Mantle the Augur of Dunlain and Give Me Your Predictions!

Supreme_Atromancer · August 2021

Especially early on, there was huge amounts of hype and speculation about what we could look forward to in the coming years. 7 years in, we have settled into a regular cadence, the Dataminers have largely moved on and anyway, ZOS got a bit more clever in concealing stuff. Hype is now regulated and doled out via drip in a controlled environment. But I hanker for mainline hype. So, yall got any more of them Elder Scrolls Online predictions for the future?

Here are mine:

Q4: we might get to see Falinesti. If you watch very closely the Live Action clip they did earlier in the year (late last year?), you can see some Bosmeri interlace carvings on rock. If they haven't just put that in for literally no reason, then they must hint at something very Bosmeri. We haven't seen anything like that so far in the chapter - in fact very little to do with the Bosmer at all (except the interesting recruitment of Eveli's friends at a certain part of the Blackwood story). So, we might ask: Does Mehrunes Dagon or the Deadlands have any connection to the Bosmer or Valenwood? The Base game dungeons City of Ash I and II suggests that Daddy Dagon might have a penchant for acquiring little bits of Valenwood, and NPCs discussing the disappearance of Falinesti include the theory it might have been taken into some realm of Oblivion. So, what do you think? Such content would go a long way towards satisfying the appetite for the modern Bosmer lore parse most other races have enjoyed, since launch, and the possibility of exploring Falinesti itself is something people have wanted for a very long time.

Next year: Maybe we will get a look at the area between Wrothgar and Solitude! It seems a bit far-fetched at first - the space between those zones certainly doesn't look like it could support a full chapter-sized zone. BUT ZOS has this tradition of putting hints regarding where we will go next into existing content, and for me, there's not a lot that stands out during the Blackwood story. Except one thing: the quest where we go to seek Nightwielder's Tome. That one seems particularly curious to me in just how little it has to do with literally anything at all. It touches on some REALLY interesting lore that was developed early on with the Elder Scrolls Adventures series, and seems to come at a time when they might be exploring very similar sources of inspiration (mentions of The Battlespire in Lucilla Carpenia's Meet the Character). There are great write-ups of both Shadowkey's Shadow Magic lore and Azra Nightwielder (if you can get past the original research) on UESP, and reading it feels like to me the sort of inspiration that ZOS might use for the sorts of antagonists, threats and mystery for the basis of a really interesting story, offering the opportunity to flesh out some really old school, obscure lore that hasn't been seen in any game for decades and also gives them license to really do their own thing with it. The region is interesting too - Breton Jehanna sorrounded by barbarous Nords, Orcs and Reachmen, the enigmatic Forgotten Vale, Direnni Western Reach, Dunlain, Cloud Springs, Azra's Crossing. Such a chapter is the perfect opportunity to make "boring Bretons" into something really cool and interesting for the first time, and explore some really neglected angles (*cough* literally anything Direnni *cough*). Maybe its wishful thinking? Its my best guess, though!

What are yours?

hcbigdogdoghc · August 2021

Pointless filler investigations.

Locations seen before from TES3-TES5 instead of somewhere fresh and new because nostalgia.

A returning character shoehorned into the main plot.

A headstrong princess protagonist.

Hyped up final boss who gets melt down in 5 seconds.

Obvious cartoonish evil twist villain who betrays you.

Vestige being an idiot.

And a Disney party at the end of the questline.

RaddlemanNumber7 · August 2021

Rich said "New Worlds", and that's what we're going to get.

New.

Worlds.

Starting with Q4.

So, Let's Go!

There are 37,000 planes, chaos realms and pocket realities of Oblivion we need to do.

Aetherderius · August 2021

[quote="Supreme_Atromancer;d-582772"

Q4: we might get to see Falinesti.

What are yours?[/quote]

YES! I thought this might happen when I saw the DLC collector's pack for Flames of Ambition - a strange place to put a 'Falinesti's Faithful' themed mount. And the huge walking tree walking into fiery hell and getting stuck there? 100% a possibility.

They're saying Deadlands for q4, but nothing has been said about there not being a huge, rooted Falinesti acting as a questhub or city...

