The Elder Scrolls Online

 PC
User Score
5.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 2703 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,210 out of 2703
  2. Mixed: 447 out of 2703
  3. Negative: 1,046 out of 2703
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  1. KonanZbarbarian
    Jul 17, 2014
    10
    Kinda sad there are all these negative reviews for such a great game that is only becoming grander. There is a need for people to get over themselves every game has problems the first year if not longer look at WoW and its problems that still exist. Then every other MMO even close to raking in as much money as WoW is either the same game just a different paint job maybe a few minor tweaksKinda sad there are all these negative reviews for such a great game that is only becoming grander. There is a need for people to get over themselves every game has problems the first year if not longer look at WoW and its problems that still exist. Then every other MMO even close to raking in as much money as WoW is either the same game just a different paint job maybe a few minor tweaks in gameplay or presentation. This game has so much going for it the combat is engaging and sometimes unforgiving then there is the story which is as grand as any Elder Scrolls. Finally if you bring of balance issues go look at ANY game made in the past decade RPG FPS or otherwise it always has problems at launch months or even years after and no game will ever please 100% of people and have every single thing they want.… Expand
  2. olliebruce126
    Jul 17, 2014
    10
    In all honesty, this is a decent MMO when you get past the bugs and the random whining TES fans thinking it would be like Skyrim with multiplayer. A lot of fun and the quest storys are interesting with great voice acting. I'd say to get this for maybe 1 month and see if you like it.
  3. Tastycakes
    Jul 17, 2014
    2
    Rushed, hollow, lacking and sense of achievement or reason to keep playing. Welcome to the world of bugs, rehashed concepts that aren't done as well as any existing franchise and a non-existent end-game. Save you money, avoid this product at all costs. If you really feel like you want to play Elder Scrolls, Skyrim will be much more entertaining even on a seventh play through.

    A lot of    Rushed, hollow, lacking and sense of achievement or reason to keep playing. Welcome to the world of bugs, rehashed concepts that aren't done as well as any existing franchise and a non-existent end-game. Save you money, avoid this product at all costs. If you really feel like you want to play Elder Scrolls, Skyrim will be much more entertaining even on a seventh play through.

    A lot of people wanted this to be good. But it just isn't, and that's a shame.    … Expand
  4. Phix105
    Jul 16, 2014
    10
    I love the story and all the quests are voice acted. I love the looks of the game. I like it more than any MMO I have ever played and I have played most of them. Its all a matter of tastes of course but I would highly recommend this game to anybody that likes good graphics and a good story. Its getting even better as time goes by.
  5. callucallu
    Jul 14, 2014
    3
    I update my score.
    I WAS enthusiastic, i saw a lot of potential in this game. After 4 months, a monthly paid teams has done NOTHING to fix the big problems of this game. i'm not referring about bugs, that's are macromistakes, i'm telling about all the features that a mmporg player is expecting to find! No PVP, at all, just people randomly zerging the evening casting random aoe in random    I update my score.
    I WAS enthusiastic, i saw a lot of potential in this game. After 4 months, a monthly paid teams has done NOTHING to fix the big problems of this game. i'm not referring about bugs, that's are macromistakes, i'm telling about all the features that a mmporg player is expecting to find! No PVP, at all, just people randomly zerging the evening casting random aoe in random places.
    PVE i hell boring, if you are unlucky and you don't find other three free people in your guild you cannot even advance in your progress.
    I won't spent more than a phrase about veteran lvls...shame on you, just a shame (i'm vet 12.. most boring things ever done in my entire gaming life)
    Housing? what is it! guild features?why! Auction house? no, we don't want gold sellers(ha...ha...ha!)
    3 skill to improve? some classes just unplayable alone (and some others sucks in pvp), totally unbalanced.
    Considering that some banks bugs have DESTROYED the economy, some players have thousands of rare item for crafting, so there is no more economy to build..
    Farewell my dear, Spending 80$ and more on you was a painful mistake...    … Expand
  6. lion8797
    Jul 13, 2014
    2
    The Game lacks in the Open World feel, and basically if you want to feel like a badass, try not to get beat down by the super impressive mudcrabs. Please tell the programmers and developers to stop posting 10's on the site. Its ok to vote for your horse but lets be honest ok, you are like the Mom with the my kids #1 sign.
  7. Kawai
    Jul 10, 2014
    1
    Graphics: 8 / Sound: 9 / Likeness to ES: 5 / Gameplay: 3 / Character customization: 4
    Combat Melee: 5 / Combat Casting: 6 / Combat Archery: 1 / Gameworld Navigation: 2
    Questing: 2 / Partying: 2 / Guilds: 2 / In Game Chat: 1 / Cheats/Exploits Prevention: 1 Character Control: 6 / Game Economy: 1 / Inventory    Graphics: 8 / Sound: 9 / Likeness to ES: 5 / Gameplay: 3 / Character customization: 4
    Combat Melee: 5 / Combat Casting: 6 / Combat Archery: 1 / Gameworld Navigation: 2
    Questing: 2 / Partying: 2 / Guilds: 2 / In Game Chat: 1 / Cheats/Exploits Prevention: 1
    Character Control: 6 / Game Economy: 1 / Inventory Control: 4 / Crafting System: 10
    Hype/Expectation/Delivery: 2 / Producers Response: 1 / Fanboy Boost: 10    … Expand
  8. Molec_man
    Jul 9, 2014
    4
    At first glance, I thought this game was great. I loved the combat flexibility and ease of switching my builds. Unfortunately, as I progressed that ease and limited combat variation became boring. Upon reaching Veteran rank, I lost all motivation to continue on. The bots were everywhere and the landscape was dull and drab. The dungeons didn't draw me in, there was no reason to do themAt first glance, I thought this game was great. I loved the combat flexibility and ease of switching my builds. Unfortunately, as I progressed that ease and limited combat variation became boring. Upon reaching Veteran rank, I lost all motivation to continue on. The bots were everywhere and the landscape was dull and drab. The dungeons didn't draw me in, there was no reason to do them multiple times as you leveled and the questing seemed like the same old same old. It reminds me of what happened with the build up of SWTOR. In the end, they should have just made a KOTOR 3. Same here. In the end, they should have just made a new single player Elder Scrolls game like the previous installments (Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim). Wasted effort Zenimax.… Expand
  9. redim
    Jul 8, 2014
    10
    This game is amazing,graphic is beautiful,the story is fun,you can create lots of combinaison of class compared to classic mmo.. This game make lots of progress since the release, and the user score is probably because of beta player... This is the best mmorpg ive played. This is not WoW, This is ESO stop comparing both game. I recommend the game if you love Skyrim.
  10. Xanatar
    Jul 7, 2014
    7
    First things first - I would give this game a 9 if there weren't some issues that could have been easily avoided. In short: Don't play ESO if you expect what in our days counts as typical mmo. So if you are the progress player type that grinds up his character as quickly as possible to the "endgame" and then expects to have fun in Raids and instanced pvp battlefields, this is not the gameFirst things first - I would give this game a 9 if there weren't some issues that could have been easily avoided. In short: Don't play ESO if you expect what in our days counts as typical mmo. So if you are the progress player type that grinds up his character as quickly as possible to the "endgame" and then expects to have fun in Raids and instanced pvp battlefields, this is not the game for you. Like "The Secret World" this is a game you actually should play like an RPG. If you expect a Skyrim, don't play it as well - It is NOT Skyrim.

    Negative:
    - The day 1 bot invasion, cheating and hacking, a nearly crashed economy, goldsellers and massive abuse of game systems - though to be honest they seem to get some of these problems solved.
    - Whoever designed this inventory - clutter - collection - nightmare which forces me to cycle through an inventory management tour every 10 minutes of gameplay should be forced to play it himself for a week - as it would seem he hasn't really played it for even 10 minutes. YES it is cool to find something in every drawer - NO it is not cool to have garbage like "foul hide" in x levels taking away an inventory slot each! And why for gods sake do glyphs not stack? And every other game has started to put useless trophies and stuff in seperate inventories... but no ... and so on, and so forth, in short, the inventory is a nightmare.
    - The lag - Yessss, I clearly avoided the red circle on the ground. oops, no I still was hit because of... LAG! Combat can become annoying at some point, you really have to "plan" blocking etc., any last second tries will probably end in the lag ignoring your effort. How they expect this system to work with console player wh
    - The game does not provide a MMO experience as you would expect an MMO
    - Not sure I like the endgame - there does not seem to be really so much to do apart from getting to veteran rank 12 and level all the crafting and stuff.
    - UI - you have to get some mods which help you read the battle or you will miss whats going on...
    - Crappy UI for features like guild auction house etc.

    Positive:
    - Although a lot of my predecessor writers have complained about the shallowness of the story and the NOT being Skyrim, I think they actually did a very solid job. Yes it is an MMO and some quests follow too much the classic mmo scheme (bring me 5 rat tails). But even then it never started to feel grindy like in SwTor, Tera or Wildstar. And some quest chains really shine, especially with really changing the world afterwards. Big plus is the complete synchro, with sometimes ironic to funny comments and dialogs.
    - The world is exceptionally well designed for an mmo. You find interesting hidden camps, chests and lore everywhere in the world. Environment feels very "natural" and "organic". Not just 10 pigs and 5 wolves running in always the same random paths around poorly placed trees and rocks. Yes it is not Skyrim or witcher, but I guess you have to make some compromises when designing an MMO.
    - Dungeons - if you actually find a group (tank and healer problem... again...) then all the instances I visitied were actually quite exciting.
    - Main Storyline, Mage guild and fighters guild story lines are solid, though a bit too linear.
    - Characters look ok, though sadly you see it was done with the HERO engine... Considering what other MMOs plan for character generation (have you seen black desert character gen... anyone?) this is just average.
    - Crafting has some interesting new ideas, though it has problems with the poorly designed inventory system
    - Combat is very interesting, though not as well done and as flexible as the real action combat of Tera. Still, with only 5+1 (x2) Skills, the combat certainly is above average.
    - The single player experience is well done, on the negative side group play is not much encouraged, making this somewhat flawed for an massive MULTIPLAYER online experience.
    - Where the quests are focused on single player, the RvsR system is certainly focused on massive multiplayer battles. Meaning if you don't want to do PvP in large groups, you better don't do PvP at all.

    Fazit:
    ESO certainly has potential - I really liked the clean view I can experience in this game, first time I haven't tons of different information bars and windows cluttering my view of the actual game. The world is wonderfully designed and a lot of effort was put into quests and atmossphere of the RPG part of the game. I am not sure this game will work on the long run though, especially as a subscription title. Too many flaws, too many bugs, not enough thoughts put into a clear vision of the endgame and a flawed multiplayer experience are the major points which will have to be addressed before this game can be successful in the long run.    … Expand
  11. malto
    Jul 5, 2014
    9
    first off all the bad reviews for the most part are bs people for some reason wanted to hate this game and so people made up bs reasons to hate it such as "i lagged ones so im giving it a 1" or my favorite "this game is **** because the npcs dont go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning" most people wanted skyrim online. it was never going to be that. its a mmo and a good one atfirst off all the bad reviews for the most part are bs people for some reason wanted to hate this game and so people made up bs reasons to hate it such as "i lagged ones so im giving it a 1" or my favorite "this game is **** because the npcs dont go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning" most people wanted skyrim online. it was never going to be that. its a mmo and a good one at that a lot better then most of the **** thats getting crazy high ratings right now the graphics are good the combat is good the biggest problem is its under populated because of people being idiots. there was a review that said there where pay gates thats bs. the special edition gave you a mount and a new race. thats it. not needed you can still play fine with out it you can play as any faction just cant be a turn coat. all in all most of the bs on here is really idiotic and i hate to see a good game fail because people wanted impossible things/people hate it because everyone else hates it with out playing it them self… Expand
  12. TarrinRos
    Jun 27, 2014
    10
    Good game with nice atmosphere, beautiful sound and sfx. Interesting quests. Yes, it haven`t same liberty as in single TES, but in lore it`s the same. Unusual combat and crafting system.

    Bugs are fixable. And we want more content, but it will be in future.
  13. kahow1107
    Jun 27, 2014
    0
    Don't listen to all the people saying it's good. They must have been paid or something.
    If you are a real fan of the Elder Scrolls series, you will hate everything about this game and immediately regret buying it. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. The character creation depth and the fact that they made elves slightly less unattractive are literally the only things about this game that are even    Don't listen to all the people saying it's good. They must have been paid or something.
    If you are a real fan of the Elder Scrolls series, you will hate everything about this game and immediately regret buying it. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. The character creation depth and the fact that they made elves slightly less unattractive are literally the only things about this game that are even remotely positive.
    1: Riddled with bugs and it's been months since launch.
    2: Botters everywhere with fly and speedhacks and you can hardly level your crafting because of it.
    3: Third person feels like the only option, and it really takes away from your character.
    4: The quests all suck. "Go here, talk to this guy, pick up this item, take it to this guy."
    5: The engine used to make this game is old and the graphics are mediocre at best (my system is really good too). The movement and mechanics also suck.
    6: Skyrim kicks the crap out of this game. In every single possible way.
    7: Monthly fee? How about no.
    8: The price for a half baked game that anyone could have made in their basement with the same publicly available game engine? How about no.
    9: Zenimax put no effort into making this game and it's really apparent within 2 minutes of leaving the character creation screen.
    10: Do you like micro-transactions that are more like $20? No? They have that, too.
    11: You have to buy a month of play time before you get your free month promised with purchase.

    Seriously, you will hate everything about this game. Do not buy it.    … Expand
  14. MagnaKarp
    Jun 26, 2014
    10
    I would like to start off by disagreeing with everyone calling TESO "a standard MMO" as it clearly isn't. Zenimax and Bethesda have made great strides in the MMO world to provide us with that classic Elder Scrolls feel, but with all the amenities an MMO has to offer. People who don't understand the somewhat more single player feel while leveling but with added MMO options like group PvP,I would like to start off by disagreeing with everyone calling TESO "a standard MMO" as it clearly isn't. Zenimax and Bethesda have made great strides in the MMO world to provide us with that classic Elder Scrolls feel, but with all the amenities an MMO has to offer. People who don't understand the somewhat more single player feel while leveling but with added MMO options like group PvP, group dungeons, public dungeons, and newly integrated open world PvP zones, obviously aren't true fans that have been playing Elder Scrolls games for years. TESO is a true testament to ultimate customization of play in comparison to any other MMO I've come across (trust me I've played a lot recently). I finally don't have to keep surfing through the FTP MMOs out there to find one that fits my needs as a gamer; TESO on its own hits all the necessary criteria of a great game. I'd almost consider it to still be in Beta due to the multitude of content that has still yet to be released. I can hardly wait for content such as the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild to finally be here. Thank you Bethesda and Zenimax for doing it right.… Expand
  15. KingGTO
    Jun 26, 2014
    8
    ESO is a great game for fans of the franchise, and a very good game for those new to the lore of Tamriel and the Elder Scrolls series. The biggest failing of ESO, that’s clearly present in the early feedback on ratings, is the team released the game too early. Since April a ton of work has been done to refine and expand the title, gobs of bugs have been fixed, and the beauty of the titleESO is a great game for fans of the franchise, and a very good game for those new to the lore of Tamriel and the Elder Scrolls series. The biggest failing of ESO, that’s clearly present in the early feedback on ratings, is the team released the game too early. Since April a ton of work has been done to refine and expand the title, gobs of bugs have been fixed, and the beauty of the title is really showing through.

    The game looks absolutely stunning, matching the tradition of open world graphics being a key feature of the franchise, but in an MMO environment. The amount of content is huge, both in terms of land and quests and dungeon delves, as well as with surrounding content from NPC’s and books. If you’re a fan of the lore in the series you’ll definitely enjoy the appearance of many famous characters and plot turns.

    Audio is wonderful, and I’m frankly amazed at how the team continues to improve audio by adding many more sounds and environmental music. Like WoW before it, the little touches really add up. As an example, casting a defensive shell around your player in combat actually muffles and changes the sounds coming through that magic shield to you. Also, tons of quest text is covered with voice overs.

    The combat is ESO is more visceral than I am used to in MMO’s. Moving from DAoC, to WoW, to CoH and other MMO’s has steadily ramped up the notion of real-time combat engagement that doesn’t feel restrained by client server communication. In ESO, melee classes and casting classes alike need to move around, and they can block and interrupt spells. The tactile game feedback with a subtle UI is well done.

    Probably the most distinctive “feature” of ESO is it’s openness to character creation. You really do have a viable road to cultivating a unique customized character that can break away from cookie cutter MMO personas (heavy armor tank, cloth only casters, etc.). You have the tools to mix and match spells, armor, weapons and engagement techniques in a very flexible way. And it works, just like in the solo games.

