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. saulot
    Apr 7, 2014
    5
    I wanted to like this game. This is like elder scrolls in name and setting only. Combat seems so slow and grindsome. Graphics are poor, only 4 classes, pretty much like all the other mmos buts its not elderscroll
  2. Rnadmo
    Jun 4, 2015
    5
    It looks pretty but ultimately it just doesn't do anything that another MMO doesn't do better. If you like the idea of solo and occasional group play with cool exploration, pick up GW2, for example.
  3. 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
  4. Sevvy88
    Apr 26, 2014
    5
    What can I say? The game isn't bad. It's certainly not the worst MMO I've played, but does that mean it's great? Sadly, no.

    It does what it does passably. It's a theme-park MMO set in the Elder Scrolls universe. That in itself might be enough to put people off from it. My real issue with the game stems from the fact that everything it does, it does only passably well. Combat? Guild    What can I say? The game isn't bad. It's certainly not the worst MMO I've played, but does that mean it's great? Sadly, no.

    It does what it does passably. It's a theme-park MMO set in the Elder Scrolls universe. That in itself might be enough to put people off from it. My real issue with the game stems from the fact that everything it does, it does only passably well.

    Combat? Guild Wars 2 has better. Exploration? Same. Story? SW:TOR presents and delivers a better RPG element and main story than ESO does. Graphics? Final Fantasy: ARR is much sharper and with the times. The visuals are nice, but ultimately remind me of a Warhammer Online in HD. Dynamic events? See Rift and, again, Guild Wars 2.

    Like many people have pointed out, the game is just so painfully average. It's not the most on rails of the theme parks, so that at least is a plus, and the voice over questing -is- better than the "Read this huge text box" type mechanic, but simply having these traits isn't enough. WoW long stopped being the game that I judge MMO's by, because since WoW, we've had some great additions to the genre. Anyone who has played MMO's in any mentionable capacity in the last 10 years will constantly be feeling like they've done all of this before. I find myself bored after an hour or so.

    So, the game doesn't really bring anything new to the table. For people just picking up their first MMO's or who are truly in love with the Elder Scrolls world (the lore -is- very good) then this game might knock it out of the park. For your average MMO player looking for the next star in an already overcrowded sky of games though? I fear this is not it.

    Not bad, but not great. It just "is what it is." Another theme park. I fear the game often has more considering re-installing Skyrim or Oblivion, even Morrowind, rather than continue playing it. It is hard to tell who they exactly were making this game for.    … Expand
  5. Kenmei
    Jun 11, 2014
    5
    This is my second and final review for this game. The veteran content completely lost me as the amount of XP required to level up is beyond ridiculous that you have to have some serious dedication to make it to the cap and about 95% of people won't have it. The game became to much of the same old thing everywhere you looked. The same enemies, the same quests, etc. And I suppose that is theThis is my second and final review for this game. The veteran content completely lost me as the amount of XP required to level up is beyond ridiculous that you have to have some serious dedication to make it to the cap and about 95% of people won't have it. The game became to much of the same old thing everywhere you looked. The same enemies, the same quests, etc. And I suppose that is the case with every MMO out there but the combination of rehashed content with the exorbitant amount of XP required to gain a level in vet content made me lose interest in this game, to the point where I won't be resubscribing for the near future. This game had alot of potential but it seems like the fact that the devs made such a poor decision with the vet content was a way to circumvent adding end game raids and stuff like that. Even though the first end game "raid" is out now, I don't have the interest to continue with it, and neither do the people I was playing this game with. It was good for awhile there but it suddenly and very quickly lost all of its mojo it had. Not terrible, but severely lacking in the "things to do" department later in the game.… Expand
  6. udmatador
    Apr 28, 2014
    5
    I really wanted to like this game, but I felt it did not translate well to the MMO genre. I felt that they tried too hard to focus on the leveling up and grind of the game rather than the mischief and freedom that the ES series has. It's not a bad game per say but it's not the Elder Scrolls either. I've spent about 30 hours with it and I'm just tired of it already. I'd much rather putI really wanted to like this game, but I felt it did not translate well to the MMO genre. I felt that they tried too hard to focus on the leveling up and grind of the game rather than the mischief and freedom that the ES series has. It's not a bad game per say but it's not the Elder Scrolls either. I've spent about 30 hours with it and I'm just tired of it already. I'd much rather put another 300 hours into skyrim than play this game. If your looking for a MMO with a decent grind, nice graphics, and ES type gameplay than check this out, but if you're thinking you're going to be playing a new Elder Scrolls installment with the same level of detail, than you're going to be disappointed.… Expand
  7. Delaro
    May 2, 2014
    5
    Shallow, flavorless, generic, bland, uninspiring and, monotonous.

