General:Ask Us Anything: Dungeons

Originally published July 15, 2013. The original article can be found here.
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We answer your questions about dungeons in The Elder Scrolls Online. Read on to learn more.

Our recent article about ESO’s dungeons got you all thinking, and we’ve seen lots of new questions about them since posting it. In today’s Ask Us Anything, we’re shining the light further into the depths with some answers for you. We post new Ask Us Anything articles just about every two weeks, so make sure to send us your questions about the game at community@elderscrollsonline.com. Now, on to the answers:
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''Are there dungeons in ESO with multiple entrances and exits which allow you to enter the same dungeon in different ways? In the previous games, the dungeons were fairly linear and it was difficult to get lost. – By Ivan Colnat

ESO dungeons do offer some branching paths, and they often have convenient exits at the end of the dungeon. Philosophically though, we want the challenge from dungeons to focus on the combat encounters rather than from trying to navigate through them.


''In the previous Elder Scrolls games, we always had the ability to wander into a cave, old fort, or sunken boat to explore, plunder, and pillage. With ESO being an MMO, will we still have the ability to do this in a solo-encounter type situation where we don't run into any other players, or will we be seeing other players and having to wait for enemies/loot to spawn, or will these all only be group encounters? – by Brett S.

The Elder Scrolls Online is set up to be a fluid experience. As you wander the landscape you’ll encounter caves, forts, tombs, dungeons, and etc. Certain rare locales will just be for solo players, and some dungeons are meant for groups made only of people you choose to go in with. Most locales, however, will be accessible by everyone. Some might be too dangerous for you because of your current level, but you can always come back when you are more powerful if you want to complete them solo. We recommend grabbing a friend or grouping up with a stranger if it seems too tough, though, because that’s all part of the fun.


''Will there be a lockout timer for dungeons, or can we run the same dungeon with different friends over and over if we want to? – Jeramiah Linscott''

We don't currently have any plans to use lockout timers. You can run through a dungeon as often as you like.


''Will monsters in dungeons have the capacity to weapon swap and switch roles in the middle of combat like players? – By Redguard King

A select few monsters do have the capacity to do this. The Battlemage monster type is one example of this.


I am new to MMOs and am a little nervous about this aspect of the game. However, I am loyal to The Elder Scrolls, and I still hope to be able to play ESO! My question for the dungeons: must I be part of a party to play in each dungeon? Will party dungeons be well-marked for someone like me? – by Fajar

We’ll let you know if a dungeon needs more than just you to complete it through iconography in the world. Dungeons that require a group have a unique icon. While we want dungeons to make you a bit nervous, they are supposed to be fun affairs. If you’ve never gone through a dungeon with friends, it is definitely one of those things you don’t want to miss.


If you die in a dungeon and your party members cannot revive you, will you be able to rejoin the party after respawning? – By Scott C.

Each dungeon has Wayshrines inside where you can always resurrect. You will never be forced to leave your party because you died.


''I'd like to know if the enemy NPCs will be in different locations each time a group of players enters a dungeon, or if they will have a static location. Or maybe, for example, a couple archers, a swordsman, and a healer in the first encounter the first run through, but then the next time in that dungeon, the first encounter is a couple healers and a couple swordsmen. – By Jon

Each group dungeon offers a quest which can sometimes change the location, behavior, or types of monsters you will encounter in the dungeon.


''Will we find cookies in dungeons? :3 – By SOTD

As you are probably aware, in this time period there are no cookies. No one is certain why there are no cookies. Some believe it was due to the Knahaten Flu outbreak being directly linked to circular baked goods, which explains the oblong bread shapes prevalent at this time. Still others believe that Sheogorath made it so sugar became salt when used for baking cookies. It is rumored he did this over what he believed was an inappropriate bout of familiarity when his servant used a certain term of endearment. There is probably little truth to either of those theories. It is far more likely that a very bad batch of Bosmer Meat Cookies, meant as a sincere gift, soured the old emperor’s stomach and he ordered an edict to kill all bakers who even had cookies on their menu. So, no. No cookie for you.


In the recent dungeon article, you revealed that enemies function by a "pack mentality." If one is attacked, the rest will react. What does this mean for stealthy characters trying to decrease the amount of mobs before the rest of the party engages in battle? – By Kevin Khan''

Starting off a pack encounter with a stealth attack is a great strategy, though once your group has engaged in combat you’ll need special abilities (like the Nightblade’s Shadowcloak) to gain invisibility again.