How to start new character in coldharbour

kinguardian · November 2019

With all the new chapters every time I start a new character it starts now in elsweyr and before that in summerset.

I don't like this because story wise it does not make sense at all.
How do I change it so the game always starts in coldharbour?

Taleof2Cities · November 2019

Easiest way on a new character is to skip the chapter intro ... and head directly to your Alliance starter town to start the Main Quest.

There is no way to start a new character in Coldharbour from the character creation screen ... if you own any of the new Chapters.

Royaji · November 2019

This is not really an option, outside of getting a new account without Morrowind, Summerset or Elsweyr (which I don't think even is possible at this point). As mentioned above, your best bet is to just skip the tutorial, port to the starter town and talk to the hooded figure.

CassandraGemini · November 2019

Alas, you can't change it. Whenever a new chapter comes out the tutorial quest is automatically set to match the newest one that you have available, with no way to go back to the old ones. Believe me, you're not the only one who doesn't like this, especially since it really does screw up everything from a story perspective. I sure know I would prefer it, if we always started out in Coldharbour, since picking up the main questline is the first thing I do anyway on each new toon.

RefLiberty · November 2019

Just teleport to starter town for your race and you will be intercepted with quest to talk to hooded figure

lagrue · November 2019

Royaji wrote: »

This is not really an option, outside of getting a new account without Morrowind, Summerset or Elsweyr (which I don't think even is possible at this point). As mentioned above, your best bet is to just skip the tutorial, port to the starter town and talk to the hooded figure.

Yeah it's possible to buy baseline ESO still. Wouldn't recommend it just for this reason though.

alanmatillab16_ESO · November 2019

The decision to force players to start in the new expansions has to be one of ZOS's worst. The game revolves around that storyline, if you do not do it continuity goes out the window. Strictly speaking you shouldn't be able to rezz and there are a couple of questlines that mention that the only way you can survive them is because you are the soulless one yet if you have not done the coldharbour start you still have your soul.

Like others have said though OP, you can only start the coldharbour questline by skipping the expansion intro and going to your faction starting area and waitng for the hooded figure to contact you with a quest to meet a benefactor.

TheShadowScout · November 2019

kinguardian wrote: »

With all the new chapters every time I start a new character it starts now in elsweyr and before that in summerset.

I don't like this because story wise it does not make sense at all.
How do I change it so the game always starts in coldharbour?

You don't.

You skip the new intro, find the hooded figure in your starter city, pick up the quest to seek out your "mysterious benefactor" and end up in coldharbour right away.

Only possible way to do it so far.

And yes, many here wish we could just pick and choose which intro to play, where to jump into the game!

bearbelly · November 2019

lagrue wrote: »

Royaji wrote: »

This is not really an option, outside of getting a new account without Morrowind, Summerset or Elsweyr (which I don't think even is possible at this point). As mentioned above, your best bet is to just skip the tutorial, port to the starter town and talk to the hooded figure.

Yeah it's possible to buy baseline ESO still.

I don't believe it is possible anymore. They've rolled Morrowind into the base game, so now the most basic version you can buy comes with Morrowind.

If you buy a disc of the original base game somewhere (probably not from anywhere legit at this point), your game is going to update to ZOS's current standard, which includes Morrowind, as soon as you launch.

RefLiberty · November 2019

lagrue wrote: »

Royaji wrote: »

This is not really an option, outside of getting a new account without Morrowind, Summerset or Elsweyr (which I don't think even is possible at this point). As mentioned above, your best bet is to just skip the tutorial, port to the starter town and talk to the hooded figure.

Yeah it's possible to buy baseline ESO still. Wouldn't recommend it just for this reason though.

I'm not sure will it work tho even if you buy base game from G2A or similar sites, because Morrowind is now added to base game, so I wonder, even if you start a game with baseedition, since you are connecting to Zos server, maybe it will upgrade/unlock automatically. Not sure tho.

kinguardian · November 2019

Aw shoot, that sucks I do own all the chapters but just hoped I could change some options. I do like you all say and go to the hooded figure but I just miss that little piece of intro.

Thank you guys for the answers

robwolf666 · December 2019

kinguardian wrote: »

With all the new chapters every time I start a new character it starts now in elsweyr and before that in summerset.

I don't like this because story wise it does not make sense at all.
How do I change it so the game always starts in coldharbour?

My kid started her game in Coldharbour - but it needed a new account, and no DLCs.

Sylvermynx · December 2019

robwolf666 wrote: »

kinguardian wrote: »

With all the new chapters every time I start a new character it starts now in elsweyr and before that in summerset.

I don't like this because story wise it does not make sense at all.
How do I change it so the game always starts in coldharbour?

My kid started her game in Coldharbour - but it needed a new account, and no DLCs.

Problem is, now once you buy a "base game" old-style, once you log in first time, you get updated to MW. So you're still screwed.

