Hi all,

As stated in the title, I am totally new to the Elder Scrolls series. I haven't played the older games and although I do own Skyrim, I've been waiting on a new PC (which I expect to finishing building tomorrow) before I try it. However I do like "sword and sorcery" type RPGs and always thought I'd probably enjoy MMORPGs if I gave it a go, although the cartoony graphics of WoW meant I could never take it seriously.

So I've been pretty intrigued by ESO as the first big MMORPG (that I'm aware of) that seems to have the visual quality, breadth and depth of content that I would likely enjoy. I've done some research and I've seen some things I like, some things I don't like, so I am very much still "on the fence". Some answers on the following questions would be much appreciated and help me make up my mind!

1) How much will P2W be a factor in this game?

I don't know anything about Bethesda and their corporate ethics, but I was rather surprised by the pricing of ESO. ￡50 for the core game plus ￡9/month subscription would make this the most expensive computer game I've ever considered by far. The ￡70 Imperial Edition also bothers me, not because of the price, which is reasonable for a collector's edition, but the fact that it potentially gives Collectors Edition players an unfair advantage if Imperials are OP compared to the other races and/or if acquiring an equivalent mount is difficult in the game.

The Rings of Mara in particular seems like a rather blatant attempt to force not only you, but also your friend, to buy the Imperial Edition! The Imperial Edition seems to set an uncomfortable precedence that paying more will give you tangible rewards and advantages over other players, which destroys the integrity of fairness in the PvP elements of the game. If this is the extent of P2W in ESO and there will be no "Auction House" or "Black Market trading" where players can exchange real money for virtual currency/items, then I am potentially willing to bite the bullet and accept the price of the game, and maybe even buy the Imperial Edition if I intend to play it seriously with a friend. But if I find that you are regularly enticed to spend yet more money (in the manner of many F2P games) on an already very expensive game just to remain competitive, then I'd rather not get drawn into the rat race at all.

I am willing to pay a good price for a good game. I am not willing to sink endless cash into the game just to have a good experience in it.

2) How competitive will the game be and will you really have viable character build diversity?

I vaguely remember reading about some sort of ladder or ranking system, but I can't find it any more, so I'm not sure if I imagined it! What are the measures of competitiveness in this game and is the game serious about elite player competition? Are there different regions or difficulty levels for different levels of players? This would be rather important in PvP cos it's a bit pointless having elite players squashing lv1 noobies on the same battlefield...

Related to this, I've seen a lot made of the build diversity and character development freedom encouraged in ESO. But I can't see how ESO will be any different in terms of actual build diversity. Diablo 3 also talked a lot about build diversity, but in the 6 months or so I played, there were usually a few optimal builds and optimal playthroughs that became the metagame because it was simply more effective and efficient than others, which made the game painfully repetitive. For example I see that light armour provides spellcasting bonuses whilst heavy armour favours defensive skills, so surely it would be hugely inefficient to play as a heavily armoured mage or lightly armoured warrior? Same goes for races... I can already see that High Elf sorcerer with light armour is going to be better than Nord Sorcerer with Heavy Armour. Yes you have the option to do whatever you want, but it would be inefficient and ineffective if the game was remotely competitive.

Is my understanding incorrect? Please do correct me if I am!

3) Is it possible to create a lightly armoured "battle-mage"?

Even if I don't like the answers to question 2, I might still play ESO casually if I can find a good roleplaying reason to do so with a character concept I'd enjoy. I am a big fan of Wuxia (Chinese Fantasy), which is full of warriors whose skills are so advanced they resemble magic. To replicate this in Western RPGs, I usually use a character who wears light armour or no armour, wields a sword and possesses some spell-casting ability, normally short ranged skills to complement his martial skills.

Having done some minimal research on the game, I see that there are no playable Far Eastern factions, though that's not a major problem. The two options I've thought of is either starting as a Sorcerer, and developing swordsmanship/stealth abilities as I level up, or starting as a Nightblade, and developing magical abilities. Will these builds actually work? Is there anything I've missed? My preferred races (from a aesthetic perspective) are Imperials, Bretons and High Elves. Which would you recommend?

4) Just how customisable is your appearance?

Yes I know you got loads of options for character creation, which is awesome, but do you have any customisation choices for your armour? I'd prefer my character to look somewhat Far Eastern, but avoid stereotypical "ninja/samurai" looks. Can you modify how your gear looks or are you stuck with whatever you get? For example in Diablo 3 my Wizard had to use some awfully ugly looking crap just because it was effective.