    As a type of player, I’m an “explorer”, freakish in how I like to go everywhere, do everything, and eat up all the content. I play a large number of characters; I hoard recipes and do a bunch of crafting, and I create an “ecosystem” amongst them. I collect tons of stuff, read all of the books, and open way too many containers. I look behind waterfalls, and I climb cliffs to reach chests. In ESO, I am well rewarded.

    Like Rift, ESO lets you easily form up without requiring grouping for some world content (i.e. overcoming “anchors” and waves of mobs). The game adds in open dungeon delves where characters easily work together to overcome challenges without having to group. But for content requiring groups, the UI is clunky and hurtful. ESO is still struggling to find a refined set of grouping tools vs. UI vs. content.

    I haven’t experienced the PvP yet, but from my friends that are very strong in this area of MMO gaming, the feedback has been quite good. My assumption is that some of the grouping issues in the main world plague the ease of use in PvP, but I rarely hear about it, and that’s conjecture on my part. I am looking forward to the longer term “campaigns” that go on for days, but am still focusing time outside of PvP.

    If you’re looking for a beautiful MMO that has a lot to offer and a team that is clearly continuing to invest a ton of development and content work into making the game better and better, ESO is a great place to be. I’ve spent a ton of time in MMO’s over the years, and for me, ESO is a keeper. Great fun.    … Expand
  16. ISB5223CDN
    Jun 26, 2014
    4
    Started with hope, ended with failure. Everyone who has ever played an elder scrolls game, wanted this to succeed. I knew it was in trouble when the community board had an official poll regarding "would you still play if eso went f2p". That was after one month of it being live. Shortly after that, they announced it would be delayed for consoles. This game had promise and made promises andStarted with hope, ended with failure. Everyone who has ever played an elder scrolls game, wanted this to succeed. I knew it was in trouble when the community board had an official poll regarding "would you still play if eso went f2p". That was after one month of it being live. Shortly after that, they announced it would be delayed for consoles. This game had promise and made promises and both were broken repeatedly. The group system is farce. This is the first MMO that doesn't have shared progress. I play with my son, and through the hundreds of quests, I believe we found 2 or 3 that had shared progress. The veteran system is not solo-friendly. As opposed to the 1-50 which is very solo-friendly. It feels like they actually designed the game to force soloists to conform to group play after 50. It's not impossible to level solo, just hard and be prepared to grind creature kills. There is another way though, the pvp daily quests, but your faction better control the majority of the map for that. The pvp is a game of capture the flag akin to any fps title out there, only here, gear and levels matter. Also pvp has a huge flaw with the mage aoe groups. They run in packs, and I mean run, so they are hard to target with siege machines and ground aoe. I could go on about veteran, but I'll end it by saying, get in a pvp guild if you want to war in Cyrodil and level like you did pre-veteran. The scenery is nice, but it's not skyrim quality. So I end this (cause I could go on) by saying "A lot of expectations, very few of them met."… Expand
  17. W-Moose-W
    Jun 26, 2014
    5
    I did rate 6, but changed to 5. I expect a lot more than just pretty graphics and beautiful characters in 2014. The rest is a standard quest/level or subpar compared to what other games are doing.

    A party member of the same level disappears every time they are not on the same quest as you. They can't help or share. Terrible design. How could they think this would be good? How could    I did rate 6, but changed to 5. I expect a lot more than just pretty graphics and beautiful characters in 2014. The rest is a standard quest/level or subpar compared to what other games are doing.

    A party member of the same level disappears every time they are not on the same quest as you.
    They can't help or share. Terrible design. How could they think this would be good? How could this pass beta?

    The only thing Elder Scrolls is the where this takes place and the char races. nothing else is similar.

    I felt ripped off after I realized in the first starting area that there is no swimming underwater. WOW had this feature 10 years ago. All Elder Scrolls games have it. All you do in this game is tread water.

    The only new feature is you aim your mouse pointer at your target instead of click to select the target, or tab to select a target. However, if the target moves after you shoot, your arrow/spell curve and follow it.

    This becomes more evident when things are fired at you. You cannot dodge the fireball or shots coming at you…they curve and follow you.

    This is not Elder Scrolls combat. In Elder Scrolls combat attacks go in straight lines, and you can dodge them.

    No friendly fire - So everyone is just shooting and casting right through friendly characters in melee etc. This is not Elder Scrolls. This was trumped up as a revolution in gaming - but it isn't. It is a re-keying of similar systems using the mouse aimed reticle to select targets.

    Your shield does ‘block’ but you can’t improve the block like in Elder Scrolls. There is no parrying.

    There are bows, but no arrows. They just shoot an unlimited amount at your target as fast as you can click. This is not Elder Scrolls.

    No Fletcher/Bowyer crafting, no arrow shaft, tip, fletching types, no crossbows or slings. A "woodworker" can make bows. He can also craft magical staves...because they have wood shafts. LOL. seriously.

    The staves shoot magic just like the bows - unlimited, curving at target.

    Your character only has a magic, health, and stamina rating. No str, dex, wil, int, etc etc.
    Elder Scrolls skills, or some new well thought out complex skill system is absent here. Where are the 6 schools of Magic from Elder Scrolls? Not Here.

    4 Character classes, each with 3 skill trees: Each class is basically a magician. Then you pick a weapon with a separate skill tree. The skills end up doing much the same thing no matter what you choose.

    Any player can use any weapon and each weapon has its own skill tree

    You can carry 60 pieces of heavy armor or 60 scrolls...not weight based.

    Anyone can wear heavy armor and wield the biggest weapons because there is no min str rating etc.

    Everyone can use stealth, but it does not level up like in ES. Armor doesn’t effect it.

    OTHER DISAPOINTMENTS FOR AN MMO THAT COMES OUT IN 2014:
    You can’t build a house ( or even a tent) and have property,

    You can't make extra storage chests for your gear.

    You have a bank with 60 slots (upgradeable). That’s it. It can be filled up with junk from the starting area.

    No shipbuilding (even simple canoes) sea sailing, own a ship instead of a house.

    No building guild halls and customizing them for members. No public store for your guild.

    No public auction/store to sell things more QUICKLY!!
    Remember in Ultima online (1998) how you could find treasures and decorate your place? Sail on the sea and fish? Your guild could have a storefront where u could sell stuff u made? You could own a house? There is nothing here. UO had this 15 years ago....where the economy was based on what ppl made. No hunting skill, fishing skill, mountain climbing, pet taming, nothing - you can fish but it is generic), no carpentry, masonry, kennel – no extra stuff that an mmo crowd does outside of combat or combat crafting. Imagine all the cool things someone in a next generation mmo could have for people to do - a socila immersive world - ESO strikes out here. You can’t have NPC companions that you can equip and customize and program with scripts (like in swtor, or eve baldur’s gate). Think Dragon Age scripting with SWTOR companions You still can’t fight like cavalry and trample enemies on your horse (which should be customizeable with armor saddles, shoes, etc.). you can upgrade horse speed, endurance OTHER ANNOYANCES: No minimap. PVP : is fun, it takes place in Cyrodil - on a huge battlefield - but there is.no real world pvp or chance encounters with the enemy :( Guilds have enemies together in them. (seriously?) Summary: Great Beautifully created Tamriel Lands, Beautiful Characters. However, being advertised as an Elder Scrolls game leaves high expectations...which this game fails to deliver. ESO also fails to deliver in areas where many other games do things better.    … Expand
  18. Grim13
    Jun 25, 2014
    0
    Here's my verdict after 3+ months:

    PvE: -Bugs -Glitches -Broken Passives -Failing Skills -Broken Quests -Imbalanced -Rollbacks PvP: -Bugs -Glitches -Broken Passives -Failing Skills -Imbalanced -Broken Fwd Camps, Doors, Repair Kits, Compass, etc. -Crashes - LAG The game may be pretty... but it is NOT worth a sub. It should still be in beta testing. Every patch    Here's my verdict after 3+ months:

    PvE:

    -Bugs
    -Glitches
    -Broken Passives
    -Failing Skills
    -Broken Quests
    -Imbalanced
    -Rollbacks

    PvP:

    -Bugs
    -Glitches
    -Broken Passives
    -Failing Skills
    -Imbalanced
    -Broken Fwd Camps, Doors, Repair Kits, Compass, etc.
    -Crashes
    - LAG

    The game may be pretty... but it is NOT worth a sub. It should still be in beta testing. Every patch they put out breaks more things than it fixes, lol, so the game is seriously getting worse.    … Expand
  19. fluffybunny
    Jun 24, 2014
    0
    Game is let down by the most extreme incompetence in both the developer vision, the incompetence of the coding team for patches, and the incompetence of the terrible customer support.
  20. Troublewalking
    Jun 24, 2014
    5
    Rating this game is tough. Honestly I have to give it 3 ratings. I will rate it as general MMO. As an Elder Scrolls game and as an RVR MMO.

    As a general MMO. This game is nothing to write home about. It is extremely average. In a market that is bloated by f2p games. As an Elder Scrolls game this game is a 2. They tried to put some aspects of Elder Scrolls in it, but you will probably    Rating this game is tough. Honestly I have to give it 3 ratings. I will rate it as general MMO. As an Elder Scrolls game and as an RVR MMO.

    As a general MMO. This game is nothing to write home about. It is extremely average. In a market that is bloated by f2p games.

    As an Elder Scrolls game this game is a 2. They tried to put some aspects of Elder Scrolls in it, but you will probably find it very difficult to find any of the magic that makes Elder Scrolls game's great in this game. If your an Elder Scrolls fan you should probably avoid this game like it's the plague. Maybe trying it out once it goes F2P.

    As an RVR MMO this game is actually pretty good. That's because Zenimax basically lied to Bethsaida and told them they would develop a MMO version of the Elder Scrolls. Then turned around and obviously made DAOC II. Maybe they were hoping The Elder Scrolls tag would draw new players. Or maybe they just didn't have the money to fund a DAOC II. Whatever the case, if you haven't played Dark Ages of Camelot, or Warhammer. Basically they are Realm verses Realm games. Essentially having the players factions fight over territory. As a casual PVP fan, I found Warhammer's version of RVR to be great fun. It could be quite random and free flowing. Sometimes having hours of combat going between large groups of players. Warhammer had great rewards to keep the players involved. Though ultimately it's system had a fatal flaw because there were only 2 realms. The Elder Scrolls has tried to address this with 3 realms. Early on it seems to have worked. If you like RVR this game is at least a 7 to you. But remember in RVR type MMO's usually the PVE is just something to keep you busy when your not fighting in RVR.    … Expand
  21. Darthtux
    Jun 24, 2014
    8
    Elder Scrolls Online is a good MMO but it could improve in many ways. Elder Scrolls Online has a lot of bugs in quests and I was pretty disapointed in not getting my exp but anyways the missions are well done with voice acting and good story telling. The main story was short but it manages to keep a decent pace with the side missions. There's soo much to do in Elder Scrolls Online likeElder Scrolls Online is a good MMO but it could improve in many ways. Elder Scrolls Online has a lot of bugs in quests and I was pretty disapointed in not getting my exp but anyways the missions are well done with voice acting and good story telling. The main story was short but it manages to keep a decent pace with the side missions. There's soo much to do in Elder Scrolls Online like fighting world bosses and doing dungeons, those were fun when you play it with friends! The dungeons are amazing! Pvp was fun with people and go raid on bases and stuff...... Overall Elder Scrolls Online is a good MMO but with too much content it creates too many bugs and the game tends to get boring once you play it for a very long time......… Expand
  22. ElderScrollsFan
    Jun 23, 2014
    1
    Highly disappointed in this game, what were you thinking, should of done an online game that was more like Borderlands and not so much like WoW. Well back to Morrowind.
  23. Shekky
    Jun 22, 2014
    8
    This game is one of those few gems out there some slight bugs aside this could use a few patches and upgrades to make this game truly great. the diverse storyline is amazing filled with tons of hours of gameplay. the leveling process is abit of a grind but the story keeps you entertained in the mean time. one of the biggest complaints i keep hearing about which i can agree with is havingThis game is one of those few gems out there some slight bugs aside this could use a few patches and upgrades to make this game truly great. the diverse storyline is amazing filled with tons of hours of gameplay. the leveling process is abit of a grind but the story keeps you entertained in the mean time. one of the biggest complaints i keep hearing about which i can agree with is having more bars to use more of your spells and abilities being limited to a selection of 5 with your ultimate ability has combat be quite limited. The only other thing I would suggest is adding a minimap i tend to get lost quite easy without one. A few addons has remedied this but it just isn't enough to have to add it through addons.… Expand
  24. DeciusFrecentis
    Jun 22, 2014
    9
    I must say, the negative reception this game has received has absolutely floored me. Maybe it's because I'm not an MMO buff. Maybe its because I really came to ESO looking for another single player game. But eitherway, I have not had so much fun since Oblivion.

    The only other MMO I have to compare this with is World of Warcraft. A friend got me into WoW and while it was passably fun    I must say, the negative reception this game has received has absolutely floored me. Maybe it's because I'm not an MMO buff. Maybe its because I really came to ESO looking for another single player game. But eitherway, I have not had so much fun since Oblivion.

    The only other MMO I have to compare this with is World of Warcraft. A friend got me into WoW and while it was passably fun while he was my companion, I found it too boring to continue alone. ESO is better by a mile! Where did ESO go right where I felt WoW was lacking? Well...

    The worlds are beautiful. Simply exploring and absorbing the vibrancy can be a joy. The quests have interesting stories and can emerge spontaneously. The actually have a modicum of depth...heck, sometimes I grow a genuine affection for them. And, even though you share the game world with other players, Zeni does a fantastic job of making it feel like yours, as you make choices that determine if other characters live or die, what kind of assistance you'll see in the future, and even watch major sections of the game world change as you progress.

    Also, the combat. Combat is evolving, visceral, strategic, and keeps you on your toes. Where as in WoW, you could literally fight with your eyes closed.

    There are things I don't like. Ingroup voice chat would be nice. There are no RPing servers which is also sort of disappointing. And too often dungeons are public when they should be private, and occasionally the reverse.

    But this is the most fun I have had since Oblivion. Maybe it's not a great MMO, because the cooperative and PVP aspects of the game are probably the most disappointing. Cyrodiil, for instance, is either extremely laggy or achingly empty. But it is, without a doubt, a marvelous experience that leaves me feeling like a kid in a candy store.    … Expand
  25. millertym
    Jun 22, 2014
    8
    Quick summery: If you loved the elder scrolls games, you will like this game a lot - at least though the leveling up portions. If you are a huge fan of WoW and more classically functioning MMOs, it may not be your ball of wax. What we have here is an MMO that is not quite different enough from other MMOs and an Elder Scrolls game that is a bit too different from Elder Scrolls games.Quick summery: If you loved the elder scrolls games, you will like this game a lot - at least though the leveling up portions. If you are a huge fan of WoW and more classically functioning MMOs, it may not be your ball of wax. What we have here is an MMO that is not quite different enough from other MMOs and an Elder Scrolls game that is a bit too different from Elder Scrolls games.

    Now more detail: Leveling up can be a basically solo/Elder Scrolls experience if you prefer that (which I did for reading books and lore and beating up mud crabs, etc...). They did an OK job of making you still feel like the bad ass of the world despite all the other players running around here and there. Questing never gets stale and you move around the map to new areas in a way that keeps things moving and interesting. They did a good job of keeping much of the feel of the Elder Scrolls games even in MMO form. Combat feels solid mostly. It's still "Elder scrollsish" with needing to point your character AT the target to hit them and be in range of your weapon or spell. No WoW type targeting at all. Blocking, dodging, interrupting, and lots of movement make boss fights a lot of fun. The 4 man dungeons are the most fun of any MMO I've played. The Graphics look solid and very much Elder Scrolls style. Crafting is pretty cool/good. You can work your way up to making astoundingly cool gear that competes with any drops or rewards. Voice acting is on par with the Elder Scrolls experience.

    On a negative note, there is a lot of 'been there done that' as far as an MMO goes. I wouldn't call it ground breaking at all. Mob placement schemes, strategically placed and static quest NPCs, the 'don't travel too fast' MMO feeling are all at play here. Also, while it's combat system is more enjoyable than other MMOs I've played, lag can play havok with it.

    In the end, I question why they would have put the effort into making this an MMO when they could have made a cooler Elder Scrolls experience making a new Elder Scrolls single player game. If they were ultra concerned with multiplayer, why not just add a co-op dungeon crawl module to an otherwise single player game. I've had very much fun leveling up my character and playing the game - but really the only place I've felt multiplayer added to the Elder Scrolls experience at all has been in dungeons. In any case, as an Elders Scrolls fan - it's certainly fun enough to level up through to max level, learn more lore about the Elder Scrolls world, and beat a few challenging dungeons with online pals.

