‘Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited’ Ditching Veteran Ranks, Creative Director Says


It seems as though many of The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited fans who are upset about the game’s Veteran Ranking system may get their wish. In a post on Reddit, then clarified on the game’s official forums, ESO creative director Rich Lambert has essentially all but confirmed they the MMO developer is taking the Veteran Ranks out of the game.

Responding to a Redditor regarding raising Elder Scrolls Online’s Veteran Ranks, again, Lambert said simply,”No we aren’t raising the VR cap before we remove them.” While the talk of removing the VR system has been discussed, it’s never actually been expressly confirmed by a developer.

Elder Scrolls Online Tamriel Unlimited Veteran Rank
[Image via ZeniMax Online Studios]
Of course, being the internet, this quote has spiraled into furious speculation. On the official Elder Scrolls Online forums, Lambert clarified his response, giving a bit more context into how the system might work.

A little context here before this gets too out of hand.

  1. We’re still working on the system – nothing is finalized. (which is why we’re not really talking much about it yet)
  2. The intention is that once you hit 50, champion points take over. Veteran Ranks are completely removed.
  3. When Veteran Ranks are removed, we will convert any Veteran Ranks on your highest character into CP.
  4. To get a rough idea of balance – think of 10CP = 1 VR. (so 160 CP will roughly = VR16)

Essentially, how it works (as is being detailed so far), Veteran Ranks will be replaced with Champion Points. So once you hit the level 50 soft cap, instead of grinding for higher veteran ranks, you would be working to earn more and more champion points. As you earn more points, you’d be able to equip new items that would otherwise be locked out. However, even with these proposed changes, many fans see this as ZeniMax replacing one problem system with another.

However, some players who have a high Veteran Rank may not have a lot of of Champion Points. So instead of locking them out of gear they’ve already earned, Elder Scrolls Online players can expect to be given enough Champion Points to equip the gear they are using at their current Veteran Ranking.

Elder Scrolls Online Tamriel Unlimited ZeniMax Online
[Image via Zenimax Online Studios]
Nothing is set in stone, as Lambert details above, yet Elder Scrolls Online’s end game content seems to be too reliant on grinding for better leveled gear after you hit the supposed level cap. Game critic Leif Johnson, who wrote the Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited review for IGN, expressed some problems with the Veteran Rank ideal in an editorial.

“But the biggest problem is that Veteran questing feels like leveling through the game not twice but three times before you reach the ranks required for the upcoming Craglorn content. ‘Veteran Rank 10’ sounds so attainable, but I sometimes wonder if we would have been better off if ZeniMax had simply called the level cap 150 instead of 50. The only real difference is that you no longer receive attribute points for health, stamina, of magicka as you level, and the main story no longer advances. In all other matters, you continue performing the same actions without the comparatively frequent rewards through the first faction’s play through.”

Players are not happy with the proposed changes either, with many expressing frustration that they are being forced to play both a pre-50 play-through and then the post-50. Some players expressed disappointment, stating that barring the gear behind Champion Points is no different than making the Veteran Rank requirements, as players are still expected to grind the points needed to use the gear.

Again, nothing is set in stone, and by releasing this information early, the Elder Scrolls Online developers may be able to make the best system to suite everyone’s needs. Player feedback has constantly been listened to and applied in-game, as seen with the recent inclusion of game pad support to Elder Scrolls Online for PC, so there’s no harm in using the current feedback to make what’s officially presented something that fans of the game will be happy to see.

Playing Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited and happy about the decision to pull the Veteran Rank content from the game? Sound off in the comments below.

[Images via ZeniMax Online Studios]

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