A couple of weeks ago, a few guildmates mentioned the idea of going for a Dungeon Walk- of going into a dungeon in Elder Scrolls Online, switch our characters to walking speed and enjoy the sights there are to see. There was quite a huge response, so when the time finally came, we were able to form two dungeon groups. Our group chose to walk into Direfrost Keep.
It’s hot in europe right now (slightly below 100°F), so we chose that dungeon to cool off virtually, if not in reality. AC are not (yet) very common in germany, so when there are like 3 weeks of temperatures in the mid 30 degree celsius range, the flats and houses will get warm. Very warm. A guildmate told us that he had 95°F- in his flat. Of course, walking into an icy dungeon doesn’t really help, but it was nice seeing snow and ice, anyway.
Walking in Dungeons
It’s an interesting idea, walking in dungeons. I mean, why not run and still taking time to view the sights? While there were roleplayers in this walk, it wasn’t roleplaying that we were looking for. Going in, I had no idea what we were looking for anyway. While the dungeons in Elder Scrolls Online are well-designed, there’d still be time to read the books, talk to NPCs and open every basket there is and see the sights. Interestingly, the difference lies in player interaction.
Sometimes walking was excruciatingly slow, even more so when we had to turn back in a corridor in order to take a different direction in that room we cleaned 20 minutes ago. Or waiting for someone who had missed some treasure chest at the far side of a room. But we had time for conversation.
Deliberate Downtime
Far more time for conversation, in fact. Sometimes it was, because someone went afk, sometimes we had time to chat because we had to find our way back to some crossing in the dungeon. There was talk about the heat, of course, discussions about the dungeon’s storyline, deciding, whether one of our group’s characters looked like Jaime Lannister to talk about television series. It was a great way to getting to know the people playing with us a little better, and since we are a social guild, that’s what it’s all about, in the end.
It might be similar to what happened in the olden days when players in the early MMOs had to wait for a boat or a spawn or while grinding away, which is considered “designed downtime” and missed by some. So why not pull the brakes ourselves from time to time? I for one had great fun in experiencing that dungeon walk. There’s only one thing I’d change the next time: I’d turn running back on in bossfights.
Party Business 