Not to mention how many instances in this DLC suffer from "plot induced stupidity", I took a screenshot to give you an example...



Your Vampire abilities allow you to traverse the area but I cannot follow despite me being a Vampire as well, this is an instance where ZOS wrote themselves into a corner and because of it they had to completely disregard the fact the player could be a Vampire in a Vampire themed DLC, because if your a Vampire then logically your powers could allow you to follow him easily but if your not a Vampire then you couldn't so instead of making it so Vampires could just skip the whole area thus making it unfair for non-Vampires they instead disregard the fact you could be a Vampire all-together.

This is the same as so many quests in this game disregarding that the Vestige is infact Immortal for "Plot" even though there are other quests such as the one within Bangkorai where your Immortality is actually part of the plot where your lead to the Far-Shores in Aetherius as they believe it is the only place where you can be killed.

Another instance is the fact that you possibly being a Vampire is never-brought up at the most pivotal moments, I only counted 2 points where it is every brought up but those points have no bearing on the plot, being a progeny of the FIRST VAMPIRE TO EVER EXIST would make you a VERY BIG DEAL knowing the Blood within you is more ancient then that which flows in the veins of Rada-Al-Saran, nothing ever comes of it though.

Thannazzar wrote: »

Overall the main quest was disappointing, despite the mooted gothic theme of the chapter and the teases on livestreams regarding the intentions of some of the personalities you deal with none of this was realized.

The overall quest seemed railroaded, fed-exy and had no consequence based decisions, the potential rivalry within the vampire clans was not explored and the meaningful encounters seemed both gimmick based, without a sense of achievement or even significantly advancing the story.

If this is the end of the year of the `Vampires' then it was an anticlimactic one, by comparison the Elsweyr and its DLCs had far greater storytelling, immersion and meaningful plot-lines.

The major characters in the story were woefully underused and came across as caricatures rather than rounded individuals, particularly the principal antagonists.

I hope the next chapter reveal in January blows me away, because based on Markarth Im lacking the enthusiasm that this game once evoked.

I agree on some... disagree on some
I agree on:
1)Being a Vampire or a Werewolf meant nothing to the npcs. Even in the Prologue quest, my WW-Reachman can see the runes cus hes a WW but the npc does not acknowledge this and directs me around like a donkey with a carrot like if I never was a WW.
2) To some degree all parties involved in Markarth were severely underexplored. You can talk to only very few reachmen to even get them. All other camps are either hostile or uninhabited. Theres also no secondary friendly town like most other dlc zones. Werewolf+Vamp relationship remained nearly utterly unexplored.

But Disagree on:
1) The theme of this year is both Vamps and WWs.
2) My thought before announcement was: If they release a Markarth dlc, I dont give a flying one for the year theme i want more Reachmen then the theme of the year.
3) I found Elsweyr story unbearably bad. Compared to Summerset, which delved into interesting daedric and metaphysical lore... Elsweyr offered a recycled process of Skyrim... with cats. (And Skyrim's story was never its strong point to begin with)


Another thing that gets to me are:
- Any DLC they release... anywhere. Am "the outsider" and its starting to infuriate me endlessly. I have a nord? Outsider in skyrim. I have a breton? Outsider in High Rock... What about Khajiit? Mmmm? Outsider. A High Elf in Summerset? "Go away outsider, you disturb my Alaxon efforts"...
Reachmen are my shtick. Its my jam. If I had to choose which peoples I care about? Id drop all other races like a bad habit.
But I cant even play one...And even if I go all the way to get close to them in races and appearances... outsider.

In bloodroot... and this is hysterical... in bloodroot forge. You can approach the nord... As a big barbarous man in Bloodroot outfit n all. Or a hag dressed witch... and he says... that "you dont look like a reachman, thank god" Are... you blind... nordie.
Coding outfit recognition would be endless pain. Not asking for that really. But...


- This... continuous release of non-consecutive expansions and dlcs that have no connection or progression to them is tiring. Everything happens at once... Vamp "world ending" cataclysm, Dragon "world destruction", Plainmold... I mean planemeld... this is downright ridiculous. Theres no progression or continuation. And theres never the sense of wonder of "What ramifications will this have. Who will be the next X or do the next Y"... Its just "yee soo... we done with dragons... Vamps n WWs!" "Why would i do that?" "Cuuus... idk... DAAARKNESS N GOTH!"
- is this the selling point? No progression just... looking at different regions is all?


What I want:

1) More DLCs that have progression to them. Expansions that dont revolve around themes but around one expansion leading to a dlc leading to another expansion that builds up on it. A living world with living effect on progression
2)Sea Elf and Reachmen playable races. (Because being either doesnt automatically mean being "eeevil"... see orcs.)
3) Racial recognition from npcs. Even past expansion or dlcs, its becoming so ridiculous that
4) Conditional recognition. Am a WW? Other WWs should be able know... Am a Vamp? Same story (Not that i personally would ever make a vamp. Ew)
5)We dont need an expansion every year, It both hurts the narrative, mainly when they are thematic not progressing further with the plot of the game (or giving the game any plot at all), and the gameplay (with each expansion cycle breaking the game then repatching it up like)
5)Again... Drop. The theme based expansion cycles. Please.