Open the gates of hell, Summerset is open for all! Whether you’re an orc, an elf, a mere peasant or one from the feline lineage to the cold-blooded reptiles. With a game set in a mystical fantasy world filled with life and deathly-looking creatures, you are sure to find what you’re looking for whether you’re a veteran player trying to sink your teeth in for more hours or a newcomer like I am that just wishes to find a new place to stay for a while. Maybe start a family or two through in-game marriages or just finding mistresses in the chat.
But what separates ESO from many other MMORPGs that came before it? Well if you really must ask, the game is unique when it comes to character creation. And I’m not talking about the appearance but the full detailed work behind building your unique character. From the get go, you get access to the nine unique races and each with their own unique traits as well as the four different classes. With an option to spend real money to unlock another class and race if you choose to do so. But what’s really interesting with it is the versatility of each classes to the point you can play as a Sorceress but deals physical damage or tank, equip heavy armors, use an axe or even wooden bows… it’s really just up to you to decide what’s fun and what’s not. As well as being able to reset your skill points in case you feel like changing it up.
And for Summerset, one of the more prominent features it excels on is its story within a larger picture which just about anyone can pick up, grab an axe, and start whacking away with its level of detail put into the mere conversations up to the whole scale of things. The Summerset expansion starts off right after Morrowind. The High Elves’ Queen Ayrenn just opened up its gates for outsiders and as just like the High Elves is most commonly known for whether it’s this game or another is their superiority-complex and that is felt to the bones from the quest dialogue and to most of the locality in the premises that makes you want to crawl under a rock.
With a world as vast as it is beautiful and areas full of hidden surprises waiting to jump at you in the face armed with sharp fangs and deadly claws, I can’t help but feel overwhelmed to the sheer amount of content I need to go through. Conventional yet interesting to explore… from the towering coral forests, or Ebon Stadmont the time-bending forest, to the traditional cities and Elven architecture that fills the island. The main story itself feels so alive and with quest lines that I found so entertaining which made me late for work the day after, I just can’t help but imagine how much fun I’ll have as soon as I’m back at my seat and shaving off the entirety of its contents.
A challenging raid is added to spice things up a bit or just burn your tongue until you go back to your lonesome travels. With Cloudrest’s 12-Person Trial, you’ll be tasked with freeing the town from some sinister forces that plans on capturing it. The trial itself is filled with choices to allow the squad which bosses to go after first as well as splitting into groups to fight regular bosses and their shadow realities to defeat them simultaneously. Personally, this isn’t my cup of tea because I honestly don’t drink tea for that matter. But on a serious note, I really just prefer to play alone and do solo dungeons as much as possible whether it’s this game or another. So here comes my drink… the PvE challenges from story-focused dungeons that can be tackled with a group or solo so I don’t have to commit into communication or the time to wait for my friends (IF I HAD ONE) and on the other hand of the stick, there are boss encounters. YEY!
And before you think you’ve crafted everything, maxed out even the tiniest of spec in the fibers of your armor, or learned every spell you’ll ever need… here comes a brand new challenger! Jewel-crafting which is pretty self-explanatory and one of the most requested features that ESO players are hoping for so to keep it short it’s a new profession-type that would allow you to craft some pretty powerful jewelry to further expand your character’s utility in battles which also introduced a few more possible traits that can accompany them. Although similar to other crafting types this will not be a walk in the park either to make sure that old jewelry will not be obsolete day one. Then comes the newly added abilities and spells you can learn through the Psijic Order which is a forerunner to the Mages Guild that helped developed the many shapes and forms of magic in The Elder Scrolls games so with that you’ll be able to bend time to your own will if you chose to go down this path or just bend over to your boss to let you get off work a bit earlier. IT DIDN’T WORKED! But it was worth a shot.
Now I’m not one to judge the book by its cover but as a reviewer, it has to be done, one way or the other. The entire story whether it’s the core campaign or the side stories are excellently done. I just can’t find fault at it at all despite not knowing much, to begin with. Even starting off from a fresh character won’t be much of a letdown here. But because it’s so vast it’s going to take hours, days or even weeks to even just scratch the surface of everything you can possibly do in the game. At some point, I end up walking down the street or the hallways reading guides just to get a good grip at what I need to be doing. However, while the combat is pretty simple the one thing I manage to like about it is the idea that enemy level’s scale based on the controlled character which throws the idea of a level gap between a newbie and a veteran out of the window and makes grouping up easier compared to others.
Now because it’s an online “only” game, it does have its faults right there… from the regular maintenance to the fact that you can’t just play it if your internet is down for some reason. Also the fact that PS4 and Xbox One players require their PS Plus and Xbox Live Gold subscriptions to play it is a bit of a downside to people who don’t care much about them.
So in case, you’re not that kind of gamer, it’s well worth the purchase especially if you’re just starting out. The Collector’s Edition includes the base game and some fantastic goodies from cool mounts, exclusive pets, costume, emotes, and memento to help you in your adventure.
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