General Alliance Discussion, Spoiler free discussion of the three alliances. Options

[hazmick]

So now that I've been through the questlines of all the alliances, I thought it might be helpful to have a place to discuss it. Choosing an alliance isn't easy, so this might help new players with the process. Hopefully others can join the discussion, even if they have only experienced one or two of the questlines.

NO SPOILERS though, if you please.



The Ebonheart Pact. Nords, Dark Elves, Argonians.
This is my favourite alliance, though I might be a little biased since Haa Rei is an Argonian. I thought this alliance had the best locations, people, and quests.

You travel all over Morrowind, Black Marsh, and Skyrim. This provides a huge range of locations and settings, from volcanic wasteland, to swampy marshland, to snow covered pine forests. It was an absolute joy to wander around these areas, and I found myself spending loads of time just taking in the sights.

The people of the Ebonheart Pact are also some of my favourite in the game. The individual characters that you meet seemed to be the most 'real' out of all the questlines, and lots of them were memorable enough to leave a lasting impression. The leader of the Pact, King Jorunn (voiced by Peter Stormare), was my least favourite leader though. His character wasn't hugely likable, and didn't leave much of an impression (though he's only present for the latter third of the questline).

The Black Marsh quests were among some of my favourite, and it really explored the lore surrounding the different Pact races, especially the Argonians.



The Daggerfall Covenant. Orcs, Bretons, Redguards.
This was my least favourite of the three alliances. Much of it was bland and forgettable, which may be a result of a complete lack of anything to do with Orcs. I'm not saying that this alliance is bad, I just preferred the others.

The locations are split mainly between the plains and woodlands of High Rock and the deserts of Hammerfell. The former was nothing interesting, and there were very few moments when I just stopped to look at anything. Hammerfell was very nice though, and the desert was brought to life wonderfully.

The people of the Covenant started out really well, with some fantastic characters. Then there was a lull in the middle where things got a bit boring, and it only slightly picked up towards the end. The alliance's leader, King Emeric (voiced by Bill Nighy), was a decent character. He didn't seem to have much about him, but the dialogue was good and he was interesting enough.

The quests were rather forgettable, with only one or two making much of an impression on me. None of them made me care about the Covenant though, and the quests in High Rock felt like more of a slog than an adventure.



The Aldmeri Dominion. High Elves, Wood Elves, Khajiit.
I enjoyed this alliance far more than I thought I would. The characters especially were really enjoyable.

The locations here are as diverse as the Ebonheart Pact. There is the lush island of Auridon, the dense forests of Valenwood, and the open plains on the border of Elsweyr. Valenwood especially had me stopping and staring (and taking screenshots) more than anywhere else. The designs here are fantastic.

The people were great here too, especially the Khajiit and Wood Elves. Lots of them were memorable, and had me caring about their fate, which is exactly what should be happening. The central characters were some of my absolute favourites in the game. Queen Ayrenn (Voiced by Kate Beckinsale) might just be my favourite character in ESO. She's definitely the best ruler. I actually cared about the Dominion by the end of the questline, and felt a bit bad that I was actually Ebonheart Pact all along.

The quests themselves were pretty good. It had a bit of a lull at one point but Valenwood was a treasure trove of things to do and see. There was more lore than you could shake a staff at, especially regarding Wood Elves and Khajiit.