How to make ESO feel more like an Elder Scrolls game?

Iccotak · February 2021

This is not a suggestion. This is a prompt for discussion.

And before we start let me preface that I know this is not a single player Elder Scrolls game. I know this is not Skyrim or Oblivion. I get that in some ways it’s like comparing apples to oranges. But I would counter that a big reason many people play is because of the single player games and are looking for a similar experience in ESO - so it’s not that outlandish for people to ask for things to make the game feel more like the single player games but with multiplayer.

TL;DR - with how far ESO has come since development and their launch back in 2014, and now with the inclusion of the classic TES feature of having an NPC adventuring companion, what are other things you’d like to see to make ESO feel more like it’s an extension of the Elder Scrolls franchise?

Whether it’s gameplay features, dialogue, factions, writing, combat, environment, Ui design, Camera, models, animation, etc. You name it.

Long Version

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/technology/2021/04/the-elder-scrolls-online-seven-years-in-how-it-evolved-into-a-hit-that-rivals-world-of-warcraft.html

when The Elder Scrolls Online launched in 2014 as a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), it wasn't immediately the rousing success fans nor publisher Bethesda wanted it to be.

"The way that fans reacted the most when the game first came out was 'Hey this is a great online game but it doesn't really feel like an Elder Scrolls game'. So we focused on that for the next two years, essentially, trying to make it feel more epic and more like an Elder Scrolls game.

"We intentionally didn't refer to ESO as an MMO, but rather as an online roleplaying game. I know that sounds just technical, but that was our way of telling the team we're not copying anyone, we're our own thing - a roleplaying game like Skyrim, but it's online.

So yeah, it is pretty clear where the shift in direction was after launch

Couple of fun facts about ESO’s history. The game was in development for about seven years before launch in 2014.

Why so long? Because after Skyrim’s Cultural Phenomenon level of success people had a certain idea of what an Elder Scrolls game is. An expectation.

This was evident when the first images of the game came out and what we saw basically looked like WoW.
Extremely exaggerated caricature art style, huge shoulders, tab target combat, etc. everything about it was not the Elder Scrolls franchise people had become familiar with in TES III-V.

As you can imagine people were not happy with what they saw which resulted in the developers having to basically remake everything. They even had to implement first person camera because they didn’t realize just how much of the player base wanted that.
They couldn’t just do it all from scratch in the creation engine, they were in the late stages of development so they made do with what they had.

The change in art direction alone is extremely noticeable between the base game and the DLCs. Going from very exaggerated to grounded and more in line with the single player games.

Point being that ESO has come a long way since those days. Besides the quality of life features they’ve added, ZOS has been working on making ESO feel like the single player games - and they’ve done a lot.

With how far ESO has come since development and their launch back in 2014, and now with the inclusion of the classic TES feature of having an NPC adventuring companion, what are other things you’d like to see to make ESO feel more like it’s an extension of the Elder Scrolls franchise?

Whether it’s gameplay features, dialogue, factions, writing, combat, environment, Ui design, Camera, models, animation, etc. You name it.
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EDIT: Pictures to get a better idea and to appreciate how far the game has come since development

You can find more here
https://en.m.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Screenshots

https://www.reddit.com/r/elderscrollsonline/comments/9azq17/eso_daggerfall_alpha_vs_now/

AcadianPaladin · February 2021

Do not apologize for favoring single player games. I do as well and the reason I play ESO is for it's mass and scale (Skyrim and Oblivion are tiny in comparison). That ESO is multiplayer is a drawback I live with. Now, that said, the game is quite friendly to soloists and there is plenty of room for all playstyles.

In things I'd like to see that relate to roleplay/immersion, I have to carefully filter what I'd like with what will work in a multiplayer game.

For example, I'd love to see horses remain when you dismount until you unsummon them but that would create multiplayer problems in crowded areas so I 'get' why that is not a good idea for ESO.

On the other hand, I really do want to see temporary quest companions that a quest has you briefly traveling with summon and mount their own horse when you do or perhaps mount up double with you when you ride. I feel badly riding (and my tiny elf always rides) with some poor follower trudging along on foot. I do think that change could be implements in this multiplayer game with no adverse effects.

