The Elder Scrolls Online: Witnessing a Metamorphosis
May. 29, 2014The Elder Scrolls Online: Witnessing a Metamorphosis
Over the years I’ve often experienced this strange sensation while traversing the vast lands of Tamriel, immersing myself in its rich lore and atmosphere: this bizarre feeling that Bethesda had created their world just for me. Late nights assassinating NPCs for the Dark Brotherhood or fending off Daedric invaders has frequently evoked goosebumps and awe.
Whether it’s fending off a vampire menace leading me to feel like humanities last bastion of hope in the darkness, or wielding the power of a dark lord making me feel like a force to be reckoned with, the Elder Scrolls series has always made me feel like an integral component to the world around me.
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I have come to expect that level of immersion and quality of experience from Bethesda, but when ZeniMax announced the Elder Scrolls Online I wondered if it would be able to capture the same sense of magic. This time I wouldn’t be traversing the mystical lands of Tamriel alone. This time the game wasn’t only meant for me.
It’s an ‘either you love it or hate it’ sort of game, which leads to a bit of a bipolar experience since you’ll frequently cycle between both sensations many times in a single day. Riding around on my horse I have taken some of the most breath-taking screenshots to date in any game I have played – let alone an MMO. I’ve spent hours lost in wilds of the Aldmeri Dominion admiring the landscape and brilliant quest lines, soaking up the excellent narrative and carefully-crafted lore.
Unfortunately I’ve also raged over my inventory being full every 5 minutes due to terrible itemization and lack of foresight, effectively breaking any immersion the game had established. I’ve become frustrated that items traded or put into guild banks inexplicably don’t stack automatically, causing further rage about the shitty itemization and often making me feel as if I was playing a game created by someone who has never played an MMO. The MMO fan in me hates the game, but the RPGer part of me is in heaven.
One of the more interesting things about Elder Scrolls Online, since it has not yet really found its identity, is that the game is in a state of constant evolution. While all MMOs evolve through periodic updates that re-balance, tweak, and otherwise improve upon the foundation and design already implemented, ESO is undergoing some drastic changes on a regular basis.
Every MMO to date has a basic structure: level to cap, run group content, progress through group content, wait for more, then proceed. ESO is different in that regard. Their whole design is built around exploring and doing the quests in Tamriel and Cyrodiil either alone or in a party. There is no end game initially, for better or for worse. The developers have designed the game so that it never ends. Hit cap already? Keep exploring the story lines and acquiring more Skill Points which you can use to unlock more skills – even at level cap. There is no real advantage in rushing to level cap in this game.
Well, that was the case up until last Thursday when Craglorn came along and changed everything…
Last Thursday Zenimax released its first major content update for Elder Scrolls Online: Craglorn. It’s a brand new questing zone designed specifically for groups and features the first raids of the game’s life cycle called “Trials.” With this update the very un-MMO game we’ve all been playing for the past 2 months suddenly turned a pumpkin into a carriage and was late for the ball. It’s given progression to the game and otherwise added use for things that previously had none.
It hasn’t interrupted the core foundation of the game too much (it’s yet to be seen how this will effect PvP, as previously gear was not hard to get for anyone), and has given hope and reason for MMO purists to stick around and opened the door for more to follow.
While I believe that the overall impact of Craglorn is being received as a much needed shot in the arm to Elder Scrolls Online, it remains to be seen what the future will hold in store for us adventurers of the Dominion, explorers of the Covenant, and warriors of the Pact. Will it continue on with the core structure of an online RPG? Will it morph into a traditional MMO that many are clamoring for and others despise? Or will it simply continue to walk the line with Khajiit-like agility and be a jack of all trades, not unlike many of our characters from previous Elder Scrolls games.
The latter seems fitting, don’t you think? I, for one, am excited about the possibilities and potential the game has. Let’s hope ZeniMax can light the Dragonfire in all of us and make ESO a game worth playing no matter your preferences. I certainly think they will, given enough time.
We recently caught up with some prominent guilds on the North American server, and our very own J.C. Wigriff had several members of one of ESO’s largest guild alliances on the INT Spec Podcast to ask them what their thoughts were regarding Craglorn, ESO, and where they thought the game was going.
You can listen to the podcast below.
WARNING! May contain language that is Not Safe for Work (“NSFW” for anyone with basic internet literacy)
The link to the website for theBallz Deep Gaming Alliancecan be foundhere.
Castielle
Senior Editor at Fextralife. I enjoy gaming, playing and watching sports, cooking yummy food, watching a good movie and hanging out with Fex.
It’s supposed to be coming to consoles in December. I hope it does because they promised they would let us transfer our characters to ps4, which I would love to do so I can play with more people from Fextra.
TESO is not a good MMO from the endgame and raiding perspective, but the pvp is active and the questing is fun.
As I have never played an MMO, and therefore wouldn’t know what I’m missing, but LOVED the ES games, this really sounds like something I will enjoy.
Has anyone heard whether or not it’s still coming to consoles at the end of the year? I find the lack of new info…disturbing.
Great article cas~!
I’ve been playing TESO aka “ES with friends” and I can agree that it is most certainly not an mmo. Basic MMO mechanics are poorly thought out and implemented but questing and exploration as well as lore are in-depth and satisfying!
Interface is very minimalist and grouping entirely optional, to the point if you idle around in the landscape chat fades off as people don’t talk as much and you really get the feeling you are alone. Of course this will depend on the area and how close you are to the bulk of users, but overall I have greatly enjoyed it as an Elder Scrolls game. If someone wants to play a great MMO, Rift is there for you
I’m a HUGE fan of The Elder Scrolls world as well. It’s just all around phenominal.
I was hugely dissapointed when I playes TESO beta though. I get that it was a beta, it wasn’t what they hadn’t finished that bugged me. It’s what they had finished. To put it simply, it was like playing WoW, but with TES lore. Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up for a new kind of MMO. I would hardly call it “Mold breaking”.
But maybe that’s just me.
