Did you enjoy the Blackwood story quests?

[Jammet]

I'll be blunt. I tried. And I might have succeeded. What ruined them for me, petty as that sounds, is the constant drivel of Evili's dumbass antics, and cooperating with an assassin. A new low. Given the choice, I would throw that assassin into the next best jail cell, thank you very much. I don't know why they're so glorified in ESO, but murderers are murderers are murderers, and I don't play as one, and I don't want to cooperate with one. No, they're not cool, no - what they're doing isn't cool, and yes, any chance I see them, it's whoop-ass time, if I have a choice in it.

Apologies for the rather in your face rant. It's over. I had no fun during this story campaign. Things are too forced.

[warmonger3]

I agree to some point. I do play a Dark Elf Nightblade. I enjoyed parts of the story but felt let down on the boss fights. I wanted tough fights with a giant four, or even six armed Daedra. I got what felt like a cut scene instead...I really love the wandering mage and Mirri as a companion and even Bastian to some point. The scenery looks great. Maybe with some future patches we might enjoy Blackwood more. I mean we want to go to Oblivion! Not see a cartoon of what it should be...

[Sirius]

You should also be appalled to work with a Daedra, but you do - at several occasions throughout the game and also this very chapter you complain about in case you did the intro quest.

Things are 'forced' on you throughout this game. You sometimes work with people you should, by your own morals, should want to kill or imprison instead of helping them.

Just to name one or two (to me very prominent) examples:

1. The whole start of the Ebonheart quest line where you help slaughter opposing forces by summoning a freaking demon, then when that horribly backfires has you do a looong stretch of basically cleaning up the mess you helped cause - and at no point can you go "This is wrong, I want nothing to do with it" or even "Yeah, this is on you, bye" unless you want to break off the quest chain and just not do it.

2. You might think vampires are evil and need to be cleansed. Congrats, you now can't do most of the Rivenspire quest line, let alone all of Western Skyrim / The Reach.

And all through the game, you encounter similar quests (similar as, in: if you play a 'moral' character, you might want to rant at them for the way they force you to collaborate with things you / your toon might find appalling)

TL:DR
It's not a 'choose your adventure' RPG unless you consider not doing certain quest (lines) as a choice if certain characters or themes upset you / make you want to skip them for 'moral' reasons.

It's that simple, and yes, I can remotely understand the frustration with some of it, but it is what it is.

edited: grammar

[Rialm]

1. the first point I don't know, I like it mostly because you are literally no one. You know that they need desperately help so they do what they have to do. That's why the second time you don't help, you put an end to that madness.

Originally posted by |x|SiriuS|x|:

2. You might think vampires are evil and need to be cleansed. Congrats, you now can't do most of the Rivenspire quest line, let alone all of Western Skyrim / The Reach.

Really Is it like Fallout 4 Nuka World? Even if you don't want to help the slavers, I end up killing all of them, and the guy that gives the main quest just bugs out because he tries to understand why the ♥♥♥♥ he invited a Brotherhood of Steel that hates slavers.

Damn.... that's annoying. But I would imagine...

[Sirius]

Originally posted by Rialm:

1. the first point I don't know, I like it mostly because you are literally no one. You know that they need desperately help so they do what they have to do. That's why the second time you don't help, you put an end to that madness.

Oh yes, and I don't have any issues with this. My point was just that from certain character's points of view, they might have gone "Help summon a demon? Yeah, no." from the very start.
Basically, that your own possible moral objections are irrelevant in many places of the game.

Originally posted by Rialm:

]Really Is it like Fallout 4 Nuka World? Even if you don't want to help the slavers, I end up killing all of them, and the guy that gives the main quest just bugs out because he tries to understand why the ♥♥♥♥ he invited a Brotherhood of Steel that hates slavers.

Except in ESO, you don't even get the satisfaction of killing them by your own choice.

