The Elder Scrolls Online’s upcoming Arcanist class is easily one its most unique-looking and flashiest additions yet. Attacks featuring explosions of green energy and whipping tentacles give the Arcanist an aesthetic matched by few others across the MMORPG genre. However, this stand-out atmosphere may come at a cost.
ThroughoutThe Elder Scrolls Online’s lifespan, there has been a trend of textures and animations getting increasingly better with each major chapter. Yet this mainly applies to new additions for the game, and not older assets. For that reason, the flashy Arcanist class may cause a larger problem by making the age of older classes more apparent than ever.
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The Elder Scrolls Online’s Arcanist Might Leave Older Classes in the Dust
Compared toThe Elder Scrolls Online’s more subtle class designs, theArcanist’s abilities offer an entirely new experience. It is almost comparable to that of a class fromFinal Fantasy 14, which contains some of the flashiest animations in the genre. Beautiful animations, character textures, and impactful sound design create a more immersive experience. But when placed next toThe Elder Scrolls Online’s other classes, it may make them seem devoid of character and charm by comparison.
While newer classes such as the Warden and Necromancer can compete, the base game’s classes fall much shorter. Many of them continue to use the same animations and skills that they released with back in 2014, and the Arcanist class is likely going to highlight just how old they are. While this may not be a problem for all players, it may impact the new player experience when it comes to picking out a class. This is a symptom ofThe Elder Scrolls Online’s bigger issues that stick out like a sore thumb.
Throughout its history, ZeniMax Online Studios has largely disregarded older content in terms of updates to aesthetic details like textures and animations. This leads to many of the older zones looking and feeling outdated compared to the newer ones, and while this is to be expected as time goes on, the disregard is somewhat concerning. MMORPGs such asFinal Fantasy 14andWorld of Warcrafthave made efforts to update their older zones to keep up with the times, butThe Elder Scrolls Onlineprimarily focuses on new content, andThe Elder Scrolls Online’s Necrom expansionwill probably continue the trend.
This reveals a strategy that may be unhealthy for the game in the long run. Focusing on new additions may be beneficial for bringing in players new and old, but it doesn’t help them get through older content. This is especially important forthe future ofThe Elder Scrolls Online’s classes, as they are the medium through which a player interacts with the game world. While the Arcanist may provide a flashy new toy for players to try out, they may become disappointed in the lack of updated qualities for older classes if they decide to experiment further.
While it will certainly be excited for many to players to seehowThe Elder Scrolls Online’s Arcanist and its unique mechanics work, hopefully the same care can be put into updating the game’s older classes one day.The Elder Scrolls Onlineis going to need a refresh of that nature if it wants to have a shelf life comparable to other giants of the genre.
The Elder Scrolls Onlineis available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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