Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
[Column] Elder Scrolls Online: Werewolves and Vampires in ESO
BillMurphy
Former Managing EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 4,565
One of the features that's only been briefly discussed when it comes to Elder Scrolls Online is the fact that players will be able to become werewolves and vampires just as they have been able to in previous incarnations of Tamriel. In today's column, we explore some ways in which the Zenimax Online team can get this gameplay right... or wrong.
The key to being either a werewolf or a vampire in ESO is making both modes of play feel extraordinary. I'll never forget when I first turned into a werewolf in Morrowind's Bloodmoon expansion. The jumping, the speed of running, and the power behind every claw swipe were something out of a superhero videogame, not my Elder Scrolls. And it was the kind of addition that made just enough impact in the game to shake things up from the usual running, sword-swiping, and spell-casting. If ESO is going to add these two "powers" into the game, the studio needs to make sure they feel truly special and powerful. But not without a cost, or limitations.
Read the rest of Bill Murphy's "Elder Scrolls Online: Werewolves and Vampires in Tamriel".
Try to be excellent to everyone you meet. You never know what someone else has seen or endured.
Comments
If I happen to be infected by either, I'd give it a try, then might seek a cure depending how it works out. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't pursue it.
I don't think the correct way would be a hard quest to become one of those, but to put some weaknesses to balance them out, like having your character weaker than normal when they are not in vampire/werewolf mode.
It should be more of a gameplay choice than a bonus.
The balance could be easy , Vampires = death in sunlight, you better find a cave or basement to sit out the day. Werewolf, back to tradition , ONLY during Full moons. 1-3 days / game month? or whatever full moon is equal to in game.
This also adds some great new gameplay as being forced to play by the "Vampire" rule set-forces new (complex ) ways of doing everything in the game. For instance -buffs and debuffs in sun/dark and buffs, debuffs from feeding & having to find sleeping people to feed on.
Doing the fighting arena in Oblivion as a vampire is more interesting imo.
I definitely agree with BILL M that it should be uncommon, one doesn't net get affected with Porphyric Hemophilia everyday! Although Bill it could spread through a player base like a modern-day plague, interesting for all the Anthropologist ESO players.
Haha yeah I cheated the first time, Ive been playing again this year with no cheats, the quest for the cure is kinda long though LOL
I agree with the intent, but in a mmo that simply wouldn't work. The consequences cannot be so dire, or the effect so rare that it's a pointless exercise. However, there does need to be some severe consequences to keep the world from being flooded with vamps and werewolves.
Just like in the single player versions, Vampires should become hated by pretty much everyone once they reach a certain level of Vampirism. Assuming there's varying degrees of the effect like the single player games. All Vampires should have weaknesses while in sunlight, reduced stats all around could replace outright killing of a vampire in sunlight. However, the weaknesses could be lessened the more powerful you are as a vampire. At the same time, being a weaker vampire means you aren't hated by NPCs, where progressing through the stages of vampirism means you have negative consequences from NPCs. Higher costs, less value when selling, or even outright attacking or refusing to deal with master level vampires. There would be vampire friendly areas (like the dark brotherhood), but earning their trust should be difficult as well.
Werewolves are a different matter. Depending on how quick the day/night cycle is in the game (if it's not like WoW and tied to the real world), you have an ability that's useable only for short periods of time over the course of hours. That's not exactly fun. Again, making you hated by NPCs while in werewolf form would be a good negative impact. Additionally, the ability could only be available at night (regardless of moon cycle), but then you're limited in overall power until a full moon (maximum potency). Human form you could be weakened due to the beast blood not allowing you to rest properly (like the single player version).
Additionally, there could be plenty of other negative consequences. Weakness to silver, exampled in the article, could bring a reason to carry different types of weapons into battle. Could make both very weak to fire. Characters who are vamps or lycans could also need more xps per level to level, basically treat those forms as "master classes" which require more learning.
Honestly, there's a ton of interesting ways to enforce rarity of the two forms. It'll be interesting to see how ballsy ZO is about it, otherwise it's just a bonus cooldown of some sort.
I found the werewolf side in Skyrim to be lackluster. Even with the Dawnguard adding abilities, the bonuses weren't enough for the downsides, even though there weren't that many downsides. I don't know how much you need to make Werewolf any more 'rare' than that. It just wasn't that useful (and your skills didn't go up when using it). Very limited duration, no skill ups, npc's hate you, no healing unless you eat someone, etc... bleh. Boring.
Vampire in Skyrim was cooler, but it still ended up being.... annoying. Always needing to feed, sunlight nerfing you, bonuses again, pretty lackluster except when you went against cold-based creatures.
Vampire-Lords, I don't expect in ESO.
I remember the pain in the butt it was to get cured in Oblivion, that was a nightmare quest.
I also remember accidentally becoming a were-boar in one of the earlier elder scrolls, and how annoying THAT was.
I agree, there has to be pros and cons.
Otherwise, other than a "role play reason" why wouldn't you become one? You'd just be stacking more pros to your character.
I'd love to see them give cons for fire, silver weapons and daylight but I don't know if they are going to be brave enough to do that.
I can already hear the players screaming ...
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Werewolf balancing is easy, you use no gear in were form, so your stats are static and level based, in were form you are hostile to most NPCs. and (here's the stickler) NO LOOTING IN WOLF FORM!!! Raging death machines care nothing for loot.
Use the same conventions from Skyrim, you change and get a change timer, you extend that timer by making kills, or you can forcibly end the change (probably to go loot the dead), but that ends your rampage for that night.
This would result in werewolves that were more dangerous to low-level victims, but high-level targets would (probably) have the gear to even things up.
I might even go so far as to have were form force the character to be PVP active, even to his own Alliance, though I admit this might lead to some griefing.
I loved rampaging as a werewolf in Skyrim, and I would love to dosomething similar in TESO.
T
Cmon man, you can't make it a quest.... Everyone and there mother can at some point complete a quest.
It HAS to be an extremely rare chance encounter, like two to three people per month. Those two or three can only give to one or two people every 6 months. A system like this can not be left up to the player to grind for.
Unless it's really lame...
I think you are thinking in "the old school way".
This is "new school". Of course they are going to make ti so that anyone who wants to be a vampire will be a vampire.
I just think there needs to be trade-offs. Otherwise Tamriel will be the land of vampires and werewolves.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
I second the majority of this motion put forth by William Murphy
Particularly, the "Make it Uncommon" section
I do believe werewolves should be stripped of their armor, but not be effected by a lash-back debuff after coming out of their forum, other than having to re equip gear. It would be neat to also require them to kill humanoids periodically within the game mechanics as a werewolf or they risk some side effect, just as vampires need to feed.
Top Ten Most Misused Words/Phrases in MMO Industry...
whatever they do with Vammpire and Werewolves need to begin with the player getting infected like the vampires in Skyrim. A simple quest or character creation choice wont cut it.
If i get bitten by a vampire i get the disease and if i dont cure it ill become a vampire. SOmething similar to the worgen curse for the werewolves would make sense unless they opt for a blood ritual like in Skyrim which also was nice, just not a simple quest please... much less a character creation choice.
LOL, thats funny. There have been a couple of times when I didn't realize I was infected until it was almost too late and I did not want to become a Vampire :-)
There Is Always Hope!
Thats a pretty stupid comment.