“A stolen soul
An undead army rising
A quest to recover that which is uniquely yours
Explore the hidden secrets of Tamriel at your own pace using the game’s compass to guide you to areas of interest
Save the world from the evil machinations of the Daedric Prince Molag Bal and his henchman, the first necromancer, the Prince of Worms, Mannimarco.”
The NDA for this has now been lifted so I thought I might share my experiences so far
The first beta introduced levels 1 to 10 and on the second beta I got to level 15
On launching the game you are invited to create your character
First there is the race selection with a total of 9 selectable races divide into three factions, three races per faction
The Daggerfall Covenant faction consists of the Bretons, Redguards and Orcs (Blue)
The Ebonheart Pact faction consists of the Nords, Dark Elves and Argonians (Red)
The Almeri Dominion Faction consists of the High Elves, Wood Elves and Khajiit (Gold)
In choosing your race you are actually making three choices in one
Your race, your faction and your individual race’s class skill lines
Class selection has four options, Dragon Knight, Templar, Sorcerer and Nightblade
Any race can choose any class so your race and alliance doesn’t limit you in choices but each race has its own advantages in certain classes and also bonus passive skills
After choosing a race and class you can then customise your character
This part is very much like Skyrim in terms of make-up but has more options
You can use sliders to alter just about every aspect of your character from the length of your ears to width of your eyes
When you’re satisfied with all that you then enter the game world
Personally, I like playing the sorcerer so in the beta I am playing a Dark Elf sorcerer
When the game goes live I plan on joining the Dagerfall Covenant starting with a Breton sorcerer
Starting off in Cold Harbour in the realm of Molag Bal you awake as a nameless prisoner in a dungeon bereft of your soul
All factions pass through this same level
Here you meet the prophet who starts you on your way through this level
After completing the given missions and making your way back to the real world the factions are separated into their own lands or zones
The view that greets you as reach your homeland is what you would expect from the Elder Scrolls games, beautiful and lush landscapes alongside lands ravaged by rivers of lava but still inhabited and giant mushrooms?
There was a particular area full of mushrooms which varied in size from skyscraper tall to so small it fit in the palm of your hand
[FONT="]This is the one and only screenshot I have for now, I will have more on the next beta now the NDA has been lifted[/FONT]
Once in the world you will be guided by key characters to perform quests, either side quests or quests open up the main story line
The multiplayer element is constantly around me all this time
There was quite a crowd running around, some of them on the same quests as myself
The worst bit was when another player got to a chest and unlocked it before me I could no longer interact with the chest
No lockpicking experience gained and an empty chest, the single player experience suffered for it
The same thing happened to me at the end of quest where I had to free someone from a prison
Other players got there first and the character disappeared, meaning a wait until he respawned for another person to interact with, three times I ran around in circles just to finish that part of the quest
On my way to level 10 on the first beta run I performed quests as varied as stealing a bottle of wine, extinguishing fires and killing fire wizards from an invading army to saving towns from invasion and partaking in sieges
Every time I return to these places people cheer me and thank me for helping save them
NPCs sometimes refer to some of them when passing you a quest as well
The second beta continued the story line and opened up more Tamriel for us to explore
That set me off, I just headed for the edge of the map to see what was there, just like Skyrim nobody stopped me
The side quests have their own little mini storyline to follow, which makes them just as engaging as in Skyrim or Oblivion, great for the single player in me
As in previous games items like boxes, crates, backpacks and such are searchable and may contain items of use, standard fare for games of this type
Creatures killed also contain loot, what’s a spider doing with magic boots?
What’s a lizard doing with a two-handed axe?? It’s bigger than the lizard, where was it hiding it?
Loot itself was practically worthless on the first beta, either because it was such low level crap or the bartering system needed tweaking, either way it was a bit more proportionate on the second beta and made selling worthwhile
Levelling in TESO seems familiar, coming from the Elder Scrolls system
When completing quests or defeating a foe gains are awarded to armour, weapons and skills used during the quest or encounter
When levelling up you get two types of points, one to spend upgrading your characters magic, stamina or health and one skill point to spend on your skills menu
As you use more magic your skill menu grows and you unlock new spells to cast and new skills to use
These skills are a mixed bag of offensive and defensive spells and also combat skill enhancements for weapons used, fire staffs or ice staffs to one handed or two handed weapons
There is quite a choice for each race and you can mix and match sorcery with heavy armour and weapons to make an ultimate battle mage, there is so much choice
Why then does it feel so limited compared to the older games?
