Spin-Off vs. main chapter- an important distinction

Post » Mon May 14, 2012 7:26 am

First off, I'd like to say that Tamriel is an amazing world and one that deserves to be explored beyond a game every 4-5 years.

I have seen a lot of concerns that TES:O is 'butchering' the lore of TES to make way for MMO gameplay requirements. As a person who knows a little bit of the lore, though certainly not as much as some of the lore-masters in the Lore subforums, I have seen mild cause to be concerned, but nothing too overt.

First, we need to note an important fact: this is not a The Elder Scrolls game in the likeness of Arena, Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim. This is a The Elder Scrolls Online game. The game does not receive a numbered mark- this is not TES VI. This is TES:O. This is a game more in the lines of Redguard and Battlespire, two other major games set in Tamriel that did not receive numbered titles.

I think the decision to set the game during the 2nd Era speaks volumes in terms of the overarching story of Tamriel. Just as Redguard was set during Tiber Septim's rise to power, and just as Battlespire was simultaneous with Arena, we already know that the history surrounding the game is immutable. Placing the game in the already established 2nd Era sets constraints on the story. No matter what, we already know that Molag Bal's plot is doomed to fail. Regardless of whichever of the three factions- which are one of the things I have concerns about, as you can't so easily divide Tamriel's races into 3 'megafactions'- wins the Imperial City, we know that they never rise to power in terms of the numbered Empires. And most importantly, we know that no matter what, ~300 years or so in the future, a young general named Tiber Septim overthrows all the factions and establishes the Septim Empire.

The paranoia that is pervading long-time fans of the series (myself included) is misplaced, at least in the regards of the history. Assuming Zenimax Online does a good job of paying homage to the lore, as I'm sure they are doing, we should be more excited at the prospect of going back in time, as it were. The MMO is not going to rewrite everything, because they can't, and if they don't, it's not TES anymore. Instead, the MMO is presenting a scenario that HAS to make sense given established lore. There can be no 'Ebonheart conquers the Imperial City and reigns for 2,000 years of peace and glory' moment. Ebonheart can not even gain enough power to be considered an 'Empire'.

This is the age of petty Emperors and shifting alliances, of great chaos. We're not going to see the universe we love overwritten. I'm sure that the lore will be maintained.
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