Aliyavana · August 2021

Supreme_Atromancer wrote: »

Especially early on, there was huge amounts of hype and speculation about what we could look forward to in the coming years. 7 years in, we have settled into a regular cadence, the Dataminers have largely moved on and anyway, ZOS got a bit more clever in concealing stuff. Hype is now regulated and doled out via drip in a controlled environment. But I hanker for mainline hype. So, yall got any more of them Elder Scrolls Online predictions for the future?

Here are mine:

Q4: we might get to see Falinesti. If you watch very closely the Live Action clip they did earlier in the year (late last year?), you can see some Bosmeri interlace carvings on rock. If they haven't just put that in for literally no reason, then they must hint at something very Bosmeri. We haven't seen anything like that so far in the chapter - in fact very little to do with the Bosmer at all (except the interesting recruitment of Eveli's friends at a certain part of the Blackwood story). So, we might ask: Does Mehrunes Dagon or the Deadlands have any connection to the Bosmer or Valenwood? The Base game dungeons City of Ash I and II suggests that Daddy Dagon might have a penchant for acquiring little bits of Valenwood, and NPCs discussing the disappearance of Falinesti include the theory it might have been taken into some realm of Oblivion. So, what do you think? Such content would go a long way towards satisfying the appetite for the modern Bosmer lore parse most other races have enjoyed, since launch, and the possibility of exploring Falinesti itself is something people have wanted for a very long time.

Next year: Maybe we will get a look at the area between Wrothgar and Solitude! It seems a bit far-fetched at first - the space between those zones certainly doesn't look like it could support a full chapter-sized zone. BUT ZOS has this tradition of putting hints regarding where we will go next into existing content, and for me, there's not a lot that stands out during the Blackwood story. Except one thing: the quest where we go to seek Nightwielder's Tome. That one seems particularly curious to me in just how little it has to do with literally anything at all. It touches on some REALLY interesting lore that was developed early on with the Elder Scrolls Adventures series, and seems to come at a time when they might be exploring very similar sources of inspiration (mentions of The Battlespire in Lucilla Carpenia's Meet the Character). There are great write-ups of both Shadowkey's Shadow Magic lore and Azra Nightwielder (if you can get past the original research) on UESP, and reading it feels like to me the sort of inspiration that ZOS might use for the sorts of antagonists, threats and mystery for the basis of a really interesting story, offering the opportunity to flesh out some really old school, obscure lore that hasn't been seen in any game for decades and also gives them license to really do their own thing with it. The region is interesting too - Breton Jehanna sorrounded by barbarous Nords, Orcs and Reachmen, the enigmatic Forgotten Vale, Direnni Western Reach, Dunlain, Cloud Springs, Azra's Crossing. Such a chapter is the perfect opportunity to make "boring Bretons" into something really cool and interesting for the first time, and explore some really neglected angles (*cough* literally anything Direnni *cough*). Maybe its wishful thinking? Its my best guess, though!

What are yours?

What original research are you talking about in UESP’s articles?

Supreme_Atromancer · August 2021

Aliyavana wrote: »

Supreme_Atromancer wrote: »

Especially early on, there was huge amounts of hype and speculation about what we could look forward to in the coming years. 7 years in, we have settled into a regular cadence, the Dataminers have largely moved on and anyway, ZOS got a bit more clever in concealing stuff. Hype is now regulated and doled out via drip in a controlled environment. But I hanker for mainline hype. So, yall got any more of them Elder Scrolls Online predictions for the future?

Here are mine:

Q4: we might get to see Falinesti. If you watch very closely the Live Action clip they did earlier in the year (late last year?), you can see some Bosmeri interlace carvings on rock. If they haven't just put that in for literally no reason, then they must hint at something very Bosmeri. We haven't seen anything like that so far in the chapter - in fact very little to do with the Bosmer at all (except the interesting recruitment of Eveli's friends at a certain part of the Blackwood story). So, we might ask: Does Mehrunes Dagon or the Deadlands have any connection to the Bosmer or Valenwood? The Base game dungeons City of Ash I and II suggests that Daddy Dagon might have a penchant for acquiring little bits of Valenwood, and NPCs discussing the disappearance of Falinesti include the theory it might have been taken into some realm of Oblivion. So, what do you think? Such content would go a long way towards satisfying the appetite for the modern Bosmer lore parse most other races have enjoyed, since launch, and the possibility of exploring Falinesti itself is something people have wanted for a very long time.