I'd like to see more flexibility in quests depending on who your character is. My elf is very much a healer. She hates quests involving an injured NPC where she is sent on a scavenger hunt to find healing herbs or healing poultices. I wish, given her role, that those quests would give the option to actually heal the injured NPC if you are so spec'ed and capable.

Vevvev · February 2021

I'm not sure to be honest what else they could add. I remember in the beginning when it was just an overglorified combat MMO, but with the introduction of the justice system, the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood, and the extra content being added yearly the game has begun to feel more like an Elder Scrolls game.

I guess one thing they can do is give us true freedom of movement and finally add in the interiors of all those houses they have chained up, and to let us revisit old quest zones like Greymoor Keep. Even if they are empty warehouses it'd be nice for access to be gained to these locations to satisfy my desire to lockpick my way anywhere.

Danikat · February 2021

AcadianPaladin wrote: »

I'd like to see more flexibility in quests depending on who your character is. My elf is very much a healer. She hates quests involving an injured NPC where she is sent on a scavenger hunt to find healing herbs or healing poultices. I wish, given her role, that those quests would give the option to actually heal the injured NPC if you are so spec'ed and capable.

That bothers me in a lot of games (including ESO). Someone is injured and you have to go and get healing supplies, or collect herbs or run and fetch the local healer...even if you're a healer yourself and have about 15 spells ready to go which could cure them instantly.

It's the same with other quest/character conflicts - like being told to find a way to start a fire when you have fire magic, or being told someone will trust you because you're not a vampire even if you are. But I think the healing one comes up most often.

Mindcr0w · February 2021

I'd like to see more of the "traditional" schools of magicka added as unlockable skill lines. Illusion, Alteration, etc.

I'm aware that every spell in the game would technically belong under one of the schools, but I still want dedicated skill lines.

Snowstrider · February 2021

To make it more like a elder scrolls game they have to remake everthing and build something new from scratch. Even if they keep trying to make it as close as an normal elder scrolls game it wont feel like it and end up as a "poor mans TES" so i rather want them to get closer to other MMORPGs and learn from them and improve on what we have

colossalvoids · February 2021

More skill checks, like why exactly you would seek out an alchemist or a healer if you're 50 in both and heal main doing vet dlc trials and can't use a herb/magick on a broken hand?

Inclusion of all magicka schools like conjuration, alteration etc., Might me a staff/1h-rune/orb etc. option but would be also interesting if those schools will be assigned to all of the existing skills adding something extra like new morphs, status effects on cast/impact or something in that nature.

Would also add that I'd like less annoying additions, like the ones which forcing you into something for just the achievements or could be possibly annoying to the ones around, speaking of companions...

Razzledazzle_dar · February 2021

I like the single player games and I love ESO. I think enough has been done, in honest opinion, due to the massive amount of content that can be quested through solo. This is the least multiplayer of any Massively MULTIPLAYER online role playing game I have ever played, maybe with the exception of SWTOR.

I'm not here to critcize and this thread imay get some great responses, but if I want a new classic single player ES vibe, I know that Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim remain available and somewhere out there on the horizon will be ES6.

wheresbes · February 2021

I agree with Mindcr0w, I really miss all the spells we had available in single-player ES games.

Without adding something new, I'd be content with the ability to learn other classes skill lines.

Also, I'd like to be able to use melee weapons as a magicka user. It makes sense to me, slashing with a sword while casting spells and using stamina for block/roll dodge. Having to use a staff is probably what bothers me the most.

Lugaldu · February 2021

To me, ESO feels like an Elders Scrolls game too, but in a completely different way. I don't expect ESO to be any more similar to the single player games because they are two different things. I can only wait patiently for TES VI if I want to feel the same as with the older parts.

