[Megathread] Elder Scrolls Online

[Deleted]

So i haven't really played ESO since launch due to the fact that it's been a buggy mess but now that 5 patches are out i'm wondering if the game is worth playing now... and if it isn't then why?

[Talzar]

So i haven't really played ESO since launch due to the fact that it's been a buggy mess but now that 5 patches are out i'm wondering if the game is worth playing now... and if it isn't then why?

Wait and see is about as objective of an answer as you'll get. The fanboys are hailing the Champion System as the best thing in the history of the universe like everything else ZOS does. I don't play on test servers though so I'm reserving judgement. It's basically just an enormous EQ AA style grind though. Most of them hate grinding and tell people to go back to WoW when they look for grind groups in public channels so it's going to be a funny patch.

It really depends upon what you're looking for. I mess around in it about 6 hours per month and $15 isn't a big deal so I keep it installed. I view it more as a weird sort of an ES game that's sort of a multiplayer game with an immature population and view it less as an MMO. Maybe it's worth you trying again and maybe it's not. The bugs are a lot better but not much else has changed very much in terms of gameplay. You can google the content additions and see if those interest you.

[Lane]

I still can't believe how one week of bugs at launch (only early access for me) had such a lasting, detrimental effect on people's perceptions. That seems to be all anyone checking back on it remembers. The vast majority of any bugs that existed were fixed within the first couple weeks too, which leads me to believe these same people didn't even bother checking back within the first free month.

Most of them hate grinding and tell people to go back to WoW when they look for grind groups in public channels so it's going to be a funny patch.

Which is ironic since in WoW people LFG for apexis daily grinds.

[Tierbook]

Wait and see is about as objective of an answer as you'll get. The fanboys are hailing the Champion System as the best thing in the history of the universe like everything else ZOS does. I don't play on test servers though so I'm reserving judgement. It's basically just an enormous EQ AA style grind though. Most of them hate grinding and tell people to go back to WoW when they look for grind groups in public channels so it's going to be a funny patch.

It really depends upon what you're looking for. I mess around in it about 6 hours per month and $15 isn't a big deal so I keep it installed. I view it more as a weird sort of an ES game that's sort of a multiplayer game with an immature population and view it less as an MMO. Maybe it's worth you trying again and maybe it's not. The bugs are a lot better but not much else has changed very much in terms of gameplay. You can google the content additions and see if those interest you.

Rather than complaining that it's grindy they will probably think it's awesome because the Champion system is mostly a copy paste of Skyrims system. And that is not a bad thing.

[Edge-]

I still can't believe how one week of bugs at launch (only early access for me) had such a lasting, detrimental effect on people's perceptions.

1. First impressions are the most important thing for any game (or thing, really). If you make a bad first impression, you've got a huge hill to climb up to change that. If you make a good first impression, you gain a lot of room to make mistakes/mess up before ruining the initial impression.

2. It was more than a week, especially with the phasing issues. There were many of your normal bugs and all, they were just a bit more pronounced given how important phasing was and how many of the quests being bugged literally stopped all story progression in the game. Not to mention all the problems with grouping while in different phases that lasted months after launch.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

I still can't believe how one week of bugs at launch (only early access for me) had such a lasting, detrimental effect on people's perceptions. That seems to be all anyone checking back on it remembers. The vast majority of any bugs that existed were fixed within the first couple weeks too, which leads me to believe these same people didn't even bother checking back within the first free month.

You don't get a second chance to make a first impression, and most gamers never look into a game beyond it's first impression.

[Valeron]

I still can't believe how one week of bugs at launch (only early access for me) had such a lasting, detrimental effect on people's perceptions.

first impressions are everything

only mmo that I've seen that has had a positive second look from the general public was FFXIV and they redid the whole game for that

[Lane]

2. It was more than a week, especially with the phasing issues.

Well, I didn't consider phasing a "bug", more of an oversight, at least if you're talking about how grouped players would be separated.

As far as the "buggy mess" people like to say ESO was, I only experienced that during early access. As DC, once I got past Betnikh I didn't come across a single other bugged quest and I fully completed each zone. At one point, a patch did 'break' a few world bosses that didn't give map completion credit (which had no effect on character progression), but that was a couple months later.

Frankly, I didn't think ESO's launch was any worse than any other MMO. I've certainly heard worse stories from not only other MMOs but of WoW expansion launches. So while there's some merit to a first impression, there also is to cutting some slack since it's generally par for the course for new MMO releases.

[Shaede]

For me first impressions were huge. I said this before, but I stopped playing ESO during the first month because of all the bots and bugs I saw. I feel now is a good time to give the game another shot since it's been awhile. I mainly play wow, but lately I've been pretty much getting everything I care to get done in that game on Tuesday and Wed so I need another game to turn on that I can enjoy and I've always loved the Elder Scrolls universe ever since Morrowind. Plus this time around I have a way better computer and will be able to play on max settings which I have no doubt will really show the beautiful landscapes off.

I plan on starting fresh from the ground up instead of jumping right back where I left off mid-level. If any Vets in here would like to give me any tips to maximize the experience of leveling, I would appreciate it.

