Elder Scrolls Online: Alliances at War

PvP is covered in this edition of Ask Us Anything

In another edition of Elder Scrolls Online's Ask Us Anything, PvP takes the spotlight. If you'er even half as excited for ESO as I am then you know the province of Cyrodiil is host to a three faction war. You and your faction will fight for control over the Imperial City and ultimately for domination of the White Gold Tower, one of the most famous monuments in Tamriel.

In order to spread your factions banner, siege warfare is necessary as you claw your way towards the Imperial City. Siege weapons range from mobile constructs like a simple ram, to stationary weapons like catapults and trebuchets. These weapons are purchased through a currency called "Alliance Points." Personally I think it would be interesting if crafters made the siege arsenal themselves, but the point system ensures any player is able to obtain these valuable weapons.

One question concerns a valuable strategic element: resources. Some keeps may be too strong to attack outright. In this case it may be in your best interest to cut off the keep's supplies. There are three supply depots with different effects and boosts to the keeps and its occupants.

  • Lumber Mills: Make keep doors stronger, and allow doors to repair themselves over time.
  • Farms: The supply of food helps keep guards stay in tip-top shape.
  • Mines: Mines keep your fortress walls reinforced and allows them to repair over time.

Controlling all three of these will stop the other factions patrols in the surrounding area, and thus the war of attrition will begin!

Stealth is something that usually garners a love-hate relationship in mmos. The route that ESO is taking sounds like it may keep stealthers from being able to just disappear from combat by making stealthing something that is actually difficult to coordinate.

Players are taken out of stealth upon taking ANY amount of damage, even light AOEs will knock you out of invisibility. Some spells are made to detect stealthers as well. Stealth also drains stamina, so if you use it too long, you risk jumping into combat completely exhausted.

NPC towns in Cyrodiil will be valuable areas for players to dominate. By controlling keeps in nearby lands your factions guards will patrol the area around and inside of these towns. This will make it much easier for your faction to get in and out of these outposts to accept quests or do other tasks like selling items.

Participating in the war over Cyrodiil will give the player "Alliance Ranks." These ranks award you with titles, weapons and armor. Alliance Rank may also have something to do with unlocking parts of the PvP skill tree. Although it wasnt covered in detail, I am always excited about anything that can result in even more customization of my character.

For the full AUA head over to Elder Scrolls Online's site. Don't forget ESO has just started its closed beta; to take part you can sign up here. Stay tuned into ZAM for all of your ESO needs.

Peyton "FluidD" Montgomery

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