If you ask me the option shouldn't even exist.
There should be no change alliance tokens nor any race any alliance thing.
For PVE the alliances do not matter and for PVP, well it is mostly the classes which matter, which are OP in the moment.

I always thought it should have been a base game feature. Not even a feature, if they'd just let everyone choose race and alliance separately since the start no one would think anything of it.

But I think ZOS expected alliances to be a lot more meaningful for players and PvP to be more popular so most people wouldn't want to mix and match races with alliances or mix with 'enemy' players. Originally Cyrodiil was the main/only end-game. Going through your alliances maps got you to level 50 then you did Coldharbour to finish the story and the only things left after that were repeating Dungeons and Cyrodiil. I think a lot of people at ZOS had previously worked on some very PvP focused MMOs (Dark Age of Camelot was one of them) and expected this game to be similar.

Cadwell's Silver and Gold and vet levels were added either just before or just after the game launched (I can't remember exactly) but that was in response to player feedback during the betas. Even then they kept players from different alliances seperate. I suspect if they'd had time to build new PvE end game zones quickly enough they'd have done that instead. They also made alliance restrictions irrelevant for early adopters by making Any Race, Any Alliance a pre-order bonus. (I got it with a copy I bought a year later, but I'm not sure how long they kept offering it.)

It was years later (in the One Tamriel update) that they finally removed (almost) all the restrictions on alliances mixing and by then they'd been selling Any Race, Any Alliance for years and had no incentive to make it free if players were willing to pay for it.

Agree with OP. Alliance support should be freely choosable. Anyplace, Anytime, Anyhow.

I mean it makes sense. Right?
I am from Eastern Germany and by ZOS' logic I would have to support rightwing nationalists, unless I pay to be supporting someone else...

But I do NOT! Because free will, everyone!

Just to clear up some game history.

“Any race, any alliance” was originally a perk awarded to people who bought the CE version (or “Imperial Version” as it unlocked the imperial race) of the base game. [Edit:Turns out this was a preorder bonus not something that came with the CE addition only.] So it’s been in the game since release.
Again this was a perk people paid extra for to unlock waaaaay back.

As someone who has had it since inception, I kind of wish it was not in the game. I look at these chapters that come out and I am slightly bothered by the amount of “other” race npcs that are present in each zone. It feels a bit odd, especially coming from Skyrim where there was a big anti-Dunmer and kahjiit story background present with the Nords. And eso takes place well before Skyrim. (Did all of the races mostly get up and go back to their home provinces sometime between the two games?)

Anyway, I like the faction identity in cyrodiil, guards and resource npcs are of the appropriate race for the faction. But the people fighting are just all over the place. It’s just odd.

Personally, even with it unlocked, the vast (non imperial) character races I created are faction appropriate. The only one that I purposely choice different was my orc who refused to join the Bretons or Nords in the war.
But that is my own personal backstory I chose, like I do for all of my characters, but I am not in a RP guild or anything.

Danikat wrote: »

BlueRaven wrote: »

Just to clear up some game history.

“Any race, any alliance” was originally a perk awarded to people who bought the CE version (or “Imperial Version” as it unlocked the imperial race) of the base game. So it’s been in the game since release.
Again this was a perk people paid extra for to unlock waaaaay back.

It was a pre-order bonus, included with all versions of the game, not just the Imperial Edition, so no one needed to pay extra for it.

"From the start of Early Access, players who pre-ordered or pre-purchased any edition of The Elder Scrolls Online will be able to take advantage of the ability to play as any race in any alliance."
https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/813

The Imperial Edition had the same bonuses as the Imperial Upgrade currently in the crown store - it let you make Imperial characters (who could be in any alliance), and gave you the white horse, mud crab pet and Rings of Mara. Originally it also let you change almost any item into the Imperial style for free at any point, but when outfit stations were added that option was removed and replaced with not having to pay to use the Imperial style in outfits.

Ah! And here I thought it was something that came in that big box sitting on my shelf with the statue. Your right!

BlueRaven wrote: »

Just to clear up some game history.

“Any race, any alliance” was originally a perk awarded to people who bought the CE version (or “Imperial Version” as it unlocked the imperial race) of the base game. [Edit:Turns out this was a preorder bonus not something that came with the CE addition only.] So it’s been in the game since release.
Again this was a perk people paid extra for to unlock waaaaay back.

As someone who has had it since inception, I kind of wish it was not in the game. I look at these chapters that come out and I am slightly bothered by the amount of “other” race npcs that are present in each zone. It feels a bit odd, especially coming from Skyrim where there was a big anti-Dunmer and kahjiit story background present with the Nords. And eso takes place well before Skyrim. (Did all of the races mostly get up and go back to their home provinces sometime between the two games?)

Anyway, I like the faction identity in cyrodiil, guards and resource npcs are of the appropriate race for the faction. But the people fighting are just all over the place. It’s just odd.

Personally, even with it unlocked, the vast (non imperial) character races I created are faction appropriate. The only one that I purposely choice different was my orc who refused to join the Bretons or Nords in the war.
But that is my own personal backstory I chose, like I do for all of my characters, but I am not in a RP guild or anything.

I get where you're coming from but lorewise it does make sense that every alliance would have its own share of mercenaries, turncoats and oddballs. For example in Auridon theres an AD quest that involves protecting a turncoat Orcish Chief and his wife who fled the DC. Meanwhile I could honestly see Imperials going to either DC or EP depending on circumstances or even Argonian mercenaries fighting against the pact since much like the nords their peoples are not monolithic blocks.

Holycannoli wrote: »

No, what should be part of the base game is Appearance Change. You know, like every other game out there.

I'm certainly not against the idea, but I can't remember playing many games where it was part of the base game.

The other MMOs I've played have it as a paid option like ESO does (in some ways ESO is better, for example once you unlock a hair style you can switch between it and other styles whenever you want, in other games you have to pay for each change). Some single-player games offer it but I've played more which don't have it at all and if you want to change how your character looks you have to start over completely.

RIFT had a barbershop for in game currency (whatever it was - don't remember now).

VaranisArano wrote: »

Yes. But then ZOS couldn't sell it.

^^ Salient point.

What do you think this is, a TES game?

Alliances aren't important to me but if it's free then okay.

When I go to Cyrodiil it's usually all one colour.

If it isn't the colour I need I choose a different character or different map.

Maybe I need to look at it in more detail.

Vhozek wrote: »

At this point we should probably bring ESO issues over to Microsoft instead.

Microsoft is not interested in micromanaging ESO. Not only have they actually stated as much buy wise management does not micromanage.

Mesite wrote: »

If they are planning to make something free I'd rather have Orsinium.

And the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood. After all, (a) they're older than Morrowind which just went free, and (b) there's even a base-game CP star that relies on having the Blade of Woe which is only from DB content...

I pre-ordered way back when so I always forget this isn't base game. I agree at this point it should be, and for-gold appearance changes should be a thing, too.