9 things to dislike about The Elder Scrolls Online if you’re an MMORPG player
So The Elder Scrolls Online (TESO) came out at the start of April, and we’ve run our first impressions of it, as well as written a handy general guide for newbies. Of course, TESO is going to take some time to review completely, but that doesn’t mean we can’t already tell you what’s wrong with the game.
Don’t jump to conclusions just yet, though; TESO, by far, does not suck. It does, however, lack of lot of features that a typical MMORPG player is going to miss. Here are some of the things Zenimax Online have seemingly completely forgotten about, or have just plain chosen to neglect.
1. There are no visible EXP bars
This is criminal. For the MMORPG player, grinding is everything. “Just one more level” is his or her mantra. Now imagine playing a game where you need to grind, but where you also aren’t told how much more EXP you need to get the next level or how many experience points you just picked up. There just isn’t anything in the standard user interface that shows you how you’re progressing. This made and still makes me sad.
(See: The Elder Scrolls Online first impressions: old scrolls, new adventures)
2. Quest progression is poorly designed
There are quest hubs in the game, typically in outposts and towns, but quest progression branches out and can lead you to both ends of the area you’re in, at once. In some MMORPGs, quest progression is neatly delineated, and you’re usually able to complete all quests without leaving the same area. Not so for TESO, though; expect to be running around like a headless chicken completing your quests, and to pick up even more quests along the way that won’t be anywhere near each other.
3. Too much damn running with no quick recall
Most MMORPGs have an item or spell that lets you recall your character to your preset town of choice. TESO does not have this (though I am in a very early stage of the game), not for free anyway. The only quick travel options available in the game are waypoints, which you can use to return to at any point in the map for a small fee. I wish there was a better way to travel, though. Running endlessly is very last-gen.
4. Quest log not easily accessible
Call me spoiled, but World of Warcraft truly has a queen of user interfaces. In TESO, your quests are neatly stored in a quest log, but only one quest is ever active at one time. You can call up the quest log to see what else you have going, but otherwise you have to manually scroll through quest markers with the T button. At least there are quest markers, though.
(See: 6 tips for new players to The Elder Scrolls Online)
5. You’re not taught about skills
I found out today I was playing a sorcerer for six levels as a melee character. Call me blind and stupid, but I wouldn’t have overlooked this silly mistake if I had been told to set my skills. The very first time you level up, the game, like all games, prompts you to hit the C button to add points into your health, magicka, or stamina reserves. It doesn’t tell you to click on the next menu option and look at your skills. Therefore I ran around for six levels, wondering why in the world I only had a basic and heavy attack, certain that I would get to learn something eventually, once I made it into town. I blame the game.
6. Confusing item hotkeys
Item hotkeys are super helpful when you need to down pots in a pinch. You can’t pause in TESO the way you can pause mid-battle in Skyrim and gobble up all the cheese wheels you have in your bag. So in TESO, you have a whole circle of item hotkeys, except that only the first one is visible and usable. Adding consumables to my other quick item slots made them…disappear, and I only discovered how to use themquite by accident, while trying to strafe with the Q button.
7. Skill points are needed for everything
Apart from gaining skill points when you level, you can also pick up these much needed points from Skyshards—random, glowing runes that you can absorb into yourself. Three Skyshards make up one skill point. At first, this sounds unimaginably overpowered, since Skyshards can be found all over Tamriel and you can collect them regardless of level. Then you realize: you need skill points for everything, from your individual weapon skills to armor bonuses.
8. Your special stuff is not account wide.
I feel most disappointed about this, actually. I pre-purchased the Imperial edition of the game for its special items, and for the limited explorer’s pack. The explorer pack’s items are not account wide, since they’re just maps and your characters share a bank. The Imperial edition’s limited edition freebies, though, are pets and a pledge of Mara, and while they can be banked and picked up by a new character, it would have been nice if they were account-wide so all my characters could use them instead of having to drop them off and pick them up at the bank again. I didn’t think I’d be paying extra cash for one-use Imperial edition items!
(See: VIDEO: The Elder Scrolls Online first impressions)
9. You have to think more than you’re used to
Yup, unlike most other MMORPGs, you have to read the quest text, listen to what the NPCs want, and generally use your brain. Some quest puzzles involve you understanding how science works while others give you the choice of deciding an NPC’s fate. You can’t get through this game by blinding clicking. Even with the help of quest markers, the world is vast and complex enough that you need to know what is really going on.
However while Zenimax Online has failed somewhat at giving players a typical MMORPG experience, it has managed to bring a true Elder Scrolls experience to this massively multiplayer online game. A new experience is not always a bad one, and there are many things that TESO has done well.
We will give our verdict on the rest of the game once we’ve experienced it, but in the meantime, we want to know: as an MMORPG player, is there anything else you dislike about TESO? Comment away, people!
The post 9 things to dislike about The Elder Scrolls Online if you’re an MMORPG player appeared first on Games in Asia.
