the Monster Slayer Chronicles April 2015 | 7
Back to Tamriel
The Returning Player Experience
Author: Beecher
I remember the exact moment I cancelled my ESO sub. I arrived in Deshann for the first time and spotted a brand new crafting node. I ran forward, visions of fancy new armor in my head, and a bot appeared out of nowhere. In a blink, the bot was gone with the flax. This happened at the next node. And the next.
It was death by a thousand paper cuts with the bot infestation the killing blow. The phasing, the gold spammers, the limited storage, the ridiculously high price of bank/bag slots, 40k gold for a horse and the nagging feeling that this MMO wasn’t very good at being an MMO was too much.
ESO went buy-to-play in March. Now is the perfect time to re-install, patch and take a return trip to Tamriel.
First Impression: I have to respec all my skill points? But I don’t remember what anything does.
Before you can even play an existing character, you must respec. Either do a little research or be okay with spending foolishly. I dumped all my points into weapons and completely forgot about my class abilities. You can’t do worse than me.
Second Impression: Was ESO always this fun?
I did not expect to enjoy myself. Fixes have been added to crafting, inventory, combat, skills and even phasing (but I haven’t tried grouping yet). After two weeks, I have yet to spot a single bot or gold spammer. Also, I made a bow that sets things on fire, so I’ve been giggling a lot. All these little things add up to a significant change.
Pros:
Gorgeous world and stunning light effects.
Quality Writing - better than most MMO’s, but not as good as the writing in TSW.
Dynamic stories - your actions impact the world around your character.
Simplified crafting and inventory system.
The cheapest horses are now 10k - transportation for the broke adventurers!
Bots and gold spammers are gone.
No realms or dimensions, only the US and EU servers.
Cash shop limited to convenience items.
Cons:
Must respec old toons before you can play.
Content still phased. I’ve been told it has improved but I’ve yet to try grouping and experience it.
Can not repeat missions.
Stories keep giving choices that are morally between a rock and a hard place. I wanna be the good guy! Nothing is black and white in Tamriel.
Still not great at the “MMO” part of being an MMO.
No auction house. No good way to sell or buy crafting materials.
Unsure how future DLC will be handled.
Maybe ESO being free from a monthly sub makes me more forgiving towards the game. Even if I never play in a group again, I can experience the game solo and get to level 50 this time. Definitely give it a try.
Also, Anuschka will totally make you a vampire if you ask nicely.