TESO Ditches Alliance Restrictions In One Tamriel
Rambling free
The Elder Scrolls Online [official site] has a "One Tamriel" update. I tried to make that fit into the song "One Love" by Blue but it really doesn't scan. Anyway, their update sort of aims to remove or reduce a bunch of restrictions as you pootle round the MMO's world.
"One Tamriel removes Alliance restrictions and will automatically level your characters to match the difficulty of the content wherever you are in the world. Travel where you like, whenever you like, with whomever you like regardless of their Alliance or level. Accept any quest, fight any monster, and experience a world of adventure without limits!"
I feel entirely unequipped to make any pronouncements on the current state of TESO given I wasn't a fan super early on and stopped playing. There have been a number of changes since but nothing that has made me think, "Gosh, I really need to start playing that properly!"
From reading the update details it sounds like Alliance restrictions will still apply when in PvP but otherwise the emphasis is on being able to buddy up with anyone who takes your fancy and be able to explore anywhere in whatever order you want. Khajiit Sans Frontières.
Thinking about why this may be so, there are a few possibilities. One is that the MMO is at the point in its life where its developers want to encourage new blood into the game so they're making it easy for an evangelical old guard to bring in some new friends. Another is that perhaps it will tempt back people who got frustrated at a certain point or felt that the effort required to play the bits they wanted was disproportionate. Another is that, if the player base is reducing over time, taking away some restrictions makes it easier for people to find groups to play with instead of running into a numbers problem within a specific Alliance or level requirement.
Additional info on what the update brings is as follows:
· Dueling: Players can now battle each other anywhere outside Cyrodiil to test their skills and builds and claim bragging rights as the toughest adventurer
· Zone Overhaul: All zones have been redesigned for a mix of solo and group play with improved bosses and standardized difficulty
· Dungeons: All dungeons can be played in normal and veteran mode, where story is separated from difficulty and players are battle-leveled to allow players of different levels to play together, and receive level-appropriate loot
· Craglorn: The massive Craglorn zone has been redesigned to make it solo-friendly but still the go-to location for group content
· Loot: Loot in zones has now been standardized like dungeon loot, making it possible to acquire specific sets in specific zones at whatever level you are when completing quests
If you've stuck with TESO or if this update has tempted you in/back I'd be interested to know why, so just drop a comment in the box with your thoughts.
