Circuit42 Critic.
Let's get this point across, I hate all MMO's out there. They are boring, bland and very unappealing to me. There is so many quest grinding and I find myself creating 4-5 new characters in the beginning because you can do so much to your character. Everything is limited to the armor you are allowed to wear, to the weapons and trades you can acquire. "Limits" is what strays me from almost all MMO's. Elder Scrolls series has a certain tastes for those that do not need directions but can do things on their own. The ability to imagine yourself is limited by your own creativity. That is what I look forward to this online series.
I have spent nearly 24 hours playing this game. I admit, the beta testing I have done was irritating. The thought of not able to kill everyone in town and taking their plunder worries me for future installments. After reading several articles that Bethesda themselves has no intention of halting the single player franchise due to the online series finally rethinks my opinion about the online game. Now with this new way of thinking gives me a different approach to the game.
It reminds me of MOBA mechanics meets MMO community. It is more like a rendition of 'Smite' and 'Tera' combined. Smite is a MOBA game which takes place in 3rd person, has meta qualities that is simple to understand, yet can be complex in nature if you wish to go deep into it. Tera requires you to actively participate using the mouse to aim and shoot your main weapon. This game has the same qualities being reflected into this, which is a nice addition to the gaming community.
Adventuring off and do anything you want is what you can do from a MMO standpoint. For a full 24 hours I still did not do the main quest. Getting a horse seemed like a waste as there is so much to do at every turn. Estimation of 100-200 meters there is another quest you can adhere to. So far I have reached 3 different lands, but I am still level 8 and reached no issues in attacking other A.I. The best part was at no point I ever saw in the quest "Kill (x) (animal)." I never felt that it was quest grinding but felt it was more of genuinely exploring. Chests are available to find as they spawn in specific spots but may require you to use a lock pick to unlock. This feature is tedious as I am not lock picking a chest from a traders shop. The end of the day I have 80 lock picks from looting a swarm of crates, baskets and drawers inside and outside homes.
Crafting armor is also a plus as well. Depending on which race you are requires you to add a personality to your armor. You can add additional materials to create a higher quality armor. Sometimes when you refine materials gives you additional exotic resources to create magical items. If you have the stomach and resources, you can take a chance into having a magical item for your armor. The higher exotic item required to make a magical item, the better chances it is made. If you just have one, you have a big chance of losing your armor forever.
Most of the time I often stumble across many different side quests and various elements you can harvest to improve your trade(s). Because you can pick any trade you wish or all (I'm doing) gives me a sense of accomplishment as I am doing everything the game is offering me. Usually when doing quests I am usually saying inside my head, "Oh a piece of candy. Oh! a piece of candy (repeat)." The plants, ore, runes, trees and animals are all evenly spread where it intrigues you to keep playing. After 25 minutes my inventory is full of goodies to improve my alchemy, woodcrafting, blacksmithing, enchanting, cooking, and clothing.
Your character has to start with a class in the beginning. This at first filled me with disappointment until I figured I can still do any "class" I wish to pursue or make my own. I consider myself a Battlemage as I carry 2 swords and switch to a staff from time to time. Leveling earns you skill points which can add them to your skill tree. This skill tree after using a spell/skill for so long can be transmuted into something more refined when you level up to suit your combat.
The armor is also one of my favorites as I am wearing all three armor types at the same time. I do this to increase all 3 of my armor skills. Because I am leveling as evenly as possible, the armor types are not far apart from each other in armor toughness.
All the things above clearly observed a positive experience. My rating of 8 out of 10 is because its not a mirror image of the original elder scrolls. If they offered that, I probably would not have time to work as I would be 'lost in the sauce.' The money inflation is a little high, as you can only purchase one to two items at a time. That is understandable because you can literally do everything with one character. Given the circumstance that any MMO out there I can only play them for 2 hours. I was able to play straight and continue to have a positive experience. Yes there are bugs but please disregard them as this is launch and those are expected.
Overall one sentence to say: "So much to do, so little time"