Elder Scrolls: Online; What will you do?

[Tesknowitall]

Altmer for me, I love them so.
Plus, I really want to see the Summerset Isles.

ehhh buddy count me in! Aldmeri Dominion!!! im going for emporer, im going so hard at this game haha

[DarkSeraphim27]

I prefer Imperials, but with their absense from a playable faction I am going to be a member of the Dominion and go Wood Elf on anyone who enters my forest.

[AeraDunmerMoon]

I will probably start out making 3 different characters, at least one for each alliance, and tinkering around with game mechanics to see what play style suits me best. If each of their stories are sufficiently different, I may make additional characters of different races to test story differences among races within the same alliance. I'll bring all my characters to PVP level, and then some will remain PVE and some will go PVP, in a variety of capacities.
.-. This is why I'm never very high levels in MMOs. I'm not a focused player...

[deadfong]

Likely Daggerfall Covenant, Breton spellcaster.

[shu]

If I actually get the game, I'll be a Breton. Just wondering if you can visit the other factions' territories, maybe as an incursion or something. It would be a shame if I can only see the Daggerfall Covenant lands and Cyrodiil.

[Enodoc]

[...]Just wondering if you can visit the other factions' territories, maybe as an incursion or something. It would be a shame if I can only see the Daggerfall Covenant lands and Cyrodiil.

It has been confirmed that you can't enter other faction's territories. But you can create a character in each of the three factions, so if you do that you won't miss out on seeing the other lands, and you also get to play two other storylines.
ZOS must know the disappointment they have caused by not allowing you to enter other territories, maybe they'll bring out an expansion a few years down the line which has an exceedingly long and difficult questline for those characters who want to defect to a different faction, or one in which travel into other territories is allowed peacefully for some convoluted reason, provided you have the appropriate disguise.

[shu]

[...]Just wondering if you can visit the other factions' territories, maybe as an incursion or something. It would be a shame if I can only see the Daggerfall Covenant lands and Cyrodiil.

It has been confirmed that you can't enter other faction's territories. But you can create a character in each of the three factions, so if you do that you won't miss out on seeing the other lands, and you also get to play two other storylines.
ZOS must know the disappointment they have caused by not allowing you to enter other territories, maybe they'll bring out an expansion a few years down the line which has an exceedingly long and difficult questline for those characters who want to defect to a different faction, or one in which travel into other territories is allowed peacefully for some convoluted reason, provided you have the appropriate disguise.

Shame. I think it would have been interesting, like going somewhere to spy or catch a spy that has entered your land.

[Linkuya]

Ebonheart sounds great for me, since I'll be playing as a nord.

Can you cross change pacts? For example, could you play as a nord and join the Daggerfall pact?

[Skrofler]

Can you cross change pacts? For example, could you play as a nord and join the Daggerfall pact?

No.

EDIT: You will be able to travel to other provinces though. It's a bit unclear at the moment what you will be able to do there.

Old entry outdated: ((In fact, you will not be able to even visit opposing provinces. Nord players will only be found in Skyrim, Morrowind, Black Marsh and Cyrodiil.))

[Linkuya]

That seems like a strange choice..

[dzio]

How are they going to explain that one? I mean, in all previous TES games there were people of all races living in every province. Sure, there's a lot of Nords in Skyrim and not that many Bosmer, but they're still there. And suddenly a Khajiit can't go to Morrowind? Why?

[deathm00n]

Sorry, but Skrofler is wrong. They said this would happen when the game was announced, but now they changed it. Yes, you can go to other provinces, but to get there you will need to be at a higher level. And your quest will be different from the ones of people who started there. So every character can go anywhere in the world. But you will propably be attacked, so be prepared.

Can't get you any sources as I'm at work right now.

[dzio]

Now that makes a lot more sense. Not sure about the level limit though, at least not for RP servers. I could easily imagine roleplaying as a traveling merchant, or a sellsword, or a bard - they could be from any province and they would have a good reason to travel all over Tamriel without engaging in the war between factions. Or you could do that, while secretly spying for your faction.

[Skrofler]

Can't get you any sources as I'm at work right now.

