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. keysmachine
    Apr 25, 2014
    10
    the graphics, music and sheer quality of game play makes this a solid experience, sure there are bugs and yes there's a butt load of bots right now making it exceptionally difficult to do public dungeons but those will be sorted soon. Also the amount of 0's this game is receiving on meta critic is hilarious. basically they're saying a Barbie game has more class and game play than thisthe graphics, music and sheer quality of game play makes this a solid experience, sure there are bugs and yes there's a butt load of bots right now making it exceptionally difficult to do public dungeons but those will be sorted soon. Also the amount of 0's this game is receiving on meta critic is hilarious. basically they're saying a Barbie game has more class and game play than this game. which is a total lie.… Expand
  2. Alsvha
    Apr 25, 2014
    6
    Decent attempt at a MMO but ultimately falls short leaving a mediocre experience.

    The good; Crafting is good, but whether it's useful outside food buffs and potions I'm not so sure about. But crafting from the bank so you don't have to haul materials around - nice. Shared bank. But this should really be a mainstay 'quality of life' feature by now anyways, so I'd say if it wasn't there    Decent attempt at a MMO but ultimately falls short leaving a mediocre experience.

    The good;
    Crafting is good, but whether it's useful outside food buffs and potions I'm not so sure about. But crafting from the bank so you don't have to haul materials around - nice.
    Shared bank. But this should really be a mainstay 'quality of life' feature by now anyways, so I'd say if it wasn't there it'd be a detractor.

    The potentially good;
    PvP has potential but whether it becomes more than ranged zerg vs ranged zerg with quick death is the crux. The PvP is also hurting due to the lack of combat feedback in the game. (Reliance on mods from the community to make the game playable).
    The class system seems interesting but while the game boasts of 'play as you want', cookie cutter setup is still going to be a focal point for 'end game' giving the feeling that there's not enough skills in the game per class.

    The bad:
    Questing is dull and feels grindy. I found myself speed clicking through the dialogue because it was just a few lines of chatter before I had to start running after quest markers.
    The UI is awful. Yes, I know they wanted it "minimalistic" and wanted the users to make the quality UI, but its a bad idea for a MMO. The lack of feed back makes combat dull and disconnected for example. And while you can use mods to make it better it shouldn't be up to the community to actually make the UI. They should just add flavour to it. Relying on the community to make the game playable seems more lazy than minimalistic.
    The lore is like questing rather dull and the fact that pre-orders can be any race in any alliance just further waters out any distinctiveness of choosing a side which is not so good.
    There's also the distinct problems for the developers to keep on top of gold sellers and bots which ruin much of the starter zones for everybody.
    The economy is hard on new comers due to very low reward for killing mobs (which adds to the grindy feeling of the game).

    All in all a mediocre MMO which greatest achievement is making me want to play previous MMOs again for the various parts. I - like many other - do suspect a F2P future for this game within a relative short time span (from a MMO point of view), and especially when the next Elder Scrolls single player game comes out.

    So - in my opinion it's a 6/10 game.
    Stay away unless you're REALLY into MMOs and need a new one to try out or you're really into Elder Scrolls game and just has to play them all.    … Expand
  3. doser
    Apr 24, 2014
    8
    Probably the second best MMO ever made, after Dark Age of Camelot.

    Obviously there's a little campaign going in certain circles to write negative reviews with no substance to them. Ignore that nonsense, if you're going to pay a subscription fee, spend it on this... not that other out-of-date, cartoony - PvP-less game.
  4. fanabanana
    Apr 24, 2014
    0
    All together, garbage, a complete bore with an absolute lack of depth or quality. The game is missing intelligence. Anyone saying otherwise is either a shill or delusional.
  5. TheMeph
    Apr 24, 2014
    6
    The game breaker for me is the phasing system. You can't play with your friends or family unless you are all in the exact same step of the exact same quest, otherwise you all get separated into your own little realities and it becomes a solo quest. My son was disappointed that even tho we were grouped i could do nothing to help him kill the elite mob I had already killed before, and heThe game breaker for me is the phasing system. You can't play with your friends or family unless you are all in the exact same step of the exact same quest, otherwise you all get separated into your own little realities and it becomes a solo quest. My son was disappointed that even tho we were grouped i could do nothing to help him kill the elite mob I had already killed before, and he had to wait till a random person came by to try to duo it together. Completely ruined it for me, not being able to play with family. Not re subbing.… Expand
  6. Rumblefish
    Apr 24, 2014
    6
    Well, what to say about this game? Firstly, I am a massive Elder Scrolls fan and used to be a big fan of MMOs for many years but have been shaken off by the pervasive free-to-play model and by watching developers dilute the integrity of their own IPs by pandering to self-entitled players.

    So, the biggest plus I can say for ESO is that it has got me playing an MMO again. Other    Well, what to say about this game? Firstly, I am a massive Elder Scrolls fan and used to be a big fan of MMOs for many years but have been shaken off by the pervasive free-to-play model and by watching developers dilute the integrity of their own IPs by pandering to self-entitled players.

    So, the biggest plus I can say for ESO is that it has got me playing an MMO again. Other positives are that the graphics (on maximum settings) are beautiful; lighting, particle effects and the day/night cycle are all the best I have seen in any MMO. Zenimax have successfully created the atmosphere of an ES game, the player is immersed in Tamriel and it's a joy to explore the world and meet its inhabitants.

    There's much to admire. The implementation of class skills and also weapon and armour skill lines means that any class of character is free to fill any role. Are you a heavy armour wearing Dragonknight tank? Well simply respec, pick up a staff and start a new career as a spellslinger or healer. The combat is engaging, with dodging, blocking and interrupting adding elements to the encounters. However, fighting in ESO does suffer a bit from lag and a feeling of imprecision and weightlessness. A player can often move out of the way of a spell or ability only to be struck when they thought they were safe.

    Crafting is very interesting in ESO, it's quite intricate and requires dedication to slowly level up. Armour and weapons can be created, improved and enchanted in a myriad of ways and styles and crafting is actually a viable source of income. Damaged armour is expensive to repair and I absolutely love the fact that this introduces an actual negative repercussion to death.

    All quests are very professionally voice acted and are a cut above the usual "collect ten bear pelts". However, I did find that all the different groups, characters and comrades one meets along the way become indistinguishable from each other and are by and large forgettable. PvP can be engrossing and addictive but the lack of any world pvp takes away a lot of immersion. PvP action in Cyrodill is all manufactured fare and is only slightly better than the "usual jerg, dead, rez, repeat" that no other MMO seems to have been able to innovate on.

    However, there are negatives to this game also and boy are they large and numerous. The thing about an ES game is that you are the focus of a living breathing world. Can you break into an NPCs house, pick their pocket whilst they sleep, steal their dinner and then murder them and permanently remove them from the game? Yes, yes you can. This is not the case with ESO. Here, you are in a facade of a world. Everything is laid out in front of you and if you squint hard enough, you could believe that you're in Nirn. But peek behind the curtain and realise it's a sham. This is the proverbial theme park. Go here, speak to him, go over there. It's linear in the extreme and there is no real opportunity to fashion your own adventures or stories.

    Many useful features, staples of the genre are missing from ESO. You cannot inspect another player, or duel them. There is no worldwide auction house - and whilst I understand the reasoning behind this, the current guild store simply doesn't work. It's inaccessible and unappealing. Inventory space is a premium and most of your time during the first 20 levels will be spend managing bag and bank space. Although, ironically, there is no way to collect the books you find during your journeys.

    And then there are the disasters. The gold spam in this game is like nothing you will have ever experienced before. It is pervasive and intrusive all day long. The world is plagued with bots, either teleporting from node to node or standing in open world dungeons (surely the worst idea ever to grace an MMO) endlessly battering and looting the same poor mini-boss all day long. It's just not good enough. The game crashes regularly and the economy has already been destroyed by those who have exploited bank glitches. Clearly, a lot of work has gone into ESO but, ultimately, not enough.

    And the same can be said with the amount of thought that went into the social aspect of the game. As I've said, public dungeons are the most disastrous, immersion-breaking events in any MMO, but simply grouping up to quest with others is similarly flawed. Quests are phased, so if your partner is not on exactly the same stage of a quest that you are, then they will not even be able to see the NPCs you are tasked with killing (and therefore can offer no help). The game seems to make actions within it as inconvenient as possible. I've already mentioned trading in this regard but any social interaction can become confusing because people chat in zone/group chat etc under their character name, but appear in guild chat and in the dungeon finder etc as their account name.

    The game could have been a lot better, I hope it improves but it's probably already too late.    … Expand
  7. MrKazool
    Apr 24, 2014
    2
    -decent graphics, but very dull armour/weapons; players and npc's look very much alike;
    -peculiar trading/guild design - no AH, trading limited to guild-members; whoever designed this, should be probably fired immediatelly; not to mention that guild bank does not work most of the time;
    -EXTREMELY buggy - feels like a beta, rather then release version - several broken quests, UI issues,    -decent graphics, but very dull armour/weapons; players and npc's look very much alike;
    -peculiar trading/guild design - no AH, trading limited to guild-members; whoever designed this, should be probably fired immediatelly; not to mention that guild bank does not work most of the time;
    -EXTREMELY buggy - feels like a beta, rather then release version - several broken quests, UI issues, missing chats, missing achievements, instance bosses bugging etc - very, very annoying, when u can not finish main story quest for several days; AND - lo and behold - patch notes lied on a number of occasions, mentioning fixes, that actually did not happen, or did not solve the issues;
    -content past lev 50 (so called veteran-level) is extremely repetitive, basicaly a giant grind;

    Summarising:
    Total lack of polish due to numerous bugs, some really poor design issued (guilds/AH/veteran 'content', or lack thereof), this game at its current stage should not even be released - but rather tested for bugs properly...which seems to never have happened in spite of numerous open betas etc.
    Very dissapointing, especially considering the potential of ES franchise. If I could get my money back - Id take it and leave this title alone.    … Expand
  8. xveganroxx
    Apr 24, 2014
    3
    This is a painfully bad MMO that is skinned with excellent Elder Scrolls lore. The environment is pretty nice, the soundtrack is good, the art design is good if uninspired, and the voice acting ranges from cringeworthy to excellent. That's all the good stuff. Here's the bad: there's no active combat, there's no open exploration, and of course it's priced above every other MMO offeringThis is a painfully bad MMO that is skinned with excellent Elder Scrolls lore. The environment is pretty nice, the soundtrack is good, the art design is good if uninspired, and the voice acting ranges from cringeworthy to excellent. That's all the good stuff. Here's the bad: there's no active combat, there's no open exploration, and of course it's priced above every other MMO offering (game cost + subscription + cash shop). It will be free-to-play soon, which will bring in its own problems I'm sure, but I don't see any fixes for the lack of combat or exploration. If you ever shot an arrow into an enemy from a distance in Skyrim, don't expect anything like that here - you target an enemy and click, there is no aiming involved. You can't explore, either, since if you try to leave the area you're in you'll find the next area has much higher level mobs, so you have to grind, move on, grind, move on, etc. Also, the mob AI is laughable. Enemies don't attack you unless you're 5 feet away from them. There's limited instancing, so when you enter a dungeon everything is already dead and dozens of bots and other players are camping the spawns. This is a mess of an MMO that could only be recommended to masochists or people who are willing to put up with awful gameplay just to experience Elder Scrolls lore. I thought I was one of the latter, but it turns out that I'm not. I think anyone interested in this would be better off playing either WoW or Skyrim (or The Secret World, which has lots of its own problems but does what ESO tries to do in a much, much better way). Avoid this mess of a game.… Expand
  9. tafoya77n
    Apr 24, 2014
    9
    Great game, Zos has created a beautiful world with endless potential for great times. The quests are all beautifully voice acted and written. They really try to give the feeling of an elder scrolls game where you can change the world and that you are part of big events, the game defiantly does the best job of this out of any MMO I have played in the last 10 years.

    Classes are fun and    Great game, Zos has created a beautiful world with endless potential for great times. The quests are all beautifully voice acted and written. They really try to give the feeling of an elder scrolls game where you can change the world and that you are part of big events, the game defiantly does the best job of this out of any MMO I have played in the last 10 years.

    Classes are fun and customization, you really feel like you are building your own character, at least as much as a real MMO with this great of PvP can allow.
    There are endless things to do in the game, from dungon delving to massive Pvp battles with hundreds of players.
    This is a great MMO within the great elder scrolls universe and it absolutely does not disappoint.    … Expand
  10. jimredtalon
    Apr 24, 2014
    5
    It's an okay single player RPG one moment, then an okay MMO the next. Which all in all makes for a mediocre game. For a title boasting the name of elder scrolls, a franchise known for setting the pace in the RPG genre, this one falls short of its predecessors, both in elder scrolls, and in MMO's.
  11. Redmaw69
    Apr 24, 2014
    2
    dull as bricks, pay / pre order to win... could be worse but not by much..............................................................................
  12. JJthis
    Apr 24, 2014
    0
    I am a huge Elder Scrolls fan and this has officially gotten me looking at something else to make up for the hole that it's left me with.
    It's a good MMO, no issues there. But firstly I cannot see it justifying the fee. Secondly it's fighting is slow at the best of times.
    It looks good, very good, so at least they have that, which is nice. Now for the bad? This can be the greatest MMO    I am a huge Elder Scrolls fan and this has officially gotten me looking at something else to make up for the hole that it's left me with.
    It's a good MMO, no issues there. But firstly I cannot see it justifying the fee. Secondly it's fighting is slow at the best of times.
    It looks good, very good, so at least they have that, which is nice.
    Now for the bad?
    This can be the greatest MMO it wants to be but in the end it still fails to be the most important thing: An Elder Scrolls game. It doesn't feel like an Elder Scrolls game and, apart from the obvious fact that Bethesda has now also lost it and gone for greed rather than looking after the real fans of the universe, it certainly doesn't have the appeal of an Elder Scrolls game. I spent over 350 hours on Skyrim alone. Not even to mention the amount of hours I'd spent on each of the other Elder Scrolls games. The Elder Scrolls Online will not see me sinking any more hours into it.
    Get Dark Souls or The Witcher, because Bethesda has officially ruined its best franchise.    … Expand
  13. bombrero
    Apr 24, 2014
    4
    I was in the beta for a long time until right before it was launched, and all I have to say is that it must not be considered an Elder Scrolls game (It degrades the ES lore for it's own fitting sake), but it fails as an MMORPG too. As an MMORPG, and having played World of Warcreft, Tera and Guild Wars 2 (I played more than these, but these here are the better templates to compare TESO'sI was in the beta for a long time until right before it was launched, and all I have to say is that it must not be considered an Elder Scrolls game (It degrades the ES lore for it's own fitting sake), but it fails as an MMORPG too. As an MMORPG, and having played World of Warcreft, Tera and Guild Wars 2 (I played more than these, but these here are the better templates to compare TESO's aspects) I couldnt find anything new or revolutionary in this game, or even any aspects with a better or refreshing execution than in the previous games i had played. First time I played, I noticed the combat felt floaty and shallow, since I had the expectations that this would be the strong aspect of the game. The combat was slightly tuned throughout the following beta sessions, but it ended being a mix of Guild Wars 2 and Tera systems that ended up feeling inferior than its counterparts. The quest had no appealing, and the rewards were discouraging, something we beta testers complained about several times during all of the beta sessions, but was never fixed, just like much other things, like race mixing, trade systems, ability approach and development, npc's placement and presence on important areas, broken quest that were never fixed, and for god sake, the party system! You cant share a quest with your friends. Well, you can, but they still will have to do them by themselves, so it doesnt matter that you shared a mission it will be the same as going alone, since you will have to perform the same actions, but with two or more people, meaning less loot , and more time to complete, since there are more people gathering objectives. We complained about those things, we filled the surveys in each beta session, and we got ignored. You looked up in forums just to see hundreds of people complaining about the same problems, which never got fixed.

