General:Ask Us Anything: Variety Pack 10

Originally published November 4, 2013. The original article can be found here.
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You had great questions about character creation and tons of other topics this week, and we’re answering some of them here.

Since the release of our video about character creation in The Elder Scrolls Online, we’ve been keeping an eye on our inbox and social media sites for your questions about it. Read on for our answers to a selection of these (and more). If you have a query about ESO, send it to us on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+, or email us at community@elderscrollsonline.com. Please enjoy this week’s answers:
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''I watched the creation video and noticed that the Khajiit and the Argonians have special scales and fur options. Do other races have something just for them, too (e.g. Breton hairstyles or Nord-only tattoos)? - Jane Feora

Because the Khajiit and Argonians are physically unique (human hair just wouldn’t work on the Argonian head, for example), we had to create an entirely new set of hairstyles, body markings, and adornments for them. The other races do share some of the hairstyles and adornments, but each race will have its own subset of unique hairstyles, adornments, and body markings. Dark Elves, for instance, are the only race that has House sigil tattoos.


''I saw the new character creation video, and I think it's great! But there's one thing that deeply concerns me: why isn’t there a beer belly for female characters? That option looked especially charming for males, so why take it away from all those beer-lovers who like to play as females? - Katri Kuu

We showed lots of variety in the video, but we didn’t cover the entire spectrum that will be available to you. In addition to the triangle, you’ll be able to individually adjust several parts of your character, including a slider for the stomach. In the video, the male character had most of his body sliders, such as his belly size, set to the maximum—the female didn’t. You’ll be able to change this to your liking for your character.


''How many hairstyles does the character creator have for each race? What hair and eye colors are currently available? - Jeff Glover

There are currently 24 hairstyle choices per gender in the character creation system. Some of these choices are shared between races, but each race has some unique hairstyle options. Hair color and eye color are also specific to each race and align with established lore. For example, Wood Elves have an option for black eyes that is not available to any other race.


As the constantly changing person as I am, I tend to always want to change hairstyles on my characters in-game after a little while to make it match a certain armor, or the likes. So, my question is: will it be possible to change your hairstyle or other appearances (like tattoos) in-game after you have created your character? - Therese Ström

For the initial release of the game, you’ll only be able to select hairstyle and adornment choices in the character creation screen at the beginning of the game.  We hope to provide enough options to allow you to create a unique avatar. But we feel the same as you—over time, players want to change their appearance as they develop their characters, so we do have plans to release additional hairstyles, tattoos, adornments, etc. in post-launch content updates. 


You’ve stated that the different races have their own versions of armor and weapons. Let’s say I was a Nord: can I get the Khajiit or Elven or any other versions of the steel armor and wear their version instead of the Nordic one? - Evan Stokes

Yes, any race can wear any armor, even the specific racial-style armors. As a Nord, you aren’t limited to wearing only Nord cultural armor. You can be a Nord who wears Khajiit-style or High Elven-style armor, too.


Will there be banks? If not, what are the options for storage? - Cassandra Kinsfather

Yes, there are banks in The Elder Scrolls Online, and they are account wide. All your characters will share the same bank.


Your armor skills are supposed to increase by wearing that type of armor. Does the skill line level faster if you wear more armor pieces of the same type, or can I mix the armor types and level all of them at the same rate? Will your armor level faster when fighting higher-level enemies? - Dennis Mull

The more of a specific armor type you wear, the faster that line will advance. Your armor will level faster if you fight higher-level enemies because they are worth more experience.


All weapons can be used to block. What is the advantage of using a shield? Do I have to be in combat mode for my shield to be blocking?

Shields have larger amounts of armor and have more mitigation when blocking than weapons do. They’re also used in the one-hand and shield skill line. For abilities in that skill line to function, you need to have a shield equipped.


How will we be able to join the real guilds in game? Will I have to find their leader and fulfill some requirements to join them or do recruiters roam the lands? - Amanda Lorn

We assume you mean the Fighters and Mages Guild. You’ll visit their representatives in cities and they will ask if you wish to join. Simple as that!


''Can you tell us a bit more about the resurrection or reappearance of characters who die in PvP? - Roger Kress''

When you die in PvP, there are several options that allow you to rejoin the battle. An ally can resurrect you if they have a filled soul gem, you can respawn at a keep your alliance owns (as long as it isn’t under attack), or you can respawn at your alliance’s entry location to Cyrodiil.  Also note that a siege weapon called a “forward camp” can be deployed—this allows a limited number of respawns for your alliance. If one of these forward camps is available, it will be visible as an option when you choose your respawn location. Forward camps are costly and can only be deployed far away from other camps from your alliance.