Going to take a different tack with this week’s ESO column. We’re all just waiting for the launch of the Morrowind Chapter in June, wildly guessing what it’s going to be like and where the rest of 2017 will take us. But there’s one thing that I think might be fun to do while we wait – if you’re an ESO player, what’s your story with the game? No, this isn’t an RP exercise, but rather a poll to see how you got started in Tamriel and what keeps you playing month after month.
In addition, let’s call this the perfect time to air grievances too. No game is perfect, and for all its wondrous patches and additions over the past three years, I’m sure there are more than a few you all just don’t care for. I’ll start, and you all can chime in after. Deal?
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THE GOOD STUFF
When ESO launched, I was a fan, but it was missing something. And unlike most MMO developers, the ZOS team not only improved their game from launch, but they surpassed what most players wanted by delivering fantastic content updates every few months like clockwork. By the time the game went subscription-free, we started getting the bulk of the best DLC I’ve ever played – Orsinium, Imperial City, Thieves Guild, Dark Brotherhood, even Homestead.
I’ve also really enjoyed the sheer amount of stuff brought into the Crown Store, even if it’s not always been cost-conscientious. Hello, that Christmas Reindeer? That was too damn high. But the Crown Store, even with their Crown Crates being added, has been fair and not P2W from the start. It’s also not intrusive to your gaming experience. And I’ll freely admit I’ve spent plenty on the Crown Store for mounts, personalities, and costumes.
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Simply put, ESO has become my go-to game. I’m a fan, and I’ll gladly admit it. For theme park MMORPGs, even with WoW and FFXIV in the running, I think there’s no better experience all around than ESO. From combat to story, to PVP and PVE, ESO is the best of the bunch in my eyes. And if they can keep their cadence of updates going, it will be for a very long time.
THE NOT SO GOOD
The Group Finder. It works wonderfully for me if I run as a healer, in non-Vet dungeons or leveling. But I’m not the only one who flat-out can’t ever get it to work right or at all for DPS. There are countless threads on the ESO forums and Reddit, even here at MMORPG that go over this. But suffice to say, you’re better off finding a dungeon running guild since you can be in many.
The lack of Crown Crate items being for sale in the Crown Store. This may change in time, and I hope it does, because I know folks who would gladly pay 10 bucks for a mount without having to rely on RNG.
Housing’s lack of usefulness. As it stands now, Housing in ESO is great for the folks who like to decorate and have a place to just call their own. But without spending serious cash to make it a crafting haven, it’s just not very useful for anything else. Here’s hoping future updates let you make it into a farm, a guild shared space (more easily), or anything else like a place to gain bonus XP or something along those lines.
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ROUNDING UP
There you have it. My overall outlook on ESO from where it was to where it is today. I’m sure there are bound to be folks who disagree, or have different opinions and that’s just dandy. That’s life. So lay it out for me in the comments. Do you like where ESO is now? Are you a Fanriel of Tamriel… don’t use that, it’s terrible.
