Just to be clear I wasn't responding directly to your post, but to the OP. I was simply saying how I was going to justify it to myself. Even if NPCs are telling me I'm the only one I am going to assume they are wrong since I will know many other people who are in the same predicament as me.

Also, as far as individual SP-like stories having a place in MMOs, it very much bothers me and I think we're in agreement. I disliked how SWTOR, GW2 and AoC handled this and thought LOTRO's handling was much better, where you weren't some chosen one, but merely a pair of helpful hands, nothing special about you.

I really hope we are not each "the one" according to the story and they at least leave the contextual possibility of other soulless ones open for speculation.

At least some NPC isn't going to come along and grab all the credit for our work... right?

Someone link the other thread and lets just go play ultimate frisbee.

Its called instancing. In your game, you are the only Soulless One. In their game, they are they only Soulless One. In your game, they are just companions helping you on your quest...Like Lydia or something.

I don't have a problem with it at all. I mean, you weren't the only Dragonborn either. I was Dragonborn too in case you didn't know. It just takes a bit more suspension of disbelief to make it work in an MMO but I think it can totally be done.

Instancing and imagination. You will go far.

I don't see a difference from the SP games really. I already know that there's millions of other dragonborns. As long as i don't think about it, i can enjoy the game.

I always say the same thing to these kinds of things. Stop coming into an MMO with the expectations of a single player TES game. I'm a huge fan of both, but I'm fully aware I'm not going to get the same immersive experience that's in a SP TES game. Absolutely no one should be expecting that from an MMO, even if it has the TES IP.

Molag Bol is taking souls by the hundreds so I do not see a problem as we are all going to be souless ones, and each of us has the potential to bring the prophecy true. Now if we was Dragon Born then I could see a problem as they are unique and singular in existance, same with the Nerevarine.

This is actually one of those cases where things are reversed. People weren't expecting something like a single player TES game, because how can you be the chosen one when you're there with thousands of other chosen ones in the same world? However, that's what ZOS is doing, making the main story instanced and focused on you like the single player games.

I've said it before, but ZOS has really got this all backwards. Making things "standard MMO" where it has a chance to break the MMO mold by staying true to TES, and also trying to replicate a single-player TES experience where it will come across as lack-luster due to being a massively multiplayer game.

I think thats what happens when you put a single player story line in an MMO. Its really stupid. Devs really need to get that idotic notion out of their heads that MMO's need single player story lines. Good story lines yes, but it should be about you fitting into the world or your faction or w/e not how you alone are the single hero and you somehow have to forget that everyone else is the hero too. Just stupid.

Not true in The Secret World... Sure you're chosen by Gaia, but it's made abundantly clear that you're only one of many chosen by Gaia, you are not THE chosen one. Even at the end of the main story where you make an important choice, you are told of many others like you who made the other choice.

You aren't the only one who'se soul is taken. It's more of a curse than a ''chosen one'' thingy. Though I admit it's a funny thought that every online player you meet is soulless aswell.

But a bit of imagination and roleplaying should fix this issue.

The missing link lol

I bet we get it back the second we have "completed" the tutorial Coldharbour!

After that we just prevent 'ol Bally from taking our world!

I don't have a problem the same way I didnt have a problem with everyone being Dragonborn in Skyrim- it's singleplayer.

Souless-ness has nothing to do with the multiplayer content, it's your private singleplayer story as the devs have stated.

Same as it was in Age of Conan for reference.

Ok so I think personally I will steal a leaf out of J K Rowling's book (to be precise Order of the Phoenix). For the benefit of those who have neglected to read this masterpiece, there is a prophecy in it, and it predicts a 'chosen one' BUT it turns out that the criteria for being the chosen one could apply equally to Nevil or Harry. I think I can use this principle to rationalise the multiple chosen ones here.

I am going to go ahead and assume that a good number of people had their souls stolen (or have otherwise lost, corrupted, or traded away said soul) and the prophecy could apply to any of us. My character will spend most of the game hoping someone else will go kill the big scary Daedric prince so he doesn't have to.

It seems most people will take a similar approach.

