Who is the best written character in ESO?

tinythinker · December 2019

https://twitter.com/MassivelyOP/status/1205836090218811392

(And why is it Stuga?

)

Anhedonie · December 2019

I'd say Abnur or Darien. Leaning to the first, since he is more on the grey area.

SickleCider · December 2019

Stibbons.

pod88kk · December 2019

That Orc who only fights people with the same weapons that they have, in Glenumbra he fights the harpies barehand

RefLiberty · December 2019

pod88kk wrote: »

That Orc who only fights people with the same weapons that they have, in Glenumbra he fights the harpies barehand

Bumnog.

Why don't you use a weapon?

"I vowed that I would always face my opponents as an equal. If an enemy came at me with a sword, I would meet his blade with one of my own. The harpies fight with claws. How could I go up against them with anything more than fists nature gave me?"

But their claws are sharp as razors ....

"Sharp and natural. They don't weild weapons, so neither will I. I fight them head on, fists against claws. And I will do so with honor."

EIGHTS · December 2019

Smelly cat - Razum-dar

Hamish999 · December 2019

Elam Drals, in the Dark Brotherhood sanctuary. Just such well written, droll, dialogue.

Vasoka · December 2019

Abnur Tharn.

themaddaedra · December 2019

Sotha Sil

VaranisArano · December 2019

I really enjoyed Ritemaster Iachesis, Valsirenn, and Leythen.
Major Spoilers for Summerset

Iachesis
We've seen wise mage types before, and we've met former Psijics Vanus Galerion and Mannimarco. The writers took Iachesis in a different direction.
I really appreciated the subversion of the wise mentor character. Iachesis really was wise and well-intentioned, but so much of his life and persona was based on a past event that turned out to be a false memory implanted by the Sload he thought he'd defeated.
His struggle with who he thought he was and figuring out what he needed to do now that the truth was becoming clear really made his tragic end rather poignant. Too often the mentor dies just so that the hero has to be the one to finish the quest, but Iachesis' arc of discovering his own failure made him more engaging for me. It was wrenching when he died, not because "Oh, no, mentor guy died", but because I knew he wasn't ever going to see us fix his mistakes. The thought of dying while leaving a massively important task undone, leaving behind the people relying on you, and of dying without getting to rectify your biggest mistake is pretty weighty.

Valsirenn & Leythen
This couple broken up by work, dedication to differing ideologies, and the death of their daughter really broke my heart. They both had clear ideals which drove them, sometimes frustrating me with their blind adherence to those ideals. The writers painted a really realistic vision of them as people with both good and bad sides, which made it all the more wrenching the more I progressed in the questline and watched what happened to them. In the end, Valsirenn gets left alone to pick up the pieces of a Psijic Order that's had its confidence in its own infallibility shattered - its not a neat, happy ending for a couple that never was neat and happy, but certainly felt very real.

One of the things I most appreciated about the writing of these three characters is that I saw some of the twists coming...and I still cared.

Like Leythen - I had him pegged from the moment he showed up as just another "ESO guy who went evil because his kid died" a la Tanval Indoril, Magistrix Vox, etc. But when it actually came time to learn about Leythen and Valsirenn's daughter dying, darn it, they still hurt over it and I hurt for them.

Good writing, ESO writers!

Everyone will have different characters they feel empathy for. Those three were the most recent major characters I really identified with because of the depth ESO's writers were able to bring to their sometimes overused stock characters.

Inhuman003 · December 2019

The main villain King Kurog Gro-Bagrakh of the city Orsinium in the zone Wrothgar was pretty well written. And his mom Forge-Mother Alga also, they are a good villain duo.

InaMoonlight · December 2019

Karina

InaMoonlight · December 2019

(She's the coinflicking khajiit in the wrothgar mainstory)

ShadowKyuubi · December 2019

You - The player.

Royaji · December 2019

Stuga.

The "super annoying stalker that you want to graphicly murder from the first "Do you know,..."" written to perfection.

TiaFrye · December 2019

Darien, Abnur, Leythen/Val, prob Eveli, as well because these are the only characters I can remember rn who's actually have a character arc. Others stay the same like the whole time.

idk · December 2019

Abnur and Cadwell.

TheShadowScout · December 2019

tinythinker wrote: »

Who is the best written character in ESO?

I reckon that depends a lot on the eye of the beholder... (No, not THAT beholder, that's a different universe!)

Personally there are a great many NPCs I like the writing of their stories of... from early on, I found Tanval Indoril interesting, with how the story unfolds... from prim and proper lord to vengeance-driven fool that in the end realizes the mistake he made and tries to rectify it at any cost...

Naryu is of course a easy favorite, for the snarky exterior hiding a caring heart you notice later on... not something one would expect in her profession.

The whole tribunal are also quite interesting, moreso if you know the lore and remember the interaction from TES-III:Morrowind and TES-III:Tribunal... Almalexia is only a glimpse, Vivec a bit more, and Sothra Sil is great if you do all the conversations!

Another one I enjoyed greatly was Lyranth, showing another side to the daedra as sort-of-but-not-quite-ally to our characters... and I would really love to see a lot more of her as well someday! Both the nice side, and the one that shows why you don't make deals with daedra...

Abner Tharn of course is a very interesting character, who also has a very nifty story arc, from extracting himself of a perilous position, working with the vestige to defeat molag bal, then trying to help his beloved but broken empire, making mistakes, working on rectifying them while realizing age is creeping up on him, and ending it (for now, because... who knows, right?) with a heroic last stand...