    Cons: Flooded with Bots and gold farmers at launch. Really slow response from GM's. Multi broken and bugged Quests sometimes for days on end. Boring repetitive quest system. Boring Combat system and Weak AI.... Mash 2 buttons FTW. Repetitive Scenery and landscape. Monotone and very uninspiring NPC's. Pros: Very    Shallow, flavorless, generic, bland, uninspiring and, monotonous.

    Cons:
    Flooded with Bots and gold farmers at launch.
    Really slow response from GM's.
    Multi broken and bugged Quests sometimes for days on end.
    Boring repetitive quest system.
    Boring Combat system and Weak AI.... Mash 2 buttons FTW.
    Repetitive Scenery and landscape.
    Monotone and very uninspiring NPC's.

    Pros:
    Very visually appealing.
    Crafting system is decent
    That's about all I can think of... Really not much more got my attention.

    This game missed the Hype by leaps and bounds, what we have is a $15 a month game that offers less than many of the massive amount of free to play Asian MMO's ripoffs. I felt as though I was playing a game based 12 years ago, there is nothing at all new about this title nothing inspiring or memorable that would make me want to keep playing.    … Expand
  8. 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.
  9. SBM
    Apr 5, 2014
    5
    Anyone waiting for the next great MMO will likely be disappointed. I had high hopes for ESO, I quite liked Skyrim and Morrowind before it, and the idea of a multiplayer installment was very appealing. However ESO doesn't break free of the MMO mold at all, in a lot of ways it's a step backwards. WoW is still better, heck The Old Republic is better. This game will not survive with aAnyone waiting for the next great MMO will likely be disappointed. I had high hopes for ESO, I quite liked Skyrim and Morrowind before it, and the idea of a multiplayer installment was very appealing. However ESO doesn't break free of the MMO mold at all, in a lot of ways it's a step backwards. WoW is still better, heck The Old Republic is better. This game will not survive with a subscription fee, I highly doubt I'll even use my free month of play time. I'll try and breakdown what's wrong with it, along with what they did right.

    The bad:

    Gameplay - Levelling solo was very boring for me, a friend or two may have helped, but I digress. It was admirable of the devs to try and break away from the kill X enemies or collect X of Y, but the quests still end up boring and samey. Combat, which has never been great in Elder Scrolls, is actually a step back from Skyrim. The combat feels floaty and requires you to aim in the general direction of an enemy when attacking. For an MMO with lots of enemies and chaos, this is just annoying. Levelling feels way too slow, and there's no good reason to even want to get to the end game. Dungeons are just a harder variation of the same boring crap you'd be doing solo. The Cyrodill PvP could be fun, but it usually ends up as one faction dominating the other two.

    Some essential features are also missing or just plain done wrong. There is no auction house, nor is there even a dedicated trade chat. You are stuck either trying to peddle your goods in the main chat channel, or to your guildmates. Speaking of which, you can join 5 guilds. Who wants 5 different guild chats spamming their screen at once? One guild has been standard for MMOs and for good reason. If WoW has too many features then ESO has far too few.

    Another note: The animations and lip syncing are fairly awful, of all the things to carry over from Elder Scrolls, why bring the terrible animations?

    The game economy - They took an interesting route with crafting, but it seems unbalanced. Also resources are very scarce, making levelling your crafting skill slow and expensive. Certain things like mounts cost far too much, it really seems like Zenimax wants you to shell out real cash for the imperial edition horse or the palomino. It's just too hard to earn enough money, I wouldn't be surprised to see gold available in the cash shop soon.

