Elder Scrolls Online - Three Months After Launch

[Couchpotato]

PC Gamers Leif Johnson has posted a new article where he summarizes the pros, and cons after playing The Elder Scrolls Online for three months.

ESO remains overly focused on the big picture: big zones, big questlines, and lately, big dungeons. But contemporary MMOs thrive on the little things as well, such as the PvE scenarios in a game like World of Warcraft or Lord of the Rings Online or the focused, structured PvP content you find in WildStar or Guild Wars 2. Content, in other words, that you could log into and complete in the span of a lunch break or in the few free minutes before dinner. It's the kind of stuff that keeps players logging back in even when they don't have the time to bother with larger projects but still want to feel as though they've accomplished something for the day. Elder Scrolls Online already has a devoted and friendly playerbase that's remained true to the game in the face of enticing competition. Some of us actually prefer its brand of combat where you click your mouse and your mace thunks down on your enemy; still more enjoy its muted color palettes that evoke the cold realities of medieval life over Pixar-inspired rainbowscapes. Thus far, ZeniMax has done a good job of eradicating the bugs and bots that scarred the first few weeks of release, and they've done a good enough job to warrant forgiveness for missing their ambitious update schedule.

But now the work begins. An MMORPG is a living thing, and Elder Scrolls Online needs to grow. It may be too late to do something about the drudgery and awkwardness of the veteran leveling experience beyond 50, but ZeniMax can lessen some of the damage by introducing new bite-sized activities while still finding time to remedy massive issues with balance. The latter issue’s so bad that I’ve even started leveling a Dragonknight to continue enjoying my time with the game. At the same time, this frustrated endeavor gives me an odd sensation of hope—if I thought ESO wasn’t capable of staying the course, I wouldn’t have bothered at all.

More information.

 

[elikal]

Honestly? I have outgrown MMOs. Or they have outgrown me. I dunno. I don't feel the magic anymore. *shrug* Every new MMo felt like Groundhog Day. SWTOR was my last earnest try. I gave ESO a short because it was Tamriel, and I was seduced to Wildstar, which I tried... 10 days?

I just cant play this type of games, MMos. Always the same. It's just I don't feel the magic tingling anymore.

 

[Burress]

I can't believe you have to beat the other factions quests after you beat yours (about 200 hour timesink apparently). That sounds like a good reason to never play more than one character (unless you picked a bad class, then you can either enjoy not getting picked for dodgeball over and over after your 300 hours of work or… do it again).

I hope they change that aspect of ESO eventually, maybe before it reaches consoles, and then I would jump in.

I just can't stand long arbitrary tasks. Being forced to beat a main questline from two other perspectives, not because you would enjoy it, but just so they can pad the subscription length is reason enough to stay away.

 

[Roq]

Honestly? I have outgrown MMOs. Or they have outgrown me. I dunno. I don't feel the magic anymore. *shrug* Every new MMo felt like Groundhog Day. SWTOR was my last earnest try. I gave ESO a short because it was Tamriel, and I was seduced to Wildstar, which I tried… 10 days?

I just cant play this type of games, MMos. Always the same. It's just I don't feel the magic tingling anymore.

There is something missing from recent MMOs - none of them are really an advance on WoW, LOTRO and Guild Wars 1, in many ways in fact they do things less well... I had high hopes for Guild Wars 2, but although it has some great new ideas and starts well, they failed on many of the things (crafting, story...) and it degenerates into repetitive grind and party games.

One problem that seems common is that new MMOs are trying to be all things to everyone and the lowest common denominator of MMO players is pretty clueless, so, after a few updates, any challenge tends to disappear in a spiral of nerfs.

Recently I had a go with the Archeage alpha. Ironically they get all the things right that Guild Wars 2 got wrong (trading, crafting, seemless...), but get all the things wrong that GW2 got right (combat, dynamic world...). Sigh... Maybe Jake Song and Mike O'B will get together and have a baby.

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

Is it true that ESO has an Gold Seller Spam problem ?

 

[wolfing]

Honestly? I have outgrown MMOs. Or they have outgrown me. I dunno. I don't feel the magic anymore. *shrug* Every new MMo felt like Groundhog Day. SWTOR was my last earnest try. I gave ESO a short because it was Tamriel, and I was seduced to Wildstar, which I tried… 10 days?

I just cant play this type of games, MMos. Always the same. It's just I don't feel the magic tingling anymore.

I thought I had outgrown them too, but then a couple of years ago Everquest created a 'legacy' server that ran Everquest as it started, without expansions, and expansions were added chronologically as they happened after a month or 2 each. I tried it, and totally enjoyed the experience… again! It really felt just how I felt when I played it way back then. It wasn't nostalgia, it was the gameplay, requiring groups from very early. That's what's missing from every single MMO that comes out nowadays. So no, I hadn't outgrown MMOs, it's just that no new MMOs have come with the gameplay I like (forced grouping).

 

[Hastar]

Is it true that ESO has an Gold Seller Spam problem ?

Yes, but it has been getting better. Was really bad at launch. There is still spam in general chat and you get spam mail in mailbox.

 

[Acleacius]

It's odd, I hate factions in general when they are based to pacify pvp players, which I'm not at all. In this instance I disagree with Burress by 180%, be able to play the other factions after completing your own is a great idea. It keeps you full with content after level 50, not to mention it's not forced.

Afaik you could start another character or just do dungeons. Isn't the whole point of playing a game to have content to play? I'm not saying ESO has the greatest stories and quests, it doesn't but compared to all the other mmogs I've seen, it's good.

@Alrik Fassbauer, I've seen 2 gold spams in the last 30 days, on US server. I'm rarely on the EU, not more than 5 hours a week. There was gold spamming problems for the first 2 months and bots too, but I would say they are 90% resolved.