I asked that question myself a long time ago. No official reply.

caperb wrote: »

Because, we've had the same playable races for over 20 years now...? xD

Once upon a time Imperials and Orcs weren't playable. It only started in TES 3 that you could choose them.

Vayln_Ninetails wrote: »

Aertew wrote: »

I just realized. In ESO sea elves are actually alive and in the game. Which brings a question. Why aren't they a playable race? For factions you can make them neutral like the empiriel race.

Because Sea Elves do not like the other races. They, quite literally, despise most if not all races on nirn and prefer to keep to themselves.

A very, very small few don't as I believe some are dragonguards. But they are so rare that making them a race players can be would be kinda lore breaking a bit.

They're the equivalent of asking for playable daedra in a sense.

Could not the same be said of many of the playable races? Perhaps because my introduction (and most beloved) ESO game was Morrowind, I thought Dunmer despised all other races, some even more so than others, as well as Dunmer not of the same affiliation as they and so forth! I still cannot wrap my head around how they are allied with Nords and Argonians in ESO!

Anyway, while most of the Maormer we encounter are hostile, there are exceptions, including one involved with an Altmer! I’m sure there are more Maormer with different views, but they’re not going to be found in the raiding parties, certainly. And no culture is monolithic, as we’ve seen with the others — there are always different interpretations of cultural values, etc.

TL;DR I don’t think it would be lore breaking and certainly much less so than running through town with Daedra in tow!

I used to be staunchly in the "No New Races!" camp but my feelings have softened at bit... but basically only for the Maormer.

I do want to note though that expanding the number of playable races in Morrowind wasn't like some random event spurred by player demand. Rather, it was the founding of the modern TES games. The first two looked and played basically nothing like the current games and it was Morrowind that laid down both the canon of lore and the gameplay framework that we still use today. So pointing back to Morrowind isn't proof or precedent of anything: it's like saying, "When the Constitution was written, several Amendments were also included, so it must be easy to amend the Constitution...."

But in any case, Maormer are distinct enough from the other races of Mer in both lore (much of which is courtesy of ESO) and appearance that I would support them being added. While it's true that they're xenophobic and don't generally associate (peacefully...) with the races of Tamriel, we have several other xenophobic/insular races within the ranks of playable races and, let's be real, having a Maormer in Tamriel makes about as much sense as having a Khajiit crossing the border in the intro from Skyrim.

The primary issue (especially in an ESO context) would be the fact that you cannot, under current lore, ever be permitted to visit their homeland and that IS a real problem. It would be awkward indeed if in ESO, the game where you can visit the whole of Tamriel and learn about and visit the homeland of every playable race, if that did not actually apply for the game's newest playable race. You could probably manufacture a reason for going there in a Chapter Expansion set in Pyandonea and I think that is the only scenario in which we would ever see them as a playable race.

Further, you would have to set them apart as their distinct race in gameplay terms which means differentiating them from existing races with their passives. That's far from impossible, but I can't really think of a missing "niche" in the races that is waiting to be filled by the Maormer. Since they are both adept storm mages as well as marines, they would have to be another hybrid race, but done so in a way that does not overlap obviously with the Dunmer. It is unfortunate that "storm mage" shares so much thematic territory with vanilla Sorcerers, otherwise that would have made an intriguing new class.

Maormer Racial Passives Ideas

• Warlike - Increases experience gain with the Destruction Staff and Dual Wield skill lines by 15%.
• Born at Sea - Increases your Max Health by 333/666/1000 and your Healing Taken by 1/3/6%.
• Storm Mage - Increases your Shock Resistance by 660/1320/2310. Gain immunity to the Concussed status effect.
• Wisdom of Orgnum - Reduces the Magicka and Stamina cost of your abilities by 2/4/5%. When you deal direct damage, gain 5 Ultimate. This effect can occur every 10 seconds.

On the above: thematically appropriate buffs oriented toward an aggressive, hybrid playstyle.

