The Elder Scro lls Online

The road that The Elder Scrolls Online has taken has been a rough one. Its attempt to unite fans of Skyrim and MMOs was seen by both parties as, at best, half-assed. The flexible class system and exquisite quests were hampered by rampant technical issues and a narrow storyline that funnelled players from one location to the next instead of giving them freedom to explore. To make things even worse, all of this culminated in an endgame grind that was so tedious it was demoralising.

Things weren’t looking great for TESO, but then Zeni Max Online Studios started making fundamental changes to the game. The subscription model was binned, the endgame was redesigned to add more diverse activities, and One Tamriel was launched. This update scrapped the level restrictions that made Tamriel feel so linear, letting players group with each other, complete quests, and explore regardless of what level they were.

Along with a host of expansions that added unique ideas, like thieving and Dark Brotherhood assassinations, and dungeons that mixed PVP and PVE, The Elder Scrolls Online has become one of the most robust MMOs available. It features a PVP mode similar to Guild Wars2, a storyline that expands the best parts of The Elder Scrolls’ lore, and the freedom to ignore all of it just to go off and explore. It took a while, but with Morrowind in tow, The Elder Scrolls Online finally feels close to the MMO that Skyrim players had wanted.

Best Feature: Like Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls Online increases your skills depending on the equipment you use. So if you want to sport heavy armor while using restorative magic and a bow, The Elder Scrolls Online will happily accommodate you.