Next year: Maybe we will get a look at the area between Wrothgar and Solitude! It seems a bit far-fetched at first - the space between those zones certainly doesn't look like it could support a full chapter-sized zone. BUT ZOS has this tradition of putting hints regarding where we will go next into existing content, and for me, there's not a lot that stands out during the Blackwood story. Except one thing: the quest where we go to seek Nightwielder's Tome. That one seems particularly curious to me in just how little it has to do with literally anything at all. It touches on some REALLY interesting lore that was developed early on with the Elder Scrolls Adventures series, and seems to come at a time when they might be exploring very similar sources of inspiration (mentions of The Battlespire in Lucilla Carpenia's Meet the Character). There are great write-ups of both Shadowkey's Shadow Magic lore and Azra Nightwielder (if you can get past the original research) on UESP, and reading it feels like to me the sort of inspiration that ZOS might use for the sorts of antagonists, threats and mystery for the basis of a really interesting story, offering the opportunity to flesh out some really old school, obscure lore that hasn't been seen in any game for decades and also gives them license to really do their own thing with it. The region is interesting too - Breton Jehanna sorrounded by barbarous Nords, Orcs and Reachmen, the enigmatic Forgotten Vale, Direnni Western Reach, Dunlain, Cloud Springs, Azra's Crossing. Such a chapter is the perfect opportunity to make "boring Bretons" into something really cool and interesting for the first time, and explore some really neglected angles (*cough* literally anything Direnni *cough*). Maybe its wishful thinking? Its my best guess, though!

What are yours?

What original research are you talking about in UESP’s articles?

I *LOVE* UESP, it's still my go-to, but its rife with it. People doing deductive stuff and pulling disparate facts together and stating the conclusions as fact.

Aliyavana · August 2021

I mean in the articles you linked

Supreme_Atromancer · August 2021

Aliyavana wrote: »

I mean in the articles you linked

Here:

Before his acknowledgement in The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood, it was hinted that Azra was potentially born in the first half of the Second Era, as the use of Shadow Magic among Nightblades had already become prevalent by 2E 582.

This is essentially original research. There's no primary source to say that Azra was born in the first half of the second era, and the evidence for it (Shadow Magic use by Nightblades) is shaky.

This is a solid example of what I see a lot of in UESP.

Ratzkifal · August 2021

We know from ZOS that they want to avoid content fatigue as much as possible, so they are switching up climates of releases from year to year. Morrowind was completely different from Summerset which was completely different from Elsweyr and completely different from Skyrim. We can conclude from this and Blackwood that the next chapter will not be temperate climate and it also will not be swampy.
We can expect that ZOS will also not revisit a race that already received a chapter before every race/culture got a chapter of their own, provided there is landmass left to explore. Which means that Orcs, Nords, Highelves, Khajiit, Argonians and Darkelves are off the table for now. Imperials would be off the table too if it weren't so easy for ZOS to make a zone half-Imperial like they have in Elsweyr and Blackwood. Bosmer and Bretons don't have enough land mass left to explore for a full chapter, unless ZOS gets really crazy, which considering how mundane Summerset ended up being I can't imagine.

These factors really only leave Hammerfell as the next destination. Some people say that ESO won't take away from future TESVI content but considering that ESO's stated goal is to fill the entire map eventually, it will have to come to this sooner or later anyway and ESO has already created original zones before. An early Hammerfell release from ZOS might even be used as sort of a teaser for TESVI, especially if BGS is involved in the development of the chapter zone as they have been from time to time.

As for what @Supreme_Atromancer said about Azra Nightwielder, well in Shadowkey you enter Earthtear Cavern, which is also a house in ESO, but also north-east of Azra's Crossing. So if Azra Nightwielder would make an appearance in ESO, I think it would be safe to assume we would meet him in Hammerfell, especially if he was the BBEG and we are to witness the creation of the crater left at where Azra's Crossing will later pop up, since that is in Hammerfell and not in the north near Jehanna (the "Western Reach" also extends south, which we know from Bangkorai quests and the Reachmen having been Emperors recently). But it might also be possible Azra Nightwielder won't make a big appearance in ESO and that the crater is already there when we get there eventually. Still, I'd like some big spectacle explosion at the end of a chapter that actually changes the map, especially if they are going to give us a cinematic version of it. ESO has its share of big moments but there is rarely any impact, so this might be a good opportunity to change this.

waterfairy · August 2021

datamining is still a thing...do you want me to list upcoming things and claim I'm the real Augr of Dunlain?

