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Tag: The Elder Scrolls Online

  • ‘Elder Scrolls Online’ Collector’s Edition Announced

    The April release of The Elder Scrolls Online is getting nearer, and Bethesda’s Tamriel-based MMO is beginning to take on its final form. The publisher today announced that The Elder Scrolls Online will, unsurprisingly, get a collector’s edition.

    The Elder Scrolls Online Imperial Edition is packed with all the physical and digital add-ons MMO fans are used to in collector’s editions. The package comes with a foot-tall statue of Molag Bal, a Daedric Prince and the first major villain of The Elder Scrolls Online. In addition to the statue centerpiece, players will get an illustrated 224-page “The Improved Emperor’s Guide to Tamriel” book, a 21″ x 26″ map of Tamriel, and a steelbook case for the game disc itself.

    ESO Imperial Edition

    The physical items will be supplemented with several in-game bonuses, including a White Imperial Horse mount, a Mudcrab pet, and rings of Mara, which can increase experience gain when used between players. Players who purchase the Imperial Edition will also get the opportunity to play as an Imperial in any in-game faction they choose.

    The Elder Scrolls Online Imperial Edition is already available for pre-order through the new Elder Scrolls Online store and other retailers. The collector’s edition is selling for $100, but a digital version of the package containing only the in-game items can also be purchased for $80.

    Along with the pre-order announcement, Bethesda today released a new cinematic trailer for The Elder Scrolls Online:

  • Kate Beckinsale, John Cleese to Voice Characters in ‘The Elder Scrolls Online’

    A recurring complaint for many Elder Scrolls games is that the same voices are often heard from numerous different characters throughout the games. Of course this stems from the fact that there are hundreds of characters in games such as Skyrim and the fact that players spend countless hours in these game worlds. Still, Bethesda seems to have recognized this complaint and spent quite a bit of money attempting to fill key roles for its upcoming Elder Scrolls MMO.

    Bethesda today announced several well-known British voice actors will be playing significant roles in The Elder Scrolls Online.

    The cast is led by Bill Nighy, a character actor known for many roles, including appearances in the Underworld series, Shaun of the Dead, and Love Actually. Nighy plays High King Emeric in the new MMO, a merchant prince who has become the king of High Rock.

    Nighy’s Underworld co-star Kate Beckinsale has also leant her voice to the game, voicing Queen Ayrenn, the leader of the Aldmeri Dominion and the High Elves. Alfred Molina is also part of the game’s political intrigue, playing wizard Abnur Tharn, the leader of the Elder Council of the Empire.

    Seemingly less important characters will be played by John Cleese (of Monty Python fame) and Michael Gambon (Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies). Cleese voices an eccentric character named Cadwell, while Gambon lends his voice to a blind man called The Prophet.

    Major supernatural beings in The Elder Scrolls Online will also be voice by famous performers. Lynda Carter (the former Wonder Woman) will voice daedric princess Azura, while Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) will be voicing the game’s current main villain, the daedric prince Molag Bal.

    All of these performers can be seen in the long introduction video that Bethesda released along with the announcement:

  • The Elder Scrolls Online Hits PC On April 4, Consoles In June

    Earlier this year, Bethesda revealed that it was making an MMO based on its popular Elder Scrolls franchise. The Elder Scrolls Online is the latest MMO based on a popular franchise to have a go at the subscription-based MMO model that has failed so many popular properties before. Will it succeed where others, like Star Wars: The Old Republic, have failed? We’ll find out in April.

    Bethesda Softworks announced today that The Elder Scrolls Online is set to hit the PC on April 4. It will be the first game, aside from Elder Scrolls Arena, to allow players the freedom to explore the entire land of Tamriel from The Elder Scrolls franchise. It promises a single-player experience on par with what you would expect from a mainline Elder Scrolls title alongside MMO elements that has players fighting to gain control of the empire.

    Of course, PC players won’t be the only ones exploring the lands of Tamriel. The Elder Scrolls Online is also set to launch in June on both the PS4 and Xbox One. These versions of the game will be mostly identical to the PC version, but one can assume that there will be control tweaks to adapt what is a largely PC-centric genre to consoles.

    Here’s a trailer showcasing some of the MMO style gameplay that players can expect to see:

    If The Elder Scrolls Online proves to be successful, we could see Bethesda bring other properties to the MMO space. A few years ago, the publisher was able to snag the rights to the troubled Fallout MMO back from Interplay. That may be a possibility, but most fans would probably prefer Fallout 4 over anything else at this point.

