The MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) turned 6 years old in 2020, and accordingly, many have spent a lot of time in the game. We spoke with two female players and one male player who have accumulated 9,000 hours and more.
The Elder Scrolls Online is an MMORPG, but not in the traditional sense. The game, which takes place in the same universe as the other titles in the Elder Scrolls series, relies not only on group play. It also brings many elements for solo players, and is one of the best MMOs for solo players on the market.
The release was in April 2014 for PC and in June 2015 for the PS4 and Xbox One, with Stadia joining in June 2020. The players, Mrs. Cake and SilverLights, along with the player The_Saint, have been active in the MMORPG since the release, so already 6 years.
They have gathered a significant amount of playtime, all over 9,000 hours. However, determining the actual time is difficult, as several characters have been deleted over the years.
For MeinMMO, they shared in the interview what they like so much about ESO and what could be improved. They also have tips for beginners and returning players.
When did you start with ESO and what was your journey like?
This is what Mrs. Cake says: Mrs. Cake enjoys playing other solo series like Dragon Age, The Witcher, or pen & paper games besides ESO. She was also interested in other MMOs like LOTRO for a while, but none captivated her as much as ESO.
Unfortunately, she had to take a short break from ESO due to her PC giving up:
I have only paused in ESO if forced. Last year, my old PC unfortunately gave up the ghost, and it took me some time to get a new one. Now, however, I am more excited than ever (thanks to the great graphics possible on the new PC), and I even started streaming on Twitch recently.
This is what The_Saint says: The_Saint has never experienced an ESO break: “I have never paused. And I still enjoy logging in almost daily.” He started during the second closed beta. So he was lucky enough to get a glimpse of the game as early as January 2014. Initially, he played with some friends from real life.
As these friends gradually stopped, he joined a success-oriented guild:
I ended up in a very progress-oriented guild through coincidences, where it was also about world-firsts. This made me engage much more with everyone in and around ESO.
In his current main guild Noractis, he has been since 2018 and leads his own raid group there. Since 2019, he has been streaming online (via Twitch), streaming content related to raids and achievements, as well as relaxed quest streams. Since 2020, he has been part of ESO’s official streaming team.
The_Saint is also active in the community. From 2018 to 2020, he was an official community ambassador for The Elder Scrolls Online and is a co-founder of the community guild Arkays Blessing that was established in 2020.
This is what SilverLights says: SilverLights participated in the beta and has been playing since release. Right at the beginning, she took a break for 3 or 4 months because she leveled too quickly.
At first, the areas were divided according to level and difficulty. Since she was quite fast with her Nightblade, the content quickly became too easy for her:
I leveled up too quickly; afterwards, all the areas were too easy. It was somewhat pointless and then the fun was gone for a while.
Ultimately, however, she came back and still enjoys logging into the game today.
Why did you choose ESO?
This is what Mrs. Cake says: The player Mrs. Cake has played countless hours of all Elder Scrolls titles since Morrowind. Especially Oblivion has captured her, not Skyrim, as is the case with many other players. Therefore, the decision to get ESO was not difficult for her. Initially, however, she was a bit apprehensive:
At first, I was a bit put off that it was an MMO (as I preferred to play solo), but the open world and countless possibilities for solo players fascinated me.
This is what The_Saint says: The_Saint, on the other hand, has little experience with Elder Scrolls titles: “I have played Skyrim, but somehow the game didn’t captivate me as much as many others. But I felt the same about many MMOs.”
With ESO, it was different; it fascinated him from the start, and he was eager to try it out. His initial curiosity and enthusiasm have never waned over the years.
This is what SilverLights says: It didn’t take much to convince SilverLights to play ESO: “I was a huge fan of Skyrim and Oblivion, and when I heard about a multiplayer game in this universe, I was hooked!”
What character do you enjoy playing the most and why?
This is what Mrs. Cake says: “This is a Khajiit!”, Mrs. Cake says about herself. In fact, she prefers to play the fluffy cat-like creatures. Out of her 15 characters, 6 are of the Khajiit race. Thus, she aligns herself with the opinion of MeinMMO readers; in your ranking of ESO races from least popular to most popular, the Khajiit landed in 2nd place.
Mrs. Cake plays her stamina Sorcerer and her two Nightblades the most. Among them is her character Mrs. Cake, the cat with a pot on her head. Although she was created more for fun, she has gained some fans in the community.
For group activities, she likes to bring one of her Dragon Knight tanks, of course, she is also a Khajiit.
