Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited dropped at midnight last night. After waiting about an hour for it to install to my Xbox One and about another hour and a half to log in to the North American servers, I was finally able to create my character and roam the lands of Tamriel. They are vast, they are dangerous, but most importantly, they are fun.
I have to admit, I was afraid of what this game was going to be. I had not seen any gameplay footage before it was released and had this little voice in my head telling me this was going to be another click-and-watch MMO with fetch quests where you mind numbingly take on the same kind of task over and over. ESO: TU is definitely not that. The combat and overall mechanics are sill reminiscent of Oblivion and Skyrim. Timing is just as crucial as it was in those previous titles and every encounter feels like a test of your skill rather than your stats. Quests are varied and still give you freedom to explore the world. In one quest line alone I had rescued an entire village brimming with the Nordic architecture and culture you would find in Skyrim and then evacuated them to a shore somewhere in Morrowind. This complete change of scenery was refreshing and just gave me incentive to explore more.
Feeling solidly rewarded is not something that happens in a lot of MMOs for me. I won’t even get started with how bad the loot systems are in Destiny and World of Warcraft, requiring groups of people to travel through the same piece of content over and over just to get the proper gear. Elder Scrolls Online makes it known when you start a quest, makes it easy to manage your progress through a quest, and rewards you in a satisfactory manner when you finish. Most of the adventures I completed were rewarded with a small bit of gold but some gave me such good gear I was making quantum leaps in stats. Nothing feels better than switching out a cruddy dagger for a hammer that takes large chunks of health off an enemy per swing or slipping on a new piece of armor and laughing as the beasties you once had to run from now can hardly scratch you. Those who want even more can elect to pay the waived $15 a month for Elder Scrolls Online Plus which rewards them with extra crowns, access to DLC, and a few other perks.
In essence, despite day one login issues (not surprised), I find it hard to say I came across any major flaws in my approximately 6 hour play session. I hope to sink my teeth deeper into what Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited has to offer. As always Like and Follow Space Time Taco for more gaming first impressions. Don’t forget E3 is in less than a week, we at STT will be live tweeting the main conferences and added our own commentary for the industries biggest announcements, for more Follow us on Twitter: @SpaceTimeTaco