    The not terrible:

    Graphics - Pretty decent, not amazing, but about what you'd expect for a modern MMO.

    Sound - Probably my favorite thing about this game is the soundtrack. There are a lot of familiar tunes along with some new ones, I enjoyed the music. Voice acting was a mixed bag, certain voices were way overused, remember that guy who voiced half the Nords in Skyrim? He's back voicing half the Nords in this game.

    In Conclusion:

    This game is not horrible, clearly a lot of work did go into designing the game, but it went in the wrong direction. A lot of the Elder Scrolls features they stuck in this game were the wrong ones. Of the paid MMOs, this is the weakest by far. Even the free to plays like SWTOR and Neverwinter are better in my opinion. If you are like me and looking for a fun new MMO, you won't find it here. Save your money.    … Expand
  10. 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
  11. Dirk_B_Daring
    Apr 11, 2014
    5
    meh. Not worth the sub fee. Interesting game but fairly standard mmo mechanics/gameplay. PvP is the only piece of content that pushes the score to 5. Yawn.
  12. 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.
  13. Rarisk
    Apr 26, 2014
    5
    I had high hopes for this game, after reaching VR1 I feel like i had to grind my way up due to broken quests.
    The last 2 levels of the game had no content because of the 2-4% of quests along the way that didn't work. There are limited ways to gain experience effectively and I feel like the developers are forcing us to play the game a certain way.
    The game looks good, not great. On the    I had high hopes for this game, after reaching VR1 I feel like i had to grind my way up due to broken quests.
    The last 2 levels of the game had no content because of the 2-4% of quests along the way that didn't work. There are limited ways to gain experience effectively and I feel like the developers are forcing us to play the game a certain way.
    The game looks good, not great.
    On the plus side combat is smooth-ish, NPC's are dumb at times but the combat system is refreshing.
    This gamer hopes that in 2-6 months the game will be polished and worth a second look.    … Expand
  14. Ixoziel
    Apr 13, 2014
    5
    When I first heard of The Elder Scrolls Online (mentioned as TESO from now on), I thought it would be fantastic. A few months prior I had mentioned to my friends that an online Elder Scrolls game would be awesome. I got invited to closed beta... and it was just disappointment after disappointment.

    The graphics are worse than Skyrim, and Skyrim came out in 2011. Why? I'm not big on    When I first heard of The Elder Scrolls Online (mentioned as TESO from now on), I thought it would be fantastic. A few months prior I had mentioned to my friends that an online Elder Scrolls game would be awesome. I got invited to closed beta... and it was just disappointment after disappointment.

    The graphics are worse than Skyrim, and Skyrim came out in 2011. Why? I'm not big on graphics... it's just very annoying to me, when you have a game in a series that comes out three years later and the graphics are worse. I loved morrowind, but trying to play it after Skyrim / Oblivion is tough for me because of the unimpressive graphics. I just don't understand the huge step BACK... if you're worried about everyone being able to play, just make it downscale well at lower settings.

    The combat tries to make you think it's action, but it's really just typical MMO fare. It has the "appearance" of having to aim your abilities, but WoW has aimable abilities too (AoE)... and that doesn't make it more exciting. Shooting with a bow is auto aim, spells are auto aim, it's just horribly boring. At least WoW has 25-30 spells usable at once, while in TESO you're locked to 5 because of the stupid limited spellbars.

    Now the business practices... Day 1 pay for power (horses): check. Have to pay extra money to play all races in all alliances, which ruins the lore: check. monthly fee, massive up front cost, AND a cash shop: check.

    I have spent HUNDREDS of hours each on morrowind, oblivion, and skyrim... and this game just bores me to tears. Literally every part of it is a step down from skyrim. The combat, the graphics, the immersion, the sound... the only upside is multiplayer.