I really REALLY dislike this particular mechanic. For a while, I didn't quite get the problem. But once I bought Summerset.... I was like, wait WHAT? I want to start with the base game, and go on from there. But I'm not allowed to do that.

ZOS, you have screwed the pooch and bought the farm. People want to start from the BEGINNING. And then, when they are well and truly involved they will be more than happy (assuming they aren't trying to pvp on PC EU of course) to buy the next levels of content.

I really hate that I have to jump through hoops to just access the story line AS A STORY LINE.

/grumble

I'm old. Sue me.

kinguardian · December 2019

Sylvermynx wrote: »

robwolf666 wrote: »

kinguardian wrote: »

With all the new chapters every time I start a new character it starts now in elsweyr and before that in summerset.

I don't like this because story wise it does not make sense at all.
How do I change it so the game always starts in coldharbour?

My kid started her game in Coldharbour - but it needed a new account, and no DLCs.

Problem is, now once you buy a "base game" old-style, once you log in first time, you get updated to MW. So you're still screwed.

I really REALLY dislike this particular mechanic. For a while, I didn't quite get the problem. But once I bought Summerset.... I was like, wait WHAT? I want to start with the base game, and go on from there. But I'm not allowed to do that.

ZOS, you have screwed the pooch and bought the farm. People want to start from the BEGINNING. And then, when they are well and truly involved they will be more than happy (assuming they aren't trying to pvp on PC EU of course) to buy the next levels of content.

I really hate that I have to jump through hoops to just access the story line AS A STORY LINE.

/grumble

I'm old. Sue me.

Hahaha nah that is just being sensible not old.
Otherwise I am old too so nope LOL

Jaraal · December 2019

CassandraGemini wrote: »

Alas, you can't change it. Whenever a new chapter comes out the tutorial quest is automatically set to match the newest one that you have available, with no way to go back to the old ones. Believe me, you're not the only one who doesn't like this, especially since it really does screw up everything from a story perspective. I sure know I would prefer it, if we always started out in Coldharbour, since picking up the main questline is the first thing I do anyway on each new toon.

It's ZOS's way of getting around the fact that DLCs may bring back characters that no longer exist in the main story. If they delay you from the main story until after you finish the new content, you're less likely to notice how they reappear out of thin air and render the main story moot.

TheShadowScout · December 2019

Jaraal wrote: »

It's ZOS's way of getting around the fact that DLCs may bring back characters that no longer exist in the main story...

...more like, they want to show off their newest regions right away, to "wow" people, and feel a little self-conscioius about the four year old mainstory regions...

Still ought to be an -option- as to where one starts, right?

Personally I had wished that EVERYONE always started in coldharbour... and THEN get a choice where to reappead into tamriel, mainstory starter isles, or right into one of the expansions... Oh, well.

redgreensunset · December 2019

I find the whole "you shouldn't ever be able to do new content before you've don all the old because that's what all new players want so that's how it should be" mentality on display here somewhat hilarious. I come from a game where new expansions to the game was barred not just behind a good amount of leveling but also several hoops needed to be completed to get there and boy people complained about new content being gated that way and a lot of new coming players left again quickly because they couldn't play the new things until they'd spent several months on the game (after which some other new things would be out which they would also be gated from doing because they had yet to complete the first thing).
So an optional way to turn off or chose which tutorial you do that would be fine with me, but the idea that you should only be able to do new content after completing the old first? No.

Royaji · December 2019

redgreensunset wrote: »

I find the whole "you shouldn't ever be able to do new content before you've don all the old because that's what all new players want so that's how it should be" mentality on display here somewhat hilarious. I come from a game where new expansions to the game was barred not just behind a good amount of leveling but also several hoops needed to be completed to get there and boy people complained about new content being gated that way and a lot of new coming players left again quickly because they couldn't play the new things until they'd spent several months on the game (after which some other new things would be out which they would also be gated from doing because they had yet to complete the first thing).
So an optional way to turn off or chose which tutorial you do that would be fine with me, but the idea that you should only be able to do new content after completing the old first? No.

No one here says that you should be barred from new content. But instead of throwing new players in the middle of the story every time why not just send them to colharbour first and then let them choose where they want to go after they are dropped in the "big world" after the tutorial?

Sylvermynx · December 2019

@redgreensunset - that's not what I said. I want to start in the beginning of the story. THEN as @TheShadowScout and @Royaji said, pick where to go next. And people do want to do that - there are dozens of threads similar to this one in the year and a half I've been playing and reading the forum.

quake89 · December 2019

The thing here is that talking to the hooded figure that starts the Cold Harbour Tutorial is in actual fact the first quest in the main story.

As such why not default to this being your starting tutorial and should you not wish to start here be able to choose where you start.