    In the end, it ended up being a mediocre to average MMORPG that made you constantly think: "This was so much better in Tera/GW2/WoW depending on the aspect you were analyzing".    … Expand
  14. terriptus
    Apr 24, 2014
    3
    This game is boring and painfully 'average'. For a game that promised to break the mold of MMO's, it hasn't done anything new. I won't go into some long winded rant about why I'm only giving this a 3, as Angry Joe and Francis/Boogie summed it up better than I could and I suggest going to watch their reviews. Maybe Wildstar will prove to be better implemented.
  15. bravo872
    Apr 24, 2014
    0
    In the interest of full disclosure I should point out that I am no longer able to Log in to ESO.

    If your looking for, a Skyrim sequel, an elder scrolls multiplayer, a better feel than SWTOR, this unfortunately isnt it. It all started like any other MMO, lots of down time, bugs, and many many patches. Problem is that it did not get better and its growing pains only seemed to worsen.    In the interest of full disclosure I should point out that I am no longer able to Log in to ESO.

    If your looking for, a Skyrim sequel, an elder scrolls multiplayer, a better feel than SWTOR, this unfortunately isnt it.

    It all started like any other MMO, lots of down time, bugs, and many many patches. Problem is that it did not get better and its growing pains only seemed to worsen. Patches to fix one problem would just cause more issues. The guild banks had to be taken down, long log in times became login time out errors. New content and TV ads cant fix the flow of retreating customers.    … Expand
  16. AestheticRoy
    Apr 23, 2014
    10
    I'm gonna keep this short & simple, DO NOT listen to these negative reviews. These are all just a bunch of picky players who obviously don't have patience with starting bugs, the bots, the sub fee cause most of you are cheap & the slow leveling. This game has so much potential & apart from that it's still an epic game. If you are a fan of Realistic feeling MMO's & Elder Scrolls series youI'm gonna keep this short & simple, DO NOT listen to these negative reviews. These are all just a bunch of picky players who obviously don't have patience with starting bugs, the bots, the sub fee cause most of you are cheap & the slow leveling. This game has so much potential & apart from that it's still an epic game. If you are a fan of Realistic feeling MMO's & Elder Scrolls series you WILL fall for this game. I have played WoW & Gw2 & this game makes just draws you foward like no other MMO has ever done. A+ A+ A+… Expand
  17. nefariousfiend
    Apr 23, 2014
    3
    It's very disappointing spending 80 dollars on a game plus a 15 dollar subscription per month I expected a lot more out of this game. It's about half the speed of wow and twice as dull if you ask me. The caster classes are underpowered and mana starved. you only get 5 abilities at a time unless you switch weapons then you get another 5 but lose the previous 5. The options are very limitedIt's very disappointing spending 80 dollars on a game plus a 15 dollar subscription per month I expected a lot more out of this game. It's about half the speed of wow and twice as dull if you ask me. The caster classes are underpowered and mana starved. you only get 5 abilities at a time unless you switch weapons then you get another 5 but lose the previous 5. The options are very limited as to what you can do. Bag space fills very quickly and you have to do a lot of crafting and grinding mats yourself to better your gear etc. It's much more of a grind than I expected. Lets not even get started on the bugs and downtime you will experience. The PVE really isn't social based in any way. It's more like playing a console game with a few random people running around with you. The quilds are a joke and not necessary in any way people just start one up and invite as many people as they can. Helpfulness for questions is pretty much non existent from my experience, your better off google searching. The chat in the game for Zones is pretty much bots spamming to sell gold power level and immature kids. Think of the crossroads in wow add 3/4 spam then the zone chat and you have a good idea of what to expect. The group dungeons etc is picking up random people and running through a quick 10 minute dungeon with little to sometimes no reward unless you count a little xp. Gear drops... what gear drops? It's make your own and improve it or run around in greens and maybe a few blues that you don't really want since they don't really help with your whole whopping 5 abilities. With the lack of abilities, the lack of social play, bugs and slow leveling, grinding and constant annoyance of running back and forth to clear bag space, and immature nature of chat and spam, I rate this game a 3. I feel it was a complete waste of money and time. Unfortunately, what's done is done. I just hope to save the next person 80 dollars or 60 depending on what version you buy.… Expand
  18. e7seif
    Apr 23, 2014
    10
    As a long time Elder Scrolls fan, I was very skeptical when ESO was first announced. But Zenimax/Bethesda has pulled of a very enjoyable balance of both the Elder Scrolls world and an engaging MMO.

    I have played many MMOs (Neverwinter, Rift, Allod's Online, Tera, LOTRO, FF11, Vindictus, EverQuest II and more...) By far, ESO is my favorite. It is a world I simply enjoy existing in, and    As a long time Elder Scrolls fan, I was very skeptical when ESO was first announced. But Zenimax/Bethesda has pulled of a very enjoyable balance of both the Elder Scrolls world and an engaging MMO.

    I have played many MMOs (Neverwinter, Rift, Allod's Online, Tera, LOTRO, FF11, Vindictus, EverQuest II and more...) By far, ESO is my favorite. It is a world I simply enjoy existing in, and for me that is key.

    Below are some of the many things I love about ESO (keeping in mind that I favor PvE and exploration):

    - A beautiful and detailed world with so many little secrets to discover. I have noticed some people complain that the game is not one big open world, but that is because they don't understand that MMOs can't work like that. With so many players running around, the fps would be crippled. And it doesn't matter anyway. Each region has so much to offer. Besides, getting to the next area is a loadscreen away. And with the level of detail they have put into each region, I am sure that we can look forward to future expansions with as much handcrafted care.

    - Complex multi-step quests and slow leveling. Just like in The Elder Scrolls single player.

    - The water: Beautiful clear water. I love riding my horse along the beaches, and splashing through the shallows. :)

    - Exploring beaches: The beaches are just beautiful and there are chests and secrets to be found.

    - Treasure Maps! (Much like the kind in Red Dead Redemption.)

    - Molag Bal's Anchors: Awesome.

    - Casual "party" system: As a generally solo gamer, I love that boss kills can be shared with those you aren't grouped with.

    - Crafting: Very different from other MMOs and actually useful.

    - Skill system: It is fairly simplistic seeming at first, but there is a great deal of potential in how you can develop your character's skills, as you progress.

    - Full character voice acting.

    - Lore! Books and notes to discover everywhere.

    - Skyshards: Fun to discover, and every three give you a an extra skill point to spend.

    - Thunderstorms: I wandered into an area where it was still sunny but starting to rain a little. And then the sky darkened and thunder began to rumble and the rain poured down. Lovely and atmospheric.

    The game is not perfect. It has it's bugs and animations can be awkward at times. But these barely scratch the surface of my experience. This is a world I really enjoy spending time in, and there is so much to do and see and discover. :)    … Expand
  19. Eruptox
    Apr 23, 2014
    7
    Reviews here are too long, I'll just summarize it. (Intermediate MMO player here)

    Pros - Great Voiceovers (Not as good as SWTOR imo) - Soundtrack. - If you want to play an MMO. - Amazing Landscapes Cons - Combat - Not the best, a little dumb down version of GW2 - Skyrim - Nothing like Skyrim V, not even close. - Terrible Quest Achievement - Short Quests that doesn't feel    Reviews here are too long, I'll just summarize it. (Intermediate MMO player here)

    Pros
    - Great Voiceovers (Not as good as SWTOR imo)
    - Soundtrack.
    - If you want to play an MMO.
    - Amazing Landscapes

    Cons
    - Combat - Not the best, a little dumb down version of GW2
    - Skyrim - Nothing like Skyrim V, not even close.
    - Terrible Quest Achievement - Short Quests that doesn't feel rewarding.
    - No Auction House (Yet)

    If you're a person who rates it by its launch week, you're honestly not a gamer. No MMO has ever been released with no problems at all. All games go through the same phase.

    TL: DR

    - MMO player: you may like it, it's simplistic, and has an ESO theme.
    - RPG player: Not really a good RPG, especially if you hope it's like Skyrim V.    … Expand
  20. Fancypenguin
    Apr 23, 2014
    4
    Hey kids! Do you like The Elder Scrolls? Have you always wanted to play it online and explore the vast expanses of Tamriel with friends? Well too bad, you're going to be incredibly disappointed. Where do I even begin with the disappointment in this game? There are so many incredibly stupid design choices its baffling. First things first, I just have to come out and say that this game isHey kids! Do you like The Elder Scrolls? Have you always wanted to play it online and explore the vast expanses of Tamriel with friends? Well too bad, you're going to be incredibly disappointed. Where do I even begin with the disappointment in this game? There are so many incredibly stupid design choices its baffling. First things first, I just have to come out and say that this game is a HUGE cash grab. They lock the imperial race behind a pay wall right off the bat. You have to buy the collector's edition to unlock it. WHAT THE F*** This is downright criminal when you're already paying 60$ for the game plus a 15$ subscription fee. Next, there aren't instanced dungeons, meaning that if somebody else is in a dungeon and they kill the boss or take loot out of a chest you then have to wait for it to respawn. I'M SORRY, IS THIS THE ORIGINAL ULTIMA ONLINE? IS IT 1997? This is unacceptable in MMO's now a days. Get used to standing around in dungeons waiting for loot to respawn, or for bosses to respawn so you can run through a mosh pit of people, hoping to get 1 hit on it so as to complete the quest or continue the quest line. Gold is WAY too hard to get, every enemy drops like 1 or 2 gold and horses are incredibly overpriced. Why? Well you didn't think Zenimax and Bethesda would miss the chance to sell you the collector's edition that comes with a horse would ya? The story is generic and uninteresting and while the game is fully voice-acted which is great, it is very hit and miss quality wise. The graphics look dated, but are quite good for MMO standards. Questing is a huge disappointment. Every quest is the stereotypical MMO "kill x amount of x" Or "Fetch x" uninspired and dull. One of my favorite gaming moments is that quest for the Dark Brotherhood in Oblivion where you have to go to a dinner party and assassinate each person in the house 1 by 1 without the others finding out its you. That was awesome. Why aren't there more quests like that in this game? Oh that's right, because its an MMO, its legally obligated to have watered down gameplay and quest variety. The game has a huge amount of content, which can only be added on to as time goes on. This would be great if everything wasn't so far away with so little to do while traveling between quest objectives. Maybe the most heinous, inexcusable offense of ESO is the fact that it takes the signature open world of The Elder Scrolls franchise and condenses it to linear paths to get to the next quest objective. Sure the game is open world, but you won't want to explore anything because you can only really gain experience from completing quests, and not from fighting enemies, you know like a real elder scrolls game! Another serious design flaw is the fact that every enemy levels with you, meaning that instead of having some enemies be a low level and some being a higher level, they just make mud crabs level 30 when you're level 30. This takes all the immersion and exploration factor out of the game because you're rarely if ever going to find an enemy that you can't handle. Overall, when quests aren't being bugged out, (honestly about 2/3 of them) they're dull and uninteresting anyway. Another stupid design choice is the fact that, because dungeons and quests aren't instanced, when you play with friends, every person has to do everything separately, whether it be getting quest objectives or doing puzzles in group dungeons, defeating the purpose of playing with friends which, you know IS THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS GAME! Crafting makes no sense and pvp can be summed up by two words: Running Simulator. Combat is stiff and repetitive and impossible in the weightless and floaty 1st person view. The customization is a step up from past ES games, even if the armor all looks the same and the soundtrack is amazing. When the only thing the game gets truly right is the soundtrack, you know its having a rough go. I went into this game as both a fan of The Elder Scrolls and to some extent a fan of MMOs, knowing that it wasn't going to be a Skyrim like experience, but was so disappointed in both aspects. Ultimately, ESO is nothing more than a lazy cash-in that preys on starstruck ES fans and both Bethesda and Zenimax know it. It doesn't help that the modern Gaming hype machine has brainwashed them into thinking this is a good game. There are far better MMOs out there, like Guildwars 2, FFXIV ARR and hell even WOW is still going strong. This game is un-fulfilling to both fans of MMOs and the Elder Scrolls series. If this did not have the ES name on it, it would be just another mediocre MMO that wouldn't get any time in the limelight. Not worth 60$ plus 15 bucks a month. Wait till it goes F2P or P2W which honestly probably won't be too long. Hopefully Bethesda takes the riches from this game and makes a good Fallout game or new single player ES game.… Expand
  21. Kucha
    Apr 23, 2014
    7
    his is a good MMO that I am playing and plan to continue to play because I'm enjoying it. Having said that, I admit that it's not revolutionary, but one that does most things right. Overall, I'd say that ESO is an Elder Scrolls single player and MMO hybrid. You got some, but not all parts of both. If you are OK with sacrificing some of your beloved Elder Scrolls single playerhis is a good MMO that I am playing and plan to continue to play because I'm enjoying it. Having said that, I admit that it's not revolutionary, but one that does most things right. Overall, I'd say that ESO is an Elder Scrolls single player and MMO hybrid. You got some, but not all parts of both. If you are OK with sacrificing some of your beloved Elder Scrolls single player experiences for the opportunity to play with others, then this game is just for you. If you are inflexible and demand a full Elder Scrolls and MMO game, then you will probably be disappointed.

