Dear Bethesda: 10 Things I Want To See In The Elder Scrolls: Online
2. Solid Multiplayer
Now, I've never played a MMORPG. I've never touched Everquest, World of Warcraft, Rift, Eve Online... so on and so forth. That being said, I imagine I'm not the only one - Bethesda stands in a unique position to bring an established, solid RPG to the console fanbase and give them their first real, mainstream MMORPG experience. I've watched the shenanigans on YouTube plenty of times - devoted players trading banter as they assault a boss, or discussing strategy before they begin a mission, even the famous Leeroy Jenkins incident - which if you haven't seen, DO IT NOW. Seen it yet? Yes? No? Either way, I've still gotta finish typing this. Now, I expect there to be a few bugs, some snags, and maybe even a glitch or two to exploit, but I'm largely optimistic about Bethesda's maiden voyage into the MMORPG world with consoles when Online hits next year. In addition to the already significant playability of Skyrim's offline content, adding online capabilities to an Elder Scrolls title will only serve to increase the value of the title, with a player being able to milk that poor disc for even more content. Is a boss too hard? Grab a friend and take him together. NPCs getting boring? Join a friend's game and throw a bone in the stale old CPU interactions. Just found some rare loot that you want to get rid of? Find a friend and barter it for some of the good stuff they have . If there's ability for sharing, I can even see how strategies or perhaps even gear, or mods can be shared - the potential here is vast and I can't wait to see it used.And eventually, abused.
With other online titles such as Bungie's Destiny, and the inevitable Borderlands 3 (someday), Bethesda is wise to cast its hand into an online party game - Destiny has gorgeous visuals and Bungie's substantial reputation, whereas Borderlands has a unique aesthetic, humorous backstory, and violent fun to keep players enamored. The Elder Scrolls has the ability to immerse a player into a riveting fantasy world, which is now expanded by the fact that you can experience it with a friend - even better, without having to leave your room. Technology is amazing, isn't it?