Elder Scrolls Online has had a relaunch of sorts with its latest version now available on the PS4 and Xbox One: Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited. Graev and I both enlisted quite some time ago in ZOS’ offer to buy the new edition for only $20 rather than a full price console release. While both of us also took advantage of the free character copy to bring over our banks full of crafting mats, we decided to completely reroll characters in the Daggerfall Covenant.
I went with a Templar using a 2-hander and a Bow (designed to just be lots of DPS and AOE DPS), and Graev is playing as a Sorcerer user of sorts who summons and heals. So far we are enjoying ourselves by taking things slow and doing most of the quests. Neither of us love quest grinding, and that is purely what ESO is all about, but the combat is fun and we like to slaughter monsters.
So what’s different in ESOTU? Umm… I guess not much. The use of a controller makes playing way more fun, if that counts? Really though, apparently the game hasn’t received THAT much worth writing home about. Stealing has been added, and if you are caught with contraband you will be fined by guards. The thieves guild and Dark Brotherhood, however, are not yet in the game. The running conjecture at this point is DLC now that ESO is B2P supported by a cash shop. End-game has received some decent work with veteran ranks, though, if that’s your thing.
One interesting addition is voice chat. Area voice is on automatically and is opt-out rather than opt-in. This has proven to be quite embarrassing for some. The quality is decent, and having such a feature makes grouping easy since the console comes with a mic for all to use.
Performance on the consoles is not without its downsides. The graphics are great on PS4, but both Graev and I run into hitching at the exact same spots in-town leading me to believe it is game/server-side. The hitching is most common in cities at this point. Unfortunately, playing on PS4 means having a subscription to Playstation Plus which is like $50 a year or something. Not huge, but worth noting.
Worth buying? Here’s my honest stance right now. ESOTU is ESO, and it’s worth getting if you liked the PC version enough to say, “Hey, I’d like to sit on my couch and play it on my console.” Â The game has life I honestly haven’t seen since week 1 of ESO launch. Both Graev and I both liked ESO but couldn’t fall in love with the game. ESOTU is a great chance for us to dungeon crawl, slay baddies, and play in a world we enjoy. Will we be playing long? We’ll make our way to 50 at our own pace and play until we get bored.
Edits after reading some comments: If you treat ESOTU like a MMO then you’re screwed. It’ll be 1-2 monther at most. Treat it like a multiplayer RPG with a semi-decent story and better than average combat. Play with a friend or two. Go at it alone, or quest grind your way to the top, and you’ll be bored in a week. It’s a console game for me. I would not even consider playing it again on PC or treating it like I do an MMO. ESO on PC was the beta for the console version, where it clearly belongs.
[yasr_overall_rating]
Betting you play this less than a month.
Have you played anything other than some flavor of Everquest for more than a couple of months in a row in the last three years? Five years?
I know you came up with the “three-monther” term but when did you even last a full, consecutive three months in any MMO?
“at our own pace and play until we get bored.”
So every other new MMO out there!
I know this, yet i still want to only play mmo’s…
At this point i 100% regret ever finding out about MMOs, its ruined gaming for me as a whole.
I tried to get back into it, just couldnt do it. The combat is clunky as hell and its elder scrolls in name only.
The sad part is a game from 1999 offers me way more enjoyment than something recent.
@Solarbear: Most likely 3-4 months or until Graev is bored. 🙂 We play around 4-5 hours a week in scheduled sessions. It’s a fun game to not treat like a MMO. The minute you treat ESO like a MMO you’re screwed.
@Bhagpuss: Yeah, I believe WoW falls within that time window. Played it for around 5 months straight at one point in the last 5 years. Non-MMOs I’ve played Assassin’s Creed, Minecraft, and lots on the Wii U all longer than a couple of months. I treat console gaming was different from PC gaming. PC gaming is a sit down and play a lot mentality. Consoles are a plop down on the couch and play for 30 minutes here and there.
@Wonderwyrm: I think the combat is pretty good all things considered. I like to swing my huge axe around and cleave enemies or pull out my bow and snipe a bit. It’s not twitch at all because there is plenty of room for error in aim, but that’s what makes it relaxing.
I’m actually enjoying it a lot more on the PS4 than I did on PC. The combat never felt right for me on the PC. All my combat actions always felt like they were a half second behind when I hit my key. On the PS4, the combat just feels much more responsive, and I think the game works really well with a controller. I transferred over a VR6 AD Sorc and a VR2 DC DK, but also decided to start fresh and experience EP. Made a nightblade. Have to say I am enjoying the EP zones more than I remember enjoying the AD and DC zones. Up to 27 now, mixing my time between Cyrodiil and EP quest zones. Overall pretty happy with it. Absolutely worth the 20 bucks already.