    They tried too hard to please everyone, and they're caught in the middle now. Every part of the game is "OK" and nothing is fantastic. With oblivion / skyrim, the strong parts of the series were exemplified, now they're nonexistent, so you're just stuck with a bunch of "meh". And "Meh" isn't good enough for a game that wants you to pay money for horses, 80$ upfront, and 15$ a month.    … Expand
  15. Greenicey
    Sep 27, 2014
    5
    As a huge MMO fan, and an even bigger Elder Scrolls fan I was super pumped for this game. However after beta I did not choose to continue playing this game. Graphically the game is fairly good. It doesn't look as good as Skyrim, but that is to be expected. It seemed at first they were going to stylize it to look more like Oblivion, but that's not the case. Everything just looks ratherAs a huge MMO fan, and an even bigger Elder Scrolls fan I was super pumped for this game. However after beta I did not choose to continue playing this game. Graphically the game is fairly good. It doesn't look as good as Skyrim, but that is to be expected. It seemed at first they were going to stylize it to look more like Oblivion, but that's not the case. Everything just looks rather generic. The voice-acting is generally inoffensive, nothing worth noting. Gameplay is probably the startlingly different aspect. It is a mix of typical Elder Scrolls combat and exploration, all with MMO restrictions. You choose a class and you can bring different skills with you into battle. Each class has three trees of skills, nothing we haven't seen. Now this would sound like it would work well with the elder scrolls mechanics, but it doesn't. Playing with friends and other people makes this game a chore more than it really should. I honestly think this game should either have been made more like Elder Scrolls, or much more like an MMO. The two just don't mix as well they should. It's honestly like playing a really cheap copy of Skyrim, it's not even a decent MMO.… Expand
  16. datus
    Aug 12, 2014
    5
    This feel like an MMO that just came out about 2 years too early. Not that it's broken or anything, but for an MMO there simply isn't any content. Even for a single player TES game it's very simplistic, and doesn't even come close to it's predecessors, let alone being a good MMO, which by my ideals should be more grand than a single player game.

    In ESO you have no housing, no economy    This feel like an MMO that just came out about 2 years too early. Not that it's broken or anything, but for an MMO there simply isn't any content. Even for a single player TES game it's very simplistic, and doesn't even come close to it's predecessors, let alone being a good MMO, which by my ideals should be more grand than a single player game.

    In ESO you have no housing, no economy (not even an Auction system), no reputation/faction system, extremely simple and linear crafting system where you know all recipes instantly and just craft whatever you need.

    ESO is a lacking MMO and a lacking TES game to boot.    … Expand
  17. Sjalka
    Apr 4, 2014
    5
    The game is "solid" and that is the best i can write about it. The PvE is average, the quests are average, the design and presentation is a bit above average, but cannot compete with single player games. The pvp concept however looks good in theory. How it will turn out on more active and populated servers however is to be seen. combat mechanics seem to combine tactical choices ofThe game is "solid" and that is the best i can write about it. The PvE is average, the quests are average, the design and presentation is a bit above average, but cannot compete with single player games. The pvp concept however looks good in theory. How it will turn out on more active and populated servers however is to be seen. combat mechanics seem to combine tactical choices of abilities and twitch movement and reaction well.

    The major breaking point however is the fact that it is a P2P concept. That in itself is not a bad thing - if the support and active moderation of the game satisfies it, - however when compared to other mmo games of the same genre, it simply does not offer enough to satisfy P2P vs. F2P, so i predict the game to become F2P within a year - along with all the nasty compromises done for that.

    the freedom of single player elder scroll games is compromised in favour of the re-spawning and mostly static world of a mmo - so the player has little impact on the world as such ... as is expected. all in all, elder scrolls online does not reinvent the wheel - but it does what many before it did fairly well - for a price.    … Expand
  18. newmeta
    Apr 11, 2014
    5
    SPOILER FREE.

    It dries up pretty quickly. It would have been better if it was single player with a co-op experience (rather than thousands, cut it down to maybe 5 friends). It doesn't change the MMORPG world or add anything unique to the culture. Rather it's a weird bridge between single and multiplayer. It's not a bad game...but it's not a good one either. The TES feel is there but    SPOILER FREE.

    It dries up pretty quickly. It would have been better if it was single player with a co-op experience (rather than thousands, cut it down to maybe 5 friends). It doesn't change the MMORPG world or add anything unique to the culture. Rather it's a weird bridge between single and multiplayer.