SilverIce58 wrote: »

caperb wrote: »

Because, we've had the same playable races for over 20 years now...? xD

Once upon a time Imperials and Orcs weren't playable. It only started in TES 3 that you could choose them.

This is correct Orcs was enemies in TES 2 Daggerfall, on the other hand Khajiit and Argonians almost become none playable in Tes 3 Morrowind.

Now adding Sea Elves in Summerset would require a bit more focus on them.
More playable Khajiit types as Dagi Rath and perhaps Ohmes Rath had been another idea for Elsweyr.
Here no backstory would be needed.

However the downside of adding races to ESO is that people will expect them for TES 6

As far as i know molag bal plan was about nirn as a whole not just tamriel
So easy
You, a standard maomer get captured by molagbal cultist and sent to the wailing prison. Manage to escape with the prophet to tamriel
The rest of the back story is for you to decide
Why would a maomer participate in the war? To use the faction to conquer the imperial city and later claim it for the maomer empire
I mean its not less likely than imperial joining invading faction

They are not tamrielic race and thus not often included in elder scrolls series as playable race. They come from the Pyandonean Archipedaco far from the main land and are rarely seen by others than Altmers who sometimes fight them south of Summerset isles (that is not really part of the main land either but due to its proximity and Altmers big influence to Tamriel's history, they are seen as part of the local races).

Though I also have had in mind that if they ever include additional races, Maomer would be a perfect addition for DC alliance (Enemy of Altmer and "close" to daggerfall's area, meaning some sort of sea route would be possible). AD could have Nagas as vengeaful Argonians who do not accept the pact and EP could have Reachmen (especially after what happens in the Reach DLC).

Why arent sea sloads playable race

Just make a maximally fat orc magicka character and filter your sound through a slow-down software. Being drunk probably helps, too.

erio wrote: »

Because its not one of the staples of the franchise. I mean yea throw in another race now your race select screen isnt symmetric

Just move the imperial one a little off to the side instead of straight down the middle and stick the other race next to it. There, now its symmetric.

Benzux wrote: »

The Maormer aren't a Tamrielic race, and as was said above, they're kind of jerks towards the people of Tamriel, ranging anywhere between raiding and piracy along the coasts of Valenwood and Summerset to even attempting a full-scale invasion later on during the time of Potema. Of course, not all Maormer follow Orgnum zealously, but the "good ones" are few and far between. This makes them appearing as a playable race difficult. It makes sense for members of the main 10 races to be running around Tamriel, but a Maormer would stick out like a sore thumb, not to even mention that they'd probably be executed on sight in Summerset. I highly doubt we'll ever get the Maormer as a playable race, but who knows what ZoS might do in the future. If the game lives long enough for it to cover all of Tamriel, maybe we'll get Pyandonea as an expansion. /shrug

But, the lack of an official playable race doesn't prevent RP. I'm fairly sure there's at least two different Maormer-themed skins (though it might just be the one, someone will likely correct me on this), and that combined with an Altmer player character will get you physically as close to a Maormer as possible. Slap on some Ancient Elf and Pyandonean style armour and weapons and you're good to go

I was going to say because they smell bad but this makes more sense.

There are a number of other races/intelligent humanoid monsters that are unplayable. Sea elves, some from akiviri, Reachfolk.

My guess would be that it doesnt make since lorewise to have the other races be playable. The current playable races for the most part get along. There are members of each race in each territory of tamriel, there come and go freely, are allowed to engage in trading goods and ideas. Sea elves for example are generally hostile to all tamrielic races.

In eso it wouldnt make sense for a players number of of sea elves to be waling among the other races. In the single player games they would more than likely be treated as a kill on sight and met with more suspicion then the typical dislike we can see among other races.

mairwen85 wrote: »

Better, more logical reasons were given by others. No need to respond to the ridiculous ones that invalidate themselves.

Sorry, forget to ask your opinion about what I have to write.
Would you like to check my next comment before publishing?