Hey guys,

Did anyone else try out The Elder Scrolls Online? It’s still possible for you to snag a beta code somewhere and test it out! Their email reads:

“This is our final large-scale beta event before Early Access. Join us from Friday, March 14th at 12:00PM EDT until Sunday, March 16th at 11:59PM EDT”

Early Access means you pay the $60 now and get to play it a bit earlier than the rest. I have yet to preorder since I am still gauging whether I want to get into it. However, the beta is quite promising.

Proof that you’re in beta

I’ve been searching for a good MMORPG for a while, and I did want to move away from World of Warcraft. It seems like every time I want to get back into the MMO world, my only option is WoW. I’m hoping ESO will make the cut for a high quality, well developed, and player filled game. I guess I can’t exactly tell how the final version will feel, or how many people will ultimately pick up the game, but as of now, the game’s developer ZeniMax has announced that 5 million people signed up for beta. This does not translate to actual players when the game ultimately releases, but it is still encouraging.

I’ve really only spent about 2 hours in the game so far to get a feel of the world and its mechanics. What was interesting was that this is a lot more skillshot-based than WoW, but that also means that getting to dodge attacks were quite fun. The inventory system is quite simple, but I have heard that as the game progresses, customizing your character’s skills and such get quite complicated? What was annoying to me was the lack of a mini map. I found it disorienting and I kept losing my sense of direction. Apparently, they’re using the compass system that they originally used in Skyrim. Not having played Skyrim, I’m used to having a mini map to guide me (I mean, this was there way back in Runescape days!). Do. Not. Like. However, their justification is that this will encourage players to explore ares.

Character creation was quite fun. There’s a lot of customizable features– easily double that of WoW. I got to change everything from my gut size to how high I want my cheekbones. However, I must say that their characters are not as…aesthetically pleasing as some games. I think that a lot of work can be done on how the characters can look more polished. Reminds me a lot of Rockstar’s GTA 5 problem where it was nearly impossible to create an attractive female character. I suppose in the end I was satisfied with my elf.

Anyways, as I said, it is a promising game. I’m really hoping that this will evolve to be something that can compete with WoW. I’m not too sure about its pricing scheme: $60 for the game itself, than a subscription fee of $15 each month. Basically the exact same as WoW. But think of it this way: you’re thinking of launching a new game in a market with an undisputed leader. I honestly think that they should sell the game at a one time cost, with future expansions costing an extra amount. Thoughts?

-Karen