Choose Start Story - Why I still don't come back

m1sf1t711 · August 2019

I know that it isn't an option to choose to start a new character at the beginning of the ESO story and timeline as the Vestige and this is the only reason I haven't come back to this game, much as I'd like to.

It's a deal breaker for me.

I'd love to experience Morrowind and Elsweyr etc. but being able to follow the story through chronologically matters to me. I play games for story and this is Elder Scrolls, which has so much story and lore and depth.

I hope this won't be perceived as an entitled whine. I just wanted to post to raise the issue yet again so that maybe it adds to the historical complaints and requests, reaches the Devs, and maybe one day they might change things.

Aliyavana · August 2019

It is not a priority for ZOS sadly. A workaround is that after creating a character, you can wayshrine to a starter city and get sacrificed immediately, and pretend the previous thing didn't happen. A upside to this is that if you start on a chapter, you gain an extra skillpoint that you would lose out on if you had started in the original tutorial.

idk · August 2019

I find it odd that such a small issue is the reason you do not play the game at all. I understand the desire for it to be different and respect that but it seems odd that you avoid the game entirely other than to create this thread over a pretty petty issue.

And IB4L

logarifmik · August 2019

Agreed. Players should have a choice from where they want to start. Personally, I'd prefer to start in the Wailing Prison all the time. It's a pain for the narrative's logic to start somewhere else. The story becomes more orderless and messier with each update. We need at least a roadmap or something.

baltic1284 · August 2019

logarifmik wrote: »

Agreed. Players should have a choice from where they want to start. Personally, I'd prefer to start in the Wailing Prison all the time. It's a pain for the narrative's logic to start somewhere else. The story becomes more orderless and messier with each update. We need at least a roadmap or something.

I also agree once you create your character you see the beginning where you are sacrificed to Molag Bal, after that you wake up in that area in the prison cell and start from there but your not required to do the main story line just to make the freakin meet Varen Aquilarios in some cave and be forced to play the main story just to make the marker go away.
After you get out of there you should be able to drop it like any other quest after you have meet him in the cave so you know where he is at. After that you should be allowed to do as you please so long as main story quests arnt an option till you speak to Varen Aquilarios again in the cave to go down that line.

Siohwenoeht · August 2019

The way it is now actually allows more variety of starting stories. The last character I made I chose to play the alliance line to a certain point, before being sacrificed, as it made sense that he was a thorn in molag and mannimarco's side way before he was executed.

That said, I think all brand new players should start in the wailing prison as the tutorial on the first playthrough, to set the stage. But on an alt, the freedom to construct your own story is very nice. I typically don't even worry about the new zone tutorial skill point, there are more than enough of those in the game.

It's super easy to port to your starting location without taking any quests, and immediately start the mq.

m1sf1t711 · August 2019

As I said in my first post, this isn't an entitled whine and I do appreciate the advice on how I could still start a new character and use a work around, but thank you also to those who understand that it's about following through a story immersively (sorry for that much abused word lol) without confusion or worrying about picking quests up out of order etc.

I do appreciate this is an MMO and needs to be structured on very different lines than a single player game but equally I think a lot of Elder Scrolls fans enjoy the quality of story in this game.

In future months (when I've finished my latest heavily modded Skyrim playthrough LOL) I may bite the bullet and look up some good quest guides for chronology and try to steel myself to get through a tutorial, jump to the timeline beginning and try to pretend it didn't happen ;-) But I still hope that the Devs might one day think about this. Options to start at the beginning or in any chosen expansion story just seems good sense to me.

VaranisArano · August 2019

m1sf1t711 wrote: »

As I said in my first post, this isn't an entitled whine and I do appreciate the advice on how I could still start a new character and use a work around, but thank you also to those who understand that it's about following through a story immersively (sorry for that much abused word lol) without confusion or worrying about picking quests up out of order etc.

I do appreciate this is an MMO and needs to be structured on very different lines than a single player game but equally I think a lot of Elder Scrolls fans enjoy the quality of story in this game.

In future months (when I've finished my latest heavily modded Skyrim playthrough LOL) I may bite the bullet and look up some good quest guides for chronology and try to steel myself to get through a tutorial, jump to the timeline beginning and try to pretend it didn't happen ;-) But I still hope that the Devs might one day think about this. Options to start at the beginning or in any chosen expansion story just seems good sense to me.

You may find that the new Zone Guide is very helpful for guiding you chronologically through each zone. It doesnt guide you to the zones in order, but you can do that by following the base game alliance achievements , Cadwell's Silver and Gold, and playing the DLC in order of release.

If you want a more detailed discussion of the original order: https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/413807/what-order-should-i-do-esos-story-arcs-a-guide/

Also, Skyrim is awesome!

