[Megathread] Elder Scrolls Online

[Marthenil]

@Zito I know who you are :P Anyway, you have to take my word on this, char models look just right in game. Not overly detailed compared to the rest of the world, but neither not detailed. They are right where they should be. Honestly, I can accept any criticism about this game other than graphics/style. Those are more than spot on....

[zito]

@Zito I know who you are :P Anyway, you have to take my word on this, char models look just right in game. Not overly detailed compared to the rest of the world, but neither not detailed. They are right where they should be. Honestly, I can accept any criticism about this game other than graphics/style. Those are more than spot on....

Granted, it is just my opinion. I think models in this game are lacking in animation in general. Needs more life. MOAR LIFE

[Lane]

Happy Birthday!

Thanks.

Most if it is along those lines. A very, very common quest theme is having to make some life-or-death decision for an NPC. I guess they're meant to be all serious and dramatic, but I think it's overused. It starts to feel like the NPCs couldn't decide what to have for breakfast if left to their own devices.

Well, most of the time you're either the designated advocate because you're supposedly objective to the situation or because you're trusted by the king/queen they assume you'll make wise decisions.

Voice acting is always hit and miss, but I think it's better here than in most MMOs.

I hate to say it since I'm a long time fan of Lynda Carter, but I do not care for her interpretation of Azura. It's the single voice acting in the game (that I've come across so far) that doesn't sound quite right to me.

I find generally, though, that Elder Scroll Online feels very serious, and for once I find this actually nice. We got enough "silliness" in most other Fantasy-MMOs, so... not sure how to say this, but I guess it's a welcomed change to have a serious setting for once, even though (as 7seti mentioned) it's sometimes almost a bit over the top.
Maybe they tried too hard?

DC has its fair share of light-hearted quests and characters (see: anything related to Stibbons ). I certainly got many a smile from playing through it. From what I've heard, EP is by far the "worst" in terms of bleak storylines. AD's probably somewhere in the middle? I'm only up to Greenshade, but Grahtwood seemed balanced to me in terms of serious and amusing.

[Shaani]

DC has its fair share of light-hearted quests and characters (see: anything related to Stibbons ). I certainly got many a smile from playing through it. From what I've heard, EP is by far the "worst" in terms of bleak storylines. AD's probably somewhere in the middle? I'm only up to Greenshade, but Grahtwood seemed balanced to me in terms of serious and amusing.

You're certainly right; not everything in ESO is super serious or solemn.

What I kind of wished to bring across with my comment was more along the line that the general mood of ESO is less silly than so many other quality Fantasy MMOs.
Even the light-hearted parts and amusing things in ESO have hmm... let's call it a "higher standard" than the humor we get from Blizzard (that is probably subjective, though).
Now I am not trying to bash the Blizzard humor. The jokes in WoW make one smile, too. It's just a different humor than the one we encounter in ESO. Both has it's charm.

You're right also about the Ebonheart Pact. Many a story in the EP zones is very solemn and many of their zones are also quite gloomy somehow.

[Marthenil]

Damn you launcher, it's redownloading everything! Oh well, might as well hit the gym while at it then

EDIT: Oh nvm, fixed it, just canceled and hit repair again, it's not downloading anything now.

[Deleted]

Hello there friends!

So i tried ESO back in the "closed" betas ("" because there were so many keys beign given out that it looked like an open beta ^_^), and i remember loving the FPS side of it. Such immersion and novelty that i really liked it!

BUT, i also thought the models looked to stiff and rigid when performing abilites and thats mostly why i didnt get the game. That and ofc the outcry about bugs everywhere! EVERYWHERE!

So i found the game at 19€ (basic edition nothing fancy) and i'm thinking about getting it.

I tried Wildstar and while it is a great game, i found the levelign utter annoying. spcially since i'm a tank and i want to keep my tank gear as up to date as possible so i dont gimp the pugs i enter to do dungeons. And even choosing dps skills it is taking too long. stopped at lvl 31.