Supreme_Atromancer · August 2021

Vigarr wrote: »

datamining is still a thing...do you want me to list upcoming things and claim I'm the real Augr of Dunlain?

... yes.

Iccotak · August 2021

hcbigdogdoghc wrote: »

Pointless filler investigations.

Locations seen before from TES3-TES5 instead of somewhere fresh and new because nostalgia.

A returning character shoehorned into the main plot.

A headstrong princess protagonist.

Hyped up final boss who gets melt down in 5 seconds.

Obvious cartoonish evil twist villain who betrays you.

Vestige being an idiot.

And a Disney party at the end of the questline.

Those two things really kill any interest in future story content.

How can I get invested in a story where the final threat is NOT a threat

AND on top of that we have such bad choices in dialogue like;

having no choice but to reveal we are in the dark brotherhood in a main quest

I've been taking a break from ESO and playing Destiny & Monster Hunter World. I gotta say it is refreshing to have story bosses and enemies that are actually a threat.

I am thinking about what I am doing which makes me engaged in the gameplay.

Reminds me of how getting into ESO dungeons really revitalized my interest in ESO because it has the most engaging combat in the game. What's annoying is how the rest of the game doesn't have that level of gameplay.

Not even a middle ground to be somewhat engaging - not saying it should be as hard as endgame - just please be more than only beginner.

hcbigdogdoghc · August 2021

Supreme_Atromancer wrote: »

Aliyavana wrote: »

Supreme_Atromancer wrote: »

Especially early on, there was huge amounts of hype and speculation about what we could look forward to in the coming years. 7 years in, we have settled into a regular cadence, the Dataminers have largely moved on and anyway, ZOS got a bit more clever in concealing stuff. Hype is now regulated and doled out via drip in a controlled environment. But I hanker for mainline hype. So, yall got any more of them Elder Scrolls Online predictions for the future?

Here are mine:

Q4: we might get to see Falinesti. If you watch very closely the Live Action clip they did earlier in the year (late last year?), you can see some Bosmeri interlace carvings on rock. If they haven't just put that in for literally no reason, then they must hint at something very Bosmeri. We haven't seen anything like that so far in the chapter - in fact very little to do with the Bosmer at all (except the interesting recruitment of Eveli's friends at a certain part of the Blackwood story). So, we might ask: Does Mehrunes Dagon or the Deadlands have any connection to the Bosmer or Valenwood? The Base game dungeons City of Ash I and II suggests that Daddy Dagon might have a penchant for acquiring little bits of Valenwood, and NPCs discussing the disappearance of Falinesti include the theory it might have been taken into some realm of Oblivion. So, what do you think? Such content would go a long way towards satisfying the appetite for the modern Bosmer lore parse most other races have enjoyed, since launch, and the possibility of exploring Falinesti itself is something people have wanted for a very long time.

Next year: Maybe we will get a look at the area between Wrothgar and Solitude! It seems a bit far-fetched at first - the space between those zones certainly doesn't look like it could support a full chapter-sized zone. BUT ZOS has this tradition of putting hints regarding where we will go next into existing content, and for me, there's not a lot that stands out during the Blackwood story. Except one thing: the quest where we go to seek Nightwielder's Tome. That one seems particularly curious to me in just how little it has to do with literally anything at all. It touches on some REALLY interesting lore that was developed early on with the Elder Scrolls Adventures series, and seems to come at a time when they might be exploring very similar sources of inspiration (mentions of The Battlespire in Lucilla Carpenia's Meet the Character). There are great write-ups of both Shadowkey's Shadow Magic lore and Azra Nightwielder (if you can get past the original research) on UESP, and reading it feels like to me the sort of inspiration that ZOS might use for the sorts of antagonists, threats and mystery for the basis of a really interesting story, offering the opportunity to flesh out some really old school, obscure lore that hasn't been seen in any game for decades and also gives them license to really do their own thing with it. The region is interesting too - Breton Jehanna sorrounded by barbarous Nords, Orcs and Reachmen, the enigmatic Forgotten Vale, Direnni Western Reach, Dunlain, Cloud Springs, Azra's Crossing. Such a chapter is the perfect opportunity to make "boring Bretons" into something really cool and interesting for the first time, and explore some really neglected angles (*cough* literally anything Direnni *cough*). Maybe its wishful thinking? Its my best guess, though!

