ESO: Morrowind Expansion Thoughts

The truth is, the Elder Scrolls have always been a missed opportunity for me as a fan of fantasy RPGs. Since I was introduced to RPGs on the SNES, and didn’t migrate to the PC as a main gaming platform for many years, early PC RPGs were tough for me to get into. They just seemed so overwhelming, and often darker and more gritty than their brightly-colored JRPG counterparts.

I dabbled around with Daggerfall and later Oblivion back in the day, but Elder Scrolls never really took me by storm. I don’t know if I ever owned Morrowind, to be honest… *goes to check GoG account* Nope. Doesn’t look like it.

Funny thing is that I do own Skyrim and all the DLC, so much that I was able to get the new HD version for free. But, still yet, I try to play it and end up falling out of the game right after I slay my first dragon. Every time.

Gah! And I really, really tried to keep going with this! I still want to play Skyrim!

Reflection on ESO

So, I’m pretty much a noob to all things Elder Scrolls. Maybe that’s part of the reason ESO could never strongly hook me, even though it has a lot of elements I really should enjoy. Unlike FFXIV, there’s no nostalgia for ESO to fascinate me with. And the lore that’s there seems so vast and overwhelming, I can hardly wrap my head around it.

I’ve rolled several characters over the years in ESO, including during beta testing. So I’ve played the same starting area for the Aldmeri Dominion over and over and over again to the point that it’s hard for me to keep interest. Yeah, I guess I could roll on the other side (whatever it is – lore noob), but the races of the Aldmeri Dominion appeal to me more.

An old beta character

I currently have two characters that I kick around with every now and then. And they are both stuck in what I consider the tutorial island area. I’ve gotten past this point once, but it was so long ago and I don’t have that character anymore. Maybe it was a beta character that was deleted.

While I find the game more enjoyable than I did back in beta (my first impressions weren’t so hot), I still just have so much trouble sticking with it. Especially when FFXIV has its hooks into me and demands most of my time.

So, Morrowind

Oh yeah. This was supposed to be my thoughts on Morrowind, the new “chapter” (expansion) announced for ESO. Seems like it’s drummed up a lot of excitement, and I’m honestly very happy for ESO players who are getting expansion content. I know the road has been rocky for ESO, and seeing an expansion is always a good sign that the game is doing well.

ESO has caught my attention several times recently with their housing announcements, One Tamriel, and now Morrowind. What I like about this expansion is, of course, the new pet class. That will always get my attention.

But also, it sounds as if you can roll a new Warden and perhaps start somewhere new to begin your game. It’s really hard to tell, though. Nothing actually states specifically “new starting zone.”

It’s more like:

New Players: New players can jump into The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind and start a new character without having to complete any previous ESO content.

Does that say “new starting zone” more or less? It seems to. If so, that has my attention.

The price is acceptable and comparable to other expansions. So I don’t have any issue with the cost.

If it has plenty of positive points that interest me, why am I not jumping on the pre-order?

Unfortunate Timing

It’s all about the release date: June 6.

That’s ten days before the expected early access for FFXIV Stormblood, which is June 16.

I’ve already pre-ordered the collector’s edition for Stormblood, and am asking time off from work to enjoy it. So, yeah.

Those expansion dates are way, way too close for me. Had Morrowind come a month earlier, I might have dropped some time and money on it. I just can’t justify it when I know Stormblood is going to consume all my free time once it’s released a few days later.

This is probably a good thing, as I can hear a bit about what other players thought of Morrowind before I pick it up on down the line. Depending on how engaged I am with Stormblood, I may just wait to see if I can get Morrowind on sale later.

Anyway, it sounds like a lot of nice things are coming to ESO. I hope everyone who picks up the expansion finds it all that you hope it to be!

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