Did Anyone Actually ASK to Skip the Starter Areas? I am asking because I wonder if Zenimax mis-read the feedback. Maybe in the polls everyone said that they wanted to skip the starter area and Zenimax thought they meant the starter islands when they really meant Coldharbor!!

People have requested the ability to skip both.

I heard a few people complaining about it, saying it was too much like traditional MMO hand-holding. The ones that complained wanted the world to be open from the get-go, like most Elder Scroll games are.

Coldharbour takes like 5 minutes...really?

more choices are never a bad thing.

I'd rather have the ability to skip Coldharbor, especially when I get to my 3rd or 4th character. I didn't have any issue with the starting places after Coldharbor.

There really isn't any pleasing you, is there?

People were whining about the starter islands, so they will now be optional. People are also doing a little whining about Coldharbour, but since that takes about 5 minutes to complete, I think it's less of a priority. It also seems fairly important for the story that you start in Coldharbor, while it's less important that you go through every quest in the starting areas.

Skipping the Tutorial that I have been through many times before is a good option that I plan on taking after my first character goes through it. Again.

You don't have to skip the starter islands if you don't want to.

You know your stretching when you complain about something that is optional.

Did you read the reviews that flooded out when the press NDA was first lifted a few weeks ago? There was near universal condemnation of the starter zones.

It's not something I heard a lot from people here, but members of the press who had not been following the game closely apparently got the impression that the game did not have an open world, because leaving the islands is quest-gated.

There is even a handful here on the forums who keep insisting that it's linear, even though they should know better

Personally, I like the starter islands and doubt I will ever want to skip them. Skyshards, lots of crafting mats, skill books, treasure maps... and NPCs who need help

Sooner the whiners get out of the starting areas the better for the rest of us...

Stated simply: A lot of people hated the starter zones and it is easier to give people the option to skip it then revamp it.

Dont want to skip Coldharbour. But I would like the choice of experiencing it in different ways. Skyrim let you choose between two different ways of experiencing the Helgen tutorial.

I have no desire to skip any of it. But I have no issue with others skipping it and leaving more chests, boxes, crates, backpacks, bags, urns, ore, logs, herbs, etc for me. So get down with yo bad selves.

I gave feedback that for Daggerfell the second starter island was over kill and annoying. As far as cold harbor goes, not only is it key to the story, characters starting as a prisoner is pretty much tradition in TES. If it's a TES game, you start as a prisoner, at least since Marrowind.

The game didn't really "open" up until after the starter area and tutorial. A lot of the "TES only" crowd hated it and wanted to be able to go anywhere the second they left the prison.

And this is what we get.

Yeah let them rush all they want, more flower-sniffing for me

i did not ask to skip starter zone. im a major es fan. i want see every single pixel that is created by them

My main gripe with Coldharbour is that, like other ES games, your character is immediately thrown into the worst lighting available, and you have to fight your way through at least 5 minutes of tutorial and exposition before you can get a good look at them in daylight.

The starter zones are great to go through once or twice.

After that it gets dull. Really dull.

I'll probably still do it if only for the skyshards and XP and skill points.

Because I'm like that.

lots of winks and cute smiles don't make your point any more valid. The fact is the intro IS extremely linear. You CANNOT pass GO without doing the quests. This new change is an awesome step in the right direction! Keep making those changes ZOS! (of course, I'm still waiting for it to go f2p, but still!)

I wish to skip it for repeated beta invite and after first character post launch.

Huzzah, whiners win!

The intro was partially linear (quest gate), though the content within each island wasn't. Most of the quests were completely optional, and the land there was open to explore. Just one required questline.

The rest of the game, however, isn't linear, although there are folks who keep insisting that it is.

That is the point I was trying to make

BTW I think it's a good change, since it prevents people prone to rush to judgement from doing that

Lack of emoticons doesn't make a point any more valid either btw

Tons of people did on the beta forums. It was easily one of the most popular requests I saw.

The main complaint was the early game was far too on rails. They now took it off the rails and gave the players choices. Its now more like past TES games AND MMO games in that there is a short tutorial then you are placed in the main game world.

and BTW you can't really get rid of Coldharbor, thats is the true tutorial of the game plus its a part of the main story line.

I personally enjoyed the intro sections.

IMO it was perfect for the newer gamer to get to grips with the game.

Of course, it will probably get annoying for those that make multiple characters and had to continuously run through them....but thats the price you pay for multiple charas.

And yes...quite a few moaned about it on the beta forums and on beta vids when the NDA was lifted.

Good luck to them exploring when they run into higher level mobs.