Elder Scrolls Online - Three Months After Launch

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.