So I recently finished my run of the entirety of Summerset's quests with all four of my main characters and I can now honestly say it's even better than Vvardenfell just by having a main quest that's just as interesting as the side content.
Summerset, Morrowind, and Main/Alliance Quest spoilers beyond this point (along with fan wank, you have been warned)
Regarding the main quest itself, while I'm still very,
VERY bitter about losing the original concept for Alinor, I genuinely did enjoy what we ended up getting, and a little headcanon goes a long way, at least for the visuals. (Some things, like the function of the Crystal Tower, might need a little more work to reconcile)
I mentioned that for the first time since the end of the Alliance/Coldharbour questline I actually...felt the impact of the story? I suppose that it helps that quite a few loose ends left by the original main quest and the current arc were tied up, whether or not they were done well.
Then there's quite a few of my personal theories and headcanons that were suddenly made canon or had an example in official lore which made me
absolutely giddy. And as always, the game even threw a few parallels for what my characters were going through, which is always a plus. (It could mean nothing, it could mean that the writers foresaw how people would react up to this point, but man, this entire chapter's writing resonated with me deeply.)
Anyways, on to specific examples with spoilers hidden with the content they spoil specified.
Summerset Endgame Spoilers: On the Big Bad
First and foremost, if there's one thing I didn't see coming, it was Nocturnal taking over as the Big Bad. EVERYTHING leading up to this point suggested that Mephala would be the one to be the "head" daedra in this, from the Prophet's warnings, to the goddamn advertising.
I might be jumping to conclusions, but it's almost as if Nocturnal being made the true antagonist was something that was changed late in development. There's the statue of Mephala included with the special edition of the Summerset Chapter, the promo art heavily featuring Mephala, as well as the preview quest, how much Mephala's realm was advertised years ago instead of Nocturnals, and just....Nocturnal in general.
Compare Nocturnal's rather....plain design to Mephala. True, someone probably thought that mimicking her appearance in Skyrim (a Redguard in a revealing bathrobe gown) might be better received, but it ends up falling short. Hell, her statue in the Evergloam looks a lot better than her. Mephala, on the other hand, has a much more interesting design with a lot of care put into it, yet she only shows up for a few scenes and is immediately out-manipulated by Nocturnal. She was robbed. Clavicus had Morrowind, and Nocturnal ALSO had the Clockwork City. Was this planned? Was Mephala being the big bad a red herring? Was there a change? I guess only dataminers can know. :/ There's still a chance that Mephala will come into play, but it's highly unlikely given she agreed to a compact with Sotha Sil.
That said, I am giddy to have a new voice try to act cool when you break their stuff then become more and more frustrated. I love bullying Daedric Princes. :v
Show / Hide Spoiler Text Above! Summerset Endgame/Base Game Main Quest/Daggerfall Covenant Questline Spoilers
Hooo, boy, Darien. So right from the end of the Coldharbour questline I knew that he wasn't done. There was quite a bit of foreshadowing in the Daggerfall Covenant questline that there was more to Darien than meets the eye. I always headcanoned that Jo'zira immediately discovered his location in the Colored Rooms after defeating Molag Bal, and that Hates had predicted him returning as their enemy using Shadow Magic, but they both kept it from Eolan, who would have benefited from knowing he was actually alive earlier (and stop blaming himself for his "death", along with King Laloriaran Dynar) but also could have caused him more harm in his vulnerable state.
When Eolan found the note from Darien in the library in Orsinium, my suspicions were confirmed. I always suspected Darien wasn't exactly mortal, or at least wasn't "natural". What I didn't suspect was Darien being exactly the same as Jo'zira: a magical construct made to be the vessel of a higher being. Of course, unlike Darien, Jo'zira was gifted his freedom and his "father" even helped him along his journey to become his own person, providing him with his own soul and "projector" for his physical form in exchange for recording the events of the Era as his father slept. Darien wasn't so lucky, and it seems like he's gone for good now.
Anyways, I was wrong about him being antagonistic. Turns out Meridia intervened to save the day yet again. I have to wonder if he will be brought back as Meridia's champion, now bereft of all free will and completely antagonistic to the protagonist. I never trusted Meridia, and the end of this questline gave me good reason not to. Maybe we will see her finally turn on us so she can get her own beating.