    If you are an Elder Scrolls fan I predict you would have AT LEAST enough fun with this game to justify the cost and 1 or 2 months of the subscriber fee. And hey, if you end up loving the PvP it may be a fairly long term run for you.    … Expand
  26. RedFoxDelta
    Jun 22, 2014
    7
    This game is NOT a bad game. That said, this game was... disappointing. Being an "Elder Scrolls" MMO meant a compromise between the beloved elder scrolls game mechanics and the mechanics necessary to make an MMO work. Unfortunately, this compromise ended with almost nobody happy. The MMO crowd- or specifically, the WOW crowd, was actively cheering for this game to die from the inception.This game is NOT a bad game. That said, this game was... disappointing. Being an "Elder Scrolls" MMO meant a compromise between the beloved elder scrolls game mechanics and the mechanics necessary to make an MMO work. Unfortunately, this compromise ended with almost nobody happy. The MMO crowd- or specifically, the WOW crowd, was actively cheering for this game to die from the inception. The Elder Scrolls crowd was disappointed by the lack of player housing, a crime system, the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild. And of course, the game had its share of bugs. It had the stability issues found commonly in Bethesda games, with random crashes to desktop. It has the latency issues inherent in MMOs, with players missing blocks and counter attacks they should have gotten. It has, in true Elder Scrolls fashion, random incredibly imbalanced NPCs in solo missions. Then, of course, we have the glitches with unspawned NPCs or objects you need to interact with, which can only be fixed by relogging. You can and will fall through the floor. Getting stuck is also a common occurrence. Then of course, there is the infamous duping glitch, which ruined the in-game economy. From the standing of somebody who played (and was ambivalent to) Guild Wars 2, the game seems to be actively inconveniencing you. None of those convenient things like Trading Posts or 'deposit all collectables' buttons exist in this game. There is no option to dye your armor, or transmute your gear (unless you bought the Imperial edition, in which case you can transmute some of it). Most damning in my opinion, however, is the weak endgame. After you save the world (shocker), you are sent to another faction's area to do their mind- numbing faction quest-line, without the incentives of the main or guild stories to keep you going.. There is just no motivation to continue playing, and no reason to pay the subscription fee for another month. The "veteran dungeons" are simply the normal dungeons, with higher leveled enemies. The faction war is, depending on the server you chose, either a zergfest filled with AOE-spammers where battles are decided by sheer numbers, or it is a ghost town.
    However, not everything in this game is bad. The combat is more skill- based than many other MMOs, although there is still no substitute for grinding gear in order to win. The game is immersive, fully voiced (which is a must for me), and with a good soundtrack. The quests are well-written, if somewhat... underwhelming at times. The graphics are nice, although not ground- breaking. You can choose between first and third-person, a choice between immersion and combat effectiveness. The crafting is an interesting system, although it can be tedious. The game has a nice soundtrack, and a large diverse world.

    So in the end, the game is... decent. Definitely not bad, but not great. 7/10    … Expand
  27. Asglarek
    Jun 21, 2014
    0
    Pathetic...Matt Firor is still trying and failing to hide pve in a pvp game like how he and Mythic totally screwed up DAoC with Trials of Atlantis but damn the torpedo's full steam ahead to hell with the player base and the TESO lore. My prediction, F2P by Christmas and cancellation of console versions maybe even Hellgate:London redux. 0/10 for me.
  28. Zenzukai
    Jun 20, 2014
    7
    Played since launch. Good, but incomplete. Game crashes frequently, and has so many hair pulling bugs.

    Many core mechanics are inspired and fun, but the game built on top of those mechanics isn't complete. Another game rushed to retail unfinished. PROS: Good core combat mechanics, great pvp mechanics, very fun group play in Cyrodiil. Pretty graphics. CONS: -No balancing, two    Played since launch. Good, but incomplete. Game crashes frequently, and has so many hair pulling bugs.

    Many core mechanics are inspired and fun, but the game built on top of those mechanics isn't complete. Another game rushed to retail unfinished.

    PROS:
    Good core combat mechanics, great pvp mechanics, very fun group play in Cyrodiil. Pretty graphics.

    CONS:
    -No balancing, two classes that are good, two classes that are very bad.

    -BUGS, so many quests will go unfinished, even main ones. Expect this a lot.

    -Closed world. Feels less open than every mmo and every Elder Scrolls game I have ever played. Big zones with invisible walls everywhere, don't expect immersion that comes from other Elder scrolls games or other MMOS.

    -Cheaters, with so many bugs running in the game it's no surprise some of those bugs got abused by players to get a head. Many first guilds used exploits to max characters day one, no punishment for any of those. This is because they lost so many subscribers early on if they kicked the cheaters they would probably cut down player base by half.    … Expand
  29. LooneyKiwi
    Jun 19, 2014
    3
    Very unbalanced, destroys the idea of playing with friends and everything is hidden behind a paywall.
    This is a fun game but barely, when you can get past the crashes the terrible storyline and the average combat you might have fun. Only worth playing for the law.
    Wait until a price drop and for it to become free to play.
  30. Exfan
    Jun 16, 2014
    1
    Yea game is just good graphics and awesome character creation. Game fails in gameplay, crafting and loot rewards. Basically game is just horrendous grinding to get example mats for crafting. Grinding loot is just terrible 1 gold being most typical reward from mob. Most basic type of armours cost about 400 gold. Sometimes you might get loot but its usually about 20 gold and you need it forYea game is just good graphics and awesome character creation. Game fails in gameplay, crafting and loot rewards. Basically game is just horrendous grinding to get example mats for crafting. Grinding loot is just terrible 1 gold being most typical reward from mob. Most basic type of armours cost about 400 gold. Sometimes you might get loot but its usually about 20 gold and you need it for crafting so no help from there.
    Basically game rewards persons that want to bash their heads on cement walls or try to plug out their eyes with blunt spoon. Paying for monthly is sad business for such torture. There is loads of better free to play mmo games in market these days game fails to create content that is worth paying.    … Expand
  31. FluffyPaws
    Jun 16, 2014
    4
    I have played this game from launch till now, and I must say my interest in this game is fading. I do try to log in once a day as I have met some of the best people I have ever come across in many MMOs I have played, but sadly, the game has become so boring that I struggle to stay online.

    Pros: Community. Personally I feel the player base is decent and after playing for a few months I    I have played this game from launch till now, and I must say my interest in this game is fading. I do try to log in once a day as I have met some of the best people I have ever come across in many MMOs I have played, but sadly, the game has become so boring that I struggle to stay online.

    Pros:
    Community. Personally I feel the player base is decent and after playing for a few months I have yet to come across a really annoying player. Zone chat can go a bit viral but it is nothing like other MMOs.

    Less elitism. Most players look the same and their gears look pretty much the same. No fancy exclusive mounts or rainbow coloured weapons (yet) mean you can kind of relax. Noone is standing behind you trying to inspect you either.

    No UI overload and more immersive gameplay. They really tried to keep the UI minimalistic. It took me a while to get used to, but I do feel it helped me become immersed in the game environment.

    Cons:
    You can't actually play whatever the way you like, as classes are very unbalanced and some skills have little or no synergy. There are some cookie-cutter skills that are clearly superior to others in most situations, and this has discouraged me from trying out different play style.

    Having only 5 skills on the action bar and having to weapon swap feel so limiting and not fun at all.

    Dungeons lack charms or characteristics, and most boss fights are simply tedious while others will just one shot you. There is nothing in between. Non veteran dungeons are not rewarding at all and players are not seeing enough intensives to actually repeat a run, which resulted in lack of people wanting to do a pick up group run.

    Cyrodill (PVP area) is so sparse and empty, you will really need to be patient to actually get to the action. You will most likely spend a lot of time running around trying to get from A to B.

    The bugs. They are simply never ending. I cannot believe that after all the maintenance they had, there are still some crippling bugs that really affect the game play. For example, when you form a group, the game will randomly select you as a group leader, or worse, it will get rid of the leader right from everyone. The result is having to disband the group and trying to reform, hoping that it will work again. There are also numerous bugs within the dungeons that are so infuriating.

    Trading system. It is simply not working. As the guild shop is close to being useless (it is extremely buggy and slow, and you can't even search a specific item), players are forced to use the zone chat to trade.

    Questing is repetitive and predictable. While they managed to avoid the typical fetch or kill type quests, they are still extremely boring. Most of the time you will have to run around to talk to NPCs to find out that there was a betrayal or murder of some sort, then you will be sent to kill the bad guy in the crypt or somewhere similar. Or you will be running around activating some ward or shards to enter a portal. It was interesting in the beginning, but it quickly became old.

    Overall, this was a major disappointment for me and I could only hope that they will either add a good amount of new contents or attempt an overhaul (unlikely).    … Expand
  32. forrealzzzz
    Jun 13, 2014
    4
    Elder Scrolls Online online is really hard. I died against Edward Norton multiples times while the queen of elves did nothing to save me. She and her Clan of Pusays wouldn't even walk down a dark flight of stairs to help me. Something about shin splints. Elder Scrolls online is like Crimson Skies. But not fun.
  33. SomeLameName
    Jun 12, 2014
    3
    I had such high hopes for this game as i played all the games to date. The best ones in my opinion was Oblivion followed by skyrim. However with that being said it was clear within a week that this game would go F2P in 6 months to a year. Why? I'm glad you asked! First the business model is terrible. First to have buy the game. Fine ok i can do that. You get a free month of playI had such high hopes for this game as i played all the games to date. The best ones in my opinion was Oblivion followed by skyrim. However with that being said it was clear within a week that this game would go F2P in 6 months to a year. Why? I'm glad you asked! First the business model is terrible. First to have buy the game. Fine ok i can do that. You get a free month of play but you have to pay for your first paid month up front before you can get your free month of play and access to the Imperial race and a mount to start off with is hidden behind a pay wall. There is Micro Transactions within the game as well. Second: this is a game that is set in the TES world that is meant to be played with others. In the month i have played i found playing with others irritating and tedious at best. If you are not on the exact part of the quest your friend is on you can't help them or even see them. The main story line is solo only and the roles within a dungeon setting is horrific at best. You can play any of the 4 classes in any role you prefer BUT only the way Bethesda has intended it to be played. The skill lines in said classes are mediocre at best and choices to customize those skills are in no way dramatic or game changers. The combat is terrible and clunky and poorly executed. The graphics a horrible and group play is not fun at all. The roles are poorly executed. For example if you are a tank your role in the group is to taunt the boss, continuously block and heal yourself. You actually feel completely useless and is in no way engaging in any way. Healing in the game takes away as you really don't have any control over who you heal. The heals are suppose to be "smart" healing but in many cases is incredibly dumb and doesn't actually heal who it's should and when it should. DPS is fun for about 10 seconds then it gets boring. The quests are terrible and most of the time you feel you are doing the same quest over and over just with different mobs. Sometimes you get a companion to come and help you but most of the time they just stand there and do nothing. Spells often fail to cast which require you to double click them, THEN when they do go off the added function of the spell fails to function correctly. Everything about the Knight Blade class is broken at the moment. Classes seem to have been created with a certain role in mind and if you deviate from that it feels too clunky and inorganic. The PVP content which has been the major selling point of this game is fun the first time around, after that it just gets boring. There is no relevant economy to speak of other than getting into a guild to sell stuff to other people in your guild. To take it a step further in order to access the guild market you have to have 50+ members. The server is always down and the game is riddled with bugs. When they fix one thing they break 10 other things in the process. Whoever thought that this game was a good idea to produce in it's current state with it's current business model and constantly broken features should have been fired on the spot.

    In short if you like Paying money for a game and then paying a monthly sub for a game you'll grow tired of in a month then i say buy it. If you actually want to be entertained for weeks and have fun with friends while doing it, simply put... LOOK ELSEWHERE. GW2 is F2P just have to buy the game. Neverwinter is totally free to play give that a go as well.

    Those who have stuck around to read this far, thanks. Have fun gaming!    … Expand
  34. JD1983
    Jun 12, 2014
    0
    This game is completely awful and broken. The economy is broken, the quests are broken, PVP is broken, party play is completely broken, in fact the only thing that isn't broke is the developers. I haven't seen such a blatant cash grab since ET was released for the Atari.

    This is not a good Elder Scrolls game, it is too linear and the story line is too dull. It also isn't a good MMORPG;    This game is completely awful and broken. The economy is broken, the quests are broken, PVP is broken, party play is completely broken, in fact the only thing that isn't broke is the developers. I haven't seen such a blatant cash grab since ET was released for the Atari.

    This is not a good Elder Scrolls game, it is too linear and the story line is too dull. It also isn't a good MMORPG; the way party play for questing is so messed up that actually playing with other people is discouraged. I regret buying this game, but thankfully I didn't spring the extra cash required to play as an Imperial... something that was already in-game at release but still behind a paywall, same as the horse that is almost a requirement since this game contains vast expanses of absolutlely nothing. Pay and pay and pay to play? No thanks.    … Expand
  35. BurningLCD
    Jun 12, 2014
    3
    I honestly expect that anyone who could honestly say ESO was a good game is A, astroturfing, or B, still suffering from the shock of how awful it is. Is it a good MMO... Not really. Is it a good Elder Scrolls game, not really at all.
  36. Kenmei
    Jun 11, 2014
    5
    This is my second and final review for this game. The veteran content completely lost me as the amount of XP required to level up is beyond ridiculous that you have to have some serious dedication to make it to the cap and about 95% of people won't have it. The game became to much of the same old thing everywhere you looked. The same enemies, the same quests, etc. And I suppose that is theThis is my second and final review for this game. The veteran content completely lost me as the amount of XP required to level up is beyond ridiculous that you have to have some serious dedication to make it to the cap and about 95% of people won't have it. The game became to much of the same old thing everywhere you looked. The same enemies, the same quests, etc. And I suppose that is the case with every MMO out there but the combination of rehashed content with the exorbitant amount of XP required to gain a level in vet content made me lose interest in this game, to the point where I won't be resubscribing for the near future. This game had alot of potential but it seems like the fact that the devs made such a poor decision with the vet content was a way to circumvent adding end game raids and stuff like that. Even though the first end game "raid" is out now, I don't have the interest to continue with it, and neither do the people I was playing this game with. It was good for awhile there but it suddenly and very quickly lost all of its mojo it had. Not terrible, but severely lacking in the "things to do" department later in the game.… Expand
  37. The_Grim
    Jun 11, 2014
    9
    To be honest, it is shocking that this game has an average user rating of 5.9. To put this in perspective, this is a significantly lower rating than Marvel Heroes, TERA, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, Darkfall: Unholy Wars and Dungeons and Dragons Online received. All of which are *vastly* inferior to the gaming experience of Elder Scrolls Online.

    As an MMO fan since around 1999, this is    To be honest, it is shocking that this game has an average user rating of 5.9. To put this in perspective, this is a significantly lower rating than Marvel Heroes, TERA, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, Darkfall: Unholy Wars and Dungeons and Dragons Online received. All of which are *vastly* inferior to the gaming experience of Elder Scrolls Online.

    As an MMO fan since around 1999, this is far and away the best MMO that has released since World of Warcraft came out in 2004 (that includes the Secret World...which is another MMO I was very fond of). It is has kept my interest similar to how my favorite MMOs to date have: 1) Asheron's Call, 2) Dark Age of Camelot, 3) World of Warcraft, 4) City of Heroes and 5) The Secret World all did when they came out. It is too premature to say if it will crack that top 5, but it certainly has the potential to do so. If you are an MMO fan and have not played this, you are truly missing out on a very entertaining MMO gaming experience.

    There has been a ton of misinformation regarding this game. I wanted to address several of the common incorrect things that have been stated regarding this game based off my experience playing it since pre-launch:

    - The game is not even remotely as buggy as people claim it is. I have encountered (through yesterday) 4 bugged quest through approximately 525 completed. Of those 4, there were 3 that were fixed 2 days after the official launch of the game and 1 (introduced a week and a half ago) that was fixed this Monday.

    - The bot situation has been over exaggerated greatly. Botting was an issue but primarily occurred (but not limit to) the lower level zones. It was unlikely, but not impossible to see them outside of those areas. In the two months I have played, I have seen a total of 5 bots. That number does not indicate a rampant problem, but it was something that did need to be addressed. This is something that Zenimax has been working on and I haven't seen a bot in a few weeks at this point.

    - As a big fan of the Elder Scrolls game (especially Oblivion and Skyrim), it is not a standard Elder Scrolls game, but honestly...that would be difficult to do in an MMO format. The reason being is that it is hard to provide a level based progression in a true sandbox environment (that was something that the Secret World was able to kind of get around while leveling by just rewarding skill points). However, this is a great Elder Scrolls game as a MMO. It is important to make that distinction.