Razum-dar is also a easy favorite, though a little one-dimensional as you kinda always know what to expect from him, a light mischiefous jest and unflinching if often slightly devious action for the dominion... of course, its especially nifty when you get to see a bit of his private life in Elsweyr...

The orc king Kurog and his mom are also really neat done, at first you think of him as just a typical dumn buffon with a crown, until you get the glimpses behind the front, and realize how he is doing all the wong things for the right reasons...

VaranisArano wrote: »

I really enjoyed Ritemaster Iachesis, Valsirenn, and Leythen.

Gotta have to agree there, those were some good stuff, writing-wise.

There are also quite a few NPCs where it feels like... chances were missed.
Like Sheogorath... I find it a little sad that they left him "all bark, no bite" in the mages guild storyline, it would have been better if there had been more of a sense of threat mixed in with the funny comments and mad antics. Its... kina like getting a "Cesar Romero" Joker, when you were hoping for a "Heath Ledger" Joker... but I suppose since most of it was done before they upped the game rating, one cannot expect too much showing the darkness behind the smile.

ArchMikem · December 2019

Its futile trying to find the best. But i do like Captain Jimila.

Gilvoth · December 2019

"We" are.

Alinhbo_Tyaka · December 2019

Little Leaf.

ZOS_Adrikoth · December 2019

There are some nice choices in this thread everyone, thanks for sharing!

TheImperfect · December 2019

VaranisArano wrote: »

I really enjoyed Ritemaster Iachesis, Valsirenn, and Leythen.
Major Spoilers for Summerset
Iachesis
We've seen wise mage types before, and we've met former Psijics Vanus Galerion and Mannimarco. The writers took Iachesis in a different direction.
I really appreciated the subversion of the wise mentor character. Iachesis really was wise and well-intentioned, but so much of his life and persona was based on a past event that turned out to be a false memory implanted by the Sload he thought he'd defeated.
His struggle with who he thought he was and figuring out what he needed to do now that the truth was becoming clear really made his tragic end rather poignant. Too often the mentor dies just so that the hero has to be the one to finish the quest, but Iachesis' arc of discovering his own failure made him more engaging for me. It was wrenching when he died, not because "Oh, no, mentor guy died", but because I knew he wasn't ever going to see us fix his mistakes. The thought of dying while leaving a massively important task undone, leaving behind the people relying on you, and of dying without getting to rectify your biggest mistake is pretty weighty.

Valsirenn & Leythen
This couple broken up by work, dedication to differing ideologies, and the death of their daughter really broke my heart. They both had clear ideals which drove them, sometimes frustrating me with their blind adherence to those ideals. The writers painted a really realistic vision of them as people with both good and bad sides, which made it all the more wrenching the more I progressed in the questline and watched what happened to them. In the end, Valsirenn gets left alone to pick up the pieces of a Psijic Order that's had its confidence in its own infallibility shattered - its not a neat, happy ending for a couple that never was neat and happy, but certainly felt very real.

One of the things I most appreciated about the writing of these three characters is that I saw some of the twists coming...and I still cared.

Like Leythen - I had him pegged from the moment he showed up as just another "ESO guy who went evil because his kid died" a la Tanval Indoril, Magistrix Vox, etc. But when it actually came time to learn about Leythen and Valsirenn's daughter dying, darn it, they still hurt over it and I hurt for them.

Good writing, ESO writers!

Everyone will have different characters they feel empathy for. Those three were the most recent major characters I really identified with because of the depth ESO's writers were able to bring to their sometimes overused stock characters.

I really liked Iachesis, Valsirenn and Leythen too.
I also love Za'ji

IndianaJames7 · December 2019

Ahhh there too many to choose from: all of the companions, razum-dar, naryu, Caldwell... many others I’m forgetting right now, razum-dar is probably my favourite though

Moonsorrow · December 2019

Cadwell, Tharn, Sotha Sil.

Also honorable mention for Uncle Sheo at Cyrodiil, it is fitting to hear in there, i always get into better mood when hear about "bludgeoning someone to death with a wheel of cheese." Yes, i use some cheese on my builds occasionally...

SidraWillowsky · December 2019

SOTHA SIL forever and always.

I feel like I'm always agreeing with @VaranisArano, but I echo everything that s/he said about Summerset.

furiouslog · December 2019

Abnur, Cadwell, Razum-dar, probably in that order.

RaddlemanNumber7 · December 2019

I'm going to say The Vestige. The writers have provided players with something that is truly an empty skin, a character that players can flesh out themselves, or not, as they see fit.

There are hints about the nature of The Vestige here and there, but they are not so easy to find, and they are presented in such a way that players can easily ignore them if they wish. Almost nothing is nailed down by the devs as "the truth" about the Vestige, not even when the Soulless One is apparently given back their stolen Soul.

In this way the writers create the most wonderful mystery. One that only the player can solve. Discovering who and what my Vestiges are is easily the most enjoyable part of the game for me. And it's been a long and rewarding journey so far, from the Wailing Prison all the way forward to Dragonhold, and all the way back to Psjjjj,...

PrimusNephilim · December 2019

So many to choose from and can't choose just one but I'll add to the conversation with Lady Clarisse Laurent and her lump of a manservant Stibbon come to mind, hope we'll be seeing them again in Skyrim.

Vinterskald · December 2019

I'd say Celarus maybe

And Iachesis, Sotha Sil, Lyranth, and Emeric maybe. Not all of them are necessarily my favourite characters, but they've really been written so well!

tinythinker · December 2019

Royaji wrote: »

Stuga.

The "super annoying stalker that you want to graphicly murder from the first "Do you know,..."" written to perfection.

Most quoted character in the game o/