So before i make my choice, here are some questions that i ask you dear community to answer, if you please:

-Does archery (bows) feel fluid (or is the word fluent...) ?
-Is the leveling process smooth or does it take a loooong time? I'm talking about the basic 1-50 not including VR's.
-I remember somewhat the game engine being VERY well optimized, is it still so even at higher levels with lots of stuff flying (spells etc) about?
-Are mounts still extremely expensive to get while lvling?
-Are dungeons doable in pugs using the LFD tool and can i get good gear running them, or will i be severely handicapped VS players doing max lvl crafting etc?
-Are there any raids (i dont think so but it has been so long since i played) ?
-How are we when it comes to Bugs? Have they been eradicated for the most part?
- And finally: Would you recommend this game to a casual player that loves mmo's in general? Been playing wow since release (still am playing), bought the 150€ Archeage Pack and also got my eye in WOD ofc. Mmo's are my playground, love them!


Thanks in advance for your time and patience!

Kind Regards,

Flicky

[Marthenil]

Regarding your questions:

-I'd say yes.
-1-50 yep. VR can be slow or fast, depends on how you approach it.
-Yep, very well optimized.
-Define extremely expensive, 40-ish k gold is not much by any stretch.
-Yep, especially now that people are more used to the game. Of course your experience will vary greatly depending on luck.
- Yes, Trials. I suggest you look up on that.
- Well there's an occasional bug here and there, but I haven't encountered anything game breaking in a long while.
- Hell yes, of all the MMOs out currently, I'd say this is the best for your average casual. (I define casual with time spent playing rather than skill though).

[Deleted]

Wow that was fast Marthenil! Thanks brother, VERY informative!

When i said Expensive, i meant relative to the leveling, as in: By the time i reach the level i can use a mount, will i have enough gold to purchase it? Given i dont spend any in crafting, etc and i vendor/sell everything i dont need.

About the trials...i had no idea! Thanks!

You Sir...just made a sale! Thanks!

[Marthenil]

Wow that was fast Marthenil! Thanks brother, VERY informative!

When i said Expensive, i meant relative to the leveling, as in: By the time i reach the level i can use a mount, will i have enough gold to purchase it? Given i dont spend any in crafting, etc and i vendor/sell everything i dont need.

About the trials...i had no idea! Thanks!

You Sir...just made a sale! Thanks!

Regarding mounts. You can buy one at level 1 if you have the gold :P But I suggest you save up on your gold, join a trading guild so you can sell excess mats, (along with a price checking addon) and you should have it by level 20-30. Don't buy the cheap one at all. Go straight for the expensive one imo. It's not a big deal too, I rarely use it outside of PvP, walking around feels better when questing.

[Shaani]

So before i make my choice, here are some questions that i ask you dear community to answer, if you please:

-Does archery (bows) feel fluid (or is the word fluent...) ?
-Is the leveling process smooth or does it take a loooong time? I'm talking about the basic 1-50 not including VR's.
-I remember somewhat the game engine being VERY well optimized, is it still so even at higher levels with lots of stuff flying (spells etc) about?
-Are mounts still extremely expensive to get while lvling?
-Are dungeons doable in pugs using the LFD tool and can i get good gear running them, or will i be severely handicapped VS players doing max lvl crafting etc?
-Are there any raids (i dont think so but it has been so long since i played) ?
-How are we when it comes to Bugs? Have they been eradicated for the most part?
- And finally: Would you recommend this game to a casual player that loves mmo's in general? Been playing wow since release (still am playing), bought the 150€ Archeage Pack and also got my eye in WOD ofc. Mmo's are my playground, love them!

I will try to answer your questions:

1. Bows: I find the bows awesome, but I've heard some player do not like the feel of them. I guess this is a very subjective thing.

2. Leveling process: It does take a very long time (at least for me). There are so many stories and so much stuff to explore. It's very different to the current streamlined WoW-style-leveling. In ESO you have to explore a bit or else you might miss out on many side quests. The fast "hurry-hurry!" levelers will more than likely not enjoy ESO leveling, while explorers and those interested in the story will most likely enjoy it a whole lot.

