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The Elder Scrolls: Online |OT| It's TES VI, VII, VIII and IX
- Thread starter Taker34
- Start date
Hi all.
Sorry for these random questions but I'm looking for a new online experience since Destiny isn't going the direction I'd like.
I've always liked Elder Scrolls lore but when the game first launched, it looked a bit janky to me. I don't know anyone who plays, so I figured this would be a good place to get some answers:
1. How's the population? Game in danger of dying soon? Is this a good time to jump in? I'll be playing on Xbox, for what it's worth.
2. Is the game solo friendly? I typically play late nights (PST) and it's been my experience that player pool dwindles at those hours. Is there matchmaking for most group activities?
3. How's the class balance? It's my dream to have a big 2-h weapon and wreck stuff (a la ret paladin in WoW) but I don't want to severely gimp myself or a group.
4. Third person the way to go? How does combat feel, generally speaking?
5. Is the game plagued with a battle pass/FOMO-tinged events? Or can I play at my leisure and not miss content?
6. If I make the jump, what's the best "starter pack"/bundle to purchase in order to get rolling?
Thanks for all the help here!
Sorry for these random questions but I'm looking for a new online experience since Destiny isn't going the direction I'd like.
I've always liked Elder Scrolls lore but when the game first launched, it looked a bit janky to me. I don't know anyone who plays, so I figured this would be a good place to get some answers:
1. How's the population? Game in danger of dying soon? Is this a good time to jump in? I'll be playing on Xbox, for what it's worth.
2. Is the game solo friendly? I typically play late nights (PST) and it's been my experience that player pool dwindles at those hours. Is there matchmaking for most group activities?
3. How's the class balance? It's my dream to have a big 2-h weapon and wreck stuff (a la ret paladin in WoW) but I don't want to severely gimp myself or a group.
4. Third person the way to go? How does combat feel, generally speaking?
5. Is the game plagued with a battle pass/FOMO-tinged events? Or can I play at my leisure and not miss content?
6. If I make the jump, what's the best "starter pack"/bundle to purchase in order to get rolling?
Thanks for all the help here!
1. I play on PC so can't say what the Xbox population is like
2. The game is very solo friendly, you can do all of the overland by yourself rather easily (it's actually too easy). Overland consists of delves (mini solo dungeons), public dungeons (larger group/groupless instance) and your average quests and townhubs. Dungeons are far more mechanical than anything found in the overland and are 4 player group instances that can be queued for (2 DPS, 1 healer, 1 tank). The normal dungeons are easier and have less mechanics while the veteran modes are more punishing and have extra mechanics, these are balanced for higher level characters 160 CP+. Queue times can take a while even with a high population at peak hours, unless you queue as a tank and this it's pretty much instant. Trials are ESO's 12 player raids and have no matchmaking, you have to form up with guilds or in Craglorn via zone chat. Finding groups for Craglorn trials is easy and they're not all that challenging, expansion trial groups are harder to come by and even harder to clear (on vet).
3. Class balance is OK, stamina based classes are higher DPS while magicka offers greater survivability. Right now the stamina necromancer is the highest DPS output, specifically the Redguard stamina necromancer. Race matters in regards to DPS good stamina races (Wood elf, Redguard, Dark elf), good magicka (High elf, Dark elf, Breton). You'll be perfectly fine with a 2H weapon, my highest DPS is with a 2H battle axe. Thanks to the outfit system you could have a battle axe but with the visuals of a sword to cover up the axe so aesthetics are not tied to DPS performance.
4. Third person is the way to go and you would actually hinder yourself in 1st person in dungeons and trials as you would miss AoEs and combat queues.
5. In game events are usually focuses on PvP, PvE DLC or a mix. They offer aesthetic rewards (mostly deer mounts) and you're not missing much if you don't want to do them. Depending on what DLC/content you own you may not be able to do them. Also on the subject of ESO's cash shop (crown store), don't get roped in on the items sold here most can be obtained in game through gameplay or guild traders with gold. The exception being the crown crates which offer aesthetic items-- mostly mounts.