    It's not a bad game...but it's not a good one either. The TES feel is there but its not an improvement. More often than not you will take a break and want to get a Skyrim fix. But TESO does have a wide variety of quests and leaves good taste for those with a good imagination...but there are plenty of times that feeling is just washed away when you see others in a world you hoped to call your own.

    As roleplayer: You will be pleased to a point, but really be pushing it later on.
    As a TES fan: You will be pleased to a point, but not impressed for the long run.
    As a MMORPG'r: You will be pleased to a point, but stop looking forward to things extremely quickly.    … Expand
  19. orctown-troll
    Apr 11, 2014
    5
    Reading through the reviews here there is no doubt that most of the 10/10 scores have been written from development team members God-bless-them! The game is pretty good. It would be ok as free to play. Truth is that it is not easy to make a MMO that is going to be truly interesting for everyone. The need to drag the play out with deliberate grinding is going to deter most people in theReading through the reviews here there is no doubt that most of the 10/10 scores have been written from development team members God-bless-them! The game is pretty good. It would be ok as free to play. Truth is that it is not easy to make a MMO that is going to be truly interesting for everyone. The need to drag the play out with deliberate grinding is going to deter most people in the end. For this game $60 up front and then subscription represents pretty poor value for money. Most of us would be better of playing RIFT. Just as Bioware wasted millions making a mediocre game in SWTOR, Zenimax has wasted big bucks on a game that is simply not a good investment for most players. I suggest avoiding this game till it is free to play. Let's hope that rather than mediocre MMOs Zenimax actually puts some effort into greatly improving their single player games and evolving that model with co-op and multiplayer elements.

    Orctowngrot.    … Expand
  20. brandog0
    May 8, 2014
    5
    ESO is a good game no doubt, but is it worth the subscription fee? hell no! there are way to many bugs and the game doesn't feel any different from any other MMO out there, even some free to play MMO's are better than this so why would I pay $60 for the game then have to shell out nearly 180 a month for a game that is average no less? but like I said it's not a bad game but a subscriptionESO is a good game no doubt, but is it worth the subscription fee? hell no! there are way to many bugs and the game doesn't feel any different from any other MMO out there, even some free to play MMO's are better than this so why would I pay $60 for the game then have to shell out nearly 180 a month for a game that is average no less? but like I said it's not a bad game but a subscription fee is way to much money when you can get even better games for free.… Expand
  21. BK-201
    Jul 22, 2014
    5
    The idea of combining TES series with MMO genre is fascinating, but it is as fascinating as combining cats and dogs, for instance: interesting, breathtaking and with a humble hope to get something really worth as a result. So here we have just the same situation - TES's unimitatable depth and spirit combined with MMO's primitiveness gives us a very strange and mixed product.

    Is it worth    The idea of combining TES series with MMO genre is fascinating, but it is as fascinating as combining cats and dogs, for instance: interesting, breathtaking and with a humble hope to get something really worth as a result. So here we have just the same situation - TES's unimitatable depth and spirit combined with MMO's primitiveness gives us a very strange and mixed product.

    Is it worth to play? Undoubtedly, yes. Is it the game of high quality? Yes, indeed. It is much more interesting and well-looking than many MMOs, but it seriously lacks the very essence of TES - the thoughtful and deep gameplay. It does not look like the proper Elder Scrolls game we have seen before...

    Maybe, this attempt is not so bad (as it is very difficult to combine almost incompatible things), maybe all of us needed to feel it how to play TES not only in the SP mode, but... I hope that Bethesda and Zenimax will finally come around and make us a truly Elder Scrolls game. TES VI. Please. We are all waiting for it.    … Expand
  22. TheGroobster
    May 2, 2014
    5
    So I have been playing this game off an on including the Beta. There are some elements that the game does very well at and some that it fails spectacularly at. I will talk about the good things first.

    First of all, I love the class system and progression of your character. You can use any weapon with any class and there are tons of abilities to choose from. It really makes you think    So I have been playing this game off an on including the Beta. There are some elements that the game does very well at and some that it fails spectacularly at. I will talk about the good things first.