I for one am not keen on doing the Summerset, Morrowind or Elsweyr tutorial and then having to effectively do the original as part of the questline.
maybe one day we will have a QOL feature to allow us to choose tutorial zones.

Blackbird_V · December 2019

It should be an option imo, alongside what chapter music pack etc. Making a character in Coldharbour was better since the lighting in newer character creation screens is horrible.

TheShadowScout · December 2019

Well, if I had been asked, I would have made the tuorial completely different anyhow.

Let people make their character, appearance only... then play the "escape from coldharbour" part, letting them pick their class IN the tutorial... like, have a scene where they can free one single "tortured soul" who will then bestow some power unto the character... free the priest of the divines, get a blessing and become a templar, free the dragon priest, get some draconic boost and become a DK, free the daedra, make a pact with it and become a sorceror, free the vampire, learn blood magic and become a nightblade etc. Later adding a druid and a lich to free as well.

Possibly even make it two part, splitting all the classes into "power source" - Aedric, Draconic, Daedric, Blood and later Nature, and Necromancy; and "elemental affinity" - Fire (DPS/DoT), Storm (DPS/Splash), Ice (DPS/Slow), Earth (DPS/Tanky), Light (healing), Darkness (stealth), and let people mix and match as they please...

And at the end of the coldharbour escape, THEN let them pick where to come out after jumping into the vortex. Without extras, automatically in the chosen races "home alliance", as imperial or with "AR, AA", you get to pick... and with the expansions, you get more options to pick from added!

Would have been sooo nifty... alas, paths not taken!

rpa · December 2019

If you can stand a little of out of order lore, I'd recommend doing the Elsweyr tutorial and not skipping it. Because if you do it without rushing there is diverse junk weapons & armor lying around to unlock most weapon and armor skill lines (I think only one I missed was resto staff). As a tutorial it is pretty good one.

Anyway as others have pointed out you can wayshine to Vulkhel Guard, Daggerfasll or Davon's Watch and the Hooded Figure will glue old main quest on your face.

redgreensunset · December 2019

Sylvermynx wrote: »

@redgreensunset - that's not what I said. I want to start in the beginning of the story. THEN as @TheShadowScout and @Royaji said, pick where to go next. And people do want to do that - there are dozens of threads similar to this one in the year and a half I've been playing and reading the forum.

@Sylvermynx

1) If this isn't you then clearly I wasn't talking about you. You're not the only person on this thread you know.
2) People who like the current state isn't going to come on the forum and talk endlessly about how they want to keep it that way and anyone who'd like to keep things as they are will aggressively get shouted down and belittled as you just so brilliantly displayed and example of. (Not to mention the forum's generally *** poor reading comprehension and ability to not take any critique as a personal attack, even when it's not even about them. But whatevs.)

Jaraal · December 2019

redgreensunset wrote: »

I find the whole "you shouldn't ever be able to do new content before you've don all the old because that's what all new players want so that's how it should be" mentality on display here somewhat hilarious. I come from a game where new expansions to the game was barred not just behind a good amount of leveling but also several hoops needed to be completed to get there and boy people complained about new content being gated that way and a lot of new coming players left again quickly because they couldn't play the new things until they'd spent several months on the game (after which some other new things would be out which they would also be gated from doing because they had yet to complete the first thing).
So an optional way to turn off or chose which tutorial you do that would be fine with me, but the idea that you should only be able to do new content after completing the old first? No.

The vast majority of video games in general force you to progress in a linear fashion, following the storyline intended by the developers. Having to unlock certain areas by completing what's previously intended is routine strategy. It's One Tamriel that's the outlier here. It's a unique MMO situation based on the decision to make everyone equally powerful and able to do any content from the start. And that allows them to change the entry point of the story, based upon how the game developer wants to maximize their persistent profits.

t3hnerevarine · December 2019

The quests that start the expansion storylines and port you to the expansion main cities are all available immediately, so its not as if anyone is saying that people should be forced to complete the base game and all extras in release order or something
Just the /tutorial/ should have stayed in Coldharbour because thats where you lose your soul and gain the extra powers associated with ESO player characters. If someone gets out of coldharbour and right away talks to the npc starting the elsweyr main quest thats fine.

Would an addon be able to pick your tutorial for you? Like something that changes which tutorial is queued up at the beginning, allowing you to select the coldharbour one if you want? Or is that out of the scope of addon capabilities?

Varana · December 2019

Jaraal wrote: »

It's One Tamriel that's the outlier here. It's a unique MMO situation based on the decision to make everyone equally powerful and able to do any content from the start. And that allows them to change the entry point of the story, based upon how the game developer wants to maximize their persistent profits.

And that feature of ESO is pure genius and really the best thing they could've come up with.
The tutorial problem is really a minor inconvenience, compared to the ginormous advantages of One Tamriel.

(I'm not being sarcastic or anything, btw.)