robc04,
I just started playing a month ago. Combat is basically Skyrim with the ability to dodge out of the nastier attacks from enemies. I’m playing a melee (DragonKnight) and enjoying the swing, block, specials mechanics. I do take a beating though in encounters with multiple enemies at or above my level.
As for exploration and story…it’s here in bulk. For the past month I have never had “downtime” in game. I’m never bored, there is always something I’m doing that leads to something else that uncovers a cool location which leads to a guy over there who has a quest which leads to a cool solo instance or open dungeon which leads to more discoveries and so on. The fact that all dialog is fully-voice acted helps keep me immersed in the stories and plots.
Overall I would say picking up ESO for $30-$40 is a great deal for anyone who enjoyed Skyrim at all. Even if you only approach it as a single player Skyrim-type game there is more than enough content to justify the cost, and if you also take advantage of the realm-vs-realm and group dungeon aspects of the game you’ll get far more than your money’s worth out of it.
robc04
3304
Thanks Slainte Mhath. I think I’ll pick this up for sure. Not sure if I’ll grab it this sale or one later in the year since The Witcher 3 will be out very soon. I would be playing ESO as a single player type of game. I doubt I’d do any PvP. I tried to start another game of Skyrim recently but don’t think I’ll last too long on it because I have been to so many parts of the world already. It’s hard to find new stuff.
I never played UO, but comparing TESO with GW2 and TSW, I’d say TESO is reminiscent of GW2 in terms of the relatively open world feel (it’s similarly open and fun/rewarding to explore), and reminiscent of TSW in that the stories are fairly well written (maybe not as well written as TSW, but better than GW2 on the whole, and certainly in the black humour vein of TES generally - however it doesn’t have the sublime cut scene puppetry of TSW).
The combat is better than TSW and maybe a bit better than GW2 (although similar in some ways) - it’s very fast and slick since the update they had a while ago (on launch it was a bit unresponsive). Like GW1/GW2 and TSW, it has quite a restricted pallette which can be switched out. It’s more conducive to getting into a trance state, because as you get better at it, you hardly ever need to look at icons or keyboard, it sits really nicely in muscle-memory so you feel at one with your avatar.
The downside of TESO combat (at least for me, YMMV - and it’s only a minor downside really) is it gets so ingrained that you become disinclined to experiment after a point, so at some point your toon feels “finished” as what it is - there’s nothing pushing you to explore the other options, other than the simple fact that you end up with a mountain of points, so you feel obliged to try things out, but you always settle back to what you zeroed in on and got comfortable with round the mid-game, just because it’s so comfortable. But that might be just me - lots of people seem to be able to switch out powersets and builds quite happily. But I’ve done that in every other MMO, yet not in this one. Weird.
When will people learn? Stop buying game keys from janky resellers.
We want to remind gamers to shop wisely and only purchase online keys from a reputable source. Fraudulently obtained keys obtained via Steam and then re-sold via third-party websites is a violation of both our and Steam’s Terms of Service. We will be deactivating all game accounts created with such stolen keys starting on Tuesday, May 26th. Affected users will receive an email with instructions on how to regain access to their game account via a valid game purchase.
The companies selling stolen keys make a practice of using stolen credit cards, or misappropriating credit card information from their own customers to buy codes from legitimate retailers. Often these companies have the lowest price available anywhere for the digital item they are selling. Customers who purchase from these vendors are at increased risk for identity theft.
robc04
3307
I just had a problem with a key for ESO I bought from MacGameStore.com. Their replacement had the same problem. It took a couple days but they got me a new key that worked. I hope it isn’t one that will cause problems. ESO support at first said the original keys looked good, then got a little funny about it and said there wasn’t anything they could do.
DrDel
3308
Should I play this game on the PS4 vs X1? I set up a Dragon Knight on my X1 but the gfx look terrible… hoping the PS4 is better by a margin?
Any other advantages re: PS4 over X1 and vice versa?
I am looking at a Dark Elf Dragon Knight… I am a big solo person
I bought the PS4 edition. That raises a good question: will PS4 owners be playing with X1 and PC players? Or are they keeping every platform separated?
Each platform is completely segregated.
As with every game, if you have both systems, the PS4 is faster and thus a safer bet.