    - The questing while leveling is actually fun and the story line provide some very interesting lore to help drive and form what your doing. This combined with the huge game map and incredible graphics as well as sounds provides some a great immersive game experience.

    - The combat and specialization options provides a different and unique approach to the standard MMO genre conventions. The combat is more resource limited with active combat elements (such as blocking, dodging) with no true global cooldowns. In addition, there is a ton of different specialization options for your characters...with very few true cookie cutter builds (most that are obviously superior have been getting carefully and methodically adjusted). The ability to build your character around your preferred gaming style is very refreshing. However, this is a caveat to this when you get into the Veteran Ranks that I will mention below).

    - The reason this game is currently getting a 9 (instead of a 10) from me is due to the undefined way that Veteran Ranks are being handled. They don't seem to have a clear concept (or haven't shared it with the user community) of how those will be utilized to provide further progression in the game. This lack of clarify and currently implementation makes the leveling for the Veteran Ranks more grindy and less rewarding that the 1-50 experience. In a recent newsletter, they did say they were looking at ways to improve this, but there are no specifics as of yet. That is my primary concern for this game at current. If they can develop a good system for this that fits into character progression, this game will be amazing.

    In closing, I would recommend if you are an MMO fan that you check this game out when the opportunity arises and that you do not buy into the hyperbole regarding this game. If you are wary of buying it (only $30 on Amazon in the US right now), I would recommend waiting for a sale on it, a friend pass or a trial if it becomes available to see for yourself. This is the best MMO to become available on the market in a long time and don't let someone else's misinformation steer from trying a great game.    … Expand
  38. Phoxly
    Jun 10, 2014
    2
    Very poor game. I am sad to say that I wasted my money on it. This game is in no way a predecessor to the previous Elder Scrolls games, and it shames the license. I had absolutely no fun playing it, and I recommend this title no nobody, ever.
  39. maniac1982
    Jun 10, 2014
    7
    Its a great MMO unique style of game play and I like the combat system. However like with any MMO at least for me you tend to get bored of it once you hit the high levels. It was fun for about a month or two now its just the same old. Still great company and great games they come out with
  40. Tr0n
    Jun 9, 2014
    0
    If you are an elder scrolls fan you will be definitely disappointed by ESO contrary to the 'critics' supposedly positive reviews. The only reason they are positive is because they are MMO reviewers. Subpar graphics, hardly interactive environment, etc etc.. In fact it seems worse than Skyrim which is sad given how long its been since that has come out. If you love cookie cutter MMOIf you are an elder scrolls fan you will be definitely disappointed by ESO contrary to the 'critics' supposedly positive reviews. The only reason they are positive is because they are MMO reviewers. Subpar graphics, hardly interactive environment, etc etc.. In fact it seems worse than Skyrim which is sad given how long its been since that has come out. If you love cookie cutter MMO games then this is just the next step up from that. Not worth your money, and just another time waster.… Expand
  41. Poisonthemonkey
    Jun 9, 2014
    0
    Waste of time! Not a lot of thought or heart was put into making this game, just a big budget. The combat is meh. It should get better as you get further in, but it doesn't. The dungeons are VERY poorly made, especially compared to other MMOs out on the market right now. Most importantly, there's little reason to trust the devs--they've hidden major beta bugs (dupes, quest progressionWaste of time! Not a lot of thought or heart was put into making this game, just a big budget. The combat is meh. It should get better as you get further in, but it doesn't. The dungeons are VERY poorly made, especially compared to other MMOs out on the market right now. Most importantly, there's little reason to trust the devs--they've hidden major beta bugs (dupes, quest progression bugs, etc) and pretended they only found out about them after release. How can you trust that the developers/producers will act with the player's interest in the long run? I can't, so I unsubbed.… Expand
  42. TinEater
    Jun 8, 2014
    4
    This is really a fantastic game. That game is called Skyrim. Except Skyrim doesn't charge a subscription, and doesn't have gold spam bots swarming all over the dungeons and resource nodes. The game goes out of it's way to separate players from one another, one upping WoW: Cataclysm's baffling decision to "phase" all it's players into isolated bubble version of the game world. ZenimaxThis is really a fantastic game. That game is called Skyrim. Except Skyrim doesn't charge a subscription, and doesn't have gold spam bots swarming all over the dungeons and resource nodes. The game goes out of it's way to separate players from one another, one upping WoW: Cataclysm's baffling decision to "phase" all it's players into isolated bubble version of the game world. Zenimax was trying to make each player the hero of the story, but all they succeeded in doing is creating a strange feeling of isolation. The question is, why is that worth paying $15 a month? You'll get the same experience playing a single-player game with a Twitter window open.… Expand
  43. Nugget
    Jun 7, 2014
    1
    This game could have been so much more than it is. It is not terrible, but overall the game is lacking so much. I wanted to play a 4 person instanced skyrim, but we got this instead. I find that the game will maybe get better with time, but this game overall needs a ton of polish. They rushed the game, and gave the public a sub par experience. Sad face panda.
  44. Pronounce
    Jun 7, 2014
    5
    The positive user reviews, like the critic reviews, are those who initially play the game. The negative user reviews and the realistic critic reviews are those who dreamed that TESO was fantasy world based on TES that also allowed for good social interaction.

    Who hasn't played an TES game and then wanted to show off one's leet skills, toon, and environs? The dream of many for TESO was a    The positive user reviews, like the critic reviews, are those who initially play the game. The negative user reviews and the realistic critic reviews are those who dreamed that TESO was fantasy world based on TES that also allowed for good social interaction.

    Who hasn't played an TES game and then wanted to show off one's leet skills, toon, and environs? The dream of many for TESO was a way to bring a social experience to the RPG genre themed around a beloved game like TES.

    Bethesda asked for comments before crafting TESO and I said it would bomb, like the hundreds of MMOs before it. There were ways that Bethesda could have proved me wrong, and done something miraculous: Like build a social system that along the lines of Second Life; Where members of the society could have built TES themed estates and uber toons with glorious armor; Where PvE story lines, PvP play, and dungeons augmented one's status in the world.

    You see Facebook added games as an enhancement to give it a fun twist, because for introverts (think the average RPG fan) FB is a waste of time. Blizzard's Battle Net has always allowed for social interaction at the same time many people pay $15 a month to sit in chat epeening day in and day out.

    Back to TES. As a single player game my various toons have been so prosperous they could buy the emperorship. In Skyrim I could buy Whiterun, Soitude, or Markarth my one toon has so much gold. Other of my toons have been so notorious that if they walked into town the men would wet themselves and the women would cry. Earls would hire assassins to trying and take me out before I wiped out their guard houses.

    Beyond the game play the online community expected a system that was secure and polished. What they got was second rate and full of flaws. A good MMO should encourage an economy run by the users not the gold farmers. (I personally don't mind if online currency is tied to RL currency. People should be allowed to either work in RL to earn gold or work online to earn gold.) Since the crafting is touted by many users as the best they've experienced., then crafting should be a way diligent individuals earn gold and respect. Leet crafting skills should be made available to those who go above and beyond the crowd (i.e. boss drops for super rare patterns as in WoW).

    This is what the fans wanted? Not what they got. Anyone else hoping for a total remake of TESO with some of my ideas put into place?    … Expand
  45. taijutsumike
    Jun 7, 2014
    9
    This is an early play review, but I thought it important to put out there based on all the mixed reviews so far.

    Installation This was a really simple deal. Much like any other MMO, you download the 130mb launcher and then sign in so it can download the other 23gb. There is a security feature, different from others i've seen where it will ask you for a code if you log in from an    This is an early play review, but I thought it important to put out there based on all the mixed reviews so far.

    Installation
    This was a really simple deal. Much like any other MMO, you download the 130mb launcher and then sign in so it can download the other 23gb. There is a security feature, different from others i've seen where it will ask you for a code if you log in from an unfamiliar IP location... the client and website does that, so if you forget your password there are some extra security steps that can seem frustrating.

    Also the client downloaded 23gb, installed it then wanted to download another 5gb. I can't be sure if they were doing this because the second 5gb was an additional patch, some people are reporting that the client / patch system is a little off right now. so dont pay too much attention to the % bar.

    Looks
    Let it be noted that this is the first game in MMO history that gave me the best settings for my laptop, off the bat. I did adjust the graphics up a little, but even on medium settings the game looks pretty. It has oblivion style graphics with a skyrim interface... its not super mind blowing pretty, but it looks pretty good. I haven't been to Daggerfall since '97, so seeing it rebuilt here was really refreshing. I've been to Daggerfall, Stros M'Kai and some alied ruins, which all look like they should from their respective games. Its worth noting, that for me, the first log in time and one time when I changed a graphic setting, it took a long time to get into back into the game (maybe 2 - 5 mins or so)

    Gameplay
    My major fault with pretty much every MMO - especially with SWTOR - is that in order to survive the main storyline, you have to do every single quest just to be able to participate in the main story line. When I left the first location I found a woman who wanted to chat (these use Skyrim "undiscovered markers" to let you know that someone can give you a quest). Turns out this was one of main story quests. We went on a good 2-3 hour series of quests that led me back to daggerfall. Sometimes the quests can seem kinda basic and the quest locations kinda linear, but the plus side to that is that once you get done with a minor quest, you are ready to get back out there into something else.

    My main gripe with a lot of MMO's is that either you don't know what you're supposed to be doing (WOW gives you a solid quest line for the first 5 levels then just puts you out there feeling lost) or I get completely anxious because I am running around for hours on side quests while everything is focused on end game content for the people that get to the level cap in three days. ESO doesn't feel like that - I have been happily running quests, bumping into the occasional person and not feeling worried about what I might be missing out on.

    Combat is pretty awesome so far. Its not quite like skyrim where a block guarantees a blocked attack, but you can block the major - interruptable attacks. Im playing with a dragonknight and a happy with the sword and shield combat style, fire based attacks I have chosen. Part of me wonders if I should have gone for a healer type for later stuff... but again I don't get class envy that I have in other MMOs.

    ESO doesn't have the complete freedom that Elderscrolls games usually boast... yet. But I don't feel like thats anything I need to feel concerned about. There is plenty going on.

    I'm really enjoying my time here so far and have had nothing but positive experiences. Yes its a little on the expensive side, but its new... and It feels worth every penny.    … Expand
  46. ReidW
    Jun 7, 2014
    1
    This is NOT an elder scrolls game. This is a generic MMO with elderscrolls theme to it. There is nearly no freewill. You -MUST- complete specific quests to leave the first area, then you -MUST- complete more specific quests to leave that area, and so forth.

    All of the fun of stealhing around, pickpocketing, pick locking, and in general stealing everything you can find, is gone.    This is NOT an elder scrolls game. This is a generic MMO with elderscrolls theme to it. There is nearly no freewill. You -MUST- complete specific quests to leave the first area, then you -MUST- complete more specific quests to leave that area, and so forth.

    All of the fun of stealhing around, pickpocketing, pick locking, and in general stealing everything you can find, is gone. It's now replaced with a Fable based system but worse.

    You are very restricted into your character class. In most elderscrolls games if you want to be rogue you can learn magic and increase your fighting skills. In ESO you cannot access sorcerer abilities EVERY as a knight or nightblade.

    The only time this every felt like an ES game was when I decided to go fishing. because it's what I wanted to do and not what a long chain of NPCs were telling me to do.

    Again, you cannot pickpock as a rogue! you cannot kill every NPC in sight, you cannot loot every piece of equipment off an enemy you kill. Your given a RANDOM item that usually sucks. Almost all loot you find on bodies is worthless and garbage so there is no point in running around fighting things if that's what you want to do to make a living.

    If you go to loot the 1 cabinet in the house that you can actually click on your given a RANDOM piece of garbage.

    I played through almost all betas and was surprised to see that there were still so many bugs after months of being able to fix them. some quests just deadend and you are stuck in your Area and cannot leave because it's one that you must complete to leave.

    The story was compelling and well thought out. I truely wanted to explore this ingame universe for the story but the gameplay was unacceptable!    … Expand
  47. DrunkenPirate
    Jun 6, 2014
    2
    Graphics, balance, classes, PVP, PVE are terrible. TES lore is just being raped. Lots of bugs, ugly world etc. Avoid it at all costs, its not worth the price they are asking for it. Better go play another horrible WoW expansion, you may get more fun than this piece of whatever.
  48. Sivus
    Jun 5, 2014
    0
    Graphics are subpar and bland. Music is subpar and bland. Classes are subpar and bland... pattern?
    Every zone had (and still has) quests so broken that the game comes to a stop, requiring 2-5 restarts or simply logging off for a day for them to reset it. PVP is fun if and only if you have a group of friends playing with you or you're able to figure it out on your own. That and it's    Graphics are subpar and bland. Music is subpar and bland. Classes are subpar and bland... pattern?
    Every zone had (and still has) quests so broken that the game comes to a stop, requiring 2-5 restarts or simply logging off for a day for them to reset it. PVP is fun if and only if you have a group of friends playing with you or you're able to figure it out on your own. That and it's already impossible to catch up if you're just starting (and the game hasn't even been out for six months). Doing all the quests will put you below 50 if you happened to select Daggerfall as your starting faction, leaving you completely SCREWED. Trade skills were touted as one of the best features of the game and while it's impressive your left with a bank so small and so expansive to upgrade that you'll need all 10 character slots just to hold small amounts of mats (that stack poorly on top of everything else). This game is a mess. Mod Skyrim and avoid this cash grab. SHAMEFUL.    … Expand
  49. Chidawg66
    Jun 4, 2014
    4
    I really tried to love this game. I came in with an open mind and played it slowly through the storyline which everyone said the AD is the best story. The story was okay. The combat system was okay. But after you finish with the story line, it gets really boring. I don't know really what else to do. The endgame is non existent. There really isn't too much to do in this game forI really tried to love this game. I came in with an open mind and played it slowly through the storyline which everyone said the AD is the best story. The story was okay. The combat system was okay. But after you finish with the story line, it gets really boring. I don't know really what else to do. The endgame is non existent. There really isn't too much to do in this game for endgame. After you play through the story, which most of my friends couldn't even finish, there isn't much to do. We all decided that this game is just too boring. Not enough content and it is BUGGY. They fixed a lot of the buggy issues, but it is still buggy.

    The whole phasing idea was a neat idea but it is stupid. I played the game when everyone else was leveling with me. How annoying is it when you are trying to get into the game and follow the plot and after doing all the story correct, you enter in a zone where people have already started the boss fight by the time you hit the boss once, you've completed the quest. I didn't even get to see the opening scene of the fight.

    Dungeons are SUPER boring. OMG. Every solo dungeon pretty much looks like every other solo dungeon. Group dungeons are pretty easy and basically doesn't require much skill. This game really doesn't require much skill. There is also no really great gear. Everything is crafted, and the loot isn't all that great.

    I really had low standards for this game, and enjoyed it somewhat during the lvling from 1 - VR1, but was it worth the $100 I spent on a 3 month subscription and game? Probably not.    … Expand
  50. snickets
    Jun 3, 2014
    4
    I feel betrayed by Zenimax. 2 Months after launch and Nightblades are still trash, combat is terrible, support is nonexistant. I really wanted to love this game, made a fansite myself, got all my friends to play it with me, but Zenimax decided to push out more content instead of fixing the stuff that was out already. The only decent part of this game is the questing and the music, which isI feel betrayed by Zenimax. 2 Months after launch and Nightblades are still trash, combat is terrible, support is nonexistant. I really wanted to love this game, made a fansite myself, got all my friends to play it with me, but Zenimax decided to push out more content instead of fixing the stuff that was out already. The only decent part of this game is the questing and the music, which is all that kept me leveling until Veteran rank 3, that and the hope that they would fix these issues. So many broken promises. Do yourself a favor and try wildstar, or even WoW. Developers shouldn't be rewarded for putting terrible, unfinished games like this to market.… Expand
  51. blammo
    Jun 3, 2014
    6
    Disclaimer: I hate PVP so I never experienced that part of the game at all.

    There are many good things - the crafting, the voice overs for every single dialogue, a huge world of exploration, and it's all very good looking. The random treasure chests and treasure maps are my favourite. I never once spent any time grinding, everything was fresh and never stale. But nothing made me    Disclaimer: I hate PVP so I never experienced that part of the game at all.

    There are many good things - the crafting, the voice overs for every single dialogue, a huge world of exploration, and it's all very good looking. The random treasure chests and treasure maps are my favourite. I never once spent any time grinding, everything was fresh and never stale.

    But nothing made me want to stop and get involved. Despite the appearance of an open sandbox, you're corralled from one giant open area to the next and it's "the most open on-rails experience you can have". Run along and click-click through the dialogue and the arrow points in the direction where you have to go and kill something. By the end you're tired of twisted hellish-floating-rock-islands.