The sorcerer class can only use one element, electricity
No fire, no ice, just static
Don’t get me wrong, in Skyrim it’s just about the only destruction spell worth using, I love it exclusively
But I love my Flame Atronachs, I can call five of them at once plus use a staff to call a sixth and I’ve got a gang of cuties, they’re gorgeous
It’s in a sorcerer’s nature to want to control all the elements and the only way to introduce those other elements into a build is to use staffs
Some of the other classes get an element to play with as the Dragon Knight gets flame skills and the Templar gets the power of the sun with solar flares and miniature suns so in a team fight the elements are respected
Combat doesn’t feel as silky smooth as it did in Skyrim, but you can fire off your spells while holding a two handed weapon, yippee
I managed to get two of my lads off of LOL for a day on the first beta, (well, for a couple of hours anyway) and we grouped together to do some exploring
This aspect of the game is what’s new to me, I’m not a multiplayer gamer nor have I ever joined a guild
Nonetheless it was a pleasant experience chatting away with them on team speak and roaming the same dungeons
Something else I have to get used to is the chat line, something I’ve not used in the past
Group fighting was as hilarious as it was enjoyable, hilarious because my lad kept stealing my kills
Playing as a dragon Knight he kept throwing out his fiery chain and stealing them away from me
There I was happily beating the crap out of my opponent when all of a sudden he disappeared, blink and he was gone, I looked around to see my lad beating on him
Ganging up on opponents was fun though and we each got shares of the loot as well
In the end it was a couple of well spent weekends but the eventual question is, will I as a single player gamer, buy into a multiplayer game for its single player element or maybe even join a guild and try out the multiplayer experience
I have already pre-ordered so I have bought in to it
When the game is finally released I will choose the Daggerfall Covenant as I want to play a Breton sorcerer alongside the Orcs
This is about my only consolation for the sorcerer not playing with all the elements, the Orcs as allies
I can’t wait to see this
Now I need help finding a guild, any offers to multiplayer noob
When the next beta runs I will be able to grab a few more screenshots
An undead army rising
A quest to recover that which is uniquely yours
Explore the hidden secrets of Tamriel at your own pace using the game’s compass to guide you to areas of interest
Save the world from the evil machinations of the Daedric Prince Molag Bal and his henchman, the first necromancer, the Prince of Worms, Mannimarco.”
The NDA for this has now been lifted so I thought I might share my experiences so far
The first beta introduced levels 1 to 10 and on the second beta I got to level 15
On launching the game you are invited to create your character
First there is the race selection with a total of 9 selectable races divide into three factions, three races per faction
The Daggerfall Covenant faction consists of the Bretons, Redguards and Orcs (Blue)
The Ebonheart Pact faction consists of the Nords, Dark Elves and Argonians (Red)
The Almeri Dominion Faction consists of the High Elves, Wood Elves and Khajiit (Gold)
In choosing your race you are actually making three choices in one
Your race, your faction and your individual race’s class skill lines
Class selection has four options, Dragon Knight, Templar, Sorcerer and Nightblade
Any race can choose any class so your race and alliance doesn’t limit you in choices but each race has its own advantages in certain classes and also bonus passive skills
After choosing a race and class you can then customise your character
This part is very much like Skyrim in terms of make-up but has more options
You can use sliders to alter just about every aspect of your character from the length of your ears to width of your eyes
When you’re satisfied with all that you then enter the game world
Personally, I like playing the sorcerer so in the beta I am playing a Dark Elf sorcerer
When the game goes live I plan on joining the Dagerfall Covenant starting with a Breton sorcerer
Starting off in Cold Harbour in the realm of Molag Bal you awake as a nameless prisoner in a dungeon bereft of your soul
All factions pass through this same level
Here you meet the prophet who starts you on your way through this level
After completing the given missions and making your way back to the real world the factions are separated into their own lands or zones
The view that greets you as reach your homeland is what you would expect from the Elder Scrolls games, beautiful and lush landscapes alongside lands ravaged by rivers of lava but still inhabited and giant mushrooms?
