Choosing an Alliance, does it matter?

BurSkills · June 2015

Ok so I think a while back, you had to join an Alliance depending on what race you picked, like it picked for you depending on the race you chose. Obviously i have seen which races belong to which Alliance on the race select screen.

As far as i can see, you can pretty much mix this up how you please, so pick a race and join a different Alliance that doesnt have that race for example.

Does this make much of a difference? I know each Alliance starts in different locations, and their missions to start are different. Does it just eventually turn into the same game though after the introduction town?

Without any spoilers, if there is any differences, which Alliance is most fun and why? My build is a NB Woodelf.

Many thanks!

Qyrk · June 2015

It doesn't matter at all if your basing it on which race or alliance zones you most affiliate with. People will try to argue to go with the alliance based on PvP domination, but that is as volatile and ever changing as our weather.

TheShadowScout · June 2015

Generally you pick you race and with it the "home faction" of that race. Unless you have a certain upgrade... but even then, there are those who still pick the alliance matching the race, for fluff reasons. It just feels more "right" to play through the faction story as one of the factions traditional people. (though I wish some conversations were a bit different depending on your choosen race... something lacking, sadly...)

In effect, the only real difference between the factions is the fluff, and what colors you fly in cyrodil. Every character gets through the other alliances questlines with cadwells silver/gold, every character gets all the goodies, etc. Every faction has neat players and... not so neat players, but in the end, none of them are in any way superior to others (no matter what the altmer will try to tell you!

)

In the end, it depends on what you like best. If you like playing as wood elf, you might feel most at home in the dominion, since about 2/3 of the AD story is "home territory" for every wood elf... but playing in other factions as "exile" works just as well. Do whatever feels most fun for you...

p_tsakirisb16_ESO · June 2015

BurSkills wrote: »

Does this make much of a difference?

Depends.

For me who's coming from games where the faction was paramount to the whole feel of the game, yes.
Affiliation with a faction eg Hibernia in DAOC for many years years, or corporation/alliance in EVE Online was passion. Was also the biggest motivator to "teach a lesson to enemy heathens" and play those two games from 2001 all way to last year, when TESO came out.

So since then. For the Queen!!!!!!! CHARGEEEE!!!!!!!!!

Leandor · June 2015

To clear something up, if you say "I play a bosmer NB", you have already chosen your alliance (this is done during g character creation and cannot be changed afterwards). I guess that is clear, just saying for completeness' sake.

Next, free choosing of Alliance was a peek for PC pre-orders, that now is available on the crown store for money. You need to have this perk ("explorer's pack") to be able to play any race on every alliance.

Finally, the main story regions (basically the part of the game that takes you from level 1 to 50 and the main story end fight) is unique for each alliance. But, after you have finished this part, you get to be a veteran who "experiences the other factions life". You get transported to each of the two enemy factions subsequently and get to do all their quests (except for the Prophet quest line and the guild quest lines) as well.

From a completionist's point of view, it really doesn't matter which alliance you choose. My advise: read up a little on respective lore and choose that which you like most. If you came here for the war experience (a.k.a. PvP) chose an alliance that doesn't have locked population on every campaign - waiting in the queue is not really entertaining.

tengri · June 2015

It highly matters if you want to play together with your friends. Either in PvP or much later in end-game PvE (vet dungeons, trials). You will never ever be able to do either with someone from a different alliance.

As far as "normal" PvE content goes: nothing matters.
Everyone will get to see everything and have to go through every available quest from all three alliances in the long run.

AngryNord · June 2015

Yes, it does matter. If you chose anything other than Ebonheart Pact you lose the chance of being cool :P (well, if you're a nord, that is :P)

BurSkills · June 2015

Ok i see, so in terms of story it makes little difference.

I could choose my default Alliance, or be an "exile" and choose a different one, i will still experience the same story and quests as per say.

But in PVP, you cant team up with members of another Alliance?

Leandor · June 2015

BurSkills wrote: »

But in PVP, you cant team up with members of another Alliance?

No you can't. You will never be able to team up with members of another faction, neither PvP nor PvE. As a poster above mentioned, if you want to play together with friends, you need to start on the same faction.

BurSkills · June 2015

Ok good to know. I currently have no friends so teaming up right now isnt an issue.

Thanks for the replies!

Thymos · June 2015

TheShadowScout wrote: »

Generally you pick you race and with it the "home faction" of that race. Unless you have a certain upgrade... but even then, there are those who still pick the alliance matching the race, for fluff reasons. It just feels more "right" to play through the faction story as one of the factions traditional people. (though I wish some conversations were a bit different depending on your choosen race... something lacking, sadly...)

In effect, the only real difference between the factions is the fluff, and what colors you fly in cyrodil. Every character gets through the other alliances questlines with cadwells silver/gold, every character gets all the goodies, etc. Every faction has neat players and... not so neat players, but in the end, none of them are in any way superior to others (no matter what the altmer will try to tell you! )

In the end, it depends on what you like best. If you like playing as wood elf, you might feel most at home in the dominion, since about 2/3 of the AD story is "home territory" for every wood elf... but playing in other factions as "exile" works just as well. Do whatever feels most fun for you...

Day one early access, I made and played a Wood Elf Sorcerer on Daggerfall Covenant.

I say stuff that idea of fluff, because even playing through the entirety of the game, you find plenty of NPCs in each faction that are not of the main 3 races of that faction.