And again, I have really no issues with this (aside the fact that I think vampires are super lame and played out, especially in ESO), it was just to demonstrate that OP's rant at a forced 'help the Dark Brotherhood member' quest falls a bit flat if these 'issues' are everywhere in the game.

Not to mention parts of the Ebonheart Pact and Morrowind stories are closely tied with a Morag Tong agent, so those would be off limits too if one where to roleplay a highly morally principled character. Murderers and assassins are what they are, whatever they call themselves, so yeah... more "work with a confirmed murderer" quests.

POINT IS, if this is upsetting to people and make them not enjoy the quests, no matter how understandable, then there's little that can be done about it and the whole game is riddled with such plot lines.

[Rialm]

Originally posted by |x|SiriuS|x|:

Oh yes, and I don't have any issues with this. My point was just that from certain character's points of view, they might have gone "Help summon a demon? Yeah, no." from the very start..

Yes, That's true. I wanted to kill Verandis, but in some sort of way I was between the sword and the wall when the king asked me to follow Verandis's advice. Nevertheless, during the covenant quest the times I met a vampire, I had the chance to choose between killing it or not. It was a surprise.

[warmonger3]

It's cool if you guys want to talk about murdering I am not that sensitive. lol I like to role play too its just hard to kill people I heal all the time in pve or even try to help someone of another Alliance it's how things are. How about that poor laundry lady with no weapon gets one shotted it's sad. I sit by her.

Back on topic: We should get more of the story fleshed out when Deadlands is released hopefully with Oblivion somewhere inside.

[nzguzzi]

Best story still the Dragon story line for me, the voice acting was brilliant, just a shame the gear is now total meh, I have not set foot in those lands for a very long time.

[Ankthi]

best story line why you hate murder? for me is the best part that the dark brotherhood was there lurking in the shadows. murderers are the best

[string28]

As I recall Blackwood was where I added two companions. Other than that I did not spend a lot of time there. Hopefully more quest will be added.

[FTWO]

I can agree with that. They do need to implement more choices in some quests that would go against your morals. That would be pretty interesting. Like for your "Summoning a Demon" quest when beginning the Ebonheart Pact, you're given a choice to go along with it or saying, "No, there has to be another way." And then the game gives you a Plan B as an alternative if you chose not to proceed with the summoning. See now that would be pretty nice, even if Plan B requires you to do more footwork, it's still nice to have that choice.

[Jammet]

Originally posted by |x|SiriuS|x|:

You should also be appalled to work with a Daedra, but you do - at several occasions throughout the game and also this very chapter you complain about in case you did the intro quest.

[...]

And all through the game, you encounter similar quests (similar as, in: if you play a 'moral' character, you might want to rant at them for the way they force you to collaborate with things you / your toon might find appalling)

As FTWO did say a post or so above, a plan B is what's missing sometimes. You're right in everything you bring up, and it's true: all of that bothered me. It's just that all those times, I didn't turn to the discussions to write about it. But yes, these things do make me feel uncomfortable sometimes.

Going back to the assassins, for instance. I can't even remember how many times I come by that same woman in Rimmen, sitting at the plaza, and she's been murdered. Murdering, for reasons I just can't understand, is a bit glorified. Yes, I know, it's only just a game. And I am fine with people making these choices, and doing that. However, it is a *bit* much? And now, people get rewarded for that, with endevour points, ontop, very often. And as another player, you have no options whatsoever, of interfering. You know they're sneaking up on someone, it's a second away, and all I can do is ... throw a cake in their face. That's what I do now.
Can't alert the guards, force a duel, interrupt, ... nothing. It's these things that do bother me, and sometimes I think -- wouldn't it make these murders feel more, er.... "rewarding" for an assassin, if they had to really avoid being seen? By anyone? Not just guards?

That's just one example, that I'd put under the quests and moments you mentioned.

I know the fault lies with me. I'm just ... weirded out by how frequent, and how in your face all this is. I wished for a plan b in many quests.

