Cyrodiil - the TES in TESO

CaptainMaxwell · July 2014

Spent the last few days in Cyrodiil, mopping up all that PVE and Shard stuff.

Having a great time.

How come that only in Cyrodiil the mobs are challenging yet not lethal (whereas in the VR areas its either 1-2-Death mobs (you know, back then...) or the current Push & Over guys), the zone is a huge sandbox to explore (like, you know, every other TES main title) and there are hundreds of unmarked buildings, gimmicks and dialogues that serve absolutely no purpose other than immersion.

Can we get more of this? Please?

I hate the themepark feeling of the normal zones, or as I prefer to call them, "IKEA". You know, like the floor of your local IKEA store with the arrow markings pointing you into the right direction, always forcing you to cross the kitchen area when you are looking for a new bathroom mirror...

Leading me to the question... What about the Gold Coast? Skingrad, Kvatch, Anvil? Any chance?

seneferab16_ESO · July 2014

I agree with you so much!

Cyrodiil is what saves the game at the moment. It's absolutely amazing! So many hidden treats, so many places to explore. They all have a backstory, sometimes it's presented to you in the nomal "in you face" way we are used to from PvE, sometimes it is more elaborate; you have no idea why this weird old building is there until you find a note at the other side of the map explaining it. So much stuff like that.

I think Cyrodiil level designers have been allowed this much freedom since there's not much actual levelling content in Cyrodiil; people go there to PvP, not PvE. Therefor, the PvE content can be more advanced and less easymode themepark. No one is whining about not getting it.

stefan.gustavsonb16_ESO · July 2014

There is at least some content like this in normal PvE zones. The "Brothers of Strife" quest that is sort of tucked away to the side when you exit Stonefalls is one little gem from recent memory. There are quite a few side quests, even though most have quest givers that either run up to you or stand in a very obvious location. But I agree: more of the "serendipity" kind of quests would appeal to those of us who like to roam around and find things to do more or less by accident, like we did in previous TES games.

MeowGinger · July 2014

For some reason, the Cyrodiil VR5 dolmens are a joke -- easier than the VR1 dolmens even after the vet alliance nerf.

Samadhi · July 2014

MeowGinger wrote: »

For some reason, the Cyrodiil VR5 dolmens are a joke -- easier than the VR1 dolmens even after the vet alliance nerf.

Cyrodiil v5 dolmens summon mighty Storm Atronachs with a whopping 3k hp pool.

Samadhi · July 2014

The thing that makes PvEing in Cyrodiil feel special to me is the PvP aspect.

I can be doing a quest and get jumped by an enemy player, have epic battle with him or her, then continue on to finish my quest after the kill.

This makes Cyrodiil feel more like older TES games to me, because it provides random encounters with unique combat each time I engage them.

In general, PvE mobs in this game are very static.

Combat with enemy players in the Cyrodiil quest zones gives me that sense of sudden and immersive combat.

I really would have liked this game more if it had full open world PvP.
I think the game is great, but Cyrodiil is the best part.

Lord_Hev · July 2014

Yeah... except Cyrodiil is extremely barren, devoid of wildlife. Huge mass of emptyness with maybe some wolf-packs along the way...

It needs more NPCs/Creatures(Where are the Minotaurs? Cyrodiil is their birthplace lol) to close the massive gaps, and give more PvP with some tasty PvE interference spicing things up.

Right now, it's either zergfest, gankfest, or deadzone.

But yes, it's very easy to balance when you balance for horizantal progression(Tuning Cyrodiil mobs for one set basic attribute leveling field that even lvl 10s can reach.) Vs, vertical increase mob stats per level gain set.

Thus, the mobs in Cyrodiil are balanced. You may not want to get cocky at lvl 20 - 40, but even VR 12's can get in a terrible situation if they aggro too many/enemy player jumps in.

Samadhi · July 2014

Lord_Hev wrote: »

Yeah... except Cyrodiil is extremely barren, devoid of wildlife. Huge mass of emptyness with maybe some wolf-packs along the way...

It needs more NPCs/Creatures(Where are the Minotaurs? Cyrodiil is their birthplace lol) to close the massive gaps, and give more PvP with some tasty PvE interference spicing things up.
...

I actually feel the vastness and emptiness of Cyrodiil is one of the merits in terms of PvE.

I hate how the PvE maps stick to the really formulaic MMO approach of having specific mobs in specific areas.
I can run through a normal adventure zone and it has a little patch with 100 bears, then I cross an invisible border into a little patch with 100 necromancers; I'll never see a bear in the necromancer area and I'll never see a necromancer in the bear area.
In Cyrodiil, the big "empty" spaces between mob spawn areas, and the small amounts of mobs in given areas help to mitigate this feeling slightly. It's not perfect, but it feels slightly more organic than the PvE maps.

I would love to have roaming minotaur mobs and other beasties in the expanses of wilderness; however, with ESO's current method of implementation (dozens of generic mobs compressed into a static homogeneous area) it would not be done in a satisfactory way.
I'd rather just not have it, than have it executed poorly as it is in the PvE zones.