We’re playing alone, together today with a title that truly deserves the “forever game” moniker if any game does, Elder Scrolls Online. Up top, I do want to clarify that I did in fact play this massively multiplayer online game as a solo adventurer and my time was spent on the Xbox One console. I have plans to hop on in the future with my Freshly Baked Crackers co-host Josh, and I may do a revisit type review to talk about the social aspects, but for now, we’re going to focus on the solo player experience.
Elder Scrolls Online is absolutely an MMO title that can be very thoroughly enjoyed as a solo player. This is good news for those of us who are quite attached to the single-player adventures that the series focused on in previous titles. Elder Scrolls is a fantasy RPG series that has spanned many decades and platforms, with the last three numbered titles in the series -Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim as the third, fourth, and fifth respectively- being massively popular over their eighteen-year release span. Skyrim so much so that the idea of the title being ported to so many different systems has become a popular meme. So the offering of a game where your adventures in this deeply lore-rich universe take you to not just one subtitular nation, but across the entire continent of Tamriel, is something most fans of the franchise could not turn down. But the idea of doing that with other people -potentially strangers- is not something many of us took kindly to.
I have never cared for MMORPGs, though not for lack of trying. I did give Elderquest a go back in the old days, but I didn’t have a computer at the time that was good for games really, though I enjoyed the idea of LAN parties at a pal’s house. Games became more online in general over time, and I have always bristled at the idea. I’m not big on strangers, so I really don’t love them invading my escapism. Also, since I play a wide variety and revolving door of games, I’ve never been able to compete seriously with shooters or pay a monthly service fee for just one game, and so on. I’m an only child, I like to play alone. Anyway, I gave WoW a go at one point, tried Star Wars Galaxies before it died, and The Old Republic before it had a story. And that was what they were really missing for me: meaningful story. I know there is a plot to WoW, and it may be my fault admittedly, but I lost it. The shallow grind of “kill 10 X” as the mission structure lost me completely without a meaningful setting and story. The Star Wars titles had the setting but not the story deepness I craved. But Elder Scrolls has both and a little bit more variety to missions.
Now, there are plenty of fetch quests and kill count quests, but each and every one, no matter how basic, is fully voice acted. The major players in main missions show up all over the base game and even the DLC areas, and some are quite delightful to get to know. I was always happy to run into my killer cat buddy, a Khajiit named Raz, no matter what manner of danger he dragged me into. It gives the game a lot of life and continues to add to the insanely deep lore of the Elder Scrolls world, while still doing the same fetch quest, hot bar combat, and crafting you find in other MMOs. It really isn’t much deeper than just being a level of storytelling more expected from solo titles, but it works to keep me invested in the world past the surface level appeal of the setting.
That being said, at its bones, it’s still an MMO. The combat is more arcade-y than the solo Elder Scrolls titles. Though the combat has never been extremely deep in the past, there is less weight to attacks than what you’d find in Skyrim. It is less pure dice-roll based than Morrowind but can feel about as gamey at times. The different abilities you can use are interesting though, and there seem to be quite a few character build options among the different classes, though player roles can boil down to the basics of tank, healer/support, and damage causers. There are lots of options for solo builds too, allowing you to balance damage done and healing, on top of food and potions that can be crafted for buffs. The enemies and loot all scale to the player’s level so you’ll never encounter an enemy in the wild that will be too much for you if you are prepared. However, there are specific dungeons, boss encounters, and such that are made specifically for more than one player, so the difficulty in those areas is higher than the average. But, even a solo tough character with a good build and the right gear could potentially tackle some of those areas. If you’re just a regular person though and don’t want to risk your neck, these areas are clearly marked to help you pick and choose what you do want to do.
This player freedom is really what made me cave and give this title a try again. I admittedly did give Elder Scrolls Online about an hour of my time ages ago, when there was a free weekend. The time was spent simply complaining though, as I was annoyed following behind “randos” in my dungeons. I have since played quite a few hours (years) of Red Dead Online, a game that made me decide “others be damned,” as I wanted nothing more than to fish as a redheaded cowpoke, and not a thing in the world would stop me. Now that I’ve learned to ignore or help (real quick, if need be) folks I stumble across instead of letting their mere existence rob me of a potentially fun experience. I may be socially anxious, but unlike the real world, I can mute myself and others. It’s a good option, and I’m glad I’ve learned to live with it, because with Elder Scrolls online I can become a Nirn renowned cat-person clothier and woodworker. Crafting fine goods for my fellow traveling Khajiit in the style of our homeland. I can fish some more, be a mage book loremaster, steal stuff, all the things I have enjoyed plus a few more, in my times with the solo Elder Scrolls titles.
There is a main story that I, as usual, quickly ignored to join a guild and learn a trade. I’ve become very attached to the Queen and cause of my nation’s political Alliance, of which there are three affiliated with specific character race choice. I’m on my way to becoming a seasoned chef and can craft items in the styles of a few different cultures. I definitely put in more than six hours before I finally got to this column, but I found my ability to manage time wasn’t hindered by the game itself.
My biggest complaint with online games, hands down, is with the inability to pause. I understand why it is that way, you can’t pause one player in a massive game world, you don’t want inactivity bogging up a server, and so on, but it still really sucks to not be able to leave a game at a moment’s notice without losing any time you put in. Most games, even ones not online, will just drop you off at a checkpoint, and it may not always be near where you actually left off. The Elder Scrolls titles however have always had a pretty solid save system. Where you saved last is exactly where you will return. Elder Scrolls online works that way too, and it is brilliant. You just log out and the game saves where you were and drops you right back in when you return. This may be an issue if you just killed an enemy and didn’t leave the area, they have been known to respawn and come back for more, but barring that and the load times on your return, its about the closest thing to safely pausing in an online game that I’ve experienced.
Elder Scrolls Online is not only a solid jumping-off point for a first time player of MMO titles, but is also a great addition to the Elder Scrolls series, with the same deep lore and fun dialogue that makes the series so beloved, while also having a decent skill system that isn’t too overwhelming, but with arcade-y combat. The base game is currently available to Xbox Game Pass members and is on sale for Xbox and PS4 players on their respective digital stores. It’s also available on PC and Mac, with a future release of June 16 for Stadia. You can purchase many different types of DLC -including a new story in Skyrim, out now- as well as a premium subscription option if you need more. However, there is so much content already -plus no subscription needed to play- this is really one title that could last the right person quite some time for very little investment. If you are still in quarantine, took an arrow to the knee, or just find yourself needing an adventure to tie you over until Elder Scrolls 6, then now might be the time to grab this fantastical journey.