So tell me about Elder Scrolls Online

I fell in love with Skyrim (my first Elder Scrolls game), and am really interested in Elder Scrolls Online. I'm just a bit unsure as to what kind of game it is. Is it like Skyrim, where you can just wander around wherever you want, do whatever quests that you want, and just happen to run into other players? (kind of like Runescape, don't hate, I'm just using it as an example)...

Or is Elder Scrolls Online a bit more restrictive, i.e. you can ONLY play multiplayer missions? From the gameplay videos I watched, most of it seemed like army/group battles. Is this what the game focuses on?

What I'm hoping from this game is gameplay like Skyrim, where I can just go wherever I want, whenever I want, play missions by myself, or with friends if I want to... but then again, would any other player be able to just run into me and kill me while I'm playing? I'm really confused as to what the game is going to be like.

OH!!! And one other thing I wanted to ask... are you guys concerned about major lag issues?

Try Oblivion and Morrowind.

I heard it's still as most MMOs, they went from generic MMO to more of TES combat style and back again to the generic combat MMOs.

We'll just have to wait for the release at the end of this month to see how trully it is.

EDIT: And no, it's not like Rust you won't be harmed outside of a PVP regions or duel.

Like most mmos, most of the content can be solod, but then there is some content which requires a group.

Combat has the presentation of Skyrim but the mechanics of a typical hotkey mmo. Unlike skyrim you can not mix and match skills however you want, and have a bunch of preset classes which determines which skills you can learn.

Gameplay/atmosphere is exactly like Skyrim and combat is as described in the last post, you could believe you were playing it at first until you dig deeper in.....that is where you start to see the sad differences. Where it differs is it is set in a multiplayer environment, it is not as immersive or engaging, has less exploration, has even more shallow-easy mode-X marks the spot questing than Skyrim does, and the skill tree feels way too restrictive.

You can play it solo or with others, but you will always be in the world with other people either way.

I predict that a couple of months after it's release more people will be playing Skyrim then Elder Scrolls Online. People play Elder Scrolls games for it's immersive nature and large open world go anywhere environment. This can't be done in an MMO as you have to have zones for people of different levels with mobs in some areas being high levels and low levels in others. It'll be like most of the MMO's that are released. I'll probably try it but I imagine it'll lose it's appeal.

Actually the beta left me wanting for a deeper experience so I went back to Skyrim lol. ESO is okay, but the only thing it has over Skyrim is the multiplayer aspect, other than that it pales in comparison. No way does it warrant paying a sub, this will be the killer for it. I was all for the sub thing until I played it.

If you only experienced the beta through a two-day weekend event I feel much of what people say is a understatement. One thing I will agree with is that The Elder Scrolls Online borrows some things from the single-player experience but it is still a MMORPG. Everyone has the right to be concern in regards to ESO's functionality verses a traditional TES games. But the majority of beta testers haven't even touched the core of ESO, especially the huge influx of testers the past couple of months.

@rubber-chicken: I'm a big fan of The Elder Scrolls and MMORPGs. For the later, it's really hard to live up to my expectations. I've had moments in the beta where I was truly awed and as a MMORPG it exceed some of my expectations. On the other hand much of what you like in Skyrim is more Skyrim-ish in The Elder Scrolls Online. It's more so of a medium between TES and massive multiplayer online role playing game. So take that into account. It's also not a very traditional MMORPG either. I personally think the game will be well received by the industry. But what's important is integrating fans of the Elder Scrolls into a MMO atmosphere. That's what Zenimax Online Studios is trying to address.

Don't assume everyone who criticizes it only played it for 2 days.

Wasn't every single thing in Skyrim marked on the map/compass for you? How does it get any easier than that? I honestly doubt the game is any more dumbed down from Skyrim...

You haven't played it.....I have played it, and in my opinion it is even more stupid easy mode than Skyrim is.

You're right, I haven't. I just find it hard to believe - Skyrim was pretty shallow as if - I couldn't imagine an MMO version of it being any more shallow. Sounds pretty bad, I'll take your word for it.

How is that even possible?

Please enlighten.

@rubber-chicken : I'm going to buy ESO. played the stress test beta, and liked it very much. A big fan of TES in general, and was really concerned about a TES online, but they managed to keep a good TES feeling over the game.. keeping in mind that it is a MMO..but you can play "singleplayer" if you want;) and if you haven't played Oblivion, you should really try it, in many ways it's better that skyrim in my opinion.