Normally I’d wait until I put a few more hours into a game before reviewing it, but The Elder Scrolls Online is currently on-sale from GreenManGaming for $45 off, plus there’s a 20% coupon that might work (I think it’s this code: GMGSUM-MERSAL-E20OFF), plus you get a free mystery game (which is going to be something cheap that you’ve never heard of, but still), PLUS if you use this referral link to sign up then both you and I get $2 credits once you purchase the game. I’m in no way affiliated with GMG, nor have I used it long enough to tell you if it’s awesome, but this deal is pretty crazy.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited is an MMORPG developed by Zenimax Online Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It’s set in the same world as Bethesda’s Skyrim, and the bottom line of my experience is this: If you liked Skyrim, you’ll probably like ESO. The game features many of the same RPG features that Skyrim had, mixed with some typical MMO features.

The game throws you right into the heat of everything once you start, which in my experience is a little bit closer to Skyrim than a typical MMO. From the moment you get broken out of jail, you’re quickly taught to fight and run. It feels just like playing any other Elder Scrolls game, and the starting area is pretty fast-paced and can be beaten in less than an hour. Then you’re dropped into the open world of Tamriel.

It was at this point where I started to notice the little differences they had introduced in this new game. I never beat Skyrim, but I don’t remember there being staves that basically just launched Fireball without using your Magicka. Your magic spells come in an MMO-like upgrade tree, and are mapped to the number buttons in any order you’d like. It feels pretty good to run into battle casting Lightning from my left hand and shooting my fire staff from my right. The weight-inventory system from Skyrim is also gone, now you have a solid 60-slot inventory that won’t allow you to pick up more once you’re full. For me that’s kind of a plus, but I also understand the appeal of the weight system.

The area I was dumped into after the starting area was full of quests featuring the individual storylines of the worlds inhabitants. It instantly made me feel like a lot of writing went into this game, and within my second hour of playing I was already suspecting a murder plot (which I helped to stop during my third hour).

The whole thing feels nice and clean to me. It runs well on my laptop while also streaming the game to Twitch. I look forward to playing more of it and writing a more detailed review.