#GamingTuesday Review: Elder Scrolls Online

This technically being my first MMO, I have to say, I am very impressed.

I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I decided to try a MMO for the first time. My husband, who has been playing MMOs and the likes just about all of his life, has told me that you can lose days, weeks, and even years playing MMOs. There's just so much that goes into it. So. Much. And while I had laid good foundation with games like Grand Theft Auto Online, I hadn't really delved into the universe because those other games were very limited in what you could actually do in the online game. Most of it consisted of raids and boss fights, as well as PVP & PVE (player vs. player or player vs. everyone). And honestly, I wasn't sure if I would even LIKE playing with someone else who isn't sitting on the couch next to me.

After having played the other Elder Scrolls games, my favorite being Skyrim, and absolutely falling in love with the story, lore, and entire universe that had been created, I had been waiting for the next installment. My heart had sank a little when it was finally released but announced that it would be MMO. I wasn't sure if i would like that. At all. I was so used to how crappy people can be in online gaming from GTA 5, and was so burned out on it that I actually delayed in buying ESO at all. My wonderful husband, however, pointed out to me that, mostly, the people who play GTA and Call of Duty are different than the people who play games like WOW and Elder Scrolls. It's something that you wouldn't understand unless you try it and find out for yourself. And so, upon trusting his judgement, I caved and bought the game.

It rings true to it's predecessors in the ES world. It's beautifully made, overly customizable, and it's very easy to navigate in-world, and in your menu. Even when using social emotes, which are one of my favorite parts of ESO, whether I'm with a group or playing solo. It really allows you to immerse yourself into this wonderfully created world. You can do make your character do so many things in game besides swinging that ax or running. It really seems to break up the game play so you don't feel like you're doing the same thing over and over again.

Another wonderful thing about ESo is that instead of one giant map like in Skyrim, they have broken down your map into territories. Each place has it's own quest line, and just when you're tired of seeing the same scenery, you move on the the next, which could be vastly different than the previous.

You get 8 new character slots, and you WILL use all of them, if only to just create. I have created 8, and have 3 mains (even though most people have 1, but I like to switch it up more than most) - one in each faction and the others to "hold" bank items that I don't have room for in my actual bank - and you choose a faction when you begin, which there are three. Depending upon which faction you choose is where you will start the game. There is basically 3 games in one, because no faction has the same quests, places, or even scenery, and all territories are places you have heard of in other ES games. You will get to explore Tamriel this time, and visit places like the Alik'r Desert, Daggerfall, and so much more. There's so much to do, it's almost never ending. I love picking the game up where I left off or starting in with a different character knowing that I will very rarely have the same quest twice, if at all.

Alik'r Desert Screenshot by Yours Truly

Also, what's wonderful is that if you would like to PVP/PVE, you must go to Cyrodiil. Outside of Cyrodiil, PVP violence isn't even possibly (you can't even duel, although you do have the option to turn "harm innocents," - and by that they mean NPCs -on or off. This allows you to either be a great hero, a selfish villain, or just a really clumsy player), and the focus is on making groups, dungeon delving, and working together. I have already made many of online friends with this game who I love to play with from all over the country, and even some out of the country!

All of your gear is so customizeable, even down to the color. You can buy, find or create your own armor and weapons, just like Skyrim. However, they have added racial motifs. For instance, if you start out as a High Elf, you can only make Altmer armor. The same is true of other races. FYI - Playable races include: Imperial (if you buy the addition, Argonian (lizard people), Khajiit (cat people), High Elf, Wood Elf, Dark Elf, Orc, Nord, and Redguard - which is the same as Skyrim. The main difference in this one is that you don't get to swim underwater, so you can't make that Argonian just to do some fishing anymore! Racial motifs can be found and bought in order to make another races gear. Most are common to find, but they have also added some badass stuff, too that you can purchase in the crown store, or if you get really lucky, you can find or trade for it with another player. Those include: Primal, Daedric, Dwarven, and Barbaric. I have yet to find one, but I did find the Imperial motif once, which if you don't start as an Imperial, they classify it as a rare motif. Each races motif is different, and evolves as you level up. It seems overwhelming, but it's very easy to understand once you get started.

You can also purchase pets from the crown store, and sometimes you can get rewarded with one. I have several pets right now that include a Golden Retriever, a stripped sench lion, and a cute little fox, as well as several different mounts that include two horses and a sench tiger. You can upgrade them on speed, carrying capacity, and stamina, which changes the look of your mount over time.

Once again, like in Skyrim, you can choose to have your character become a werewolf or vampire. They each get their own skill set, and are worth the trouble in becoming one if you are more solo oriented for vamps and more pack oriented for werewolves. They are also easily leveled up if you know how to feed and make sure to buy that perk first in the skill set. In order to become a vamp or ww, you need to find a spawn that carries the virus. Not all spawns carry it, and you must track down a specific location on either the New Moon for vamps, or the Full Moon for WW. Once a spawn is killed, it doesn't respawn until the next moon phase instead of after 2 minutes like other spawns. So it is especially difficult to obtain this way. You can, however, get the virus as a gift from a player whose character is already a vamp or a ww as long as you are in the same alliance/faction and they have a bite available. Bites are perks you must buy with skill points, and they allow you to infect one person a week in real time. A lot of people sell their bites, and many people get scammed this way. But don't worry, there are plenty of people out there who wait at the shrines to infect for free, like me.

Sometimes you like to invite your vamp friends for diner.

Werewolves make horrible photographers.

I also have a werewolf guild in the Aldmeri Dominion and a Vamp guild in the Ebonheart Pact that recruit in exchange for bites. Guilds give you the ability to store items and cash in the guild bank, so items can be exchanged without having to purchase or find them on your own, or to create guild stores, where your guild can sell to anyone in the ESO world and make a little extra cash in order to purchase new mounts, equipment, and armor.

You can even give your guild it's own look. Design banners to were over your armor to look more uniformed in battle.

My favorite part is that I can play with my husband. We don't get a lot of time together, so it's nice to have something we can delve into and immerse ourselves in while still playing with other people as well.

Sometimes you get to choose your next King.

Sometimes things get creepy.

Another wonderful little thing they decided to do was let you revisit Skyrim if you join the Ebonheart Faction. This game takes place around 1000 years before Skyrim, so you get to see what some of these towns looked like before you saw in in Skyrim. Without too many spoilers, here's some shots:

Just outside of Windhelm.

The Thieves Guild below Riften in this game is an outlaw's refuge.

Remember the murder you solved next to the Hall of the Dead in Windhelm? You can actually go inside the Hall of the Dead as well, as it is a Dungeon in ESO. Pretty cool.

If I talk about this game anymore, I may be here all night, so I'll leave you with this:
I would rate this 9.5 out of 10 stars, and give it more if I could. It's beauty, storytelling, and over-all gameplay outshines all others in it's category. I would highly recommend this to just about anyone, even first time MMO players like me.

I have put in some of my personal screenshots from the game so that you can take a look at some of the beauty of ESO. And also, why don't you sit back and enjoy this gorgeous trailer for ESO, which will be coming out with a new DLC - Imperial City - soon.