As a MMORPG with more than a decade of game history, there must be a reason why Elder Scrolls Online is still popular with players. Whether it is its stunning scenery or immersive soundtrack, it is an important factor that makes players linger here.
But after all, more than 10 years have passed since ESO was first released, and many players want to know whether it is still worth playing in 2025, and whether it can still catch up with the old players who have been here and really enjoy it. But to know the answer to this question, you still have to ask yourself what you are pursuing. Let's discuss it from all aspects.
Diverse Gameplay
First of all, ESO has achieved a good balance between single-player games in Elder Scrolls series of games and more traditional MMO elements, allowing you to play games continuously.
If you don’t like typical MMO gameplay, you will be happy to know that the world of Elder Scrolls Online is very large and single-player and casual games are very welcome, although there are some parts of the game that you need to bring others to play with you.
That being said, the main contributor to ESO’s success is the game’s engaging and helpful community, but it also encourages you to find your own rhythm and interact with others when you want to. However, ESO is an MMO, so there is no way to turn off viewing other players, but you can choose to ignore social activities.
Contradictions Caused By Level Scaling
Unlike many MMOs, ESO has level scaling, and equipment will always drop with your level. Combat is the same as enemies, and even your own damage numbers scale with your level. And since there are no level restrictions, you can go anywhere and play with friends from the beginning, regardless of level differences.
Combat in ESO does not have the feel of a single-player Elder Scrolls series game, but instead utilizes traditional MMORPG elements such as combat timers, ideal rotations for using skills, and global cooldowns before using other skills. It also utilizes the typical tank, healer, and damage dealer group dynamic.
To be honest, ESO does offer a lot of freedom, but because of the freedom the game offers it is easy to accidentally get equipment or skills that don’t match what you want for your character. Therefore, most players have very extreme attitudes towards the combat system, either loving it or hating it.
Another common complaint from players is that combat throughout the land area content feels too easy. While this provides a better initial game experience for new players, if you only complete the land content, your character may start to feel weak or unable to cope with the team content.
Character Customization
There are many options for customization in ESO, such as housing and designing character clothing. For many people, fashion is the real end goal!
Of course, you can customize your character at the beginning of the game, but after the character creation is over, you need to spend ESO Gold to change their physical characteristics, such as eye color, height or face shape. However, you can add items to your collection, such as hairstyles and skins that can be applied directly from Collection menu.
You can add items to your collection through Crown Store, or by completing achievements, participating in monthly or seasonal events, and simply logging in. These features all provide a foundation for players who like to customize their characters and show their own style and charm.
Huge Content
For pure lore lovers, ESO has a lot to offer. There are peaks and valleys in the storytelling, and some areas really stand out in that regard.
However, the game is massive, and if you like to play games in the order they were written or intended, ESO might be hard to navigate, as there are 10 years of content to explore, and there’s still a lot to do!
And while Elder Scrolls Online lets you join 5 player guilds at once, and there’s a player trading system, it doesn’t offer a traditional auction house, instead requiring guilds to bid for control of physical trader locations around the world. As a result, shopping in the game often requires traveling to different towns to find what you want.
While PC players currently have the option of using add-ons to improve the user experience in various aspects, console players don’t have add-on options. So you need to consider whether your device is suitable for this.
Pay-To-Win?
Finally, let’s look at the paid elements in ESO. First, its base game is a good deal, usually given away for free, but only includes hundreds of hours of base content. But you can also choose to get a collection version of expansions, which includes the base game, the current expansion, and all previous expansions.
If you hold off on using these expansions, you’ll essentially get a ton of content as a reward when you finally make up your mind to get them, a payment model that’s very new to the game. However, expansions and DLC are different, and these smaller DLCs aren’t included in the collection version, but they’re included in the optional subscription, which can cause confusion when players are deciding what to order.
And, as mentioned before, ESO also has an in-game store with a special currency available for use called Crowns. You can use them to unlock more content for permanent access after your subscription ends, or redeem them for cosmetics, horses, houses, furniture to decorate your house, and other timesaving extras. But the game doesn’t force a real-world economy on you, and it’s completely optional.
Some players aren’t happy with the amount of cosmetics that end up being sold for Crowns versus the amount of rewards you get, but the game is definitely not pay-to-win, it’s just pay-to-win for convenience and to look particularly fancy. While the timesaving crowns option does include things like upgrading skill trees, it’s important to point out that you do need to organically upgrade those skill trees once before the option is unlocked for your account.
Some players will notice that there are also Experience Scrolls for sale in the store, which may fall into the “pay to win” category, but ESO also offers free XP boosts, usually in items you can earn when you log in each day, as well as craftable drinks. So do your research before you use crowns, should you do it? If you don’t need them, don’t waste crowns!
Will ESO Continue To Be Updated?
As for how long the game will be updated, only the developers know the proper answer. However, with a new class added last year, the game is still making money, and this live service game is still rolling out updates. Therefore, I think this game will still be around for a few years to come.
Also, the game currently has no cross-platform play or cross-platform progression, and any in-game items are locked to the server you choose. Although the number of console players is considerable, the number of PC players is even greater. So think carefully when choosing a device to start the game.
Final Thoughts
In summary, ESO is very friendly to new players, the play style is very flexible, and there is still a lot of content to come. If you are interested, it is definitely worth continuing to try it in 2025, no matter which platform you choose.
However, ESO’s biggest problem right now is player retention. While there are tons of new players, the end-game community struggles to maintain player numbers, because of severe nerfs, skill gaps, large meta changes, or an inability to find and form a group of like-minded players.
If you do give the game a try, don’t burn yourself out by rushing to level up just to catch up with the old players. If you want to speed up your game progress, you can keep an eye on the giveaway channel in IGGM Discord, where there are often some sweepstakes. As long as you are lucky enough, you can get some coveted game resources for free. Regardless, focus on the adventure, lore, and world building in the game, and relax, because in the end it’s all about your journey and exploration!