Welp, Eolan finally got closure, as painful as it was. Hopefully Gabrielle and everyone else does, too.
On a side note, I do love how they handled the timey-wimey nature of this should you not do the main questlines before Summerset. Apparently Darien is ahead of you in time when you meet him here.
Show / Hide Spoiler Text Above! Summerset Endgame/Morrowind Spoilers: On Nocturnal's Earl
Y'know, even though this was foreshadowed as far back as the Sweetroll Killer quest in the Gold Coast, I'm still a little miffed that Veya was just killed off like that, especially after learning all her very sympathetic reasons for wanting to change the world during the Balmora questline on Vvardenfell. I thought we'd end up winning her over to our side like Leythen, but nope. She didn't even get the luxury of being redeemed. I guess it works for Fjotreid and his relationship to Hates, who happens to be a lot like Veya. So now he's scared that his sister might head down the same path.
But man, she didn't deserve this, as misguided as she was. She could have had a little more dignity given to her character.
Show / Hide Spoiler Text Above! Summerset Endgame Spoilers: On the New Characters
I loved these guys. Well, I loved Valsirenn. She's right up there with Proctor Luciana from the Clockwork City as my favorite ESO characters of all time (and maybe even TES). She's like...she's like a grandma. She's so elegant and refined, but piss her off and you're in for a world of pain. I think her pain from losing her daughter was utilized much better than Luciana's, too, especially in her relationship with Leythen. I'm not happy with what they did with Luciana near the end of the CW I hope we get to see her again. And that nothing bad happens to her.
Now....Leythen....he's an idiot. I don't hate him, but I don't like him either. Yeah, I understand his motivations for becoming Mephala's Earl but....jesus he's so stupid. First there's how much of an asshole he was about Valsirenn, completely ignoring her pain over the daughter they both lost (at least he acknowledges it and apologizes, and they both reconcile). Then there's how gullible he is. I mean, yeah, Daedra Worship is forbidden on Alinor but...honey....did you really think a Daedric Prince has any interest in bettering the world from the perspective of a mortal? Also, why was he so goddamn adamant that Nocturnal would never betray the Triad?
Never mind that he's basically like the 4th Era Thalmor and believes in Altmeri Superiority, that being part of his motivation to helping Mephala. I dunno, at least he was redeemed before he died, which Veya didn't get to do.
Iachesis is...there? I guess? I dunno, I was suspicious of him at first, and I guess it should have stayed that way. It was neat to meet a historical figure, at least, and learn what happened to him and why the Psijic Order was quiet about it.
Show / Hide Spoiler Text Above! Summerset Endgame Spoilers: Crystal-Like-Law
So, again, EXTREMELY disappointed with what they did with the Tower. Originally it was going to be a conduit of Magicka from the Planets and Stars with "varlines" spreading out from its base to the entire island, which every Altmer was connected to. I STILL headcanon it as that being its function, even if the Orrery itself is missing and the Sapiarchs now have a new role in the finalized lore. (Though it seems like the Ancestor Clock furnishing item might be what replaces this.)
That said, I do love that they kinda explored the nature of the Towers again, though they mostly focused on Crystal-Like-Law's unique capabilities as a Tower that exists simultaneously on every single Planet in the Mundus, Oblivion, and maybe even beyond. (Though it was weird how they phrased it as the "multiverse", considering endless parallel universes or "Shadow Worlds" are a thing, but I guess that's the domain of Shadow Magic and the Elder Scrolls so most people can't see "side-to-side".) I also liked how it's apparently constantly rearranging its interior, which makes sense given how it functioned in Arena.
Originally the Towers, Crystal-Like-Law included, were going to be central to my Squad's story, but it was eventually reduced to just the White-Gold Tower when One Tamriel was announced. Might revisit that old concept as the "finale", along with the importance of water and memory, which I wish was explored a little more given that the Psijics apparently specialize in water magic.
Show / Hide Spoiler Text Above!I think that's all I wanted to cover? Once again, loved the Chapter. Almost done with what I wanted to do.