6. Usually the latest edition of the game offers the most content, but unfortunately never all. For instance the newest Greymoor edition comes with the previous 3 expansions but not the story DLC/Dungeon DLC. If you were to subscribe to ESO+ this would give you access to the DLC the yearly editions are missing, although I suggest trying out the game to see if you like it before subscribing.
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I play on Xbox EU and the population is good, you can choose EU or America for the server so you could choose to play on EU if it makes a difference for the time you're on, I'm not that up on US time differences but it could be the time you're on is a busy time in Europe, just a thought.
Thanks for the replies. Sounds like it's definitely worth a look. Just want something that will respect my time.
Was surprised to see the base game was on GamePass. Downloaded it last night and I'll scope it out after work.
Please be true.
Edit: Looking at the article and translating it in chrome and the above wasn't said at all so it must have been fake. Bummer.
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If they did away with animation canceling, they would have to re-design certain class abilities. I play a Stam Sorc, so this is pretty relevant for me. Bound Armaments would yet again have to be changed (and it's pretty awesome now, tbh.)
That said, I would be totally down with them making players commit to animations as long as they adjusted abilities to compensate. I cut my MMO teeth on DAoC, and since this dev team has alumni from that game handling PvP, I would trust them to be able to do it right. In DAoC, once you fired off an ability, you were committed. It made choices matter more AND it made the field easier to read. I'm just not sure that ESO can support that given how heavily it has leaned into ani canceling, my personal experience above being one example.
That said, I would be totally down with them making players commit to animations as long as they adjusted abilities to compensate. I cut my MMO teeth on DAoC, and since this dev team has alumni from that game handling PvP, I would trust them to be able to do it right. In DAoC, once you fired off an ability, you were committed. It made choices matter more AND it made the field easier to read. I'm just not sure that ESO can support that given how heavily it has leaned into ani canceling, my personal experience above being one example.
Wonder if doing away with animation canceling would essentially end up the same as the GCD nerf in World of Warcraft.
Regardless, the frenetic pace of getting the most out of your combat rotations isn't something I really enjoy. Feels like the the latency is constantly working against me there and I hate it when I end up botching some ability I thought I had gotten off but missed it. Especially hate when it happens with the bar switching (which is another thing I dislike by itself).
Regardless, the frenetic pace of getting the most out of your combat rotations isn't something I really enjoy. Feels like the the latency is constantly working against me there and I hate it when I end up botching some ability I thought I had gotten off but missed it. Especially hate when it happens with the bar switching (which is another thing I dislike by itself).
So I started playing (again) on the weekend, and just realized that I somehow started my new character in Morrowind. Should I wrap up this story line and head back to my starting contintent to do the base game story? Am I going to be lost timeline wise? Or should I just completed Morrowind now? It's all very confusing with the DLC from when I played last.
I also submitted my google doc to the Era guild.
I also submitted my google doc to the Era guild.
It shouldn't really matter much, just do whatever content you want. Story-wise most of the Expansion areas are pretty self-contained except for when they are direct continuations of each other. For example, Summerset takes place after Morrowind but there's not a whole lot of actual narrative meat shared between them. Elswyr similarly can be jumped into blind and you won't really miss much other than a bit of background form the original main plot quests about some of the characters it features.
The biggest thing I find in going out of order is that you can bump into characters that you were supposed to be introduced to in earlier zones. Of course, you usually forget who they are by then anyway.
OK thanks! I have a hard enough time with the names as it is, so dont think that will be an issue.
On PC, Harrowstorm and update 25 launch tomorrow and we have to re-download the entire game which is due to performance improvements to loading and patching. The game will also be 16 GB smaller so at least it'll take up less room on our drives.
Xbox and PS4 will have to re-download when they get the update as well and the game will be 30 GB smaller.
Xbox and PS4 will have to re-download when they get the update as well and the game will be 30 GB smaller.
Controller users on PC really got shafted with the last update. UI is huge and no option to scale it down.
Hey there, hope someone sees this. I'm a lapsed ESO player looking to jump back in.