Starlock · February 2021

Many of the things that come to mind are not feasible or going to happen at this point in the game's life cycle. It would be things like:

Removal of the Cash Shop. No self-respecting game has a free-to-play style cash shop with no upper spending limit. Not only does it scream "I'm not a real Elder Scrolls game" it screams "I'm mostly here to constantly grab at your wallet and manipulate you as a fan of the IP into spending ridiculous amounts of money." Everything currently in the cash shop, with the exception of actual content expansions (which would be paid for with real money instead of fake currency) would move into the actual game instead, such as...
Cheat Codes and NewGame+ (Modding Lite) Want to start your fantasy adventure with a character who isn't a noob rookie? After you've completed particular milestones, you can start a NewGame+ type mode or use cheat codes to max out riding lessons, skill lines, skill points, whatever you want as you start a new character. Plus, change your race and appearance whenever you want at in-game NPCs.
Remove ALL Grind. Why does it require special heartwood to make furniture when wood is abundant everywhere? Who knows, but we're fixing it - now ALL the wood you have can be used to make furniture, as well as ALL those runestones and other materials to make whatever else. Vendors will actually sell useful inventory again, including a random stock of set items that changes ever 3 days, you can buy upgrade materials from vendors, have vendors craft your gear, and a whole bunch of other stuff like that. Now you can focus on actual questing and story or group content all the time!

That's just for starters, and again, none of it is feasible or going to happen. I'd also remove set items entirely and attach all of those abilities to our actual characters, completely retool the class system to be classless and freeform, rewrite all the quests to have proper dialogue trees, choices, and consequences, and... well... yeah. There's just not much point in speculating. This game wasn't designed for any of that. It is at most an RPG-lite. Skyrim, frankly is more of an RPG-lite as well.

Rungar · February 2021

I know people will disagree with this but the first person view is what really gives it the feel. Now obviously this game is not designed for first person as its a great impediment in certain content but it is what it is.

When I was much younger I played Everquest in first person and while I play this game in 3rd person I always felt that the extended camera took away from the atmosphere of the game.

Morrowwind, Oblivion and Skyrim i played exclusively in first person. While i certainly understand players want for 3rd person cameras, there is no question that it does take away from the game.

Vevvev · February 2021

Rungar wrote: »

I know people will disagree with this but the first person view is what really gives it the feel. Now obviously this game is not designed for first person as its a great impediment in certain content but it is what it is.

When I was much younger I played Everquest in first person and while I play this game in 3rd person I always felt that the extended camera took away from the atmosphere of the game.

Morrowwind, Oblivion and Skyrim i played exclusively in first person. While i certainly understand players want for 3rd person cameras, there is no question that it does take away from the game.

I can see this, but those games were designed with the first person experience in mind where the third person camera is tacked on at best. Its very difficult to play the single player games in third person, especially when using ranged spells and weapons. ESO is different where the 3rd person camera movement and angles were designed with that being the way people were going to be playing the game. First person view was tacked on when enough people wanted the feature for the reason the other Elder Scrolls games were played that way. Why first person feels rather weird in ESO and very.... I wanna say floaty, especially when you get knocked around.

Auztinito · February 2021

I think they would need to overhaul a lot of aspects.

Let me preface this with that being an MMO is plus not a drawback, IMO.

However, I think they’d have to overhaul the way combat flows and plays to make it more like an elder scrolls game:

One of the things that makes Skyrim and Elder Scrolls fun to play is freedom and choice given to the player in combat encounters and character level progression. In ESO, we have classes that have few fun and good skills to choose from. The game tends to punish players for playing the way they want. This places a damper on player/build diversity. They’d need to remove/fix skills from being seen as useless with more skills being added to each skill line. Players need to have good selection of skills to choose from in general.

As for group content, it needs to be more accessible from not only an Elder Scrolls game POV but an MMO POV, as well. Most MMOs attempt to allow anyone and everyone play in all content. It’s not really the case here due to the way most content is designed around dps checks and a culture of beating content as quick as possible. This promotes having players use light weaving and hotbar flipping and using specific skills destroying any sense of diversity amongst players.

Lugaldu · February 2021

I only play ESO in the first person view and have never thought of playing it any other way.

tuxon · February 2021

They have done more than enough: Tamriel Unlimited, removed zone and mob levels, everything is open from the first minute...now even companions.

This is an MMO and everything should be done to make it a better MMO, not a single player game for brand new players. Imagine a solid MMO with TES Lore and background, this is how ESO meant to be. Vanilla story is still the best story.

zaria · February 2021

Well, back then I tried ESO during beta I was not very optimistic but was sold early as it felt like an elder scroll game.
Main issue there was the jumping who is clunky compared to Skyrim. (Oblivion let you change direction in air

)

Now as its an multi player game you will get other players, you can also not have crazy OP fun like in the TES games, alchemy, enchanting and spell in Morrowind and Oblivion or Skyrim crafting as all will abuse it like crazy.