    First of all, I love the class system and progression of your character. You can use any weapon with any class and there are tons of abilities to choose from. It really makes you think when it comes to choosing new abilities. I also really like the crafting system. I was extremely disappointed with the GW2 crafting system. It ultimately pushed me to get ESO because it was so disappointing. However, I will say that researching traits can get confusing when trying to remember which traits you have already researched but you can easily find an add on for that which is another positive note. The add on system is really easy to use. Just drag and drop into your add ons folder and you are done.

    On a side note, PVP is very highly regarded in this game. I will admit I never really got to try it much. I went there as a low level and I didn't really like the experience. Sometimes there are players hiding and waiting to ambush you as you are on your way to the objective. I had a very hard time adjusting to the combat and understanding how I was supposed to play. I think it just takes some getting used to.

    Now on to the negatives. First of all, I find the questing system to be EXTREMELY bland and boring. I appreciate that all of the quests are voice acted, but I don't feel like I am having any real influence on the world. Much of the quest text seems very played out and bland. I do not get immersed in the story.

    Another thing is the graphics. They are not bad, but they are not amazing either. For some reason the view distance seems to be less effective over 60-70%. The water and shadows look amazing. But I was expecting more. Also I find the character models to be bland as well. I have never met an ugly NPC. They are all supermodels.

    Another thing to note is that there just aren't enough choices in this game. This is supposed to be an Elder Scrolls game but I can't attack guards or steal. It would be neat if they implemented a crime system or some kind of morality system.

    All in all I find this game very bland and uninspiring. I do regret paying for it but something inside me keeps wanting to give it another chance. Maybe if I level up more and get to the next area things will be more exciting. I might still do that but at some point I am going to cut it off. I am very hesitant to say that this game is worth $15 a month.    … Expand
  23. M1lkman
    May 12, 2014
    5
    The wonderful graphics, fully voiced characters and interesting plot line cannot overcome the game's fundamental flaw: it feels like a single player game with other players simultaneously "logged in." Many quests can be completed by simply standing around and waiting for some other player to kill the quest creature. The game lacks the grandeur and feeling of importance inherent toThe wonderful graphics, fully voiced characters and interesting plot line cannot overcome the game's fundamental flaw: it feels like a single player game with other players simultaneously "logged in." Many quests can be completed by simply standing around and waiting for some other player to kill the quest creature. The game lacks the grandeur and feeling of importance inherent to single-player Elder Scrolls games, and lacks the inclusiveness of a true MMO. The game can't decide what sort of game it wants to be, and so it fails at satisfying fans of either genre.… Expand
  24. Troublewalking
    Jun 24, 2014
    5
    Rating this game is tough. Honestly I have to give it 3 ratings. I will rate it as general MMO. As an Elder Scrolls game and as an RVR MMO.

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

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

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

    As an RVR MMO this game is actually pretty good. That's because Zenimax basically lied to Bethsaida and told them they would develop a MMO version of the Elder Scrolls. Then turned around and obviously made DAOC II. Maybe they were hoping The Elder Scrolls tag would draw new players. Or maybe they just didn't have the money to fund a DAOC II. Whatever the case, if you haven't played Dark Ages of Camelot, or Warhammer. Basically they are Realm verses Realm games. Essentially having the players factions fight over territory. As a casual PVP fan, I found Warhammer's version of RVR to be great fun. It could be quite random and free flowing. Sometimes having hours of combat going between large groups of players. Warhammer had great rewards to keep the players involved. Though ultimately it's system had a fatal flaw because there were only 2 realms. The Elder Scrolls has tried to address this with 3 realms. Early on it seems to have worked. If you like RVR this game is at least a 7 to you. But remember in RVR type MMO's usually the PVE is just something to keep you busy when your not fighting in RVR.    … Expand
  25. F4KT0R
    Apr 15, 2014
    5
    Wir unterstützen weltweit mehrere Methoden. Spieler müssen The Elder Scrolls Online kaufen um es zu spielen. Für die ersten 30 Tagen nach Spielaktivierung werden sie "unbegrenzten Zugriff" haben und danach mit einem Abonnement von €12,99 pro Monat ($14,99 / £8,99) weiterspielen können