[Kvinden]

I don't like how the game forces us to commit crimes, to cooperate with criminals and so on.
And how so many players commit crimes against helpless innocents without reason. As Jammet says, there is nothing you can do, not even alert the guards. So you are accomplice.

There is even a specialized criminal branch in the champion tree, but no "honest" branch giving bonus to righteous characters. In other words, in this game you are penalized if you are honest. I don't expect the savior of Tamriel to be a petty murderer.

I have completely skipped the Anvil and Hew's bane dlc and quest line but there is no place in the game where you don't see Npc assassinated in plain sight. It is disgusting

[Blackcompany]

Originally posted by |x|SiriuS|x|:

You should also be appalled to work with a Daedra, but you do - at several occasions throughout the game and also this very chapter you complain about in case you did the intro quest.

Things are 'forced' on you throughout this game. You sometimes work with people you should, by your own morals, should want to kill or imprison instead of helping them.

Just to name one or two (to me very prominent) examples:

1. The whole start of the Ebonheart quest line where you help slaughter opposing forces by summoning a freaking demon, then when that horribly backfires has you do a looong stretch of basically cleaning up the mess you helped cause - and at no point can you go "This is wrong, I want nothing to do with it" or even "Yeah, this is on you, bye" unless you want to break off the quest chain and just not do it.

2. You might think vampires are evil and need to be cleansed. Congrats, you now can't do most of the Rivenspire quest line, let alone all of Western Skyrim / The Reach.

And all through the game, you encounter similar quests (similar as, in: if you play a 'moral' character, you might want to rant at them for the way they force you to collaborate with things you / your toon might find appalling)

TL:DR
It's not a 'choose your adventure' RPG unless you consider not doing certain quest (lines) as a choice if certain characters or themes upset you / make you want to skip them for 'moral' reasons.

It's that simple, and yes, I can remotely understand the frustration with some of it, but it is what it is.

edited: grammar

The entire game is just a linear, zero choice theme park. Really disappointed and one reason I canceled my sub and uninstalled. Done with them park games.

[Dr. Sinister]

Originally posted by Blackcompany:

Originally posted by |x|SiriuS|x|:

You should also be appalled to work with a Daedra, but you do - at several occasions throughout the game and also this very chapter you complain about in case you did the intro quest.

Things are 'forced' on you throughout this game. You sometimes work with people you should, by your own morals, should want to kill or imprison instead of helping them.

Just to name one or two (to me very prominent) examples:

1. The whole start of the Ebonheart quest line where you help slaughter opposing forces by summoning a freaking demon, then when that horribly backfires has you do a looong stretch of basically cleaning up the mess you helped cause - and at no point can you go "This is wrong, I want nothing to do with it" or even "Yeah, this is on you, bye" unless you want to break off the quest chain and just not do it.

2. You might think vampires are evil and need to be cleansed. Congrats, you now can't do most of the Rivenspire quest line, let alone all of Western Skyrim / The Reach.

And all through the game, you encounter similar quests (similar as, in: if you play a 'moral' character, you might want to rant at them for the way they force you to collaborate with things you / your toon might find appalling)

TL:DR
It's not a 'choose your adventure' RPG unless you consider not doing certain quest (lines) as a choice if certain characters or themes upset you / make you want to skip them for 'moral' reasons.

It's that simple, and yes, I can remotely understand the frustration with some of it, but it is what it is.

edited: grammar

The entire game is just a linear, zero choice theme park. Really disappointed and one reason I canceled my sub and uninstalled. Done with them park games.

But you get prizes for literally doing nothing except light attacking your way to level 50

[Rialm]

Originally posted by Jammet:

Going back to the assassins, for instance. I can't even remember how many times I come by that same woman in Rimmen, sitting at the plaza, and she's been murdered.

It would be nice a wanted system like in Fallout 76. Basically if someone do something bad and don't want to pay, they can be chased by others players (without knowing where they are) Only problem is that the pve maps are going to become pvp maps.