Elder Scrolls Dawnstar (Skyrim)

Dawnstar is one of the major cities located in Skyrim. It is the capital of The Pale, and serves as a garrison village along the northern coast of Skyrim. Governed by Jarl Skald the Elder, it is a small village, consisting of two rival mines, a small dock and a small number of residents. Dawnstar is one of the colder settlements in Skyrim; along with Winterhold and Windhelm, it resides in perpetual snow and ice.

Dawnstar review: Dawnstar is a fishing village on the northern coast of Skyrim. While it may not the most interesting village in the 9 Holds, Dawnstar provides a few opportunities to earn some Septims. There are two mines in the village: the Iron-Breaker Mine and the Quicksilver Mine, both of which should be considered if one needs a few Septims to buy supplies. Another point of the interest in the village is The Mortar and Pestle, an alchemy merchant that sells plenty of ingredients for the budding alchemist. And finally we have the tavern, The Windpeak Inn caters to many an adventurers needs. Food and wine are offered, as well as a relatively comfortable bed. Alas, Dawnstar is a simple village at most, not very close to the main roads, but it is a good place to rest and resupply if you happen to stumble upon it in a storm.

DawmstarmainDanwstarmapkey 03

It was after the destruction of a fortress in Dawnstar during 2E 283 that Potentate Versidue-Shaie declared martial law, leading to one of the most brutal and bloody periods in the history of Tamriel.[1] [2] This also led to the creation of the Fighters Guild, Mages Guild, and Thieves Guild during the Guilds Act. [3][4]

The village was rebuilt at least before the end of the Third Era[5]. However, it is noted in the Pocket Guide to the Empire, Third Edition: Skyrim that Macella was the Queen of Dawnstar, and had married King Thian of Solitude.
Points of interest

TESV Banner Dawnstar
TESV Banner DawnstarThe banner of Dawnstar.
Inns    Windpeak Inn

Shops

The Mortar and Pestle

Houses

Beitild’s House
Brina’s House
Fruki’s House
Irgnir’s House
Leigelf’s House
Rustleif’s House
Silus Vesuius’s House
Brina’s House

Jarl’s residence

The White Hall

Mines

Iron-Breaker Mine
Quicksilver Mine

Other

Dawnstar Barracks
Khajiit Caravan

Notable inhabitants

Abelone – Maid at Windpeak Inn.
Alding – a Pirate of Blood Horkers.
AlesanHF – An orphan boy who delivers food to the miners.
Beitild – Owner of Iron Breaker Mine, and Dark Brotherhood target.
Bodil – Miner working in Iron-Breaker Mine.
Borgny – Miner working in Quicksilver Mine.
Brina Merilis – Prominent citizen, Imperial legion member.
Bulfrek – Servant of the Jarl Skald the Elder.
Captain Wayfinder – captain of the ship in Dawnstar
Edith – Miner working in Quicksilver Mine.
Erandur – Priest of Mara, potential follower.
Frida – Alchemist, shop owner of The Mortar and Pestle.
Frorkmar Banner-Torn – a Stormcloak commander.
Fruki – Miner working in Quicksilver Mine.
Gjak – Miner working in Iron-Breaker Mine.
Gjuk – a Pirate of Blood Horkers.
Guthrum – Shipman.
Horik Halfhand – Bodyguard of Brina Merilis.
Irgnir – Miner working outside Iron-Breaker Mine.
Irlof – a Pirate of Blood Horkers.
Jod – Housecarl of the Jarl Skald the Elder.
Karita (Bard) – Bard at Windpeak Inn.
Karl – Miner working outside Iron-Breaker Mine.
Leigelf – Owner of Quicksilver Mine.
Lond – Miner working outside Quicksilver Mine.
Madena – Court Wizard to Jarl Skald the Elder.
Ravam Verethi – Shipman.
Rustleif – Blacksmith.
Seren – Rustleif’s pregnant wife.
Silus Vesuius – Owner of the Mythic Dawn Museum.
Skald the Elder – Jarl of Dawnstar.
Stig Salt-Plank – a Pirate of Blood Horkers.
Thoring – Innkeeper of Windpeak Inn.

Nearby points of interest

Dawnstar Sanctuary
Nightcaller Temple

Quests

Waking Nightmare can be started at Windpeak Inn.
Pieces of the Past can be started at the Mythic Dawn Museum.
Becoming Thane of The Pale can be started by speaking to the Jarl or Brina Merilis
Collecting the fine cut void salts can be started by speaking to Captain Wayfinder.

