Is Solstice worth buying?

Malyore

I haven't bought the new chapter/pass yet. I think it's the first time since owning the game that I haven't purchased the new content.

As I am someone who did not like the storytelling of Necrom & Gold Road, but who did like the original ESO main story (along with Clockwork City and Elsewyr) would you recommend me the new chapter? I enjoyed Zerith Vars quest infinitely more than Gold Roads story, and I actively disliked Tanlorins quest. If those make any indication as to story and characters I enjoy.

I'm hoping to avoid plot spoilers and moreso want to know how the tone of the story is.
Is it the same dull "the world is going to end because of daedra but we will save the day with positivity and courage" tone? How are the characters? Is the plot predictable with betrayal, and with villains standing right in front of you but being unkillable? Are you forced to side against villains in the first place simply because they are "bag guy grrr"? How are the player choices in plot and dialogue?

Does the zone provide anything worthwhile too?

tomofhyrule

I haven't done the story yet - honestly I've been disappointed by the quests and storytelling in ESO for a while (High Isle was the worst thing I've ever done), especially since I can get my RPG and storytelling fix so much more from other games like BG3 or even the single-player TES games.

However, just looking at the amount of content afforded by the Season pass... no, it's not worth it at all.

Look at what we got in 2023:
Necrom, $40:

• Two zones (one large, one small), sharing 6 WBs, 6 Delves, and 2 PubDuns
• A New Class
• Two Companions
• A new World Event (Bastion Nymics)
• One new Tales of Tribute deck
• A new Trial

Versus now:
Solstice, $50:

• One zone, presumably with 6 WBs, 6 Delves, and 2 PubDuns (so far, only 3 WBs have been released with one more in the U47 patch, 3 Delves, and 1 PubDun)
• No new feature (Subclassing is basegame so not included in the value of Solstice)
• No Companions
• A new World Event (releasing with U47)
• No new Tales of Tribute deck
• A new Trial
• 4 DLC Dungeons (also playable via ESO+)

Mathematically, Solstice is offerring way less than Necrom did, and the Dungeons aren't making up for that. Solstice is only a good deal for people who: i) want to own the dungeons permanently regardless of ESO+ status, and ii) only get Chapters for the zones and do not care about Chapter features.

If you're only interested in the story and don't care about needing to rush it to take part in the Wall event, this really looks like a "wait until it's on sale" thing. Especially if you are currently on ESO+ and don't want to essentially pay to permanently unlock the dungeons you're already paying for.

Syldras

Malyore wrote: »

I haven't bought the new chapter/pass yet. I think it's the first time since owning the game that I haven't purchased the new content.
As I am someone who did not like the storytelling of Necrom & Gold Road, but who did like the original ESO main story (along with Clockwork City and Elsewyr) would you recommend me the new chapter? I enjoyed Zerith Vars quest infinitely more than Gold Roads story, and I actively disliked Tanlorins quest. If those make any indication as to story and characters I enjoy.
I'm hoping to avoid plot spoilers and moreso want to know how the tone of the story is.
Is it the same dull "the world is going to end because of daedra but we will save the day with positivity and courage" tone? How are the characters? Is the plot predictable with betrayal, and with villains standing right in front of you but being unkillable? Are you forced to side against villains in the first place simply because they are "bag guy grrr"? How are the player choices in plot and dialogue?
Does the zone provide anything worthwhile too?

Honestly it's really hard for me to make any judgement so far, because the main quest is over so fast (while I did find it interesting and fun to play so far, it's only 5 short quests and finished within maybe around 3 or 4 hours), not much happens in it yet, and it feels more like an introduction or prologue - and now there's that split and we don't see the rest until November or so.

There are aspects I missed so far (It's just so void of background lore? We learned absolutely nothing new about the Wormcult, Mannimarco or Wormblood - nothing at all; and yes, so the main premise is "They're evil cultists, let's fight them!"), but who knows whether we'll see that in Part 2?

But I'm not sure whether I should be optimistic, because also for some places in Part 1, we strangely did not get any background lore at all. For example, we have to go so some Argonian ruin at some point, and we learn nothing about it. It's like they only chose it as a cool backdrop, but without anything more to it.