[mickybrighteyes]

i loved the game until vet levels.... I swear it's like if you didn't build right before vet levels you were going to slog through every zone getting your ass handed to you because EVERY quest lead into some boss fight with some mob with too much hp that did silly dmg. doesn't matter that you could dodge/block and dance your way through a fight if it was 2 landed blows from them and you're dead.

respec? cool... only about everything my toon has and another 50% gold I didn't have. I think I was daggerfall, as a khajiit and got to auridon and grahtwood and kept running into mobs i couldn't burst down fast enough and my self healing was tied to actually killing my targets.

logged in again today and went out after General Endare (part of a primary quest line) and couldn't get past due to the questline tossing a pair of elites at me at once with no way to really handle them (immune to my cc and too much hp to burn through with overcharged weapon dmg)

edit:
playing a nightblade focusing on high burst, banking on sneak attack/crit. Mainly ran with reaper's mark, concealed weapon and the invis mixing in stuff to train or deal with special mobs (undead/daedra/WW). had my heavy and med armor maxed but really it would always turn out with me wondering how the fuck this stuff was actually solo content... and just thinking i should have leveled resto staff and morphed some skills differently.

[Tierbook]

One thing I've found surprising on reddit, the sub has gained 30 subs today and had a peak of over 600 their at one point.

[Therec]

One thing I've found surprising on reddit, the sub has gained 30 subs today and had a peak of over 600 their at one point.

Yeah it helped that a post skewing the results of a poll was posted on /games and /subredditdrama. Made people check out the subreddit again.

[Tierbook]

Yeah it helped that a post skewing the results of a poll was posted on /games and /subredditdrama. Made people check out the subreddit again.

To be fair a poll in which greatest MMO of 2014 includes the option of "nothing" is BS.

[Aeula]

i loved the game until vet levels.... I swear it's like if you didn't build right before vet levels you were going to slog through every zone getting your ass handed to you because EVERY quest lead into some boss fight with some mob with too much hp that did silly dmg. doesn't matter that you could dodge/block and dance your way through a fight if it was 2 landed blows from them and you're dead.

respec? cool... only about everything my toon has and another 50% gold I didn't have. I think I was daggerfall, as a khajiit and got to auridon and grahtwood and kept running into mobs i couldn't burst down fast enough and my self healing was tied to actually killing my targets.

logged in again today and went out after General Endare (part of a primary quest line) and couldn't get past due to the questline tossing a pair of elites at me at once with no way to really handle them (immune to my cc and too much hp to burn through with overcharged weapon dmg)

edit:
playing a nightblade focusing on high burst, banking on sneak attack/crit. Mainly ran with reaper's mark, concealed weapon and the invis mixing in stuff to train or deal with special mobs (undead/daedra/WW). had my heavy and med armor maxed but really it would always turn out with me wondering how the fuck this stuff was actually solo content... and just thinking i should have leveled resto staff and morphed some skills differently.

Aye, vet levels are painful and in all fairness should be optional, I personally prefer to create alts rather than run through questing zones another two times, Anyway in the end I did it...but my Templar is stuck at VR12 now as I have no drive to level any further nor do i know how (And i'm not willing to do group quests as i like to listen to all the dialogue ect and it makes me feel rushed).

Speaking of which: anyone got any advice on how to grab those last two vet ranks quickly? I know there used to be grind groups in Craglorn but i'm unsure if they still are...

[Deleted]

Aye, vet levels are painful and in all fairness should be optional, I personally prefer to create alts rather than run through questing zones another two times, Anyway in the end I did it...but my Templar is stuck at VR12 now as I have no drive to level any further nor do i know how (And i'm not willing to do group quests as i like to listen to all the dialogue ect and it makes me feel rushed).

Speaking of which: anyone got any advice on how to grab those last two vet ranks quickly? I know there used to be grind groups in Craglorn but i'm unsure if they still are...

Cyrodiil PVE

[miffy23]

Does anyone have an informed guess as to whether we'll get a Free2Play or Buy2Play change to ESO anytime in the foreseeable future?
I sadly missed the xmas sale completely, I would have given it a shot, but I refuse to pay full retail price tbh.

[Therec]

Does anyone have an informed guess as to whether we'll get a Free2Play or Buy2Play change to ESO anytime in the foreseeable future?
I sadly missed the xmas sale completely, I would have given it a shot, but I refuse to pay full retail price tbh.

Nope. Maybe when console is released but no real indication. Right now nothing says they need to switch. Most people who play are happy paying the sub.

- - - Updated - - -

To be fair a poll in which greatest MMO of 2014 includes the option of "nothing" is BS.

True, but for a lot of people the choices were similar to "Which piece of crap smells the best?". None, they all smell like crap. Honestly he wouldnt have gotten so much flack if he hadnt changed the numbers to make ESO better than it was in terms of vote percentage, it was already second place.

[miffy23]

Well that's too bad.
I played in beta for a bit and I wasn't convinced of it as an MMO or a TES game, but I still found it to be a decent game overall. I just don't see myself sinking full retail price + subscription into it.

Wait. Console isn't out yet? I thought they delayed the original release for that purpose or something.

[Tierbook]

Original release wasn't delayed, it came out on 4/4/14 which is in line with how ES games are released.

[miffy23]

Original release wasn't delayed, it came out on 4/4/14 which is in line with how ES games are released.

I just thought I remembered something about them delaying PC release for console release. Surprised console release isn't out yet, tbh.
Wasn't it supposed to be a major selling point? To have the crossover community?