International Picture Posting Month: The Elder Scrolls Online
As my first post for International Picture Posting Month, I have decided to share some pictures and thoughts on the MMORPG, The Elder Scrolls Online. Out of the three games from this genre that I currently play, it’s the one that I’m currently enjoying the most. It has plenty of content to play through, the virtual world is immersive and the stories, characters and lore are very detailed and satisfying. As a more recent MMO, the game engine is robust and the visuals are far from dated. The game mechanics are multi-layered but combat is straightforward. There is no obvious skills bloat as you choose what you want on your hotbar. I also greatly enjoy the ambient music and recurring themes that play throughout the game. ESO is both solo and group friendly. You can also greatly augment your UI and the way you interact with the various systems, through the use of addons if you like. Alternatively, if you feel bold enough, then you can go with the default layout. From my perspective, ESO offers a great deal and ticks many of the boxes I favour. Yes it can have its foibles but name me an MMO that doesn’t?
I currently have three characters at level cap in ESO. A High Elf Sorcerer (Aldmeri Dominion), an Argonian Necromancer (Ebonheart Pact) and an Imperial Dragonknight (Daggerfall Covenant). Although I’ve done the most content with my Sorcerer (she’s my oldest character), I’m actually enjoying the Dragonkinight the most, so I suspect they’ll end up as my primary alt. There’s something very satisfying about melee combat with a two-handed weapon. Combined with heavy armour and a strong Stamina build, I like the sheer survivability of the class. I use a bow as my secondary means of attack and find that it compliments things immensely. I can pick off one or two mobs before the third reaches me. Then I switch to my greatsword and swing away. I’m also trying to play through the game in some semblance of narrative order on this alt. This greatly enhances my gaming experience as I enjoy the complexity of the lore.
I recently decided to take advantage of becoming a Werewolf in ESO and its associated skills line. Unlike Vampirism that requires far too much maintenance for my liking, Lycanthropy provides not only a new Ultimate skill but an entire set of five skills while transformed. Furthermore, if used in a delve or dungeon, if you continuously “devour” your victims you can remain in Werewolf form for a considerable amount of time. It is also a good way of tackling boss fights in ESO as you become very robust while in this transformed state. Like other skills in the game, all the base Werewolf abilities can be morphed. I chose to augment the standard Werewolf Ultimate into Pack Leader, as it changes your appearance to that of a white Werewolf and also provides you with two Wolf support companions. I do not know if it is the best choice from a technical or statistical perspective but it certainly looks damn cool.
In addition to the pictures in this post, here is a link to a gallery of screenshots from ESO via Google Photos. All are available at the original screen resolution of 1920 x 1200. These include images of my various alts, Dolmen farming in the Alik’r Desert and the Pack Leader Werewolf transformation.
