Race-based Faction War is the lamest element of WOW and its being hard-coded into my favorite franchise of all times MMO. Elder Scrolls Online should have been the most polished, and most purely, sandbox-styled MMO on the market, with many joinable factions whose relationships to other factions, and ultimate destinies would be determined by the players who rose through their ranks. The draw of this game, after all, for many, many years has been the freedom a player has in it. If you wanted to play an Argonian who turned out to be the messiah of the Dunmer you could do that. WOW-style faction war doesn't allow for that. It kills that kind of open-ended play that makes the Elder Scrolls what it is. From what I've seen on the forums it looks like (just as in WOW) you may be unable to even communicate across faction lines! (So the game-mechanics trumping common sense begins...as if an intelligent chacracter can't choose to learn a second, or third language!)

Why do developers keep trying to out-wow WOW!?!? Especailly now that WOW has begun shedding players? The Elder Scrolls has its own unique flavor and play-style. Take that into a live, persistant world, don't break it to fit it into the WOW mold. PLEASE reconsider this design direction!

If has been in development for five years. It would be impossible for them to change direction now.

I can understand why you'd feel like that but for me, personally, I value the lore over freedom and would rather the factions was separated by race than have, as you put it, 400 free Argonians all fighting for the Dunmer just because the players want to.

I agree with most you say, and hope it shall not turn out the same as WoW faction war is.
However, I keep my faith in Zenimax Online making the right decision!

Too much chaos. Me and my 300 Argonian friends decide to backstab our own faction once it looks like the war is over and the Dunmer are taking the major city. Once inside the city, since we chose a new faction, we partake in taking all the nice new loots and rewards, and then decide we want to go back to our normal faction so we switch back. Too much freedom can be bad.

My excitement dropped lower now if that's even possible.

It's not going to be lame like WoW because it's a 3 way war. Also, it's not just boring capture the flag instances. There will be a huge open world pvp zone with keeps to siege, tow s to sack, towers to storm, etc.

That was a reference to the Morrowind plot actually...and it wasn't you and 400 of your fellows...just your character of whatever race you'd chosen, acting as a Dunmer messiah...my point was the level of freedom...though the argonians had been enslaved by the Dunmer, you could, if you wished play your Nerevar-reborn as an Argonian. And its that level of freedom that has since Arena and Daggerfall been the MAIN draw for many, many of the core fans of this franchise. Being who you want, doing what you want, and going where you want, have been at the core of this series all along. They are what make this game what it is. WOW style faction war KILLS that.

Okay then.

As long as I can talk with the other factions, I'm happy. If that stupid language barrier makes a return... I'm going to weep in a corner and cry for the lost year of hyping after the game.

I don't know ... if this is the other choice then both views are limited.

instead of doubling down on the tried and tired WoW mechanics they are tripling down.

I understood what you were referancing. My point was that such a thing wouldn't be possible in an MMO because it would be lore breaking. There was only your single Argonian Nerevarine in your play though of Morrowind, but in our play through of TES:O, they'll be 1000s of people playing and there can't be 1000s of people doing whatever they like without breaking lore. To go back to my previous example, if the game was how you were suggesting there could be 400 Argonians fighting for Morrowind. This would conflict with pre established lore and wouldn't make much sense, so absolute freedom isn't possible. I can't comment on "WOW style factions" because I've never played WoW.

So now WoW invented race based faction warfare?

Really? Man this new gen of gamers....

I didn't say they did...they currently dominate the MMO market and they are currently using that model. Thus the allusion. I am 36 years old and have been gaming since my age could be measured in a single digit. Save the patronizing.

Your argument is only true with the game set, as they have not coincedentally chosen, deep in the past.