With the Blackwood add-on, the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online will receive a new tutorial this year with a starting zone for all newcomers. This is urgently needed, says MeinMMO author Andreas Bertits.
What is the problem? Since the release of the new expansions in ESO, players always start in the latest add-on, provided they have purchased it. Although they can choose freely how to proceed, this can become complicated at the beginning. It can even be a challenge to find the start of the original main quest.
This also leads to newcomers not knowing exactly what order they should experience the story. Since everyone can play what they want, chaos ensues.
- Where do I need to go to experience the story correctly?
- Why do I start in Morrowind when I should actually be fighting the Daedric Prince Molag Bal first?
- Is it bad if I go to Skyrim first and then to Elsweyr?
With the new Blackwood add-on, the start is supposed to become more uniform again. And this is important.
This is how it was at the start of the MMORPG
At the release of the MMORPG ESO in 2014, every player started the same way, as a prisoner in Coldharbour. After breaking out and escaping this dimension to Tamriel, players found themselves in a sort of second starting zone. Depending on the alliance chosen at character creation, it was:
- Khenarthis Rest for the Aldmeri Dominion
- Stros M’Kai for the Daggerfall Covenant
- Glenumbra for the Ebonheart Pact
These areas, separated from the rest of the game world, served basically as a tutorial. Players experienced their first adventures there, were slowly introduced to the larger story and the lore of The Elder Scrolls, and familiarized themselves with skills and general gameplay. After completing this introduction, they proceeded to the open game world.
There it was possible to continue the main quests, which led heroes through the story, or everyone could go their own way within their chosen alliance.
In the Let’s Play of ESO by YouTuber Bombadin, you can see the original entry into the MMORPG:
There is no clear beginning in ESO anymore
The add-ons changed the start of the game: With the major update One Tamriel in 2016, the situation changed. The alliance restrictions were lifted. Every player could do whatever they wanted from the start. The quests scaled to the character level, and it didn’t matter where one started.
This made the starter zones less meaningful. The freedom for players to choose their own path from the beginning took precedence. The three tutorial areas still exist today, but it is no longer necessary to visit them.
Things became complicated with the introduction of the add-ons. No matter if you play Morrowind, Summerset, Elsweyr, or even Greymoor, you can jump directly into the new areas and their respective stories – even with a newly created hero.
Finally, a new tutorial is coming
The unified start is coming: Since the question of the correct order in which the story should be played occurs so frequently, the developers of ESO have now come up with a new solution.
With the new Blackwood add-on, which will be released on June 1 for PC and June 8 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, a unified starting zone and a new tutorial will be introduced. These will lead you to a point where it makes sense to choose one of the major storylines (main quest or expansion tasks).
What this zone will look like is still unclear, but the mere fact that it is coming is extremely important. If players no longer know where to begin their adventures in an MMORPG and cannot recognize a guiding thread through the story, then something needs to be done.
Why this is so important: Especially the entry into an online role-playing game is extremely crucial. The first hours of gameplay often decide whether a player stays long-term or becomes frustrated and quits. If at the beginning someone has no idea how to play, they might look for another game that introduces them better.
MMORPGs like The Elder Scrolls Online thrive on having as many players as possible. The idea is to always find someone to share adventures with and explore the world together. The interaction in a group constitutes a large part of the fun of a multiplayer title.
If many players drop out during the confusing tutorial, an online game can face problems sooner or later.
A new tutorial with a starting zone where every beginner starts and knows exactly what to do will likely please newcomers to ESO. Finally, there will be a point where the story begins, and from this point, players will be gradually introduced to the mechanics and the story.
One no longer feels overwhelmed by the many options presented at the beginning, not knowing which one to choose.
After this gentle introduction, new players will know how the basics of the MMORPG work; they will learn more about the world’s lore and understand how quests and the story are structured in the game. This impression will help them decide whether to stay longer or quit. Players will give ESO a fair chance.
And the freedom to do what they want, to go wherever they want to travel, will continue to exist – just after the new tutorial.
Despite the lack of a unified start in the MMORPG, ESO reveals: “The community has never been stronger”.
