2 people found this review helpful
1 person found this review funny
Recommended
0.3 hrs last two weeks / 345.1 hrs on record (66.5 hrs at review time)
Posted: 30 Dec, 2022 @ 5:45pm
Updated: 5 Jan, 2023 @ 12:02pm

I used to hate this game when it launched, it was full of bugs, performance issues and it didn't really nail the feeling of a true Elder Scrolls game. But now, after trying it again after High Isle has launched, it caught me by surprise, big time!

So first up, the game optimization is finally good, no complaints here. But the best thing that has improved, is the very game itself. They really nailed the feeling and captures the magic of a true Elder Scrolls game. Of course, this still isn't the mainline series, since it's an MMORPG after all, but that is what makes this game great in its own right.

Elder Scrolls games are known for sinking a ton of hours into them, and so are MMOs. And this game mixes the best of both into one. And while I still prefer the mainline single player Elder Scrolls games, this is the game I wanted when I was thinking of playing Elder Scrolls with friends. I can have both now, and it's wonderful.

The game takes a lot of inspiration mostly from Skyrim in terms of combat, interface and progression. I definitely prefer playing Elder Scrolls in first person for the immersion, and it's what I do here too. The third person is flat out better than any other Elder Scrolls game out there, so that's a huge win. It comes in handy for dungeons or when you want to see your characters, but while questing in the open world, I prefer playing in first person. But the ability to switch on the go works great here as well.

The graphics look nice, especially in the expansion zones. Considering this game is from 2004, it still holds up pretty well. But God, the music is so beautiful. Many favorite themes of Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim are redone in this game, and they sound just as great. The combat is simple but does the job, and you can really customize your own build and similair to Skyrim, you get better at what you do. And many different zones from all of Tamriel are playable now. Even though the maps are smaller, it's great to discover many great different areas.

But the best thing about this game, especially compared to other MMOs are the world, story and quests. Everything, and I mean literally every NPC and quest is voice acted, which is insane for a MMORPG. This really helps with making the quests and story even better. And the quests aren't your typical "gather 10 bear pelts" quests, even every side quest has a small story going for them, which is really immersive. But the story and zone quests is where things get even better, and tell even greater stories with in game "cutscenes" which is really worth playing on its own.

I love playing this game solo and with friends, and you can really play at your own pace. You can go anywhere from the start and play every zone in every order. It even scales to your level, so you can flat out play with friends and newcomers as well. The community is the best I've ever seen in a MMO, and I literally get stuff daily for free from other players. They're really welcoming and helpful which made my experience so much better. So it's great to play a dungeon with friends, visit another player's house, to go back questing solo for that true Elder Scrolls immersive experience.

Since vanilla, I always played World of Warcraft and not a single MMORPG has beaten that experience for me. But this may legit be the first time I have more fun and a more magical experience in another world, just because it's so similair how WoW used to be. A truly open world full of adventures, many great quests to discover, and a welcoming community. Things have changed there now, and all the old content is "outdated" besides the latest expansion, making the playable world really small.

Elder Scrolls Online works hard to stay true to that experience, since everything is viable because of the scaled content. I keep discovering new beautiful places, engaging quests and friendly players in the world. If you're a fan of the Elder Scrolls, whether if you only want to play solo or online, I recommend this game. If you love MMOs and the story/questing experience the most, I also recommend this game. For me, it's both and that's why I fell in love with this game.

This is now at the moment of writing this review, my favorite MMORPG of today. This is the first time World of Warcraft has been beaten, but only because it reminds me of the magic it captures WoW used to have. It's a Elder Scrolls experience with a ton of content, but then online, as the name suggests. Even though you trade in some of that true magic the Elder Scrolls games captures to play online, it's a worthy trade off to play online with friends/other great players.

It's great in its own right and both experiences can live side by side. And how great is that we have both now? It's truly a great game to play if you played all the other mainline series and are waiting for Elder Scrolls VI. There's literally so much content that it can keep me busy for a very long time. If the game is on sale, it's basically a must have. You only pay €6 for the base game and €20 for the entire collection, so you get all expansions. So again, I can't recommend this game enough, especially for those prices. Just try it, it's amazing.
Was this review helpful? Yes No Funny Award