Hallo! I just wanted to ask your opinions on this facet of roleplaying in ESO. I know that, like many MMOs, social RP is alive and well (I'm actually a somewhat-active roleplayer on the PC EU server), but I'm not talking about that here. My question is: How, if at all, do you/would you approach single-player style roleplaying? Like, taking Skyrim roleplay and applying it to ESO. I've made a character on Xbox One EU, Valan Lefaire (an ex-necromancer), to try out some ideas I have, but I'd like the opinions of you all. Thoughts?

I have ESO for Xbox One, I haven't played it yet due to me having bad times with MMOs, but this was a question I asked myself the other day. Honestly, I really can't think of a way to solo RP, I am sure there is a way to, but MMOs tend to be more about group RP than individual RP. So I doubt solo RP is possible. Also, there is no such thing a "former" or "ex" Necromancer. :)

Hmmm, I'm afraid I haven't played ESO either so I'm not familiar with with quests and stuff, but I can't see why it you wouldn't be able to go about it in the same way as in Skyrim. Make sure every decision you make is fueled by your character's goals and attitude towards the subject. I think Dagon is the big bad guy right? Therefore the character's attitude towards the prince should be one of the first things to think about, will you join him (which I assume you can do?) or will you be the classic hero etc. It would probably be a good idea to avoid player interaction when possible, or at least make sure you're on a server where people won't be running around naked and ruining your immersion.

Sorry, Ten, but I'm basically just spewing all the basics that I'm sure you've already thought of, because I'm just not familiar enough with the game, but I hoped me and Potemus could be a little help!

This is a topic I used to give a great deal of thought to, and something that prevented me from enjoying ESO at first. How is it possible to maintain a meaningful connection to character and have defining moments when everything is so fast paced? I used to think that maybe the emotes had the answer, an example being the ability to pray at a temple and have the animation for doing that was one avenue I tried to explore.

It is only really been recently in conversation with a friend that I sort of found that character connection and RP I was looking for. I rolled a Khajiit for the Anniversary Event back in April, and like always, didn't really give him too much thought - he existed to play the game with, rather than in Skyrim where the character's existence is less about playing the game and more about experiencing that character. A perspective shift which is hard to explain.

Anyway, as I discussed the character and learned how my friend approached the game, I discovered that a lot of that meaningful character connection is more internal in nature. Those quiet moments in Skyrim where you sit and watch the sun rise because that's what your character would do, or climb a high mountain just to get a good view because that is in his or her's nature... well these things do exist in ESO, but they're not quite as obvious.

My cat started to come alive as I experienced the world. He had a sweet tooth, and I found he enjoyed Provisioning. Not becuase I wanted the buffs for gameplay, although they did come in handy, but simply because he had a sweet tooth and enjoyed cooking. That lent itself to me questioning what he enjoyed cooking, and as a cat I figured that fish would be high on his list. So part of his motivation, just for fun RP, was findiing recipes and fishing.

There are so many great fishing spots, highlights being fishing at night from the Isle of Contemplation, and greeting the sunrise after finishing the harrowing College of Altmeri Propriety quest by dropping a line in the nearby stream. Such moments of unwinding after a quest became part of my RP and character connection, as well as my own pasuing for breath in what is a fast-paced game.

Majhin-do is a Dragonknight, honourable and just, and part of my motivation was to get a nice looking suit of Khajiiti heavy armour. This made blacksmithing quite an RP point for me, as well as the dying stage as I created the right look for him, and quested for the dyes I wanted.

All these things led me to explore a slightly darker side of his personality. As a cat, his sense off ownership was slightly less important than my own. I don't like my honourable characters to steal, but when he saw a rare or new recipe in another's house? Well, he couldn't resist. In the end, I ended up with a character as deep and meaningful as any traditional TES PC I have made.

Also, sometimes it pays to go back to an NPC after a poignant quest.

I don't know whether to be embarrassed, amazed or both at the same time. Paws, brought up some valid points that I never thought for ESO, mainly because of it being an MMORPG and not an SPRPG.

@Paws My question is how does one single RP a character on ESO, since it is an MMO? I ask out of curiosity because I really don't see how.

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/ErikUlfrblod]Potemus[/url] said:[/b]

I don't know whether to be embarrassed, amazed or both at the same time. Paws, brought up some valid points that I never thought for ESO, mainly because of it being an MMORPG and not an SPRPG.

@Paws My question is how does one single RP a character on ESO, since it is an MMO? I ask out of curiosity because I really don't see how.

[/blockquote]

I guess the thing with ESO is that you could remove every player from the game and still have a massive single-player story. I rarely teamed up with anyone besides other players who happened to be working through the same dungeon as me. For a frame of reference, the game caters to both the solo player and those who prefer to group. The former, like me, can play through the Main Quest which is just for the lone wolf to experience, and can play each of the faction quests in the open world.

The world does have other players running, jumping, riding, fighting, and posing which can break immersion if you let it. That's key, "if you let it." If you can ignore, or journey away from the clusterfucked cities where there are less players, the game does feel more like a traditional TES experience. You can have a lot of fun just harvesting ingredients as the gameworld is very pretty.

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/Paws]Paws[/url] said:[/b]

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/ErikUlfrblod]Potemus[/url] said:[/b]

I don't know whether to be embarrassed, amazed or both at the same time. Paws, brought up some valid points that I never thought for ESO, mainly because of it being an MMORPG and not an SPRPG.

