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[Preview] The Elder Scrolls Online: Exploring Crow’s Wood

SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129

During last week's Elder Scrolls Online preview event, we had the opportunity to explore Crow's Wood, one of the zones within TESO. We've got a terrific preview of Crow's Wood so check it out!

When most people think “dungeon” in recent theme-park MMO terms, they think of small-party instanced content that has a finite beginning and end.  Zenimax Online Studios plans on shaking things up (at least a little bit) by throwing “Public Dungeons” into the world of Elder Scrolls Online.  No, they’re not dungeons that are in the open world.  Rather, Public Dungeons are best described as small zones that several players or groups can join at one time to adventure and explore in.  They hold stronger monsters, unique quests and puzzles, and often (of course) better gear and rewards.  During our recent trip to Maryland to play the game, we got some time in one of the first PD’s available to Ebonheart Pack players: Crow’s Wood.

Read more of Bill Murphy's The Elder Scrolls Online: Exploring Crow’s Wood.

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Comments

  • health001health001 Member UncommonPosts: 58
    u know company's that like to post pics of fluffy screen shots minus the actual in game vid with the UI are 90% fail games that just like to ramp the hpye up for a major let down......I really hope i am wrong on this game,but more then likely i wont be ;/
  • DauzqulDauzqul Member RarePosts: 1,982

    To be honest, I get sick of these types of screenshots.

    When I was a noobish consumer, I used to imagine (after a screenshot like this), "Exploration and adventure". After experiencing all these bore-fests, all I now see is, "You can't climb this rock, you can't go past this mountain range, you can't go more than 100 yards from the main path, the cool tower has one NPC in the middle that gives out the same 'fetch my lost necklace quest' and will explain to me and 100,000,000 other n00bs how I'm the chosen one..."

     
  • BillMurphyBillMurphy Former Managing EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 4,565
    Hopefully, we'll have some video of the combat and other features soon.  I asked for it too, but they said they needed to run a level of polish on the UI first (it was very in-progress).  Considering how fickle we can be with footage, even when it's work in progress, I can't blame them.

    Try to be excellent to everyone you meet. You never know what someone else has seen or endured.

    My Review Manifesto
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  • after reading this, the things i'm worried about is how it will scales (as stated), and if there are more then one group, can we go in with it partially completed? i may not be understanding it correctly, but multiple groups would allow for mobs being dead before we even get to them?
  • ZylaxxZylaxx Member Posts: 2,574
    Originally posted by health001
    u know company's that like to post pics of fluffy screen shots minus the actual in game vid with the UI are 90% fail games that just like to ramp the hpye up for a major let down......I really hope i am wrong on this game,but more then likely i wont be ;/

    Name me any company that releases screenshots of ther UI or combat when its in pre-Alpha stages?  Because there arent any, quit making crap up to fit a false narrative.  It reeks of ignorance.

    Everything you need to know about Elder Scrolls Online

    Playing: GW2
    Waiting on: TESO
    Next Flop: Planetside 2
    Best MMO of all time: Asheron's Call - The first company to recreate AC will be the next greatest MMO.

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  • BillMurphyBillMurphy Former Managing EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 4,565
    Originally posted by Daddydazzle
    after reading this, the things i'm worried about is how it will scales (as stated), and if there are more then one group, can we go in with it partially completed? i may not be understanding it correctly, but multiple groups would allow for mobs being dead before we even get to them?

    Hey, sorry if it wasn't clear.  But mobs respawn.  In essence, a "Public Dungeon" is like a mini-zone and not a dungeon that you clear and leave or has a start and finish.

    Try to be excellent to everyone you meet. You never know what someone else has seen or endured.

    My Review Manifesto
    Follow me on Twitter if you dare.

  • coltonjeffersoncoltonjefferson Member Posts: 33
    After reading these last few articles, I'm honestly really hyped about TESO now. It really does sound amazing! I just hope the dungeons don't turn out to be like GW2's Dynamic Events where so many players were in one spot that you had no idea what was going on.
  • Originally posted by BillMurphy
    Originally posted by Daddydazzle
    after reading this, the things i'm worried about is how it will scales (as stated), and if there are more then one group, can we go in with it partially completed? i may not be understanding it correctly, but multiple groups would allow for mobs being dead before we even get to them?

