay back when they were marketing ESO somewhat as a spiritual successor to DAoC, there were comparisons to the IC being like Darkness Falls (DF). I used to have dedicated toons that camped there.

Is it comparable? With each faction having an entrance, then a windy series of corridors w bosses and difficult mobs, a mid joining area where you can take yourself to an opposing faction's side, and currency to buy gear?

VaranisArano

_Zathras_ wrote: »

As an aside, waaaay back when they were marketing ESO somewhat as a spiritual successor to DAoC, there were comparisons to the IC being like Darkness Falls (DF). I used to have dedicated toons that camped there.

Is it comparable? With each faction having an entrance, then a windy series of corridors w bosses and difficult mobs, a mid joining area where you can take yourself to an opposing faction's side, and currency to buy gear?

That's a pretty accurate description of the Imperial City Sewers, yeah. The central area has a boss fight with Molag Bal's Simulacrum.

Though with the Districts up top being connected to the Sewers, it's probably easier to get to enemy territory by climbing a ladder into the district closest to their home base and then dropping into their sewer sections from there.

Kaelthorn_Nightbloom

buttaface wrote: »

IC is the worst PvP zone in any of the 10 or so PvP MMOs I played over the years, desperately needs reworking. It's not just you, OP. Protip to game devs, don't put PvP zones in a damn maze. I often think about starting up with IC again, then every time I go in there and see the ridiculous maze EVEN THE ENTRANCE AREAS ARE DUPLICATIVE MAZES, I go right back out. Try one simple landing pad for the zone with ONE vendor. That step alone would drastically increase people willing to play there and that would be just the start of what needs to be done in that zone.

I agree and disagree with your comments.

Agree: IC is currently the worst PvP zone
Disagree: Don't put PvP zone in a damn maze

Some thoughts:

IC has the potential to be the best PvP zone in the entire game. I personally think the map layout is great and mostly balanced. The problem is the clear lack of motivation for the majority of the PvP playerbase to ever step foot in IC. No seriously, there's no reason to go there if 1) you aren't strapped for gold, and 2) you don't need the sub-par gear sets, and 3) you already have the outfit style pages / achievements.

My philosophy on PvPvE is to not worry about the Ultima Online problem of Wolf vs Sheep. If you give hardcore PvPers a reason to PvE in a PvPvE dungeon, then the PvE players will have the support they need to play without getting farmed.

RicAlmighty

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

You must be AD. The daily quest markers are whacked for them and still not fixed. (Not sure why.)!

I am! Do you have any ideas or pointers about this? Are there workarounds or is it just borked and I'll have to do it on another alliance?

Thanks

RicAlmighty

Beardimus wrote: »

You just haven't orientated yourself with Imp City. Use the ladders to go plant, and use the sewers to return

With all respect, I am not an idiot, I understand the objectives perfectly, been playing MMOs for 20 years. The banner objectives are broken, at least for me. Someone else mentioned that AD objectives are borked and I think that is what is happening here. Thanks for trying to help though

_Zathras_

VaranisArano wrote: »

_Zathras_ wrote: »

As an aside, waaaay back when they were marketing ESO somewhat as a spiritual successor to DAoC, there were comparisons to the IC being like Darkness Falls (DF). I used to have dedicated toons that camped there.

Is it comparable? With each faction having an entrance, then a windy series of corridors w bosses and difficult mobs, a mid joining area where you can take yourself to an opposing faction's side, and currency to buy gear?

That's a pretty accurate description of the Imperial City Sewers, yeah. The central area has a boss fight with Molag Bal's Simulacrum.

Though with the Districts up top being connected to the Sewers, it's probably easier to get to enemy territory by climbing a ladder into the district closest to their home base and then dropping into their sewer sections from there.

Interesting. I'll do some reading on it. Thanks for the response!

Ippokrates

Sure, district quests are rather generic and basically you can do it with dailies - however i would advise you to take all in advance or you will need to get back to alliance base everytime (or jump to Cyro ;p ).

However ending of the campaing is quite cool, IMHO one of the better endings in the whole game.

Finedaible

The main story quest is quite good. There aren't enough quests involving the Aedra in my opinion.