    [Image: Bethesda Softworks/YouTube]

  • Here’s How Character Progression Works In The Elder Scrolls Online

    The Elder Scrolls franchise has always had a unique take on character progression where player abilities leveled up with use. This system has been in use all the way up through the latest game – Skyrim – but some fans may be concerned that Zenimax Online would take a different approach with the franchise’s first foray into MMOs.

    In the latest trailer for The Elder Scrolls Online, the developers at Zenimax Online discuss just how character progression works in their first MMO. The good news is that they do keep some of the use-based skill progression from the mainline Elder Scrolls games, but now there is a heavy dependence on experience when leveling up. To clarify, all players will gain experience upon defeating enemies, exploring the world and completing quests. Upon leveling up, you will gain points that can be spent on both stats and skills.

    It’s all pretty standard MMO fair so far, but the skills is where The Elder Scrolls Online becomes more like a traditional Elder Scrolls game. Every player starts out with only a basic skill, but will unlock new skills along its skill tree as they use it more. Players will gain access to specific skill trees based upon their race and class, but they will also gain access to new skill trees based upon a player’s progression through the story. For example, you can gain new skill trees by becoming a werewolf or vampire.

    You can see all the above and more in action in the trailer below:

    The Elder Scrolls Online is slated to release in 2014 on PC, Xbox One and PS4.

    [Image: ZenimaxOnlineStudios/YouTube]

  • Here’s How Character Creation Works In The Elder Scrolls Online

    Character creation is key to The Elder Scrolls Online experience. That’s at least what Zenimax Online Studios says about the upcoming MMO.

    In the latest trailer for The Elder Scrolls Online, the team shows off the character creation tool that all players will use when they first start up the game. Like most character creation systems, players will be able to customize their character in pretty much every way. For instance, players will be able to meticulously refine just how fat or skinny they want their player character to be. You want an Argonian with a beer belly? You got it. Want to look like an anorexic fashion model? You can do that too.

    The team also makes much ado about the face customization engine. There are near limitless possibilities so let’s hope players actually take the effort to craft a custom face. If not, The Elder Scrolls Online may end up looking like a world full of NPCs from Oblivion.

    The Elder Scrolls Online is on schedule to launch at some point in Q1 2014 for PC, Mac, PS4 and Xbox One. The game was recently featured as one of three PS4 titles in Sony’s first TV spot for its next-gen console.

    [Image: ZenimaxOnlineStudios]

  • The Kwama Return In The Elder Scrolls Online

    One of the complaints levied against Oblivion and Skyrim is that neither title was like Morrowind. Well, that’s to be expected as they take place in entirely different regions of Tamriel, but you just can’t please some people. Those same people may be pleased to know then some of the creatures from Morrowind are back in The Elder Scrolls Online.

    Bethesda released a new trailer today featuring the Kwama – insect-like creatures that populate the world of Morrowind. The creatures live in egg mine caves that are frequently exploited by the local populace as the eggs and other ingredients are integral to the economy.

    In The Elder Scrolls Online, the team has brought back Kwama scribs, workers and warriors. Here’s what players can look forward to:

    Each variation of the kwama has its own attacks, and some of these interact with each other to produce new effects—we call these synergies. The worker can charge and knock a character back, and the warrior unearths a giant rock to launch at its foes. If the warrior lifts a rock out of an area the worker charges through, it creates a swarm of scrib! These combinations play on the natural cooperation between the different kinds of kwama and help them feel like a cohesive group. A kwama on its own may not be a big threat, but they can be overwhelming when they work together.

    The above trailer also gives us another good look at the new first person combat in ESO. It’s looking much better now than it did when the game was third person only. Who knows – The Elder Scrolls Online might just end up being pretty awesome.

    The Elder Scrolls Online is slated to launch in 2014 for the PC, Xbox One and PS4.

  • Travel To Coldharbour In Latest Elder Scrolls Online Trailer

    With Skyrim officially wrapped up, players might find themselves yearning for more adventures in Tamriel sooner rather than later. The Elder Scrolls Online might just scratch that particular itch when it launches later this year.

    in the latest trailer for the MMO, the game’s producers reveal that the Daedric Lord Molag Bal is the key antagonist throughout the game’s main storyline. In fact, he steals the player’s character’s soul at the beginning, and players must fight to get it back. The quest will see players traveling to Coldharbour – the oblivion plane belonging to Molag Bal.