What are yours?

What original research are you talking about in UESP’s articles?

I *LOVE* UESP, it's still my go-to, but its rife with it. People doing deductive stuff and pulling disparate facts together and stating the conclusions as fact.

Something else that I noticed on UESP is that they automatically assumed the imperial city DLC took place before the coldharbour zone although there's no basis for it.

https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Planemeld
https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Lyranth

that "In a final attempt to speed along the process" part from the planemeld page was entirely headcanon.

ssewallb14_ESO · August 2021

I think we'll get a monk class next year or the year after. I can't imagine they developed so many animations only for a couple dungeon enemies.

Ratzkifal · August 2021

hcbigdogdoghc wrote: »

Supreme_Atromancer wrote: »

Aliyavana wrote: »

Supreme_Atromancer wrote: »

Especially early on, there was huge amounts of hype and speculation about what we could look forward to in the coming years. 7 years in, we have settled into a regular cadence, the Dataminers have largely moved on and anyway, ZOS got a bit more clever in concealing stuff. Hype is now regulated and doled out via drip in a controlled environment. But I hanker for mainline hype. So, yall got any more of them Elder Scrolls Online predictions for the future?

Here are mine:

Q4: we might get to see Falinesti. If you watch very closely the Live Action clip they did earlier in the year (late last year?), you can see some Bosmeri interlace carvings on rock. If they haven't just put that in for literally no reason, then they must hint at something very Bosmeri. We haven't seen anything like that so far in the chapter - in fact very little to do with the Bosmer at all (except the interesting recruitment of Eveli's friends at a certain part of the Blackwood story). So, we might ask: Does Mehrunes Dagon or the Deadlands have any connection to the Bosmer or Valenwood? The Base game dungeons City of Ash I and II suggests that Daddy Dagon might have a penchant for acquiring little bits of Valenwood, and NPCs discussing the disappearance of Falinesti include the theory it might have been taken into some realm of Oblivion. So, what do you think? Such content would go a long way towards satisfying the appetite for the modern Bosmer lore parse most other races have enjoyed, since launch, and the possibility of exploring Falinesti itself is something people have wanted for a very long time.

Next year: Maybe we will get a look at the area between Wrothgar and Solitude! It seems a bit far-fetched at first - the space between those zones certainly doesn't look like it could support a full chapter-sized zone. BUT ZOS has this tradition of putting hints regarding where we will go next into existing content, and for me, there's not a lot that stands out during the Blackwood story. Except one thing: the quest where we go to seek Nightwielder's Tome. That one seems particularly curious to me in just how little it has to do with literally anything at all. It touches on some REALLY interesting lore that was developed early on with the Elder Scrolls Adventures series, and seems to come at a time when they might be exploring very similar sources of inspiration (mentions of The Battlespire in Lucilla Carpenia's Meet the Character). There are great write-ups of both Shadowkey's Shadow Magic lore and Azra Nightwielder (if you can get past the original research) on UESP, and reading it feels like to me the sort of inspiration that ZOS might use for the sorts of antagonists, threats and mystery for the basis of a really interesting story, offering the opportunity to flesh out some really old school, obscure lore that hasn't been seen in any game for decades and also gives them license to really do their own thing with it. The region is interesting too - Breton Jehanna sorrounded by barbarous Nords, Orcs and Reachmen, the enigmatic Forgotten Vale, Direnni Western Reach, Dunlain, Cloud Springs, Azra's Crossing. Such a chapter is the perfect opportunity to make "boring Bretons" into something really cool and interesting for the first time, and explore some really neglected angles (*cough* literally anything Direnni *cough*). Maybe its wishful thinking? Its my best guess, though!

What are yours?

What original research are you talking about in UESP’s articles?

I *LOVE* UESP, it's still my go-to, but its rife with it. People doing deductive stuff and pulling disparate facts together and stating the conclusions as fact.

Something else that I noticed on UESP is that they automatically assumed the imperial city DLC took place before the coldharbour zone although there's no basis for it.

https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Planemeld
https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Lyranth

that "In a final attempt to speed along the process" part from the planemeld page was entirely headcanon.