Well this certainly is good news. Thanks for the update. I admit not quite staying up to date recently, and I really didn't think the faction lock would change before a major post-release patch.

For sources, Tamriel Foundry does a good job of keeping their development FAQ updated. I found the right preview there.

[ZackyZombify]

The other provinces are to be "unlocked" at level 50, which is the level cap.

[Enodoc]

The way it appears to be currently is like this:
You can't enter other faction's territories until you have completed your own Alliance storyline and reached Level 50. Once you have reached Level 50, you will be able to choose one of the other Alliance areas to go to and play through a story there as Level 50+. When you've finished that one (and only when you've finished it), you will be able to go to the final Alliance territory and play the story there as Level 50++. I think they also said when you go to the 50+ and 50++ areas, you will only see players from your Alliance, and not players from the Alliance whose territory you are in (a lore reason for this is expected, but has not been announced).

See also:

Why can't I play any race in any alliance?
What kind of veteran gameplay will ESO have?

[Linkuya]

Can you cross change pacts? For example, could you play as a nord and join the Daggerfall pact?

No.

EDIT: You will be able to travel to other provinces though. It's a bit unclear at the moment what you will be able to do there.

Old entry outdated: ((In fact, you will not be able to even visit opposing provinces. Nord players will only be found in Skyrim, Morrowind, Black Marsh and Cyrodiil.))

Ah, I see your edit, that's good news. It would seem foolhardy to not be able to experience all the game's lands.

[Jun Satou]

I will be on the sidelines burdening my one goal - to assassinate every Altmer.

Meanwhile my other Dunmeric brothers and sisters can invade through the borders of the Dominion of Elseweyr and Valenwood, setting ablaze to anything and everything.

The Argonians and Nords can take out the Bretons... and Orcs...and Redguards, I'm sure of it... Haha, I mean come on, Magic resistance, Bretons? Useful against Nords and Argonians whom seldom use magic?

[trueguitarist95]

I'll probably either make a Nord or an Argonian. I'll probably do the Argonian because I want a stealth character while my friend will probably choose the Nord so we can be the dynamic duo or some crap.

[Goldbrand]

A Bosmer, because I just am always an archer in ES games, OR a Breton, for really the same reason as Avron, their whole dynasty and interior affairs intrigue me.

and I like things that begin with B...

[Avron the S'wit]

That's the spirit, Goldbrand.

I'm actually hoping there will be a decent few of my forum friends in the Covenant, just for purposes of adventures and all. I've been looking into guilds and such, but I always hold out on those... I'm such a lone ranger.

[Imp]

How far do you think they will go when they say there are no limitations?

[Kerr]

A Breton Spellswordy character is what I'm planning to do.

[m1l4droid]

I've yet to decide what class of character I'm going to pick in TESO. I had 3 characters in Skyrim, a sneaky type, a pure mage and a warrior. Assuming the gameplay isn't going to be very different from Skyrim, I'm having seriously a hard time choosing a class.

There is a nice thrill in backstabbing foes as a sneaky character, but as a mage you can do a lot of cool stuff. And being a warrior has a different feel of raw power. But since I usually play the sneaky type, I think I'm going to go with this. I think I will pick a Dunmer as my first character.

[Baloth-Kul]

If I DO get ESO, I would very much like to play a Bosmer Nightblade. I absolutely love the thought of being a lone infiltrator, or working in a small group to achieve an objective. Imagine, if you will;

The PvP in Cyrodiil is chaotic, hundreds of PCs fighting back and forth, capturing and recapturing forts and resource buildings. As a large force of your alliance-mates assault a keep, droves of defenders come in from the surrounding areas--and you sneak right behind them, away from the battle. With their attention drawn elsewhere, you slip into a lonely enemy fort, lightly guarded. You take one lone PC by surprise, backstabbing him and laying waste to him. You creep further in, and snatch your prize; an Elder Scroll. Hastily, you make your retreat out of the keep, and sneak through the woods to deliver your prize into safe hands.

...Or some such activity. I intend to solo lots, and do objective-based PvPing--namely, capturing Elder Scrolls, and capturing the most unlikely resource points and keeps. Sneak into a fort while everyone is clashing at the walls, snag some cap points.