    PROS

    The developers do a great job of giving you an immersive amount of quests as you level up. The process does not feel like a grind, and one can take the time to enjoy the adventure process en route to max level. Good stories, good (although repetitive) voice overs, lots of lore, and pretty nice graphics. Oh, and the world is HUGE. I have to give kudos to the Devs for that. Second, the classes are incredibly flexible, enabling a player to play any role with any class. It can be rather fun to create non-traditional classes, such as a healing tank. Also, the PvP battles are enjoyable and pretty intense.

    CONS

    On the other hand, the game is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. There are a few too many bugs, some of which are unacceptable as they should never have made it into the game. Also, making auction houses (guild stores) available only through guilds is unwelcome. You won't be able to buy or sell from all players in your faction this way. Furthermore, the game economy is in shambles as a near endless number of gold spammers, and game exploiters threaten the very economic stability of the game. ESO devs should have been more aggressive about removing these guys from day 1.

    The game is missing some of the single-player Elder Scrolls game elements that I enjoy. For example, you'll have to level before going to all of the zones. This kills exploration for me. Also, many of the other tasks that I enjoy doing (killing random villagers and stealing from merchants) are not available. Furthermore, some of the caves and dungeons are static and look the same. The variety of crypt and/or cavern exploring is just not as exciting as in the single player counterparts.

    My personal opinion is that these issues have not kept me from playing this game. I've enjoyed most of my experiences in this version of Tamriel and I look forward to ZeniMax fixing the bugs and stabilizing the game experience (i.e., hunting down the spammers/exploiters). If you like both Elder Scrolls and MMO's, then you will be doing yourself a disservice if you don't give this game a shot.    … Expand
  22. Risson
    Apr 23, 2014
    9
    I gave this game what I did because it is by far the best MMO I've played, and I've played a lot. This is an almost perfect MMO (besides a few things, payment, some generic quest, etc.). Although I am rating this as an MMO and not a Elder Scrolls game. As an Elder Scrolls player this feels nothing like one and is not near as good. 9/10 from an MMO standpoint.
  23. Reaverwind
    Apr 23, 2014
    1
    The good: well designed-world and good musical score, some well-done quests and voice-acting
    The Bad: borrowed the worst aspects of the single-player games - horrible GUI, laughable quest design, face-palming dialog, average gameplay
    The Ugly: Worst customer service I've encountered for ANY business, far too much client-side trust making the game a paradise for hackers and botters, and    The good: well designed-world and good musical score, some well-done quests and voice-acting
    The Bad: borrowed the worst aspects of the single-player games - horrible GUI, laughable quest design, face-palming dialog, average gameplay
    The Ugly: Worst customer service I've encountered for ANY business, far too much client-side trust making the game a paradise for hackers and botters, and terrible community. The game's quest design actually punishes grouping for PVE. As a side note, Zenimax plays fast and loose with their account suspensions (which also lock customers out of canceling subs).

    Caveat Emptor folks    … Expand
  24. Graay
    Apr 23, 2014
    4
    Decent PvP. Acceptable audio. Average combat. Mediocre visuals. Awful PvE.

    The Elder Scrolls Online is a thoroughly average MMO with a thin veneer of TES paint. The only thing more disappointing than the quality of the game is my fear that this will negatively impact Bethesda's core series. Much like SW:ToR, this game has no heart or soul and is obviously a cash-grab using namesake alone.
  25. Icejoka
    Apr 23, 2014
    10
    Great game, literally the closest ive seen to play it your own way, the pvp is fun the pve is harsh and very very entertaining at end game.
    The quest lines make you want to play more, and although they do occasionally bug so do all mmo's at launch, it's silly to assume they don't WoW still has bugs a decade on.
    The game is very good and easily worth a playthrough, the new content    Great game, literally the closest ive seen to play it your own way, the pvp is fun the pve is harsh and very very entertaining at end game.
    The quest lines make you want to play more, and although they do occasionally bug so do all mmo's at launch, it's silly to assume they don't WoW still has bugs a decade on.

    The game is very good and easily worth a playthrough, the new content adventure zones look amazing. It's not an elder scrolls offline game, they are just a different type but it's a good transfer to mmo for sure.    … Expand
  26. Quorina
    Apr 23, 2014
    1
    Quite literally the worst MMO I've ever played. Generic, mediocre, bland experience. Extreme amount of bugs. Duping glitches. No AH. A publisher hell bent on milking the last dollar out of you. Single-player experience that DISCOURAGES grouping. Certain classes/specs will find it very difficult to kill anything, compared to others that will 1-2 shot anything in their path. I made it toQuite literally the worst MMO I've ever played. Generic, mediocre, bland experience. Extreme amount of bugs. Duping glitches. No AH. A publisher hell bent on milking the last dollar out of you. Single-player experience that DISCOURAGES grouping. Certain classes/specs will find it very difficult to kill anything, compared to others that will 1-2 shot anything in their path. I made it to level 8 before quitting. The worst MMO experience I've had.… Expand
  27. Vorch
    Apr 23, 2014
    5
    It's a good game.

    However, it is definitely not worth the subscription for more than 3 months, imo.

    AvA is probably the most unbalanced I've seen...and you will be stuck there for 3 months...

    PvE is pretty good, I personally enjoyed the story.

    All in all, try it yourself.
  28. damageinc
    Apr 23, 2014
    3
    I love MMORPGS, i love ES franchise for years. I preordered, played in beta, early access, the regular game many days after its launch. But deleted my character and uninstalled the game yesterday. I’m totally disappointed to experience a total mediocre, sadly avarege game. Elder Scrolls Online is a BROKEN GAME. Even they somehow manage to fix all those terrible bugs, fix the economy,I love MMORPGS, i love ES franchise for years. I preordered, played in beta, early access, the regular game many days after its launch. But deleted my character and uninstalled the game yesterday. I’m totally disappointed to experience a total mediocre, sadly avarege game. Elder Scrolls Online is a BROKEN GAME. Even they somehow manage to fix all those terrible bugs, fix the economy, THEY'LL NOT BE A ABLE TO FIX A BROKEN STRUCTURE!!

    This game is boringly linear, most of the time it’s NOT fun, exciting, surprising and challenging. It’s tedious and lame! We’ve been waiting for this game for years but unfortunately it’s a total disappointment for me and my friends. I believe hundreds of thousands of people are angry and sad to have paid for this mediocracy!    … Expand
  29. GhoXen
    Apr 23, 2014
    5
    Playtime: around 170 hours

    Level: Veteran Rank 6 (10 ranks in total after level cap of 50) Experience: All previous TES games, numerous MMOs including WoW, LOTRO, SWTOR, GW2, FF14 (old & new), WildStar beta, etc. Playstyle: Story, group PvE, PvP, completionist. Compared to many recent entries in the MMO market, ESO certainly stands out with some brave novel designs. They've    Playtime: around 170 hours

    Level: Veteran Rank 6 (10 ranks in total after level cap of 50)

    Experience: All previous TES games, numerous MMOs including WoW, LOTRO, SWTOR, GW2, FF14 (old & new), WildStar beta, etc.

    Playstyle: Story, group PvE, PvP, completionist.

    Compared to many recent entries in the MMO market, ESO certainly stands out with some brave novel designs. They've done a better job than SWTOR in terms of story, world and immersion, and the MMO certainly feels more like a TES game than any other MMO on the market with the introduction of first-person view. There is a crazy amount of details put into the making of the game, ranging from random NPCs, exploration to consequences of decisions during questing (some of which you will be reminded of even many zones and levels later). However, it's also suffering from a bland endgame, similar to many recent releases, but that's less of an issue than its problem with management.

    ZOS has been managing ESO extremely poorly. In a short span of two weeks, they have made more bad management decisions than Blizzard has made in years.

    The game is extremely buggy, and feels like an unfinished and untested product. The progression of many essential quests are still broken even weeks after launch, and the devs have been extremely slow at fixing the problems. For MMOs like this, you'd expect massive patches that quickly solve player issues at launch, but that is not the case with ESO. The patches are small, and tend to solve only a small number of issues.

    There are also many very poor designs that are now biting the devs in back. Whether it's unbalanced mechanics or poorly designed reward system that led to people camping bosses. Understandably, these issues appear to be of a lesser priority than game-breaking bugs, so don't expect them fixed anytime soon.

    Then there is ZOS's handling of exploits that are potentially fatal to the game. ZOS has failed to take care of exploits reported during the beta, and as a result an exploit nearly wiped the game world. Then the messy banwave banned lots of innocent players (whose accounts were eventually restored), and lots of exploiters are still unbanned. As I write this review, there are still at least 3 exploits of similar nature in the public domain, and ZOS's reaction is anything but swift.

    Some may say: surely these issues will be eventually fixed? While that may be true, what the recent events have shown is that ZOS has very poor management. As a result, they may not be equipped to deal with on-going problems a MMO may encounter, and I dread to think of the countless issues they'd run into when they release their first content patch, and when they eventually release some expansion pack. It's not about what's currently broken, instead it's about how poorly ZOS has been addressing them thus far, which indicates how poorly ZOS will address similar issues in the future with dreadful efficiency and messy effectiveness.

    The game has a lot of potential, but the current management of the game is very disappointing. As a player, I do not find ZOS trustworthy or capable. Rather than sinking investments of time and effort into this poorly managed game, I implore potential players to look elsewhere, at least for the time-being. Until ZOS manages to prove to the playerbase that they can improve their game management, ESO does not deserve your patience or tolerance.

    PS: Before anyone wonders why I've spent so much time with a this game like this, the reasons are simple - despite all its flaws I still enjoyed the story (once). Aside from that, I'm really just killing time until Dark Souls 2 releases on PC.    … Expand
  30. Vindicator
    Apr 22, 2014
    0
    I know so much work went into this game, but it's such a disappointment. This is not an Elder Scrolls game, this is something else. If it didn't have this name slapped on the box, it would be a different story, but I can't support this direction for the series. The things that could have been kept in the game like unrestricted freedom and opportunity to go where you want and attempt toI know so much work went into this game, but it's such a disappointment. This is not an Elder Scrolls game, this is something else. If it didn't have this name slapped on the box, it would be a different story, but I can't support this direction for the series. The things that could have been kept in the game like unrestricted freedom and opportunity to go where you want and attempt to do what you want in a vast open world would have made this quite the experience. Unfortunately the devs instead made it a very restricted cookie cutter MMO experience and ruined their opportunity for something amazing. Sorry devs, copy/pasting what makes other games successful into an existing franchise that can already stand on it's own two feet neither does your game justice, it doesn't do the fans of the series justice.… Expand
  31. mec1234
    Apr 22, 2014
    0
    Pants, Pants and more Pants. Boring by the numbers MMO, not much new to see here. Sad rip off of the Elder Scrolls world. If you want a good ES game buy Skyrim if you want a good MMO buy GW2
  32. drstarling
    Apr 22, 2014
    10
    ESO is a very, very good MMO. When you read a review on this site from a user who has scored ESO zero, what you're witnessing is a threatened neckbeard; those wow players who are aware of three things:

    A) they've invested incredible amounts of time and energy into wow. Maybe they've achieved a lot of cultural capital and status on their server. B)Wow subscriptions are inflated, servers    ESO is a very, very good MMO. When you read a review on this site from a user who has scored ESO zero, what you're witnessing is a threatened neckbeard; those wow players who are aware of three things:

    A) they've invested incredible amounts of time and energy into wow. Maybe they've achieved a lot of cultural capital and status on their server.
    B)Wow subscriptions are inflated, servers are closing left right and center, and wow is dying.
    C) elder scrolls is the first MMO that can and will supplant wow as the world's favorite MMO.

    What these users are hoping to do is to bastardize ESO so that you--yes you, the potential wow player, or existing wow player, won't be tempted to leave azeroth. Ignore them; ESO is a better game than wow ever is, was or ever will be. It looks better. It isn't a grind. The combat is more fun and kinesthetically based--this means that no longer will you be beaten by some keyboard warrior who has ten thousand key bindings; it's a level playing field. No cookie cutter specs. No worrying about patches which will nerf the class you're spent a year building into oblivion.

    It's a fresh, new, beautiful world. I played wow from Vanilla, and ESO compared to vanilla wow is like comparing the horse and cart to the ship that landed at roswell. I mean ESO is just so, so much better than that. Yes it has some bugs, and yes they are systematically and rapidly being ironed out. And here's something the devs are doing that blizzard never did and never will do; listening to the community, and trying to work with it--not telling it what should happen. The game is young. It's already great, and it is going to get better. ESO is the most well executed MMO release in history.

    Don't listen to the neckbeards. Get a copy, and go play. The game really, really picks up after level 13. PVP is fantastic. Crafting is fun, not a chore. Profession grinding anybody? Gone. ESO let's you skip the parts you hated about wow, and play the parts you loved about it. It's a great achievement. Here's to the future!    … Expand
  33. momointheunderd
    Apr 22, 2014
    3
    Terrible. Just awful. It's embarrassing to have a title as large as elderscrolls be associated with such a boring mediocre game. Hopefully the next Elder Scrolls Is done right.
  34. PorkChop
    Apr 22, 2014
    2
    This game was a huge disappointment. There are much better games out there to play. MMO's are dead anyone who wants to play a mmo play wow or rift both have lost there appeal to me.
  35. KumajirouSan
    Apr 22, 2014
    0
    I'm sorry but this is a casual pile of rushed wank. Horrible combat, Bugged and unfinished PvE and a community of botters, farmers and dupe glitchers that have DESTROYED the economy within a few weeks of launch. This was a terrible MMO and a mediocre Elder Scrolls game. The PvP was okay but nothing you can't get from games like Guild Wars 2. I can't recommend this game at all, I say if youI'm sorry but this is a casual pile of rushed wank. Horrible combat, Bugged and unfinished PvE and a community of botters, farmers and dupe glitchers that have DESTROYED the economy within a few weeks of launch. This was a terrible MMO and a mediocre Elder Scrolls game. The PvP was okay but nothing you can't get from games like Guild Wars 2. I can't recommend this game at all, I say if you want a new Elder Scrolls Experience, Mod Skyrim on PC. If you want a new MMO experience, Play Guild Wars 2 or Wildstar.… Expand
  36. WarMaster115
    Apr 22, 2014
    5
    Let's face it, at the current state the game has an identity crisis - it's not really a full heavy-hitter single player game like Oblivion or Skyrim, and it's not a brilliant MMO either. Having tried to merge two worlds together Zenimax made an impressive job, no doubts about that. But it's just not enough.

