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ESO: Summerset beta test

Tags: #Altmer  #ESO  #Delta  #Summerset 
  • April 21, 2018

    As some of you may know, I'm taking part in the ESO: Summerset beta testing and I've got some pictures from it. I just made my way to Arteum, home of the Psijic Order and that's where I'll stop with the main quest for now. I'll explore around the Isle more and show you some exciting locations.

     

    If you are curious, I'm playing a Dunmer thief/assassin.

     

    First step into the new chapter. I stood there for 10 minutes admiring the view.

     

     

    The beautiful port city of Shimmerene on the eastern coast. This is where you meet Razum-Dar.

     

     

    Temple of the Eight in Shimmerene. Great for people that like to roleplay in ESO.

     

     

    The Coral Forest. First I tought it was just named that way, but it turns out, it's a forest of Corals. Get it?

     

     

    Taking the scenic route.

     

     

    First look at Arteum. Preparing for a massive lore dump.

     

    This is where I decided to stop with the main quest for now. I won't say what I saw in it for now, but it is interesting. I am allowed to talk about the Psijic skill line, so I will share a bit on that when I get to it. For now, I will explore the Isle, visit Alinor, get some better gear and mingle with the locals.

  • Member
    April 21, 2018
    Aye, that looks grand, the temple is cool and the sunset pretty beautiful. Can hardly wait!
  • April 26, 2018

    Temple of the eight divines? But Altmer only became part of the Empire of Cyrodiil in Septim's time? Reman never conquered Summerset. I'm thoroughly confused. 

    They also apparently moved Shimmerene, which was not a coastal city initially. 

    *gets all flustered and then takes a deep breath*

    It does look purty though. 

  • Member
    April 26, 2018

    At some point early on, ESO expanded upon the original Varieties of Faith by producing culture-specific books. In this case, Varieties of Faith The High Elves. So it's become something of a thing that most pantheons have Eight, but not the Eight Divines of Alessian faith. In a way, it establishes the idea that there are always Eight and that they are necessary to the world, but who they are and what they look like changes from culture to culture :) 

  • April 26, 2018

    Paws said:

    At some point early on, ESO expanded upon the original Varieties of Faith by producing culture-specific books. In this case, Varieties of Faith The High Elves. So it's become something of a thing that most pantheons have Eight, but not the Eight Divines of Alessian faith. In a way, it establishes the idea that there are always Eight and that they are necessary to the world, but who they are and what they look like changes from culture to culture :) 

    It's a simplification definitely and it's unsettling to not see Phynaster included in the main group when he was definitely included before. Gah, to me? Just ESO really slapping established stuff ithat was extremely unique and interesting (All male pantheon anyone? and you can make 8 out of just the men) n the face to appeal to mass groups. 

  • Member
    April 26, 2018

    The Long-Chapper said:

    It's a simplification definitely and it's unsettling to not see Phynaster included in the main group when he was definitely included before. Gah, to me? Just ESO really slapping established stuff ithat was extremely unique and interesting (All male pantheon anyone? and you can make 8 out of just the men) n the face to appeal to mass groups. 

    What it somehow does achieve is to add nuance. Like, if we look at the whole unreliable narrator thing and what we are told in game vs what we learn from the book, the inconsistencies quickly become apparent. 

    For instance, it's somewhere in Auridon where we meet that Altmer lady who refers to Syrabane as a female deity, and a few Bosmer and Altmer in Grahtwood refer to Y'ffre as a feminine goddess too. So it's like, we can read the books and think we have a grasp of the religious system, only to be told something else from an npc, or to have the books contradicted in another manner. We're then left with a feeling that the book was written by someone with barely any knowledge on the subject matter.

    In a lot of ways it's a good thing in my opinion as it allows a great deal of freedom for us as players. Rather than be told something definitively, we get to learn and experience different perspectives and ultimately come to our own conclusions. I am hoping that when I walk into the Temple of Eight in Summerset that there will be something new and different. Maybe in Shimmerene Phynaster is one of the Eight, but elsewhere in the Isles he is of lesser importance - that would really help establish that there are sub-cultures within a society, something ESO is quite good at portraying most of the time. 

  • April 26, 2018

    Paws said:

    The Long-Chapper said:

    It's a simplification definitely and it's unsettling to not see Phynaster included in the main group when he was definitely included before. Gah, to me? Just ESO really slapping established stuff ithat was extremely unique and interesting (All male pantheon anyone? and you can make 8 out of just the men) n the face to appeal to mass groups. 

