WARNING: LONG POST AHEAD - TR:DR version at bottom
Hello, my name is Aett Thorn, and I'm an alt-oholic. As such, the idea of creating one character and doing all of the content with them just seems odd to me. Because then I'd do the exact same thing, just maybe in a different order, with an alt. Like many people here, judging by the complaints, I think that it could have been done better. But to not be just a Gloomy Gus, I did want to let you all know how I would have done it if I had been in charge.
Keep in mind I am suggesting this not as a replacement of the existing VR content, but as an alternative way to gain Veteran Ranks that doesn't go through the other alliance's content just at a higher level with everything you're fighting severely ramped up in power. If the Devs want to use my ideas, so much the better, but I just want to make sure people understand that it is suggested as an addition to the game, not a replacement.
So, my idea: Daedric Plans, Or, Sheogorath's Meddling
Introduction:
So throughout ESO, you find yourself battling one Daedric Prince in particular: Molag Bal, and if you do the Mage's Guild questline you deal with Sheogorath. We also have the three-sided war to control Cyrodil. My idea would try to build on all three of those in a cohesive package that gets built over time.
At the start of our hero's story, Molag Bal has tricked the emperor to break the covenant between Akatosh and Alessia and thus break the barrier between Oblivion and Nirn. This allows for the Daedric Princes to have more power here on Nirn and exert more of their influence. Since Molag Bal knew that this was about to happen, of course he was ready for it and therefore had a plan already set up. However, what were the other Daedric Princes doing during the time between the fracture and when the hero defeats Molag Bal? Well, they likely started working on their own plans.
After the hero defeats Molag Bal, the alliance realizes that there are people out there powerful enough to take on the Daedric Princes themselves. Considering the war that they are in, they are each trying to use this to their advantage.
Enter Sheogorath
Everyone's favorite mad god is back. After being dealt a minor blow from the Mage's Guild, Sheogorath really just wants to cause some chaos between the other Daedric Princes. So he makes a deal with the leader of each faction, giving them information about what the other Daedric Princes are planning, and maybe even sending heroes to their planes of Oblivion to stop them (or aide them, or turn them into toothpicks for ants, it could go either way).
What's in it for me? (The PvE)
Each Daedric Prince would get its own zones and stories. I am thinking that with 14 remaining Princes, each story would cover 2-3 Vet Ranks, and would come out one at a time or in pairs of stories (though if I could magic them into existence all at once, that would be great). Each Prince would have a plot that they are trying to accomplish now that the barrier between Oblivion and Nirn is down. Some would be more "in your face" plans like Molag Bal's, and some would be more covert meddling in the affairs of mortals, based on the Prince's style.
Each player would be given the choice to either help the Prince or work against them, on a case-by-case basis. Meaning that if you wanted your character to be a devotee of Azura, you could help her but hurt the other Princes, or if you wanted to just go back and forth, you could. If you choose to go against the Prince, your quests would involve finding more out about the plan and trying to stop it. If you choose to help the Prince, the quests would center on finding ways to help them achieve their goals. Either way you would get VR XP, each zone would have access to the crafting materials for their levels, quests would give you VR gear, etc.
Would include both normal quests, public dungeons, and a group dungeon or two per Prince.
What's in it for me? (The PvP)
The war leaders in Cyrodil have been given some knowledge from Sheogorath: a way to grant power to their whole armies by utilizing Daedric Artifacts as power sources.
Each Daedric Prince would have its own battleground that Sheogorath could send you to. These are either 8 v 8 v 8 or 10 v 10 v 10 PvP fights over Daedric Artifacts (such as Azura's star or the Masque of Clavicus Vile). Whichever alliance wins the most of these in a given week would "win" the artifact for their side for the following week. Those fighting in Cyrodil would gain benefits based on the artifacts that are owned by their side. For instance, maybe Azura's Star would place a soul lock on the battlefield, making people take longer to be rezzed in the field, or grant a full soul gem for each PvP kill. For the Masque of Clavicus Vile, maybe a small AoE buff around each character on your side.
Do you fight for the most powerful against everyone else, or maybe try to get more of the less powerful ones and gain power that way? (Hopefully they'd be relatively balanced, but in case they are not, having multiple of the weaker ones would make up for not having the stronger ones). Alliance leaderboards would need to be set up so that you could see where your efforts might have the most impact. You could going as a fully-formed team or as an individual and be placed in the battle of your choosing with random PUGs.
What's in it for me? (The Loot)
Of course there would need to be some new loot to go along with this. In addition to normal VR loot you could get from enemies and treasure chests and such, new quest rewards could be relatively unique. There could also be some new set crafting locations put into each zone that would give bonuses based on the Daedric Prince in question. Hircine's Armor Sets might give bonuses to speed and damage, while Mehrunes Dagon's Armor Sets could give bonus damage to natives of Nirn or random elemental damage.
Each Daedric Prince's location would also come with a new armor motif for the daedra of their realms (current Daedric armor motif would be given the name Daedric - Coldharbor). Completing all of the Daedric Realms might even give you access to a new motif that allows you to craft armor in the style of the Daedric Princes themselves. Plenty of loot options are possible here.
[Summary
In short:
*New VR leveling system to add to current system
*Aide or work against the Daedric Princes
*Both PvE and PvP content for each Prince
*New loot, armor motifs, and even some unique armor and weapons
Have at it!