Generally I sometimes had the impression that there was a big focus on having situations look "cool", while not thinking much more about what actually happens. The big finale of Part 1 was also spectacular - but left me wondering about some logic questions, like "Does that make sense? How is this even possible?"

I think some of these situations might indeed be actual mistakes stemming from possibly having changed quest order or locations during writing at some point and not correcting the dialogues accordingly. For example, there's a situation where we defeat someone and learn of a location because of that, and then we go to that location and the npcs going with us tells us he wonders whether the guy (that we just defeated elsewhere) is still here?! And at the end of Part 1 there's a ending dialogue where a character points to the side and tells us to "look at the ocean" - just that we're inside a room with no windows at that moment. Probably the scene was supposed to take place somewhere outside at the harbour when it was first written, then moved into a building, but the dialogue wasn't changed accordingly - that's my interpretation of that, at least.

And of course, we also had repetative dialogues again, and had to ask rather strange questions often. Repeatedly. Without a way to progress the dialogue otherwise.

When it comes to side quests, some were nicely written and fun to play. There was a bit more variety in ideas again, compared to the last few years. One was actually a complex and nuanced story that I liked a lot. The side quests also were rather long - which was strange, considering how short the main quests are. But then again, many quests are strangely rather light-hearted and funny (which was unexpected considering the huge threat on that small island). What I disliked was that the tone was often a bit too moral for me, including some quests actually ending with a "Today I learned..." style dialogue from the quest npc. Excess is bad, be nice to your siblings, protect the environment, etc. Simple truths presented to me as an important lesson isn't what I'm personally looking for when I play a TES game.

What I also disliked was the weird, harmless, basically family friendly depiction of Sanguine's debaucheries (That weren't really debaucheries, or is eating cheese and dancing a bad, immoral thing nowadays?) that were completely contradiction Sanguine lore we already know. And there were even 2 Sanguine quests on this island, that both were like that. And we also got a bit on Sithis worship that was also strangely harmless.

Dialogue choices made no difference at all. There were situations where I thought "Now, having a choice would be meaningful and interesting!" - but we didn't get any choice there. Most often the dialogue options were limited to making a joke in conversation or not, or even just swearing revenge to the enemy in a more neutral, or in a brutal way - how does that even matter, I wonder? We can't really make moral choices and it's clearly defined for us who the good and the bad characters are, we can't make our own judgement.

And while there's no npc annoying us with obnoxious flirting unasked for this time, we get the dialogue option to flirt with one npc (yes, always the same one) in 3 different situations. I really disliked how it didn't fit the situation at all (it was supposed to be urgent and dangerous), felt random, and more like some stupid sleazy joke. Especially the third situation was horrible - sorry for being that direct, but I totally hated it. Of course I didn't have to choose it (there were just too choices: "flirty" or "neutral" reply), but of course I had to read it when it popped up, and already that broke my immersion in that urgent and dangerous situation completely. Oh, and in one situation, when we gave the neutral instead of the flirty reply, that npc also seemed disappointed in us somehow, which I also found rather obnoxious. Why can't we just be uninterested without getting criticized for it?! That's not any better than the aggressive flirting we saw in High Isle, that we could not comment on at all. From my point of view, there must be a way to end that, without getting reproachful comments for it.

So is it worth it? If you haven't bought it yet, I'd suggest waiting for the release of Part 2 and ask for people's reviews once more after that.

Unless of course you're really interested in participating in the Wall event, but I think the part of that which takes place on the new island only will mostly be about defending camps against enemy waves. Maybe we'll see the Wall slowly crumble or fade away, I don't know, but is that worth paying the full chapter price? I personally wouldn't say so.

My main point of criticism would be that Part 1 was over really fast - it was just too little content for the price so far. Maybe Part 2 will make up for that - maybe not. We'll see.

Malyore

I haven't even played High Isle yet, so I can't say anything for it.

The wall event is a reason I'm even considering purchasing it. If the story is good, and the wall event feels like a fun part of that good story, I become more interested. But if it's not good, then I'm not interested in paying into FOMO tactics.

Heren

Malyore wrote: »

Are you forced to side against villains in the first place simply because they are "bag guy grrr"?

