Two year take on The Elder Scrolls Online

  Introduction/Opening

 

These are just my thoughts on ESO, a game I sometimes play. As such, while you may have had a different experience of the game, this is my experience, and my views are based on my own experiences, not yours. If you didn't like something I did, or vice versa, great, but that doesn't change anything. To be as clear as possible I start through my brief background in MMOs, then go through my first year of the game, followed by the second. I end with some summary thoughts of what has been good and bad based on my experiences. This isn't a formal or exhaustive review, just my take on the game. This collection of impressions has notes for people less familiar with MMORPGs, but if you don't play them it will be hard to follow.

To be clear, I don't think such games are the most important thing in the world, and they are certainly not among the most important things in my life. But they can be fun, offer new worlds and stories to explore, and provide entertainment, challenges, and chances to meet and socialize with others. I know some people get obsessive about them, like others do with Harry Potter or Star Wars, while there are those who denigrate them as a complete wastes of time (even as they sit and watch crappy TV for hours or discuss social and political issues just to hear themselves talk or to find something to argue over; to each their own). I just play them sometimes when the mood strikes, so I seek no drama here.

NOTE: Most of the sections that follow about my experience with the game and "Who am I?" to offer such opinions. So unless that interests to you, skip them and head down to the Pros and Cons section.

My MMORPG Background

I am not a particularly big fan of MMORPGs. While I have been gaming since the days of the Atari2600, MMORPGs were something I avoided because of these all-too-often-true stereotypes:

• more about math than strategy or spontaneity
• lots of snobbery/elitism and disdain toward new players and those who don't play 80 hours per week
• lots of concepts/terms to learn (seem easy once you know them but confusing when new)
• potential for addiction to a massive time-sink
• box price plus monthly sub (or later, free to play + pay to win) 

My first direct experience with MMORPGs was a free trial weekend in 2003 or 2004 for a game called Shadowbane, which had a mystery (some dead people coming back to life in a non-zombie way bearing a strange mark, along with the rise of a new race of pale humans said to have no soul).

It was OK in the part of the newbie zone where you just run around practicing using one or two attacks on your own. But then there was the next area in the zone which require co-op battle to defeat the mobs (hostile mobile NPCs, or hostile mobile Non-Player Characters to spell it out; basically mobs=things that try to attack and kill your character). Suddenly terms like DoT, and debuff, and tank, and support dps were being tossed around. I had no idea what those kinds of terms meant and asking got me "lol" and "noob!", so I just went back to doing solo stuff for a bit and then ended the free weekend experiment.

In 2012 or 2013 I started hearing rumors that a game franchise I had been playing for years, The Elder Scrolls, was getting a new game, which was weird because of how long it usually takes for a new game to come out after a game in a series drops (TES: Skyrim had only come out in 2011 so that would have been a really fast turn-around). The explanation made sense: this wasn't going to be TES VI: Whatever The Name Will Be, it was The Elder Scrolls Online, an MMORPG based on TES franchise.

Well, that was too bad given my stance on MMORPGs. So I didn't sign up for any testing and played some Civilization V instead in what spare time I allocated to games, which was highly truncated by the time spent on reading and long walks. Then, out of the blue, I was diagnosed with a defect that required major surgery within a few months of being detected (and only several weeks after being identified). The surgery was in early December 2013, after which I was very weak and had little to do for a good while, so I figured "why not sign up for the ESO beta testing?" While I waited to get an invitation, I decided to try out some free-to-play MMOs, namely, the original Everquest, Rift, and Neverwinter.

I never lasted more than two weeks with any of them, and the games stopped being fun by level 30 in each, as I was still not fully up to speed on MMORPG terms and mechanics and I was being asked questions about specialization and moved into group play without being sure what I was doing. Plus some games had so many layers added on that the path you were supposed to take become muddled, not to mention all of the cash shop stuff and pay to win being flashed about. Yet, the developer videos from ESO were talking about how they wanted to bypass cluttered UIs, pay-to-win, confusing pathing, etc, so when that game went into late-beta stress testing and sent invites to anyone who would accept them, I gave it a try.

