Elder Scrolls Online streamlining opening hours based on beta feedback

Zenimax is changing up elements of The Elder Scrolls Online based on player feedback from the game's beta, offering an adjusted opening and some changes to the game's combat system.

Ozzie Mejia

March 15, 2014 3:00 PM

11

The Elder Scrolls Online is slated to arrive on PC on April 4. With the big day rapidly approaching, Zenimax Online is taking player feedback from the game's beta to heart and making some adjustments to the adventure's opening hours and to some of the game's combat.

"While surveys have shown that players really enjoy the game as they progress, particularly after level 10, we heard from some of you that the beginning of the game left you feeling too constrained," states the most recent entry to the Elder Scrolls Online blog. "The game was originally designed that way so that new players were not overwhelmed, and could learn the game before dealing with more challenging situations. But because ESO is about choice, we made adjustments to those opening hours of the game in response to the beta feedback. After exiting the modified, more streamlined tutorial in Coldharbour, new characters now wake up in the first major city of their respective Alliance as opposed to being forced to go through the starter islands. We're adjusting the level curve around those cities so that you'll have plenty to do and discover without running into enemies that are too powerful at the start. If you want to go back and experience these islands (which have been re-leveled to provide a regular content experience) the option is there, but players who prefer can just start exploring the rest of Tamriel."

Combat will also see some changes before launch. Most notably, NPC characters will now have collision, meaning you won't be able to just walk through bodies. This has been touted as a "frequently requested" feature, with the change being made to make combat feel "more substantial."

Zenimax is also anticipating high demand for ESO's opening week. With that in mind, the developer is adding additional overflow servers, in the event of higher-than-expected demand. While overflow servers are meant to be temporary and won't allow for PvP or guild access, anything earned in an overflow server will remain with your characters after returning to a main server.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?