    All of this certainly looks nice, but the real challenge will be convincing fans of Bethesda’s sprawling first-person RPGs to give The Elder Scrolls Online a shot. MMOs, especially those that are subscription based, are not exactly in vogue anymore. Still, Besthesda and Zenimax Online could knock it out of the park by creating an MMO that can last more than a few months before going free-to-play.

    We’ll probably get a firm release date at E3, but The Elder Scrolls Online is still set for launch later this year.

  • Elder Scrolls Online Beta Sign-Ups Are Live, 6-Minute Cinematic Trailer Released

    The announcement Elder Scrolls and MMO fans alike have been waiting for has finally arrived. Bethesda has officially opened sign-ups for The Elder Scrolls Online beta testing.

    The sign-up questionnaire can be found on The Elder Scrolls Online website here. The questions include guild affiliation, previous MMOs played, previous Elder Scrolls games played, play style, and a DxDiag file from your computer.

    Gamers who are selected for beta testing will get access to early versions of the game. Bethesda even mentioned that the first beta test will begin “soon.” Of course, “soon” in the MMO world is very relative.

    To celebrate the big announcement, Bethesda also released a big trailer for the upcoming MMO. The trailer, called “The Alliances” is a nearly 6-minute cinematic tease for ZeniMax Online’s vision of a multiplayer Elder Scrolls experience.

  • Elder Scrolls MMO Trailer Dives Deep Into Lore

    There’s quite a bit of trepidation surrounding The Elder Scrolls Online, the upcoming MMO set in the world of the Elder Scrolls series. Though co-op gameplay was an frequently requested feature for Skyrim and Oblivion, throwing thousands of players together into Tamriel can seem like overcompensation for years without Elder Scrolls multiplayer. Also, fears that the normal MMO formula and quests will bury the extensive lore of the Elder Scrolls series are not without justification.

    Today, Bethesda released a preview trailer for Elder Scrolls Online that could reassure fans that the history of Tamriel will be well taken care of in the MMO. In the video, “Loremaster” Lawrence Schick describes just what the different factions in the game hope to gain from their all-out war.

    The three factions, the Aldmeri Dominion, the Daggerfall Covenant, and the Ebonheart Pact, are all fighting over Cyrodiil, the setting of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Cyrodiil is led by a family who has made a pact with the evil daedric lord Molag Bal and his powerful necromancer servant. The Daggerfall Covenant, according to Schick, feels it is its place to bring peace to Cyrodiil and Tamriel. The Ebonheart Pact seem to simply want to make sure Molag Bal can’t cause any trouble on Tamriel. The Aldmeri Dominion has a personal grudge against the humans, and believes the elves should rightfully rule Cyrodiil.

  • The Elder Scrolls Online Gets Its First Real Gameplay Trailer

    I’ve mostly gotten over the existence of The Elder Scrolls Online. We’ll still get the excellent single-player romps through Tamriel, and the MMO junkies can explore one of the more interesting fantasy worlds in gaming history. It’s a win-win for everybody. Now that the shock has worn off, Zenimax Online is ready to take the wraps off its newest MMO.

    Zenimax Online shared the very first gamplay trailer for The Elder Scrolls Online today. In it, the team talks about bringing together two very different games – the single-player epics and MMOs. The team also discusses some really ambitious MMO design elements such as the Megaserver that contains all the players on a single server.

    The initial response to The Elder Scrolls Online was skepticism at best and outright hatred at worst. The early previews did little to allay those fears. The latest preview is actually exciting, and it looks pretty good. The emphasis on the traditional Elder Scrolls single-player may help bring in the traditional players into the fold.

    If Zenimax Online can deliver what they showed today, I think that The Elder Scrolls Online may very well be a hit. It looks like the core Elder Scrolls experience has been preserved, and the MMO players will be content with the new innovations in the space.

  • Elder Scrolls Online Showcased at E3

    Elder Scrolls Online Showcased at E3

    Up until now, all of the information about The Elder Scrolls Online has been straight from Game Informer’s exclusive coverage last month. Today, though, Paul Sage, the creative director at ZeniMax Online Studios, stopped by the GameTrailers studio at E3 to answer questions about the upcoming MMO.

