ESO Updates On the Horizon, But Are They Worth It?

Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) is reaching the end of its first month, and that means the roll out of its first big update is on the horizon.  There are those who love the game and absolutely swear by it, and others that are apprehensive. But the question is still there: is it really worth it?

Last week, game director Matt Firor published a rather lengthy blog post addressing multiple issues like botting and gold farming, gifting five extra days of free game time to those affected by it.  The press release also gave insight to what can be expected in the upcoming update and in updates to come.

While when the first major update will take place has not yet been released as it is still being tested in PTS, Firor urges those who play to stay tuned.

This update will include more than just bug fixes and tweaks. 

Craglorn, ESO’s first adventure zone specifically created for groups of Veteran Rank 1 and above characters, will be included, as well as a death recap that will allow players to see who killed them and what ability was used.

However, features that players are even more excited about are ones that will come with future updates such as a justice system, the two new veteran dungeons Crypt of Hearts and City of Ash, spellcrafting, horse racing, and Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood questlines. For those who want a change of appearance, armor improvements, tinting, and dying will become available as well as better NPC facial animations.

Firor’s post was mostly met with respect and adoration, proving that the developers are listening to both the positive and negative comments about gameplay. But there were also those that felt his release was a desperate PR move due to all the negative reviews and cancelled subscriptions.

While there are those that are upset about the lack of necromancy abilities, guild functionality, and lack of face sculptor, there are others that are hesitant to make the commitment to the game entirely.

Most are intimidated by the price. 

The standard edition is $59.99 with an option to upgrade to the Imperial Edition for $20 more.  The upgraded Imperial Edition comes with perks such as an imperial white horse, the Rings of Mara that allow players to complete the ritual of Mara with a friend and receive special perks when playing together, a Mudcrab vanity pet, and the ability to play as an Imperial in any alliance and transform and craft imperial gear. Players are given 30 days of free play and after that have to begin paying $14.99 monthly to play, but discounted rates are offered for those who choose 90- or 180-day subscription plans.

There are also those who can’t or won’t play it until it is released for different consoles, like PS4 and Xbox 1. Although these are not released yet, the game can be preordered for these consoles at participating locations like GameStop or online at Amazon.

Other are intimidated by all the bugs, hacking, botting, and gold farming that have come to light.  But with ESO being as large as it is, it is impossible for game developers to catch all of them as they happen.

However, MMORPGs are always going to face criticisms and despite its issues, ESO is not a game that should be simply cast aside. 

For those who love the Elder Scrolls games, it offers an experience close to the latter games but offers opportunities to share it with their friends and people from all over.  There are also those who argue that pay-to-play games will soon be a thing of the past with more and more games coming out with “freemium” games.

Firor ensures those that are apprehensive that ESO will get better and better every week.  Developers are setting up several community programs asking players to send in builds, guilds, screenshots, and more for them to share saying that “the true measure of ESO is what players in the game think.”

Let ESO developers know what you think and share your guild here.