About a year after reaching PC, the Elder Scrolls Online is just days away from arriving on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The tales are true, the ones about smashed bugs and other gameplay issue, and now a game that some said would go free-to-play soon is being prepped to deliver to console owners what it originally promised the PC-first crowd.
The Elder Scrolls Online is a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game that brings its role playing game (RPG) foundation to the residents of the Internet, breaking away from the single-player RPG experience the series has delivered in the past. The game lives inside of the Elder Scrolls series' universe, somewhere between the periods of Skyrim and Morrowind.
On June 9, the Elder Scrolls Online arrives on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Here's what console owners need to know:
Readying the Mounts
There is plenty of review material on the Elder Scrolls Online. And despite possibility of some console-specific bugs, this game is releasing under optimal conditions for a pre-order.
Players who pre-order the Elder Scrolls Online are rewarded with the Explorer's pack, which includes four additional treasure maps and a vanity pet. The bonus pack also allows players to play any race in any alliance, though Bethesda appears to be offering only a limited number of character slots for this pre-order perk.
Daggerfall: Unchained
While Bethesda started out with a subscription model on PC, the model has since been trashed and it won't be revived for the console release of the game. The Elder Scrolls Online is $60 and that's all players will have to pay for the core game.
Long Arm of the Law
Some of the lawlessness in Tamriel has been tamed by the good folk at Bethesda. Players who abuse non-playable characters (NPCs) will accrue bounties, which will eventually make them targets of citizen justice. For now, players won't draw a bounty for going one v one in a little PvP.
Uncrossed
It may seem as good a game as ever to bring in some cross-platform support -- even a PlayStation to Xbox One only or Xbox One to PC would have been intriguing. However, the Elder Scrolls Online does not support cross-platform play.
Venture Out
After creating a character and making it through the Coldharbour tutorial, which is recommended, there's plenty to see in the Elder Scrolls Online before devoting chunks of time to dungeons and leveling up. No one should expect this game to match up with Skyrim, but Tamriel is beautifully realized and is worth exploration before and after questing.
