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5 Things You Need To Know About The Elder Scrolls Online

05.06.2012
Plenty of Elder Scrolls fans are cynical about the impending release of The Elder Scrolls Online, and understandably so; the game looks like a generic fantasy MMORPG from five years ago. After checking out the game at E3 we can confirm that The Elder Scrolls Online is a hardcore fantasy MMORPG for PC and Mac, so if you're not into that sort of game you probably ought to steer clear of this one when it comes out next year. But if you're a fan of the Elder Scrolls series, I'm filing this report from the E3 show floor to tell you that you ought to be interested in how Zenimax Studios is designing The Elder Scrolls Online. Here's a few reasons why:

Your Favorite Locations Are In This Game: If you've ever played an Elder Scrolls game before, you probably have a soft spot for some iconic swath of Tamriel's geography. It sounds silly, but it's true; whether you're exploring the snowy mountain ranges of Skyrim or the ash-covered wastes of Morrowind, the Elder Scrolls games are defined by the memorable worlds they allow you to explore. The developers at Zenimax Online are keenly aware of this, and they made a point of showing off well-known landmarks from every Elder Scrolls game as they exist in The Elder Scrolls Online.

During our demo we saw Morrowind's Red Mountain, the Redguard capital of Hammerfell, ancient Dwemer fortresses and mysterious Altmeri ruins. The game looked gorgeous, and anyone with fond memories of exploring Tamriel in a previous Elder Scrolls game can expect to get kicked square in their sense of nostalgia by The Elder Scrolls Online's vast virtual world.

A Daedric Prince Steals Your Soul: No matter what kind of character you create, your personal story begins when the Daedric Prince Molag Bal steals your soul. This curses you with immortality until you get it back, which handily explains why players in The Elder Scrolls Online can constantly be cut down in combat only to rise again for another round. It's sort of like the opening to Planescape: Torment, except this time the game might not end when you earn your mortality back.

Necromancy is actually a common problem in The Elder Scrolls Online; not only are there potentially millions of players running around as soulless vagabonds, the kings of Cyrodiil have actually made a pact with Molag Bal to raise undead armies with which to conquer their enemies.

Real-Time Combat In An MMO: Get ready to hold down keys in order to charge up your hammer swings or keep your shield up. Character in The Elder Scrolls Online have a Stamina meter (much like previous Elder Scrolls games) which can be depleted in order to fight defensively or charge up attacks for more damage, and using these abilities deftly in combat will net you Finesse points.