    After playing for a while you begin to notice that nothing really stands out in    Let's face it, at the current state the game has an identity crisis - it's not really a full heavy-hitter single player game like Oblivion or Skyrim, and it's not a brilliant MMO either. Having tried to merge two worlds together Zenimax made an impressive job, no doubts about that. But it's just not enough.

    After playing for a while you begin to notice that nothing really stands out in the game.
    Everything just seems average, apart from stellar sound production though (voice acting, music, fx).
    Graphics - mediocre, story - mediocre, gameplay - mediocre, tons of bugs (broken quests, lag, ctd, infinite loading, etc.) - all this really hammers down your experience. But the biggest problem are the actual players, as they are the ones who will ruin your experience most often.

    I really wanted to like this game and saw a huge potential in the way it was developing.
    But, sadly, the end product is just another MMO only with the Elder Scrolls label on it.    … Expand
  37. jpp293
    Apr 22, 2014
    1
    This game was a major disappointment for me. The game comes of as a beta and is filled with glitched that makes the game a pain to play. The extremely low review is for the poor quality of the game, the subscription model they used while charging a initial $80 for the complete game. Maybe patches could help improve the game slightly but I would highly recommend not buying this gameThis game was a major disappointment for me. The game comes of as a beta and is filled with glitched that makes the game a pain to play. The extremely low review is for the poor quality of the game, the subscription model they used while charging a initial $80 for the complete game. Maybe patches could help improve the game slightly but I would highly recommend not buying this game until it goes free to play.… Expand
  38. obendz
    Apr 22, 2014
    1
    It's a beautiful world (not as lovely as ES V: Skyrim) and full of hundreds of quests, dungeons, etc. However, the glitches, bugs and bots inside it are just to extreme to ignore. People have a tendency to say 'oh, that's how every mmo starts off' - that is not an excuse and does not justify it. If a generic game was released unfinished, there would be just as many complaints and returnsIt's a beautiful world (not as lovely as ES V: Skyrim) and full of hundreds of quests, dungeons, etc. However, the glitches, bugs and bots inside it are just to extreme to ignore. People have a tendency to say 'oh, that's how every mmo starts off' - that is not an excuse and does not justify it. If a generic game was released unfinished, there would be just as many complaints and returns of the game. This game is essentially appalling and a serious let down to the Elder Scrolls franchise. ZeniMax need to seriously work on their client and server issues as the amount of maintenance that has been needed is just scary. My laptop is a beast of a laptop and I have fiber optic broadband (60mbs), so I have no problem with any other game.

    This one however, today alone, I attempted to log in 17 times before giving up as the amount of 'errors' i got. Yesterday, I had no problem. I really adivse, anyone wanting to buy this game, wait for several months - by then, the majority of people will have got bored of the game (I have) and left. Seeing as there are Rank 1 - 10 veterans everywhere now and its not even something special, everything felt like a race at the beginning (not that you HAD to race).

    The Main story line.... just sucked... it was so terrible. The only thing I liked about it was listening to John Cleese and Michael Gambon.    … Expand
  39. Thylbanus
    Apr 22, 2014
    1
    Many may ask why I voted a 1 when so many have given 10s. Well, it isn't just the impact of the game, but the impact on the whole series. I'm not one of the ones who overly lamented the more generic and simplistic movements that Elder Scrolls has made. I have to be brief, but Morrowind is what captured my imagination and Oblivion was a bit of a let down, but still good. Skyrim's modMany may ask why I voted a 1 when so many have given 10s. Well, it isn't just the impact of the game, but the impact on the whole series. I'm not one of the ones who overly lamented the more generic and simplistic movements that Elder Scrolls has made. I have to be brief, but Morrowind is what captured my imagination and Oblivion was a bit of a let down, but still good. Skyrim's mod community saved that one, but so far, there is little the mod community can do to save this one. The problems are systemic and intellectual. Systemically, the amount of gold spammers is just crazy. I've never had such a deluge of junk text and I've played every major (some minor) MMO since Meridian 59. There is no GM in game to be had. The fastest ticket response I can rely on was 12 hrs. Even a silent, invisible GM who can swing the ban hammer would be welcome, but all tickets must be reviewed and verified later. pfft. I have to turn off chat to not have to deal with constantly scrolling text bots (yes they spam on all channels). If I'm going to play a solo game, release it as a solo game. Advanced levels get a bit tedious since, outside the star level voice talent, all other characters are voiced by the same 5 people (or in some instances, a computer vox) While they are making strides forward with bugs, they are still behind on ones that have existed since beta. They finally fixed the Guild infinite gear glitch and banned 10k accounts for using it. Pretty fair considering it was reported months before the game went live, yet they still left the guild bank functional at launch. You actually have a limit to how many accounts you can ignore (either I've never hit those caps in other games and there are just THAT many gold spammers). Visually it is stunning, but visuals can't save it. The cash store I have a bit of a problem with. I'm paying $15 USD per mo for access to EVERYTHING, but there is still a cash shop. So they didn't want any pay gates and put up pay gates to things. Sure you can say that it's only the Imperial race and a horse, but cash shops never stay small. Look at the behemoth of SWTORs and consider that it's only been a year. Then again, it's a freemium model. So you have to spend the $60 for the game, $15/mo for access, and $20 for the Imperial and white horse, or $15 for a brown Palomino. The horses aren't "necessary" (something many people hide behind, but is a null argument when you have a sub model) and they cost 17,000 per horse (i.e. per character) While it is easier to get it at later levels, it basically prices itself out of anyone under level 20 (unless you like mindlessly grinding for money). We have that love/hate relationship with Elder Scrolls, you love the MASSIVE amount of explorable space, but hate that you actually have to cross it. The teleport shrines are handy, but too spread out and having a horse is almost a necessity, unless you have more than one monitor and watch TV while you set auto-run and loosely course correct until you are where you need to go. The other thing is that it isn't like the other games, in that the enemies don't level with you. I'm on the fence about that. I like that EVERYTHING was a threat, but also understand that sometimes you wanna feel like a beast and womp on some lowbies. It could have easily been handled with a scaled backend that scaled your damage given and taken against any particular creature. They do have some minimal pick up quests. I'm assuming that they are leaving some areas blank to develop later, but my explorer side isn't satisfied. Oh, I almost forgot the dreaded invisi-walls. Yea, they have it. SWTOR may not have had massive expanses (well until later), but there were NO invisi-walls. Just exhaustion zones (which ESO does with slaughterfish that you can't kill, but if you die you get an achievement!). I have MANY pictures taken of the game world from behind because I game parkoured to a "unreachable" area and jumped off into the endless space of game void (one of my favorite things to do). Another favorite thing to do was be an outlaw and see just how many towns I can get a bounty in (would be cool for an ingame bounty system, but no. They passed). I would pick pockets, steal gear, attack unwary travellers, but here every non-monster/enemy NPC is "essential." So much so you can't even attack them. You can swing, blast, or loose your arrows until your fingers bleed, and you will not affect anything. Finally, intellectually, it is in no way, shape, or form and Elder Scrolls game. They systems we all came to love are not there. No pickpocketing, no stealing, no deaths of city NPCs unless it's part of the plot. The last vestiges of what we all loved about Elder Scrolls has been stripped away. I wonder if that is why they call you, "The Vestige"?… Expand
  40. Lycus
    Apr 22, 2014
    3
    Honestly, I feel the idea and concept is fantastic, but execution is not quite as great as you would expect from Bethesda. In truth, the game just does not feel like a 'The Elder Scrolls' title, it feels like a third party has taken the brand and made an MMO based on the Bethesda franchise. Of course, with this being a Bethesda game, this is not the case. It is certainly a step towards aHonestly, I feel the idea and concept is fantastic, but execution is not quite as great as you would expect from Bethesda. In truth, the game just does not feel like a 'The Elder Scrolls' title, it feels like a third party has taken the brand and made an MMO based on the Bethesda franchise. Of course, with this being a Bethesda game, this is not the case. It is certainly a step towards a good game, but it falls short of being the big titled MMO that was expected. I am sure I am not the only one that was searching for and expecting similarities between the previous The Elder Scroll's games, but with suitable changes making the game appropriate for the MMO format, yet I feel that many of the key aspects that give the series up to now its personality and enjoyability seemed to have been missed.

    When playing the game it simply feels unfinished, the vast amount of items and interactivity found in the series Single Player titles is not present to even near the same level, and with the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood missing from the initial release, you feel as if Bethesda are holding features (perhaps already made) back to release at a later date to justify the hefty monthly fee they charge to pay. As mentioned above, key aspects of the previous titles seem missing. One of which is the variety of items and the feeling of being able to find some awesome items that may be useful in any chest. I went through the whole of the initial area finding water alone in almost every chest, with a few having some type of food in it. After leaving the first section and entering the outside world, I decided to explore, look around - yet there was no such enjoyment of being able to find secret caves, chests and secret items, the most I stumbled upon was some nirnroots. The traditional encouragement to explore seemed to have disappeared, with it being easy to navigate into territory not suitable for your level range where death comes quick and easy, and no real incentive to even do so, because most the places found seemed to come with quests that gave little to no rewards and many seemed to come up as destinations in chest chains anyway.

    On top of this, but the connection to characters just was not there either. When playing Skyrim, Oblivion or even Morrowind, you felt a connection with some of the characters; you felt sad if one died or such as in Oblivion, if a Mage's guild is destroyed. Yet TES Online stirs no such connections up, at one point I got a choice of two parties of which I could save only one. Despite having been with these people for a while, I had little knowledge of one party and could not careless about the other. The choice to me seemed to be there to feel like the player got the power to impact the flow of the game, yet no matter the choice I made, the outcome was the same, just with different people stood about at the end.

    Overall the game has some great points and it occupied me for a good few hours. However there is no justification to be spending so much monthly on it what-so-ever. I feel that may be if I were to pay in a year or so, when many releases had been made, bugs fixed and much needed balancing sorted, may be it would possibly be a bit more worth it. The main issue with this payment system is the later you start playing and paying, the better the worth of your money, because the game is bigger when you first begin.    … Expand
  41. invizo
    Apr 22, 2014
    9
    For TES lore lovers and Graphics enthusiasts this game is a masterpiece. For this newer generation of gamer that prefers LoL, Plants and Zombies, and other crap Indies this is not for you. Only reason I don't give a 10 is for the bugs/hiccups
  42. thehaxx646
    Apr 22, 2014
    5
    About as meh as an elder scrolls game can be.
    It's just no fun at all, all the life is sucked out of the game. Wait till this goes F2P, then play it.
  43. Nithy
    Apr 22, 2014
    9
    This is a great game despite the number of bugs it currently has. The questing is refreshing compared to other MMOs I've played in the past and the PvP system borrows heavily from previous PvP MMOs that I've enjoyed (Dark Age of Camelot and Warhammer: Age of Reckoning).
  44. A7ibaba
    Apr 22, 2014
    0
    This game sucks so hard ,it's beyond my comprehension to spend my words to describe this awfull piece of software. Combat is disgusting,texture are low ress, AI is bugged, enemy bosses are ridiculously unimaginitive and boring, world exploration is plain awful. This is ruined copy od Elder Scroll Skyrim with unoptimised online component full of glitches and software bugs.On top of thatThis game sucks so hard ,it's beyond my comprehension to spend my words to describe this awfull piece of software. Combat is disgusting,texture are low ress, AI is bugged, enemy bosses are ridiculously unimaginitive and boring, world exploration is plain awful. This is ruined copy od Elder Scroll Skyrim with unoptimised online component full of glitches and software bugs.On top of that monthly fee is required to play this garbage. I think 0 (Zero) is fair score for this game, just because of pure existance and to show the world how the games not should be made for future reference.… Expand
  45. Ixnatifual
    Apr 22, 2014
    5
    You begin to wonder why MMO developers insist on moving further and further away from the persistent world concepts so fundamental to the roots of the genre. Ultimately, the fragmented world of The Elder Scrolls Online is in stark contrast to the open structure of previous Elder Scrolls titles. The game's engine runs smoothly and presents a beautiful art style and convincing voiceovers.You begin to wonder why MMO developers insist on moving further and further away from the persistent world concepts so fundamental to the roots of the genre. Ultimately, the fragmented world of The Elder Scrolls Online is in stark contrast to the open structure of previous Elder Scrolls titles. The game's engine runs smoothly and presents a beautiful art style and convincing voiceovers. But it feels wasted on what is essentially a lackluster theme park MMORPG experience with a Skyrim skin. The design feels like a compromise where the developers couldn't agree on the direction of the game and ended up with halfway solutions.

    The end result is mediocre.    … Expand
  46. tariyaki
    Apr 22, 2014
    0
    Too much money for clunky animations, boring quests, bad graphics and a system that discourages you to play with other people considering it's an MMO.
    This game feels like it has been made by amatures while using the series good name to feed off the $$$.
    Stay away. not worth the money or the time.
    Replay Skyrim with mods instead.
  47. DarkPurity
    Apr 22, 2014
    1
    I was in most of the beta sessions and the disappointments just kept on coming. ESO had a lot of potential, but the first thing you'll notice is that ESO is more like just "O" with the "ES" part arbitrarily glued on. The Elder Scrolls lore is totally unnecessary to the game, which is a shame, since the lore has to be integral for it to be a real ES experience. It really feels likeI was in most of the beta sessions and the disappointments just kept on coming. ESO had a lot of potential, but the first thing you'll notice is that ESO is more like just "O" with the "ES" part arbitrarily glued on. The Elder Scrolls lore is totally unnecessary to the game, which is a shame, since the lore has to be integral for it to be a real ES experience. It really feels like Zenimax and Bethesda bought a template of an MMORPG out of a box and spent the last 2 years painting by number. While there are some "FPS-like elements" such as replacing cooldown timers with ability charge-up, it's still a cookie-cutter online game.

    If this were a reinvention of EverQuest I'd score it much higher, as it's a little more faithful to the genre, but as an ES game, it's terrible. Anyone who has played the Elder Scrolls series will immediately notice breaks in the lore, or be driven mad by the "MMO Vaulted Cielings" that exist to trick you into thinking the world is larger. In fact, you'll notice that almost everything is that same WoW comically large stuff compared to your character. Skills don't advance by use; you're still leveling a-la-WoW. The spec system is also identical. The only positive is that the PvP is more "siege" than "arena", but even that just comes down to who fields the most bodies.