I already own the base game and Morrowind on PS4, and I'm a bit confused on how to upgrade. There is the Elsweyr upgrade that doesn't come with Summerset for $30, and I see Summerset is only available in the crown store for 3000 ($25). The problem is that it's cheaper to buy the whole set for $50 which includes the base game and Morrowind. Is this my best option? Will me already owning the physical version saved on my HDD clash with the digital complete version? Should I wait for the Greymoor release before deciding? It feels like I'm being punished for being a lapsed player and not a brand new one, and that's kinda messed up.
And to be clear I'm not interested in subscribing to their service.
I already own the base game and Morrowind on PS4, and I'm a bit confused on how to upgrade. There is the Elsweyr upgrade that doesn't come with Summerset for $30, and I see Summerset is only available in the crown store for 3000 ($25). The problem is that it's cheaper to buy the whole set for $50 which includes the base game and Morrowind. Is this my best option? Will me already owning the physical version saved on my HDD clash with the digital complete version? Should I wait for the Greymoor release before deciding? It feels like I'm being punished for being a lapsed player and not a brand new one, and that's kinda messed up.
And to be clear I'm not interested in subscribing to their service.
When I bought the digital version of summerset I had to delete my physical install of the base game and install the digital copy if I wanted to boot it without the disc. If you are interested in playing all of the chapters you missed and have interest in greymoor just buy the greymoor standard edition since it comes with all of the previously released chapters (morrowind, summerset, elsweyr and greymoor)
Ah ok I figured I should maybe wait for Greymoor. That makes sense. I don't have to start all over if I go the digital route, right?
No you do not, your characters will still be there. You could buy greymoor now and get access to the chapters you are missing right away as well, no need to wait until greymoor launches if you are sure that's what you want to do
I'm not seeing Greymoor available on PSN, but maybe I overlooked it. From what you're saying it definitely sounds like the route I will take though. I haven't played an MMO in a while and I'm eager to jump back in. Thanks for the info.
I was able to find the pre purchase through the ingame menus. I went to Crown Store->Chapters->Greymoor and there was a button to prepurchase. That opened the Xbox store for me, from there I clicked on just the greymoor upgrade in the package so it would show me the other bundles that included that item and from there I found the 60$ version that includes all the previous chapters. I remember helping a friend do this last year and it was not very straightforward to find the 'complete' edition then either.
Alrighty yeah that explains it. Bummer. Oh well! I actually never played through the Morrowind expansion, so I can do that while I wait.
We did indeed!
www.usgamer.net
Elder Scrolls Online's Greymoor Revamps Vampires as It Revisits a "Harsh, Believable" Skyrim
Every long-running franchise has its "break glass in case of an emergency" title. For Assassin's Creed, it's what fans have been wanting for ages: a game set...
www.usgamer.net
The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor looks uncannily familiar but packs in lots of new stories
The expansion set in Skyrim adds a brand new guild and brings back ESO's own great characters.
www.pcgamer.com
Sounds dope
Jesus, how long have I been away
they had a recent update that required re-downloading the entire game
Oh, this must be it. Wish it would do it though Steam though, since that's where I bought it.
I'm tempted to get this but have a question.
I have the base game on PS4 and I see these two options:
Elsweyr Collectors Edition - all current chapters and CE contents
Elsweyr Collectors Edition Upgrade - only gives details about just Elsweyr and it's CE contents
Does this mean that the upgrade doesn't include Morrowind and Sommerset CEs?
I have the base game on PS4 and I see these two options:
Elsweyr Collectors Edition - all current chapters and CE contents
Elsweyr Collectors Edition Upgrade - only gives details about just Elsweyr and it's CE contents
Does this mean that the upgrade doesn't include Morrowind and Sommerset CEs?
Correct upgrades only ever contain the latest chapter.
Perfect, thank you for letting me know. I think I already have Morrowind to be honest but it's probably better to get the full version with all the content and chapters.
Appreciate the help.
I have the Steam version and just subbed for the first time to ESO Plus for 1 month. You get the crowns up front but apparently I can not add more months right now until the 30 days run out. Bummer since I would add another one just for the crowns since I am going to sub anyway. Should have gone for the 3 month plan.
I'm playing again as well atm since modern WoW is dead ESO is now my go to MMO after i finish all the FFXIV story content.