    In summary, it's failed to grab me after playing it for a month now and giving it a fair shake, I really really wish it did because I've been an Elder Scrolls fan since Daggerfall came out.

    Worth it to try it out for the price of the game, you'll get your moneys worth for sure but I imagine many people will drop subscription after the first month or two not because it's bad, just because there's no big draw to stay.    … Expand
  52. Nyurena
    Jun 3, 2014
    3
    The Good:
    Crafting is fairly easy to pick up and you are not limited in number of professions.
    A world that is quite nice to look at, but fairly hollow if you try to look too deep. Well, at least it was fun to see some Kahjit culture. The leveling system has some good freeform ideas that would be a fun Mod in Skyrim/Oblivion/Morrowind, but the game feels like a cheap cash-in to    The Good:
    Crafting is fairly easy to pick up and you are not limited in number of professions.
    A world that is quite nice to look at, but fairly hollow if you try to look too deep.
    Well, at least it was fun to see some Kahjit culture.
    The leveling system has some good freeform ideas that would be a fun Mod in Skyrim/Oblivion/Morrowind, but the game feels like a cheap cash-in to exploit long time fans of the series.

    The Bad:
    The dungeons are terrible! About 90% of the bosses had 10-20 people swinging at the air over the piles of dead boss and you had better join them if you want to land a hit on the respawn.
    You must compete with other players for chests and many other items, so if you fail your lockpick, then the next person spam clicking “E” on it will jump in your place.
    SPAMBOTSPAMBOTSSPAMBOTSMORESPAMBOTS. (You can’t read anything in chat unless you install a MOD to stop it or only use guild/party chat.)

    IMO:
    They could have taken a great many hints from Guild Wars 2 and made the PVE a fun and cooperative experience, but the other players in this game will only function to steal your thunder as a hero or just steal the loot chest you’ve been working on.

    I absolutely can’t recommend this game to an Elder Scrolls fan OR a basic MMO fan.
    What a waste…    … Expand
  53. Kazlowe
    Jun 1, 2014
    9
    Maybe I tend to enjoy things that the more vocal gamers out there dislike, but I have found ESO to be the perfect blend of MMO and Elder Scrolls. It's also a highly innovative product, something most developers are reluctant to do. This includes a never before seen character construction that breaks all the rules by letting you play with nearly every type of skill in the game, in countlessMaybe I tend to enjoy things that the more vocal gamers out there dislike, but I have found ESO to be the perfect blend of MMO and Elder Scrolls. It's also a highly innovative product, something most developers are reluctant to do. This includes a never before seen character construction that breaks all the rules by letting you play with nearly every type of skill in the game, in countless combinations. The group content and dungeons are exciting and interesting, though questing in the larger world is primarily a single player affair. And the crafting game is very well done and supremely inventive.… Expand
  54. Ceridwen8
    Jun 1, 2014
    3
    I played this through beta & briefly, into live. I don't have a lot to add to the criticism, except to say I found no reason to actually play this mmo. If it's aimed at PvP mainly, I wasn't aware of that when I bought the game, & I had read enough to believe the ES world & story would be paramount. It isn't. The play style itself is awkward & irritating, the races basicallyI played this through beta & briefly, into live. I don't have a lot to add to the criticism, except to say I found no reason to actually play this mmo. If it's aimed at PvP mainly, I wasn't aware of that when I bought the game, & I had read enough to believe the ES world & story would be paramount. It isn't. The play style itself is awkward & irritating, the races basically interchangeable & for some reason, it's too easy to put your, say, High Elf among the Bretons. I'm not sure who they're catering to, but it isn't people who loved Skyrim.

    We already have mmos that cater to PvP, to raids - and I found *nothing* in ESO that offers something new, improved or unique. It's a step back in many ways - shared nodes, cooperative play, character personal story. After trying this, I cycled back through the old mmos I'd played, & depending on your taste, each one offers something unavailable in ESO.    … Expand
  55. stafdude
    Jun 1, 2014
    10
    I enjoyed both Oblivion and Skyrim a liot. I played the beta a bit and now recently bought the game. In the Aldmeri Dominion, the single player PvE is great ; although i'm still only lvl 25 and don't know much bout end game veteran content yet. Some serious lag issues on the EU server in PvP need to be fixed ASAP. The campaings should either be shorter than the 90 (!) days, or the campaignI enjoyed both Oblivion and Skyrim a liot. I played the beta a bit and now recently bought the game. In the Aldmeri Dominion, the single player PvE is great ; although i'm still only lvl 25 and don't know much bout end game veteran content yet. Some serious lag issues on the EU server in PvP need to be fixed ASAP. The campaings should either be shorter than the 90 (!) days, or the campaign outcome should influence the game world in a substantial way. Guesting campaigns needs to be removed completely. There should also be some sort of penalty/lack of reward for joining a campaign and then not participating in PvP.. I've never played an MMO before (except for shortly at the beginning of WOW (which I hated)). This game feels very good to me, a traditional single player PvEer. I'm sure the hardcore MMO-players have their issues with the game, but for me it so far warrants the monthly sub. As I didn't play the first mo after release I must have missed all the bugs all the angry reviewers rant about (they are now fixed I guess). The only remaining thing is the lags and connection drops during PvP which for some reason seems to be connected to the grouping system (if many in the the group are offline, the game lags when they try to log on again).

    The graphics at Ultra-high settings are absolutely amazing considering its a persistent MMO world. (At low settings the gfx are really bad though, something reminiscent of the games in the late 90s/early 00s). Just hoping that the PS4 / XBOX One players will be able to enjoy gfx at high/ultra settings...    … Expand
  56. Auriakus
    Jun 1, 2014
    8
    I have played this game over 400 hours and I am comparing against the 20 years of mmorpg playing I have. This is a "very good" mmorpg. In my run through of over 200+ quests I have only discovered 2 with noticeable bugs, both which had work-arounds or were not catastrophic- so I'm not sure what the other people are seeing that claim this to be bugged. Here are the great things in theI have played this game over 400 hours and I am comparing against the 20 years of mmorpg playing I have. This is a "very good" mmorpg. In my run through of over 200+ quests I have only discovered 2 with noticeable bugs, both which had work-arounds or were not catastrophic- so I'm not sure what the other people are seeing that claim this to be bugged. Here are the great things in the game:
    Tons of content and dialogue with voice acting
    Tons of quests (group or fighting alongside other groups is handled wonderfully)
    Good crafting system that is rewarding and worthwhile
    Can play alone or group- THE GAME IS BALANCED (PVE) despite what some say
    Classes are all unique but offer great customization
    NO LEVEL GRINDING- this is an amazing things. The sheer number of quests and quest xp limits the need to xp grind to a point I thought unimaginable
    Respec'ing is costly, as it should be
    Much More

    Bad:
    Despite some great enhancements to combat botting, there are some farmers/bots around. Its obvious as some bot trains are allowed to operate. I know what this looks like, I have run botting software in other games...    … Expand
  57. ladyjayblue
    May 29, 2014
    8
    I want to express that I am writing this game review from the point of view of a long time player of MMORPGs. I have played everything from UO on up, and I want to assure readers looking for a genuine assessment of the game that the reviews here are generally unreliable. Common sense should make you question straight 10s just as it should make you question so many zeros.

    More    I want to express that I am writing this game review from the point of view of a long time player of MMORPGs. I have played everything from UO on up, and I want to assure readers looking for a genuine assessment of the game that the reviews here are generally unreliable. Common sense should make you question straight 10s just as it should make you question so many zeros.

    More importantly, I believe that the outcry that has generated the bad reviews of '0" are due to people comparing it to the elder scrolls single player games. I have not played any of the previous elder scrolls games and could not for the life of me make sense of why anyone would compare a massive multiplayer to any single player game when the level of depth, immersion, and functionality are so radically different. Get over it and rate the game for what it is; it is not Skyrim. For the individuals who would mourn this, my suggestion is to play what you like; there are plenty of Elder Scroll games available for single players. ESO was created as a multiplayer game. I have my own love of single player rpgs, Bioware classics being some of my favorites, but it would be unfair to compare a game like Baldur's Gate or even Knights of the Old Republic to games intended for years of play time that largely depend upon social interaction.

    I have played UO, Dark Age of Camelot, EQ1, EQ2, Star Wars Galaxies, SWTOR, and WOW and Guild Wars 2. In my experience, ESO compares to the likes of Dark Age in terms of the rvr type pvp, yet its sense of exploration reminds me of Ultima or at least the older generation of games from which Ultima emerged. As of late, with my subscription to wow still available for renewal, and an active subscription to Final Fantasy 14, I have to give my vote to ESO for being the most entertaining and the most addicting in terms of keeping me glued to the keyboard.

    This does not mean that the game does not have some issues that need to be resolved; many of these have already been acknowledged and I foresee them being addressed in future patches. The most significant of these revolves around group play in pve. For example, I consistently quest with a partner; we are a duo. If you advance through the quest line alone, your partner may not be able to be seen in the quest instance due to phasing. Again, this has been acknowledged and I look forward to the coming changes, but until then, I simply stay aware of this issue and adjust my questing to be in sync with my friend.

    On a good note, the vistas are simply beautiful when you set your draw distance to far. The terrain and the skyline in the distance really make you want to go out and adventure, and indeed, I have been out wandering for hours while I run around finding treasure chests, different story lines, and collecting resources. I experienced this sensation in early WOW only momentarily, before the expansions, but I do remember that call of the wild in early games such as the original EQ.

    Additionally, the combat is incredibly fun considering the need to move, dodge, and stay active when fighting foes. This is a huge, huge contrast to games that largely have you standing in one place and roll the dice to determine whether you block or dodge.

    If you are like me, you need to have a game that serves as an outlet for stress and the hustle and bustle of work. For me, ESO has become the next in line to serve this purpose. I am satisfied with roving the hills or inundating myself in the crafting systems, which have a lot of depth and are quite fun to level.

    Of the high points, the liberty to sculpt your character's skills as you see fit is truly refreshing, particularly after coming from World of Warcraft where, over time, the choices in skill trees became fewer and fewer until it was so dumbed down that it lacked any significance at all. Here in ESO, you create a character, and tailor its weapon skills, class skills, crafting skills, guild only skills, and racial skills how you see fit. The truth is that the variety in character builds has the potential to be enormous without the fear that you will not be able to compete if you do not use any one particular cookie cutter build.

    Alternately, the opening tutorial is one of the worst I've seen in all my gaming days; it would be an understatement for me to say that you must get past that and into the meat of the game to truly appreciate what it has to offer.

    These are my thoughts as a long time mmorpg player. As a rhetorician by profession, I would suggest you consider the agendas that might hide behind ridiculous scores like perfect 10s or complete 0s. It's a rarity to find a game that is completely perfect or that incredibly horrendous.    … Expand
  58. Dragon_Fly
    May 29, 2014
    9
    I am updating my review from a 5 to a 9. Just over the past week they added in new content and upped the levels to Veteran 12. They also made all of the NPC's in Cyrodil Veteran 5 on steroids. It completely changed the entire tactics needed to win in PvP. Lots of players XP grind their way to Vet 12 in about a week killing fast spawning bosses in groups. Due to the level out of LevelsI am updating my review from a 5 to a 9. Just over the past week they added in new content and upped the levels to Veteran 12. They also made all of the NPC's in Cyrodil Veteran 5 on steroids. It completely changed the entire tactics needed to win in PvP. Lots of players XP grind their way to Vet 12 in about a week killing fast spawning bosses in groups. Due to the level out of Levels and a groups organized tactics, players can still put a hurting on the competition despite superior numbers against them... It has made PvP a bit more of a Guerrilla style of combat. PvP is now incredible. But, expect to have to use Voice Coms to get into the Successful Groups in PvP; at the very least expect to have Teamspeak to Listen to the battle plan. Otherwise you will be the first one kicked from these groups no matter where you go; it's a mutual need for all raid leaders in game to fill the entire group with Teamspeak players. One player who doesn't know what is going on in Teamspeak can get an entire group killed.

    There is still a lot of lagging issues within the game; All 3 factions effectively broke the Wabbajack Server for a day.; but it will improve once the Devs work out all of the bugs they created with the new expansion. Also, if PvP is something that excites you, then this game is just for you. But be warned, every class has the ability to win just by getting off the first shot; unless you are a tank. Tanks can be a nightmare in this game too; they are definitely not weak in the realm of DPS. Sorcerers can still shred a tank if the tank ignores them...    … Expand
  59. MaestroVolpe
    May 29, 2014
    0
    The game has insane potential, but at this point in time should not be considered a finished product for purchase, chiefly due to technical flaws. They seem to lack preparedness with the security and integrity of the client as well, as there are often periods of the day when there are more automated bots and hackers than there are normal players.
  60. sapuramura
    May 29, 2014
    1
    It's not made by the same people who gave us the elder scrolles, it's not elder scrolles, It simply is an attempt to earn some money on an already famous title.
    If you’re hankering for Scrolls, I recommend modded Skyrim. If you’re after an MMO, I recommend any other, cause this project has no soul, only greed, greed and greed.
  61. Swordguy
    May 29, 2014
    7
    I originally gave this game a better score, but after playing for 2 months, I can say without a doubt that the game at launch is missing a lot of elder scrolls features, but then new features like fishing, which have no reward beside the activity itself, instead of things like crime, thieves guild, dark brotherhood, etc..

    This game needs another year of development, or at the very least    I originally gave this game a better score, but after playing for 2 months, I can say without a doubt that the game at launch is missing a lot of elder scrolls features, but then new features like fishing, which have no reward beside the activity itself, instead of things like crime, thieves guild, dark brotherhood, etc..

    This game needs another year of development, or at the very least 6 months, but at the rate they are developing the game, I'm leaning toward a year.    … Expand
  62. zombiechan
    May 28, 2014
    3
    It wasn't the bugs that bothered me so much as it was that it was just not Elder Scrolls. I much rather of had a borderlands co-op for games like Morrowind and Skyrim. The combat was interesting and the questing was a little more interesting than most MMOs. But it just wasn't that great, and made me just want to play a real Elder Scrolls game.
  63. ItsFrootLoops
    May 27, 2014
    6
    I guess it is just a generic MMO with a little bit of Elder Scrolls in there. My score was low because the developers made it out to be something its not but the game would be fun for someone who had never played elder scrolls games it seems. Even if you know the story of Elder Scrolls games it can be fun be mostly frustrating and boring when it comes down to it, its main feature that isI guess it is just a generic MMO with a little bit of Elder Scrolls in there. My score was low because the developers made it out to be something its not but the game would be fun for someone who had never played elder scrolls games it seems. Even if you know the story of Elder Scrolls games it can be fun be mostly frustrating and boring when it comes down to it, its main feature that is enjoyable is the PvP but other than that it is pretty boring.… Expand
  64. geogeof
    May 26, 2014
    0
    Game had enough problems to begin with then they brilliantly decide to release a big patch before a holiday weekend that broke more than it fixed. This is not some fly by night F2P game. This is supposed to be a AAA subscription based game and it is a massive failure down to it's core. Even when it does go F2P I doubt I will waste any more of my time with it. Zenimax=amatuer hour.
  65. Piotheman
    May 26, 2014
    10
    A beautiful and essential take on the MMO genre. ESO is stripped of whatever is unnecessary, and focuses on what's important: fighting is fun and intuitive; crafting is interesting, and has a way of making your production unique; exploration is rewarding, either it's fighting skyshards or just beautiful sceneries. The game is a little slow at the start, but warms up to become an enchantingA beautiful and essential take on the MMO genre. ESO is stripped of whatever is unnecessary, and focuses on what's important: fighting is fun and intuitive; crafting is interesting, and has a way of making your production unique; exploration is rewarding, either it's fighting skyshards or just beautiful sceneries. The game is a little slow at the start, but warms up to become an enchanting journey in a faraway fantasy scenery.