3. Spell effects are nice, it doesn't change much at higher levels.

4. Mounts still cost the same as they did during the beta, as far as I know. They are quite expensive and it takes a while to save up for one IF you are on a new character and don't have the Imperial edition that comes with a 1 Gold horse.

5. Dungeons are doable with pugs using the LFD tool, but my experience is that it takes (literally) forever to form a group. You won't be handicapped with gear if you skip dungeons, though. Crafted gear / glyphs are very strong and in many cases the crafted stuff is stronger or at least same strong as the stuff that drops.

6. There are so called "Trials", which is the ESO form of Raids, yes. Not sure how many Trials are around as of yet, since I don't participate in those. But I am sure someone in this thread can answer this more precisely.

7. Bugs: in all honesty, I've not encountered a single bug since launch and I've been in ESO a lot. There have been no bugged quests for me, no bugged items, no crashes, no unexpected loading screens, no issues with disappearing bank slots, not even any unexpected errors. It ran totally flawless and smooth for me since launch.

8. Recommendation to casuals: that's a tough question to answer because it's kind of subjective. I will try to answer anyway and say it like this:
It's amazing for people who love lore, immersion, questing, story and exploring.
It's probably less enjoyable for those who just like to speed up the ranks to spend their time mostly in dungeons and raids only.
ESO really is different and what I'd call a "niche-MMORPG". I do not believe it will appeal to the masses as the "WoW-formula" does.
It's a fantastic MMORPG regardless and I guess everyone that is interested in it has to give it a try and see for themselves if they will like it or not.

I hope the answers help you!

[Hoticehunter]

I don't know if the bugs have been fixed. I literally tried playing for an entire month and legitimately could not play due to bugs. I contacted them and asked if they can give me any amount of game time that I can apply at a later date when all these bugs are addressed. They said, and I quote: "If you don't like our game, there is the unsubscribe button.". I really just wanted to play the game but after that response I got a fucking refund.

Wow, that really sucks. I can't believe they would say something so potentially damaging like that.

[Deleted]

thanks for the help Shaani.

I'm not the rush type player. I don't mind if the leveling takes its time as long as i have fun doing it! In wildstar right now it feels like a chore instead of a pleasure/fun.

I love exploring, finding "hidden" things that are uncharted. I love immersion.

I think i'll have a good time from what i could gather.

Thanks once more! Great community in this website at least, helpful.

One love,

Flicky

[Lane]

What I kind of wished to bring across with my comment was more along the line that the general mood of ESO is less silly than so many other quality Fantasy MMOs.
Even the light-hearted parts and amusing things in ESO have hmm... let's call it a "higher standard" than the humor we get from Blizzard (that is probably subjective, though).
Now I am not trying to bash the Blizzard humor. The jokes in WoW make one smile, too. It's just a different humor than the one we encounter in ESO. Both has it's charm.

Oh, definitely. A lot of Blizzard's humor, as I recall, is centered around pop culture references. ESO feels more sophisticated. Nothing wrong with either type of humor, agreed, but two very different gaming experiences.

-Does archery (bows) feel fluid (or is the word fluent...) ?

Well, I love bow, but I'm biased since I almost always gravitate toward the archer type in games. The only thing that feels odd about it would be the heavy attack, mostly because it doesn't perform like the other weapon heavy attacks. You have to pay attention to when your string is fully drawn to release, you can't just hold down the mouse button and keep doing heavy attacks like you can with every other weapon.

-Is the leveling process smooth or does it take a loooong time? I'm talking about the basic 1-50 not including VR's.

Leveling takes about as long as you want it to, honestly. If you skip over most of the dialog and don't bother to talk to anyone you don't have to it'll go by quickly. If you actually play the game like an RPG (which I recommend for full enjoyment) then it will take quite a bit longer.