    unbegrenzten Zugriff Haha ich muss gleich weinen vor lachen...
  26. 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.
  27. JacobCleveland
    Apr 5, 2014
    5
    This game is a promising concept with a new interesting take on the popular Elder Scrolls franchise. However, the price of $15 a month really discourages me from playing.
  28. Vlad86
    Apr 4, 2014
    5
    As an elder scrolls fan, I'm very disappointed. Just another random MMO with elder scrolls overlay. A very poor and disappointing design choice from Bethesda.
  29. Mastershank
    Apr 4, 2014
    5
    Here we go again...another generic MMO grind fest. Just watch the streams on twitch of people playing this game and you will see how boring it is. Sure you will like this game at first. You'll be excited to try out your new skills and you may even try to follow some of the story. But before long you get the skills you need to have a complete character and you start skipping the questHere we go again...another generic MMO grind fest. Just watch the streams on twitch of people playing this game and you will see how boring it is. Sure you will like this game at first. You'll be excited to try out your new skills and you may even try to follow some of the story. But before long you get the skills you need to have a complete character and you start skipping the quest dialog, because none of it has any bearing on anything, then on to begin the long grind to 50. Once you reach 50 you'll have 10 veteran levels to grind out also.

    At some point you'll be asking yourself why you're doing this boring grind. Is it for the great loot you'l get later? No..this loot is more boring than Diablo 3 loot. Is it for story? No..the story is forgettable and makes no difference in this game. Is it to explore new and interesting areas? No..the areas are a little varied but nothing to gawk at. Then what? Well I don't know. I was hoping ESO wouldn't be a cookie cutter MMO but it is and that's that. Perhaps pvp can save this game, I'm not sure because I don't get into that.

    So you have a $60 game that costs $15 a month that is not innovative in the least. I predict the new game excitement will wear off within 3 months and this game will start having trouble keeping people.Too bad too, I was hoping Zenimax learned all the lessons of past failed MMO's but I guess not.    … Expand
  30. Unworthy
    Apr 6, 2014
    5
    It's just boring. You start in a prison, again, of course. You listen to the pointless babbling of uninteresting characters. Some sort of prophet. Some sort of undead power, some sort of lich king, some ancient artifact and portal. Seriously? Yawn.

    The combat sucks. Hard. It takes the dodging system of The Secret World but leaves out its dynamic abilities. Instead, you just have    It's just boring. You start in a prison, again, of course. You listen to the pointless babbling of uninteresting characters. Some sort of prophet. Some sort of undead power, some sort of lich king, some ancient artifact and portal. Seriously? Yawn.

    The combat sucks. Hard. It takes the dodging system of The Secret World but leaves out its dynamic abilities. Instead, you just have standard MMO abilities on a hotbar -- sic the pet, shoot a poison arrow, and then autoattack. Except you can't even autoattack, you just have to keep clicking the left mouse button over and over. And then push 1 for poison arrow again when it runs out. Every once in a while, a red shape appears. You must double-tap a direction to dodge it within, oh, 5 seconds. Whoop-de-doo.

    The writing is unbelievably bland. The quests are stupid. Go here. Talk to this guy. Listen to him talk about something irrelevant. Collect 5 of X/Meet 3 of Y/Kill 3 Z and collect their soul motes. View unskippable, high-production-quality and utterly boring cutscene about some sort of undead spirit war... oh, come on, what year is this? You can't come up with anything more interesting?

    The graphics are technically excellent and utterly lacking in creativity. Everything looks stoic, sullen, brown and boring. There is no artistry or soul to the landscapes and somehow, nature looks industrial. If id software made a MMO, this is what it'd look like -- straight and to the point, and not particularly interesting. It clearly serves as the backdrop to something else in the game that was supposed to take center stage, not as a thing in and of itself to be explored and loved.

    But... what is that something else? Six hours into the game, I still haven't found it.

    Maybe it was the hype. Maybe it was the promise of freedom, or the lure of better combat. Maybe it was just that faint hope of something, anything different to set it apart from the diseased MMO orgy. But I'm not impressed. The Elder Scrolls died a little today. And the MMO industry slips further into oblivion.    … 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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