    What it somehow does achieve is to add nuance. Like, if we look at the whole unreliable narrator thing and what we are told in game vs what we learn from the book, the inconsistencies quickly become apparent. 

    For instance, it's somewhere in Auridon where we meet that Altmer lady who refers to Syrabane as a female deity, and a few Bosmer and Altmer in Grahtwood refer to Y'ffre as a feminine goddess too. So it's like, we can read the books and think we have a grasp of the religious system, only to be told something else from an npc, or to have the books contradicted in another manner. We're then left with a feeling that the book was written by someone with barely any knowledge on the subject matter.

    In a lot of ways it's a good thing in my opinion as it allows a great deal of freedom for us as players. Rather than be told something definitively, we get to learn and experience different perspectives and ultimately come to our own conclusions. I am hoping that when I walk into the Temple of Eight in Summerset that there will be something new and different. Maybe in Shimmerene Phynaster is one of the Eight, but elsewhere in the Isles he is of lesser importance - that would really help establish that there are sub-cultures within a society, something ESO is quite good at portraying most of the time. 

    I get that, and believe me, I would love to see regional variances in deity worship, as I impliment that in Straag. I sure hope they are smart enough to do that in ESO. I will not be surprised however, if every temple in Summerset becomes a generic temple to the 8. I really hope it isn't.

    I think part of my problem is that I just don't see Altmer as a people allowing that much flexibility. Perhaps things then were very different under Queen Ayrenn and I can actually get on board with that. If that is the case, I think the 4e Thalmor's rigidity can now be very well explained. The relaxation that you speak of allowed in the second and third eras resulted in their ultimate failure as a people (The numidium, the fall of Crystal like Law) and cultural assimulation. It puts a new spin on the cause of the Thalmor rising in the fourth era and even more of an interesting spin on the Veiled Heritence of ESO. Are they so evil or do they simply want to prevent what they perceive as a threat? What I hope, is that if we do go to Alinor again in ES six that we just don't get a rehash of ESO material.  We cannot, the Altmer are simply not the same people they were. Unfortunately, I don't think that'll happen and more than likely, the next game will negate the fascinating cultural arc these people have had. 

     

  • Member
    April 26, 2018

    The Long-Chapper said:

    I get that, and believe me, I would love to see regional variances in deity worship, as I impliment that in Straag. I sure hope they are smart enough to do that in ESO. I will not be surprised however, if every temple in Summerset becomes a generic temple to the 8. I really hope it isn't.

    I think part of my problem is that I just don't see Altmer as a people allowing that much flexibility. Perhaps things then were very different under Queen Ayrenn and I can actually get on board with that. If that is the case, I think the 4e Thalmor's rigidity can now be very well explained. The relaxation that you speak of allowed in the second and third eras resulted in their ultimate failure as a people (The numidium, the fall of Crystal like Law) and cultural assimulation. It puts a new spin on the cause of the Thalmor rising in the fourth era and even more of an interesting spin on the Veiled Heritence of ESO. Are they so evil or do they simply want to prevent what they perceive as a threat? What I hope, is that if we do go to Alinor again in ES six that we just don't get a rehash of ESO material.  We cannot, the Altmer are simply not the same people they were. Unfortunately, I don't think that'll happen and more than likely, the next game will negate the fascinating cultural arc these people have had. 

     

    I think you've hit the nail on the head with that and I'm really hoping for a lot of the strengths of Altmeri society to get addressed. From what i understand, a lot of people are unhappy with Queen Ayrenn's hippy mentality and want to remove the (for want of a better term) uncontrolled immigration policy she has put into effect. It's easy to go down the Veiled Heritance route of "they foreign, we don't like" but i'm hoping for far more than that. As you say, the society is rigid so the liklihood of seeing cultural differences is smaller than, say, in Vardenfell, but the clash of the new and old ways in the Isles could still be interesting to explore. 

    What we have seen are these Justiciars of the Divine Prosicution who are a "kind of state-level law enforcement organization. They are tasked with enforcing not just the temporal laws, but also the religious laws of the High Elves, meaning that they are the ones who hunt down heresy, and this primarily means Daedra worship." So that's interesting, especially the enforcing of religious laws and how much that shapes the Altmeri mindset, and whether the actions of Ayrenn actually do start a ball rolling which, in time, could contribute to the fall of the High Elves and whether the traditional closed borders was, in fact, the best solution for the Altmer people. Really hoping these things get examined. 

  • April 26, 2018

    You and I must chat on developments soon. :D