Will according to some interview made, yes, it's kinda a selling point even - punching simple bad guys in the face because they're bad, period.

"However, the Worm Cult is a different kind of villain. They’re irredeemable, power-mad megalomaniacs. You never have to ask yourself if it’s right for you to stop them, because they want bad things for bad reasons. That’s fun!”

Quoted from here : https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/68079

Can't answer more your questions cause I didn't buy Solstice, in a similar way to you I wasn't thrilled by the latest stories and Solstice didn't seem worth buying ( still don't ).

Malyore

Heren wrote: »

Malyore wrote: »

Are you forced to side against villains in the first place simply because they are "bag guy grrr"?

Will according to some interview made, yes, it's kinda a selling point even - punching simple bad guys in the face because they're bad, period.

"However, the Worm Cult is a different kind of villain. They’re irredeemable, power-mad megalomaniacs. You never have to ask yourself if it’s right for you to stop them, because they want bad things for bad reasons. That’s fun!”

Quoted from here : https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/68079

Can't answer more your questions cause I didn't buy Solstice, in a similar way to you I wasn't thrilled by the latest stories and Solstice didn't seem worth buying ( still don't ).

I suppose that information about the wormcult is true. This game does not let you play an evil role, short of killing civilians. I don't think I'd find my character wishing to side with them particularly.

But even with prior villains that we may "ask ourselves if it's right to stop them" we are never actually given that opportunity to enact our questions or decision, which is why the story can be downright annoying to play at times. So I'm not sure whether I actually like or dislike their stance on the wormcult then. I did enjoy fighting against them back when I played the first main quest, but that was because the game was still new to me and seemed elder scrollsy at the time.

Cooperharley

Nothing special or new IMO

Djennku

tomofhyrule wrote: »

I haven't done the story yet - honestly I've been disappointed by the quests and storytelling in ESO for a while (High Isle was the worst thing I've ever done), especially since I can get my RPG and storytelling fix so much more from other games like BG3 or even the single-player TES games.

However, just looking at the amount of content afforded by the Season pass... no, it's not worth it at all.

Look at what we got in 2023:
Necrom, $40:

• Two zones (one large, one small), sharing 6 WBs, 6 Delves, and 2 PubDuns
• A New Class
• Two Companions
• A new World Event (Bastion Nymics)
• One new Tales of Tribute deck
• A new Trial

Versus now:
Solstice, $50:

• One zone, presumably with 6 WBs, 6 Delves, and 2 PubDuns (so far, only 3 WBs have been released with one more in the U47 patch, 3 Delves, and 1 PubDun)
• No new feature (Subclassing is basegame so not included in the value of Solstice)
• No Companions
• A new World Event (releasing with U47)
• No new Tales of Tribute deck
• A new Trial
• 4 DLC Dungeons (also playable via ESO+)

Mathematically, Solstice is offerring way less than Necrom did, and the Dungeons aren't making up for that. Solstice is only a good deal for people who: i) want to own the dungeons permanently regardless of ESO+ status, and ii) only get Chapters for the zones and do not care about Chapter features.

If you're only interested in the story and don't care about needing to rush it to take part in the Wall event, this really looks like a "wait until it's on sale" thing. Especially if you are currently on ESO+ and don't want to essentially pay to permanently unlock the dungeons you're already paying for.

I'm going to counter this misinformation right here. You are comparing a chapter, Necrom, which is priced at $40-$50 with the Content Pass, which is about the same price, but only comparing the Q2 release, when in reality, the chapter Necrom only included that one update you are paying for.

The content pass includes not only one update, but 2 dungeon DLCs, AND the q4 DLC which is the whole year's worth of content for the same price as a single piece of content. You are getting so much more for the Content Pass vs a single chapter.

This is completely separate from ESO plus, because you own the content, and can access it eith or without a subscription. So that argument bevomes invalid.


To put it blunty, the Content Pass is well worth the price, but in the end, buying it or not is a personal choice and the worth is 100% up to the person considering buying the content.

tomofhyrule

Djennku wrote: »

tomofhyrule wrote: »

I haven't done the story yet - honestly I've been disappointed by the quests and storytelling in ESO for a while (High Isle was the worst thing I've ever done), especially since I can get my RPG and storytelling fix so much more from other games like BG3 or even the single-player TES games.