The justice system TG, DB and housing has also added much more of an TES feeling.
But the balancing and all the other players makes ESO much less of an immersive game than the Skyrim.

Celephantsylvius_Bornasfinmo · February 2021

No more cash shops or borderline bad taste fantasy kawai.
Start it now or your next ES solo RPG will have this too

Cash shops revolve around general public trends (keep this in mind) whereas a well established universe doesn't need this as it surprises you with it's game bound content.

Brenticus12 · February 2021

Mindcr0w wrote: »

I'd like to see more of the "traditional" schools of magicka added as unlockable skill lines. Illusion, Alteration, etc.

I'm aware that every spell in the game would technically belong under one of the schools, but I still want dedicated skill lines.

Traditional schools of magic didn't exist in this period of TES lore however given that it was developed right before the 3rd era by the Mage's Guild to standardize magic for learning. Infact you can find Gabrielle's notes on a potential "school" system for magic.

Like you said, every spell in the game can be fit into some school of magic and every school is represented. Illusion, Mysticism, Alteration, Destruction, Restoration, Conjuration are all represented in the various skill lines.

Yuffie91 · February 2021

I would like it if the gameplay was smoother. It always looks terrible when you try to jump onto something

fredthefrown · February 2021

Make combat and player movement even more floaty

BejaProphet · February 2021

I know you are asking for further suggestion, but I just want to applaud how well they’ve already done on this.

It is breathtaking how excellent this game is when you play in first person with all the clutter off your HUD, and you put on a good set of head phones. I don’t think any mmo has EVER accomplished this good of a solo feel.

But I’m also for continual improvement as well.

QuebraRegra · February 2021

Vevvev wrote: »

I'm not sure to be honest what else they could add. I remember in the beginning when it was just an overglorified combat MMO, but with the introduction of the justice system, the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood, and the extra content being added yearly the game has begun to feel more like an Elder Scrolls game.

I guess one thing they can do is give us true freedom of movement and finally add in the interiors of all those houses they have chained up, and to let us revisit old quest zones like Greymoor Keep. Even if they are empty warehouses it'd be nice for access to be gained to these locations to satisfy my desire to lockpick my way anywhere.

it's still an over glorified combat MMO sadly... Don't get me wrong the combat is better than a lot of MMOs, but there's no real alternative to just combat in this game. it's really a big DPS race for the most part, with some minor support roles, un needed for a significant amount of content.

i'd like to see fundamentals of the game changed to allow for other ways to play (stealth/rogue, etc.). Add lethal traps to dungeons requiring a "rogue" role to mark/disable as with other games. Add locking picking as a boosted passive for rogues to simplify chests, and maybe add traps to chests? "rogue" role should LOSE in all face to face combat, and systems introduced to buff combat advantage of a rogue against a distracted enemy/from behind, etc. Mechanics already exist in game.

Maybe add role specific quests/rewards.. Maybe allow a haler to complete parts of the game by healing NPCs? With the new companion system, one could simply select a companion with a complementary skill set (FIGHTER chooses a ROGUE companion to open chests, ID and disable traps, etc.).

opaj · February 2021

Here's an interesting question. I wouldn't want the writing to be more like the singleplayer games, because I think the writing on ESO is some of the strongest writing in the series. I'd love to see things like more skill checks or a smaller cash shop presence--but Elder Scrolls games have never had that many skill checks and even Skyrim has a cash shop with its Creation Club now.

One thing I'd really like is more differentiation between night and day. Give NPCs schedules like they've had since Oblivion. Have certain interactions only available during certain times, with normal quests being more accessible during daylight and criminal quests being more accessible at night. Allow us to wait or sleep to pass time as needed (this could be achieved by giving spreading the megaserver phases across different in-game "timezones"; waiting would move you to a phase at an appropriate timezone).

Oh, and spellcrafting.

ealdwin · February 2021

Quite the interesting question, and one I've admittedly thought about a bit too much at times.

