Is Elder Scrolls Online Worth Playing in 2024
Have you been on the fence about playing Elder Scrolls Online? Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) was released back in 2014 to a pretty mixed reception. The game had a different look, feel, and playstyle to the popular fantasy MMOs of the time, and many players struggled to see the appeal or get hooked. The game was also different enough from the Skyrim and Oblivion console games that attracting these players was also a challenge.
However, we’re now 6 (coming up on 7) years on, and the game has developed a lot since then. It’s fair to say the ESO has stood the test of time and managed to attract a steady stream of players throughout its lifetime.
New players are still coming to the game today, and this is who our article is geared towards. This is a guide for gamers considering taking the jump into ESO in 2024. Let’s take a look.
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Elder Scrolls Online Setting and Story
While the console games take place in just one region, ESO features the whole world map of the ESO universe. This means you can travel or Morrowind, Skyrim, Valenwood, and plenty of other places.
Each region is a fully functioning huge zone full of events, main storylines, side stories, and secrets. If you’re a fan of the Elder Scrolls games, then you’ll recognize a lot of the places, and the game will feel familiar to you. The game is rich in lore, and it’s better for it.
Mechanics
The game mechanics are fairly complex, using a mixture of tag targeting, aiming, blocking, rolling, class abilities, interrupting, basic attacks, and heavy attacks. Put simply, a lot is going on. However, new players are taken through a tutorial to help them get to grips with the mechanics, and the initial fights are designed to help you learn the combat mechanics.
You advance with new abilities quickly, in fact, much quicker than in other MMOs. You barely get to grips with a unique ability or fight mechanic before you learn a new one. This can be overwhelming for some players, but for others, it’s refreshing.
Many MMOs today focus too heavily on hand-holding players through every step of the game. This results in the game feeling bland and straightforward throughout the leveling process, and players feeling entirely out of their depth when they get to the end-game. This is not a concern for ESO, though. It’s exciting to always be learning a new ability and advancing your character.
The main negative of the combat system is the animations and visuals. While the game, on the whole, has a unique and attractive art style, the combat visuals look a little off at times.
Skill Systems
This is where ESO really shines! The skill systems are incredibly advanced and allow for highly customizable characters and playstyles. You pick a class, and your class will come with three unique skill trees. You unlock abilities as your progress, and can even morph abilities to create new ones. Most MMOs stop here, but ESO goes much further. Almost everything in the game is skill lines, not just the class system. Any class can use every weapon in the game, and each weapon has its own skill line complete with abilities and Ultimates.
If you have specific items you need for weapons, you can buy ESO gold online and purchase anything you need. The armor system has skill lines too, allowing players to unlock passive abilities on their armor.
There are also Guild skill lines, World skills lines, and more. This means almost any class can become anything. You’re not boxed into a healer or tank role like you would be in other MMOs.
End-Game
There are tons of things to do at the end game because character progression is never done, and the developers are continually releasing new expansions. You’ll never struggle to find new things to do in the game because you’re never done with improving your character. Leveling every skill up to where you want it to be will keep you busy, but if you’re short on time, you can buy ESO boosting services online too.
Conclusion
ESO is still worth playing in 2024. The game offers an intricate skill system, rich lore, and plenty of content for exploring. However, since the game is a little on the old side now, some players May dislike the visuals.
Some areas of the game look stunning, and the characters look great, but in other places, the visuals do look a little dated. If this isn’t a major thing for you, then you’ll love the game.