    Now, if you're into hardcore MMO theorycrafting and competitive PVP, yeah, well, tough luck.    … Expand
  66. dsheik
    May 25, 2014
    9
    In all honesty this game felt like a bit of a let down right at first,but once I got past "this isnt Skyrim" and just played it its pretty fun. If you compare it to a MMO i think its really good. If you try to play it as a Morrowwind, Oblivion, Skyrim game its not going to live up to that single player RPG experience. I find it funner to play then the other supposedly top MMOs outIn all honesty this game felt like a bit of a let down right at first,but once I got past "this isnt Skyrim" and just played it its pretty fun. If you compare it to a MMO i think its really good. If you try to play it as a Morrowwind, Oblivion, Skyrim game its not going to live up to that single player RPG experience. I find it funner to play then the other supposedly top MMOs out there. With updates and expansions it will only get better. I think the low scores dont reflect the true overall play of the game. Wow, GW, Lotro, ive played a lot of them for long durations. I dont see how those are rated highly and TES online isnt. This is better, but if your not into MMOs then skip it and wait for the next great single player RPG. This does play closer to that then the other MMOs though.… Expand
  67. DarknessDragon
    May 23, 2014
    3
    Very bad. Crapy gameplay, boring story and almost has no liberty. Full of bugs, the unique thing i liked is the combat system. I played almost 20 hours and i found it very disappointing. This is not a Elder Scrolls, this is a crapy online game.
  68. JoeJoeJoeJoe
    May 23, 2014
    3
    As an Elder Scrolls fan and player of MMO's I am disappointed in this game in both aspects.
    I nearly stopped playing immediately, but continued. The recent craiglorn patch has made things even worse, unfortunately.
    Main negative aspects: -Many bots, even on the higher maps and strong reliance on the client for security. There is no focus on removing this problem. -Laggy combat;    As an Elder Scrolls fan and player of MMO's I am disappointed in this game in both aspects.
    I nearly stopped playing immediately, but continued. The recent craiglorn patch has made things even worse, unfortunately.

    Main negative aspects:
    -Many bots, even on the higher maps and strong reliance on the client for security. There is no focus on removing this problem.
    -Laggy combat; laggiest that I have ever seen in an MMO. (I played SWTOR, Flyff and some others)
    -No way to effectively grind; 2 exp per enemy when grinding, 50 when you kill a lone enemy, or a continuous 20 exp per kill when grinding with 2 players. That is insane.
    -Only 5 hotbar-able skills that me long back to SWTOR, when I strung many skills together
    -Few if any buffs for healers to cast on teammates.

    -Main positive aspects:
    -Good, spoken, dialogues on many if not all characters.
    -Interesting quests, very few repetitive 'kill X of Y' or Gather 'X of Z' quests.
    -Familiar TES environments

    The main 'distinguishing' feature combat and gameplay wise from other MMO's is that you need to aim and can miss. However, I find this a large downside, since it is hard to play this way and far more straining on your mouse arm.    … Expand
  69. Dagi
    May 22, 2014
    2
    One more theme park game. Bugged and bad graphics annoyed me so much I ended to level 15 and had to delete the game. I can cant understand these 10 score givers. Even you are a fan you can clearly see its not worthy to pay. I think this game is free to play end of this year and closed down after few desperate expansions. Honestly It gets 2 points from me only as it had so nice cinematic.
  70. Shuk
    May 21, 2014
    8
    This is easily one of the better MMOs to release in quite some time. The class system is unique and holds an immense variety of builds and possibilities for your character. Most of the broken quests have been fixed, and those that are still touchy are ones that can be worked around easily. There's nothing game-breaking really, no major crash issues, and poor server-side performance hasThis is easily one of the better MMOs to release in quite some time. The class system is unique and holds an immense variety of builds and possibilities for your character. Most of the broken quests have been fixed, and those that are still touchy are ones that can be worked around easily. There's nothing game-breaking really, no major crash issues, and poor server-side performance has been cleaned up a lot in PvP. Speaking of PvP - it is very entertaining RvR style with a wide variety of effective means of defeating your enemy, as well as all sorts of PvE content within the PvP zone as well. Exploration and achievements are fun and rewarding, many quests are only discovered while exploring - oh and don't forget books! End-game 'adventure zones' are announced and incoming, complete with raid content. +10

    Some persistent issues and minor gripes. A big one would include bots. Megaservers tend to suffer from high bot visibility, but they are also quite rampant even taking that into consideration. They are aware of the issue and are working toward proactive measures of dealing with bots. Some class balancing and fixes are needed for abilities that don't work properly. Another gripe would be the game is a bit too solo friendly before veteran ranks, and group functionality is limited in that the game will often put group mates into different phases if one has already done the quest or doesn't have the quest - this can be annoying, especially when trying to sync up quest progress or if you want to run quests with a friend who does not have precisely the same progress. It is also a bit linear at times, you basically need to do most all quests in each zone in order to be the appropriate level for the next area - and there are few alternatives other than grinding. Why anyone would want to skip the quests and dungeons is beyond me, but whatever. Customer service also needs a lot of work - it takes them several days to address issues that people have accessing the game for whatever reason and that's just not good. -3

    All in all good game. After reading some of the very negative reviews... some have valid gripes (many have been fixed/addressed) but some are just so far out there as if they expected Skyrim with multiplayer..... or are perplexed by use of standard MMO elements.... or gripe about stupid totally irrelevant crap like lvl scaled mudcrabs... due to such nonsense I have to give +1 for MMO developers dealing with the ever increasing absurdity of gamer demands.    … Expand
  71. Ferdinand
    May 19, 2014
    0
    I´m a big fan of Skyrim and Oblivion and I´ve played SWTOR and WOW. I played this game till I´ve reached lvl 50. Having said that I´ll try to explain why I give a 5 score to this game.

    The Best: —It is very entertaining: A lot of quest to do and some of them are puzzles, riddles, etc. Not only kill-ten-bandits. —Good graphics for an MMO. —Combat: It can be suited to your taste. Many    I´m a big fan of Skyrim and Oblivion and I´ve played SWTOR and WOW. I played this game till I´ve reached lvl 50. Having said that I´ll try to explain why I give a 5 score to this game.

    The Best:
    —It is very entertaining: A lot of quest to do and some of them are puzzles, riddles, etc. Not only kill-ten-bandits.
    —Good graphics for an MMO.
    —Combat: It can be suited to your taste. Many ways to fight enemies.
    —Re-playable
    —Huge map to explore.

    The Worse:
    —You can´t get into the game because of the huge amount of players playing it. This is the worse thing not only because of this but also because the game get a lot of lag that make the game unplayable at moments. In my case my Mac crashes to desktop a lot of times.
    —The group finder tool dont work very well. You have to wait a lot to make dungeons even now when there are a lot of player playing this game.
    —If you want to play this game for a year you have to pay almost 200 euros. If you want to play Skyrim forever with all DLC's and with all the mods you want you only pay 30 euros or less. And Skyrim is way better than this game and more replayable. Play for a month TESO = 55 euros and you don't own the game if you quit paying monthly fee. Without monthly fee this game is 7,5 score, no more.    … Expand
  72. xilc
    May 18, 2014
    0
    As a huge elder scrolls fan, this has to be the most disappointing title they've ever pushed out. I don't need to go on and on about this and that, but simply say it's the bots. The bots have ruined the game completely and the developers can't do anything about it. They built the entire game up around crafting yourself armor and making yourself your own armor, but the hundreds uponAs a huge elder scrolls fan, this has to be the most disappointing title they've ever pushed out. I don't need to go on and on about this and that, but simply say it's the bots. The bots have ruined the game completely and the developers can't do anything about it. They built the entire game up around crafting yourself armor and making yourself your own armor, but the hundreds upon thousands of bots get every node before you can even blink.

    A pitiful excuse for a "game."    … Expand
  73. Xallus
    May 17, 2014
    9
    This game has all of the lore that any Elder Scrolls fan will love as well as real challenging hurdles in quest progression, as some of the negative posters have noted. It's not a button smashing game that most people having problems seem to think games should be, it is heavy on strategy and slotting the right skills to your limited action bar. PvP is a long haul, campaigns are 90 days,This game has all of the lore that any Elder Scrolls fan will love as well as real challenging hurdles in quest progression, as some of the negative posters have noted. It's not a button smashing game that most people having problems seem to think games should be, it is heavy on strategy and slotting the right skills to your limited action bar. PvP is a long haul, campaigns are 90 days, something that should be cut in half in my opinion. No one should be reviewing this game unless they have hit Veteran 10. I have played every major MMO in the last 11 years, the only one that wasn't from launch was EvE, and this is by far the best MMO release I have ever seen. Negatives are its an extremely CPU heavy game, they state minimum quad core, I'm running an 8 core and it sucks up 20%, so those running minimum will probably have a bad time. Which is also probably why console release has just been delayed 6 months, the game is too good for the platforms.… Expand
  74. valandor
    May 17, 2014
    8
    I'm sure everything that can be said about ESO, both positive and negative, has been said so I'll make this short and to the point. I give the game an 8/10 rating because of its current state which I think is still unfinished. On potential I'd give it a 10. As an MMO it takes a few liberties with the beloved franchise but I find them to be minimal. ESO is above all else an Elder ScrollsI'm sure everything that can be said about ESO, both positive and negative, has been said so I'll make this short and to the point. I give the game an 8/10 rating because of its current state which I think is still unfinished. On potential I'd give it a 10. As an MMO it takes a few liberties with the beloved franchise but I find them to be minimal. ESO is above all else an Elder Scrolls game. Yes it has many bugs, yes there are spammers and bots galore, yes to all of that and more BUT it is still the best MMO I have played in a long time, and that includes my experience in WoW, Guild Wars, Guild Wars 2, RIFT, Neverwinter and many other fantasy MMOs. ESO is fun and it is engrossing and I remain hopeful that it will only get better. If you're an Elder Scrolls fan, buy it. If you're not an Elder Scrolls fan I still recommend it but remember it is best played slowly with every nook and cranny explored (and every in game book read).… Expand
  75. ravenclaw77
    May 17, 2014
    4
    Level 8, 6 hours /played. Extremely disappointing. Combat is boring, I prefer WoW / LotRO / RIFT / FF XIV style. Story is weak for Zenimax / Bethesda. Hard to know where to go or what to do at times. Still lots of bots, lots of vulgar language, lots of gold spammers. Feels strongly as if the developers vastly under-estimated how much work was necessary to make a good MMORPG. Going back toLevel 8, 6 hours /played. Extremely disappointing. Combat is boring, I prefer WoW / LotRO / RIFT / FF XIV style. Story is weak for Zenimax / Bethesda. Hard to know where to go or what to do at times. Still lots of bots, lots of vulgar language, lots of gold spammers. Feels strongly as if the developers vastly under-estimated how much work was necessary to make a good MMORPG. Going back to RIFT because it has fun and challenging combat, top-notch PvP, Great co-op dynamic content, fantastic instances, and a great amount of personal customization / character builds. This game tremendously hurt my view of one of my favorite developers.… Expand
  76. thierry83
    May 16, 2014
    0
    Well what i tink
    Game is still beta, a horrible buggy mess.
    Customer service is full of roleplaying trolls.
    TESO can be recommended only to the fans of the genre, who accept its flaws: repetitiveness, not very exciting combat and lots of simplifications. This "Skyrim online" is well made, but not very original.
  77. kurios
    May 16, 2014
    10
    The type of MMO I have been waiting for. One where I can play they way I want and explore where I want. The open class system is terrific, and should be implement in more MMOs, let me play they way I want vs. the way you think I should play. The world is open to exploration, and the NPCs you interact with have varied and interesting conversations. Also, a game that finally awardsThe type of MMO I have been waiting for. One where I can play they way I want and explore where I want. The open class system is terrific, and should be implement in more MMOs, let me play they way I want vs. the way you think I should play. The world is open to exploration, and the NPCs you interact with have varied and interesting conversations. Also, a game that finally awards crafters, by allowing them to produce the best gear, weapons, food, potions, enchantments available, vs solely bing in the province of the uber PvP or Raider.

    On the bad side those are the several quest bugs, group phase problems, and features for shopping at the guild store. For me these are minor problems, myself I only ran into one bug that was patched that week, and can find the stuff I need to buy in the guild store. Most areas are not instanced so you will not have to deal with groups being out of phase, but hopefully it will be addressed and allow the character who has already completed the phase drop back with his grouped partner.

    Overall I never expected them to able to replicate the deep complexities of the sand boxed Elder Scroll games, and was surprised they were able to get so close on MMO platform. I have found it to be very enjoyable, and believe that the future will hold even better things for this game, because the foundation game play is very solid.    … Expand
  78. Rowrin
    May 15, 2014
    6
    The game is a diamond in the rough (well, really rough, but a diamond none-the-less). Going past the launch issues (the worst of which appear to have been fixed), which arguably were some of the worst seen in a game launch (players logging into other players accounts by accident, banks and inventories being completely wiped, main quests not working etc), the game still has some very coreThe game is a diamond in the rough (well, really rough, but a diamond none-the-less). Going past the launch issues (the worst of which appear to have been fixed), which arguably were some of the worst seen in a game launch (players logging into other players accounts by accident, banks and inventories being completely wiped, main quests not working etc), the game still has some very core issues.

    At the moment, PvP, the fight for Cyrodiil and the right to sit upon the throne is very lacking. The zone has a lot of potential, but the way campaigns are set up at the moment, and the lack of smaller objectives have most of the zone completely empty. Worse yet, most of the campaigns are completely dead, with no one playing on them. This is largely because everyone moves to the campaign where their faction is dominating, and all other campaigns are ignored. There is a lot of potential to be had in Cyrodiil, but at the moment it is a missed opportunity.

    The game also suffers from a plethora of bugs still. None quite nearly as game breaking as what was seen in the first month, but still annoyances. Class abilities and tool-tips are either broken, incorrect or do not work (such is the case most evident with Nightblades). Several quests are still broken as well.

    Bugs completely aside, the game also lacks some key features and concepts. For instance, grouping with friends becomes a total disaster due to phasing (which Zenimax is working on now). But there are several other design philosophies that are archaic. For instance, having quest objectives non-player instanced. What this means is that in some areas where you have to gather x objects laying around the world, you will be competing with every other player around you, including your friends. This type of mechanic has since been removed in many games since 2007 and it is boggling to see its return.

    What the game does right however is the story, writing and voice acting. Playing through 1-50 and doing the quests were the best parts of my play through. The story and atmosphere experience was enough for me to keep playing, even through the harshest bugs during launch (I personally had my banked wiped twice and was mistakenly banned by the automated system).

    That said: unfortunately, after doing the main quest, I have very little incentive to put up with the additional bugs and lack-luster PvP at the moment. The rest of the game just is either too broken, empty or uninteresting to play after absorbing all the story and voice acting.    … Expand
  79. matty_o
    May 14, 2014
    3
    You can't give this game 10. Or a 9 or anything above a 5. All the fanboys rating 10 are simply comparing it to WoW instead of Skyrim. No, Elder Scrolls fans deserve better. From the shockingly boring gameplay, to the horrendous group options, to the inability to correctly play coop in the same quest, to the removal of building/modding houses as well as the ability to interact with prettyYou can't give this game 10. Or a 9 or anything above a 5. All the fanboys rating 10 are simply comparing it to WoW instead of Skyrim. No, Elder Scrolls fans deserve better. From the shockingly boring gameplay, to the horrendous group options, to the inability to correctly play coop in the same quest, to the removal of building/modding houses as well as the ability to interact with pretty much anything other than an enemy/resources. The Elder Scrolls charm is long gone. Gold per kill is 1, max 2 even on a boss. Horses are anywhere from 20,000 upwards unless you BUY the Imperial race or the horse. This is a downright slap in the face after paying for the game in full as well as the monthly subscription!
    If you idiots want to keep comparing this game to WoW obviously it's better but it's no where close to what it should be. Definitely not worth $80. The ESO team was good enough to give me a refund, I suggest you all do the same. Wait till free to play rather.    … Expand
  80. Stolig
    May 13, 2014
    8
    When I first saw they were making an MMO version of Elder Scrolls, I was quite excited as I am a big fan of the series, especially Skyrim, Oblivion, and Morrowind, which I had spent hundreds of hours playing. However, after seeing early builds of the game and some random videos, I was beginning to doubt it. Now that I have played it, I must admit that while it lacks Skyrim's graphicalWhen I first saw they were making an MMO version of Elder Scrolls, I was quite excited as I am a big fan of the series, especially Skyrim, Oblivion, and Morrowind, which I had spent hundreds of hours playing. However, after seeing early builds of the game and some random videos, I was beginning to doubt it. Now that I have played it, I must admit that while it lacks Skyrim's graphical polish, it is a pretty fun game that I find myself drawn back to time and time again. After slightly more than a month playing, I already have a veteran level character and have finished the "main quest" of my faction and now spend my time in the Veteran level content enjoying that as well. If you like Elder Scrolls at all, and enjoy sprawling worlds to explore, then this game is definitely worth your time and effort. It is, however, far from perfect, and can sometimes be a bit buggy. But having played WoW since the closed beta, and a whole slew of other MMORPGs, I have to admit very few were flawless their first few months.… Expand
  81. SenshudoTV
    May 13, 2014
    6
    I tried to give ESO a fair shake. After a disappointing beta experience, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed some aspects of the game. PvP is a lot of fun when you're with a group and will only get better as more people reach max level. Some of the PvE content is enjoyable when you're not doing the same quests you've done in every other MMO with an Elder Scrolls flavor. Those experiencesI tried to give ESO a fair shake. After a disappointing beta experience, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed some aspects of the game. PvP is a lot of fun when you're with a group and will only get better as more people reach max level. Some of the PvE content is enjoyable when you're not doing the same quests you've done in every other MMO with an Elder Scrolls flavor. Those experiences are few and far between and thats a shame. Zenimax had a great opportunity here to buck the trend and create an engaging game. What we're left with is another generic MMO with an Elder Scrolls cover. Its nowhere near as deep or expansive as the single player Elder Scrolls games, nor is it as satisfying as other MMO's on the market. ESO reaches for the moon, and lands among the garbage pit.… Expand
  82. BrokenMan
    May 13, 2014
    0
    Эта игра полностью разрушила все мои надежды на хоть какую-нибудь принадлежность к серии The Elder Scrolls. Первое, что я увидел, войдя в игру - это плохая анимация персонажей. Второе - ну просто отвратительная система боя. Хуже я нигде не видел. Про луки вообще и говорить не стоит. Оказавшись на Нирне, нас начинают грузить невообразимым количеством квестов, бессмысленных и нудных. А доЭта игра полностью разрушила все мои надежды на хоть какую-нибудь принадлежность к серии The Elder Scrolls. Первое, что я увидел, войдя в игру - это плохая анимация персонажей. Второе - ну просто отвратительная система боя. Хуже я нигде не видел. Про луки вообще и говорить не стоит. Оказавшись на Нирне, нас начинают грузить невообразимым количеством квестов, бессмысленных и нудных. А до какой степени нудны все эти разговоры... Я скажу, что если слушать/читать всё, что нам говорят, узнавать от разных персонажей какую-нибудь информацию, вы почувствуете себя на уроке истории, который не будет заканчиваться никогда. Хотелось бы добавить единственное замечание про графику. Она не оптимизирована. По моему мнению, Skyrim выглядел бы намного лучше и там было бы в три раза большее FPS. Вообщем, ваши заслуженные ноль баллов, Bethesda. Ах, да, учитывая всё это, она стоит просто огромных денег. Это позор.… Expand
  83. Wobbufox
    May 13, 2014
    8
    To hate, or not to hate?

