My theory is that they've been reallocating teams into Zenimax Online studios for projects like ESO. TBH I've been playing it and it's pretty cool compared to the dated feel of Vanilla Skyrim. If any of you own it, ESO Plus is free until June 19th, you just have to head to the Crown Store and click the free trial button.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

I've tried to get into ESO multiple times, always hyping myself up to just ignore the combat/difficulty and pacing and do it for the story alone, but it wears me down quite quickly every time. The vibe is just entirely off in every way. It's like playing with a cheap McDonald's toy with stiff legs and a weird button that makes it move it's arms vs. a licensed action figure.

Save for my issues with the lack of real risk or challenge anywhere outside of running end-game group content solo, I always get irritable with the weird class themes the developers went with. I think if they had three guardian base classes (Thief, Warrior, Mage) and allowed players to spend their limited pool of points into other Elder Scrolls trees (Destruction, Alteration, Restoration, Conjuration, Blunt, Blade, etc.) it could have been balanced well enough and felt true to what we've come to expect from that universe. But instead it feels like they made the game as an entirely different MMO, then at the last minute agreed to put an Elder Scrolls skin on it.

I'd like to be a Warrior with minor specialization in Restoration and Alteration, but if I want to play that sort or archetype I basically have to be a Templar who uses sun spells and does all of his fighting with aetherial javelins, maybe joining the Mage's Guild or something to simulate some sort of Alteration type buffs. Or I roll a Dragonknight who is themed entirely around fire and lava spells. Or I run around labeled a Sorcerer and use daedric spells/buffs to simulate Alteration, and ignore the rest of that classes abilities to branch out into melee and armor abilities. It's all just so convoluted and unusual.

Beautiful soundtrack, though.. Moth, Butterfly and Torchbug really does things to my heart, and leaves me hopeful that even without Jeremy Soule, TES6 may still have the type of score it deserves.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Combat Difficulty? I haven't experienced that yet and I'm at CP 385. When does the difficulty start? Are you talking about the super late game trials?

Oh you mean lack of difficulty, yeah I feel that it's sort of a let down.

[–] rayquetzalcoatl 1 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I did try ESO for a few weeks but it just felt a little bit... Not TESy? Like the actual movement feels different, the combat feels different, it just feels like a bit of a different beast! It's fun for what it is though, for sure. What do you play as? :)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

For sure the mechanics are wack, but it's got fully voiced dialogue for tons of quests, it's got material gathering and a bunch of other exploration based activities to do. It's also got equipment and consumable crafting, but TBH not much of it is actually useful except for Provisioning.

Argonian Templar, stuck with the training gear until summerset isles and swapped to Psyjic Gear to prep for trials.

[–] Mistic 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I wonder how much different it is now, compared to when the game was in closed beta.

It was a literal floating camera back then, lol.

Never played the game afterward due to subscription-based access.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I risk sounding like a fucking shill, but it's a purchase to own the game, the subscription is only for ESO Plus which gives access to all DLCs without having to purchase them individually.

[–] Mistic 1 points 5 months ago

It used to be subscription only back in the days.