A few ideas that have come to mind at times that may not work in ESO, but have been interesting to ponder nonetheless:

More Skill Choice One of the strengths of the Single Player games is in their ability to approach the game (or at least combat for this specific point) in any manner one might well desire. While, yes, in Skyrim the stealth archer is a popular play-style, or it is so according to the memes, there are few limitations on what is possible. From pure mage to warrior to thief, any combination of skills is within the players capacity. You don't even have to fight, you could just opt to have your companion fight while you shower them with Restoration spells or afflict your foes with Illusion spells. In ESO, however, the limits of what is possible are more confined. While all abilities are technically available, the number of abilities available restrict choices. It's not necessarily a bad thing. But consider wanting to create ranged fire-mage. You are in essence limited to picking a DK and then only opting for a handful of skills from the class, because the majority are melee. When I say more skill choice, I mean more opportunities to build the way you want.
- Maybe we need more classes with similar themes? Why can't there be more than one "fire" class?
- Or sub-classes? Perhaps you pick a discipline upon hitting level 50 based on one of your classes's skill trees and that opens up more options. Maybe choosing Ardent Flame opens up a new sub-class with three fire-based skill trees, or choosing Draconic Power opens up an Akaviri martial arts sub-class?
- Or we just need more universal skills. Perhaps the Mages Guild finally implements Gabrielle Benele's suggestions of schools of magic as observed at Shad Astula?
Reconfiguration Of Armor and Weapons It is odd in some respects, that Armor has a dictation over what is possible damage wise. I get the purposes of balancing and preventing people from just using heavy armor all the ti... oh wait. If metas where achieving high damage in Heavy Armor are going to be possible, why not drastically shift how we interact with each armor type all together. Why not let Armor just dictate defense, movement speed, sprinting, resource regeneration, etc. rather than damage. Make the differences drastic, such as dismal Magicka and Stamina regeneration in Heavy, as if the armor is perpetually tiring to wear. Let the passives either reinforce strengths or alleviate some of the weaknesses. Then, let all the damage fall onto the weapon you are using, and have that determine the type of damage you excel in. Perhaps reintroduce Fortify enchants that can increase damage and have enchantments be far stronger on the lighter armors.

Faulgor · February 2021

One thing I've noticed from the very beginning is that in the TES single player games, you actually venture out into the wilderness. There's a clear sense of exploration when leaving civilization behind to go into a dungeon or an unknown part of the map.

In ESO, I never had that feeling. For one, wherever you go, there's already someone there. That just comes with multiplayer, I guess. But the maps are also so dense, that every place feels civilized through and through. Traveling across the whole continent also is done with the click of a button that there is never any tension when going somewhere far out. The deepest dungeons feel just as far away from your door as your mailbox.

I'm not entirely sure how to approach a solution to this. I think what I'd like to see is something like an actual adventure zone that disables fast travel. No wayshrines. The further you go, the more dangerous things should become - yes, the lacking difficulty in overland zones contributes to this problem. A daedric realm might be a good place for something like this.

Oh, and spellcrafting. Especially for non-combat spells like waterwalking.

ealdwin · February 2021

Faulgor wrote: »

Oh, and spellcrafting. Especially for non-combat spells like waterwalking.

"Oh, and spellcrafting." should just be the sign-off of every "what would you like to see post" until ZOS finally gets the point, caves in, and gives the players what they want.

ayu_fever · February 2021

remove pvp

AlexanderDeLarge · February 2021

Shut it down and release The Elder Scrolls 76 on the same engine as the other games with moddable, self-hosted servers.

Syldras · February 2021

Iccotak wrote: »

This was evident when the first images of the game came out and what we saw basically looked like WoW. Extremely exaggerated caricature art style, huge shoulders, tab target combat, etc. everything about it was not the Elder Scrolls franchise people had become familiar with in TES III-V.

Do you have pictures of that?

Lugaldu wrote: »

I only play ESO in the first person view and have never thought of playing it any other way.

Same here, and it works perfectly well. I only zoom out for screenshots sometimes.

Eirinin · February 2021

The biggest thing is "resolution" of a quest's goals and issues, for me. For example, if I kill the bad guys from a town, the town would no longer be on fire and filled with bad guys from that point on. It's weird to completely save an area, only to gallop past weeks later and it's still flaming and full of corpses, enemies, etc. Some MMOs do this. So since I've finished the quest for XYZ village, it looks repaired and good to me. You, who haven't yet finished the quest, see mayhem and carnage in XYZ village.