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I'm thinking of playing ESO and would appreciate feedback.
Rheanon
Member UncommonPosts: 130
I love the Elder Scrolls and have played all the games since Daggerfall. I also have played MMO's like UO, EQ, DAoC,, a little WoW, EQ2, Vanguard, and most recently LOTRO.
However, I have read mixed reviews about ESO. It sounds like a great game, a little reminiscent of DAoC and although it doesn't have player housing atm, I understand that the feature is on the table. I don't mind Buy to Play and don't mind paying a subscription if the game is good. I like an immersive world with lots of classes and races, a big map, good dungeon crawling, and most importantly good crafting. Player housing is a big plus. I also prefer RvR rather than open PvP. I am not really playing anything right now. Your feedback on ESO will be greatly appreciated.
Comments
I re subscribed in November and am having a great time. IMO they have fixed a lot, if not most, of the problems from launch.
To be fair, there are still issues present i.e. lag in Cyrodiil being one of the main ones mentioned repeatedly. I don't like PvP zergs so I haven't encountered this first hand.
If you're expecting Skyrim online you will be disappointed. It's not. It's a MMO. The community is pretty decent; people usually help each other just to be nice.
I would recommend giving it a try, personally.
After reading your list I would be surprised if you didn't enjoy the game. There's no subscription any longer so all you will lose is the initial purchase price if you don't like it.
If you go into it with an open mind and not be hung up on XYZ feature must be implemented you are more likely to love the game. The PC and console versions have different atmospheres too, so think about which one you'd prefer. If you want a traditional text chat system, PC is the way to go. The console version has a ton of people who are new to MMOs, so if you want to hang with the more old school crowd and meet more DAoC folks, you are more likely to find them on the PC.
Also being in the right guild(s) can really affect how you perceive the game, but since you played old time MMOs i'm sure you're probably aware of that.
I find the world very immersive and this game has some wonderful dungeons. The dungeons don't begin to have some real difficulty for an experienced gamer until you hit veteran dungeons.
I also do a lot of crafting in this game as well as do PvP. I still can't stop playing ESO and I started being a beta tester 2 years ago already.
So I've played all the Scrolls games but I have primarily been an mmo player the last 15 years and from a purely mmo point ESO is my favorite by a long shot! It is similar to DAoC in the pvp 3 faction warfare and some of the dev's are the same (I think).
Do not expect Skyrim 2, this is the reason ESO has received poor reviews when it first dropped (and a crappy launch), if you are expecting Skyrim 2 I would suggest not even bothering
It sounds to me like you are a long time fan of the Scrolls series so from that I would strongly urge you to get the game and play it simply for the story-line and all the side quests. ESO will not let you down! It has far and away the best questing in mmo's to date (swtor a close second).
With the addition of the Justice System and Champion System Zenimax has added more depth to the game... in my mind they completed the game when these 2 amazing systems were added.
In July Zenimax will start the flow of info regarding Imperial City update so now is the time to start if my review has persuaded you to buy it, also, imho it is a no brainer to get the game as there is no longer a subscription requirement. Hopefully I have answered some of your reluctance, any other specific questions just ask below
Hope to see you in Tamriel,
Nimander Naal
"If I offended you, you needed it" -Corey Taylor
Not all who wander are lost...
Originally posted by laokoko
"if you want to be a game designer, you should sell your house and fund your game. Since if you won't even fund your own game, no one will".
A couple years ago I started to get bored with single player games as I kept feeling this sense of "what's the point of trying to win this game in a world made up only of artificial intelligence". I would just hit a point where I'm like "really, what's the point". I needed to transition to games where I could work towards competing against other real people. So in the last couple of years I've basically gone through the gauntlet of MMO's and have given most well known ones (and the lesser known ones including private servers and games that have been converted into MMO's like neverwinter nights). Right now, I'm enjoying ESO (on the PS4) more than any other game and feel like I've settled into "my game" for a while.
I played it for a while on the PC when it first came out. I think I was disappointed after playing it initially because I was hoping for a multiplayer version of Morrowind or Oblivion. I think a person with little MMO experience and expecting a traditional elder scrolls experience with other players is going to be dissappointed. In the single player elder scrolls games, you can head in any direction and find an adventure appropriate for your level. This helps create an atmosphere that you are in real world. In Eso, you basically have a relatively small bubble in the world that makes sense for you to be adventuring (at least in PVE). I think this is the main turn off for most disenfranchised (with ESO) elder scrolls lovers. After continuing to experiment with other MMO's, I realized I would need to readjust my expectations for games for the time being if I was going to continue this hobby. So after trying pretty much every other major MMO, I think ESO stacks up quite well (especially when played with a controller; at least that has been a big thing for me). Things I like about ESO in comparison to other MMO's are as follows:
- Exploring pays off
- Lots of different builds to try out while leveling
- Fun, active combat (especially with a controller)
- Relatively simple to understand the basics (I'm probably just a little slow, but the learning curve for some of the MMO's I've tried is a bit of a turn off as I am a pretty casual gamer at this point in my life).
- Nice graphics
- World feels pretty huge
Their are plenty of things I would change, but I'm not sure current technology would allow the things I would want for my perfect MMO. At this point, ESO feels like the best compromise to what I want in gaming. I hope I live long enough where I don't need to make any compromises in my gaming.
