Dang it, Elder Scrolls Online, just when I’m about to give up on you again, you pull me back in.
I really didn’t mind your previous DLC, Orsinium, but for the most part it didn’t have anything outstanding for me. The Maelstrom arena was fun, and the quests were good. But let’s be honest, it was Orcs. I’m not really the superfan of Orsimer culture. I would never say this to an Orc’s face, but as much as they like to claim that they aren’t savages, they really are. Regardless, that’s not what I want to talk about today.
Whoever made the Thieves Guild DLC must have been listening to my inner thoughts because I believe that I’ve fallen in love with you again, ESO. You’re starting to remind me of that girlfriend I really should have dumped, but something about her makes me keep coming back. In fact, that’s an excellent metaphor for my relationship with you, ESO. Not that we’re dating, of course! You just have this one really good thing that I like about you that continually makes me want come crawling back because no other MMO does it as you do.
It’s thievery.
It’s not thievery in the sense that you’re stealing something from me, although it could be argued that you are. I’m talking about the game mechanic of thievery, aka pickpocketing, lockpicking, and stealing.
Let’s go back to where it started
My unhealthy relationship with you, ESO, really began when the Justice System hit last year. I stayed away. I was being good. I had written you off as a game that was OK, but really when it came down to it, you were just another themepark MMO that I might play up to max level eventually but never make a long-term commitment to. Your stories were great and fun, but honestly, I knew they were just really well-written fetch quests read by the same small handful of voice actors.
There was nothing about the themepark side of you that immersed me in your world. There were no cutscenes, your main villain wasn’t super compelling, and the gameplay was stiff. Sure, you had a great meta, and when I hit level 12, I had a lot more freedom to do what I wanted. But then I don’t think I have to mention the Veteran Rank system again, do I?
When the Justice System allowed us to pickpocket, steal from, or even fight the random NPC, I found a new place in my heart for you, ESO. I found that I could stop whatever quest I was on and just go yoink purses and be content for awhile. However, as a gameplay mechanic, it turned a little stale. It was still fun for the every-once-in-awhile romp, but long-term, it seemed to lose its purpose. Then you announced that you would not include the PvP side of Justice System shortly after its initial announcement.
It was at this point that I considered walking away from our relationship again. However, I did like your hybird buy-to-play and subscription system. I really wanted to support your business model so that other gaming companies would be maybe see that it works. Maybe they would then adapt it for themselves. (I’m looking at you, Star Wars: The Old Republic.)
But I digress.
We were talking about the Thieves Guild DLC
In this DLC, you bumped up the Justice System to the next level. From my perspective, you did it in three magnificent ways. First, and foremost, you made the content completely available for all levels. You gave us a storyline to go along with the additional mechanics. And lastly, you incorporated daily activities for those who really enjoy this kind of gameplay.
When I first jumped into the DLC for the Thieves Guild, I was transported to Abah’s Landing on the Hammerfell peninsula of Hew’s Bane. Of course, this is similar to Orsinium in the sense that I was transported there, too. And the fact that I was playing on a low-level character this time around had no bearing on the content that I could participate in. I was thankfully scaled to the content very seamlessly. But that’s not the best part because your previous DLC had that, too: I could do the content outside of Hew’s Bane as a low level character, too. I will admit that I didn’t finish that daily quest 100%. But I found on the first few legs of the journey, I could actually do the content in higher level areas because thieving is not level-based and the areas that the you can steal from were not restricted by level, either. In fact, it felt awesome stealing stuff from the Alik’r Desert as a level 20. You get so many internet points for that little maneuver, ESO.
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but your storyline can lack in plot sometimes, ESO. It’s usually not very complicated, but then, I don’t really expect it to be all the time. You are an MMO after all, and it would cost a bajillion dollars to have a super-complex plot for all the side quests. However, I have always liked your characters. They are great and still are. The struggles and rivalries of a growing Thieves Guild really makes for a great character-driven story — even if all the characters are all voiced by the same six of seven people. I also like that you aren’t afraid to put a woman in charge of the Guild — or anything else for that matter. Internet points to you again, ESO.
I know that many MMO players say that they don’t like the grind, but I like how you have called them on their bluff with the Thieves Guild. Granted, you haven’t come right out and said, “Here’s the part of the game where we grind,” but you did give us activities to do over and over again on a daily basis. And these activities can actually be used to help us gain levels or money or whatever we are really looking for. And more than that: They are fun.
I guess ultimately, I want to say “Thank you, ESO,” for being that ex-girlfriend that I want to keep coming back to.
Traverse the troubled land of Tamriel in the Elder Scrolls Online. Larry Everett will be your guide here in Tamriel Infinium as you explore together the land created by ZeniMax and Bethesda. If you have any burning questions, send them his way via email or via Twitter.
