The release weekend of the AAA fantasy MMORPG title The Elder Scrolls Online by Zenimax is overshadowed by some issues. In the PvP zone Cyrodiil, there are problems when players join a group. There are difficulties completing a subscription, certain mobs are excessively camped by players, and on top of that, some quests turn out to be dead ends.
Prefer to go solo in Cyrodiil?
According to forum reports and personal experiences, issues arise in the large PvP zone Cyrodiil, where the three realms compete for dominance in Tamriel. These problems are apparently related to the groups that players can join. If a player joins a large group, it may lead to seemingly random crashes. After the crash, the player cannot log in immediately and gets stuck on the loading screen.
So be cautious if you want to join groups in the PvP area. This bug takes on an ironic flavor as the focus of PvP in The Elder Scrolls Online lies in group combat.
Many dead ends in the quests
For the quests where many players get stuck, unfortunately, there isn’t an easy workaround like abstaining from groups. After the 1.01 patch cleared some stumbling blocks in the starting area, quests that turn out to be dead ends reappear in subsequent zones. In the chat of many zones, there is regular talk that certain quest lines cannot be pursued further. In many cases, repeatedly logging out and back in helps, but not in all.
Typically, the problem presents itself as follows: The brave hero progresses quickly until they reach a point where twenty other characters are desperately reading a book (these are the characters of players currently on the desktop). The newly arrived hero wonders what is so exciting here, continues with their quest, and finds themselves standing next to the others two minutes later, googling… Since no one knows how the respective quest functions exactly and whether they might just be searching in the wrong place, it is difficult to distinguish between bug and feature.
Surely these are problems that were to be expected at the launch of such a large MMORPG. Still, it’s not pleasant.
Do we need a conservation status for Named Mobs?
The brave hero also encounters a larger gathering of players in the public dungeons. Here, usually, one must defeat a named mob at the end to complete the dungeon and earn an achievement.
However, colleague “I have a name and more HP than you normal loser-mobs” is rarely found alive. Many of them have an increased chance to drop special items and are therefore under constant fire. Their better loot table becomes their downfall: they are camped.
Whether this was intended by Zenimax in this form is doubtful. For a game that values immersion and roleplay so highly, it would be an unusual design decision. Especially since any player dealing damage to the mob is allowed to loot.
Problems with subscriptions
From another direction, further shadows are cast over Tamriel. Many players purchased the game, under the firm belief that they could immediately begin their hero’s journey with the 30 free days. Yet starting this Sunday, a subscription must first be completed (which can then be canceled immediately). The 30 free days are of no use without a valid payment method.
Especially younger players often do not have the opportunity to pay immediately via credit card or Paypal. They are facing a disappointing Sunday, having installed the game and just peacefully played until now, as much as possible given the bugs – and now they cannot proceed.
The problems are exacerbated by the fact that Zenimax’s support apparently cannot keep up with the large influx of issues. Based on experience, improvements can certainly be expected in the coming days.
We wish everyone who does not encounter problems a wonderful time in Tamriel!
