A delightful blend of MMOG and RPG, The Elder Scrolls Online takes you on a fantasy adventure. With both the single-player and multiplayer options, there’s a chance to explore the futuristic landscape alone or with a group of friends. Released by Bethesda Softworks in 2014, the game is filled with engaging quests, combats, and stories from the fictitious world.

The lure of the Elder Scrolls Online is the promise of adventure its massive landscapes hold. There’s a lurking thrill in the quiet and unique geography that you deeply savor from a bird-eye view. However, when you get right down to the streets, don’t be surprised to be greeted with disappointments. The online environment of the game gives it some clumsiness that the adventurous drive somehow wanes. 

However, the Elder Scrolls Online still presents with intriguing storylines that are most often demonstrated than narrated. For example, I did see an ally transform into an indescribable monster – and it felt just like life, a mantra the game holds dear.

Getting Started

The excitement builds right up from the beginning when you have to create your character. First, you have to choose a race from this world of fantasy. Then you select a class from one of the four possible and build your character just the way you want it. A sweet-looking angelic Nord sorcerer or a terrifying, scar-riddled Orc fighter – the choice is yours. Tarmiel, the fantasy world, hasn’t seen anything like you!

Gameplay

With character creation completed, city expeditions begin. In my gameplay, Daggerfall, it was for me. On the streets, I met many people who wanted me to help solve different tasks from what I expected. Either I had to bring animated anthropomorphic beings back to life or unravel complex age-long mysteries. Bar such engaging tasks, it was mostly lengthy conversations with the city people.

Like in other Elder Scrolls installments, the camera zooms in on the person you’re conversing with. There’s a voice to everything said, and you’re compelled to give a reply to every line of conversation. While these conversations weren’t inherently bad, actors’ repetition as the game went on was a turn-off.

Now, the game doesn’t stick its neck out for character development. Instead, a considerable chunk of dedication was deployed in building the plot and lengthy dialogue. However, the Elder Scrolls Online doesn’t allow you to elicit the kind of conversations you want to have. Instead of trudging along the streets, set the store of a locale on fire and wade through the entire village’s brimstone. Some fun it would be, right? But you can’t do that in this game – too bad.

The game allows you to do whatever you want to do: go wherever you want to go. But remember that there are other players you have to fight. Invariably, there’s a limit to the direction you can go.

Stories That Never End

In The Elder Scrolls Online, the scrolls never run out of letters. There’s a pre-determined line of events you have to follow, with no room for you to create yours. The good thing is, these events present with sufficient excitement and adventure. Once, I had to lead the Fighter’s Guild of a village to freedom from a sinister force. Other times, I watched an incredibly brave young woman give up her life for a worthy cause.

These events, brilliantly intertwined with the storyline of The Elder Scrolls Online, keep the intrigue coming. Unlike in other Elder Scrolls games, you’d have to carry out very few “kill a wolf” or “murder a bug” quests. Yet, the game wears the crown when it comes to repeating themes. You’re going to come across a community leader manipulated by a cult group a thousand times.

Mostly every quest ends with you having to make a far-reaching decision. In a single-player mode, this presents with little or no problem. But in a multi-player mode, there’s a problem when all squad members are not in sync with each other. Imagine starting a battle, and a squad member can’t see the folks you’re supposed to kill. Such moments left me dazzled. 

However, The Elder Scrolls Online does have some multi-player magical moments, like the four-player dungeons. Here, it’s possible to scale through even if the team members are all incongruent. 

Action, Weaponry, and Magic

The Elder Scrolls Online is not just about storytelling and breathtaking landscapes. There’s enough action to keep your adrenaline pumping. While combat may look lackluster compared to real sizzling combat displays, there are some positives notwithstanding. The onscreen reticle allows you to target your enemy, and you can block attacks. 

There’s also some cool magic to play with. The sorcery feature lets you call down fire, lightning, and even ice. I found them extremely useful in advanced levels with increasing difficulty. Also, the magic spells include restorative staff that could heal a team member when they take a fall.

When it comes to weaponry, there are no limitations, save the skills you possess. The reason for this is that every weapon requires specific skills to operate them. Advancing levels, completing quests, and collecting skill shards all contribute to your skill points. The more skill points you have, the easier it is for you to spread across the five active skills you can possess. Otherwise, you might have to depend on passive skills when the need arises.

There would be no terrifying problem with The Elder Scrolls Online if the single-player and multiplayer modes were seamless. Instead, the disjointing between both is a concern. You can’t tell if a buddy will choose to pursue their objectives during a battle and completely ghost on you. Worse still, you can’t do anything about it. Other than that, The Elder Scrolls Online brings some intriguing narratives that make for a nerve-racking gaming experience.