    Well, to be honest...neither. This game is far from flawless, but neither is it terrible. Let's get the nitty gritty out of the way and say that $15, or approx £9 - £10 isn't a huge sub fee for an MMO. In essence, this is standard. Is it worth the money? Only if they will be releasing quality content in the future without making people dish out for an    To hate, or not to hate?

    Well, to be honest...neither. This game is far from flawless, but neither is it terrible.

    Let's get the nitty gritty out of the way and say that $15, or approx £9 - £10 isn't a huge sub fee for an MMO. In essence, this is standard. Is it worth the money? Only if they will be releasing quality content in the future without making people dish out for an expansion pack. Bots, Gold Sellers and the occassional bug are expected and it seems that these problems are being address. But don't expect it to be sorted within the first few months.

    At the end of the day, your opinion on the game will depend on three things: Are you an MMO fan? Are you a TES fan? And are you optimistic, or pessimistic?

    If you want Skyrim...I suggest you play Skyrim and wait for the next TES title. If you are an MMO fan, it'll hit all your mainstream boxes, but will let you down on the end-game content as it's still early days. All in all, this is an MMO game with a good helping of TES universe. Just don't be surprised if the game has reworked what Soul Gems do and how they are named...that last one DID break my TES-filled heart.

    For those who may not have played it yet, here are some brief breakdowns:

    The negative:

    Gold Sellers everywhere!!! Well, it's something that every MMO has to deal with. So nothing new, right? As far as we know, this is being worked on.

    If you wish to play 'fair', be disappointed for the moment as there are some balancing issues to be dealt with. Oh, and if you are a stealthy TES player, don't expect to 'one-shot-KO' everything in ESO.

    The PvP is interesting and rather fun, but as said above, balancing issues do skew the battles a little...towards those with greater range.

    In terms of gameplay, one of the main issues is a lack of STRUCTURED group content (outside of dungeons and dungeion-ing), however, expect the immersion to die a little in some caves as a horde of players charge through it, hunting for Skyshards and map-completion. Although, as the game is still in it's early stages of post-release, we have our fingers crossed for a lot more content to come our way.

    The positive:

    The game holds true to a LOT of TES, and so far I haven't encountered anything that is incredibly lore-breaking. The crafting system in each skill-tree is detailed and holds a large array of customisation.

    The combat is fluid and feels great in both; first and third-person perspective, although 3rd person is tactically better, allowing you to see enemy AoE abilities with far greater clarity. The skill trees seem to have a good range of ACTIVE and PASSIVE abilities, as well as a very open system to how you invest points.

    The general leveling of a character is a little slow at times, but if you focus on questing, then it shouldn't take that long at all. It is simply a matter of what you're doing. Gathering iron ISN'T going to get your overall lvl from 16-17, but discovering new locations, picking the locks on chests and helping out the ever-needy NPCs WILL get you up swiftly.

    On a final note, as said by many before me, the visuals, voice acting and ambient sounds are all top-notch for an MMO.

    Overall, this is a SOLID MMO with a lot to offer, and a LOT of potential in the future. All that matters is what you were expecting during the hype. This is NOT Skyrim, this isn't even Oblivion or Morrowind, and how could it be? This is an MMO game that so far holds true to The Elder Scrolls world. This isn't a single-player game, and with that come compromises, remember that.    … Expand
  84. fatoldsun_98
    May 12, 2014
    0
    This game is dead, the console versions have been delayed 6 months. This puts it in direct competition with Witcher 3 and Dragon Age Inquisition even though they are not MMOs; MMO'ers do not like TESO and single player lovers of the TES series aren't buying into it. If they expect the console versions of TESO to beat out Witcher 3 and DA Inquisition in the fall they will be sadlyThis game is dead, the console versions have been delayed 6 months. This puts it in direct competition with Witcher 3 and Dragon Age Inquisition even though they are not MMOs; MMO'ers do not like TESO and single player lovers of the TES series aren't buying into it. If they expect the console versions of TESO to beat out Witcher 3 and DA Inquisition in the fall they will be sadly disappointed. Plus $15 freaking dollars a month subscription? Come on man!… Expand
  85. GFBStarWars
    May 12, 2014
    9
    This will be my review for "The Elder Scroll Online", I'll try to be objective and to explain pro and cons in a simple but detailed way.
    "The Elder Scroll Online" isn't the classic MMORPG on the market and from what I've seen by playing, look more like a hybrid between a MMO and a single player RPG.
    The first thing anyone will notice when starting the game is the character creation which    This will be my review for "The Elder Scroll Online", I'll try to be objective and to explain pro and cons in a simple but detailed way.
    "The Elder Scroll Online" isn't the classic MMORPG on the market and from what I've seen by playing, look more like a hybrid between a MMO and a single player RPG.
    The first thing anyone will notice when starting the game is the character creation which have a massive amount of customization and give the choice to choose a race (and Alliance) and a class. Those are the only skill line and passive    … Expand
  86. j1mboslice
    May 12, 2014
    5
    Hmmmm...
    The game is fun for about a week, the pvp is an exact clone of guild wars 2. The graphics are good but i can imagine that in a few years maybe 2 it will look crappy. The leveling can be done by questing or farming, both of which are really boring after about a week. Save your money kiddies until this one is free to play or buy wildstar.
  87. M1lkman
    May 12, 2014
    5
    The wonderful graphics, fully voiced characters and interesting plot line cannot overcome the game's fundamental flaw: it feels like a single player game with other players simultaneously "logged in." Many quests can be completed by simply standing around and waiting for some other player to kill the quest creature. The game lacks the grandeur and feeling of importance inherent toThe wonderful graphics, fully voiced characters and interesting plot line cannot overcome the game's fundamental flaw: it feels like a single player game with other players simultaneously "logged in." Many quests can be completed by simply standing around and waiting for some other player to kill the quest creature. The game lacks the grandeur and feeling of importance inherent to single-player Elder Scrolls games, and lacks the inclusiveness of a true MMO. The game can't decide what sort of game it wants to be, and so it fails at satisfying fans of either genre.… Expand
  88. Snivonim
    May 12, 2014
    8
    There have been some good MMO's to come out in the last 5 years and they have all had their strengths and weaknesses, but I think ESO is the best. Games like Rift, GW2, and NWN Online have all had some enjoyable moments and most of them have had good gameplay up until the dreaded.. ENDGAME.

    ESO has the most detailed, largest, and fully realized game world I have seen to date. The quests    There have been some good MMO's to come out in the last 5 years and they have all had their strengths and weaknesses, but I think ESO is the best. Games like Rift, GW2, and NWN Online have all had some enjoyable moments and most of them have had good gameplay up until the dreaded.. ENDGAME.

    ESO has the most detailed, largest, and fully realized game world I have seen to date. The quests are thoughtfully created and plentiful, though quest log never feels a burden. If you are a completionist, there is plenty to complete, but it is definitely not necessary to do every quest. And there is plenty of room to just explore and grind if you like.

    Combat is fluid and looks great. Bethesda has designed their combat system to be relatively simple with only 5 active combat buttons (and one quick slotted item) so that more emphasis can be made on tactics in combat. Dodging and movement becomes important. Personally I wouldn't mind another combat bar slot or two as I think it would add a bit more dimension, but I do enjoy the system as it stands.

    The crafting system is deep and rewarding, though some may argue to difficult to level - I'd say that crafting should have a significant investment in it.

    My only criticism of the game so far would be that I would like to see more race/class combinations (more races and more classes) and more variation within the models some, bigger, wider, shorter, etc. I really think this would add a great deal to the feel of the game and its longevity.

    I haven't hit 50 yet so I cannot speak to the end game, but so far I am enjoying the leveling immensely.    … Expand
  89. Khondor
    May 12, 2014
    9
    Not sure why this game garners so much hate and discontent. People who are saying "been there, done that" might as well be complaining about having to shoot in an FPS. ESO is actually a solid addition to the Elder Scrolls universe. Do what you want game play, meaningful crafting, large open world, and a tremendous amount of lore. The road to max level is LONG which is a welcome changeNot sure why this game garners so much hate and discontent. People who are saying "been there, done that" might as well be complaining about having to shoot in an FPS. ESO is actually a solid addition to the Elder Scrolls universe. Do what you want game play, meaningful crafting, large open world, and a tremendous amount of lore. The road to max level is LONG which is a welcome change to the recent trend in MMOs that have people at level cap in two days. These same folks then complain about the lack of end game and then rage quit. In ESO, the leveling IS the game, or a least a major part of it. Questing in ESO is it's strength and although some quest bugs were prevalent at launch, they have mostly been addressed. If your a fan of Elder Scrolls games, then you should give this one a shot. You won't be disappointed.… Expand
  90. arreyanne
    May 12, 2014
    4
    Can you meh. While the game has the Lore its very much your standard Theme Park. The phasing while in groups in the open world doesn't work to the players benefit.

    There are just no "OMG That was awesome" moments in this game like the Singel player versions
  91. Nataraja
    May 11, 2014
    6
    This is a revised review given time to play this large MMO more fully and therefore give it a more apt review.

    I am a confessed Elder Scrolls junky - well RPG junky really and a sucker for good lore and story - which is present in this game. The score should be 6.5, but half points are not provided on Metacritic. To fairly review this game one must recognize that THIS IS AN MMO and is    This is a revised review given time to play this large MMO more fully and therefore give it a more apt review.

    I am a confessed Elder Scrolls junky - well RPG junky really and a sucker for good lore and story - which is present in this game. The score should be 6.5, but half points are not provided on Metacritic. To fairly review this game one must recognize that THIS IS AN MMO and is only tangentially related to its single player predecessors. However, the standard of the impressive Elder Scrolls games cannot and should not be set aside.
    -
    Be warned - THIS IS NOT A SOLO EXPERIENCE EXCLUSSIVELY. In that way it is not fair to compare it to Skyrim or Oblivion, for example. Its an MMO and with that is a big sacrifice to the Elder Scrolls experience. Gone is opportunity for quiet reflection looking over a vista (ala Skyrim...) or that feeling of being the one true hero, despite the moments it provides in the main quest line. So if you are looking for Elder Scrolls VI - its not here. This is definitely an Online Massive Multiplayer version and needs to be viewed and reviewed as such.
    -
    With that said the game is mediocre and suffers from an identity crisis. It had a very smooth launch with the megaserver technology, acceptable graphics for an MMO, lots of quests and events, tons of things to do with crafting and fighter, mage and undaunted guilds. PVP is well done and deep (better than GW2 in my book) and as s solo experience its decent EXCEPT it is NOT solo and the solo parts are ruined by the introduction of MASSIVE people doing the same things CONSTANTLY. That is its biggest drawback - it wants to give in depth personal experiences of Elder Scrolls but is unable to deliver. The phasing makes it impossible to group and play with friends in any consistent way as they will never appear to you if you are in separate stages of a quest. Sharing of quests is pointless as if you have done step one but your friend has not gotten the quest yet you are forever separated and unable to play together.
    -
    The issues are Zenimax/Bethesda's occasional technical hiccup and the lack of communication and application of standard IT best practices that hampered the early access experience. The boards were afire during the early access and communication with players was not good. Hopefully that will change.
    -
    My initial thoughts were that ESO would be measured in years of play - not minutes, hours, days or weeks - but the phasing and how the game is structured completely destroyed that possibility.

    Crafting: There is not a good balance there for those who like to craft between materials access and storage. Also absent is a general auction house - instead you must join a guild to be able to sell your wares to other guild members. Quite annoying. Crafting is the only way to get the best gear and that makes craftsmen valuable and crafting valuable (but they really need an auction house - although there are already pure commerce guilds forming).
    -
    Combat is decent and the dungeons require skill when they work. First person is horribly hampered by the very narrow and claustrophobic field of view and third person is just awkward.
    -
    If you want some pleasant but not entirely fresh MMO air this could be it. It is different but is no different enough to justify a subscription. The multiplayer aspects are very poorly implemented, quest breaking bugs have been present since launch and some are a horrible mess. The best part of the game is the PvP but its too vast with underpopulated campaigns which leaves huge open areas and nothing new to offer nor any better than Guild Wars 2 that has NO SUBSCRIPTION.

    This is game had a lot of promise but like Star Wars the Old Republic it simply fails as a multiplayer experience. For one of the first times ever I really have to agree with Angry Joe - skip it or wait for it to go to buy to play and if you miss it entirely you won't miss much. Far better to stay in Skyrim and enjoy the free mods from the vast community that has formed around that game. Or better yet, anticipate the next installment of Fallout or perhaps Elder Scrolls 6 as I hope they will return to what they do best - free roaming player driven narrative games and not this poorly designed MMO.    … Expand
  92. AntonioDG
    May 10, 2014
    2
    The Elder Scrolls Online; a game I truly hoped would break new ground in the massively multiplayer online role playing game genre. A genre that already has enough bland and generic games to suck up your time, if you wish to do so. A game I and countless others could only hope would be Skyrim in an MMO environment. All of us were quite disappointed with the sack of not so special orThe Elder Scrolls Online; a game I truly hoped would break new ground in the massively multiplayer online role playing game genre. A genre that already has enough bland and generic games to suck up your time, if you wish to do so. A game I and countless others could only hope would be Skyrim in an MMO environment. All of us were quite disappointed with the sack of not so special or groundbreaking brown potato's that was given to us, called The Elder Scrolls Online.

    Having played the game for roughly a month, I was still waiting for the game to be fun. Instead it simply felt average or plain. The quests were not very engaging, combat system was a bit different but still left you longing for more, drops were not scaled at all, repair bills were extremely high considering how much gold the enemies dropped (1-2 gold for bosses), and much more. Attempting to do dungeons was one of the first gripes I had; most dungeons you enter and you will have a straight walk to the boss, because someone has already come in and wiped all the mobs (trash or not) out for you (how nice). Once you get to the boss you assume, I'll be able to take this guy, it's a single player quest, surely they wouldn't make this guy Superman in a world where no kryptonite existed, they did. Now you're stuck at the boss waiting for another player to come through and end up at the end and assist.

    Remember how in Skyrim if you killed an enemy, basically you could take everything off him; armor, pants, gloves, helmet, sword, bow, dagger, potion, crafting supplies, and even more than 1-2 gold. Well, here you might get 1 gold and a mushroom. Even in the level ranges of 30+ mobs (even bosses) would only drop 1-2 gold at max. My repair bills at that point were over 300 gold, that wasn't even with level appropriate armor. The quests were where you made your money, but seriously, 1 - 2 per mob from level 1 - 30+, you have got to be kidding.

