The MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online has announced a change in how vampires function with the next expansion Greymoor. They are supposed to become stronger when they have fed. However, this does not align with the lore of The Elder Scrolls, as easily angered fans complain.
Why are vampires suddenly important in ESO? Since the base game, players can become vampires or werewolves in The Elder Scrolls Online. While they are not separate classes, they are skill lines that players can mix into their characters like a cocktail.
In the early days of ESO, in April 2014, vampires were briefly completely overpowered and went on a rampage in Cyrodiil. The older players will remember.
The upcoming expansion “Greymoor” will take players into the “black heart of Skyrim”: here, vampires and not dragons will play a significant role. A vile vampire lord is supposed to be involved, along with an army of the undead.
During a presentation, a two-hour Twitch stream (via twitch), Zenimax announced that they will change player vampires as part of the expansion: there will be a new quest that explains how the new vampire system works.
ESO completely overhauls vampirism
What is the goal? One of the developers explains: vampires in ESO have been cool, but it was all about “passive traits.” Vampirism in ESO brings some passive buffs, which players are happy to receive:
- skills are cheaper
- you regenerate magicka and stamina faster
- you take less damage when you fall below certain health thresholds
- you suffer less from movement restrictions, shaking them off faster
All passive buffs.
With the new system, vampirism is supposed to shift more towards “active” abilities.
In ESO, vampires must now feed instead of starving
To this end, Zenimax is turning the way vampires function in The Elder Scrolls Online upside down:
- Previously, vampirism in a vampire grew. The less the vampire drank, the “hungrier” they became – the “vampirism” level increases up to level 4 if you starve for too long
- With the new “active” system, vampires will become more powerful when they are well-fed
A developer says: “If you want to be a badass vampire, you have to drink.”
With Greymoor, the more you drink, the more you will look like a vampire – currently, it is still the opposite.
What else is changing? The lore from Skyrim states that “Vampire Lords” (vampire lords) are extremely rare. However, with Greymoor, players will have the opportunity to assume such a vampire form themselves. You will become a “Blood Scion.” This will be the new ultimate ability for vampires with Greymoor.
Zenimax explains that the “mother of vampires,” Lamae Bal, is directly involved in the creation of player vampires in ESO, and therefore it is “okay” in terms of lore.
Change is against “established lore”
How is this being discussed? A thread about this change on the ESO forum (via forum.elderscrollsonline) has already reached 7 pages. The thread starter says this new regulation is directly “against the established canon of The Elder Scrolls”:
- Vampires become more dangerous the hungrier they are because their bestial nature takes over
- With the new regulation, ESO would destroy the “vampire myth”
- The change is depressing for a lover of the “The Elder Scrolls” lore like him
Others counter that the change with vampires is what many players have wished for. With the current regulation, one ignores blood feeding until it drops to level 4 and then just leaves it.
The discussion revolves around how important the “lore,” the background story of a game, is
- Is the lore important in its own right and should it be respected?
- Or should the lore change if it clearly gets in the way of enjoyment and gameplay?
Because the current version of vampirism, proponents of the change say, while “lore-compliant,” plays poorly because vampires are “punished” for drinking and becoming more human again.
A third person offers an alternative: there are various vampire species with different characteristics in The Elder Scrolls. Therefore, the “new vampires” could be a different kind than the established ones. This way, the lore could remain intact.
