Ok so this may take a while to explain, so just hear me out.

I think at the beginning of Dragonborn, while we are riding the ship into the harbor, something will happen with Hermaeus Mora and we will be stripped of our perk points, essentially forcably resetting our perks. Hermaeus could be doing this for one of various reasons. Perhaps he favors this newly awakened Dragonborn and is trying to take you out of the picture, perhaps he has some grudge with you because of events in his sidequest (your time has come like Septimus's). Whatever the case, you will have your perks completely wiped out.

Throughout the DLC then, you will be seeking to regain your perk points to fill out trees that have been restructured and some possibly even dramatically redone. I anticipate smithing would see a nice overhaul (or I hope that at least) but new perks will be peppered throughout all the trees and they will have new linkages (possibly radically different linkages) between all the perks. You will regain power as you attempt to fight back against Hermaeus Mora, and eventually you will enter his realm to reclaim all of your old power. This culminates in a final showdown with the old Dragonborn and you have a no-holds-barred smackdown with him in Hermy's realm (because he is Hermaeus's new champion).

Alternatively, I could forsee you not having your perks reset initially in the DLC, but mayhaps you encounter the new dragonborn about halfway through, he kicks your a--, absorbs your soul (or the dragon part of it anyway) resetting your perks. You then go to Hermaeus Mora in your weakened state to seek a way to regain your power, or possibly the Divines will aid you in this endeavor. However it happens, you reclaim your perks from someone and get to spend them in the newly revamped skill trees.

So in a nutshell, the perk reset is a part of the main story and it is utilized to allow Bethesda to really tweak their trees to improve them and add new features into the trees. I think this would explain what they meant by saying "explore new paths" which some took to be new perk trees and others a respec option... well maybe it means something along these lines? Thoughts?

Noooooooope.

I stopped at the beginning where we're forcably removed of our perks. I'd rather it not be in the game, but if it is, oh well, I just wont use it unless I feel like it. Besides the point though. Even if we are given a perk respec, I really really really really really doubt it will ever be a forced thing. Makes 0 sense.

No.
I want a forced perk reset.
On game startup.

That...would be some beginning.

Before we go any further, I like to see opinions, but I am interested in comments on if it would make sense from a story/gameplay perspective. I'm not saying this is what I necessarily want, but they have been so scarce with info, I thought I'd engage in some really rampant speculation. I'm a fan of the idea of them tweaking perk trees and has already been said, they can't really add in any new perks or perk trees without adding in a respec option (unless they do it like they did the VL and ww ones I guess) and as many people are against the idea of a respec, I think this would be a lore friendly way to accomplish it. You get your "power" stolen and then you have to do some amazing stuff to get it back, and in the process you actually get more "powerful" (i.e. new perks or an entirely new perk tree, etc.) All righty then... as you were.

No. Dragonborn does not start like this...

Possibly going to his realm would do something like this and at the end you can associate all perks but,
this would not be for very long and defiantly not be at the beginning without adding to gameplay.

I think it would be cool if we get ambushed by those Dragon Cultists similar to the beginning of Tribunal in MW.

god no

Ambushed by Miraak's supporters would fit better for this DLC. Though, would be considered Dragon Cultists too?

This.

Fairly confident the DLC starts with us getting attacked by Miraak's cultists.

hope not

That's what I'm talking about.

I really hope it doesn't start like this, I would hate to have a forced perk reset.

hmmm interesting concept i kinda like the idea of having your powers taken away and you having to regain them . at the same time it would piss me off as well running around with a character that you put allot of time into and have all of that striped away ..... then again ... i dont know im 50/50

one other thing, why is everyone assuming Hermaeus mora has anything to do with dragonborn ?
just because we saw tentacle things come out of books , has anyone ever thought they could be Vines , there was one scene in the intro clip where our character shoots up from a hole and lands in a room that looks like its inside a big tree or something, inside the room the whole place was covered in vines . just sayin

wait, what??? Not familiar with the games are you?

There is multiple scenes that show you in the realm of apocrypha.

No thanks. I wouldn't mind a perk reset, but not if it [censored]s everyone else over in the process. No dice, would be a very poor decision if this was the case. Could see a lot of unhappy fans never touching another Bethesda product again.

How about you read one of HM's books like before and you get a perk reset. So for the people that don't want a perk reset don't read the book

I can think of ONE thing that would ruin this DLC for me and probably stop me from buying it.

This idea.

I doubt it cause that would call for a massive change in perk trees which if that was done it would make sense if it were an update. But if they do that then the forced perk reset would make sense then. I can think of some things I would do different so am nether for or against it.

to what evidence do you have to support your theory that it is Apocrypha ?

why do you say that ?