However, just looking at the amount of content afforded by the Season pass... no, it's not worth it at all.

Look at what we got in 2023:
Necrom, $40:

• Two zones (one large, one small), sharing 6 WBs, 6 Delves, and 2 PubDuns
• A New Class
• Two Companions
• A new World Event (Bastion Nymics)
• One new Tales of Tribute deck
• A new Trial

Versus now:
Solstice, $50:

• One zone, presumably with 6 WBs, 6 Delves, and 2 PubDuns (so far, only 3 WBs have been released with one more in the U47 patch, 3 Delves, and 1 PubDun)
• No new feature (Subclassing is basegame so not included in the value of Solstice)
• No Companions
• A new World Event (releasing with U47)
• No new Tales of Tribute deck
• A new Trial
• 4 DLC Dungeons (also playable via ESO+)

Mathematically, Solstice is offerring way less than Necrom did, and the Dungeons aren't making up for that. Solstice is only a good deal for people who: i) want to own the dungeons permanently regardless of ESO+ status, and ii) only get Chapters for the zones and do not care about Chapter features.

If you're only interested in the story and don't care about needing to rush it to take part in the Wall event, this really looks like a "wait until it's on sale" thing. Especially if you are currently on ESO+ and don't want to essentially pay to permanently unlock the dungeons you're already paying for.

I'm going to counter this misinformation right here. You are comparing a chapter, Necrom, which is priced at $40-$50 with the Content Pass, which is about the same price, but only comparing the Q2 release, when in reality, the chapter Necrom only included that one update you are paying for.

The content pass includes not only one update, but 2 dungeon DLCs, AND the q4 DLC which is the whole year's worth of content for the same price as a single piece of content. You are getting so much more for the Content Pass vs a single chapter.

This is completely separate from ESO plus, because you own the content, and can access it eith or without a subscription. So that argument bevomes invalid.


To put it blunty, the Content Pass is well worth the price, but in the end, buying it or not is a personal choice and the worth is 100% up to the person considering buying the content.

Where is the misinformation? I directly said that the dungeons are included in the Season Pass purchase for 2025 in opposition to Necrom, and the upcoming "Q4 DLC" is just the other half of Solstice, which is implied to make the small Western Solstice zone into a Chapter-sized zone with the standard number of delves, WBs, and Public Dungeons.

The major difference is that dungeons are accessible with ESO+, regardless of buying the pass or not. This means that for players who do not intend to own them permanently (which is relatively common - many people specifically try to avoid having DLC dungeons in their random queue, and there are also loads of players who do not intend to stop paying for ESO+ until they stop playing the game, at which point owning the DLC outright is not a concern since they will never be playing without ESO+), that this is not a benefit at all.

For people in that camp, adding the dungeons does nothing to increase the perceived value of Solstice, since they will never use those dungeons as a permanent unlock. There is no way to purchase Solstice without being forced to buy the dungeons along with it, so if you don't want them, you're forced to pay extra money for something you don't want. This means the price is higher than Necrom and they are getting no direct benefit from that price increase, and this is doubly important for players who care more for other features like Companions, Tales of Tribute, or exclusive new features like Classes since the purchase of Solstice does not include any of those.

Solstice is a good deal for players who:

• Play ESO for the story only and do not care about the side activities or features
• Do not have an ESO+ subscription, but still want to play dungeons
• Prefer to own all DLC outright regardless of their ESO+ status

If, however, you are not one of those categories of player, then Solstice is clearly a worse deal than Necrom was.

lostineternity

I wanted to buy it, but then I changed my mind, because there is nothing new, I mean the enemies are all old, just a reuse of everything that has been in the game for 10 years.
Also, the amount of content is very small even if you take into account future additions, there are no new systems, it's just a zone. I'm disappointed.
For the first time since 2017, I won't buy a chapter (or content pass) in eso

scrappy1342

Malyore wrote: »

The wall event is a reason I'm even considering purchasing it. If the story is good, and the wall event feels like a fun part of that good story, I become more interested. But if it's not good, then I'm not interested in paying into FOMO tactics.

wait until the event and it should be on sale for half off. or at least that's how they've done all of the other ones so far.

personally, i won't buy it. last one i bought was necrom (only because they gave a house away at the event, so i bought for half price then) and i have not even touched it yet. eventually they'll have another eso+ free trial and i'll go through gold road. i'll do the same eventually with solstice. i've never agreed with their pricing on these things because you can get through an entire chapter in a couple of days easily (sometimes even less)

Mathius_Mordred

Yes.

