It really doesn't effect you if you choose to keep your character in their alliances, but for people who were complaining to get this I feel like you will be let down, especially the TES fans looking for freedom. First of all even if you pick another alliance your still locked to THEIR territory, secondly think of all the awkward NPC voice acting that will go on, they will all be talking to you like your are a different races, using the terms and all the specific conversations that refer to you as the race you choose within the alliance. They wont be taking any of that out and I can imagine not adding anything new in the bridge the gap, it is just goin' to break immersion anyway really. I think they should have stuck to their guns and added the explorers pack in later, at least only the people who think to and choose to pre order will be doing this so it wont be swamped with randomness.

But investors want what they want.

Can't wait to play a Dremora in any alliance

Two thumbs way, way up, actually. This isn't DAOC, this is TES, and apparently ZOS realize that.

The fact that you have to pre-order for it is another matter entirely but better that it is possible.

I bet post-launch you'll be able to switch alliances for $30 or so.

I hope your wrong on that statement Capitol98.

Imagine your playing the least popular faction and that your not making any impression in Cyrodil..

The option of paying so you can switch alliances,will create a zerg mentality within the playerbase. The Factions War will become a farce.

Hoards of sheep like players joining the "I win Faction"

Nah, the explorer pack will be put in the Cash Shop, available for purchase. That's way more likely imo.

Edit: If by the $30 you mean the same as I do, then I've said nothing. It's been a long day..

Yet, they had a reason to keep it like DAoC, and that was faction pride and identity. What remains of that now, exactly?

I wonder how they got this past Matt Firor.

Not really a big deal tbh. You pay now instead of later. Not an issue if you were already buying the game.

Who knows about faction changes, but I'd say you can probably unlock the PO bonus for a few bucks after launch, a long with upgrade your account to the CE edition for $10-20 if you decide later that you want the CE.

I'm wondering what will be there explanation for the implementation in game actually. It's quite clear why they made the decision: To give the community what it wants (not talking about methods here). People have been asking for this since announcement. But how they will explain this sudden change of plans ingame? That's what I'm looking forward to.

Because being forced into a faction based on race does not create pride, it creates resentment. Actually choosing which faction you want to ally yourself with as an independent choice is what creates pride.

DAOC was different because it didn't have 20 years of previous games and a massive 15mil+ fan-base who all had preconceived notions about what race they preferred. TES does, and factions were never about race, they were about ideology and who would be best to rule the Empire.

It needs no explanation, the factions were never about race in the actual game, that's just people projecting their narrow-minded black-and-white viewpoints onto an actually fairly nuanced conflict.

"The Dominion welcomes all who wish to join..."

As I stated, I don't really care about the play any race thing, I just don't think it should be something you get right out the gate or as an exclusive preorder item.

Yep.

I liked the way SWTOR did race swapping. If you beat the main story with a certain race that is exclusive to either the Empire or Republic, that race is playable with the other faction.

Agreed, defection-quest ftw. But no, they looked at the major complaint and turned its solution into a way to get more money out of people. If I'm being honest, however, this doesn't surprise me in the least.

The same way as you'd expect to be treated in real life. If I was an Iranian or a North Korean I wouldn't be gunned down on sight by the British Army.

Hypothetically speaking, if your initial introduction to the world after leaving Coldharbor simply involved you landing in random place, it would make sense that you could end up in the "wrong" alliance territory.

TBH I think its a little messy and it could have come along later rather than at launch. Or they could limit it to one toon per account from a different faction to playarea. It also devalues the travelling at level 50 idea.

That said its all pretty minor and has not stopped me from seriously considering the digi imp download edition

This is all a result of the mass moaning about the original faction lock, this is the devs meeting the mouth breathers and neck beards half way to appease them. nothing more. Didn't stop me from putting down my $80 for the imperial edition, like I'm sure many many other people did as well.

Indeed, how hypothetical of you.

I don't like this at all, makes the alliance war a bit of a mess, i would of loved the idea to say oh hey theres a bunch Kajiits were a bunch of nords (or whatever), lets go kill em all. I liked the idea of being able to tell who was on your side or not, by looks alone. I feel they introduced the game as an Race/Alliance War which i really liked, now theyve changed it to just an Alliance War. Dissapointing to me, but i was just more interested in it when it was the Race/Alliance aspect. I feel like the game (NPC's/ quest lines and such) were built around this Race/ Alliance concept. Bad move in my eyes *sigh*

Even though I like to explore all sides of the issue (such as previous posts) I'll simply admit allowing me to play Argonian in the Daggerfall Covenant makes me a happy lizard!

Im very pleased, because it made no sense that the factions were locked. Now I can actually play with all my friends as the race I have used since I started playing TES. An imperial =D.

Right but how do you explain the servers that'll have more Nords in the Daggerfall Covenant than any of the actual races of that faction?

You don't. It's weird, this has the same feeling as when they implemented first person. As if they didn't want to do it, but pressure was too great. I don't like the amount of last minute (relatively) changes I'm seeing. It all feels very half-assed.

I cannot possibly see how it will be mathematically possible to have more Nord when access is bound to a pre-order bonus which will ultimately be a very small percentage of the overall player base in the Daggerfall Covenant.

Simple, one of those big communities independent of any game decides to go Daggerfall Covenant, but the majority of them want to be a Nord.

And anything is possible.

I've already bought the Imperial edition, and when the game is released i'll play a male Nord in the Aldmeri Dominion faction! Just because i can!