-Are mounts still extremely expensive to get while lvling?

Not if you know what you're doing. Plenty of people advertise in zone chat paying anywhere between 1-1.5k per stack of raw materials. You can get the cheapest horse for a little over 17k, so at worst that's gathering 17 stacks of stuff and doesn't even include what you'll get from questing and vendoring. Plus, certain herbs are worth a LOT, 150g/ea. in some cases.

I should also note that a mount is not in any way, shape, or form mandatory nor does it make a significant difference in your speed or gameplay. Horses, unless fed for speed, aren't really faster than someone sprinting on foot. I use mine as pack mules (fed for inventory space) and only ride it for distances longer than my stamina would last to sprint, which isn't very often.

-Are dungeons doable in pugs using the LFD tool and can i get good gear running them, or will i be severely handicapped VS players doing max lvl crafting etc?

Yes for PUGs, no for gear. There are no guaranteed gear drops in dungeons, it's hit or miss. You'll be much better off crafting your own gear.

-Are there any raids (i dont think so but it has been so long since i played) ?

Trials, as others have said.

-How are we when it comes to Bugs? Have they been eradicated for the most part?

I'm with Shaani on this one. I haven't run into a single quest-related bug since early access. The most have been a few world bosses that won't give completion credit, which isn't inhibiting to your progress at all just annoying if you're a map completionist.

- And finally: Would you recommend this game to a casual player that loves mmo's in general? Been playing wow since release (still am playing), bought the 150€ Archeage Pack and also got my eye in WOD ofc. Mmo's are my playground, love them!

It depends on what you love about MMOs. Again, I'd agree with Shaani's assessment. ESO is the MMO for someone who has been missing the RPG part of MMORPG.

[sergel02]

Is there a vanity slot system, like transmogging? Like I know you can equip any armor, but say you're level 40 and there is a piece you like that was level 15, can you wear that lower level piece as a costume and keep the lvl 40 stats?

[Shaani]

Is there a vanity slot system, like transmogging? Like I know you can equip any armor, but say you're level 40 and there is a piece you like that was level 15, can you wear that lower level piece as a costume and keep the lvl 40 stats?

Not yet.
They announced a dye-system coming, but I don't know about anything that goes into the transmogging direction.
I would not be surprised if they come up with something eventually, though, since transmog is pretty much a standard for a modern MMORPG.

[Marthenil]

Is there a vanity slot system, like transmogging? Like I know you can equip any armor, but say you're level 40 and there is a piece you like that was level 15, can you wear that lower level piece as a costume and keep the lvl 40 stats?

Yes, costumes! You get them as disguises for quests and such, but you get to keep them forever. Also, you get 3 "unique" ones for hitting VR ranks (VR 3 6 and 10 wasn't it ?)
But no transmogging on the strict sense.

[Tyris Flare]

How is the bot situation recently?

[c0rp]

How is the bot situation recently?

I have not seen a bot in like 6 weeks.

[Lane]

Is there a vanity slot system, like transmogging? Like I know you can equip any armor, but say you're level 40 and there is a piece you like that was level 15, can you wear that lower level piece as a costume and keep the lvl 40 stats?

Nobody mentioned crafting? O_o

Every armor is made in a "style". As long as you know what style the level 15 piece you like is (there are addons that will tell you or you can reference sites like eso-fashion) you can recreate it for level 40.

- - - Updated - - -

How is the bot situation recently?

I haven't seen them past the starting zones in ages. They may be gone from there as well, I haven't been in a starting zone for a few weeks.

[BrokenRavens]

I haven't seen them past the starting zones in ages. They may be gone from there as well, I haven't been in a starting zone for a few weeks.

Yup. My observation as well. Also I have not been getting mail spammed by bots anymore either.

•••

People were talking about "expensive" mounts? Well the game will be out for three months now, and I have 3 of them already. Here is picture proof.



The "fast" horse.



The "draft" horse.



The "Stamina" horse.

So if you save your money, they are really not that difficult to get.