The story is great, best for a while. Looking forward to the community event too. I think it's worth the money and whilst subclassing isn't exclusive to the content pass it could have been, but they decided to give it to everyone so that those who can't afford the content pass don't feel left out. This is quite magnanimous of the devs and they didn't have to do it that way. So those saying subclassing isn't included in the content pass it kinda is, but everyone gets it.

AzuraFan

It's difficult to say because we haven't seen the whole package yet. In terms of what's been released, it's worth buying if you like playing through story content or want new delves/WBs, or if you're looking for something to do in the game. The quests have seemed okay so far, though there's only 5 quest hubs to do on the map (what you have to complete), and if it's the same on the other half of the island, then that's a big reduction. Also, the zone is pretty empty in terms of the landscape. It has an unfinished feel to it.

So I'd say if you're looking for more to do in the game, sure. From that angle, it's worth it because it'll give you more to do. But if you look at the price tag, then based on what we've received so far, I'd say no.

aleksandr_ESO

Solstice is the weakest chapter in history. And perhaps the weakest zone, including vanilla

Malyore

Mathius_Mordred wrote: »

The story is great, best for a while.

@Mathius_Mordred what is it that makes it great compared to recent ones?

AzuraFan wrote: »

It's difficult to say because we haven't seen the whole package yet. In terms of what's been released, it's worth buying if you like playing through story content

It's particular story content I enjoy. The selling point to me can't just be that there is some new story in it, but rather the particular narrative and tone of that story, and the freedom of the roles I could have within it.
That is the reason I really disliked Necrom and Gold Road. The tale itself was not a bad concept, in fact I thought the concept was very interesting. But the execution of its narrative was very poorly done and I just simply did not care about anything that was going on because of it.
I'd previously described the characters of Necrom/GR as cardboard cutouts. Characters of a mere two dimensions that flap in the wind and make pointless noise as they're dragged through the story.

It also didn't help that the gameplay was just sooooo slow. Having villains that stand plainly in front of you and talk on end while you're forced to not be able to attack them instantly wipes any care I have for what's going on, because the game itself doesn't allow me to care– it tries to hold me in an artificial level of suspense that does not exist. And I remember dialogue and sequences even breaking because my reaction/engagement speed was...existent: using the sorcerer streak ability to get to target locations quickly or roll dodging past NPCs that are "blocking" a doorway. Having to literally stop the fun I'm having to walk back and reset the story really breaks the illusion of a high stake narrative.

If that is what Solstice is like too, then I do not want it.

Orbital78

Can you spare the $30-40? if so, yes, maybe. IMO ESO's chapters are fairly expensive for what you get, but I enjoy the game so I pay it. You can buy a whole new game or two for the price, it really depends on how much you're enjoying the game. I really wish they would stop the yo-yo effect with balancing though, give players fun ways to play that are different and viable and knock off the fun police stuff.

The main reason I got the DLC was for the new trial and the hopes of the new heavy attack mythic opening up more content. The mythic was a let down, it can increase your damage but your sustain is gone which was part of the heavy attack playstyle I enjoyed. The trial is decent but very long, there are tons of adds to clear through. Overall it is a decent challenge for most players I'm sure. The chapter story felt short, but it only half(?) there I am guessing until we hit the wall event and the second half of the zone. Overall the zone style and appearance is nice, it reminds me of Summerset mixed with High Isle and a splash of Argonian Blackmarsh. The crafting area is pretty decent, but is behind a door. It does include everything in one area (I think). I still use Skingrad, they have added a few nice options in the past years for that.

