Since the evening of May 21st, the new addon Summerset of the online role-playing game The Elder Scrolls Online is available on PC. A first impression report is meant to give you an idea of the new adventures.
This is not yet a test of Summerset, as the past three days are not enough to form a well-founded opinion on the extensive expansion. Nevertheless, there are already some initial impressions of the new chapter.
An Initial Impression
The first WoW moment. The first journey to the Summerset Isles will leave mouths agape. For the beautiful and colorful landscapes are among the best that Zenimax Online has developed for ESO so far. In the game world of Summerset, one can truly lose themselves. This is also the first highlight that Summerset offers within the community. The fairy-tale areas invite exploration and one almost forgets that a deadly danger can lurk around every corner.
For Summerset does not only begin with beautiful landscapes, but immediately with a mysterious event that shows that something is amiss in this dreamlike land.
A beginner-friendly start. Summerset is designed so that everyone can dive into the adventure right away. You do not need any prior knowledge of the previous story. No matter if you have played Morrowind or the latest DLC Clockwork City, you will find your footing in the story and the new area directly. It does not matter what level you are at since the contents are scaled. However, those who have followed the story will enjoy many allusions to past events. This makes it very easy to play along. Anyone creating a new character starts directly in the Summerset Isles.
The Quests – Still the big question mark. Summerset focuses on telling a new story. You will experience many quests again, which, however, have left a somewhat ambiguous impression so far. This is not due to the quality of the quests, the NPCs you encounter, or the dialogues. Everything has the usual quality. And that is also part of the catch. The quests so far feel as if you have somehow already experienced everything. There is a lack of innovations or highlights. Kill X monsters, bring me this item, help me here, defeat that boss… This type of missions has been completed so often already.
For example, we are supposed to do some espionage work early on and talk with various townspeople… such things were already present in the main game. Nevertheless, that does not mean that the quests do not tell exciting stories. You just get the feeling that the gameplay mechanics with which these stories are told seem to stagnate.
This is also new
The geysers are a nice change – in between. Summerset introduces a new gameplay element with the geysers, which provide variety in between. Activating the geysers triggers waves of enemies to attack. The strength of the enemies is scaled to the strength of the players in the vicinity. At the end, a boss monster awaits with loot. This feels somewhat like events in RIFT. These events are quite nice in between but could become a bit monotonous over time.
New gameplay mechanics. In the short time since release, it has not yet been possible to delve deeply into the new gameplay mechanics such as jewel crafting, the new skills of the Psijik Order, or the effects of some changes (like two-handed weapons in sets) and see how these will have long-term effects on the game. However, there are plenty of innovations to explore that open up many possibilities to further improve and customize your hero.
First conclusion: Summerset seems to be a consistent expansion for the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online. It simply offers more of everything. More quests, more story, more areas, more features … but also “more of the same”. Those who are not bothered by this and are simply waiting for “more” will definitely find in Summerset exactly what they wish for. However, those who want really great innovations might be a bit disappointed. However, a bit more time for testing and playing is still needed to form a final opinion.
