Review: The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind

At launch, The Elder Scrolls Online had a lot promise. I recall being simultaneously floored and reserved in a preview event, and communicating to the team exactly why that has been. Thus far, they’ve fixed some of my complaints. Let’s get up to date somewhat.

Since launch ESO has revamped its leveling system, added instanced player housing, gone free-to-play, hosted four major DLCs, and presented numerous quality-of-life updates. That’s a lot in roughly 36 months, particularly when a number of other publishers could have let it rot or given up on it.

Yet, despite all of those trimmings they weren’t enough to obtain me back in earnest — until Bethesda dangled the promise of returning to Morrowind before me.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind (Mac, PC [reviewed], PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Developer: ZeniMax Online Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Released: June 6, 2017
MSRP: $39.99 (upgrade), $49.99 (full package with base game)

Perhaps the best benefit with this experiment is that you could develop a new character (or perhaps your first) and dive into Morrowind immediately, barring an optional tutorial. There’s no level cap requirement or gate limitation, you simply start a docked ship and walk directly into port within a few minutes. Because of the variety of hoops one normally has to jump through within an MMO to get to a brand new expansion (sorry, “Chapter,” as ZeniMax is calling it) this can be a blessing, and an extension of the efforts in the “One Tamriel” update.

For the reason for this review I mostly tested out Morrowind under the guise of a new player to find out if the onboarding experience was as advertised (it had been). Naturally I selected a Dark Elf Warden, because the mixture of the native race as well as the new class will allow me to totally entrench myself in this brave marketplace of mushrooms and machinery. I was immediately thrust into Vvardenfell, the most famous area of the Morrowind province, 700 years ahead of the events of The Elder Scrolls III.

Familiar faces are nearly immediately shoved prior to you, particularly Vivec, the illustrious warrior poet god king. Not all of them land. As i appreciate ZeniMax’s efforts to throw fans a bone, most of the writing and exposition winds up flat. MMOs have risen to the challenge of providing scripts that measure up for the industry in particular often times in the past, but most of the work the team creates for ESO lacks a level of engagement that the core series is occasionally noted for.

It isn’t just because of the heightened sense of fantasy with the eccentric foliage either. This is still exactly the same xenophobic realm of Morrowind, which can be great when juxtaposed for the rest lore from the Elder Scrolls universe. Reliving the heated political feud of the ruling Great Houses was obviously a rush as was seeing the gross Silt Striders and the congregation of undesirables that litter the streets.

The sport in addition has made great strides since the buggy times of launch yore. Nearly every day-to-day action is smooth (more smooth than your average Elder Scrolls actually), and I still love the option to go first-person in a MMO. The postgame Champion System and ability to instantly phase anywhere for leveling make adventuring that much more enticing, and every one of that funnels into more opportunities to screw around within the new island.

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