As we wait for The Elder Scrolls 6 to materialize one way or another, and endure a now-even-longer wait for Starfield, The Elder Scrolls Online remains Bethesda’s flagship all-you-can-eat title. And it’s not even developed by Bethesda Game Studios.
When it launched back in 2014, TESO made many mistakes – something that sadly feels like tradition for large online games. Chief among them was the decision to go with a subscription-based model, trying to take a bite out of World of Warcraft’s real state. The Old Republic couldn’t achieve that even with all the power of the Star Wars IP and BioWare’s expertise. Unsurprisingly, things didn’t work out too well for ZeniMax Online’s MMORPG at first, either; less than a year after it launched, TESO dropped the mandatory subscription and worked towards actually becoming The Elder Scrolls (but) Online.
2015 and 2016 brought forth the changes that essentially turned TESO into the unique MMORPG that it is today. Of course, changing the obligatory subscription into an optional offering for the more hardcore players was a big step forward, but it was the One Tamriel update in late 2016 which won many players over. The game’s biggest rework removed level restrictions tied to areas and the core activities, effectively adding the layer of player-driven freedom that had defined Bethesda Game Studios’ games for over a decade.
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