I do like the green elemental wall skill style from the first dungeon pack. I wish/hope that the Content pass includes many more to make up for the lack of a system update. There are many styles that feel half done with only parts of the skills to match right now. In all honesty I told myself I wouldn't get this chapter/season but caved. Next year/season will likely be a pass unless the direction of the game really shapes up.

moderatelyfatman

I refused to fork out the equivalent price of a AAA game for a few hours of overland and a trial which my guildies didn't like. So with the money I saved I bought the deluxe edition of Clair Obscur: Expendition 33 for a dollar less and I'm having a great time.

I'm waiting for the price of Solstice to drop below $25 before I'll part with my cash. I don't mind waiting until 2026.

Liukke

If the content is as bad as the prologue quest then no, I haven't bought it yet but oh boy, paying 50€ for an island smaller than hew's bane, dungeons that are already in my subscription and a trial that I couldn't care less.

The story is what scares me the most, I don't want to know how dumb Cadwell has become due to the low storytelling that has been around at least since Blackwood, with NPCs treating you like a kid who can't think and deduce anything, "puzzles" (sorry for all the puzzles out there, it's an insult I know) that require you to follow a checkpoint and click a button, all while the NPCs immediately tell you what to do because you're too stupid probably to guess it.

It's Dragon Age the Failguard levels of bottomline storytelling, stay away from this cashgrab, the game we know is not there.

Eskibidus

It's not worth, wait for a discount.

SirLeeMinion

I'm going to surprise myself and say, "Yes," it's worth it. I agree with those that say the area is smaller, main plot is weak, and the gear is unremarkable. I'm also playing less due to incoming nerfs and the damper that AI monitoring puts on chat (this despite the fact that I personally prefer PG-rated chat). So why, yes?

I'll get a lot of entertainment out of my $50 this year, and it helps keep the studio alive. Dinner out for two costs more and lasts an hour. Do we get less for our money than years ago? Yes. But then, hamburger costs twice as much as it did, and many products on the shelf should come with the advertising: "Same great price, new smaller quantity!" In the U.S., our money is simply worth less than it was four years ago. Shrinkflation and inflation are real.

A second argument that likely impacts fewer people: If you play on both the PC NA and PC EU servers, you get all the content on both servers. No more having to buy dungeons twice for the same account on different continents.

While the main plot was weak and had the, "oh, he was right here, but somehow I killed everyone but him" moments, I definitely enjoyed many of the side-quests. I hope to see the orc sisters back again.

Finally, there's the house that you can buy with gold after completing quests. It alone was worth the purchase price, to me.

AzuraFan

Malyore wrote: »

It's particular story content I enjoy. The selling point to me can't just be that there is some new story in it, but rather the particular narrative and tone of that story, and the freedom of the roles I could have within it.

I don't think any of the story content in ESO meets that requirement. We never have any freedom to play a role the way we want to. Unless you're talking about a role you're playing in your head. In that case, I don't know about the Solstice story because I don't approach the stories in this game that way.

As for NPCs who block your path, etc., one of the quests in the main storyline is irritating like that, but otherwise I can't recall anything particularly annoying.

LatentBuzzard

Malyore wrote: »

The wall event is a reason I'm even considering purchasing it.

Players that don't have the content pass can still participate in the wall event as event activities aren't exclusive to the Solstice zone.

Malyore

AzuraFan wrote: »

Malyore wrote: »

It's particular story content I enjoy. The selling point to me can't just be that there is some new story in it, but rather the particular narrative and tone of that story, and the freedom of the roles I could have within it.

I don't think any of the story content in ESO meets that requirement. We never have any freedom to play a role the way we want to. Unless you're talking about a role you're playing in your head. In that case, I don't know about the Solstice story because I don't approach the stories in this game that way.

As for NPCs who block your path, etc., one of the quests in the main storyline is irritating like that, but otherwise I can't recall anything particularly annoying.

Some of what I mean by the role is the new dialogue options I've heard they are adding. Since those are an increased feature, I was wondering if the story is more flexible than prior chapters in ESO. Even if it's just the illusion and doesn't actually change much outcome, it still feels better to play. Other options I've encountered in ESO are things like deciding which NPC will be part of your team for a certain quest, or whether or not to kill an antagonist, etc.