Bugs
Fleeing follower

Traveling to Dawnstar when a member of the Companions is a follower may cause them to flee inexplicably from a random battle with a dragon.
Merchant’s chest

To the left of the Dawnstar Mine, there are some trees and a couple of rocks. Crouch and search around the rocks and the option to search an invisible chest appears. The chest contains the contents of a Khajiiti merchant named Ahkari, denoted by the presence of Moon Sugar and Skooma (cargo appropriate for an Elsweyr smuggler) within the chest. It is possible to take all the items without any consequences. To make the contents in respawn, face Ahkari within interaction distance, wait 48 hours then ask what she has for sale.

There is a chance that each time talking to Ahkari about what she has for sale will have some items in the chest change randomly, making each visit to the chest a little different.

 

Tamriel Infinium: Immersing yourself in The Elder Scrolls Online

Tamriel Infinium Immersing yourself in The Elder Scrolls Online

Throughout my time as a gamer, I have seen game designers struggle with immersion because not everyone views immersion the same way and every designer wants his game to pull you in. The more you play one designer’s game, the more likely you will buy his or her next game. In the case of MMOs, the greater the immersion, the greater chance you will spend more money on subscriptions or in the cash shop. Some gamers find first-person views with in-your-face action immersing; some, like me, find rich lore and a solid storyline immersing.

The Elder Scrolls Online faces perhaps the hardest task. Not only does this game strive to immerse the already existing divisions between the RPG crowd, but it also has to contend with the different platforms on which it’s releasing. Our commenters on this site are heavily divided on the console-vs.-PC subject. To top it off, some have already been turned off by Bethesda’s shying away from calling the game an MMO.

Today, I face head-on some of game’s immersion pitfalls and tackle the divisive comments from last week’s Tamriel Infinium.
Tamriel Infinium Immersing yourself in The Elder Scrolls Online

The Elder Scrolls Online has deep and extensive lore; the history of Tamriel spans thousands of years. The nine different player races have solidified their personalities in 18 different games and expansions. Given this level of lore development, I’m slightly surprised the franchise didn’t attempt an MMO before now. However, knowing how rabid the Elder Scrolls and MMO fanbases are, I can sympathize with the publisher’s reluctance to step into the market.

When you’re playing a single-player game, it’s fine to have situations where your character doesn’t say anything or maybe your character is voiced by a single actor. And in the primary storyline for your MMO character, it’s fine to have one voice as well. But when you’re interacting with other players, things start to get hairy as far as immersion is concerned. I don’t know about you, but I find it odd when I’m running quests with another person and his character sounds exactly like mine — even if it’s not a fully voiced MMO.

Then there is the issue of interpersonal communication. We touched on this a little bit a couple of weeks ago with factional divides, but what about the people standing next to you or those in your party? I find it detracting from my immersion if I have to look away from the character I’m talking to see what he’s saying. That’s why in games without chat bubbles, I try to keep the chat box as close to the middle of the screen as possible. Unfortunately, ESO has yet to explain how this going to work, especially since the game is going to release on consoles as well. Are we going to have a spatial voice chat as in APB, Neverwinter, and DC Universe Online? I hope not; those are the most horrid VoIP systems I’ve ever heard.

Tamriel Infinium Immersing yourself in The Elder Scrolls Online

Let’s take a look at the other end of the spectrum: What about the console gamer looking to be the hero of his or her adventure? Obviously, ZeniMax is developing an extensive personal story, but with so many different players all becoming the heroes of their own stories, where is the uniqueness? Other MMOs have run into this trap, Age of Conan being a prime example. I’m concerned that ZeniMax might have written itself into a corner with every player being the “soulless one.”

My deepest immersion happens when I lead my own adventure and discover quests without prompting from some tour-guide dotted line or exclamation point over an NPC’s head. From the previews that I’ve read, ZeniMax has nailed this one. Being able to randomly pick up items and talk to NPCs sounds like the beginning of great world design. I am holding out hope that ZeniMax will nail the communication part of the game, too.
Tamriel Infinium Immersing yourself in The Elder Scrolls Online

Last week, I discussed the implications of Bethesda inching away from the idea that ESO is an MMO. I wondered whether it would turn people on to or off from the game. Commenter VoySy feels that a single-player game with mulitplayer aspects will not be worth it, “especially if that means on-going payments like microtransactions or subscriptions, one or the other of which will be present in ESO for sure.” And I can certainly understand his concern. My hope mirrors Trumanlee4’s, who wrote, “I think the format of the game should be like Guild Wars 2’s: buy the box, and the game is yours to play whenever you want for free.” But I think Fevered.Dreamer nailed it when he talked about the current climate of MMO gaming:

Frankly I think it is a pretty stellar idea. MMOs as a genre are kind of a mess right now, and in several ways dubbing something a new game an MMO probably has more negative connotations than positive ones. Worthless story, endless grinding, and an obsession with gear are all things that have become fairly synonymous with MMO play. These seem to all be aspects of play that the MMO crowd prefers while simultaneously complaining endlessly about them. They’re also aspects of play certain to turn off anyone who isn’t already a big fan of the genre. Maybe shying away from the “MMO” title is a healthy thing for any game trying to do more than rehash WoW.

