"Season of the Dragon" Story was Rushed

Iccotak · January 2020

NOTE: Overview of the Daedric War & Season of the Dragon links
Daedric War: https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Daedric_War_Storyline
Season of the Dragon: https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Season_of_the_Dragon

The Daedric War arc was Great because each installment was building up the next installment for the Main Story. With all story zones combined - it was a well paced story with a clear beginning, middle, & end
It had 26 quests and 17 of the quests built up the Daedric Triad and the remaining 9 quests in Summerset focused on the main villain Nocturnal to finish the story.
There can be up to a total of 32 if you do everything related back in the Dark Brotherhood & the Balmora story in Morrowind.

Morrowind = 7
CWC Prologue 1
Clockwork = 8
Summerset Prologue = 1
Summerset = 9

For casual players; Season of the Dragon had 22 quests.
- If you include the Q1 Wrathstone Dungeons it had 24.
- I don't count Q3 Scalebreaker, because although it was related, it had no direct bearing on the main story

Elsweyr Prologue = 2
Wrathstone = 2 (one for each dungeon)
Elsweyr = 8
Dragonguard Prologue = 2
Dragonhold = 6
Kaalgrontiid Final = 3

The end of the Elsweyr Chapter teases that Kaalgrontiid is still a threat but Dragonhold doesn't give him any attention at all. Instead it focuses on a different character, Laatvulon, while Kaalgrontiid - the main villain of the year - doesn't come back until you've beaten the Dragonhold questline.
We basically don't hear about him, or our companions Abnur Tharn & Khamira, for a Third of the Season's Narrative. Then they are brought back to finish the arc in only 3 quests.
So it was spread too thin thought the year then it was rushed at the end.

In the Daedric War we knew by CWC that Nocturnal was the main threat. She had a reasonable amount of time in the story for the player to digest that they should be concerned about what she was planning.

I understand that ZOS is not Blizzard and can't quite yet risk asking players to get invested in a two year story BUT if the story is going to be put into just one year than perhaps they should consider doing more in that time.

Perhaps as a solution players cannot do the Dragonhold Main Quest until they have done the Elsweyr Chapter zone story. They can still explore Southern Elsweyr but the main storyline in the zone would be inaccessible. Maybe that way Kaalgrontiid could have been more involved in the story and players would not have had any confusion.
It is something they could consider for future Year Storylines.

Other options;

Longer Story Chain in the Q2 Chapter & Q4 Story zone

Q1 - Prologue + Dungeon
Q2 - Chapter w/ 13 quests
Q3 - Dungeon
Q4 - Zone w/ 6-8 quests & 5-7 quests to finish the Season story

Or More Zones per Season

Q1 - Prologue + Dungeon
Q2 - Chapter
Q3 - Zone + Dungeon
Q4 - Zone

Maybe then we wouldn't have had this missing section - but who knows what ZOS has planned

zvavi · January 2020

Iccotak wrote: »

NOTE: a quest chain is a series of quests in just one story line.

Playing through the base game and I think I am able to pin point my major critique of the Year long story format that ZOS is going with. The Quest Chains are too short

Let me explain

A single base game zone like "Eastmarch" main quest line chain has about 19 quests. The Orsinium DLC, by itself, has 13 quests in its Main Quest chain. Meanwhile -
Elsweyr has 8 quests in the main chain

Dragonhold has 6

Kaalgrontiid confrontation is just 3 quests

So the two connected story zones combined (one of them a $40-$60 expansion) have about the same number of quests as the self contained story Orsinium DLC
No Wonder Elsweyr felt too short and rushed at the end - it is.
You can't build the villain up in the first installment - forget him in the story DLC - then bring him back to finish the arc in only 3 quests. It's rushed writing.

That's why the Daedric War arc was fine because - all story zones combined - it was a well paced story with a clear beginning, middle, & end
Morrowind = 7

Clockwork = 8

Summerset = 9

The previous 15 quests built up the Triad & Nocturnal and the 9 quests in Summerset were the right amount of time for finishing that story.

That said; I find it a Little concerning when none of the Chapter installments, which cost more than a DLC, have a quest chain that is just over half the size of Orsinium. In my opinion, the Chapter installments should have up to 10 steps in the quest chain, minimum.

I understand that ZOS is not Blizzard and can't quite yet risk spending resources on telling two year long story arcs with more zones BUT if the story is going to be relegated to just 2 story zones with some dungeons then the Chapter & Story Zones as well as the Season Arcs are going to need longer quest chains to better pace the story.

Orsinium was the best chapter yet

kenneth.friisb16_ESO · January 2020

I don't think it comes down to the number of quests per se. More, what those quest entail, how long they are and what happens.

I can understand the part where Dragonhold, especially the last part, felt a bit rushed. The story seemed to progress very fast, not necessarily because of fewer quests, it was just to short.

And it isn't really 6 quests for Dragonhold, the story unfolds over 5 and then there's the last quest that feels more of an epilogue.

So I say, if not more quests, then longer quests.

Maxx7410 · January 2020

I think 25 /30 main quests with an average of 1 hr each should be the minimum

Iccotak · January 2020

Fixed & Updated Post

Zer0_CooL · January 2020

But... but.. but its a tripple A mmo

Iccotak · January 2020

How to Fix Story order before things get out of hand in a few years

1. Main Story guide - like a zone guide - but it shows a clear road map of the Story in order. From the Base game through each of the DLCs & Chapters.
This way the player has clear direction and can experience the story in order, should they choose, at least once in their play through.

2. Just like Coldharbour; Rework the old tutorials into introductory quests for the Chapter Main Story-lines .

Morrowind - take a boat to Morrowind only to crash and escape a band of Slavers
Summerset - Join a group of Adventurers to Summerset and Escape the Mind Trap
Elsweyr - Take a cart to Elsweyr and Survive a Dragon attack at Star Haven Adeptorium

Why?
it utilizes old tutorials so they won't be wasted. They are good introductions of the Zone's Main Story to the Player, gives the basic elements & characters that they will become familiar with as they progress
NOTE: you can still explore these zones but the main story is not triggered until they do the introductory quest.

3. (This applies to content going forward) Players have to complete the Main story of the Q2 Chapter in order to continue the main story into the Q4 Zone DLC. They can still explore the Q4 Zone but the main quest-line will be inaccessible.
Why?
For starters, Playing the DLC storylines can get confusing for new players that lack direction.
Secondly, Dragonhold as a story suffered as a sequel to Elsweyr because the writers couldn't bring a God-like Kaalgontiid into the story without confusing players who maybe haven't played the Chapter story yet.

A player should have the freedom to access & explore a zone but that doesn't mean they need access to a story for something they haven't participated in yet.