    Zenimax drove up in a windowless van and promised Elder Scrolls, but all that is in the back of the van is tears, shame, and disappointment. The more I played, the more I just wanted to play Skyrim, so I just modded my Skyrim and played that instead. So will you. I predict this game will be Free-To-Play by year 2.    … Expand
  48. floatingbumblee
    Apr 22, 2014
    3
    One third of TESO players who took the time to review it think it sucks.
    ONE THIRD!
    That's pretty damn sad. Personally each time I turn it back on it feels like i've picked the top off a scab just before it has healed. The "Critic" reviewers saying this game breaks new territory... i uh... really? THIS GAME IS A COOKIE CUTTER of EVERY OTHER MMO YOU HAVE EVER PLAYED only more    One third of TESO players who took the time to review it think it sucks.
    ONE THIRD!
    That's pretty damn sad.
    Personally each time I turn it back on it feels like i've picked the top off a scab just before it has healed.
    The "Critic" reviewers saying this game breaks new territory... i uh... really?
    THIS GAME IS A COOKIE CUTTER of EVERY OTHER MMO YOU HAVE EVER PLAYED only more infuriating because it feels like they spent all their resources on named actors when they could have spent it on fixing bugs and developing thrilling content and making a truely OPEN WORLD (where you can climb **** mountains and swim to OBLIVION if you want to... so annoying).
    Freetoplay FTW!!!!!! You lost me Betheduhyeah... i just dont get yous    … Expand
  49. flex12
    Apr 22, 2014
    8
    Not the ordinary MMO i would say. Free to explore as you wish, good Quests who do not feel like grindish (ex.: kill 20 of those), fun fighting system (active fighting, blocking).
    Overall i've played tons of MMO's and this is one of the better ones. Although there is at the moment little to none group content. Let's see if Zenimax adds these in upcoming patches.
  50. drcritspam
    Apr 21, 2014
    3
    This game is complete garbage. I'll list off some of the worst issues with this game:

    1. This game uses insane money grabbing tactics. Keep in mind that you have to pay 60 dollars+ 15 dollars a month just to even start this game. Do you want to be able to play all 3 factions? (A required feature in all MMO's) Do you want to start the game with a horse? (if you don't pick this option    This game is complete garbage. I'll list off some of the worst issues with this game:

    1. This game uses insane money grabbing tactics. Keep in mind that you have to pay 60 dollars+ 15 dollars a month just to even start this game. Do you want to be able to play all 3 factions? (A required feature in all MMO's) Do you want to start the game with a horse? (if you don't pick this option you'll have to kill 17,000 monsters to get a horse.) Do you want to play as every starting faction? (again, an option that is required in all MMO's.) Well you'll have to pay 20$ for the "collectors edition." So you have to pay 20$ more for basic features and a horse. So that's 80$ to start up the game. And you have to pay 15$ per month. Paying for basic features is unacceptable. But even the game that's under all of these paywalls is pretty terrible.

    The grinding is insane, even for MMO standards. You have to pay 17,000 dollars for the most crappy horse in the game. While players of MMO's may consider this to be a small amount, this grinding is magnified because every monster only drops 1 gold coin. Bosses only drop 2 gold coins. No matter where I've gone in the world, the gold drops stay the same. I also have friends who tell me its the same at higher level quests. This goes for all items in the game.

    This game's matchmaking/party/group quest fails to meet industry standards. You can't EVER replay quests with your friends (this sucks if your trying to get a noob up to your level quickly). You can only see and play with people from your own faction(unless you play PvP). Unless you're in a dungeon, good luck trying to play with your friends. The pVe grouping in general sucks on every level. People can randomly jump into your dungeon when your playing with friends and steal all of your loot. In fact i've gone to multiple dungeons with my friends only to see that the boss is being farmed by a pack of elite players. The phasing is terrible, it feels like you're playing a single player game with your friends hovering around.

    The quests are bad. Quests in this game either fall into 2 categories, they are either incredibly easy and boring, or they're battles that should of been awesome, but were turned into 10 minute skirmishes against pockets of NPC's. The epic castle siege stage that was plastered all over this games ad campaign literally lasted 15 minutes. And those 15 minutes were just spent taking on weak monsters in single file order.
    The UI is too minimal to convey info to the player. But you can use mods to circumvent it.

    The game doesn't have any of the free-roaming experience that made the original elder scrolls great. Though because this game is an MMO i believe that this was more of a concept problem than an implementation problem. Still a major issue.

    Overall, this game is just... bad. It's a blatant cash grab. It's buggy, boring, and repetitive. Don't listen to these 10 out of 10 reviews, i assume the devs payed them to review this game. This. game. sucks. avoid at all costs.    … Expand
  51. legit_khajiit
    Apr 21, 2014
    9
    A good counterpart to the Elder Scrolls, and great for fans of the other games as it includes everyone province, with decent gameplay.

    The online playing is great - but I find the enemies are often too hard to kill by yourself and when noone is online to play, you're screwed. Character creation has never been better, and a happy return of the class system. If you're looking for a    A good counterpart to the Elder Scrolls, and great for fans of the other games as it includes everyone province, with decent gameplay.

    The online playing is great - but I find the enemies are often too hard to kill by yourself and when noone is online to play, you're screwed.

    Character creation has never been better, and a happy return of the class system. If you're looking for a revolutionary MMORPG, here you are.    … Expand
  52. nikkonymous
    Apr 21, 2014
    7
    I'm a bit disappointed with the game. PvE is barely stable, especially those on the quests. Encountered several annoying bugs and glitches. But still pretty much worth a shot. Love the unique dynamic combat style, crafting, exploration, good story and many more. That's why I could never hate this game, since I'm a big fan of the series since TES 2 Daggerfall and MMO games. Still hopingI'm a bit disappointed with the game. PvE is barely stable, especially those on the quests. Encountered several annoying bugs and glitches. But still pretty much worth a shot. Love the unique dynamic combat style, crafting, exploration, good story and many more. That's why I could never hate this game, since I'm a big fan of the series since TES 2 Daggerfall and MMO games. Still hoping zenimax devs could figure out faster ways to fix the current content.… Expand
  53. msk1970
    Apr 21, 2014
    1
    I am a DIE HARD Oblivion and Skyrim fan. I have spent hundreds of hours on those games, and Skyrim with the legendary setting and a few mods is simply amazing. I am still playing it over 2 years after release.
    HOW DISAPPOINTED AM I IN THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE? My groan of disappointment has been heard around the world, and has travelled through dark matter to reach the far corners of the    I am a DIE HARD Oblivion and Skyrim fan. I have spent hundreds of hours on those games, and Skyrim with the legendary setting and a few mods is simply amazing. I am still playing it over 2 years after release.
    HOW DISAPPOINTED AM I IN THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE? My groan of disappointment has been heard around the world, and has travelled through dark matter to reach the far corners of the galaxy. My disappointment is a 5 year old, on Christmas morning, waking to a kick in the face from Santa, my disappointment is a groom being told on his wedding day by his dream bride that he a loser, and she is off with his best friend, my disappointment is Jesus telling his flock 'Hey I am just a regular dude, get lost' - yes, THAT is how let down I am after waiting for something as great or better than Skyrim. ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE SUCKS! GIVE US ELDER SCROLLS 6!!! The successor to Skyrim! - a SINGLE PLAYER game that is even better than skyrim, the greatest RPG in history. It was within your reach, Bethesda, but the hand of greed stayed that wonderful opportunity, for a money grubbing letdown called ESO. For the LOVE OF GOD, how could you do this to us Elder Scrolls fans!! AAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!

    Oh- the ESO - bugged, boring,    … Expand
  54. Masterpulha
    Apr 21, 2014
    3
    Im a mmo lover, played all big titles and unfortunately this is not the game i was expecting. I was expecting a fun game, exciting, tons of things to discover, a game that would glue me to the screen for months .. instead i got a game that made me bored in 1 week game play. 1 week, that's how long you will play this game before you get UBBER bored of questing and farming .. cause that'sIm a mmo lover, played all big titles and unfortunately this is not the game i was expecting. I was expecting a fun game, exciting, tons of things to discover, a game that would glue me to the screen for months .. instead i got a game that made me bored in 1 week game play. 1 week, that's how long you will play this game before you get UBBER bored of questing and farming .. cause that's all you can do. Wow took me months to get bored, even Aion was more fun than this game. Huge disappointment for someone who pre-ordered Imperial Edition.… Expand
  55. papiculos
    Apr 21, 2014
    10
    alright. so I've been playing TES for as long as i could remember. starting with dagger fall. now this game isn't your standard MMO. it will shock you how different this game is to other MMOs. now bugs and launch issues aside this has been without a doubt one of the best launches i have ever experienced. customer service genuinely cares and is expedient to your needs. now this game lets ualright. so I've been playing TES for as long as i could remember. starting with dagger fall. now this game isn't your standard MMO. it will shock you how different this game is to other MMOs. now bugs and launch issues aside this has been without a doubt one of the best launches i have ever experienced. customer service genuinely cares and is expedient to your needs. now this game lets u be anything you want to be. when i say that i mean ANYTHING. you want to be a sorcerer with full plate and use a two handed mace then go ahead. this game is a breath of fresh air to the MMO genre and i highly recommend to both TES and MMO vets. By the way, this is also the best PvP i have ever had the chance of experiencing… Expand
  56. Arkeden
    Apr 21, 2014
    4
    Compared to many MMO's that set the standard for what a great multi-player online role-playing game should be, Elder Scrolls Online falls short in multiple areas.

    1) The spell animations, design, and variations are extremely limited. Ex: A Mage can only use Fire, Ice, and Lightning Spells. The ONLY true healer class/spells are holy. Many players like to see cool and colorful spell    Compared to many MMO's that set the standard for what a great multi-player online role-playing game should be, Elder Scrolls Online falls short in multiple areas.

    1) The spell animations, design, and variations are extremely limited. Ex: A Mage can only use
    Fire, Ice, and Lightning Spells. The ONLY true healer class/spells are holy. Many players like to see cool and colorful spell animations that make them feel powerful. ESO's spells are on the more subtle side.    … Expand
  57. kram789
    Apr 21, 2014
    2
    I have played all of the Elder Scrolls games and was looking forward to ESO. Unfortunately, it is a very disappointing effort. Much of what worked so well in Skyrim is abandoned (Stealth, Skills, Economy) and what did not work so well was not improved (combat, traveling, balance). The game is unbalanced to the point that many quests are only doable by one type of character. Some bossI have played all of the Elder Scrolls games and was looking forward to ESO. Unfortunately, it is a very disappointing effort. Much of what worked so well in Skyrim is abandoned (Stealth, Skills, Economy) and what did not work so well was not improved (combat, traveling, balance). The game is unbalanced to the point that many quests are only doable by one type of character. Some boss quests do not allow teaming up and the lack of meaningful control spells for High Elf Sorcerer makes the type ridiculously hard. The only groundbreaking achievement for this game is its cost. Not only do you have to pay $60 to get it, you then have to pay $15/month to play it. The normal MMORPG mode is to do one or the other but not both. Making this the most expensive game ever! And for all that money you don't get anywhere near enough value to be worth the cost. Save your money.… Expand
  58. Genelegasse
    Apr 21, 2014
    3
    Nothing to see here, fellas... nothing extremely special. It's a huge game! the quests are pretty poor and very spread out, they make a poor effort to explain anything to you of how the game works. So many bugs make it nearly unplayable me and my friends have been stuck in loading screens countless times makes you just want to log out. That's what i'd advise... logging out.
  59. Stikkers
    Apr 21, 2014
    1
    Jesus Christ I've never been more disappointed in Bethesda. Well done.
    Give everything to Obsidian now please. And don't **** up Fallout or you will lose your whole fanbase.
  60. MMandevil
    Apr 21, 2014
    0
    This game lacks quite a lot, until end game but even then with all the bugs and glitches you can't into the **** game. It's lackluster combat and quests need a big improvement, but at least it's got muh visuals.
  61. Jeevin
    Apr 21, 2014
    4
    What experience do you want from an Elder Scrolls game? The lore? Deep characters and stories? Epic quests? The freedom to loot or steal anything? Freedom to explore? Buying and kitting out your own house in your favorite town? Organising your book collection? Just to lose yourself in the immersive world of Cyrodiil? These are the questions you need to ask yourself before you play TheWhat experience do you want from an Elder Scrolls game? The lore? Deep characters and stories? Epic quests? The freedom to loot or steal anything? Freedom to explore? Buying and kitting out your own house in your favorite town? Organising your book collection? Just to lose yourself in the immersive world of Cyrodiil? These are the questions you need to ask yourself before you play The Elder Scrolls Online because it fails on most of the above and is almost certain to disappoint.

    The Elder Scrolls Online ditches the key elements and freedoms that this much loved series is known for in favor of the money grubbing mmo business model. The story is shallow. The questing serves to string you along for as long as possible, this is especially apparent in the latter "zones" where the quests send you all over to greatly extend your play time. Crafting whilst easy to get into and feels rewarding is once again designed to string you along for the most longest time possible through research. Research time for traits on crafted gear can take weeks. Yes weeks. And you can only research a couple of items at a time in any craft. It would take months to fully research a craft in this game. You waste alot of money and time just unlocking inventory and bank space! And upgrading your horse! In fact you can see the business model comes before game play in every aspect of this game. How people get sucked into this crap is beyond me.

    The game lacks immersion too. Quest writing ranges from quite good to just plain dumb. Quest givers are surrounded by other gamers who are also busy being the only possible hero to help. Enemies respawn thirty seconds after being killed, this is especially frustrating in dungeons where you decided to read a book you saw, only to have enemies you only just killed start smacking you! At the end of dungeons other players are lined up waiting for the boss to spawn and your lucky to get a shot in to claim the kill. The world is static too, you can't pick up things you see, see that sword there? Well it's glued to the bench thats glued to the ground. The list goes on!

    You can't blame Zenimax for wanting to make the most money possible by making an mmo it's just a shame they used the Elder Scrolls IP to do it.    … Expand
  62. NC37
    Apr 21, 2014
    2
    This game was bad in closed beta, bad in open beta, and it should not deserve the praise it is getting. It tries to be SWTOR with voice acting and heavy story elements, but it fails completely. Everything is heavily instanced and it makes it very frustrating to play with others. One quest can totally change the instance and it makes it very hard to meet up. This was a huge flaw in betaThis game was bad in closed beta, bad in open beta, and it should not deserve the praise it is getting. It tries to be SWTOR with voice acting and heavy story elements, but it fails completely. Everything is heavily instanced and it makes it very frustrating to play with others. One quest can totally change the instance and it makes it very hard to meet up. This was a huge flaw in beta that was never fixed.