When I spoke to a developer friend about the compromises of a multiplatform launch, he told me that there are always cutbacks in game design no matter the number of platforms. The ideas always expand beyond the realistic scope of the project, and developers will narrow that scope based on the weakest platform. However, in the particular case of ESO, he believes that the MMO side might be scaled back but that it can easily be a very good Elder Scrolls game.

Commenters varied on the subject. Spectrelight saw little issue: “Releasing a game for consoles doesn’t necessarily mean that the PC version will be compromised, but it almost always will be. Take Skyrim, for example: It was obviously designed for the Xbox and ported to the PC with the minimum amount of effort.” But Rottenrotny was obviously concerned about the depth of the game as an MMO: “I prefer the complexity of MMORPGs designed for the PC. Console port might be a good idea for the bottom line, but likely terrible for anyone who wants a deep, complicated MMORPG experience.”

Bethesda is on the right track, I think. Short of suddenly finding ESO set in outerspace, we are going to buy the game when it launches, but best thing a publisher can do right now is curb our expectations so that we aren’t disappointed when the game launches without chat bubbles or something.

This week’s question: Which MMO compromises can you handle without losing immersion? And as a follow-up, which items must you have in order to stay infatuated with a game world? Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and I will see you next week.

Tamriel Infinium: Elder Scrolls Online, the non-MMO MMO

Tamriel Infinium Elder Scrolls Online, the nonMMO MMO

Bethesda revealed an exorbitant amount of information about its MMO The Elder Scrolls Online at E3. With this being the year the game was originally slated to release, I was not surprised. Of course, Massively reporters could not keep their hands off the game. Staffer Jasmine Hruschak and freelancer Andrew Ross both spent some time behind the keyboard stealing cabbages and talking to a dog. I’m not quite sure about the dog thing, but they apparently had fun. In fact, I think Jasmine penned the most revealing quote about the game: “Their dialogues were interesting and well-acted enough to make me curious. This stuck in my mind because it’s completely opposite my typical MMO playstyle. I skip cutscenes, I don’t read quest text, and I go to new areas as soon as possible.”

Of course, I’m excited about the release, and despite being an avid MMO fan, I do appreciate the idea that ESO might not be as much of an MMO as we had originally thought. In an interview with Gamereactor, Creative Director Matt Firor stated, “This is more a multiplayer Elder Scrolls game than an MMO.” Although this might turn off the standard MMO crowd, I do believe that his curbing our expectations might be a lesson that more MMO developers should learn from.
Tamriel Infinium Elder Scrolls Online, the nonMMO MMO

It’s possible that Firor was only attempting to attract the non-MMO fan. After all, the game will release on the two new next-gen consoles and both PC and Mac. The game needs to attract the largest audience it can in order to be successful. He all but said as much a little later in the interview: “We wanted to get Elder Scrolls players who were unfamiliar with online games and MMO terms to get in, play, have fun and get introduced to the multiplayer aspects.”

This type of candid reveal of ZeniMax’s intentions made me wonder about other MMOs that have had less than stellar receptions from the MMO crowd. Would these games have been better received had they been presented with similar candor? Many people called Star Wars: The Old Republic World of Warcraft with lightsabers and fewer features, but had the game directors said, “Think of it less of an MMO and more like Knights of the Old Republic with multiplayer aspects,” maybe the playerbase would have been less upset when the auction house was flawed and group-finder was nowhere to be found.

Now we have seen that the graphical presentation of Elder Scrolls Online rivals the previous Elder Scrolls single-player games, and although we have our concerns about the controls of the game, we’re becoming more forgiving because oh, it’s just a mulitplayer game, not a true MMO. And now that I know the game will release on multiple consoles, I expect mechanical limitations if not also graphical limits.

But it’s distinctly possible that curbing expectations too far could have adverse effects. For instance, if RIFT creators had said right up front, “Yup, it’s just like World of Warcraft but with better graphics and dynamic events,” would players have flocked to it when it launched, or would the game have experienced such a boom when it went free-to-play this past week? I speculate that we would have seen a major backlash from players saying things to the effect of, “If I wanted to play WoW, I’d play WoW.”