I self identify as a monkey.
Tips: level horses and crafting as you level, do not be tempted to use build guides - experiment as you go, eventually you will have hundreds of skill points. Also join 5 guild, I recommend 3-4 trading guilds and 1-2 pve/pvp guilds that you socialise in.
rpg/mmorg history: Dun Darach>Bloodwych>Bards Tale 1-3>Eye of the beholder > Might and Magic 2,3,5 > FFVII> Baldur's Gate 1, 2 > Planescape Torment >Morrowind > WOW > oblivion > LOTR > Guild Wars (1900hrs elementalist) Vanguard. > GW2(1000 elementalist), Wildstar
Now playing GW2, AOW 3, ESO, LOTR, Elite D
Ummmmmm, lets begin.
Game itself is not bad actually better than most recent games. I used to be like play a game for 3 months and find another one. Since TESO Closed beta I'm a solid player. Basicly game has everything I was asking from a mmo (EXCEPT HOUSING!!!) PvP and PvE content I believe is fair enough alright. I honestly dont know what the say. If you are thinking to buy a game. Dont buy any others I did that mistake, you dont lol. Try TESO, you might not like it but I believe you'll LOVE it.
All I do is PvP. Cyrodiil is HUGE, combat is fast, and the skill system is amazing. Over a year into the game and we are still seeing new unique builds.
As far as lag Cyrodiil is lag free for 21-22 hours out the day. Sometimes during primetime when battles grow to 200+ people there will be sporadic.
Honestly it's all about the end-game PvP.
Coming from games like Vanguard and EQ/EQ2 myself, I consider the PvE portion of this game very weak in comparison to what we are previously used to. I prefer challenging content that requires players to work together to achieve common goals, this game, as do most new MMO titles, require no such thing for the most part. This is a single player PvE game with a few dungeons and overland boss mobs but the focus is really end game PvP (all IMO of course).
I came back recently and played for a couple of months but the game just fails to keep my attention outside of PvP'ing, and I'm not even a big PvP guy. I like to group up and do dungeon runs and raid and things of that nature, this game fails to satisfy me in those aspects. It's not a bad game by any means, it's just not Vanguard or EQ/EQ2. I'm currently awaiting the EQ2 TLE Progression Server just recently announced.
I did not enjoy Skyrim as much as most (although I had 0 addons) and I only bought morrowind and oblivion during this summer steam sale. I did not enjoy this game in Beta but i came back to it after B2P and it is okay. the fact I have guildies to play with helps as in every other game.
I would say if you have $70 you can throw away with no regret then it is 100% worth trying.
Get with a guild that really supports PVP, and they'll help you get into sooner, and enjoy it much earlier than if you follow a route of thinking you must be "max" level to PVP, because in ESO it really is a challenge in terms of time to reach that max with VR ranks and some other mechanics.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
IMO no new mmo is mind blowing and probably never will be again.
I played DAOC for several years and now I play ESO. IMHO, this is better PVP. Some of the realm pride that was possible in DAoC due to realms PVPing AND PVEing together is diluted a bit here because PVE is one huge megaserver where you'll run into anyone from your alliance whether they PVP in your campaign or not... but that pride and identification and "us vs. those other two jerks" is there in spades. You'll get to know the regulars in your campaign (like a server but just for PVP) very well.
Although there are scoreboards (not unlike what the Camelot Herald had back in the day) and time limits for campaigns, nothing resets at the end... it just keeps on going and if you're playing when it happens you wouldn't notice it except for people linking in chat the end of campaign reward they got. You earn "Alliance Points" in the campaign that acts as both a ranking system for the campaign and a currency that can be used in Cyrodiil to buy personal equipment as well as all of the siege weapons, wall repairs, etc.
It has more easily accessible siege weaponry, at times fabulous keep fights that can last a couple of hours, lots of opportunity for strategy and tactics, a real ability to run in small groups or even solo if you prefer, a great semi-open skill system where you are only locked to 3 unique lines each class has and everything else is wide open for everyone to learn and use, including some of the more highly sought after abilties such as Caltrops, Purge and everyone's favorite nuke, Meteor... which a fighter can use just as efficiently as a mage.
Just be aware that all the guilds that are serious about PVP will require Teamspeak - no need to talk but you have to be able to hear what's being called... and it's definitely more fun if you run with a good PVP guild.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
My take on it based on your above points:
Immersive world: Yes. A lot of the mmo standards such as mini maps, an auction house, and damage meters are not part of the standard UI which helps build immersion. The way the quests are designed also shows a lot of consideration to building an immersive, cohesive world.
Classes: There are only four classes, but there are numerous skill lines that any class can take (weapons/armor are not class locked for example, and these have their own line of skills).
Map size: The world is split into zones, but each is quite big and the pvp map is also big.
Dungeons: I mainly play pvp, but the dungeons I have done have some pretty good boss mechanics and were a lot of fun.
Crafting: Imo the crafting is awesome, one of the few mmos I have played where crafting can be useful from level 1.
PvP: Is a huge RvR map with the best siege mechanics I have seen. The fact that any class can stealth when out of combat is imo an almost revolutionary idea (it really helps add to the strategy).
Overall: Its a really fun game imo; get into the non-vet campaign (for characters below level 50) at around level 15 if you are into pvp.