The developers of MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online have shared a new blog post discussing their core philosophies, goals, and planning surrounding the future of ESO’s classes.
“For us, class identity is what makes a class unique and different from other classes. This covers everything from a part of who they are, what they can do, how they look, what they excel at, and what they don’t excel at. When we look at class identity, we use two core pillars to support the experience: source of power and power fantasy.”
When it comes to the source of power, the developers are referring to the lore-relevant origins of a class’ powers that set them apart from normal citizens of Tamriel. Power fantasy in turn takes this a step further and influences how a character receives and is then able to use it (AoE, DoT, direct damage, etc.).
Different power sources and fantasies shape distinct playstyles. For example, Nightblades are elusive and nimble, while Templars are direct and zealous, preferring head-on approach instead of stalking the shadows.
“These differences help set ESO’s classes apart from one another in terms of their identity. It’s why some classes have specific power delivery mechanisms that others do not, thus contributing to a more distinct playstyle and establishing a stronger class identity mix.”
This is also why one of the biggest pieces of community feedback was about how subclassing interacts with class identity and game balance. At its very core, the subclassing system competes with the established version of class identity and balance. Instead, it puts agency into players’ hands.
ESO Classes – Long-Term Vision and Goals:
The long-term vision for ESO classes is:
- Every class will be viable in any role. To the devs, viability means players can reach their goals with the choices offered. This does not necessarily mean equally optimal but always providing multiple choices for you.
- The team wants each class to feel cohesive and true to its power fantasy with abilities, animations, and audio effects that reinforce its core identity. This means refreshing and modernizing abilities, so they look and feel as impactful as those of more recently introduced classes like the Arcanist.
- The developers are committed to evolving design philosophies by using player feedback and in-game data to help guide class updates.
The primary goals that support the long-term vision includes:
- Strengthen the unique identities of each class, making them feel fun and rewarding, as well as thematically unique and engaging to play.
- Improve the balance between pure classing and subclassing, so both paths have their place in the game.
- Make each class’s skill lines more varied and distinct for what they offer a role, so that each skill line holds something valuable, regardless of what you play.
- Use both in-game data and player feedback to help inform our decisions, ensuring changes reflect player experiences and preferences.
- Address power outliers in abilities and skill lines, and look at balance concerns as we progress through each of the classes, prioritizing mathematical and functional changes before visual and audio updates.
This initiative will roll out over several updates. The current order is subject to change based on ongoing needs: Dragonknight, Warden, Sorcerer, Templar, Nightblade, Necromancer, Arcanist, in this order. For more information, visit the official site.