Personally, I’m taking a reduced-excitement position. I want Elder Scrolls Online to encompass everything I like about Skyrim and Oblivion with everything that I love about MMOs, but I know that the game will never fully live up to my expectations because as far as I know no one at Zenimax has mental telepathy, even if someone did, he wouldn’t be patched into my brain.

Tamriel Infinium Elder Scrolls Online, the nonMMO MMO

Because of E3, I ran out of space to indulge your comments about the imaginary factional divides in last week’s article, so why don’t I do that now? Thank you; I think I will.

I had intended to take a piece of what Blackcat7k said and add my own commentary, but I really don’t think there is a better way to say it.

The factional divide where the cultures are separated by looks instead of having it based on an ideology, religion, or politics is one of the main problems that a lot of these MMO stories have when crafting this 3 realm system. How in the world can each and every single individual from a culture in Tamriel automatically toe the line and support their culture 100% especially when going to war?

It was weird in Everquest, World of Warcraft, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, Dark Age of Camelot and the countless others that have to make it so that cultures are in complete lock step with each person that looks the same. As if the cultures put a restraining bolt in their children at birth so that they support their side utterly. At least some games like EQ allowed you to sometimes get around culture divides by grinding to get in the good will of a faction that would kill you on sight.

The writers of The Elders Scrolls Online may have written themselves into a corner where a large amount of hand waving is going to be needed to explain away the separation gameplay wise as it relates to anything group or guild related. One would hope that a mechanic or system is introduced so people can turn traitor to their initial side and that it’s something that can be done early in the player’s career.

As Marvel Comic’s guru Stan Lee would say, “‘Nuff said.”

Last week, PavelKouznetsov sparked a bit of a conversation in the comments when he pointed to his ear and said, “Unfortunately development for four platforms at once means there will be a lot of compromises — everywhere. In graphics, animations, gameplay, interface.” Other commenters wanted to know if he could tell them the winning lottery numbers, but I do think that the underlying concern is valid: Does creating for multiple platforms compromise the development of elements that we PC gamers take for granted?

The developers I talk to regularly say that games being released on consoles definitely have different production strategies than those that release on PC alone. Do you think this type of scope will make the game more or less than what you’d hoped for? Let me know what your concerns are in the comments. Or if you don’t have any concerns about it, let me know why. I look forward to discussing this in the comments.

 

 

 

ZeniMax publishes dungeon-focused Elder Scrolls AMA

ZeniMax publishes dungeon-focused Elder Scrolls AMA

Have questions about dungeons in The Elder Scrolls Online? ZeniMax has answers, at least to a few of them. The firm has published a new Ask Us Anything on dungeons that gathers together various community queries in a single post.

Hit the links below to learn the answers to things like whether or not ESO dungeons will be linear like most of their single-player Elder Scrolls counterparts and whether players will be able to wander into solo encounters in the multiplayer game. As for this last bit, ZeniMax says that the answer is basically yes, after a fashion. “Certain rare locales will just be for solo players, and some dungeons are meant for groups made only of people you choose to go in with. Most locales, however, will be accessible by everyone.”

Also of note is the decision to dispense with dungeon lockout timers. “We don’t currently have any plans to use lockout timers. You can run through a dungeon as often as you like,” the company says.

 

Tamriel Infinium: The Elder Scrolls Online is more than just dungeons and dragons

Tamriel Infinium The Elder Scrolls Online, more than just dungeons and dragons

Although many fans of The Elder Scrolls cheered at the introduction of The Elder Scrolls Online at E3, the divisions within the fanbase since then have morphed into warring creatures like Godzilla vs. Mothra, and this column is Japan. Although all of our buildings are being smashed by the battling brutes, it makes for great entertainment. I’m cheering both sides on. I love a good debate.

Despite diligently scanning my spam folder every day this week, I am still without a beta invite. I think ZeniMax is playing hard to get. I promised I won’t divulge any secrets; I just wanna make my Khajiit Nightblade. Is it asking too much to get a chance to explore the Tamriel dungeons? Obviously, it is. However, we did get a taste of ESO dungeons in a blog this week. And it looks as if we have an exciting combination of RIFT-style classes and Guild Wars 2 combat to look forward to. Hopefully, it’s the best of both without the flaws.

Tamriel Infinium The Elder Scrolls Online, more than just dungeons and dragons

Guild Wars 2 claimed to shun the modern tank/healer/DPS trinity. The game is fun, but large scale fights turn into a DPS race and less of a strategic fight to the death. Don’t get me wrong; I did find the dungeons in GW2 fun. And they weren’t without strategy, but… maybe it’s that they were missing the strategy I was looking for in an MMO. The Fractals in GW2 that were the most fun for me were the ones that required a water-specced Elementalist and a tanky Guardian to lead the charge. I just don’t think there is a way around the trinity, unless someone invents a completely new system.