@hcbigdogdoghc Okay, then what is the lore behind that Dark Anchor on top of White-Gold Tower still being up and running after we went into Coldharbour and stopped the planemeld for good? It's more plausible that the events of the Imperial City DLC are parallel or previous to everything else in the main story rather than strictly afterwards, which would require a lot more explanation.
I can see how in some cases deductions can be falsely presented as fact, but in this case I really don't see how it could work in any other way. So is your issue with the presentation alone or do you actually disagree on the conclusion here?

Ratzkifal · August 2021

ssewallb14_ESO wrote: »

I think we'll get a monk class next year or the year after. I can't imagine they developed so many animations only for a couple dungeon enemies. Necro was also teased in Unhallowed.

@ssewallb14_ESO Necro was teased in Unhallowed? What? You mean Unhallowed Grave? That dungeon came out after Necromancers were already released...
Monks would have been perfect for Elsweyr due to their warrior monks and we've seen some NPCs use skills like that. Not sure if I would want to see it being a class considering the martial arts aspect would require unarmed skill for combat so it looks the part, in which case perhaps having just the unarmed martial arts skill line would be enough.

LaerothKeykalyn · August 2021

SORRY!
But, this not Falinesti. This is Redguard architecture.
Check TES Arena lore and this a place in Deadlands.https://en.m.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Chimera_of_Desolation
https://elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/60267

Next class, Battlemage, check "NOTES" and new dungeon Dread Cellar
https://en.m.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Battlemage
https://elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/60537

ssewallb14_ESO · August 2021

Ratzkifal wrote: »

ssewallb14_ESO wrote: »

I think we'll get a monk class next year or the year after. I can't imagine they developed so many animations only for a couple dungeon enemies. Necro was also teased in Unhallowed.

@ssewallb14_ESO Necro was teased in Unhallowed? What? You mean Unhallowed Grave? That dungeon came out after Necromancers were already released...
Monks would have been perfect for Elsweyr due to their warrior monks and we've seen some NPCs use skills like that. Not sure if I would want to see it being a class considering the martial arts aspect would require unarmed skill for combat so it looks the part, in which case perhaps having just the unarmed martial arts skill line would be enough.

Yeah it wasn't UG, my mistake. At least one of the skills was teased somewhere, though I can't remember now..

hcbigdogdoghc · August 2021

Ratzkifal wrote: »

hcbigdogdoghc wrote: »

Supreme_Atromancer wrote: »

Aliyavana wrote: »

Supreme_Atromancer wrote: »

Especially early on, there was huge amounts of hype and speculation about what we could look forward to in the coming years. 7 years in, we have settled into a regular cadence, the Dataminers have largely moved on and anyway, ZOS got a bit more clever in concealing stuff. Hype is now regulated and doled out via drip in a controlled environment. But I hanker for mainline hype. So, yall got any more of them Elder Scrolls Online predictions for the future?

Here are mine:

Q4: we might get to see Falinesti. If you watch very closely the Live Action clip they did earlier in the year (late last year?), you can see some Bosmeri interlace carvings on rock. If they haven't just put that in for literally no reason, then they must hint at something very Bosmeri. We haven't seen anything like that so far in the chapter - in fact very little to do with the Bosmer at all (except the interesting recruitment of Eveli's friends at a certain part of the Blackwood story). So, we might ask: Does Mehrunes Dagon or the Deadlands have any connection to the Bosmer or Valenwood? The Base game dungeons City of Ash I and II suggests that Daddy Dagon might have a penchant for acquiring little bits of Valenwood, and NPCs discussing the disappearance of Falinesti include the theory it might have been taken into some realm of Oblivion. So, what do you think? Such content would go a long way towards satisfying the appetite for the modern Bosmer lore parse most other races have enjoyed, since launch, and the possibility of exploring Falinesti itself is something people have wanted for a very long time.

