Elder Scrolls Online (Beta) Just Felt... Lacking

I’m not a huge Elder Scrolls fan. I’ve got nothing against it, it just wasn’t what my time went into when the earlier games came out. I put a small amount of time into Morrowind (with a full playthrough planned as soon as it’s manageable) I’ve watched a friend play Oblivion for hours, and I’ve put a hundred or so hours into Skyrim.

I’m well aware my lack of heavy involvement into the world of Tamriel may be the source of my woes here, but keep in mind The Elder Scrolls Online has attracted attention from much more than just the core Elder Scrolls fanbase.

 ESO is not The Elder Scrolls VI, nor is it supposed to be. In fact, The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) is set before the previous Elder Scrolls games.

However, part of the expectation of ESO is that it should feel at least somewhat like an Elder Scrolls game. Multiple games in the same universe should feel somewhat similar.

As far as UI and menu aesthetics go, ESO feels right at home. Borrowing a lot from Skyrim’s menu system, navigation bar, etc., ESO certainly looks like another installment in the Elder Scrolls franchise.

Once you get into the game, things begin to change.

Graphics are probably the least (or one of the least) important parts of a MMO, but they also provide immediate first impressions for newcomers. Graphics in ESO are just kind of… there. They’re not sub-par in most categories, but they’re very bland.

MMOs typically need a balance between great looking graphics and a scalable engine that can run on many different machines. Some MMOs take the route of World of Warcraft, where the graphics are very cartoony and have lower-resolution textures, but keep a certain polish to their finish and animation.

ESO, however, just feels very bland. The only thing that stands out graphically is the amazing particle effects at night. (Those are amazing, however.)

Besides particles, everything feels very bland and just.. there. Textures are high-quality for the most part, but they all look the same. Signs and banners that identify buildings are barely distinguishable from the buildings themselves, and there’s not a whole lot of saturation to colors.

Overall, ESO could really use with a huge dash of anti-realism, graphically.

Combat-wise, Elder Scrolls Online doesn’t feel like an Elder Scrolls game, either, but it still feels good to some degree, so it’s forgivable.

In the first beta test I was involved in, combat was traditional, immobile MMO combat. You couldn’t move around while casting cooldown moves or attacking. Given the action-combat control setup with attacks on the mouse buttons, this did not work at all. Thankfully, they moved to a more modern, mobile and flexible combat system not long after.

Many hardcore MMO players seem to complain about the limited number of slots on the hotkey bar, claiming it “dumbs down” the combat. I feel the need to remind them that even in World of Warcraft, you only have a small number of hotkeys available without heavy modding.

I like having only a few number of hotkeys set up at one time. It makes things easier to track down and remember - and given my lack of attention to metagame details, that makes my life much easier - and it means players have to make more deciding choices in terms of skills and traits than if they had every option available at a button.

Some enemy mobs - such as skeleton archers or certain mages - will never prevent a challenge outside of raw damage dealing. Their attacks require a charging time and the UI presents a directional graphic to show the player where the attack is going. Often this is a cone in the direction they are facing. All the player has to do is take a couple steps out of the cone and they are free from damage. Furthermore, they have plenty of time to attack these mobs while they are charging their attack. This feels very shallow and unrewarding.

I was surprised, however, by other mobs in the game.

Certain mobs, which seem to fit the potential player classes in the game, actually fight as a player would using that class. Rogue-like mobs jump and spin around the player, doing quick and fast hits with daggers, much like a player would using cooldown moves. This kind of combat feels much more dynamic and enjoyable.

Grouping also appears to just flat-out not exist. Sure, you can (through a non-intuitive process) add friends to a group and assign roles, but quests don’t seem to pay any attention to that. Quests can’t be completed as a group (just side-by-side) and it becomes difficult to get into the same instance with your group often.

This was very disappointing for me.

I cannot comment much on the storyline, as I gave it little attention whilst beta testing. Nothing really caught my eye or felt compelling, however, and that was disappointing. A lot of it felt cliche and like a very typical MMO. I’m hoping my feelings will change after I give it more attention.

I do not, at all, understand the decision to limit players to certain parts of the world based on alliance choices. This feels completely against a MMO experience. I also do not understand the decision to allow certain pre-order players to pick a race and be a part of any alliance. None of that makes any sense to me.

Also, keeping a race entirely exclusive to a limited edition pre-order is absurd.

My PvP experiences were very enjoyable.

I do not have a lot of experience with PvP and end-game content in MMOs, so I can’t properly critique them in context, but the most fun I had with the game was in PvP.

The huge battles against other players, dynamic PvE events that seemed to have sprung up whilst fighting enemy players, and the enjoyable PvP combat system all felt very fluid and enjoyable.

Overall, I have had some fun with my time in The Elder Scrolls Online so far, and I expect to have a lot more fun as I invest a bit more time and attention into the game. I certainly see myself purchasing the game and playing some. The $15/month subscription is not something I see myself sticking with, however.