    Paul stated that the project is an answer to fan pleas that the Elder Scrolls series should be multiplayer. Though no in-game footage was shown for the title, Paul said the developers of the title have taken away a lot of the traditional mmo interface, presumably to allow players to see the scenery of in the game. He also mentioned that Health, stamina, and magicka bars are a part of the game. “It’s really dynamic feeling.” said Paul. “It’s a really great game.”

    The leveling experience in an MMO takes a long time by design. For many players this can be the most frustrating part of an MMO, since many quests along the way are similar to ones already accomplished. Paul stated that The Elder Scrolls Online will operate differently, and try to break out of the fairly linear questing system most modern MMOs employ. Players will be encouraged to wander around the landscape, seeking adventure for themselves in true Elder Scrolls fashion. A compass, similar to the one seen in Skyrim, will direct players to content around Tamriel. There will also be quests that come to the player dynamically, instead of the player having to seek out a quest-giver. “You don’t have to go onto a quest path,” said Ryan. “You’re not on rails at all.”

    One odd statement that Ryan made is that there can be up to 200 players “in the game at the same time.” This probably doesn’t mean a cap on the number of people allowed in one server. If that were the case, there would have to be thousands of individual servers, not to mention the fact that many established MMO guilds boast more than 200 members. Instead, Ryan is probably referring to the maximum number of players that will fit into one instance of the game.

    Another teaser trailer for the game was showcased today at E3, which you can view below. Though it does not show any gameplay from The Elder Scrolls Online, it does a good job of highlighting the different factions and the traditional fantasy classes that Elder Scrolls games have used.

    The first character pictured appears to be a Nord fighter surrounded by Dunmer, or Dark Elves. This could represent the Ebonheart Pact faction in the game, which is made up of Morrowind, Skyrim, and Black Marsh. The second character is an Altmer mage who probably represents the Aldmeri Dominion faction, which is made up of Valenwood, the Summerset Isles, and Elsweyr. The third character, though obviously the thief archetype, is a little more ambiguous. It could be a Breton or an Imperial, and doesn’t strictly appear to represent the game’s third faction, the Daggerfall Covenant, made up of High Rock and Hammerfell.

  • The Elder Scrolls Online Trailer Reminiscent Of Skyrim

    I’m just starting to get over the announcement of The Elder Scrolls Online yesterday and I’m beginning to accept it. While I still don’t think it’s a good idea to move an established single-player franchise into the MMO space, ZeniMax can do whatever they want with the franchise. If the first trailer is any indication, at least it will get the feel right.

    As promised, the first trailer for The Elder Scrolls Online appeared today and it tells us absolutely nothing. It does set up the story of the game which we already knew about. The game will be set 1,000 years before the events of Skyrim and focus on the fight for the imperial throne in Cyrodiil while Molag Bal is trying to destroy all of Tamriel.

    While the trailer tells us nothing, the recently released screens and Game Informer article tell us a lot more. The game will be presented in the third-person view so those hoping for a first-person Elder Scrolls MMO are out of luck. What else will the game bring with it? Pretty much the same stuff that every other MMO has done before. This is due to the creative director stating that the game must be comfortable for those coming in from other MMOs. So don’t expect any kind of innovation or creativity, just another WoW clone hoping to get noticed from brand alone.

    I know that I’m being overly critical of the game, but I think we deserve that. The team knows that too as they are trying to convince traditional Elder Scrolls fans that the game will be good. I’m relieved to know that while the team seems to be sticking to conventions that they also want to put on a show of good faith to the Elder Scrolls fanbase.

    NeoGAF has all the details you would want on all the features confirmed in the newest Game Informer article. The June issue should be hitting houses about now, but it won’t be until next week when the information hits the Web site proper.

    I’m going to remain cautious until we get more information and perhaps some gameplay footage. As of now, I’m skeptical and many people who were excited by the announcement yesterday are also starting to get cautious as well. The Elder Scrolls name brings with it certain promises and the MMO seems to be ignoring those in favor of creating a generic MMO that will appeal to the WoW-playing fanbase.

    As Kotaku’s Luke Plunkett put it:

    “People always wonder why no MMO has ever beaten World of Warcraft. It’s because the people who want to play World of Warcraft…already play World of Warcraft, and don’t need to play something built using the same system.”

    I completely agree. Here’s hoping that the game brings something new to the table. I want to like an MMO and The Elder Scrolls has a good chance of getting me on board. If it’s just like WoW, however, I won’t be impressed and neither will anybody else.