Next year: Maybe we will get a look at the area between Wrothgar and Solitude! It seems a bit far-fetched at first - the space between those zones certainly doesn't look like it could support a full chapter-sized zone. BUT ZOS has this tradition of putting hints regarding where we will go next into existing content, and for me, there's not a lot that stands out during the Blackwood story. Except one thing: the quest where we go to seek Nightwielder's Tome. That one seems particularly curious to me in just how little it has to do with literally anything at all. It touches on some REALLY interesting lore that was developed early on with the Elder Scrolls Adventures series, and seems to come at a time when they might be exploring very similar sources of inspiration (mentions of The Battlespire in Lucilla Carpenia's Meet the Character). There are great write-ups of both Shadowkey's Shadow Magic lore and Azra Nightwielder (if you can get past the original research) on UESP, and reading it feels like to me the sort of inspiration that ZOS might use for the sorts of antagonists, threats and mystery for the basis of a really interesting story, offering the opportunity to flesh out some really old school, obscure lore that hasn't been seen in any game for decades and also gives them license to really do their own thing with it. The region is interesting too - Breton Jehanna sorrounded by barbarous Nords, Orcs and Reachmen, the enigmatic Forgotten Vale, Direnni Western Reach, Dunlain, Cloud Springs, Azra's Crossing. Such a chapter is the perfect opportunity to make "boring Bretons" into something really cool and interesting for the first time, and explore some really neglected angles (*cough* literally anything Direnni *cough*). Maybe its wishful thinking? Its my best guess, though!

What are yours?

What original research are you talking about in UESP’s articles?

I *LOVE* UESP, it's still my go-to, but its rife with it. People doing deductive stuff and pulling disparate facts together and stating the conclusions as fact.

Something else that I noticed on UESP is that they automatically assumed the imperial city DLC took place before the coldharbour zone although there's no basis for it.

https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Planemeld
https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Lyranth

that "In a final attempt to speed along the process" part from the planemeld page was entirely headcanon.

@hcbigdogdoghc Okay, then what is the lore behind that Dark Anchor on top of White-Gold Tower still being up and running after we went into Coldharbour and stopped the planemeld for good? It's more plausible that the events of the Imperial City DLC are parallel or previous to everything else in the main story rather than strictly afterwards, which would require a lot more explanation.
I can see how in some cases deductions can be falsely presented as fact, but in this case I really don't see how it could work in any other way. So is your issue with the presentation alone or do you actually disagree on the conclusion here?

Anchors are still dropping in lore after the main quest. Molag bal have new anchor dialogues after you finish the main quest. Beside imperial city was describe as the "last ditch attempt". Mobs in WGT says stuff like "planwmeld will begin anew" too.

And UESP is completely wrong about Lyranth plotline, her clan did not return in coldharbour, all she is doing is kill the guy who banished the clan in coldharbour, THEN try to free them in ICP.

Regardless, there is zero proof that IC take place before the end of main quest, UESP just came to their own conclusion and stated their own headcanon on the page as fact.

Supreme_Atromancer · August 2021

Elfdominion4 wrote: »

SORRY!
But, this not Falinesti. This is Redguard architecture.
Check TES Arena lore and this a place in Deadlands.https://en.m.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Chimera_of_Desolation
https://elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/60267

Next class, Battlemage, check "NOTES" and new dungeon Dread Cellar
https://en.m.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Battlemage
https://elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/60537

The page you link explains that the Chimera was originally part of Daggerfall or maybe even Northpoint.

ZOS_Volpe · August 2021

Greetings,

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Dark_Lord_Kuro · August 2021

Supreme_Atromancer wrote: »

Especially early on, there was huge amounts of hype and speculation about what we could look forward to in the coming years. 7 years in, we have settled into a regular cadence, the Dataminers have largely moved on and anyway, ZOS got a bit more clever in concealing stuff. Hype is now regulated and doled out via drip in a controlled environment. But I hanker for mainline hype. So, yall got any more of them Elder Scrolls Online predictions for the future?

Here are mine:

Q4: we might get to see Falinesti. If you watch very closely the Live Action clip they did earlier in the year (late last year?), you can see some Bosmeri interlace carvings on rock. If they haven't just put that in for literally no reason, then they must hint at something very Bosmeri. We haven't seen anything like that so far in the chapter - in fact very little to do with the Bosmer at all (except the interesting recruitment of Eveli's friends at a certain part of the Blackwood story). So, we might ask: Does Mehrunes Dagon or the Deadlands have any connection to the Bosmer or Valenwood? The Base game dungeons City of Ash I and II suggests that Daddy Dagon might have a penchant for acquiring little bits of Valenwood, and NPCs discussing the disappearance of Falinesti include the theory it might have been taken into some realm of Oblivion. So, what do you think? Such content would go a long way towards satisfying the appetite for the modern Bosmer lore parse most other races have enjoyed, since launch, and the possibility of exploring Falinesti itself is something people have wanted for a very long time.

