It’s the holiday season, and you know what that means: holiday content for all your favorite games!
Should The Elder Scrolls Online join the party and get some sort of holiday content installments when the game comes out? I was going to write this article about putting content into Skyrim, but then I remembered that YOU control the time in the game thanks to the ability to “wait”; it’s not based on the actual day. So that might be difficult. But how about in ESO? With games like Guild Wars 2 and World of Warcraft (and many others) setting a precedent for being able to do this, and with other games taking heat for NOT doing holiday content updates, ZeniMax Online Studios will likely be looking closely at these options.
Bethesda has created such a rich history, culture, and tradition in Tamriel, so it would be easy to see your favorite city decked out in all the season’s finest. I’m certainly not Lou the Loremaster, and he went into real detail on the calendar and holidays of Skyrim during an episode of Elder Scrolls Off The Record, but here’s just a few holidays that would be fun to have in the game.
The 25th day of Evening Star is called Saturalia, and while its celebration today is similar to that of Christmas with the tradition of giving gifts and having parties, its origins are far different from Christmas. But timing-wise, it could be a fun addition to the game. The celebration and content period could extend all the way through the end of the month/year and the Old Life Festival, which is a time for people to reflect on their past. The New Life Festival takes place on the first day of the new year, and citizens enjoy the tradition of free ale in taverns around the country.
Cities and taverns could have party decorations, frosted cookies for sale from the vendors, and random NPC’s could offer you presents (that were either something nice or a nasty (like a fruit cake). NPCs could have a few new lines of dialogue thrown in, wishing you a happy holiday season, expressing how grumpy they are this time of year, or condemning all who would celebrate this holiday.
Heart’s Day, occurring on the 16th day of Sun’s Dawn (near Valentine’s Day), could present a fun time to “romance your sweetie” by purchasing flowers, special Tamriel chocolates, and umm… ~ahem~… renting a room at the local inn. You could buy drinks at the tavern for attractive patrons, and maybe even have a few new quests open up for discovering lost artifacts , documents, or (love) potions.
Are you ever frustrated that you can never find any items for a good price when searching for a new weapon or a piece of armor? Then you would love the Merchant’s Festival, on the 10th day of Sun’s Height (in the summer). On this day, merchant’s drop their prices to at least half, even more at times. If you’re looking to pick up a new sword, helmet, or health potion, you’ll have a good chance to find a great deal. But don’t head up to the Mages Guild, as they never negotiate on their prices.
So these are just a few of the fun holidays in Tamriel that could be fun to include in The Elder Scrolls Online. What are some of your favorites? Do you like holiday content in games, and would you want to see it in ESO? Share your thoughts, and happy holidays!
Excellent article!! As most of us gamers blend the line between the virtual world and real life, integration of holidays into the game is a welcome addition to our favorite worlds. That being said, the majority of the holiday integrations I’ve seen involve a number of ‘fetch quests’ for rewards. The integration outlined in the article is the better way to go, in my opinion, and better suited to the Elder Scrolls world.
Keep up the great work and have a Merry Christmas!
Thank you for the great article.May you be blessed on this ……
MERRY CHRISTMAS !
I think season or holliday events would be great. But only if they would fit the elder scrolls universe and the storyline of ESO.
Having real life holidays in-game is always a great thing. Brings the server community together and makes the game even that more social and interactive. All the above listed holidays should be added if possible. You should also think of adding some sort of gladiatorial day or week, in which the whole of Tamriel can come together and fight against other online players in one verse one combat or together against the greatest creatures and animals in all of Tamriel. Not sure if there is already an event like that in Tamriel history, but you could create one. Also you could have or create some sort of alcohol involved holiday like Brewfest in World of Warcraft.
Also in my opinion like Katjac said, ‘fetching quests’ are not a very big appeal to myself or others. Adding them in the way you described sounds awesome and the best way to integrate them.
Thank you for asking for our opinions instead of just deciding on your own as well! Keep up the great work and happy holidays to you guys!
I’m not as interested in common holiday events as I am with holidays from lore being added. Not just holidays similar to ours either, but perhaps the celebration of Talos and perhaps other gods.
I’m with Katjac.
I’m all for fun decorations and activities.
But the minute the “activities” become daily reward grinds, it loses it’s fun.