subarctic wrote: »

Necrom, Deadlands, Coldharbor, Infinite Archive

too depressive cause they are monotonous

You forgot Clockwork City's perpetual bronze cast.

But the thing they all have in common is they are outside of Nirn and supposed to be alien looking.

Some of these places are basically hell. I think they're well done.

Infinite archive however could be anything really, and I hope they utilize that potential. Maelstrom arena does this pretty well actually.

These areas are supposed to evoke a certain mood due to the lore connected with them. The idea that a game should "never be gloomy" is fundamentally flawed. Gloomy areas provide a contrast and variation in scenery that allows the player to feel that they have left the safety of the "normal world" and have entered into a realm which is alien to them. They serve the narrative associated with them.

They aren't supposed to be pleasant places, given that many of them are pockets of Oblivion occupied by Daedra who would sooner see the player character suffer. I see the gloomy aspects of these locations, even the occasional monotony of them, as a direct reflection of the mentality of the daedric prince associated with them. In many ways, the physical "realities" faced in these realms are metaphors for what these princes represent.

Lore aficionados, correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe these the realms are a manifestation of the Daedric Prince's will. It only makes sense that the realms of some princes would be unpleasant, while the realms of others might be more varied.

I don't like all of the daedric realms in the game either- but I enjoy the fact that I do not find them all pleasant. That means the visual narrative is doing it's job by creative a feeling of discomfort in me which adds to the immersion of the story I am following.

nah empty places got more to do with what rewards is offered not the looks. if its old dlc doesn't matter what it look like people empty out of it until an event comes after its not new any more. even subjective good looking places get to be empty with nobody there lol

i think these places are awesome and cool, i dont want every place to be all happy and nice

I like that not every zone looks like Summerset. Each of the zones you mentioned has its own vibe (as it should).
As for less gloomy, here is less gloomy Deadlands (there was a bug a while ago with the sky):

subarctic wrote: »

“… pockets of Oblivion …”

When large DLCs are gloomy, it’s not fun, quickly becoming relatively empty spaces.

Pockets of oblivion are a part of the lore of the Elder Scrolls series of games. They are a major part of the story line which must exist to serve the story, and their appearance is often based on descriptions seen in games prior to the existence of the MMORPG.

Once again, correct me if I am wrong, but I am quite certain the aesthetics for Apocyrpha were established in the "Dragonborn" expansion of Skyrim, long before they appeared in this game, for example. They are what they are for a reason.

To omit these realms, which Elder Scrolls fans often want to explore, would be a mistake. While I understand you dislike it, many of us were quite pleased with Apocrypha and the chance to explore it further in this game. We have plenty of other zones that contrast them, so their existence is hardly detrimental to the game.

The reason older DLC's seem "empty" isn't so much because of aesthetics, but because new grinds or other rewards have moved the player population to other locations. Visit them during the anniversary event, and they will be flooded again.

subarctic wrote: »

“looks towards all popular dark and gloomy fantasy games that exist”

The problem is that these DLCs are faux dark, boring.

One's taste is like butts: Everyone has one and they're split and different.

You may find them boring, but others don't. Places like Coldharbour are also supposed to be monotone and bleak, they are unpleasant realms of oblivion.

subarctic wrote: »

A game should never be gloomy.

I don't think the issue is gloom. I think the issue is how ESO treats exploration. In other TES games, the deadlands would be normally super exciting because it would have high stakes, challenge, and potentially high quality daedric gear with rare materials. Apocrypha would have loads of arcane secrets and powers to explore. But you can look across the horizon of any area of ESO and have it feel dull, because there is not much unique reward to exploration. There's the standard materials, skyshards, and overland gear. Quests will always be a forced story. That's just how the game is.

So it may not be gloom you're feeling, but repetition.

(Also, games should totally be able to be gloomy)

I personally love these areas. Very atmospheric and creepy. Even though they aren't dangerous, they FEEL dangerous due to the combo of the world design and music. It's the same with Coldharbour. Deadlands is the only zone DLC I've purchased to date, because I really enjoy being there. Deadlands and Apocrypha both remind me a little of one of my favourite areas in LOTRO, Angmar:

https://youtu.be/jVj8lUrqBA8?si=RPWcIx4SOU3fys0R

A lot of people hated Angmar too, said it felt too "gloomy." I was all "more Angmar for me!"