There was a particular area full of mushrooms which varied in size from skyscraper tall to so small it fit in the palm of your hand
[FONT="]This is the one and only screenshot I have for now, I will have more on the next beta now the NDA has been lifted[/FONT]
Once in the world you will be guided by key characters to perform quests, either side quests or quests open up the main story line
The multiplayer element is constantly around me all this time
There was quite a crowd running around, some of them on the same quests as myself
The worst bit was when another player got to a chest and unlocked it before me I could no longer interact with the chest
No lockpicking experience gained and an empty chest, the single player experience suffered for it
The same thing happened to me at the end of quest where I had to free someone from a prison
Other players got there first and the character disappeared, meaning a wait until he respawned for another person to interact with, three times I ran around in circles just to finish that part of the quest
On my way to level 10 on the first beta run I performed quests as varied as stealing a bottle of wine, extinguishing fires and killing fire wizards from an invading army to saving towns from invasion and partaking in sieges
Every time I return to these places people cheer me and thank me for helping save them
NPCs sometimes refer to some of them when passing you a quest as well
The second beta continued the story line and opened up more Tamriel for us to explore
That set me off, I just headed for the edge of the map to see what was there, just like Skyrim nobody stopped me
The side quests have their own little mini storyline to follow, which makes them just as engaging as in Skyrim or Oblivion, great for the single player in me
As in previous games items like boxes, crates, backpacks and such are searchable and may contain items of use, standard fare for games of this type
Creatures killed also contain loot, what’s a spider doing with magic boots?
What’s a lizard doing with a two-handed axe?? It’s bigger than the lizard, where was it hiding it?
Loot itself was practically worthless on the first beta, either because it was such low level crap or the bartering system needed tweaking, either way it was a bit more proportionate on the second beta and made selling worthwhile
Levelling in TESO seems familiar, coming from the Elder Scrolls system
When completing quests or defeating a foe gains are awarded to armour, weapons and skills used during the quest or encounter
When levelling up you get two types of points, one to spend upgrading your characters magic, stamina or health and one skill point to spend on your skills menu
As you use more magic your skill menu grows and you unlock new spells to cast and new skills to use
These skills are a mixed bag of offensive and defensive spells and also combat skill enhancements for weapons used, fire staffs or ice staffs to one handed or two handed weapons
There is quite a choice for each race and you can mix and match sorcery with heavy armour and weapons to make an ultimate battle mage, there is so much choice
Why then does it feel so limited compared to the older games?
The sorcerer class can only use one element, electricity
No fire, no ice, just static
Don’t get me wrong, in Skyrim it’s just about the only destruction spell worth using, I love it exclusively
But I love my Flame Atronachs, I can call five of them at once plus use a staff to call a sixth and I’ve got a gang of cuties, they’re gorgeous
It’s in a sorcerer’s nature to want to control all the elements and the only way to introduce those other elements into a build is to use staffs
Some of the other classes get an element to play with as the Dragon Knight gets flame skills and the Templar gets the power of the sun with solar flares and miniature suns so in a team fight the elements are respected
Combat doesn’t feel as silky smooth as it did in Skyrim, but you can fire off your spells while holding a two handed weapon, yippee
I managed to get two of my lads off of LOL for a day on the first beta, (well, for a couple of hours anyway) and we grouped together to do some exploring
This aspect of the game is what’s new to me, I’m not a multiplayer gamer nor have I ever joined a guild
Nonetheless it was a pleasant experience chatting away with them on team speak and roaming the same dungeons
Something else I have to get used to is the chat line, something I’ve not used in the past
Group fighting was as hilarious as it was enjoyable, hilarious because my lad kept stealing my kills
Playing as a dragon Knight he kept throwing out his fiery chain and stealing them away from me
There I was happily beating the crap out of my opponent when all of a sudden he disappeared, blink and he was gone, I looked around to see my lad beating on him
Ganging up on opponents was fun though and we each got shares of the loot as well
In the end it was a couple of well spent weekends but the eventual question is, will I as a single player gamer, buy into a multiplayer game for its single player element or maybe even join a guild and try out the multiplayer experience
I have already pre-ordered so I have bought in to it
When the game is finally released I will choose the Daggerfall Covenant as I want to play a Breton sorcerer alongside the Orcs
This is about my only consolation for the sorcerer not playing with all the elements, the Orcs as allies
I can’t wait to see this
Now I need help finding a guild, any offers to multiplayer noob
When the next beta runs I will be able to grab a few more screenshots
