From the preorder page: "Play as an Imperial and play in any Alliance. Gain unique bonuses, crafting styles, gear and more!"

And in the explorers pack: "Your characters can join any of the alliances, no matter which race you choose."

And since the explorers pack is only available from preordering and can't be and gotten any other way; the imperials being able to join any alliance would be implied. This means that the Imperials can be unlocked though in-game quests or such, that's why it mentions them playing in any other alliance.

Thoughts?

EDIT: source for the explorers pack only being available from preordering: https://help.elderscrollsonline.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5141/kw/explorer

or theyre going to sell it all in the cash shop.

There is no way to spin that the explorer pack is a pre order item. It isnt. it is clearly separate therefore it WILL be in the game. And it will cost money. Or in the very least up until you have to chose a specific Alliance starter area you will have to option to buy said Alliance switching option.

If I had bought this game and thought is was a sub based game and then when I left the tutorial zone to head to my Allaince starter area and I had a pop up that said something to the effect of "last chance to have the option of playing this race on any Alliance you wish, play with your friends and family with no racial restriction' and that led me to a store where I had to spend money I would puke.

But then again given what I know now it really wouldnt surprise me in the least.

The explorers pack is only available from preordering https://help.elderscrollsonline.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5141/kw/explorer

Note that the explorer pack also contains an pet and an map in the boxed version.

I expect select faction will be an cash shop item. I also expect you can change faction for one inn game character for an far higher price.

Note that unlike the imperial edition I support this. Its an special service for players who need it, mostly for playing with friends of conflicting races.

However its an huge chance the select faction option is only valid for the character you are making, not all future ones like the explorer version.

as its an paid service it will not be used on random as its some fear the preorder function will be used to.

It's stated in the pre-order FAQ that you can upgrade at any time after launch to the Imperial Edition. Why would they give you a way to unlock it in-game when they can make you pay for it? And if they did allow it to be unlocked in-game, that's pretty [censored] to charge people for it and THEN tell everyone "oh, by the way, you can also unlock it in-game for free".

What you just described is how successful games put things up for sale. Spending money is a time saver, not the only way to get things.

First of all, you can only upgrade if you already preordered the standard edition. Second of all, the alternative is pretty [censored] too, that is, charging people for exclusive content.

Ahh then they changed it. Or at least clarified it. Or I was wrong....

I still say that is more of a 'problem' than being able to play an Imperial, but I think that was the idea, to take the heat of that decision by putting the Imperial (which will be unlockable in the game somehow after release) in the CE.

But it is only a 'problem' because of the way they described the game from day one. Where they tried to sell Alliance warfare as some sort of racial pride deal. So maybe thats why people arent so up in arms about it. The lore is there to support it.

But ultimately it still 'forces' you to do something early that really EVERYONE in the game should have access to.

So IMO that enticement is much greater for most people than the Imperial race. Because a lot more people wanted to switch or play as any alliances regardless of race than wanted a playable Imperial race.

I completely agree, my point is that it will probably be unlockable in-game, not that there isn't a problem with the decision, there most certainly is. But I think that making it unlockable is far less worse than making Imperials exclusive.

Much definitive, such proof

Are you being sarcastic? I can't quite tell. But if you aren't, the only proof people have for it being exclusive the wording on that page as well.

Exactly thats why it is sort of hard to argue all this.

because IF it is all available for free then the critics (myself included) are wrong. Other than saying Zenimax is screwing over who pay more for the CE. Regardless of how it all works out, SOMEONE is getting screwed over.

Thats the PROBLEM with this whole approach. At least when you cultivate the SUBSCRIPTION model. Subscriptions are supposed to even the playing field. Now while I think it sets bad precedent I can understand companies selling cosmetics skins for armor and mounts and all that. I dont love it but I can sort of live with it. But even that was really the first step into why we are were we are now and why we are getting on a steeper incline. because once you start to accept things you really shouldnt you allow them to continue to push the envelope.

The way I justify it, and it is based on some 'faith' (which at this point I have zero for in Zenimax) is that the company, developer, publishers, market people will put as much of that 'extra' money back into the game. Now again that might be naive but back in the day many companies did have this integrity. So it isnt unprecedented. But I cant pull one off the top of my head right now, other than maybe Trion but I also think they take money from their successful games (well one game) and use it to support their development of new games and support their bad games. But sinc etheyre not sub based now they dont fit. but they switched ot free to play BECAUSE they spent that money on other endeavors.

In the end stuff is getting bought and paid for either in a ;sneaky' way or in a blatant way, people can make up their own minds. Even the people who are defending what is being done say "I am paying more of course I should get more'. That makes the argument for the other side and they either dont understand or really just dont get it.

But because there are enough of them the people who wnat a true sub model dont have a chance.

The problem is there are so many issues going on we can argue them on multiple facets. But since there is almost zero verification we have to show every angle which it is bad.

But ultimately the simplest argument is a sub based game should take ANY question of what you can do or not do.

Pay Gate: "Although customers will be able to upgrade their Standard Edition to the Imperial Edition"

https://help.elderscrollsonline.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5141/kw/explorer

Pay gates should not be in a sub based game. Matt said so!

If we all calm down, we will find out eventually. I agree with the OP that maybe the Imperial is unlockable in some way. And that buying the Imperial edition only gives an headstart on all others who will unlock it through achievements.

If they don't keep it as an exclusive after calling it an exclusive then all the imperial edition owners are likely to get very frustrated at the lack of dictionaries at the ZeniMax offices

I wouldn't as exclusives don't always stay exclusive. Exclusive to me in the gaming industry just means getting it before others, because in many ways that is what exclusives have become in the industry.

They never said is was exclusive to people who preordered. If it is only attainable through a quest or the CE than not everyone has access to it, thus it would still be exclusive. Just not only to people who preordered it. It's still stupid, I know, I dislike the decisions of adding Imperials to the CE, but I think some people have taken it too far by saying only CE buyers can get it.