The only thing that I am afraid of in all of this is that Zenimax will not be able to release new story content quickly enough to keep the player interested long term. Now many of you will say that is what the war in Cyrodiil will be for and I realize this game does have that aspect to it. However there are those players who will never go to Cyrodiil and how will they be able to keep the interest of that player long term? No matter what ZOS says they will not be able to release new story content fast enough, players can burn through the content 10 times faster then any of their predictions and there will be no way for them to keep up to that pace, no way what so ever.

This was the mistake Bioware made with SWTOR and after you had been through the story in both the Empire and the Republic the game was basically over unless you enjoyed their feeble attempt at endgame PvP. Now if the PvP is somehow nothing more then a Zerg war with no real tactics and strategies to speak of, and the largest side always wins the day that part of the game will get old fast as well. I hope that is not the case, in DAoC I played for 5 years and most of that time was spent in the three faction war on the Frontier because it had lots of tactics and strategy to it and each battle was its own affair and very fun indeed.

Without Collision Detection in place I really do worry that the three alliance war will be nothing more then the largest side always wins. If they can somehow manage to not have that happen and incorporate strategy and tactics into the war effort then I can see myself in TESO for many years, if not it will be a slightly longer ride then SWTOR was because this game has three stories to explore instead of the two found in SWTOR.

Personally I'm okay with the way they're doing it but I would prefer to be "no body" more or less. Having the whole story told in a multiplayer fashion (as if you're just one actor in the events) would certainly make better use of the MMO aspect.

But I think a single player story with additional multiplayer content appeals to people as well. Maybe not to you...But like I said, that's what I really wanted out of a multiplayer TES game. I was never expecting or wanting an MMO. I wanted a SP TES game with the option to do coop (I can join a friends game and do quests with them) and multiplayer (online competitive Arena matches, death matches, Capture the Elder Scroll.)

I think that's basically what we're getting: A Single player experience with PvP and dungeons. Friends can join up with you during your story, but they don't have to. The Adventure Zones, dungeons, and PvP will be the areas where you need other people.

I'm worried about how fast they'll be able to release content too. Especially since quality might suffer if they rush things. I just started playing SWTOR though and I'm enjoying the story a lot so far. Its much higher quality than what I expect form an MMO story. I've also met a ton of people who were in the game since launch and have multiple characters at max level, yet they still play. So endgame works for some people apparently.

I'm interested in your insistence on CD...personally I want it too. I think it would be more realistic and fun. But I don't get how its the only way the PvP could be good and involve strategy. This might not be the thread for it, but maybe elsewhere you could explain to me why no CD automatically = Zerg fest.

I'm just the average adventurer . I don't want to be in charge.

Yeah can agree with that. Guess coming from myself as a multiplayer or MMO player it sounds a bit greedy or selfish to say that story's should be catered to us as well. I do get that many prefer the solo or duo paths of playing MMO's but yeah i certainly think there is room for a middle ground there somewhere.

I am confident though that ZOS will not take SWTORs approach and put too big a focus on the story content, I really think ZOS can strike a good middle ground between story and multiplayer content. Because while I begrudge SWTOR for its too big of a focus on story stuff, I did thoroughly enjoy the class story's while leveling up, it was just the end game and lack of general polish on all other aspects of the game outside the story stuff.

1st world problems

Its not immersion breaking when your mate plays SP on the PC next to you (or the other side of the world) taking the same path? but it is when you both stand at the same npc on 1 screen before it goes to a solo instance? isn't the fact that you know it isn't reality the immersion breaking bit? ;p

As for old skool rpg's ;p damn i really love FF7 just gave up a new start a few months ago,.. nothing left to do but grind north cave ;p

I love TES game because of the overall freedom,. and they cant have the TES label and not deliver on this aspect.

I'm probably going to avoid the story or just ignore it when it's done (assuming that online follows the TES tradition of no-one recognising your achievements to the point where you can complete the game and still be asked if you fetch the mead for the companions)

Not in- dare I say it?- Wow! TES could still tell an awesome story with you as the protagonist without being the lone savior of the universe.