Mythology lives on in The Elder Scrolls Online

by Blaine Kyllo on June 4th, 2014 at 9:21 AM

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The Elder Scrolls Online (Bethesda; OS X, Windows; rated mature)

It might seem like a cop-out, but whether you’ll appreciate The Elder Scrolls Online really depends on whether you’re interested in it because you’ve been playing other games in the Elder Scrolls series or because you’re a fan of massively multiplayer online games.

Regardless, you’ll be at least somewhat disappointed. Oblivion and Skyrim fans will be frustrated by the adaptations that allow multiple players to inhabit the same virtual space. Seasoned MMO players will miss the mechanics that make it easier to quest in groups, among other things.

That said, fans of Bethesda’s single-player role-playing games have a better chance of loving Online, because the world so clearly belongs to the Elder Scrolls mythology. This is Tamriel, with its vast, sprawling geography and varied races. The stories and quests are every bit as good as those in earlier Elder Scrolls games, despite some repetition, and the fully voiced characters are convincing. There’s also a player-versus-player mode called Alliance War where members of the three factions battle over actual Elder Scrolls.

Bethesda says that the monthly subscription fee of $15 will support the long-term development of the game and the regular release of new content. For now, though, Skyrim and MMO fans will find more satisfaction elsewhere.

The PS4 and Xbox One versions of Elder Scrolls Online, originally planned for release this month, have been pushed back by “about six months”, according to Bethesda. Gamers who purchase and play the computer version before the end of June, though, will be able to get the PS4 or Xbox One edition for only $20.

Comments

4 Comments

mmodev

Jun 5, 2014 at 12:56am

Is the EU server in the EU yet?
Are there still bot trains?
Are there still node-farming bots in all the starter zones?

Are any of the following automatically detected yet?
- speed-hacking
- flying
- noclipping
- players in soul shriven rags farming bosses or doing quests in zones where any normal player would obviously have equipped some gear by that stage.

Does their subscription payment system still lock up the subscription fee as well as take a payment of the same amount?

I would need to know the answers to these questions before I would ever consider going back to ESO.

I left because of flaws, the servers being extremely vulnerable to exploitation, the unbridled gold-seller spam, the sheer volume of bots running rampant blatantly abusing the game and ZOS's inability to implement effective and intelligent solutions to the many problems they faced during that month.

I want to play ESO again... but I need some assurance that the game is being managed properly and that some key technical issues are actually resolved (not just "being worked on")

Content updates are great for an MMO game... but only when delivered on a functioning, difficult-to-exploit platform/service.

Umm..

Jun 5, 2014 at 2:54pm

This post seems late and repeating information that almost ever game journalist who has written on the topic has already stated. You just added the word mythology and passed it off as journalism.

Kyle

Jun 7, 2014 at 5:36pm

So what about console gamers? we should be able to get the game for 20 bucks on the pc. Sounds fair To me were the ones that are getting the short end of the stick