The Elder Scrolls Online promised to be one of the biggest MMOs in history, and release day is drawing near. Betas are larger than ever, with increasingly complete content. With the game on the horizon, what should a dedicated gamer do to prepare?
1. Pre-Order the Game
Pre-ordering the game comes with numerous benefits. There’s the mudcrab pet, the Imperial race, the warhorse mount and the bonus treasure maps. More importantly, the Imperial edition allows the player to play any race in any faction. Normal users will be limited to the faction assigned to each race.
2. Register for the Beta
The beta season may be drawing to a close, but there’s still time for a couple more sessions. Any gamer looking to experience the game before release should register for the beta as soon as possible. Recent betas have accepted nearly everyone, in an effort to stress test the servers. That means there’s an excellent chance of getting in for the next wave.
3. Set up a Gaming Computer
What good is the game without a computer to run it? Sure, it will come out for the Playstation 4 and the Xbox One, but nothing quite compares to a powerful gaming PC. ESO is positively beautiful with the settings cranked to ultra, something the next-gen systems aren’t likely to handle. Now’s the time to upgrade hardware, invest in a larger monitor, grab some quality surround speakers an clean up the hard drive for the massive game installation.
4. Select a Weapon Preference
Like other Elder Scrolls games, ESO allows players to choose their own style. There are four classes to choose from, but each class can wield any weapon. Now is a perfect time to decide between the big three:
- Bows, with their ranged capabilities and powerful rapid-fire skills
- Melee weapons, with the possibility of using large two-handers, the traditional sword’n’board or dual-wielding one-handed weapons for a flurry of attack
- Magic, with powerful elemental and AoE skills, plus plenty of support and healing magic
5. Choose a Race
Without the Imperial edition, gamers must choose their faction according to their race. Each race has a few perks, many carried over thematically from previous Elder Scrolls titles. Orcs, for example, tend to excel with physical combat, while high elves specialize in magic.
6. Learn the Lore, Learn the Map
ESO takes place across all of Tamriel, in an unprecedentedly large game map. The provinces from Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim are all available in game, as well as some others not seen in past Elder Scrolls titles. Learning the lore and the map will help ease the shock of such a massive world.
7. Gather Friends
Playing with a friend, playing with a guild and playing with someone connected via the Ritual of Mara all earn bonus experience. Having a group of friends to start on day one — or five days early with the early access pre-order — will give a great boost to starting off. Experience all of the new content as soon as possible with a prepared guild.