My Elder Scrolls Online Experience

 

Late Beta/Early Access to the Buy-to-Play Announcement (March 2014 to March 2015)

I was initially thinking of rolling a dual-wielding Dunmer (dark elf), but in the character creation screen I was really impressed by the detail on the Argonian character models. I've played each TES game (except for the spin-offs Battlespire and Redguard) since first installment, Arena, came out in the mid-90s and I've never had any interest in playing as an Argonian (basically a lizard-person). But the thought of an Argonian Dragonknight, with reptilian-looking abilities and breathing fire, sounded fun, so that was settled. I recreated that beta character during early access before the official game launch, along with a Breton vaguely based on a younger version of myself and named after an old D&D character. I would also eventually make a few more Argonians and a Dunmer.

Having never played any other MMORPG beyond the opening levels and zones, and certainly not at launch, I had little in the way of a frame of reference for expectations of quality. Those who did have such a frame of reference were quick to point out many problems, which, looking back, I can better appreciate now.

The game worked OK as a singe-player game that other people also happened to be in, which was fine for me since I was a bit shy. I had a great time learning how to use my class and exploring its skill lines, and the skill lines of weapons, armor, and NPC guilds (there was only the Mages Guild and Fighters guild from previous TES games plus the new Undaunted Guild), and so on.

Finding new locations, quest givers in unexpected places, beautiful vistas, and treats such as treasure chests and skyshards (the latter are hidden with fun clues and used to help your character unlock or advance abilities) was fun and exciting. Starting off in the Ebonheart Pact, the starter island was very helpful and the story of fleeing an invading army and trying to warn others seemed pretty cool.

I avoided player-run guilds initially because I didn't know the game or MMORPGs well enough, but by mid-summer I had joined a couple. I had been doing some group dungeons (four player runs) right from the start even though honestly I made lots of mistakes. But there was stuff to do, quest chains to complete, skill lines to fill out, new classes to try on new characters, so, even though higher level group content often went undone or was completed very slowly, I could just swap characters if I got bored or hit a road block.

While I initially played mostly PvE (Player versus Environment, or, Player versus Mobs), I did try PvP (Player versus Player) fairly early. At first I didn't try it too much, because it felt weird and stressful, but I became a huge fan of running siege engines, especially standing right in the breach of a defensive wall and firing point blank into players pouring into the outpost or stronghold. I also liked healing people, but did use damage abilities as well. (I only fight well in pitched battles and small group vs small group, if I can be targeted easily or focused on I last 3 seconds.)

The PvP in ESO was (and as of this writing still is) confined to a three-way Alliance versus Alliance war for control of a particular map, the central section of Cyrodiil if you are a TES fan. You can also fight over a second map, the Imperial City, in the heart of Cyrodiil if you purchase a DLC  (downloadable content), but that wasn't available until well over a year past launch. I was never great at PvP, and probably only good at it on rare days, but I felt I could improve and also focus on the things I enjoyed, so it started taking up more of my playing time.

At that point I had stopped playing my Dragonknight and was mostly focusing on my Argonian Templar and, starting in early 2015, on the Breton Sorcerer I had left at level 7 since around the time of the game's launch. I did extremely well on my Sorc, and in a few weeks had taken him from level 10 to 50 just doing PvP. The two full campaign cycles he was in the under-50 PvP campaign for Cyrodiil, he led the scoring for his faction by a mile (well, a couple of miles) and if we had been able to capture all of the strongholds around the Imperial City he would have been crowned Emperor, a feat no other character of mine will ever come close to achieving. Still, it was a blast.

Then, major changes happened with the addition of the Champion System, big class changes, and the switch from a subscription-based game to a buy-to-play game that heavily pushed optional items in a cash shop. My play style on all of my characters suffered from the game play changes, especially with the removal of soft caps. I used random gear that dropped from mobs and from quest rewards the first few months the game was open, then bought a few average pieces from other players' drops, and was offered a few crafted pieced in the fall of 2014. By the spring of 2016 I had more crafted items but they weren't especially great. Dropping soft caps and inviting unlimited power creep with the Champion System didn't help players like me.

