The Elder Scrolls Online Beta Impressions: Combat & Skills

One of the things that impresses me most about the new breed of MMORPGs is action-based, real-time combat that feels intuitive. This hasn't always been the norm, with most MMOs before Guild Wars 2 or Tera feeling less like legit video games and more like button sequence memorization exercises. As such, there was some doubt about whether combat and skills in The Elder Scrolls Online would capture the smooth spontaneity of Skyrim, or recoil back into the MMO status quo. Happily, I can report that ESO gives Skyrim fans nothing to worry about.

The Elder Scrolls Online Beta Impressions: Story & Quests

While not everyone will agree that story is of primary concern in an online game, a convincing setting and a sense of purpose is often necessary to draw players in. We all want to get out there and fight, gain levels, and win epic loot, but these things need context in order to feel relevant.

The Elder Scrolls Online Beta Impressions: Character Creation

The Elder Scrolls Online is an ambitious MMORPG that seeks to duplicate the epic atmosphere and depth of its offline counterparts like Oblivion and Skyrim. While it's still too early to say how closely ZeniMax and Bethesda have come to their target, my impressions from the most recent beta test period lead me to believe the game has a lot of potential.

Over the next few posts, I'll be giving a brief run-down on some of the most stand-out aspects of this hotly-anticipated game -- beginning, of course, with the process of generating a new character.