    UI would be the next big problem. They took Skyrim and slapped an MMO on it. So you got a very console friendly UI which just doesn't work as an MMO.

    This has been something the testers were very vocal about but the dev does not listen. I lost count of how many times I'd log in on beta to see fellow testers arguing about what they made this an MMO instead of a COOP multiplayer title. A COOP title in the Elder Scrolls universe, people wanted. They didn't want this.

    If you are interested in the lore, you'll easily get at least a month of gameplay out of this. But otherwise, there is no reason to play such a buggy, duct taped up, MMO. The rest of you...take it from a tester...don't buy into the hype. We tried to warn them, but they didn't listen. ESO will fail and it will fail hard in the end. Especially since it is released on consoles. This game will be perpetually held back by the consoles and it will not advance enough to attract more than the core ES nut.    … Expand
  63. zongi
    Apr 21, 2014
    8
    This is a very good game, perhaps a 10, but you should buy it in about three months or so (lets say around July 2014). The frequent maintenance make it frustrating to play as instead you sit around and refresh the support page to find out when would it possible for you to actually play the game. in the past week the game went down several times and for hours each time.
    so far Bethesda    This is a very good game, perhaps a 10, but you should buy it in about three months or so (lets say around July 2014). The frequent maintenance make it frustrating to play as instead you sit around and refresh the support page to find out when would it possible for you to actually play the game. in the past week the game went down several times and for hours each time.
    so far Bethesda has not offered any compensation to subscribers, stating only "we are sorry, we are new"... well, that is simply not good enough, I paid money, I want to play, if your product is not good enough, don't ask me to buy it.

    The game itself is vast, addictive, with very few problems (The inability to change skill points except later in the game and for a stiff price is one huge flaw which I guess will be fixed at some point).    … Expand
  64. robzlol
    Apr 20, 2014
    10
    Nowadays it's really hard for a new MMO to get passed the first 6+ months without everyone saying its **** but i REALLY like this game alot, its very different when it comes to the leveling, in other mmos like yeah WoW SWTOR or FFXIV or whatever it always gets very boring to level up. In ESO its alot more fun couse there is so much more to explore while you level!!
  65. EdicusMaximus
    Apr 20, 2014
    7
    As a long time fan of the Elder Scrolls series, I would have to say this game is good, really good, but not great. While it is impossible to please both the Elder Scroll fans and the MMORPG fans, they gave it a really good try.
    Some of the highlights here are the open world and the immersion. One reason I kept going back to WoW instead of all the pop-up MMORPGs that came along is because    As a long time fan of the Elder Scrolls series, I would have to say this game is good, really good, but not great. While it is impossible to please both the Elder Scroll fans and the MMORPG fans, they gave it a really good try.
    Some of the highlights here are the open world and the immersion. One reason I kept going back to WoW instead of all the pop-up MMORPGs that came along is because I felt connected to that little cow running around casting spells. One thing ESO got right is that they kept that deep immersion that all Elder Scrolls games since Morrowind are known for. If this game beats WoW hands down in anything, it's the immersion. Also the incentive to not just go from quest to quest but rather explore the world is awesome and fresh for an MMORPG. Once again this is a trademark of the series, and the people that complain about the quests are probably missing out on all the content in between. The world looks good (not great) and is fun to explore.
    For the bad there is plenty, but a few really put me off. First there is like one healer class capability amongst all the classes. I'm not sure why the went against the typical Elder Scrolls model of fighters, mages, and thieves. They could have used these as master classes with sub classes in between. They could have gotten really creative (like the fighter class that uses bandages to heal, or the mage who uses force-fields and barriers to tank). Not saying the classes aren't neat and different, but I think this could have been so much better.
    Another down is the grueling questing and fighting you have to do for minimal reward. This actually is a trademark of the Elder Scrolls games, but in the past we just modded it to our liking and went about our business. Obviously this isn't a possibility when playing an MMORPG. I think the missing persuasion /intimidation system (once again, a trademark of the series) could have provided max flexibility for the series.
    Finally, I want to say the provisioning system sucks. Who goes around rooting in barrels and crates looking for stuff to make meals? The Elder Scrolls series has always been about being able to peek into every crate and barrel, but this is one area where I think they could have been a little more "WoW-ish" about how they do things. No point in reinventing the wheel.
    There are other big likes and many many other little dislikes (the potion crafting system, the long waits for research, etc., etc., etc.) but all in all I think if you like to control a little guy who performs mechanically in a dungeon than WoW and it's millions of copycats are your deal. If you are more the role player, then ESO will be your game. I think once the MMORPG-driven people fall of the server and the standard-for-every-game introductory bugs are worked out (along with a bit of process improvement) ESO will be an awesome experience!    … Expand
  66. Gabriellogan
    Apr 20, 2014
    9
    For starters this game is worth playing. I have been an avid PC computer gamer for 20+ years, played every MMO under the sun and played all the Elder Scrolls games.

    There are bugs and some are rather annoying but you can get over/around them 99% of the time. As I have seen written in another review " This game is not for everyone" I agree you really have to be a fan of TES and MMOs to    For starters this game is worth playing. I have been an avid PC computer gamer for 20+ years, played every MMO under the sun and played all the Elder Scrolls games.

    There are bugs and some are rather annoying but you can get over/around them 99% of the time.
    As I have seen written in another review " This game is not for everyone" I agree you really have to be a fan of TES and MMOs to get the most out of this game.

    As for a lot of people in the negative reviews I have just read, all I can see if people saying that it is too hard? seriously? I say make games harder give me a challenge I do not want to be spoon fed. I set myself challenges all the way through I would try to keep quests and enemies at least 3-5 levels higher than me, did I have a problem killing them or bosses solo? No not at all. I hate to be saying this but the people who are finding the game too hard perhaps you are not that good a gamer?

    Yes some quests are bugged and don't get me wrong it really annoys me that sometimes they are broken but there is so much content within the game that it really does not break the game, at least not for me.

    This voice acting in the main quest chains is great and I found myself really paying attention and taking in all the story, as I said before you need to be a Elder Scrolls fan and a fan of the lore.

    To another point the pvp is amazing fun from level 10 onwards you can join the war and you will be scaled up so you are not just a useless low level.

    The way the crafting system works is a real breath of fresh air, yeah it copies a few other systems from different games but it has enough of its own charm to really endear me to it.

    As for the lack of diversity in builds or how you form your class to your own playing style there is not much limitation at all, the only limitation you get is if you choose one class you get one set of three skill lines designed for your class but you have all weapon skill lines open to you, all NPC guild/faction skill lines open to you and goodness know how many combinations you can make to form what your perfect tool set is, ALSO you can at level 15 have two sets of weapons equip and you get another active skill bar for that weapon set, so your primary weapons and skill are exactly that, your primary, but the second set can be a "utility belt" idea so as far as not having enough active skill 10 is enough for me plus two ultimates.

    As for the quests being the "same old hat" I would say to the people saying that, you have obviously not explored the game I have found some hilarious quests and some really cool ones.

    To sum up this game is worth it and remember as with any MMO it IS the community you play with/against that marks a great MMO.    … Expand
  67. fsujoseph
    Apr 20, 2014
    7
    I think when you buy ESO you're getting a ton of content. Personally, I don't agree with the 60$ price tag, but I coughed it up and am having a lot of fun! It's a little clunky overall, and I am a little lost to some mechanics, it has been pretty enjoyable and I can't wait for dungeons with my friends. This game is far from perfect, but if Zenimax polishes it up and keeps new contentI think when you buy ESO you're getting a ton of content. Personally, I don't agree with the 60$ price tag, but I coughed it up and am having a lot of fun! It's a little clunky overall, and I am a little lost to some mechanics, it has been pretty enjoyable and I can't wait for dungeons with my friends. This game is far from perfect, but if Zenimax polishes it up and keeps new content coming I could see myself playing for awhile.

    It's not the best game, but it is a good MMO and provides good value as well as a friendly community. Don't listen to all the trolls, but it's also not "Zomg 10/10 best game evar". It's solid!    … Expand
  68. pogelwoodcancer
    Apr 20, 2014
    0
    Its not terrible, its just very disappointing coming from the heritage of a game series that dared to be different from the crowd and define its own genre of open sandbox rpg gaming. Elderscrolls online just leaves me feeling like the makers really just wanted to make a new RvR game in the same mould as DAoC or WAR. Its so standard MMO, so been there done that, so uninspired it just hurts.Its not terrible, its just very disappointing coming from the heritage of a game series that dared to be different from the crowd and define its own genre of open sandbox rpg gaming. Elderscrolls online just leaves me feeling like the makers really just wanted to make a new RvR game in the same mould as DAoC or WAR. Its so standard MMO, so been there done that, so uninspired it just hurts. Where there is an attempt to incorporate some of the elements of the single player games it feels clunky or doesn't quite work because the fundamental starting point was your bog standard MMO the like of which we've seen time and again for the last 10 years. Take questing. full voice, lots of effort put into back story you say? Well yes, but because the questing and character advancement model is essentially the same as most MMOs (That being you advance by completing quests which give you xp to spend on level ups), the world is necessarily packed with quest givers, most of whom give 5 min quests which we've all done a million of before, kill 5 bears, pick 10 flowers, blah blah blah. The end result is all the fancy voice acting and back story just wastes your time because the fundamental activity is so mindless. I could go on and on about the disappointments in ESO, but it all boils down to one thing. Its nothing new, its not in the spirit of the single player games, its just another near enough carbon copy of a gameplay model that doesn't fit with the IP that's been forced into it. Come on Devs, can't you be a bit braver than this. If Bethesda had just copied the successful model of the time then Arena would of been a scripted on rails experience like Final Fantasy. The MMORPG world is crying out for something new, something different. Enough with the era of the WoW-a-like.… Expand
  69. CravenWraith
    Apr 19, 2014
    0
    The game was dead before the release date. The developers failed to heed warnings from their beta testers of a duplication glitch and as a result the game's economy and balance was ruined during early-access. Although they are banning accounts of those caught exploiting the bug, many of the exploiters had already traded the duplicated items to other accounts that they own or to friends'The game was dead before the release date. The developers failed to heed warnings from their beta testers of a duplication glitch and as a result the game's economy and balance was ruined during early-access. Although they are banning accounts of those caught exploiting the bug, many of the exploiters had already traded the duplicated items to other accounts that they own or to friends' accounts (which obviously are not being banned). Nobody in their right mind will want to buy this game now that so many other players have such a massively unfair advantage.… Expand
  70. Vertran187
    Apr 19, 2014
    8
    I normally hate MMOs i played WOW up to through to Cata expansion and then got sick of it ive tryed pretty much every new release that has come out its fair to say ESO is the best MMO since WOW for sure.

    The games quest are far more interesting and it all feels like its part of one huge story like a single player game which is really well done. The leveling and customization is a huge    I normally hate MMOs i played WOW up to through to Cata expansion and then got sick of it ive tryed pretty much every new release that has come out its fair to say ESO is the best MMO since WOW for sure.

    The games quest are far more interesting and it all feels like its part of one huge story like a single player game which is really well done. The leveling and customization is a huge improvement there so many choices and option to choose from to create the character you want.
    The graphics are great very clear and beautiful at times it makes you want to explore the world and hunt don all the shards.
    My biggest problem is the map system it can be confusing knowing where to go the compass worked fine in Skyrim but not here they should implement a mini map.
    Combat has some really good idea but only 5 skills at a time is lame it need to be 8-10 and it needs refining id prefer auto attacks once you engage in combat rather than mouse clicks.

    The game has huge potential it feels like it released a little to early the over all quality is far better than WOW it just needs some polish I think the foundations are but its just of the mark at the moment still it could very soon become the best MMO out there but there some work to do much better than SWTOR and GW2.    … Expand
  71. Yalingo
    Apr 19, 2014
    4
    Very disappointing game. The launch was a mess and the customer support is even worse. The gameplay is slow and clunky, the questing is 10 year old wow style and the servers are rife with gold spammers, bugs and stability issues.

    Avoid.
  72. Jirki88
    Apr 19, 2014
    6
    While the game certainly feels it have good sides and huge potential, it also feels like it's stuck in limbo. It's a game that tries to cater both to the typical MMO crowd, and the typical Elder Scrolls crowd, which in essence results in a lackluster game stuck in the middle, not really catering to anyone.

    Lets start with positives: + The graphics are nice. Some very nice views and the    While the game certainly feels it have good sides and huge potential, it also feels like it's stuck in limbo. It's a game that tries to cater both to the typical MMO crowd, and the typical Elder Scrolls crowd, which in essence results in a lackluster game stuck in the middle, not really catering to anyone.

    Lets start with positives:
    + The graphics are nice. Some very nice views and the game generally looks very good.
    + Storywriting, as far as it exists, are good. The quests overall is well written and executed.
    + The class and skill system is innovative and fun, opening lots of possibilities.
    + The crafting system feels quite good.

    Then we can take the negatives:
    - A majority of every dungeons etc you won't actually feel like or remember doing, because everything will be dead in them when you jog through, and almost every dungeon mini boss will be camped.
    - Bots, bots everywhere. The game is abound with bots camping spawns, bots selling gold, bots harvesting resources, bots doing everything. ZOS apparently didn't even consider the possibility of bots.
    - The trading system - you will mostly not want to trade at all unless someone tries to buy something from you. There's ridiculous 25% fees on guild stores and even more ridiculous fees on CoD. The entire system was made by someone with a major hard-on for WTS/WTB/WTT chat spam. By extent it makes it so you really won't be selling particularly much stuff at all.
    - The hugely limited active skills. While I'm glad they didn't go down the WoW route of 60 skills in 4 skillbars, only 5 skills certainly are way too limiting. It makes you set up a very short rotation and then stick to it, which makes combat nothing short of terribly boring after a while. The weapon switch at level 15 don't really help, especially not for some classes such as a Sorc with Daedric Summoning focus, since the slots will have to be occupied by the same still, basically.
    - Idiotically timed maintenances and no communication by ZOS (it's more rule than exception nowadays that they put their maintenances on times when a majority of EU players play, and then don't inform as to why they even put a maintenance then).
    - The grouping system which at best is haphazard and poorly implemented. Often you will find yourself in different phases from your group mates, and there's quite some quests that can't be done in group but you won't even know until you stand in there and can't see your groupmembers. And even if it can be done in group you don't always end up in the same group. A bad system.