It is still one of my most despised locations though. I wouldn't advise doing it without a semi-decent pvp build.

I can agree with AD branch always having bug issues. I lost track of how many years scamp spawns were bugged for us. At least those seem to be working now.

Beardimus

RicAlmighty wrote: »

Beardimus wrote: »

You just haven't orientated yourself with Imp City. Use the ladders to go plant, and use the sewers to return

With all respect, I am not an idiot, I understand the objectives perfectly, been playing MMOs for 20 years. The banner objectives are broken, at least for me. Someone else mentioned that AD objectives are borked and I think that is what is happening here. Thanks for trying to help though

Wasn't calling you an idiot at all, just trying to help as alot of folks get confused with banner planting AND how to get back to your contact in the alliance base. On console at least the quest marker can make it seem you have to go round in circles.

As per AD bug, if that's borked and the only issue you have then cool, wasn't away of it. Only have red toons

Personally do think it's a great story / questline and the secret finale room you get into is cool. Plus holding off the hoards with balistas is a bit unique

FlopsyPrince

RicAlmighty wrote: »

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

You must be AD. The daily quest markers are whacked for them and still not fixed. (Not sure why.)!

I am! Do you have any ideas or pointers about this? Are there workarounds or is it just borked and I'll have to do it on another alliance?

Thanks

I is just borked. Though I play several AD characters, including my main, and you get to know what is where. Learn which ladder goes to which zone.

I believe the markers on the top will all show correctly when you step one step out from the map when below, such as in the base. Just don't follow the quest directions.

It is really annoying they haven't fixed this in the 4 years I have been playing now, on both the PS4 and PC. I would love to get an official answer to that one.

Hopefully this helps.

FlopsyPrince

Finedaible wrote: »

The main story quest is quite good. There aren't enough quests involving the Aedra in my opinion.

It is still one of my most despised locations though. I wouldn't advise doing it without a semi-decent pvp build.

I can agree with AD branch always having bug issues. I lost track of how many years scamp spawns were bugged for us. At least those seem to be working now.

Anyone official reading this that could explain why something clearly a major concern for 1/3 of the players (or whatever percentage are AD) has not been fixed in years?

buttaface

Beardimus wrote: »

Honnestly it's not a maze. You just haven't worked it out.

The landing area is a maze and duplicative, objectively, which is the first thing needing rework, should have one merchant, one bank and an exit into the actual zone, not the mess that it is.

BlueRaven

Most of the quest is pretty bad. It ends great though, so hopefully you get to see it.

Vulkunne

Yeah. IC can be a rough neighborhood.

VaranisArano

I enjoyed the Imperial City Questline. I did it on a PVE character when I was reasonably comfortable in PVP, so I knew the virtues of IC - speed and staying out of sight.

The Arena boss fight was tough on my Stam Sorc. I got close so many times before I realized I would have to go back to base to repair my broken armor. So I called in a friend's healer, and we duoed the fight.

I remember sneaking through the center of one district to get to Captain Regilus' hideout while trying to avoid both the Watcher boss and the DC group that was forming up to fight him. I vividly remember discovering that the Clannfear boss could fit through a archway, and getting chomped for my trouble. I was delighted by the final quest because I got to use a ballista outside of Cyrodiil!

I know Imperial City isn't enjoyable for most people. Heck, I don't spend much time there except casually when I want even rewards.

Still, I had fun doing the Imperial City questline.

Jaraal

RicAlmighty wrote: »

Decided to give this a try today and it was just not for me. Lack of direction with the plant the rally banner objectives (one simply never showed up for me and others had waypoint markers nowhere near where you actually needed to go), getting absolutely ganked by a mob of NPCs with 300k health, impossible so one-shot instant death (honestly what fun is that?). Repetitive nonsense with (to me) artificial difficulty that is unnecessary. This is my least favorite thing I've done in this game after 200 hours, Maybe I'll try again later on when I am a much higher level.

The Imperial City quest line is one of the best in the game, and the Drake of Blades is one of the best written and acted characters. I've done it on most of my characters, and enjoy it every time.