Btw you guys should take a look at the Daybreak 3dmigoto mod if you want ESO to look much better without a performance hit since it tweaks the games own shaders. Daybreak has it's own optional tonemapping and modifies the fog and lightning, it just places it at a more natural distance to the point where you don't even notice it, as it just blends in and feels more like real-life.
It's on nexus but the version there is outdated atm and the author is releasing betas on discord (Daybreak Discord: https://discord.gg/JZ83f89 .
some screens from discord:
Btw you guys should take a look at the Daybreak 3dmigoto mod if you want ESO to look much better without a performance hit since it tweaks the games own shaders. Daybreak has it's own optional tonemapping and modifies the fog and lightning, it just places it at a more natural distance to the point where you don't even notice it, as it just blends in and feels more like real-life.
It's on nexus but the version there is outdated atm and the author is releasing betas on discord (Daybreak Discord: https://discord.gg/JZ83f89 .
some screens from discord:
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That looks really nice.
My friend finally came around to the idea of playing the game. I've always just played this game solo. Man, I forgot how bad MMOs can be with grouping and questing together. Does anyone have any tips? Are dungeons really the only thing we can reliably do together? The phasing in the game makes it so even if we're grouped, a lot of the times I can't see or do what he's doing since I've already completed it.
My friend finally came around to the idea of playing the game. I've always just played this game solo. Man, I forgot how bad MMOs can be with grouping and questing together. Does anyone have any tips? Are dungeons really the only thing we can reliably do together? The phasing in the game makes it so even if we're grouped, a lot of the times I can't see or do what he's doing since I've already completed it.
Well you can either both roll a new character or quest in a zone you have not done so far. Each of you needs to talk to the quest NPCs separately. Sometimes each of you will need to collect the things or kill the enemies, or at times you'll both get credit if one does it. There's no set formula for which quests are like this and which aren't. You'll figure that out by trial and error. Only the main quest in the game and the guild questlines are solo, but the alliance quests,side quests, xpacks and so on can all be done together. If the two of you make different quest decisions, however, you might end up in different phases. It's doable i mostly quested together with my GF when i started out.
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Sorry if this has been asked but as someone that would be brand new to ESO, is there any reason to purchase and play now versus wait for Greymoor? The store page makes it a little confusing as it says this;
"BEGIN YOUR JOURNEY WITH GREYMOOR - With a new tutorial and a standalone story, Greymoor is built for new players.". I can purchase The Elsweyr edition now for $20AUD which includes Base, Elsweyr, Morrowwind and Sumerset then the upgrade is 60$ which is actually cheaper than just buying the complete Greymoor edition.
Also I've played a few MMOs in the past but I usually prefer it when I have some sort of direction on what to do/where to go etc rather than the make your own fun type of experiences. Would ESO lean more towards the former or the latter?
If it helps i've played WoW, GW2, Wildstar, Rift.
"BEGIN YOUR JOURNEY WITH GREYMOOR - With a new tutorial and a standalone story, Greymoor is built for new players.". I can purchase The Elsweyr edition now for $20AUD which includes Base, Elsweyr, Morrowwind and Sumerset then the upgrade is 60$ which is actually cheaper than just buying the complete Greymoor edition.
Also I've played a few MMOs in the past but I usually prefer it when I have some sort of direction on what to do/where to go etc rather than the make your own fun type of experiences. Would ESO lean more towards the former or the latter?
If it helps i've played WoW, GW2, Wildstar, Rift.
If you are interested in the game now, there's not much of a reason to wait for greymoor. There's plenty of content to experience without it, and Greymoor isn't adding any new classes/races that you might want to wait for.
As for your other question, ESO is more of a themepark than a sandbox so it sounds like you would like it. There is plenty of room to explore and you can hop around most zones in any order you want, but each zone has quest lines to follow. You should never feel like the game is just waiting for you to find something to do.
Thanks for the reply. I guess part of my confusion is if I start now, what happens when the expansion releases; can I just move straight to it regardless of what level I am? Might be hard to answer if they haven't really said anything but I guess based on previous expansions?
Yes, you can hop over to the new area when the expansion launches regardless of your level. Almost all of the content in the game is level scaling.