    All in all, as I mentioned, it's a game with potential. But it needs to choose a direction because where it's heading right now is down a route where they try to please everyone, and that just won't succeed considering how different the SP ES players and the normal MMO players are.    … Expand
  73. Ipico
    Apr 19, 2014
    8
    Giving this game some more time and Have to say I am really enjoying it, my last reviews was honestly based on the beta and a lot of improvements have come now still a lot of bugs but the game feels better now, maybe its the change of faction who knows but the game just feels and plays better to me now.
  74. telefoonboek
    Apr 19, 2014
    0
    Very bad, bought a ingame horse and it said I would receive ingame mail with instructions to get it. 2 hours later still waiting. When you contact customer support you get walled with standard responses without someone actually reading what u typed.

    This left a very bad taste
  75. guinevere2
    Apr 19, 2014
    4
    Gameplay is very good, itemization is one of the best I have seen in games....but it all goes down the drain when you take all the exploits, hacks, mass boting in every public dungeon, not working skills into consideration. The communication from Zenimax side is almost non existent limited to generic one-two sentence post on their forum. The economy of the game was utterly broken 2 weeksGameplay is very good, itemization is one of the best I have seen in games....but it all goes down the drain when you take all the exploits, hacks, mass boting in every public dungeon, not working skills into consideration. The communication from Zenimax side is almost non existent limited to generic one-two sentence post on their forum. The economy of the game was utterly broken 2 weeks after the release because exploiters were duplicating items making a tons of cash. Zenimax did absolutely nothing to counter that, they just banned the exploiters leaving the broken economy to the players. A clear sign to me they are not here to stay, just grab as much money as fast they can. It is a fine game for a month or so, just for solid pve experience, and that is all. Unless it does not bother you that you will have to grind your ass off to get that legendery items when the guys next to you have all of that, millions of golds and they crafting skills maxed out thanks to an exploit. Well, it does bother me.… Expand
  76. Nephilim007
    Apr 18, 2014
    0
    what a piece of junk game go back to solo elder scrolls is not made for multiplayer and i doubt it will ever work. game is boring and simplified skills gone are the days of daggerfall etc game is dumbed down for console. whats funny is they actuall want you to pay a fee to play it and to buy it as well what a joke seriously i cant believe there are people that stupid that would pay forwhat a piece of junk game go back to solo elder scrolls is not made for multiplayer and i doubt it will ever work. game is boring and simplified skills gone are the days of daggerfall etc game is dumbed down for console. whats funny is they actuall want you to pay a fee to play it and to buy it as well what a joke seriously i cant believe there are people that stupid that would pay for this piece of junk… Expand
  77. eduardvictor
    Apr 18, 2014
    0
    The most boring MMO I've ever had the misfortune of playing. Whoever likes this turd has zero taste in gaming or started gaming 2 years ago in WoW or something, and is impressed by the **** first person perspective gameplay.

    Mediocre and soulless.
  78. macharius39
    Apr 18, 2014
    2
    It looks pretty, has Elder Scrolls tagged on to it and has some interesting concepts. Yes, I'll give it that.

    However, game crushing bugs plague this title: e.g. people losing their bank items, slots, gold, skill points, being banned for having duplicate emails sent to them by Zenimax due to a bug THEY created, etc,etc,. Thousands of people have been affected (I am not exaggerating).    It looks pretty, has Elder Scrolls tagged on to it and has some interesting concepts. Yes, I'll give it that.

    However, game crushing bugs plague this title: e.g. people losing their bank items, slots, gold, skill points, being banned for having duplicate emails sent to them by Zenimax due to a bug THEY created, etc,etc,.

    Thousands of people have been affected (I am not exaggerating). Zenimax's answer? "Fix" the bug, then try to bury the official thread about people who have lost stuff with no compensation (which Zenimax bald-facedly lied about) and then ban accounts.

    Customer support is a joke. They close your ticket after canned responses and do nothing to actually help you. Zenimax obviously outsourced it to a company who is only interested in closing tickets and padding stats and not resolving problems. I've had multiple tickets closed on me with no action taken by Zenimax other than to send me an automated Customer Satisfaction Survey

    I can't recommend this game. It never should have been released in the state it was in. Bugs that plagued the beta all made it into release and then got worse. Patches have helped but it's still unacceptable to release a game in the state it was released in.

    The complete lack of customer service and the lies from their "community managers" just add insult to injury. STAY AWAY FROM THIS GAME!    … Expand
  79. DarkJinks
    Apr 18, 2014
    3
    As a single player experience, it's good but still falls very short of Skyrim quality. As a multiplayer experience, it's practically not there! There is absolutely no teamwork involved in the quests, even if you're in a group, you have to finish quests separately. This means that the only thing other players are good for is getting in your way and stealing your resources. Just play Skyrim!
  80. defive
    Apr 18, 2014
    6
    A decent game marred by some truly terrible design decisions.

    ESO is fun, graphically gorgeous and rather engaging. Unfortunately terrible public dungeon design, poor loot mechanics, a non-existent economy and ZOSs seeming inability to deal with exploting and hacking take the shine off what would have been an otherwise outstanding MMO.
  81. MaxxPanada
    Apr 18, 2014
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Among the several MMORPG's I have payed over the years, this title brings the excitement of the Elder Scrolls series and the online world, together for the first time.

    Yes, the game costs $60. Yes, there is a monthly subscription of $15, which is preauthorized and a requirement before you can even play the game - this makes gaming a lot more difficult for users who may prefer alternative payment options - e.g. time allowance cards.

    The overall beta and current game play has not changed significantly, however, they did enable NPC collisions which made the overall world seem more realistic. Previously, NPCs or even players were easily just transparent beings that you spawn inside of when walking into a room / building or during a quest. Leaving the prison in the first part of the same was constantly filled with myself having to decline conversation with the assisting NPC because she would attack other NPCs through my character - madding!

    Graphically this game has doesn't compare to ES: Skyrim. NPCs are very generic character models that are sloppy and poorly executed, which takes away from the once enthralling game play experience. Unlike previous games, I would rather skip the interactions than to let them play out.

    The leveling system is very plain and unrefined, though it was designed to allow a user ultimate freedom when they choose their builds, the entire process proves to be one of the weaker aspects of game play. Using a Daggerfall character, fighting seemed too simplistic against bosses, but then incredibly hard against normal NPC's. I could easily spam a chain ability and using a few key presses I would defeat anyone I fought... not really too entertaining.

    There are a fair amount of bugs and broken quests as you level higher it becomes a common occurrence. Biggest annoyance comes from the latency connected to the megaserver technology, which was introduced for this game. Ideally, you would easily be able to play with your friends no matter their location as long as you are within the same faction. The megasever conceptually seems great, however, there is issues when a player tries to saving items to the bank - once they have disappeared, customer service reps seem clueless about how to restore your items....

    Minor issues aside, this game has a fair potential; but, is utterly boring and filled with useless pets running behind owners. Running around to put out fires and seemingly instant luck when checking crates and other items for questing materials (i.e. Was told to check for rotting meat around the docks. First box I selected, there it was...) are boring tasks that feel no different than the quest I had before it, therefore, the lasting appeal is very limited for the casual gamer. Other times disguises that were attached completely left my inventory and required myself to try and acquire new a replacement disguise to stop ragging NPCs during some missions. This takes away from game play and just seemed flawed, since the game explains that your character will just remove the disguise when attacking, not that you will lose it as well.

    The PVP area is a nice addition to the forgettable story line and allows for a King of the Hill style game play atmosphere with guilds constantly fighting for power. I found this experience a lot more rewarding the the PVE game play - only if there were not hordes of people spamming the push-up commands and making human centipede remakes...

    Set 1000 years behind the story of Skyrim, the lore is all inclusive and generally does not have too many missing cities or historical gaps.

    In the end it is just an average game, with the same questing as before but now it is communal. 6 rating.    … Expand
  82. Ser_Riggers
    Apr 17, 2014
    7
    As a person who has been playing World of Warcraft since 2007 and hopping MMORPGs for a little longer, I can honestly say that Elder Scrolls Online is a breath of fresh air. That being said, there are areas that it definitely can improve on, the bulk of which are unpolished and bugged quests which block progression in certain areas. These bugs can definitely put you off the game entirely,As a person who has been playing World of Warcraft since 2007 and hopping MMORPGs for a little longer, I can honestly say that Elder Scrolls Online is a breath of fresh air. That being said, there are areas that it definitely can improve on, the bulk of which are unpolished and bugged quests which block progression in certain areas. These bugs can definitely put you off the game entirely, but if you can look past what Zenimax are working on fixing, the game is a definite look-at. The days of one-button-spam and win is over. This game is a genuine challenge, and as you level up the mobs become progressively harder and greater in number, and require more thought and tactic to overcome.

    The quests themselves are interesting and immersive, although clearly because it is an MMORPG not as many quests are as great and epic as they were in Oblivion and Skyrim, but this is to be expected as it was said early on that this game was a spin-off of the Elder Scrolls Universe, not a new game in the series. That being said, if you don't like this game, don't feel the need not to buy the next game (Elder Scrolls VI) because you were put off by this game.

    By far, my favourite part of this game is the crafting system. In WoW the only way to gain materials to make stuff and progress through a profession was to go out into the world and mine nodes or trade with players via them or the Auction House (which this game does not have, thank the Nine). This game has that too, but it allows you to "deconstruct" items, which in turn give you the materials, as well as levelling the profession at the same time. You may find your inventory chock-a-block full of items from quests and drops, and instead of selling these items to a vendor for a tiny profit, you can deconstruct them, and in turn, make better items for yourself and your friends.

    This game deserves a solid 7/10, and I've waited until I hit the max level to write this review, so that way I had a better grasp on the game than people that release a review two days after it's release. Zenimax needs to address the issues within the game, and if they do so, this game could very well be around for a long time.    … Expand
  83. gcd872000
    Apr 17, 2014
    2
    I can't take it anymore. At first I gave this game a positive review after like 2 days of play. I realize the error in my ways because it only took one week for the game to become completely boring. The combat is like dragon age 2 where you just button mash and use random abilities. Ranged combat is pretty much useless(no more sneak attacks from 50 meters away like skyrim) to use the bowI can't take it anymore. At first I gave this game a positive review after like 2 days of play. I realize the error in my ways because it only took one week for the game to become completely boring. The combat is like dragon age 2 where you just button mash and use random abilities. Ranged combat is pretty much useless(no more sneak attacks from 50 meters away like skyrim) to use the bow you have to be pretty much right ontop of the enemy which defeats the point of using a bow. The world they created is beautiful and has plenty of diverse creatures too bad the only thing to do in it is run around and kill random creatures, you can only interact with certain objects like herbs and ore deposits. The quests are mostly all kill and fetch quests. The leveling and skill system makes no sense at all, the game randomly increases skills that you have equipped on your action bar, even if you don't use them. They totally ruined the simple crafting system that skyrim had implemented. Now you have to find schematics to make certain things and of course they and the materials are really rare, of course you can buy them from other players but why would you they'd probably charge you 10 thousand gold. Its like the developers all sat down an said "Lets take all the positive improvements skyrim implemented and just throw em away. This game is not worth $14.99 a month this game is not worth the $59.99 initial price.… Expand
  84. wooflikeabear
    Apr 17, 2014
    1
    The game is pretty and the quest design is phenomenal (very few kill x, collect y type of missions and more on discovery, exploration, revenge, rescue, etc.). But the bugs, oh the bugs. Bugged NPCs hindering progression, bugged bosses hindering quest completion, bugged combat hindering ability to block, dodge or even activate skills, bugged characters wiping out bank contents. I'd rate theThe game is pretty and the quest design is phenomenal (very few kill x, collect y type of missions and more on discovery, exploration, revenge, rescue, etc.). But the bugs, oh the bugs. Bugged NPCs hindering progression, bugged bosses hindering quest completion, bugged combat hindering ability to block, dodge or even activate skills, bugged characters wiping out bank contents. I'd rate the bugginess of this game as almost on par with how bad Vanguard and Age of Conan were at release. They really should do what the Final Fantasy XIV people did and re-release the game after making it playable.

    And then of course there's all the cut corners in development: No character nameplates. Limited UI. Mobs and bosses don't scale in toughness so nothing is a challenge when you're grouped. Forced solo instances for progression that only certain builds can complete. It's like the game designers treated this like all their single player games and said lets release some alpha build of the game and rely on the player base to write patches and UI mods to make it playable - the only thing being this is an MMO and unlike their previous single player games that had such a huge modding community, the gamers can't just fix what the developers have screwed up.

    I want to love this game based purely on the quest designs and the visuals, but it's hard to with all the rest of the issues. I think I'll wait till this goes free-to-play and for the bugs to get fixed and check it out again in a few months.    … Expand
  85. xgamrx
    Apr 16, 2014
    9
    ESO is not your typical hack and slash MMORPG. It is a mix between Dungeon and Dragons Online, Age of Conan, Guild Wars, and World of Warcraft. I am not writing this review as a fan boy of Bethesda, but believe it is important that I chime in on the different perspectives of the game. The exploration and discovery component is enthralling to say the least. The battle engine could useESO is not your typical hack and slash MMORPG. It is a mix between Dungeon and Dragons Online, Age of Conan, Guild Wars, and World of Warcraft. I am not writing this review as a fan boy of Bethesda, but believe it is important that I chime in on the different perspectives of the game. The exploration and discovery component is enthralling to say the least. The battle engine could use some minor improvements but is adequate. The game play is really challenging and makes you think and prepare a plan before engaging in most battles. I have noticed no or minimal load times with absolutely zero in-game pop ups. The grinding is minimal while the character voice over, storyline and graphics are simply astonishing. It's a visceral treat and experience like no other. I will not comment on the PVP element since I am really not interested in that particular component. This review is coming from an extremely cynical gamer. Yes, ESO is not perfect and no game will ever completely meet or exceed our expectations, but it is still worth purchasing for any discerning gamer.… Expand
  86. Wolfport
    Apr 16, 2014
    9
    This is the first MMO in recent years that seems specifically targeted for a gamer like me. I love The Elder Scrolls games and I also enjoy MMOs. I also feel like the RPG component is missing in most MMOs these days. Elder Scrolls Online provides an incredibly immersive experience with its beautiful visuals and artwork. The musical score is fantastic and I very much enjoy the level ofThis is the first MMO in recent years that seems specifically targeted for a gamer like me. I love The Elder Scrolls games and I also enjoy MMOs. I also feel like the RPG component is missing in most MMOs these days. Elder Scrolls Online provides an incredibly immersive experience with its beautiful visuals and artwork. The musical score is fantastic and I very much enjoy the level of detail put into this world. It is so beautifully crafted.