Got this on Xbox One for my wife. This is the first MMO she’s ever played. It’s actually the first multiplayer game she’s really ever wanted to play.
She’s a gigantic Elder Scrolls fiend.
It was pretty cool to watch her play with such enthusiasm. I’m sitting there watching and thinking stuff like “Jeez, that’s kind of clunky.” or “Guild Wars 2/WoW/whatever does that better.” or “Oh, they need to tweak that once things settle down.” and she’s happily getting into it. Everything is new to her.
“OMYGOD! You can collect recipes and cook stuff!”
“I can dye my clothes different colors!?”
“DAGGERFALL! I’m in Daggerfall!”
Ah, the excitement of one’s first MMO! I’m happy for her :)
Glad to hear she’s enjoying it so far Telefrog. I bought it for PC when it first went Buy-To-Play instead of subscription, and I honestly haven’t been able to put it down since. It IS a little clunky in parts, and there are other MMOs that do bits and pieces of the overall experience better, but the bottom line is that it is a high-quality MMO (great graphics, fully voiced NPCs, huge world) set in the Elder Scrolls universe and that’s all I needed to know.
I’ve spent the last two months enthralled with it. I’m level 21 now (my play time is limited), and in that time I’ve never once been bored or wondered what I should do next. From the Skyrim-style exploration and combat, to the questing, to the maps with the icons, everything is at once both comfortably familiar yet exciting and new. I like that I can sit down for 60 minutes and explore a new location or dungeon, gain decent loot and maybe an achievement, find cool places and NPCs, then head back to town and craft/sell/restock. Crafting is simple, yet powerful. Every step of the way I have been able to craft better gear for myself than most of the loot I find, and without grinding through crafting skills. I just deconstruct loot items I don’t need, maybe hack out a crafting writ or two, and I stay at a level that allows me to continue crafting useful items for myself.
Recently I delved into the PvP/RvR aspect of the game, and really enjoyed it. It was kind of a hassle travelling to where the action was in Cyrodil (the RvR province), but once I hooked up with a group of Deggerfall Covenant folks I had a blast running around with them capturing resources and sieging keeps. I got to fling rocks with my trebuchet, I killed a couple of Dominion scum in PvP combat and got ganked in return a couple of times. It was fun, and reminded me very much of the old RvR from Dark Age of Camelot.
I have not had as much fun with an MMO since LOTRO, and LOTRO was/is my favorite MMO of all time (surpassing even all the years I played Everquest and Everquest 2). I think ESO hits a lot of the same buttons as LOTRO. Huge world with well designed zones, great atmosphere and lore that I am familiar with and enjoy, combat that is easy to grasp and strategic enough to stay interesting as you level, and tons of quests that lead to exploration that leads to new quests so that you’re never left wondering “what should I do now?”.
Keep in mind that my wife isn’t even close to thinking about MMO stuff like RvR or grinding craft skills. She’s blown away by MMO fundamentals that we’ve been used to for years like the fact that the other characters running around in town are actually players.
Haha! That must be so much fun to watch as it happens!
When she does get over her initial first-MMO excitement, the game should hold up for her as both a player and fan of the series. If this jaded old MMO vet is still loving it after 2 months straight, she should be fine! ;-)
ARogan
3316
So how well does it work with console controls? The thought of playing this on the ps4 on my couch sounds appealing.
It basically plays like Skyrim did on the console, but with the addition of abilities tagged to different ABXY buttons.
My wife got to experience the other side of MMO gaming last night.
The endless login screen.
She was so angry, but all I could do was laugh. “This is so dumb! Why can’t I play the damn game? I don’t want to even play with other people tonight. Why can’t I just play by myself in that world?”
Welcome to online gaming launch week.
Razgon
3319
Works fine for me, but I’m on Europe.
I’m having a TON of fun in this. With the TV and my Sonos sound bar, this sounds and looks awesome! Its the best MMO fun I’ve had in years!
robc04
3320
I’m going to give this a try after I finished The Witcher 3. I’m keeping my expectations in check since I’m not exactly a MMO player.
“This may be an unusually long load time”
Forever, apparently.
It’s not really much of a MMO, and I don’t expect the endgame to hold up longterm, but I do enjoy the single-player leveling experience quite a bit. And it’s buy to play, so you can just return when they add more content to purchase.