Buy-to-Play to the Second Anniversary of Launch (March 2015 to April 2014)

To be honest, my enjoyment of the game declined, or to be more accurate, it didn't felt quite the same after the changes to core mechanics of the game, such as soft cap removal (soft caps made it pointless to try to up your stats too much in any one area so players couldn't become to powerful) and removal of dynamic ultimate generation (where playing smart earned points for big moves). The addition of the Champion System didn't help (and yes, I had/earned lots of them so it wasn't about being behind).

I tried my Sorc out in an all levels campaign, and it was brutal. I wanted to practice, but, it was hard to find an active campaign for that faction and the lockout for having a character from a different faction was still in place then, along with wait times to change campaigns in a slow game of musical chairs. I went back to my Argonian Templar some, as she was a good healer, and also my Argonian Nightblade, but I'm not good at PvP on a NB, so mostly I played various characters in PvE, but it was so redundant.

By that point I had four, then five max ranked characters (VR14 then VR16 when the Veteran Rank System was still being used). I had done all PvE quests in the original leveling zones as well as the Cadwell's Silver and Gold zones four, then five times. Same for all of the quest hubs in Cyrodiil (the PvP zone) as well as all of the the skyshards, dark anchors, and delves there. Basically it was just group dungeons and trials and related achievements left to get basic completions on for my max level characters, so I worked on those objectives, even going back to my original character for bit to work on some of that. My original Dragonknight and Templar have, I think, basic completions on all base-game dungeons and the DK has all of the base-game trials completed except for Sanctum Ophidia hard. I was working on that with a friendly player guild the last time I was regularly in the game before I took a hiatus, a month or so before the second anniversary of the game's launch.

For anyone who has played an MMORPG, taking a two, four, or six week break, even if you are a "casual" who doesn't play it free hour, is really important. Playing other games, reading, getting more exercise, catching up on a television show or a sports team, spending more time on a hobby, or some other diversion is a healthy thing. It helps avoid burnout, which can happen with any pastime, even one you truly like. It also helps with perspective, as some parts of MMORPGs can be fairly demanding of your focus and concentration. Like I said at the start, I have no interest in getting addicted to any game or other leisure activity, so I usually take five to six week breaks from anything I've been spending a lot of time on for several months. Even blogging. 

Before that break I had tried the DLC, too, getting achievements and completions in the Imperial City and province Orsinium. I realized when I felt underwhelmed by the Thieve's Guild DLC I might be ready for a break. That is not commentary on how good or bad that DLC is, which introduced something that was in other TES games but that had been missing from ESO. But the fact that these flaws or shortcoming on something just release annoyed me so much was a sign.

I decided to change things up by spending some time on the European Union sever for personal computers instead of the North American server, and leveled an old character there to a fairly high rank using some the experience gain bonus from an in-game bonus the company handed out to celebrate the second anniversary of the game's launch. But I didn't make it to the end of the anniversary bonus week. I just didn't feel like playing anymore. Thus did my most recent hiatus begin.


So, for players of the game my path through the first two years is pretty clear. For players of other MMORPGs some parts didn't make sense because of lack of context but they probably have experienced or observed similar patterns of ups and downs. And if you have no experience with MMORPGs, wow, you're still reading? Amazing! Well, it isn't as boring as it sounds here. There are lots of characters to rescue, dangers to face, and challenges to overcome, all while being around or working with other real people from around the world.

I guess the pattern is that the end of each of these year-long periods has seen my energy and enjoyment of the game bottom out for a while, but overall I've had more ups than downs and have tried to help some other players along the way to learn the game. For some people with anxiety disorders, who are painfully shy, or who are physically disabled or otherwise can't get out much, games like these can given them a way to connect to other human beings. Some folks even meet friends and future spouses through such games. It's great to be able to have fun while helping others.

My List of Pros and Cons for ESO (very, very minor spoilers, like tiny itty bitty ones)

Since many people like to position themselves as either "for" or "against" a game, as "active" or "quit", and then take offense at whomever they deem to be on the "wrong side", let me be clear I am not interested in such labels or arguments. I am not trying to convince those who identify with one side or another of anything or to change their minds, nor am I interested in arguing with such people.

