Hello. I would just like to voice my thoughts on a few concerns I had for the upcoming Summerset chapter release.

Rarely, if ever, have I been turned off by this wonderful game. However, a side quest in Alinor (which I believe went under the title of "A Duelist's Dilemma") succeeded in doing that to me--probably the very first time that a piece of content has done that to me.

For those who have not experienced this quest, an orcish outsider is insulted by an Altmer (and rightfully so!) and the orc wishes to duel him in response. The Altmer states that he'll only entertain the notion if the orc learns the proper Altmeri dueling etiquette (which was quite an interesting read, I must say).

The issue arises when your character has absolutely no choice but to help the orc in this matter, whether the player wishes to go through with this or not. Ultimately, you are forced to do everything you can to help the orc prepare, and then the orc wins, not by adhering to the rules you presented to him, but by suckerpunching the Altmer in the face, resulting in a highly dishonourable loss of the duel on the Altmer's part.

I feel this is unfair, as it implies that the Altmer need to be beaten and taught how to accept other races, when they are more than intelligent enough as a race to accept this by their own observation. Perhaps not every person will, but that's the beauty of opinions. And even if our society considers such opinions to be beneath us, there's no reason why such discrimination can't exist in a fantasy world where it's already shown to be a fact of society (especially when all of the other races, especially the Nords, partake in it and get away with it). This feels just like a very poor fanservice to Skyrim fanatics who want to laugh at Altmer and childishly proclaim "Haha, stupid snotty evil elves!"

It's been a while since I've completed the main zones and the Wrothgar DLC. But, correct me if I'm wrong, I don't recall any instance in the Wrothgar DLC where an orc is challenged by a non-orc outsider, the latter of whom is then assisted by the player to humiliate and defeat said orc? So why is an aspect of Altmeri custom and tradition needlessly being insulted and torn away from them here, especially when their version of a duel is far more honourable by modern society's standards than the orcs and their brutal "Blood Price?"

I guess one could argue that the Telvanni questline in Vvardenfell in which the player helps an Argonian slave rise through the ranks to freedom undermines their system. But it's not like we bring their slavery to an end. It's still very much a part of their culture. And we even get a choice to let the risen slave keep her mate around, rather than having him run off with the other escapees. So while definitely undermined, that part of the Telvanni culture is not being torn away from them or otherwise insulted, especially as the risen slave herself becomes very much like her former masters by the end of it.

But there is no retribution for the Altmer duelist in this quest. And I know that the Altmer duelist example is a very minor thing in comparison and not even part of a main questline, but some degree of choice in the matter would be nice. I, as an Altmer fan, personally enjoy the idea of them mingling a bit more with outsiders. But I absolutely can't abide having those sentiments literally beaten into them by said outsiders. I would rather go through this expansion with the Altmer learning by observation--as the intelligent and long-lived race of wisdom they are--than having them get utterly humiliated *in their own homeland.* And I would appreciate getting the chance, in certain scenarios, to encourage or allow the natives of Summerset to remain convicted in their views.

**This quest could have had so many more prolific endings and options. For instance, the Altmer, if he were given some scenario to win, could have come to respect the orc after defeating him for attempting to try to understand the very hard-to-reach Altmeri culture. That, I think, would have been the best option.**

Alternatively, the orc could win by fair means and earn the Altmer's respect in a similar fashion that way. That wouldn't have been bad either. Or, if you really feel like giving players choices, account for a scenario in which they player decides to sabotage the orcs efforts instead, perhaps leading to a humiliating defeat for the orc. Any of these would have been better over the current choiceless-choice version of the quest currently and its virtue-signaling ideology.

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Other Topics: Roleplay and Accessibility

Since I spent so long on that prior topic, I'll make this one brief. And that is the concern over the Altmer/Summerset roleplay communities. Half of the major cities listed in lore are seemingly unavailable for proper and productive roleplay: Cloudrest is a trial, Sunhold is a public dungeon, and I was informed by a friend (though did not actually seek this out myself) that Dusk is little more than an inaccessible tower. By comparison, nearly all of Vvardenfell's settlements are suitable for roleplay of some sort, as very few, if any, are phased/quest-locked, and neither are they very hostile with mobs. Auridon already suffered with a good portion of the cities being phased/quest-locked/destroyed/invaded. Is Summerset really going to share the same fate? (Yes, I know we have cities like Shimmerene and Alinor to enjoy, but still--variety keeps things interesting.)