Like previous MMOs, The Elder Scrolls Online embraces the tank/healer/DPS version of the trinity. “These roles are still important for a successful dungeon group in The Elder Scrolls Online,” ZeniMax said in its blog post, “but our open-ended skill system gives you much more flexibility.” What the bleep does that mean? Well, I’m going to tell you.

Just like our friends in Guild Wars 2, we can weapon-swap in ESO. We can carry daggers when we want to stabby stabby, and if we are in a benevolent mood, we can carry a restoration staff. Just don’t ask where we put the staff when we are carrying the daggers. (On our backs, of course. Where were you thinking?) And just as in GW2, each weapon can have its own set of skills that we set before the dungeon begins.

Picture this: I’m with my four-man minstrel group. I play the left-handed lute, and we call ourselves the Beetles because we love red vegetables. Then suddenly we stumble on a cave with a giant wamasu lurking inside. We decide to fight it because we love fat loots. Jhon takes lead because he’s the front man tank. When the wamasu starts smashing and shooting lightning at Jhon, it’s time for Jorge and me to start stabbing. But during the fight, our healer Ryn-go decides to take a dirt nap after being hit by one of the creature’s AoE tail strikes. Apparently, he’s the fail member of the group because he didn’t see the charge-up tell creatures will display before a large strike. Or maybe he was out of stamina and couldn’t dodge. Never fear; I can switch my weapon in the middle of combat and take over healing because beforehand I had set up a different toolbar for when I am holding my restoration staff. Granted, we are still at a bit of a disadvantage because we are down a person, but we still might be able to survive the fight.

I’m looking forward to this kind of system. We will have a massive amount of flexibility, and it won’t matter that Ryn-go is the weakest member of the band; the other three musicians can pick up his slack by weapon swapping.

Tamriel Infinium The Elder Scrolls Online, more than just dungeons and dragons

Usually debates in the comments scare me, but last week, I enjoyed reading your thoughts about immersion and Bethesda’s stepping away from calling the game an MMO, even though it is really an MMO.

First, BrickFrog talked about how upset he is about the lore in The Elder Scrolls Online. I’m not as much of a lore hound in TES as I am in, say, Star Wars, but I can certainly relate to dysfunctional canon. I don’t agree with his comments about combat’s being boring, but the lore questions did make me wonder a bit. “Why isn’t the Ebonheart Nord/Dunmer/Argonian faction being led by the Living God council of Morrowind?” he asked, “or the sentient super-intelligent hist trees of the Black Swamp?” I really wish I had the answer to that one. I suppose the creators decided to take a more secular approach to the pact, but I am interested in seeing what role the rulers of each of those sub-factions plays in the overall story of the game. Although I guess it’s possible, I don’t think the lore junkies at ZeniMax would let go of that kind of established canon easily.

Dugfromtheearth believes what many MMO vets believe: “Immersive means keeping people in the game 2+ years because you don’t want to leave the ‘world’ you are in.” For me, that really hits the nail on the head. Although I did take a few breaks from Star Wars Galaxies, I really didn’t want to leave the world that was created in that game. There is something to be said for a company that can create that kind of game, online or otherwise. Although I admit to being a bit of a game-hopper, I do have friends who have been playing Skyrim since its release. They really love that world. I believe it’s possible for TESO to suck us in and keep us there even if it doesn’t call itself an MMO. I’m cautiously optimistic. (Can I be optimistic as a games journalist? Is that allowed?)

If you haven’t checked out last week’s Tamriel Infinium, I suggest you jump over there now to read it. The column might get you thinking, but I believe the comments really speak to the concerns of TES fans.

This week, I want to know what you think of group roles. Some would argue that group roles should be solidified with the class. They believe that a good healer cannot also play a good DPS or a good DPS can’t tank, too. Are the mindsets required for each role too far apart for one person to effectively be reliable in multiple roles? I especially would like to hear from former RIFT players who might have seen success or failures in that game. See you next week.

 

 

The Elder Scrolls Online sends out more beta invites

The Elder Scrolls Online sends out more beta invites

Today might just be the day. It might be the day that you wake up, check your email, and discover that — glory of glories! — you are now part of The Elder Scrolls Online’s beta.

The official site is reporting that a wave of invites have gone out to potential testers for the next beta phase. So you know the drill: Check your email, check your spam folder, and sacrifice your favorite action figure on an altar in the hope that it will make a difference.