Robo_Hobo · August 2019

What I do is skip tutorial, then teleport to my Daggerfall small house (regardless of faction) because when you walk out the door the hooded figure will be there and the Benefactor is literally in the house next door. Less than 30 seconds from creation and into the Soul Shriven tutorial (not counting the 3 loading screens).

But yeah I'm hoping for a tutorial choice too sometime.

AcadianPaladin · August 2019

I agree with OP in the need for options on where to start. We already have the option to skip the tutorial, how hard can it be to have option to start in the original (and apparently most preferred Coldharbour) tutorial instead of the disorienting flavor of the month tutorial?

I start in the flavor of the month tutorial because I have too - as I hold my nose. As soon as my elf is done there, she ports to her Snugpod, takes a bath to wash the flavor of the month off, steps out the door and looks for the hooded figure to start the game in earnest. Ever since MW first came out, we've been asking for the option to actually start in the original tutorial.

barney2525 · August 2019

m1sf1t711 wrote: »

I know that it isn't an option to choose to start a new character at the beginning of the ESO story and timeline as the Vestige and this is the only reason I haven't come back to this game, much as I'd like to.

It's a deal breaker for me.

I'd love to experience Morrowind and Elsweyr etc. but being able to follow the story through chronologically matters to me. I play games for story and this is Elder Scrolls, which has so much story and lore and depth.

I hope this won't be perceived as an entitled whine. I just wanted to post to raise the issue yet again so that maybe it adds to the historical complaints and requests, reaches the Devs, and maybe one day they might change things.

Ummm... Yes. You can.

You create a character, you skip the tutorial, you take the nearest wayshrine to your capital, you get the mainline quest from the Hooded Figure, you go get whacked on the head and start your character from the Wailing prison.

And it makes even More sense because now you know How it is that you were murdered by Manimarco.

pdblake · August 2019

I've wanted this for a while. Once I bought Summerset I never saw Morrowind tutorial again. Now that I've got Elswyer I'll never see Summerset tutorial again. I started with Morrowind so I've never actually started the game from the start of the main quest at all.

I'd like the choice. It must be possible because depending on what you've bought, everyone starts in different places.

maboleth · August 2019

+1 for an option to have starting zone by choice.

Make the current (newest) one default, to promote new content, but all other zones (including the main quest) should be offered there too in the menu.

ANGEL_BtVS · August 2019

You could put hundreds of hours into this game but the reason you won't play is because of the 5-minute opening area? Umm, ok.

m1sf1t711 · August 2019

ANGEL_BtVS wrote: »

You could put hundreds of hours into this game but the reason you won't play is because of the 5-minute opening area? Umm, ok.

Hey each to their own ok?

I'm only asking for options and wouldn't want to negatively impact anyone else's choices.

Also:

barney2525 wrote: »

m1sf1t711 wrote: »

I know that it isn't an option to choose to start a new character at the beginning of the ESO story and timeline as the Vestige and this is the only reason I haven't come back to this game, much as I'd like to.

It's a deal breaker for me.

I'd love to experience Morrowind and Elsweyr etc. but being able to follow the story through chronologically matters to me. I play games for story and this is Elder Scrolls, which has so much story and lore and depth.

I hope this won't be perceived as an entitled whine. I just wanted to post to raise the issue yet again so that maybe it adds to the historical complaints and requests, reaches the Devs, and maybe one day they might change things.

Ummm... Yes. You can.

You create a character, you skip the tutorial, you take the nearest wayshrine to your capital, you get the mainline quest from the Hooded Figure, you go get whacked on the head and start your character from the Wailing prison.

And it makes even More sense because now you know How it is that you were murdered by Manimarco.

Thanks I hadn't realised that you can skip the tutorial completely now as that wasn't an option last time I tried.

I do still hope for a start point choice in the future but I appreciate all the comments and information on how I might be able to make my return less painful LOL Thank you and I will be back again some time soon to support this excellent game.

*heads back to Skyrim to complete a story*

TheShadowScout · August 2019

As I said elsewhere:

TheShadowScout wrote: »

I myself always think it would have been so much better of they had not made the new "tutorials" as -tutorials-, but... added them as "expansion intro".
Like... the first time your character goes to Vvardenfell, they cannot just wayshrine, but need to take the boat, which shipwrecks on firemoth isle... the first time your character follows queen Ayrenns invitation to summerset, they get intercepted by sea-sload magic and end up in the mind trap... the first time your character goes to elsweyr, they get caught in a dragon attack and end up rescued by some friendly khajhiit... etc.

...so to clarify, I would all be for making the old coldharbour tutorial the "default tutorial" and all the others into "expansion intros"; make all the "classic" story progression the default as well... and then give people the -option- to bypass all the old in case they want to start with the new if they really want to.

Sadly... paths not taken.