Ranking the alliance zones
Top tier
Rivenspire- "It was perfect, down to the last minute details." I dont know if you're aware, but this zone only has 10 quests! Considering that most are around 17-24, it shows that they really had a vision in mind. They had such a good vision that we got the Dark Heart of Skyrim quest line out of it. This is peak ESO storytelling right here. The characters are the heart of it, I like having a squad that you follow throughout the plot line, even if two or three of them are annoying asf (I'll never say who).
Alik'r Desert- Hey, maybe I'm just Hammerfell Maxing in preparation for TES6, but this is some of the most fun I've had in ESO! It has a nice aesthetic even though the zone is 80% sand, and it's the easiest to hit all the bosses and dolmens. But this is about the story! You only talk to King Fahara'jad like twice, but you're really here to help Azah, thank god the devs updated his model. But as well you get to meet and help Talia and Throne Keeper Farad, very underrated characters IMO. I wish they would bring back a lot of characters from the base game, maybe I should make a post about this 🤔
Reaper's March- Just as Verandis was a compelling character that really connected with the player, Shazah and Khali are what really made this storyline so good. While I think the devs probably spent most of their time working on the Daggerfall Covenant's quests, it's nice that they had enough time to pull something together for the Dominion. It's probably the strongest ending of the three alliances
Memorable
Stros M'Kai and Betnikh- Heavily biased because I almost always play a Breton, but I know every member of the Spearhead like I actually served with them. For a starter zone, these islands had so much content to them, and a couple of reoccurring characters too like Jakarn, Larissa, Kaleen, and Lambur that you can meet even outside of main quest events. Y'know it's nice when NPCs dont just disappear and they live lives when the player isn't with them, if only we could have gotten that from the other alliances.
(me irl with the spearhead crew)
Stormhaven- I am Covenant biased and I will not apologized, your Fav<<Emeric!! (omg I'm editing this after replaying the whole game, what was I on, why am I d-riding him so hard, I DONT KNOW THIS MAN, and I didn't mean that) But no, the different characters being targeted by Vaermina are actually interesting to help, like I actually feel invested in Hosni, and struggle with how to handle Sir Hughes' fate. It feels like the vestige is putting on their Sherlock Holme's hat big time.
Eastmarch- OK, I actually remember what happened here, I liked that you didn't have to kill Fildgor, and I liked Nurnhilde's presence in the story. I enjoy the investigation you have to go through tracking the Stormfists, but what was going on with the orcs? They just drop that detail but never elaborate on it. Oh one last thing, I hate Irnskar, just bigoted as hell and nothing comes of it, like his dad doesn't even act like that so where did he learn that behavior?
Not Long Enough
Shadowfen- This zone is like 8 quests long. The Aldmeri Dominion is trying to cut off Argonians from the Hist and kill off a generation of an entire race, and you only get 8 quests 😐. What happened? What a crazy story that you just get rushed through.
Deshaan- The plot is so simplistic how could they fuck it up. This is where we meet Naryu, but I also feel like they didn't use Almalexia enough, and then it just ends out of nowhere. I think that's my big complaint with the EP quests, they just end out of nowhere. No catharsis where you travel to a castle and talk to your allies, it's just killing an easy boss and then having a scout run up to you requesting help. I swear I expected more when you confront Vox, but you don't even have an army backing you up.
Grahtwood- So you're in one of the coolest settings, but there are only like nine quests and most of it are fetch quests that build up to an actually interesting ending. I would like this way more if the player was forced to do some more tasks for King Camoran and learn more about him.
Malabar Tor- So why do all the Covenant zones get damn near 25 quests, but the EP and AD get like 7-8 to tell a story?? Zos circa 2012-2013, what were you thinking??? I like helping the SIlvenar and Green lady get married but like who even is the hound? The Green Lady doesn't even tell you who he is until AFTER you kill him?
Passable
Glenumbra- This is where you meet Gabrielle and Darien, and Angof is a good villain (although he's only interesting once you find him in Coldharbour), but the story is just fine. Something something werewolves, something something wyresses, and then you go to a cemetery.
Stonefalls- Just like the last one, you meet Holgunn and Walks-In-Ash in Stonefalls, and the story with the Indoril family is really interesting, but the ending just kinda happens. I got attached to Garyn so I get his father's crash out, but I just don't feel that they got a good resolution.
Khenarthi's Roost- Weird that both the Covenant and Pact get 2 starter zones that connect, but the Dominion gets 6 quests on one island before Raz sends you to Auridon. Imagine how much more they could have done with a story about patching up relations between Maomer, High Elves, and Khajiit on this random island. This is actually a really fun zone, probably the most concise starter but I'm greedy and need more.
Auridon- I'm a big fan of espionage. I really enjoy the quests from the Dominion, especially here because the Queen's Eye work is interesting. The Heritance is one of the actually interesting antagonist groups in ESO, their thread throughout the AD quests is a big benefit, it makes the whole thing more cohesive. At the same time though, I barely remember anything that happens here except for Estre being unmasked.
Just Fine
Bangkorai- I like Arzela but I feel like things are brought up but resolved so quickly. The reachmen are taken care of immediately, Gabrielle and Darien show up for two seconds, and the Hallin's Stand stuff isn't even part of Cadwell's Almanac, even though it's the best part of the zone. I missed all of that on my first couple characters but I don't believe it was a me problem, please let me know if you did those quests or if Im just dumb. However, Septima Tharn trying to kill the Vestige in the Distant Shores because they can only die in a plane of Aetherius (probably) is actually really cool? why dont they address the Vestige being soulless and Daedric more often??
Bleakrock Isle and Bal Foyen- Now, for the life of me, I could not tell you a damn thing that happens in Bal Foyen, all I remember was helping some guy wrangle his guar, and killing covenant soldiers. Weird considering the story leading to and directly following it are actually memorable.
Anti Climactic
The Rift- So imagine you go from working with the Skald King in one of the best EP stories only to be sent to fight reachmen before the story makes an awkward shift to the worm cult. Why are the Rift and Bangkorai just the same brand of unfulfilling disappointment? At least in the other zone's you meet characters like Gabrielle and Raz sporadically throughout the plot lines, but Holgunn and Walks just show up randomly at the end to fight a giant that isn't even menacing. At least Septima Tharn is a character, who the hell are Thalik and Sinmur??
Greenshade- Ok so imagine the first leg of the story has you helping the Wilderking to secure his successor by retrofitting her memories so that she has someone to care about her. You LITERALLY insert yourself into her memories as the friend she never had and prevent her from being used by the Veiled Heritance. Anyway that story ends in like two quests and then you help a Bosmer who will end up being the next Silver, but oh no, it's kinda boring and repetitive. Like I always lose momentum halfway through and never feel like finishing this.