@Paws My question is how does one single RP a character on ESO, since it is an MMO? I ask out of curiosity because I really don't see how.

[/blockquote]

I guess the thing with ESO is that you could remove every player from the game and still have a massive single-player story. I rarely teamed up with anyone besides other players who happened to be working through the same dungeon as me. For a frame of reference, the game caters to both the solo player and those who prefer to group. The former, like me, can play through the Main Quest which is just for the lone wolf to experience, and can play each of the faction quests in the open world.

The world does have other players running, jumping, riding, fighting, and posing which can break immersion if you let it. That's key, "if you let it." If you can ignore, or journey away from the clusterfucked cities where there are less players, the game does feel more like a traditional TES experience. You can have a lot of fun just harvesting ingredients as the gameworld is very pretty.

[/blockquote]

Uh, I will remember this. I have been thinking about playing ESO, but the fact the RP aspect really isn't there kind of drove me away. So thanks for this.

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/Paws]Paws[/url] said:[/b]

I guess the thing with ESO is that you could remove every player from the game and still have a massive single-player story. I rarely teamed up with anyone besides other players who happened to be working through the same dungeon as me. For a frame of reference, the game caters to both the solo player and those who prefer to group. The former, like me, can play through the Main Quest which is just for the lone wolf to experience, and can play each of the faction quests in the open world.

The world does have other players running, jumping, riding, fighting, and posing which can break immersion if you let it. That's key, "if you let it." If you can ignore, or journey away from the clusterfucked cities where there are less players, the game does feel more like a traditional TES experience. You can have a lot of fun just harvesting ingredients as the gameworld is very pretty.

[/blockquote]

I think I'll add my own two cents to this. Sure the jumping on top of things and other silly stuff that people get up to; I once danced on a mushroom while waiting for more people to turn up for a boss, can be distracting but you can't deny that the cities in eso feel way more lively than those in any single player elder scrolls game. The emptiness of the cities in skyrim can be just as immersion breaking as those people jumping all over the place, take whiterun for example it's supposed to be a trading hub and yet it has 20 people living in it at most, what about that number implies a city? Hell I wouldn't even call it a town.

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/GoldenFool]Golden Fool[/url] said:[/b]

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/Paws]Paws[/url] said:[/b]

I guess the thing with ESO is that you could remove every player from the game and still have a massive single-player story. I rarely teamed up with anyone besides other players who happened to be working through the same dungeon as me. For a frame of reference, the game caters to both the solo player and those who prefer to group. The former, like me, can play through the Main Quest which is just for the lone wolf to experience, and can play each of the faction quests in the open world.

The world does have other players running, jumping, riding, fighting, and posing which can break immersion if you let it. That's key, "if you let it." If you can ignore, or journey away from the clusterfucked cities where there are less players, the game does feel more like a traditional TES experience. You can have a lot of fun just harvesting ingredients as the gameworld is very pretty.

[/blockquote]

I think I'll add my own two cents to this. Sure the jumping on top of things and other silly stuff that people get up to; I once danced on a mushroom while waiting for more people to turn up for a boss, can be distracting but you can't deny that the cities in eso feel way more lively than those in any single player elder scrolls game. The emptiness of the cities in skyrim can be just as immersion breaking as those people jumping all over the place, take whiterun for example it's supposed to be a trading hub and yet it has 20 people living in it at most, what about that number implies a city? Hell I wouldn't even call it a town.

[/blockquote]

I get that and it is a compelling argument, although a bit less strutting would be nice to see. Kids and their swagger, truly is the age of narcissism as they screenshot their pose and take a selfie to share on twitter and pretend someone somewhere gives a shit. Getting to a crafting table in that crush of humanity, elfanity, or whatever can be a teeth-grinding thing. At the same time, also can be compelling to watch some idiot with feelings of invinsibility get crushed by another when their pride gets a little too big for the boots they wear.

I confess that I have also waited for players to tackle a boss encounter, but normally just sit upon Umbrage II and wait patiently, but if there is a more perfect time to use those emotes, I have yet to see it.

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/Paws]Paws[/url] said:[/b]

[/blockquote]

The world does have other players running, jumping, riding, fighting, and posing which can break immersion if you let it. That's key, "if you let it." If you can ignore, or journey away from the clusterfucked cities where there are less players, the game does feel more like a traditional TES experience. You can have a lot of fun just harvesting ingredients as the gameworld is very pretty.

[/blockquote]

I guess this can be compared to glitches and graphic failures in Skyrim. When a mountain in the distance looked like a piece of plastic I generally just ignored it was there, my character wouldn't be focussing on some random point on the horizon so why should I?

But it can also be an interesting roleplay opportunity, especially if your character has weaknesses or quirks that can be used. For example, maybe my characters got bad vision, either permanantly or temporarily after a close call in the last battle, so it makes sense that shapeless blobs in the distance are like that. Or there's always the high/drunk option (the former especially applicable to your Khajiit, kitties just love their moon sugar), which if you really try could justify weird naked people running around and climbing on stuff in ESO. Or maybe a Daedra has decided to tinker with the PC's head (Sheogorath, I'm looking at you) and now most 'normal' citizens of XYZ look like they're wearing strange armour and dancing on top of market stalls, when in fact they're just going about their day normally.

It's a bit of a stretch, but embracing the weird and putting a spin on it could work better than ignoring it, depending on the context. And it'd be fun to just observe the weird goings-on through skooma-eyes - 'Holy shit, that Breton is doing the worm in a fountain!'.