Thankfully, it’s more responsive here, and it works surprisingly well given the genre. Even the menus and inventory ape Skyrim’s left-aligned black strip. A great deal of us will immediately know how the game’s compass and waypoints work, it’s intuitive to use weapons and parries with the left and right triggers, and the feel of head-bobbing movement is instantly recognizable.
At times, it works for the familiarity that follows. Indeed, the influence of Skyrim can be felt everywhere. But if you’re interested in something else, if you’re open to the unorthodox places that an MMO nested in Skyrim’s aesthetic and sensibilities can go, ESO might be right up your alley. Is there anything wrong with the holy trinity of tanks, DPS, and healers, with auto-attacking while you execute a fairly tight rotation of optimized abilities, with orchestrated boss fights and flying mounts and optimal character builds? I’d argue not-Final Fantasy XIV has proven that the fundamentals World of Warcraft polished to a mirror sheen can still be compelling. But these concepts amount to something that is pretty innovative in the MMO gameplay space. That’s because The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) has a multitude of fresh ideas that take it to a place pretty far removed from the single-player epics we know The Elder Scrolls can supply.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited doesn’t feel like a true Elder Scrolls installment, but you shouldn’t come in expecting one.