Currently Online 
| #48 | The Elder Scrolls Online |
|---|---|
| guessed by | coolbeans |
| platform | Stadia/Xbox Series |
| release year | 2014 |
| developer/publisher | Zenimax Online Studios/Bethesda |
| genre | MMO, action RPG |
| links | Wikipedia |
I tried out The Elder Scrolls Online simply because it was available to me, fully expecting not to like it much and put it away quickly. You see I am not much of an online player, I prefer Solo play for the most part. Yet the solo experience of the game offered me enough to pull me in.
I admit, that it was probably down to me encountering the game so late. I mean it is out for many years now, nearly a decade. In that time it got a lot of updates, DLCs, extensions. So the game I encountered probably was very different from what the launch game was like. But well, I only got to it now, so I am in luck and can experience a much more developed game.
As I said, I don't give too much about the multiplayer aspects of the game, although I try it out from time to time. But the game offers a lot of exploration, something I am liking a lot. It helps that ESO can access a world with lore that was developed over multiple games by now and can just replicate this great worldbuilding instead of starting at zero. And the resultis a world that feels real, with history and lived in.
And they make use of it. I started in Morrowind and therefore it is so far the region I have explored the most, so let's use it as an example. This small part of the world is home mostly to Dunmer (dark elves) and dominated by volcanic ashlands. Here I can learn about the Chimer, the fair skinned predecessors of the Dunmer. I can see how the Dunmer are organized in different great houses that control certain cities, and these houses have distinct architecture visible in their cities. But also the Ashlanders, Dunmer that still live in tribes and worship the good Daedric Princes instead of the living gods of the Tribunal. The house elves recently abolished slavery (except House Telvanni), mostly enslaving Argonians. There are still conflicts around this, Dunmer that still want to employ slaves. But also Arginian settlements near elvish cities. All of this is a colorful tapestry to build the world and give the player quests to follow. And the world feels filled and thought through. I even met a person shoveling silt strider poo. Because someone has to do it.
I also love how the game develops recurring characters, that you meet regularly in the world. I like the Khajit Razum-dar, who always is near trouble and has a job for you. But there are quite some characters that get a proper development and can be met again and again. This is fun, the 'I know you' effect.
The game is enormous. This is probably down to the years of development, it now has a lot of quite meaty regions. As I wrote, I started off in Morrowind, but ventured into some other regions by now, but I am far from having explored the game in full. So content wise you have a lot before you run out of things to discover.
I should mention though the monetization as a major downside. I am fine with a monthly fee for an online game as such in form of ESO Plus. But Bethesda doesn't stop here, the Crown shop (the in-game currency you can buy with real money) offers ridiculous stuff. And to outrageous prices - remember this are all just digital goods. Bethesda should concentrate on the subscription model and reduce the other monetization schemes. But I guess they are most lucrative.
Despite that I really enjoy exploring Tamriel and meeting all these characters. Once I have fully explored the game (which can still be a while) I am not sure if there is more to it for me, although I may consider playing with another class again. We'll see.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnpTgepe1tA&ab_channel=BethesdaSoftworks