Angry Joe (2014)

To begin, watch this review by Angry Joe from ESO's launch--

--and if your first reaction is to object and complain that is isn't relevant in 2016, then there is no point to keep reading since you don't even know what I am going to write next. Just move on.

Now, some of what Joe talks about in the above video has been fixed, like that weird voice acting for Brackenleaf. And yes, he mentions the lack of things like the Thieve's Guild and Dark Brotherhood, which have been added since, yet, though I can't speak for Joe, I suspect he might add the fact that they are only available (along with the Imperial City) as paid DLC to his Cobra Commander/greed segment (I wouldn't agree). Not only that, but the one bright spot for him in the game (PvP) didn't have the intense lag and performance issues it developed a couple of months after this review. Yeah, that would definitely make the list in an updated review.

(Nor was Joe's review unique, by the way. There were a lot of similar criticisms going around even as I was having fun getting my first couple of characters to level 50.)

Grouping

As of May/June 2016 I am still seeing people complaining about trying to group up for quests in the main Alliance zones from the base game and having phasing issues. This really makes no sense in an MMORPG, even one that lets you do a lot solo. If you start a quest together grouped, why not let a friend help? If I finish objective A, why not count it as complete for the group? If someone is on a different step and we group, why not put group members in the phase of the one at the earliest stage? It's one thing not to require lots of grouping, it's another when basic mechanics actively discourage it.

Polish

The feeling of incompleteness pointed out in the video is still haunting some of those zones and their delves, along with quest bugs. At launch, it felt like maybe some of this stuff would be better polished a year or two down the road, but at launch we didn't know that most of the time we were paying for subs and waiting for new content the developers were already planning the buy-to-play switch (and thus holding off on some improvements and holding back on some content releases).

And with that switch to B2P, while the base game hasn't been totally neglected, its zones mostly have. For a while there was a plan to expand and polish solo delves in the base-game Alliance zones, but that was put on hold or abandoned. There were some cool additions to a few quests like the one were you save a farm in Stonefalls from spiders, but such changes while welcome have been minor and relatively rare, like the haunting new score added to Dwemer delves and some other ruins. The examples Joe gave of boring, anti-climactic fights with minor quest bosses still stand, as do the extended examples from the Daedric invasion of the city of Firsthold he cover. It's... meh.

Now, as a counter-example, take the whole starter island of Bleakrock. There are rumors of an invasion, you verify them and find missing people, then start a quest sequence where the peaceful village you were once visiting is now aflame with loads of enemy soldiers about. Friendly NPCs act scared, and you have to help lead them to safety. Once you get off of the island you are tasked with warning key outposts on the mainland. You end up having to make choices, at least in the original version that was around for over a year, in which many people may be killed no matter what you do. When I was questing though there, if you visited the places you couldn't save, you walk quietly among the dead.

So far, so fun, and when you head on to the next zone to offer a warning, you find a city already under siege. You run through an area being hit by said siege, and hear it being hit, but, well, that's it. And most of the time when someone mentions a poor bastard who didn't have a chance, the body didn't load the 4 or 5 times I went though. They did add some fire later, but ground shaking (like when a DK uses the ability called Eruption) would help, as would seeing fleeing civilians (like we see fleeing soldiers in a quest on the island of Betnikh) with some extra big fiery explosions and maybe see a building collapse. These are all well within the design elements that have been available since launch, so, why not?


These and similar touches might have been corrected in the game a long time ago if the subscription model had been sustainable, but it wasn't, so who knows if or when many such events and NPC bosses and so on will ever feel truly immersive or threatening. I suppose there may be a note of pessimism in that last thought, but, it's really hard to know what direction the game will take next or what the developers will choose to focus on, as transparency with the players has been a bit an ongoing issue as well.