Next year: Maybe we will get a look at the area between Wrothgar and Solitude! It seems a bit far-fetched at first - the space between those zones certainly doesn't look like it could support a full chapter-sized zone. BUT ZOS has this tradition of putting hints regarding where we will go next into existing content, and for me, there's not a lot that stands out during the Blackwood story. Except one thing: the quest where we go to seek Nightwielder's Tome. That one seems particularly curious to me in just how little it has to do with literally anything at all. It touches on some REALLY interesting lore that was developed early on with the Elder Scrolls Adventures series, and seems to come at a time when they might be exploring very similar sources of inspiration (mentions of The Battlespire in Lucilla Carpenia's Meet the Character). There are great write-ups of both Shadowkey's Shadow Magic lore and Azra Nightwielder (if you can get past the original research) on UESP, and reading it feels like to me the sort of inspiration that ZOS might use for the sorts of antagonists, threats and mystery for the basis of a really interesting story, offering the opportunity to flesh out some really old school, obscure lore that hasn't been seen in any game for decades and also gives them license to really do their own thing with it. The region is interesting too - Breton Jehanna sorrounded by barbarous Nords, Orcs and Reachmen, the enigmatic Forgotten Vale, Direnni Western Reach, Dunlain, Cloud Springs, Azra's Crossing. Such a chapter is the perfect opportunity to make "boring Bretons" into something really cool and interesting for the first time, and explore some really neglected angles (*cough* literally anything Direnni *cough*). Maybe its wishful thinking? Its my best guess, though!

What are yours?

They said in the reveal stream that the q4 dlc is the deadland
That being said falinesti could be in the deadland, we will see

Sailor_Palutena · August 2021

Iccotak wrote: »

hcbigdogdoghc wrote: »

Hyped up final boss who gets melt down in 5 seconds.

Those two things really kill any interest in future story content.

How can I get invested in a story where the final threat is NOT a threat
I've been taking a break from ESO and playing Destiny & Monster Hunter World. I gotta say it is refreshing to have story bosses and enemies that are actually a threat.

I am thinking about what I am doing which makes me engaged in the gameplay.

Reminds me of how getting into ESO dungeons really revitalized my interest in ESO because it has the most engaging combat in the game. What's annoying is how the rest of the game doesn't have that level of gameplay.

Not even a middle ground to be somewhat engaging - not saying it should be as hard as endgame - just please be more than only beginner.

Just look at the amount of people complaining about the difficulty to complete Vatsheran Hollows. I get it that the final bosses are too easy, but making them too difficult will get people off.

I liked the mechanics of the last boss in Elsweyr and Markath because they "extended" the battle time without making them overchallenging. The last boss from Western Skyrim was a joke, but Molag Bal and Nocturnal were awesome looking.

Ratzkifal · August 2021

Sailor_Palutena wrote: »

Iccotak wrote: »

hcbigdogdoghc wrote: »

Hyped up final boss who gets melt down in 5 seconds.

Those two things really kill any interest in future story content.

How can I get invested in a story where the final threat is NOT a threat
I've been taking a break from ESO and playing Destiny & Monster Hunter World. I gotta say it is refreshing to have story bosses and enemies that are actually a threat.

I am thinking about what I am doing which makes me engaged in the gameplay.

Reminds me of how getting into ESO dungeons really revitalized my interest in ESO because it has the most engaging combat in the game. What's annoying is how the rest of the game doesn't have that level of gameplay.

Not even a middle ground to be somewhat engaging - not saying it should be as hard as endgame - just please be more than only beginner.

Just look at the amount of people complaining about the difficulty to complete Vatsheran Hollows. I get it that the final bosses are too easy, but making them too difficult will get people off.

I liked the mechanics of the last boss in Elsweyr and Markath because they "extended" the battle time without making them overchallenging. The last boss from Western Skyrim was a joke, but Molag Bal and Nocturnal were awesome looking.

Counter point, look at how many people are looking back with fond memories of when zone bosses were actually hard. Just look for Doshia. People were having fun trying to overcome an actual challenge the game threw at them. Doshia is a boss type enemy in the fighter's guild questline.

I do like the extended battle time in Markarth too (can't speak for Elsweyr because I haven't actually finished that yet), but I think we would have more respect for these bosses if they were actually not trivially easy to defeat. It doesn't even have to be DarkSouls-esque in terms of challenge, just a bit more than now - around the difficulty of soloing public dungeons encounters would be fine.