“We’re looking forward to the next beta session and can’t wait for more of you to see the game,” ZeniMax said. The studio assured players that the beta “continues to grow” and that more invites will be forthcoming.

 

Tamriel Infinium: Phasing The Elder Scrolls Online

Tamriel Infinium: Phasing The Elder Scrolls Online

Tamriel Infinium Phasing The Elder Scrolls Online

Today, I want to talk about a mechanic introduced most popularly in World of Warcraft’s expansion Wrath of the Lich King. Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t actually play WoW… I just heard about this second hand. I will call this MMO storytelling mechanic “phasing.” The Elder Scrolls Online developers call it layering. But whatever you want to call it, we know ESO will employ this mechanic to allow for story progression and player choice within the game.

Let’s say you and your friend are in the open world (or maybe an instanced dungeon), and he is further along in the quest than you. At the beginning of the quest, the quest giver is alive, and by the end of questline the quest giver is dead. With phasing technology, you and your friend could be standing next to each other in the virtual world. You see him, and he sees you. But he sees a dead quest giver while you see a living one. Your computer is not broken; you are witnessing phasing. So how does this affect storytelling and the overall feel of the game itself?

Tamriel Infinium Phasing The Elder Scrolls Online

Back in April, ESO developers were asked about the storytelling implication of phasing. The player, Pavle Vivec, asked how he and his friend could be in the same area if he’d saved a village and his friend had not. (Obviously, that’s not the player’s real name, but wouldn’t it be awesome if it were?) ESO devs replied in their AMA,

In some areas, phasing (or ‘layering’ as we call it) is not based on a choice, but on whether or not you’ve done a certain thing yet. In this case, separation from another player would be temporary. In other areas, it can be based off of a choice you’ve made. Those choices tend to come at the end of the activity for an area, reducing separation.

There are other mechanisms we use to reinforce choice that have nothing to do with layering. You may experience something completely different than someone else based on your individual choices, but the ways we show this don’t separate you from others at all. The latter techniques are used far more frequently than layering. And finally, there are still other solutions we’ll discuss later that enable you to better stay together with others even if you’d normally be in different layers.

I’m most interested in how this will affect playing together and what it’s going to look like to see a bunch of people standing around viewing something you don’t.

For storytelling in an MMO, phasing is wonderful. People and groups can make their own choices in a given situation and experience something completely different from each other. This will allow ZeniMax to let one player to save a village and another let it burn. Players within an MMO can experience real and lasting consequences for their characters. Star Wars: The Old Republic did this with instancing, but once you left the instance, the rest of the world kind of reset to a neutral state. Phasing allows you to revisit the areas you saved and still see the village standing. In fact, it could probably go as far as your being able to speak to certain villagers that other players don’t see because they didn’t save that particular village.

But wouldn’t seeing a bunch of people hanging out in a burned up village take you out of the game a bit? I believe ZeniMax would never do something as foolish as make one story choice more beneficial than another, so I’m not worried about the long-term effects. I can see how these certain choices could prevent me from being immersed in the game. When you see people doing things that don’t make sense in your “world,” it breaks some sort of fourth wall.

Ultimately, I will have to wait and see how ESO handles it. In the meantime, what are your thoughts on phasing — is it good or bad? What do you think will happen if there is too much phasing? What will happen if there’s not enough? Are there better ways for ESO to handle phasing?

Tamriel Infinium Phasing The Elder Scrolls Online

Last week, I asked for your advice to help me land a ESO beta invite. And the only person to say anything about that was KirkSteadman, who replied, “RNG is the only thing that plays into ESO beta invites as far as I know.” I assume RNG stands for random number generation and not radioactive noble gas or really nice guy, so thanks for ruining all my hopes, Kirk. (If it does stand for really nice guy, can you tell me which really nice guy I need to talk to?)

However, commenters did discuss players taking to Twitter and announcing to the universe that they found the really nice guy and made it into the ESO beta. I don’t personally know whether the ZeniMax Community team cracks down on these testers, but there are more than enough good reasons for players to avoid openly talking about their beta invitations. As PurityKnights explained, “It makes sense why. If you admit you’re in beta, you open yourself up to people trying to talk you out of info or buying info or buying your account. It’s just better if people don’t know. Besides, the only reason you’d want to announce it is to brag or feel special. That’s not the point of a beta.”

If you do happen to meet a really nice guy, Margaret gave some advice that I plan to adopt myself. “My biggest piece of advice is to give yourself a hilarious name [since] your character is going to be wiped anyway,” she says. “And have fun, explore, find some bugs, and try not to be quite as serious as you would if playing for real. Take a look at the game from a different perspective; play a character you wouldn’t normally play.”