    In most MMOs it's common to skip the quest dialogue and rush ahead. One can truly savor this game by listening to the NPCs and following their stories. I have fallen in love with the lore of this game and players do get to make choices within quests that can change the outcome of events and NPCs may remember your choices and interact with you differently.

    Though there are only 4 classes to choose from, one can make any of the four classes a healer, a damage dealer or a tank. There are a tremendous amount of skill lines a player can pick and choose from and this already rich system will just become richer when future guild skill lines are added such as from the Thieves Guild and the Dark Brotherhood Guild.

    Usually I can take or leave crafting in an MMO, though I am finding crafting in ESO to be very enjoyable. As someone who is actively crafting in the game, there is a lack of storage space for crafting materials and players who craft will spend an inordinate amount of time dealing with managing their inventory. For this reason I am deducting a point from the score.

    For those who enjoy some Player Versus Player action, there is Cyrodiil. It's a vast area where a player can also do PvE, complete quests and explore. It is optional to enter Cyrodiil and no one is forced to if they don't enjoy fighting other players. I have had a blast in my time in Cyrodiil so far.

    For me this game has a great deal of longevity and so far the community is very good.    … Expand
  87. eriksrevenge
    Apr 16, 2014
    5
    Pretty-ok single player experience with a ton of bugs. The quests are by far the most interesting of all theme-parks. Crafting is fun, armor and weapons look boring, inventory and bank space is a headache. The community is ok. The UI and chat are both awful, but there are mods out and mods to come. There is no auction, which can be good or bad depending on the player; but this is myPretty-ok single player experience with a ton of bugs. The quests are by far the most interesting of all theme-parks. Crafting is fun, armor and weapons look boring, inventory and bank space is a headache. The community is ok. The UI and chat are both awful, but there are mods out and mods to come. There is no auction, which can be good or bad depending on the player; but this is my review and in my opinion, it sucks. Quests involve you running around killing people/monsters, clicking on things, watching brief events unfold, then returning to the NPC; and usually climax with you entering a cave or a dungeon. When you enter the dungeon or cave(quest or solo dungeon), everyone else in the world is also entering, so when you get to the boss at the end, you're likely to find him dead with 30 people waiting for him to re-spawn. Grouping is horrible, everything is phased; you must be in the same part of the quest progression as everyone else, people get separated, bugged-out, yada yada yada. The quest lines can reward you with skill-points which I actually think sucks (more on that below). There are also collectible skyshards that give you skill points located on every map (which I think is awesome). The group dungeons are fun, but the veteran dungeons are really where it's at. The adventure zone is not out yet, so I cannot comment on the trials, but the 12 man will probably make the game a bit better. Cyrodiil is easily the best part about the game, but they nerfed the XP, and like I said above, quests give you skill-points, so leveling in Cyrodiil is just not in the cards. This is my biggest gripe about the game and ultimately why I won't play it until it's changed. The quests are cool but when they become the only way to level (and gain additional skillpoints), they become extremely boring and feel repetitive. Some TESO honeymooners will argue that they don't become boring or repetitive, because the lore is good; but this is my review, and I say it becomes boring and repetitive. The other good part about the game are the classes. You can mix and match and level different crafting/guilds/armor to obtain different spells/attacks, and bonuses. Overall it is a pretty good game, with a terrible grouping mechanism, and super lame forced questing. What can I say? If you're a PvP person, this game would've been for you if they hadn't nerfed the xp.… Expand
  88. Cineck
    Apr 16, 2014
    5
    I am giving ESO a 5 out of 10 because it has a potential. The crafting for once is a useful thing, I wish it was in more MMOs, the storyline is great and the quests are interesting. The problem with it is the clunky interface, horrible animations and sadly just terrible gameplay. I wish I spent the money on Wildstar instead, it's in beta but it's so much better.
  89. spainion
    Apr 16, 2014
    2
    Absolute Trash.

    Not written with Creation Engine.

    They used Hero Engine, which is some crappy mmo builder engine. I got a free licence during the beta of hero engine. Its basically a childs play toy. Smart developers wouldn't use it to create anything of quality. Like any engine made to create 'shells' it has serious limitations.
  90. Cengor
    Apr 16, 2014
    10
    Worst subscription system ever seen on an online game. Whatever, while i was downloading, I accidentally selected American Server except Europe and all the 20 gb of download suddenly erased. Downloading the whole game again.
  91. wimmy1
    Apr 16, 2014
    8
    People hate on this game because it isn't enough like Skyrim. Well, let me tell you something, this game innovates on the typical MMO experience and is a lot of fun. The environments are beautiful and the gameplay is fresh. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Skyrim, but thought it was overrated. Because it was.
  92. i1dallas
    Apr 16, 2014
    4
    I never played WoW, but if this game is better then WoW, then I am glad I didn't waste my time playing WoW. TESO is not a bad MMO, it has lots of things to do to keep you busy. But is it a game that will draw me back every day? Not really, the only reason I am playing it right now is because I have paid for a game that will only let me play for 30 days so I am trying to get my moneyI never played WoW, but if this game is better then WoW, then I am glad I didn't waste my time playing WoW. TESO is not a bad MMO, it has lots of things to do to keep you busy. But is it a game that will draw me back every day? Not really, the only reason I am playing it right now is because I have paid for a game that will only let me play for 30 days so I am trying to get my money worth. That is the biggest reason why I gave this game a 4. If this was the buy once, free to play after model, I would have given it a 6. The only other MMO I can compare TESO to is GW2 and in my opinion GW2 is way better. If TESO decides to go the way of GW2 buy once and free to play, I might give it another try, since I already paid for a game that I was only allowed to play for 30 days... **sigh**… Expand
  93. enut_butter
    Apr 16, 2014
    2
    Just really disappointing in literally every way.

    Combat is wonky, the game feels barren, the bow animations are SO bad that I cringed every time I used one, and the most serious offense this game commits, it doesn't even remotely feel like an Elder Scrolls game. I didn't buy this game thinking it was gonna be Skyrim 2.0 or anything like that, but I assumed there would be SOME    Just really disappointing in literally every way.

    Combat is wonky, the game feels barren, the bow animations are SO bad that I cringed every time I used one, and the most serious offense this game commits, it doesn't even remotely feel like an Elder Scrolls game.

    I didn't buy this game thinking it was gonna be Skyrim 2.0 or anything like that, but I assumed there would be SOME feeling of an Elder Scrolls game. Well, there is NONE. This feels like any other mediocre MMO I've played over the last 10 years.

    Would not recommend, and really wish I could get a refund. This is a $200 million dollar abortion.    … Expand
  94. paulovaca
    Apr 16, 2014
    8
    I'm waiting for this game since 2007 (first time that I played ES IV Oblivion). So, you can put a lot of expectation in there. First of all, this game is diferent from the others, while others put to much effort in be the best with a weapon in your hand, this game is all about enjoy. You can make a lot of fun just for be a crafter, or you can focus in PVP and PVE, what in my opinion has aI'm waiting for this game since 2007 (first time that I played ES IV Oblivion). So, you can put a lot of expectation in there. First of all, this game is diferent from the others, while others put to much effort in be the best with a weapon in your hand, this game is all about enjoy. You can make a lot of fun just for be a crafter, or you can focus in PVP and PVE, what in my opinion has a lot of more that the others users are saying. You can focus on create good horses (later in game will be horse races), with all possibilities you can create new classes (pyromancer, battle mages, etc), you can "role play" with your guild mates and the possibilities are huge and other things that put you in the world of ESO.

    If you read something like "I'm playing for weeks and now I'm rank 40 and the game is sucks" have in mind that in rank 50 you aren't in the middle of the game.

    Some times the armor looks like plastic, specialy in low rank. But in high rank this changes a little.

    There are lot of bugs, huge bugs.

    Last thing when you are in a battle you can feel that your actions can make diference. Your position, your strategy, etc. You aren't another guy hitting a bunch of buttons!

    Give the Game a try! If they fix all bugs it is a solid 9!    … Expand
  95. SamuelJJ
    Apr 16, 2014
    8
    I've been playing this game now since the launch date and it's an incredible experience, the amount of content involved in this game is phenomenal. However, the game does have its downfalls but they are minor, specially considering how bad people review this game. The game is being slated for such stupid reasons, therefore I am writing this review.
    Bad stuff first:
    Price you pay.. they    I've been playing this game now since the launch date and it's an incredible experience, the amount of content involved in this game is phenomenal. However, the game does have its downfalls but they are minor, specially considering how bad people review this game. The game is being slated for such stupid reasons, therefore I am writing this review.
    Bad stuff first:
    Price you pay.. they could at least make the game itself £30 or F2P after purchasing. Generally I do not like spending more than £20 for a game, though I made Elder Scrolls an accept ion and was pretty surprised. Yeah, it's good fun; but you should not buy this game if you're going in for "a new WoW MMO". You will be disappointed.
    I personally prefer playing this game alone and questing. The multiplayer is somewhat irrelevant, boring and frustrating at times, specially when players are doing the quests you are playing.

    World bosses are scattered around the lands and they are easy, boring and give very little satisfaction.
    PvP is good, but it's basically a world vs world cut from GW2. Hopefully Zenimax will apply world PvP or some unique hack and slash arena content later to this game to make PvP more exhilarating.
    Good Stuff:
    Combat mechanics are really good and it's a new implement to an MMO, I like not using a cursor to click and attack, its a major bonus to the game.
    I have only stumbled across one bug and people say "the game is very buggy". This is Bollo****. It doesn't make the game bad at all, the developers will obviously fix these minor issues so stop typing nonsense. The bug I encountered was a quest NPC who instead of speaking English, spoke German; it was quite funny tbh.
    The landscapes are beautiful and you can tell they put a lot of time in to creating this.
    So many quests are on the menu to choose from which are voiced and have decent story lines to them. Some of the quests include single player boss fights which separate you from other players and I really enjoyed this as there is tactical fights which are fairly hard.

    All in all, I have had a really good experience in this game and I would recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy adventure. Do not enter this game expecting an amazing MMORPG, because in all fairness; for the price you pay, it's really not.    … Expand
  96. Garloz911
    Apr 16, 2014
    4
    Honest to god I do not understand why this is an MMO. It plays as a console game that got ported to PC and has a few adventures. Yes the quests are pretty neat so that's nice. But in all honesty here it does nothing new. I hate being "that guy" but the PvP is copy paste of guild wars. All arguments aside if you compare the two they really have the same PvP. PvE in ESO is neat because youHonest to god I do not understand why this is an MMO. It plays as a console game that got ported to PC and has a few adventures. Yes the quests are pretty neat so that's nice. But in all honesty here it does nothing new. I hate being "that guy" but the PvP is copy paste of guild wars. All arguments aside if you compare the two they really have the same PvP. PvE in ESO is neat because you have long adventures.... alone... by yourself... in an mmo... (cough cough SWTOR). But the dungeons actually are really well done. Besides the console UI that should never have happened and the PvP which is copy paste it is an Elder Scrolls game and feels like one. When they slapped MMO on it though it really is a huge let down that brings nothing new into the universe.… Expand
  97. Tarikko
    Apr 16, 2014
    0
    Been waiting for this game since it was announced. Paid around 300 dollars (imperial edition collector item i think + customs and shipping) with a smile on my face, thinking i will be playing my dream mmo.

    I was utterly disappointed, the moment the game started. The game just feels plasticky, I dunno how to put it better. The gameplay, the interface, the voice overs (so cheesy) and the    Been waiting for this game since it was announced. Paid around 300 dollars (imperial edition collector item i think + customs and shipping) with a smile on my face, thinking i will be playing my dream mmo.

    I was utterly disappointed, the moment the game started. The game just feels plasticky, I dunno how to put it better. The gameplay, the interface, the voice overs (so cheesy) and the dialogue, the combat, the graphics... terrible all together...

    I can think of one redeeming aspect which are the sunrays, I am serious nothing else is ncie about this game.

    Shame on Zenimax and shame on Bethesda for allowing them to use the ES name. Just a ploy to rip you of your precious $...

    All in all, it is a subpar, generic MMO.. Save your money, trust me.

    I just made this account just to be able to post this.    … Expand
  98. n91a
    Apr 15, 2014
    5
    Superficially, TESO looks like Skyrim. Similar interface, similar great artwork. However, if you're looking for Skyrim online, TESO isn't it. TESO brings nothing new to the MMO genre, and utterly fails to live up to the pre-release hype. It looks pretty, but contrary to Matt Firor's grand promise of a "polished" and "bug-free" product, TESO is anything but. Unstable, quests riddledSuperficially, TESO looks like Skyrim. Similar interface, similar great artwork. However, if you're looking for Skyrim online, TESO isn't it. TESO brings nothing new to the MMO genre, and utterly fails to live up to the pre-release hype. It looks pretty, but contrary to Matt Firor's grand promise of a "polished" and "bug-free" product, TESO is anything but. Unstable, quests riddled with bugs, and gameplay is generally clunky and laggy. Also, because TESO allows (and appears to favor) the third-person perspective, those of us who enjoy the first-person immersion are at a disadvantage for both PvP and PvE-boss encounters. Is it worth playing for free? Sure. Is it worth the hefty $60 + monthly? Heck no.… Expand
  99. IGNsus
    Apr 15, 2014
    0
    So now that the dust has settled, we are seeing what people actually think about this game.

    As I'd suspected, the game does not have any lasting appeal. People have already moved on.
  100. xerachtaxs
    Apr 15, 2014
    10
    Great game unlike other care bear mmo's. I love the public dungeons, it adds life to the mmo experience. NPC's actually speak and you feel involved in the quest line. Unlike other mmo's that tells you to kill 20 of these or 10 of that. The questing here makes sense. I have played ff xiv arr, wow and i enjoy this game a lot more than those 2 put together. Yes there are some bugs , but noGreat game unlike other care bear mmo's. I love the public dungeons, it adds life to the mmo experience. NPC's actually speak and you feel involved in the quest line. Unlike other mmo's that tells you to kill 20 of these or 10 of that. The questing here makes sense. I have played ff xiv arr, wow and i enjoy this game a lot more than those 2 put together. Yes there are some bugs , but no mmo or game is perfect and with recent patches some of these issues have been resolved. If skyrim was mmo like I would have played that game longer. And now with Teso i have the game for me.… 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

All reviews »
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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