Rather than focus on the pessimism, though, we can look at what else can be done for the base game. Using phasing to get rid of major NPCs that just hang around after a vital quest has been done (often the same ones can be seen in more than one spot, acting as if they are caught in a time-loop) would be a great step. You finished that big quest? Good, then the recurring characters are erased from that area.

Scaling the content

I'm also a big fan of the idea of adding optional downward level scaling for the level 1-50 zones. The developers don't want to make characters weaker, but the way I propose such a system still leaves them very strong in each of those zones even while down-scaled, just not absurdly over-powered. This better allows players with high level characters to group with and assist lower level players in those zones. Plus the loot and xp rewards would be scaled to a characters "real" level, so it's not asking players to take a cut in rewards. Such scaling also paves the way for adding new random repeatable quests to those lower level base-game zones, giving the game more of an Elder Scrolls feel from previous single player games.

From a business perspective, cleaning up and filling out those old zones and getting more players back into them with new repeatable quests increases the value of the purchase price of the base game by making the game more social and adding a good bit of replay potential. This in turn will get more people, perhaps even some of those turned off at the game's launch or during its first couple of years, to reconsider playing. That leads to more people trying the the game and sticking around to either start a subscription or outright purchase more DLC. Improving your product's reputation and increasing sales is good business, no? This one thinks so, at any rate.

Group Content

Moving on to PvE group content in ESO at early, mid, and end-game, I had no idea just how many ways how it could be expaned or improved until I got fairly deep into another MMORPG. There are so many fun, colorful, and interesting ways to make such content. Now, I think the dev teams could (and maybe want to) do more, in quality and quantity and variety, but again I suspect the DLC production grind of the current B2P model is holding them back somewhat.

To be clear, the group PvE content isn't bad, but some of it also still has that rushed feeling from launch, so I am going to be a bit hard on the zones and the group content, as good as a lot of it is, because those are the wheels that need the grease. If I thought the content was hopelessly dull or uniformly un-fun, I would have written a shorter pros-cons section along the lines of "It sucks!!!"To speed things up: basically the combat system ranges from just OK to cool, there are some likeable NPCs, and there lots of places to explore and lots of single-players quests to do for PvE if group content isn't your thing.

Player versus player

Meanwhile, PvP is in development limbo and gets a trickle of content while some longstanding performance issues seem to improve at a glacial pace (lag) or are intractable (loading screens, charge attack bug). That isn't to say it is never fun (it can be truly awesome!) or that it is a 24-7 lagfest. More like its fun when performance is good and it's a primetime-only lagfest. Like the rest of the game, there is a strong foundation with a lot of potential. That potential needs to be tapped a little faster.

The game is good! (But it can be better...)



Even though I am giving a bit of a raw critique of some elements the game, it isn't terrible--far from it! It just really needs a new team added to the dev squad whose job is to go back and refine, update, and add to the base game and already-released DLC (but base game fist!). To beef it up, loosen it up, and polish it until it shines. To do so until you don't dread grinding through the base game zones on a new character but actually look forward to seeing most of it again or revisiting it for those classic-style TES repeatable quests.

With repeatable group content that you go back to for the ambience -- the visuals and the music -- as well as original challenges. And let me just expand that call for more music to the whole game, with different styles for different moods and locations, and so on. (Devs, I can send you links for examples for group content and music from other games that help show what I mean.) If that means only two or three DLC per year instead of four, then go for it! There are other things that could be added to new and old zones for even more improvement, but what's been mentioned here already would be a good start.

To be frank, I really don't see any of those suggestions, as modest and sensible as they may seem, being a priority. I get the sense that the people in charge feel that the base game zones are more or less done and need little if anything more. I really hope this isn't the case, because all current and new players, as well as the bottom line for sales, would benefit from a better basic game. Devs, prove me wrong! Nonetheless, after seeing the direction things have gone over the first two years, I'm not sure where it is going next.

In any event, thanks to the developers and players for some fun moments over the first couple of years and hopefully for more yet to come. The hard work of both sides, developer and player, has been extraordinary. If that brighter future for the game for which I advocate is not to be, that's fine, too. Life is change, and nothing last forever. Except the lag in Cyrodiil. It will outlast us all.