5) Are there plans for more factions/alliances in the future?

I was pretty excited by the Imperials at first, as I thought you could play as the incumbent empire attempting to resist the three invading alliances. But then I discovered that Imperials get racial bonuses to "warrior skills" rather than sorcery or stealth and Imperial players have to join one of the three main alliances and essentially play as deserters/traitors. I like characters who try to uphold order and the rule of law in the face of chaos and anarchy... all three alliances are essentially rebels! lol

Okay that's all my questions for now. Apologies for wall of text and many thanks to anyone who bothered to read it all. Your answers and advice would be much appreciated!

Heindrich

@1- At present, not a factor. And gods willing never.

@2- MMOs are always going to have a competitive element. But from my take on the betas i've been in, you have a very good amount of control over how much competition you are involved in.

@3- Very possible.

@4- Very good imo.

@5- In terms of storylines with accompanying skill lines, yes. Confirmed Thieves and Assassins guilds not too long after launch.

Hi there, first off well done using 'newbie' instead 'noob'!

It never ceases to amaze me how many people get those two terms mixed up.

Okay, here are some responses to some of your questions;

• It is not P2W at all, in the vast majority of cases, such claims are extremely exaggerated. ESO is not exempt from this.
• Imperials aren't overpowered at all, the real draw-card for purchasing the imperial edition - in my view - is playing the imperials AND the ability to play any race in any alliance.
• I have a ring of Mara and can share it with anyone else, they don't have to have brought the imperial edition of the game themselves.
• It's unlikely you'll be enticed to spend more money as it's a subscription-based game, thank Azura it is! Whether the subscription fee is something you feel is worthwhile or not is completely a personal thing you'll have to decide with time.
• I've not be involved in PvP much as yet, so I can't comment on that aspect.
• Regarding diversity in builds; yes, the system is quite robust. Of course if you want to completely remove any biological component and min/max there is nearly always going to be 'one' build that is touted commonly as the best for whatever role you want your character to achieve, but that's the way of all things created in code.
• As others have said; if you want you can be a heavily armoured mage, or a cloth-wearing melee fighter, it's totally up to you. There's a lot freedom.
• In terms of the races, choose which you enjoy the playing the most, there is no right and wrong answer. Additionally the races are in the process of getting some racial skill tweaks that haven't been released yet, so even if you're just looking at the numbers right now you're no better off. So, do what makes you happy.
• Unfortunately at the moment you're unable to customise your appearance very much when compared to other comparable mmos, but that is something development has acknowledged - more or less - and are looking to improve in the future.

I hope some of that helps you.

I think you are in for a treat.

I would love to never have playd the 20+ mmo's that i have under my belt, because my first experience will ALWAYS be the best, and the one that i compare everything else to. My first was SWG

And after 3 betas - "and for the first time in 7 years" - weary high hopes for a fantastic dev team. I think you will like ESO and the whole MMO thing, and think ESO will be the one you compare your future mmorpg's to.

This is just the start of ESO... things will be added and things will evolve, and knowing what the foundation is like..the game has potential to be something weary weary special, for new and for old mmorpg'ers.

See you in Tamriel buddy

just my 2' cents

Do not buy if:

You really can not afford the sub fee...the game will not go F2P for a long time

If you are a power gamer and just wish to race to the top to be bored with endgame repeats.

If you like duelling - because there is none

if you like arena play - there aren't any

if you like automated combat - combat is very much direct.

If you like an hyper-gadget UI with all kinds of meters and numbers and indicator - they simply are not there.

If you do like small group Pvp - it does not exist in ESO -read carefully...small group PvP- grouping because of instancing is a real issue at the moment.

if you do not like questing very much

Do buy if:

you like beautiful graphics

like to explore a relative huge virtual world.

if you do like questing

if you like joining a guild

if you like challenging combat - fighting two NPC's actually manage to kill your avatar if you don't know what you are doing.

if you like NPC's with a reasonably programmed A.I.

if you like a challenging crafting system

if you like to fight really hard bosses in endgame

Warning: Do not expect ESO to be Skyrim because ESO is an MMORPG and not a single-player game

You will play together with thousands of other players and some will not behave they way you wish them to behave.

In PvP ganking is rather common...so expect it.

Kill stealing is not problem because you will still get the full reward... however...you might encounter running through a

quest arena (Dungeon) encountering not a single enemy NPC because 20 or more other players are on the same quest and have cleared the area.

You will need to fight for harvesting resources and for loot Chests...first comes first and takes it all.