4930

Quite possible… not level 50 myself, so no first-hand experience.

4931

Mmm…not so much, really? That is…some content later will be more involved and could, in theory, pose some challenge in some way depending on build. But I’ve had every piece of my build since like level 20-25 and I literally run directly to quest goals without worrying about aggro and actively have to slow-walk story boss fights to see if they have any mid-fight dialogue (unless they actively have phases I can’t just blitz through, but even then it’s not an actual challenge).

If that’s a problem for you, I can’t promise this game will work for you.

4932

Not really. Endgame raids and veteran dungeons are proper difficult, but you have a long way to go until then. World bosses will probably kill you once or twice until you get the hang of their tricks and then you’ll get them (assuming you’re appropriately geared and talented). Public dungeons tend to be a little harder than normal content, mostly due to large groups of enemies. The Craglorn zone is actually tougher…it’s seems to be mostly designed for groups, though it is soloable.

Other than that, landscape content is pretty much all dead easy. This is more of a story-based game. There’s plenty of stuff to grind for in the form of collectibles and achievements and stuff like housing and furniture, but it’s totally optional and mostly invisible unless you go looking for it.

4933

Thanks for the feedback. I guess I’ll see if I maintain interest or not. I’m not hardcore by any means and looking for a souls-like experience, I just do like to have to think a little about what I’m doing. This is the closest we’ll get to Elder Scrolls 6 for quite a while so I want to give it a chance.

4934

There’s a TON of single-player content, and no subscription required so you can just stop playing between expansions/DLCs. That’s what I do, I play it every 2 years or so.

The solo stuff is not particularly challenging. Thing is, when the game first released it was and I quit because of it-- I don’t want to play Dark Souls when I’m just going through solo story stuff. I don’t want to play Dark Souls at all, in fact.

4935

I think most modern MMOs pretty much follow this model now. Fairly easy content for solo players, leaving the challenging stuff for end-game or PvP.

4936

I have leveled 4 characters to level 50 and can vouch for this. Your characters are stronger at earlier levels.

You have more stamina/Magicka/health so you could run or roll your way out. But as you reached level 50, these normalized and you find that you need to manage resources in fights. You can’t roll as much and expect to deal damage.

4937

You get your first 200 or so CPs really fast, I wouldn’t worry about it.

4938

I have only been playing this a few days and I am already feeling that. Everywhere I go is the same. Sure the scenery is a bit different, but the mechanics of what I do is identical. Run around some area, looking for some object killing some random mob in my way. Maybe there is a boss fight at the end, maybe not. Next quest, do the same thing. Over and Over and Over.

This game (and perhaps most if not all MMOs) like creativity in combat. To contrast this with skyrim, I play a mage and if I am approaching some situation maybe I:

  1. Sneak around and place some explosive runes before the party gets started.
  2. Cast frenzy on a group of baddies who then kill each other.
  3. Summon a minion and once its aggroed and all the melee npcs are engaging it, I start with the fire balls.
  4. Turn invisible and just sneak/walk by everyone because I do not feel like killing everyone.

In this game I have only 5 active powers and all the powers generally are of a same few archtypes like single target DPS or AoE DPS, maybe some healing or defensive buffs, but that is it. Thats all you will ever do.

I am still playing it, hoping I can find something to enjoy about it, but its a struggle.

4939

It’s a problem I also have with level scaling, it’s particularly bad in MMOs because as you say everything is approached the same way. Of course without scaling it’s not great either because you’re still adventuring in areas within a very narrow level range.

I think ultimately I just hate how overworlds are created in MMOs since WoW. Everything is carefully spaced out to never pose any sort of challenge. In the old days you’d have lone mobs, small groups, large groups, even wandering assholes like a sand giant or a griffon you’d have to come back and get revenge on later. While you were still fighting in a narrow level range, there was some dynamism in deciding how much you could bite off solo or with your current party and had more tools to deal with it (CC, kiting, and other abilities that are missing in the modern MMO toolkit).

4940

10, because you can (and should) weapon switch in combat and you can have five per bar. Which is 9 times more stuff than I ever did to kill anything in Skyrim, what with it being impossibly clunky to switch spells (and most of the ones that aren’t just damage having incredibly stupid and low level caps on eligible targets) and there being absolutely no depth to melee or ranged combat.

I agree that things get pretty samey combatwise, though, and that’s why I run past every fight that I can.

4941

Unfortunately, that came with “sanding off the rough edges” of the MMO experience. Those highs and lows are what gave MMOs some of their character. If you were all playing the same MMO, and you said you had just fought and beat Foozle, everyone would know that Foozle was a tough SOB and you could all trade stories about this or that encounter with Foozle. Now, Foozle is just another rando mini-boss or quest boss that would largely play out the same way for everyone.

4942

I do miss that aspect of old EQ - the world could be a dangerous place and you felt some sense of accomplishment for surviving it. I don’t miss the sitting on my ass waiting for mana/hp part and like how modern MMOs keep you busy with things to do.

I don’t mind the combat mechanics of ESO so much. I have 5, now 10, skills available and they do some different things, even if just MMO standard stuff. My problem is I don’t really need to use most of them - three skill pushes in succession and what I am fighting is dead. Heck, I could skip the skills altogether and just swing my weapon and still win, it would just take longer. Bosses might offer a bit more challenge but I am fighting same-level-mob01 most of the time and that just isn’t interesting. If they were to offer an “ESO classic” or somesuch server where they got rid of the level scaling but kept the quest and story content I would be far more likely to stay subscribed.

4943

For those the prefer this playstyle, be sure to check out nightblades. I believe they excel at this!

4944

Don’t need to be a specific class, just gotta have some decent stamina and maybe some sprint cost reduction. I’m a stamina sorc and my delve strategy is pretty much, run to the shard, turn around and AoE any followers down in <10 seconds, use shard, run to the boss, AoE everything, run out. If there’s a quest, maybe I have to do a couple more.

4945

Agree with all of this. EQ had many almost masochistic design decisions and some mechanics that were clearly only there to stretch out your subscription. I don’t miss any of that. I do think there was a lot that was lost with the removal of the rough edges @Telefrog mentions.

Modern MMOs are just so formulaic, predictable, and boring. Like every gameplay experience has been spreadsheeted out in advance. You don’t have those lows that earlier MMOs had but you also don’t get any of the peaks or highs. It’s just this monotone flatline of boring sameness from start to finish. Anyway, to tie it back into ESO discussion I think the level scaling system makes it even more apparent, even if it’s not the root cause of the problem. And it does eliminate the “anything below your level is a waste of time and the areas become a complete ghosttown” stuff that online games also struggle with.

4946

Yeah, there was almost an alchemy to it. Too many “rough edges” and you turned people off. But a few notable spikes here and there really helped give the games some character. I think Hogger from early WoW is the one a lot of people think of for this kind of thing.

4947

The level scaling makes it feel so much more like an elder scrolls game-- you can pick a direction and explore to your heart’s content. ESO isn’t a fantastic MMO and I have issues with a lot of the charitably idiosyncratic gameplay mechanically but it is elder scrolls.

4948

Right for me so far it’s been about exploring the zones and stories, I’ve really enjoyed that part. The combat isn’t awe inspiring but it’s enough that as I’ve leveled I’ve felt more powerful. And if I’m still not careful I can get overrun as a glass cannon mage.

4949

My guy feels quite powerful indeed with only 400-odd CPs but a full 5+5+1+1 set+set+monster+pale order setup, so I do a lot of damage and am unkillable.

I just don’t love the combat, the light attack weaving in particular, and the feeling that I should L2P nub because I hate weapon swapping and don’t do it.