Great advice and discussion as usual, guys. This week, let me know what you think about phasing. Next week, some of you will read one post and the others will read a different post depending on your personal choices in the comments. See you then.

Tamriel Infinium: The Elder Scrolls Online’s community focus

Tamriel Infinium ESO community focus

When interviewing developers for Massively over the last three years, I’ve taken many opportunities to chat up multiple community managers. And when I was running my own community, I read article after article about how to gauge the health of a community. Although I don’t remember who said it or where I might have read it, I learned that one of the best ways to measure a healthy community is the amount of artwork that players make about your particular theme, or in the case of The Elder Scrolls Online, the game.

Of course, all game creators like to see players having fun and being inspired by what they are doing. The Elder Scrolls brings with it an existing community inspired by games like Skyrim and Morrowind. The community has already fallen in love with ESO and has drawn inspiration from everything that ZeniMax has released about the game so far. One of these inspired individuals is Lisa Green, known as Aloucia on TESO-RP.com. She told me a bit about herself and the inspiration behind her painting that was featured in the latest Tamriel Chronicle.

Tamriel Infinium ESO community focus

Massively: Your artwork was featured in the latest Tamriel Chronicle — congratulations!

Lisa Green: I’m super excited! I feel I accomplished something pretty substantial. It’s exposure, and to a target audience, I suppose, more than what I’m able to get via my personal Facebook page or Tumblr.

The picture is of a Bosmer (Wood Elf) and her wolf’s pelt, right? Tell me about the inspiration behind the picture.

Yep! It was inspired by the character I’ve already created in my head for ESO. She’s a character that’s been passed down from one game to another. But for ESO, I wanted to make someone who is confident and wild. So with all of that in mind, I came up with this version of Aloucia.

Is there a significance to the wolf pelt, or is that just something you thought would look good in the painting?

The pelt was a gift to the character. I want to say that they’re sort of kindred spirits, but I’m not sure. Sure, it’s an inanimate object now, but it’s become sort of a part of her in that she never leaves it behind. She doesn’t have too many friends, so having the pelt likely makes her feel she isn’t entirely alone while traveling Tamriel.

Tamriel Infinium ESO community focus(See, this is why interviewing artists is fun; there is no “I thought it looked cool.” There always seems to be a deeper reason behind the different parts of the work!) Obviously, you plan on playing ESO, but which other Elder Scrolls games have you played, and what has made you want to play ESO?

I regret to say that I didn’t get fully hooked on the Elder Scrolls games until Oblivion. I played that game religiously, as well as Skyrim. I cannot wait to play ESO because I want to see what the team has done in terms of lore and immersion. Am I going to be sucked into the game as much as I was with Skyrim and Oblivion? I really, really hope so.

What about the lore sucks you in?

I love the little details about the various races that some people might not think too much about while playing the games. For example, I’m a fan of the Bosmer, and up until about three months back, I didn’t know their religious beliefs called for them to be cannibals in most cases. And there are so many gods, goddesses, and Daedra with all of their own unique stories and qualities. I love it all!

Earlier, you mentioned exposure. Obviously, every artist wants his or her art to be looked at and enjoyed by other people. What type of exposure are you looking for in your work? Do you plan on this being a career for you?

Right now, the only exposure I have is my Facebook page, and that’s a little hit and miss as interests go. Some people on there might like art from, say, Star Wars: The Old Republic. But because my interests change depending on the game I’m playing or about to play, I think maybe my art is missing its target and is being viewed by people who might not like the subject matter. People who are fans of sci-fi might not necessarily want to look at a bunch of funny-looking elves. So having my Bosmer Healer on the Tamriel Chronicle means it’s being seen by the fanbase it was intended for.

I’d love to do this for a career, but I am going to need a ton more experience and training before that might be an option.

Tell me about your current training a little bit. What inspired you to become an artist, and what do you do to keep your skills in shape?

I don’t have any real formal training — almost no college experience in it, and maybe a class or two in high school. Most of it was teaching from my mom since she had an interest in art when she was younger. She told me about the sort of things she’d draw and make, and as cliche as it sounds, I wanted to do what she did. I tried to have other interests, but it always comes back to art. Recently, I’ve been doing rehashes of my old art to keep me focused and trained. I also take commissions and throw in new techniques I’m trying.

What tools did you use to make that piece, and if people want to see more of your work, where can they find it?

My Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet and Photoshop, and two places: DeviantArt and Facebook.

