The Elder Scrolls Online "will get better and better every week"

The Elder Scrolls Online director Matt Firor today published an lengthy blog post about the current state of the PC MMO and where it's headed in the days and weeks to come.

First, Firor said Bethesda is "working every day" to reduce gold farming and botting in The Elder Scrolls Online. He said customer support representatives are actively banning bots in dungeons to help clear up the issue, and that Bethesda is "doing a lot of work" behind the scenes to "keep the game honest." You can help Bethesda by reporting botting and spamming activity, Firor said.

"In a world as large as ESO's, with endless variations of gameplay by players, it is impossible for QA to identify all bugs before launch" -- Firor

He also said that bug-fixing remains a constant task for Bethesda. Because The Elder Scrolls Online is so large and there are so many variables to consider, it was impossible to launch a bug-free product, he said.

"In a world as large as ESO's, with endless variations of gameplay by players, it is impossible for QA to identify all bugs before launch, but we're working hard to find and close them quickly," Firor said. "We've fixed many quest blockers, especially in zone, NPC guild, and main story quests, but we know there are still others."

Because the game's launch issues were so widespread, Firor said players who create an active account prior to 8 p.m. tonight and who are currently using their 30 days of included game time will be given five additional days of play time. If you're eligible for the extra game time, you'll be notified through email.

"This is a small gesture to show our thanks for being part of the ESO community while we work to make this extraordinary game and service even better," Firor said.

Firor went on to say that The Elder Scrolls Online's "Update 1" will not only introduce Craglorn, the game's first adventure zone, but it will also contain many tweaks and bug fixes. This update is currently in testing and you can see a full list of patch notes at the game's website.

Also in the blog post, Firor addressed The Elder Scrolls Online's review scores. He said he reads everything--positive and otherwise--and uses this feedback to inform how the game will shape and evolve over time.

"ESO generates strong emotions in gamers--both positive and negative. While I obviously don't agree with the more negative articles, the reviews are out there, and we read them to determine if there are legitimate complaints that we should address," Firor said. "Some of the negativity in reviews comes from bugs. As you can see, we're hard at work addressing them and will keep rolling out fixes. This game will get better and better every week."

Finally, Firor provided a long list of features and updates that Bethesda hopes to add to The Elder Scrolls Online throughout 2014 and beyond. All of the features you see below are in active development, Firor says, but there's no word yet on when they'll be delivered.

• A system that allows grouped players to see each other even when they’re in different phases.
• A justice system—steal from and kill NPCs and deal with the consequences if you are caught.
• Migration of European Megaserver to our European datacenter.
• Field of View (FOV) adjustment.
• Armor dyeing and tinting.
• Two new Veteran Dungeons: Crypt of Hearts and City of Ash.
• New region of Craglorn with a new Trial (the Serpent).
• Increased ability to pick up items in the world.
• Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood storyline and quests.
• Spellcrafting.
• Horse Racing.
• Dragonstar Arena--similar to Trials, but built for a group of four.
• Improvements to fishing.
• Crafting system improvements.
• Improved Looking for Group system.
• Better NPC facial animations.
• Guild functionality updates: guild store interface updates, customizable guild insignias, tabards, and guild ranks, and Guild Kiosks--guild stores open to everyone that are available to the highest-bidding guild.
• Auto-leveling dungeons that level to your group leader.
• Awards when you repeat dungeons.
• Imperial City PvP dungeon.

The Elder Scrolls Online launched April 4 for PC. It comes to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in June. For more, check out GameSpot's review of The Elder Scrolls Online.