This is what The_Saint says: The_Saint is very happy with his choice in 2014. He has been playing a Magicka Nightblade since then, which was originally Breton but is no longer: “By now, it has become Dark Elf due to a race change, but I would probably switch back anytime if I would not lose so much in my raid content.”
This Magicka Nightblade named Samuel Crow is still his main character, and he consistently has about 99% of the currently collectable achievements on hand. The Magicka Nightblade has captured his interest due to its life-draining abilities, and so far, no other class has been able to surpass it.
Whether solo or group content in PvE, PvP, or battlegrounds, as well as simple quests: “There is some skill in her arsenal that makes her special and easy to play.”
This is what SilverLights says: The player SilverLights has 18 characters, including all classes. She names several as her main characters:
- An Argonian Templar Healer
- A Khajiit Stamina Templar for PvE
- A Breton Magicka Templar
- An Orc lady as a stamina Dragon Knight for PvP
- An High Elf as a Necromancer Healer
- As well as various other healers
You can see that SilverLights lives for her healers: “I have simply found joy in it and am now the healer in 90% of all cases. Templars are probably my most beloved class.” Regardless of whether as a healer, in PvE or PvP, as DD, whether stamina or Magicka, the Templar has captivated her. Additionally, the class is very beginner-friendly.
When choosing her race, SilverLights ensures that the race somewhat fits her role. We have compiled which races fit best to which playstyle for you at MeinMMO.
What activities do you enjoy most in ESO?
This is what Mrs. Cake says: This question opened Mrs. Cake with “Good question! The world of ESO is so open and full of possibilities, it is hard to pick something out.” However, she currently enjoys participating in events a lot. The currently running New Year event is also a fun opportunity to spend some time with friends.
Otherwise, she loves the housing system. Mrs. Cake is an enthusiastic roleplayer and is particularly grateful that you can now place house guests in your domicile in ESO. At the moment, there is a wonderful drunk cat available as a house guest.
In addition, she likes to conclude her day in Tamriel casually. While doing so, she walks around and quests. Even after many years, there is always something new to discover in ESO.
This is what The_Saint says: The_Saint places great importance on fun with friends:
I have spent hours just jumping around a way shrine while chatting with my guildmates on TS.
Otherwise, he is a big collector of achievements. Whether fishing, collecting monster trophies, or completely different things, it can seem boring to other players, but everything has its charm for him. Of course, especially the more challenging achievements in arenas, dungeons, and trials.
In these raids and dungeons, The_Saint generally enjoys hanging out: “Pushing to the limit and optimizing the group with others to celebrate some nice achievements alongside a lot of fun is what I like.”
This is what SilverLights says: For the player SilverLights, housing is at the top of her list; she considers herself somewhat addicted to housing: “I really love rearranging, decorating, and designing my houses… It relaxes me immensely.”
She also really enjoys the stories told in ESO. She can immerse herself in a story and completely lose track of time.
However, progress should not be lacking. So she likes to head into dungeons and raids with friends and her guild members. She is an officer in her guild, and her people mean a lot to her:
I enjoy new challenges, so I like to try out different things. Having fun together with my people is the most important.
In addition, she is responsible for the beginners in the guild and enjoys introducing them to the game and their first dungeons. Fun and community are her top priorities.
How do you think ESO has changed over the years?
This is what Mrs. Cake says: Mrs. Cake still likes ESO very much, and for her, nothing necessarily has changed. The excitement of the new has naturally faded a bit.
But now she has many friends and end content, which includes housing and fishing. However, she adds, “I can still get excited for a new expansion.”
This is what The_Saint says: The beginning was tough for many, and some bosses made players despair. The achievements Cadwell’s Silver and Gold, for which there is a wonderfully silly helmet, were different from today. These initial hurdles cost many players.
With the transition to One Tamriel and Tamriel Unlimited, many casual elements were introduced into the game. But it also saved a lot of endgame content. Suddenly, players could run dungeons across alliances, raid, and quest together. Additionally, with new characters, they could go anywhere. However, he points out:
The early days had their positive aspects that are missing today: alliances collaborated in PvE and buffs were provided for raid groups in Cyrodiil. Also, trials like Sanctum Ophidia were released without test servers, which created an exciting race among the three alliances for the world-first and made it truly thrilling.
However, since The_Saint has lost so many teammates over time, among other things because of such things, he knows that the old times would not be feasible today. He believes ZOS has found a good way with the changes.