Cool. Thanks, Lisa, for taking the time to talk to us!
Tamriel Infinium ESO community focus

In last week’s Tamriel Infinium, we discussed phasing and how it could be implemented in ESO. Although the only clues we have about how phasing (or layering, as the ESO devs call it) are from an AMA from April, we have had experience with phasing in other games, particularly World of Warcraft and Lord of the Rings Online. Our commenters are torn about this technology. Players seem to either love it or hate it with very little in between.

Most who were opposed to phasing mirrored the opinion of commenter Trumanlee4. “I don’t like how everyone is separated according to where they were in a quest line,” he explained. “MMOs need to start bringing players together again, force people to group up, make content difficult again, and force socialization. I know there are some people who like being able to solo, but that’s just not an MMO.”

Other commenters believe that phasing can be a great storytelling tool. “Phasing is a pretty cool feature,” Sorenthaz said. “I enjoyed how there were some enemy-infested areas that would later be cleared out and turned into base camps for the Argent Crusade [in World of Warcraft] once you did quests to clear them out and whatnot.” However, he did see the possible pitfalls: “The only problem is sometimes that makes grouping difficult. But devs can always make tweaks to the system to change the phases you’re in depending on various conditions.”

Lastly, LookingGlass had a very balanced view, seeing both the pros and the cons and calling it a “double-edged sword,” but the pros outweighed the cons. “Being out of phase typically doesn’t last long, and the moments when phasing breaks your night of group play are rare. Saving a town or watching it burn is worth more than the occasional forced-to-solo scenario.”

I really enjoyed reading last week’s comments, so keep them coming! This week, my question melds both this week’s and last week’s discussion, and it’s not really a question with a simple answer, but let’s see how it goes: What tools can the game designers and community managers use to help bring the community together? Do you think the ESO team is doing a good job at it so far? If so, what is the best part? If not, what can it do to improve? Sit in your developer’s armchair and let me know what you think in the comments below.

ESO:Ancient Falmer Armor

Ancient Falmer Armor

Appearance

The armor set overall looks similar to a mix of Ebony and Elven armor but with a white and maroon color scheme. It also has a small bat motif on the collar and a gothic knotwork design on parts of the armor, such as the back.

The Ancient Falmer Crown serves as its helmet piece, however it can only be obtained with console commands and wearing it with the rest of the set doesn’t grant the bonus for any perks relating to a matching set of armor. An Elven helmet does grant the bonus, however, and can be used as substitute.

Acquisition

The Ancient Falmer Armor can only be obtained from the corpse of Arch-Curate Vyrthur after defeating him at the conclusion of Touching the Sky.

Smithing

All pieces of the Ancient Falmer Armor set can be upgraded with a refined moonstone ingot at a workbench and also benefit from the Elven Smithing perk, which doubles the improvement.

Arch-CurateVrythurBase Armor:
60 (set) ArmorIcon     Weight
11 (set) WeightIcon     Base Value:
1280 (set) GoldIcon
Class: Light Armor
Upgrade Material: Refined Moonstone
Perk: Elven Smithing
ID: –

Name
ArmorIcon Armor
WeightIcon Weight
GoldIcon Value
ItemID
Ancient Falmer Boots     11     2     190     xx00C815
Ancient Falmer Crown †     0     2     250     xx00C814
Ancient Falmer Cuirass     38     7     900     xx00C816
Ancient Falmer Gauntlets     11     2     190     xx00C817
Total     60     11     1280

† The Ancient Falmer Crown cannot be obtained without the use of console commands, and is classed as a circlet, rather than a piece of armor.

Trivia

Knight-Paladin Gelebor wears an unobtainable variant of this armor set, minus the pauldrons.
The bat motif is likely a nod to Vyrthur’s descent into vampiric status.

 

ESO:The Warrior Stone (Skyrim)

The Warrior Stone (Skyrim)

Effect

The stone improves combat associated skills 20% faster. The Warrior skills are:

Block
Heavy Armor
One-Handed
Smithing
Two-Handed

Location

After completing Unbound, continue to follow either Ralof or Hadvar and they will lead you to it. It is located southwest of Riverwood, and north-northwest of Helgen close to the river.

The Mage Stone and The Thief Stone can be found at the same place.
Trivia

Despite Archery falling under The Warrior skill set, it is counted as a stealth skill and covered by The Thief Stone in this instance only. It is unknown if this is intentional or a bug.

The Warrior Stone
TESV The Warrior Stone
Map
Guardian stones map
Constellation
The warrior
Location Southwest of Riverwood.
Description Those under the sign of the Warrior will learn all combat skills 20% faster.
Effect Learn combat skills 20% faster