    Though I will praise the game with it's crafting system. I honestly found myself more interested in crafting than actually leveling or questing. The crafting was fun, though I thought the models you were given were quite bland.

    Exploring the map was, quite useless. There are a few quests throughout the map, off the beaten path, but it felt like you were guided to this additional quest. Clearing each map took quite some time, I spend 8-16 hours clearing numerous maps, some took more as I had to walk all over the place. And travel is not fun, a good horse costs an ungodly amount of money, or you can shill out $20 for a starter horse and be able to play as an Imperial class. The horse is quite slow and you can only upgrade the horse every 20 hours. Upgrading the horse felt... useless and drawn out. It was nice to summon a horse, but I didn't feel like I completed any quests quicker because of it.

    Questing was fun, if you don't mind the mindless kill 10 parrots and bring me red feathers or go talk to Potato and give him this letter from Raddish, or investigate the mines as something spooky is happening (oooooOOOOOOooooH). It was fun, if the quests would work half the time. Every other quest I encountered I had to log out of the game and back in to try to finish it. If that didn't fix it, I would have to restart the quest over. Now starting the quest over meant starting the QUEST LINE ALL OVER AGAIN. So, you thought you wasted your time getting to this point the 1st time? Do it again a second time and hope the quests initiates for you. I would have easily over looked this, but seriously, it was every other quest.

    These "Mega-Servers" were complete garbage as well. Now I am sure they have a massive data center with all these servers getting pounded on by Tom, Dick, and Harry trying to slay David the Gnome. With all the crashes, lag spikes, and immediate shutdowns, it makes you wonder what in the world they are doing. I can overlook a few technical difficulties, but when this is coupled with quests that do not work, a game I am waiting for to get fun, plus nothing really scaling, and monsters I found at level 1,5,10,15,20 re-named and scaled for level 30, you are pushing your luck on a game.

    All in all, if you feel like paying Filet Mignon prices for this Wal-Mart cut of meat game , this is your game! It's bland, so bland that it hurts. It's boring, you wait for the fun to happen and fool yourself to think its coming in the next level or two to keep you going. With the title of Elder Scrolls we were promised a great game. Instead they took that title, wiped their butt with it, slapped it on this excuse for an MMO, and fed it to us at Ruth Chris.    … Expand
  93. Synol
    May 10, 2014
    2
    Not quite as bad as Neverwinter but not better than any other game except Neverwinter. In terms of cash grabs about the same as Neverwinter.

    Graphics haven't changed any since Skyrim (most people claim its worse but looked the same to me). So they're decent still. The storyline is written great, as with all Elder Scrolls games. And that's where the positive aspects of the game stop.    Not quite as bad as Neverwinter but not better than any other game except Neverwinter. In terms of cash grabs about the same as Neverwinter.

    Graphics haven't changed any since Skyrim (most people claim its worse but looked the same to me). So they're decent still. The storyline is written great, as with all Elder Scrolls games. And that's where the positive aspects of the game stop.

    All the bugs from beta are still in the game, you couldn't even progress your storyline after release based on your faction. You will fall through the world randomly for no reason. You will get stuck on stairs. You will be dismounted from your horse while running along a road for no reason at all.

    The combat is extremely slow. There are very few skills per class and most are useless so you'll be spamming the same skills as every other Dragon Knight / Nightblade / etc in the game.

    The quests are spread out to the point where all you'll be doing is running around looking for more quests or running for days to turn in the quests you did. The quests have you backtrack often also, no streamlining at all has been done to make the progression smooth.

    At the end of the day if all you care about is Story you should grab this game and play through it inside of 1 month then cancel your sub and move on. If you care about having fun, the combat, quests, bugs or any actual gameplay aspects of the game then you should definitely avoid getting this game.    … Expand
  94. carsonnapier987
    May 10, 2014
    3
    TESO is as boring as WoW. Until one accumulates an obscene amount of cash the game play resembles a running simulator more than an RPG. The quests are go here, kill that, fetch this bring it back rinse and repeat. The Elder Scrolls immersed me in a world that afforded characters, quests and a storyline I cared about TESO not so much. I quit WoW when it started to remind me of work TESOTESO is as boring as WoW. Until one accumulates an obscene amount of cash the game play resembles a running simulator more than an RPG. The quests are go here, kill that, fetch this bring it back rinse and repeat. The Elder Scrolls immersed me in a world that afforded characters, quests and a storyline I cared about TESO not so much. I quit WoW when it started to remind me of work TESO is already becoming a chore. The graphics are ok but not comparable to PC versions of Skyrim. All in all I paid far too much for the game and the monthly fee adds insult to injury. This is a major disappointment for me.… Expand
  95. Ananisapta
    May 9, 2014
    3
    I started WoW in 2005 and since then have played LotRO and GW2. I played Skyrim with all the DLC for about 600 hours. Before that I ran through Oblivion a couple of times. I've also played several of the Fallout series. I'm sorry to say that The Elder Scrolls Online is the low point of this series.

    This game is EXTREMELY BUGGY and the quest difficulty is absurdly unpredictable. This    I started WoW in 2005 and since then have played LotRO and GW2. I played Skyrim with all the DLC for about 600 hours. Before that I ran through Oblivion a couple of times. I've also played several of the Fallout series. I'm sorry to say that The Elder Scrolls Online is the low point of this series.

    This game is EXTREMELY BUGGY and the quest difficulty is absurdly unpredictable. This especially applies to the 'main story' quests. The player economy is broken, making crafting a waste of time. Voice acting ranges bizarrely from very good to very poor. Animations range from good to fair. Scenery has repetitive elements and lacks real artistic flair. Especially bizarre is instance play. Most instances are public, including most of those labeled as 'solo dungeons'. That robs them of all difficulty when other players are nearby. It's very strange to see other players in instances where the story line suggests you are uniquely able to overcome a certain challenge. Often these other players will have carbon copies of the same 'unique' npc who is trailing you around. Occasionally you'll meet an unbeatable boss in a true solo instance that will hold you back as much as ten levels. Often you'll be defeated by buggy combat mechanics -- like, you knock-back a boss who passes through the scenery and then resets the entire fight, or even refuses to engage you after that so you have to abandon the quest or reboot the game to progress.

    It's a crying shame that such a promising series leads experienced players into positions of extreme frustration with such frequency.    … Expand
  96. JokerProduction
    May 9, 2014
    1
    Where do I begin. Boring fetch quests with absolutely no depth or expansive lore that begs one to do anything beyond the main story. Unless you want to be grinding day and night to get that extra level up.

    On top of that the market system is extremely broken and the entire game needs a reset thanks to handy little bugs like the duplication glitch. Every person that has invested money in    Where do I begin. Boring fetch quests with absolutely no depth or expansive lore that begs one to do anything beyond the main story. Unless you want to be grinding day and night to get that extra level up.

    On top of that the market system is extremely broken and the entire game needs a reset thanks to handy little bugs like the duplication glitch. Every person that has invested money in this game should be given a full refund. Dreadful game.    … Expand
  97. coeus2k
    May 9, 2014
    9
    Loved Skyrim and hate Warcraft. This game will do for me. I like that you can still play as a solo player but join in multiplayer if needed. Only on lvl 7 so still getting used to it but for me.. though the graphics are a lower level than Skyrim its still marvelous. A good all round game.. pricey though (but I'm quite rich).
  98. Bonebreaker
    May 9, 2014
    5
    I dont know how i should rate it, im Vet10 now and not everything there is bad but to many things feals so unfinishd.

    Good things ------------------------------------------------- + Graphics: the Graphics are real good for an mmo if you turn everything at max, sure it could be always better but for my taste they have done real good. the world is real big for an new mmo and the design    I dont know how i should rate it, im Vet10 now and not everything there is bad but to many things feals so unfinishd.

    Good things
    -------------------------------------------------
    + Graphics: the Graphics are real good for an mmo if you turn everything at max, sure it could be always better but for my taste they have done real good. the world is real big for an new mmo and the design of the lands fits real good into the ES Lore. If you have fun exploring the world you have here a lot to see.
    + Characters: The Design of the Caracters in another good thing, sure the Hairphysics could be better but all in all the npcs and your character Looks real good and you can do a lot with the char creation tool (but not so mutch like in rift) compared to most others mmos.
    + Crafting: Well i thing they have done it pretty well for the most part, you can craft everything like in skyrim (except jewlery somehow) and upgrade your stuff and you dont need to run dungeons or raids to get the materials for the highest upgrade, you can get it from hirelings or refining resources of any lvl but its still a rare drop. The lvling of the Craftingjobs is not to bad, there are only 2 jobs that seems a bit unbalanced. The first is provisoring witch you can cap if you do it rate in under 4 hours (with mats farming and so on all by yourself) and the other is Enhancher witch feels like taking for ever. Like i said im Vet10 and have maxed out every other Job so far but Enhancer is still only 31/50 and it gets slower and slower most other Job i maxed out before getting 50, i disenhance every rune i find, building gives nearly no Points except you waste the rare epic and legendary runes and i need to farm an insane amout of runes and materials to push it further that real sucks.
    + Quest: The Quest for itself are nothing Special but its good that they have voice acting and some Storys are real interesting and funny.
    + Books & Lorebooks: I like it because it reminds my on skyrim and the other ES games, you can find books witch increase your skill and witch you can read just for fun. Unlike in the other ES Games you dont need to collect all anymore, once you have discoverd a new Lorebook its saved in your list and you can read it later all you need to do is just to click the entry in your list.

    Well thats it, if i have nothing forgot this are the good things from ESO. ;D

    Bad Stuff
    -------------------------
    - The Idea how the Skillsystem is done is not bad but it could be mutch better, first i thought you could improve your skills multiple times and develop them more but thats not true you can Morph every skill only once, this means between lvl 20-30 you can get the Morph for each skill u usally use and than thats it, nothing new after that. Of course you can try and develop some other skills to but why i should do that if i have no need for them in my build?
    - Leveling: Ist more worse than in FFXIV, the first time is Fun, until 50, but because u must do with one Char the Quest from all Faction to reach Vet10 in lowers the replay Value and Fun making Twinks a lot to me. U only need 1 Faction Zone to reach 50 but you need to Quest throw the entire Zones of the other 2 Factions as Well to reach Vet 10. Also the XP you get from Quest seems not to be right balanced, after i have done every working Quest and solostuff like in other MMO i have missed 2.4Mio XP to hit V10 and i allready had the Vet10 Area Clr. Grinding NPCs its not an Option because they give nearly nothing (around 100XP or so). The Solution was that i have revisited every Area and have done most of the Group activities but that was not real fun because sometimes you had to wait real Long before there are enough Player for a boss or dolmen.
    Hitting max Level should always be solo possible, group activities should only give something like a boost to save time but not been necesary.
    - Bots: when i have played my main i have seen not a singel bot, i guess i lvld to fast. But than i have made a twink to try another class... They are everywhere its more worse than after Launch of FFXIV (and i thought it could be possible). OK the City spam is not there but in every Solodungeon you have a group of 10 or more Bots Standing around the Boss spawn and killing them in less than 2 seconds. If you dont use a instant its nearly impossible to get a hit with enough dmg to make the Bosskill Count for the achivement. I have read in Forum bots that moves throw the ground and farming mats (like in wow), since a few days i see more and more lvling bots running same path all the time in a group of 5 bots or more (following the main bot) and grinding npc Groups.
    You hear nearly no Response about that problem from Zenimax and see no Action its like they dont care.
    - No Auctionhouse
    - Class Skills that are not Working right
    - and more    … Expand
  99. Veridiano02
    May 9, 2014
    10
    This game is a MMO, with MMO mechanics. And it's not perfect. Have some fails here and there. Personally, even with that few bad things, I think it's a great game. The story it's quite better than Skyrim can ever be, and close to clasics like Oblivion and Morrowind. The graphics are amazing playing at full, and the lore is perfect on it's own. And, even with the MMO mechanics, it's anThis game is a MMO, with MMO mechanics. And it's not perfect. Have some fails here and there. Personally, even with that few bad things, I think it's a great game. The story it's quite better than Skyrim can ever be, and close to clasics like Oblivion and Morrowind. The graphics are amazing playing at full, and the lore is perfect on it's own. And, even with the MMO mechanics, it's an Elder Scrolls. Anyway, I can't tell anything better than this: Try it by yourself.

    Oh, and, even if I think that TESO deserves no more than a 7 or 8 in it's current state, I give it a 10, just for **** up all those negative rewievs that seems payed for other companies, because what they say it's not true, plain and simple. IT'S NOT TRUE.    … Expand
  100. ChrisMattar
    May 9, 2014
    9
    The game is really amazing, the visuals are stunning, quests for the most part are really fun, Im a huge Elder Scrolls fan and Im loving each bit of it. NOW, if you notice all the people giving this great game a 0 which immediately discredits their opinions, and if you read what they say there are 3 kinds of naysayers:

    1. I HATE THIS GAME BECAUSE I WANNA REACH THE END FAST! Cries one    The game is really amazing, the visuals are stunning, quests for the most part are really fun, Im a huge Elder Scrolls fan and Im loving each bit of it. NOW, if you notice all the people giving this great game a 0 which immediately discredits their opinions, and if you read what they say there are 3 kinds of naysayers:

    1. I HATE THIS GAME BECAUSE I WANNA REACH THE END FAST! Cries one guy here, he complains that it takes to long to level, and sometimes quests have multiple steps OH NOES! That's horrible, you actually have to PLAY THE GAME. I feel your pain, you just want to reach cap level in 2 days and if you could skip the whole game you would, well, maybe you should!
    This game as many, is supposed to be played for the pleasure of enjoying it and discovering, not to skip your way thru a speed run to the end, it is all about Story immersion and discovery.
    Oh and lets not forget the followup QQ, there is no endgame content! Boohoo!
    The content as is is humongous and you were complaining about the leveling being to slow, so you did ever trick in the book to boost your XP and skip every story and conversation, so you can reach the game's end in a week and be some sort of oily haired hero sitting in his room and boasting to people you will never meet how awesome you are, then comes the realization that hey there is nothing to do now. Idiotic companies, they should hire a team the size of a country to make so much content that even you can swallow even if it costs a billion dollars and although you wont even see 1% of it because you'll be in a competition with your invisible friend to reach the finish line. you should play a racing game if that's your goal, he who complains about no endgame this early after release is no meant to play MMORPGs because his brain cannot possibly understand what its about. You know that when u see these words, its someone at the rock bottom of ignorance on the other side of the monitor.

    2. I HATE THIS GAME BECAUSE THERE ARE BUGSSSSS THEREFORE ITS THE WORST GAME EVER MADE ZERO!! Yeah an mmo with bugs at release, we should sue them for insulting us. its not like its an immense game with millions of quests npc conversations players intertwined. IT should work flawlessly form day one. That's a great argument! Because all other MMOs came out flawless! Its true what they say that people forget all the bad experiences and remember only the good. Makes for Nice survival instinct but horrible gaming opinions.

    I HATE THIS GAME BECAUSE ITS NOT SKYRIM OR NOT WORLD OF WARCRAFT! Well, Skyrim is a diffent game and a single player one, you want to show us how to make a SP game in an MMO word that feels the same and has the same choice/consequence system, that's a billion dollar idea, now all you have to do is unglue your ass form that poor chair and go create that game. Until then, treat them as separate games and great ones. Close your eyes, hold your breath, and separate the two in your mind.
    As for WoW its still there last time i checked, so.. no need to rage, save your money and invest in a panda, don't even bother with other games, ever. WoW is the best there is so why you even bother? and bother the rest of us. You are scared and annoyed by new concepts you dont understand them, its outside of your comfort zone, you wanna keep your same keyboard mapping, you are so brave and adventurous. Solution as mentioned above, take a chill pill and stay where u are. Dont move! you might get uncomfortable with progress. Order your cheese burger the new expansion is right around the corner.

    This game is great, its fun, it's entertaining, it oozes quality and its immerse. Sure it has issues but that's more than normal at this stage. The people that fall in the above group use those same excuses every game they play, because the problem isn't in the games, the problems are in their lives and heads.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
14
#14 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 64 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 64
  2. Mixed: 36 out of 64
  3. Negative: 1 out of 64
  1. CD-Action
    Jul 23, 2014
    60
    Eight years of development, a team consisting of even 250 people at some points, budget reaching hundreds of millions of dollars. It’s a pity that this ‘Skyrim Online’ disappoints both fans of previous Bethesda games and MMORPG veterans who expected some fresh air in the stale genre. [06/2014, p.44]
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jul 8, 2014
    60
    A well done MMO that can lure players not familiar with the genre. But if you've played MMOs before, this one doesn't offer anything new, nor anything exciting.
  3. DarkStation
    Jun 16, 2014
    50
    60 days was more then enough time for me to determine that I would rather spend my time elsewhere.
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