The Elder scrolls franchise has been a solid RPG for some time now. These games have always been about exploration and lore, with a deep enough story to become lost in its world for hours on end, but since going online in 2014, it has had mixed reviews across the board.
When initially playing Elder scrolls online in 2015, I was bitter sweet towards it. It was really something I wanted to love. I hoped with the new Greymoor expansion, things would change. Unfortunately, it has not.
Graphically it has aged, with other MMO’s stepping up and creating better character models, it feels as if I am playing a game from the PS3 era.
Although the visuals and landscapes are impressive, it doesn’t make up for the poorly rendered character models and physics within the game.
Sound is well done, fully orchestrated as well as crisp clean sounds of the environment, and enemies.
Gameplay seems to funnel one towards a class that uses abilities instead of solid melee fighting. I tried to make a warrior type build, but this failed dismally as the clunky control scheme, and erratic hit detection spoiled the experience. Within my first hour of playing, I encountered 3 to 4 bugs. One where I searched for an objective for thirty minutes. Just to realize, that when reloading the game, the character model I was meant to speak to didn’t load in.
Another major grouse I have with the game, is that there is no mode in which you are isolated. Where you can still be on your, own and lock out the rest of the players.
Gone are the days where you explore a cave calmly, as if you are discovering a new, unknown location. Instead when entering a new area, you see bodies strewn around the area, killed by adventurers that were there a minute before, and you are given your quest reward. There just isn’t any incentive or difficulty to the campaign.
There will always be a high-level player somewhere that will kill your enemies for you. This creates a weird anxiety in which you actually rush through the game to make your kills and do the missions effectively. Perhaps they could have had a mode in which you and a private party of friends join.
Story wise, the plot is paper thin, with no memorable characters within the universe. It seems as though this was filler.
ESO: Greymoor is ultimately for returning fans of the universe. For those of you that want to take the jump into this vast fantasy world that has been present since 2015, you are better off placing your hard-earned money elsewhere.
Rating: 6/10
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