    Hey, sorry if it wasn't clear.  But mobs respawn.  In essence, a "Public Dungeon" is like a mini-zone and not a dungeon that you clear and leave or has a start and finish.

    thanks for the update. i guess i'm just left with the scaling then. fingers crossed this is handles with a bit of finesse.

    i have to say, about a month or so ago i took this off my watched game list. sounded like it would be the same old game re-hashed with a TES skin. i'm really happy they're trying to incorporate the things we like with TES and work them into an mmorpg with a few new twists. this game will be going back on my watch list.

  • DeniZgDeniZg Member UncommonPosts: 697
    Originally posted by BillMurphy
    Hey, sorry if it wasn't clear.  But mobs respawn.  In essence, a "Public Dungeon" is like a mini-zone and not a dungeon that you clear and leave or has a start and finish.

    So "Public Dungeon" is actually something like WoW's Jintha'Alor in Hinterlands (at least it's how I rememeber it, haven't played WoW for years).

    Sad news for me is that there's no player downleveling (since over-leveling of content was mentioned). It's a nice concept from GW2, however, it didn't fully live to the expectations since the rewards (karma and items) didn't scale so well.

  • GaladournGaladourn Member RarePosts: 1,813

    so TESO will have zoning like... AoC (iirc)? meaning multiple copies of the same location with different players in it, despite they all are on the same server?

    well, that's the nail in the coffin for me. And for a while i got really happy they had decided to make combat quasi-realtime...

  • KilrainKilrain Member RarePosts: 1,184
    random companies have been producing the same ol' crap for years getting major hype and lots of let downs, zenomax goes for tESO and nearly EVERYBODY starts shatting on it imediately. I personally think it's looking good and put faith that ZX can deliver. looking good.
  • niceguy3978niceguy3978 Member UncommonPosts: 2,047
    Doesn't (or didn't) EQII do this?  I could have sworn they did.
  • KilrainKilrain Member RarePosts: 1,184
    Originally posted by Galadourn

    so TESO will have zoning like... AoC (iirc)? meaning multiple copies of the same location with different players in it, despite they all are on the same server?

    well, that's the nail in the coffin for me. And for a while i got really happy they had decided to make combat quasi-realtime...

     

    I don't know if it will have "instancing" or not, didn't read into it but ZONING is completely different. Zones you will have a loading screens when going from one area to the next, think TERA, it wasn't zoned, but was instanced and I have to say they did a decent job, i hardly noticed. Though I prefer to not have instances.

  • NibsNibs Member UncommonPosts: 287

    For those old enough to remember, PDs are like population capped EQ/DAoC dungeons.

    When the pop cap is reached a new copy opens up.

    Mobs respawn when killed.

    There's no need to 'scale up' the mobs. They are level X and you either go with enough people to beat level X mobs or you go in solo at level X+Y, or you go in and try to find a group in there. No scaling needed. It worked for the old games without scaling, there's no reason it can't work now.

  • Originally posted by Galadourn

    so TESO will have zoning like... AoC (iirc)? meaning multiple copies of the same location with different players in it, despite they all are on the same server?

    well, that's the nail in the coffin for me. And for a while i got really happy they had decided to make combat quasi-realtime...

    an entire server pop inside an instanced dungeon would be a bit silly.

    "who's hand is on my ass?!?"

  • KilrainKilrain Member RarePosts: 1,184
    Ok so I read it and it sounds to me like you'll be zoning into a dungeon. Like darkfall online did. But its open, instanced only when the population gets too high. not terrible.
     
  • adam_noxadam_nox Member UncommonPosts: 2,148
    I'm trying hard not to get my hopes up for this game, but it does sound good, like maybe a return to traditional community based mmorpgs.  Or I'm just projecting my wishes onto it.
  • GaladournGaladourn Member RarePosts: 1,813
    Originally posted by Daddydazzle
    Originally posted by Galadourn

    so TESO will have zoning like... AoC (iirc)? meaning multiple copies of the same location with different players in it, despite they all are on the same server?

    well, that's the nail in the coffin for me. And for a while i got really happy they had decided to make combat quasi-realtime...

    an entire server pop inside an instanced dungeon would be a bit silly.

