ESO's Game Director responds to ZAM's questions on the current closed beta

Since ESO will have a deck style skill system with active and passive abilities, plus the ability to switch weapons in combat, do you plan to include a build/loadout manager for players looking to fulfill multiple roles?

Because ESO’s character development system is so open ended, we aren’t currently planning on a “deck” manager – there are so many combinations that it just isn’t feasible. You start out with about 17 abilities to choose from with a new character, and you can find many more as you level.

For AvA battles, will there be any leaderboards for comparison/competition between players? Would these contribute toward becoming the Emperor of Cyrodiil?

Yes, we will have leaderboards. We’ll go into details on how to become Emperor at some point in the near future.

Would becoming the Emperor be beneficial to the guild she is a member of, considering it would most likely be a team effort?

We’ll go into the benefits of being Emperor, including impacts on guild, when we announce all the details of the system.

What’s your favorite class/weapon build in AvA?

Personally? I’m still working on my perfect build. I have a couple of great PvE builds that I’m enjoying tweaking, but my Dragonknight dual-wielder with 100% magicka is not as effective in PvP as I’d like him to be right now. He does a ton of damage, but survivability is low. I tend to like the all offense/no defense type of characters in PvP, so I think I’m on the right track, I just need to tweak him a bit to make him better.

What comes next for ESO’s development?

Right now we’re working on the “larger” systems in the game. We have basics in for combat, economy, character customization, etc. – but these systems need continual work, design, testing, and tweaking to make them balanced and fun.

Any idea when fans will be wearing out their F5 buttons again (though many are continuously) for the next round of beta keys?

Our beta has started small, but we’ll be adding users regularly over the coming months, so everyone should check their inbox. Usually we announce on ElderScrollsOnline.com when we send out invites, so that would be the time to check.

Make absolutely sure you stay right here at ZAM for all The Elder Scroll Online news, views and interviews (including Tamriel Talk) as the most anticipated MMO of 2013 continues towards launch.

Scott “Jarimor” Hawkes, Editor in Chief

Michael “Ragar” Branham, Writer