LPapirius

No. As uncertain as ZOS' future appears to be it's probably a bad idea to invest in anything ZOS at this point.

This is just an opinion though. It could turn out that ESO is around for years to come, but all the signs point to that not being the case.

Desiato

Malyore wrote: »

I suppose that information about the wormcult is true. This game does not let you play an evil role, short of killing civilians. I don't think I'd find my character wishing to side with them particularly.

But even with prior villains that we may "ask ourselves if it's right to stop them" we are never actually given that opportunity to enact our questions or decision, which is why the story can be downright annoying to play at times. So I'm not sure whether I actually like or dislike their stance on the wormcult then. I did enjoy fighting against them back when I played the first main quest, but that was because the game was still new to me and seemed elder scrollsy at the time.

The theoretical problem I have with how the writing is being described -- because I haven't played it -- isn't that we don't have an opportunity to question right or wrong, it's that they're literally cartoon villains that don't really exist in real life. With that said, even in the base game main story, despite being very well-written, mannimarco was way too one dimensional.

In real life, villains often believe they are somehow righteous in the big picture. Or even if they are pure nihilists and sociopaths, they tend to find pseudo-moral justifications that are needed to attract followers. But really, most actual villains fall into the necessary evil or deeply deluded categories in my opinion.

IMO, it is in this way that society forgets the lessons of the past and allows mistakes to be repeated.

An example of a series with great writing was the first two Dead Space games. The human antagonists truly believed they were on the side of good.

AzuraFan

Malyore wrote: »

Some of what I mean by the role is the new dialogue options I've heard they are adding. Since those are an increased feature, I was wondering if the story is more flexible than prior chapters in ESO. Even if it's just the illusion and doesn't actually change much outcome, it still feels better to play. Other options I've encountered in ESO are things like deciding which NPC will be part of your team for a certain quest, or whether or not to kill an antagonist, etc.

I think the answer to that will be subjective. For me, the dialogue options didn't make much of a difference. You can't influence the story in any way. But you might find that they work for you.

As for killing off people and such, that's never worked with ESO because they've brought back NPCs that people have chosen to kill (Raz, for example).

tsaescishoeshiner

I found Western Solstice to be more than worth it with the additional upcoming content.

I don't think I would have paid the full Season Pass price for Western Solstice alone. But I liked it more than some full-size Chapters, based on the quests, lore, and environment.

If you're really not sure, you can wait until the Q4 zone comes out.

One huge thing that Solstice adds that even previous Chapters didn't have is the massive server-wide event in Q3. We'll see if it's worth it.

I would like if they dropped 1-2 sidequests in place of 1-2 Companions (maormer companion time? one day ...). Companions are more work, but they pretty much count as a sidequest anyway, despite the fact that they've always been "on top" of all the regular zone content.

shadyjane62

No.

LadyLethalla

If I can ask a sort of tangential question, I bought the game again when I moved to PC, and I think I would have gotten all content to that date included in the price - how can I tell which of the DLC I actually own and which would just be included in ESO+?

greenmachine86

LadyLethalla wrote: »

If I can ask a sort of tangential question, I bought the game again when I moved to PC, and I think I would have gotten all content to that date included in the price - how can I tell which of the DLC I actually own and which would just be included in ESO+?

Go to the crown store DLC section. If it is still available for purchase you don't own that specific DLC

JeroenB

LadyLethalla wrote: »

If I can ask a sort of tangential question, I bought the game again when I moved to PC, and I think I would have gotten all content to that date included in the price - how can I tell which of the DLC I actually own and which would just be included in ESO+?

In-game, go to Collections > Stories, and each item will state "Collected" (owned) or "ESO Plus Unlocked" (not owned). If you don't have ESO+ it will presumably say something like "Not Available" or "Not Collected" for the latter.

When you purchase a retail edition as opposed to an upgrade, you will receive all content previously released as a Chapter, but not content only ever released as DLC. If you look at UESP's ESO DLC table, you should receive all the items marked in the right-most column with an "As Chapter" release date, but not any of the others. So you should have Northern Elsweyr, but not Southern Elsweyr; High Isle, but not Galen; etc.

Waseem

if you are poor no
if you are rich also no

if you like eso yes