    "who's hand is on my ass?!?"

    I'm not talking about the PDs, but about the world; will it be instanced like AoC or will there only be one "instance" for the players? That's crucial imho.

    I don't really mind about the public dungeons being "population capped" but it does sort of negate the whoe point of "public" to make them multi-instanced...Vanguard, for example, does not split dungeons into multiple instance regardless of the number of people in it.

  • chbautistchbautist Member Posts: 50
    Originally posted by BillMurphy
    Originally posted by Daddydazzle
    after reading this, the things i'm worried about is how it will scales (as stated), and if there are more then one group, can we go in with it partially completed? i may not be understanding it correctly, but multiple groups would allow for mobs being dead before we even get to them?

    Hey, sorry if it wasn't clear.  But mobs respawn.  In essence, a "Public Dungeon" is like a mini-zone and not a dungeon that you clear and leave or has a start and finish.

    I would have hoped they got rid of RESPAWNS altogether... I know there has to be new and more mobs to scale the game to the number of players in a given zone but RESPAWNS are some accepted game mechanic that should be replaced. Why should I have to fight 20 mobs on my way into a cave and then Fight the SAME 20 mobs on my way out?

     

    Shouldn't they come from the BOTTOM of the cave? if so, how did they get past me to block the entrance again? Things like worms can be justified to use that mechanic because they dig up but OrKs or Grawls... No way. They should follow some path from their camp to the place they deffend, it would create opportunities for mini (player generated) events:

     

    - we just cleared this cave, now lets defend it because obviously the "Ork or whatever" camp nearby will send fresh troops soon. (and Maybe a new boss)

    - lets create a temporary haven in this canyon... place 3 guys at the entrance, 3 other at the exit. and keep the monsters out while our spellcasters go AFK for a chicken sandwich. (or whatever reason, casting a ritual etc...)

    -see those guys on an escort quest? Lets give them a hand by blocking the bridge that the mobs use to reach them. That should give them a short break until the next wave.

     

    That sort of cooperative, improvised fun can never happen if the monsters, as it is accepted as part of the necessary mechanics, just appear out of nowhere.

     

     
  • TorgenTorgen Member UncommonPosts: 158

    "Zenimax Online Studios plans on shaking things up (at least a little bit) by throwing “Public Dungeons” into the world of Elder Scrolls Online.  No, they’re not dungeons that are in the open world."

     

    Wow.. just wow... Soliciting a game with a feature that already existed ten years ago.

     

  • MaxJacMaxJac Member Posts: 185
    It does look pretty. I am interested in seeing what the dark themed areas look like. It is the area that styalization most often dissapoints me. I hope they can caputure death and despair with some grit.
  • XarkoXarko Member EpicPosts: 1,180
    I might be missing smth here, but dont see anything special about these PDs. Espeically if a high lvl player can run in , murder everything and spoil experience for every other appropriate lvl players..
     
  • GwapoJoshGwapoJosh Member UncommonPosts: 1,030
    "Exploring Crow's wood." sounds dirty..  I hope Crow doesn't mind ;)

    "You are all going to poop yourselves." BillMurphy

    "Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone."

  • XarkoXarko Member EpicPosts: 1,180
    Originally posted by GwapoJosh
    "Exploring Crow's wood." sounds dirty..  I hope Crow doesn't mind ;)

    It's designed for several groups of people exploring at the same time, I think Crow likes it.

  • stevebmbsqdstevebmbsqd Member Posts: 448
    Originally posted by DeniZg
    Originally posted by BillMurphy
    Hey, sorry if it wasn't clear.  But mobs respawn.  In essence, a "Public Dungeon" is like a mini-zone and not a dungeon that you clear and leave or has a start and finish.

    So "Public Dungeon" is actually something like WoW's Jintha'Alor in Hinterlands (at least it's how I rememeber it, haven't played WoW for years).

    Sad news for me is that there's no player downleveling (since over-leveling of content was mentioned). It's a nice concept from GW2, however, it didn't fully live to the expectations since the rewards (karma and items) didn't scale so well.

    I personally hope they don't add down-leveling. It is one of the features I despise most in GW2.  I would think that they won't as it was really poorly received in Oblivion.

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