The Elder Scrolls Online Reviews
Zenimax and Bethesda have gotten their baby out of the first gate. Despite the flailing and wailing of some impossible to please souls about the downtime and what they were owed, everything has been handled cleverly and carefully.
Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset is an exciting new chapter for the MMO. It offers an engaging narrative that kept this progression driven gamer distracted which is saying a lot. Although the expansion didn't offer a new class we were introduced to a pretty fun new skill tree and despite the grind to unlock it, it offers some great new approaches to combat. With a beautiful new zone, intriguing story and only a few minor grievances, I highly recommend picking up Summerset.
An easy recommendation for any console-based RPG fan. Better with friends. The game introduces console players to the vast world of MMOs in an easy to grasp and approachable fashion with a ton to see and explore.
Where The Elder Scrolls Online fails is when it doesn't break enough from the traditional MMO formula, which is the same mistake other massively multiplayer games keep making, but the only places I've felt that weakness so far are in the monster behavior and quest systems. If the endgame and player-versus-player content I haven't gotten to yet also stick too close to typical MMO formulas, then it's going to be difficult for Bethesda to justify the cost of a subscription for The Elder Scrolls Online unless additional, fresh, and substantial story material is regularly added to the game for high-level players, maybe even on a monthly basis.
Freedom of choice combined with a wealth of content makes for a game that can be a little intimidating to tackle, but the lack of commitment or direction frees you up to explore it at your own pace. ESO can be a very relaxing game to play, and that’s why I continue to return to it after nearly eight years of playing.
As always, ZeniMax has provided quality work that never ceases to amaze. If you are thinking about getting into ESO, I would highly recommend it. No matter the platform, ESO works well and continues to bring wonderful stories to fans of all types.
Yes, plenty of compromises were made to create this hybrid of a traditional Elder Scrolls game and a traditional MMO. Those compromises will leave purists on both sides disappointed, but this is an ambitious and exciting epic that promises to only grow with time. It's a sandbox worth sharing, provided everyone is willing to play nicely with others and Bethesda keeps it clean.
A few launch hiccups aside, the issues that are and will continue to dog Elder Scrolls Online are entirely down to perception. If your hope for a sixth Elder Scrolls was always for a sequel set across a hitherto unexplored region of Tamriel; a game in which you could be the focus and aspire to be the sole hero, developing exclusive and ancient powers along the way, then Elder Scrolls Online was never going to cut it. Likewise if you're the kind of veteran MMO gamer who has to hit the level cap as quickly as possible to forever grind raids to attain the best gear, TESO's slower pace and exhaustive content may well feel tiresome and laboured.