This is what SilverLights says: SilverLights believes that ESO has changed very much for the better. She particularly likes the changes to the champion system. It is no longer as painfully slow to level a character to champion level as it was before, which brought her some gray hairs.
She also likes that the areas are now accessible with every level and you can never be overleveled again. Additionally, being able to play with friends from other alliances is a significant advantage for her.
And then there’s her favorite activity of housing, which only came to ESO later and she wouldn’t want to miss it. Here, the love for detail that ESO showcases is reflected. Her good PC and graphics card allow her to enjoy the details.
She also thought the introduction of the crown store was a good idea. It only includes cosmetic items and similar things, and it is not pay-to-win like in many other games.
However, there is one downside:
It has become so incredibly easy in quests, etc. In the beginning, you really had to persevere. Especially Molag Bal, for example, was definitely much harder in the beginning – now he is a piece of cake.
Is there something that particularly annoys you and needs more work?
On this topic, the three players are very much in agreement: what annoys them the most are bugs and performance issues. The_Saint believes that much performance tuning has been done in the background, especially with raids: “[…] which is actually positive and hopefully will help us in the future. Unfortunately, however, this led to difficult raid conditions in the first weeks after three of the four major patches. This takes a toll over time, and many raid groups have already broken up because of it.”
Additionally, there is the annoyance with the group finder, which has not worked properly since the beginning and often hangs up. Unfortunately, the problems do not end with the group finder; especially Mrs. Cake and SilverLights complain about many crashes in dungeons. Or they are simply pulled into the wall; Mrs. Cake had an anecdote about this: “Our healer got pulled into a tent! But the view must have been very nice.”
According to the players, trust needs to be rebuilt here. The feeling remains that new content may be prioritized over fixing old issues. SilverLights comments:
Which is a shame, as the game still has a lot of potential after 6 years and a great community; it would be truly sad if they drive it into the ground.
What tips do you have for newcomers?
Here our professionals also agree. As a beginner, you should definitely look for a guild. Even if you, like Mrs. Cake, are more of a solo player at first, the community helps you enormously to find your way into the game.
Additionally, take your time. Get to know your character and the world and just try a bit. You can play any class with any race and gear, so there is a lot to discover. The_Saint adds: “Just play around, see what suits you and what you like, and learn and understand skills and mechanics.”
Also consider leveling crafting from the start. This can take many months. Ideally, create a separate character for this and allocate points accordingly to crafting.
What tips do you have for returnees?
Returning players who have been away for a while should, according to our experts, create a new character or at least read up on what has happened in ESO during their absence.
Once again the tip applies to seek out a guild. Even if you don’t immediately find the perfect community, you should definitely start somewhere and seek connection. We at MeinMMO have also compiled 13 tips for returning players for you.
… and why so many hours now?
This is what Mrs. Cake says: The player Mrs. Cake says that ESO has managed to captivate her over the years like no other game. The different game contents, always new regions, and changes keep the game world alive.
It feels like diving into a second little world alongside reality. I hardly feel that way with any other game. And especially right now, such a feeling is more than necessary.
Furthermore, ESO provides her with a balance to her final thesis at the university; she can relax well in Tamriel.
This is what The_Saint says: For The_Saint, it has happened somewhat unconsciously. The game is still fun for him after all these years, and he enjoys logging in, even when he doesn’t have anything specific to do. “The community in general, my guilds, my Twitch community. The play hours just accumulated like that.”
He also seeks an escape from real life in ESO, uncomplicated fun, especially this year with Corona. He looks forward to 2021 and continues to hope that ZOS will address these matters.
This is what SilverLights says: SilverLights has spent so many hours in ESO because she really likes the atmosphere there. If you play the game with good graphics and performance at maximum like she does, there are so many beautiful details to find:
Hand stitches on clothes that look like this, walls that are really old and look it, structure, colors…
She also loves the music: “Not a single synth mush, everything is orchestral and choral.” And the funny stories attached to many things: “For example, the dead Khajiit in the Arboretum of the Imperial City, his background story is just divine. All the way to the emails you get from your collectors.”
Additionally, of course, there are the opportunities to experience everything with her friends, including Mrs. Cake. ESO is just very individual. There are many ways to level up, and everyone can set and live their own focus. The stories are not a generic mess but often go really deep.
In an MMORPG, there are so many possibilities for immersing yourself beautifully in time. That adds up to easily 9,000 hours or even more. Let us know in the comments how much time you’ve spent in ESO or your favorite MMO and tell us why. Or was your favorite game among the games that unfortunately died in 2020?
