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One Shots: Shadow play
Welcome to a new year -- and the best year of One Shots you'll ever see. I know this because I've been to the future (December 31st, 2015) and spent those precious time-bending moments flipping through all of the One Shots column this year. Amazing stuff, people. Really well done. Well, we might as well get started with your glorious photo journeys! Our very first pic of the year is from reader Becca, who sends us this groovy bit of shadow play in Elder Scrolls Online: "While waiting for a boss to spawn in a public dungeon, my friend Arkslan and my character Rozyn had some fun with lighting." Great. Now I know what will be lurking under my bed tonight: a sing-songy bard. Terror knows no name, but it does sing harmony.
The Elder Scrolls Online quietly removes six-month subscriptions
Players are just a little bit leery of the fact that The Elder Scrolls Online has removed the six-month subscription option from the game. Oh, sure, it seems innocent enough; it's just a change in billing options. But it's also one of those changes that's happened in more than a few other games indicating that the game was removing the need for a subscription... or that the game was no longer going to be playable at all, in the case of Warhammer Online. The official ZeniMax response on the French forums is simply that players indicated they preferred the shorter billing options, so the six-month option was removed. General sentiment in the thread is that this answer is not entirely credible. If it really is a harbinger of something more to come... well, we'll find out about it in about six months. Maybe five. [Thanks to Siphaed for the tip!]
Elder Scrolls Online definitely coming to consoles in 2015
ZeniMax has posted a holiday greeting to Elder Scrolls Online fans that also promises a console launch for the fantasy MMO in 2015. "We've released five major updates and tons of improvements and fixes," the blurb reads. "Next year promises to be just as exciting as we introduce the Champion and Justice systems, launch on the PS4 and Xbox One, and continue to release new adventures for you to experience."
First Evil Within DLC 'The Assignment' due in early 2015
The Evil Within's first piece of downloadable content will launch early next year, Bethesda announced. Named "The Assignment," the add-on is one of two pieces of content that follows Juli Kidman, the partner of Detective Castellanos, the game's main protagonist. The DLC will be available individually at an as-yet-unannounced price, and as part of the survival horror game's $20 three-pack season pass. The Assignment's follow-up is The Consequence, which sticks by Kidman's side before the third DLC, The Keeper, arrives. The Evil Within launched in October and was met with mixed reviews, including our own that noted the game "requires so much repetition that it can't possibly maintain any sense of tension or unease, and its story is told so aimlessly that you'll likely forget the plot between scenes." The game recently received a 1 GB update to fix various bugs and improve its performance. [Image: Bethesda]
The Elder Scrolls Online's Undaunted Pledge system promotes daily dungeons
Are you wandering around The Elder Scrolls Online in a post-Update 5 haze, lost on what to do? Wander no more: ZeniMax has released a dev blog today to give you some guidance. The guide details the pledge system of the Undaunted, whose tasks are reminiscent of daily dungeon quests in other themeparks. Starting at level 45, players can swear themselves to the Undaunted faction, which offers two daily quests to complete dungeons, one veteran and one not. Depending on how well they complete the dungeon and the difficulty of the encounter, players will be awarded reputation with the faction as well as a key to unlock a sweet chest of loot. "The Undaunted chests can contain a variety of helpful loot, from valuable Ornate items and soul gems to unique items sets and attention-grabbing shoulder pieces fashioned from the very brutes you've slain," writes ZOS. The full guide is on the official site.
Evil Within gets 1GB update to fix bugs, improve performance
If you were looking to experience a nightmare before Christmas, perhaps you looked to your Xbox One or PS4 and a copy of Bethesda's The Evil Within. If you bumped into not just hordes of monstrous killers but also gameplay-impacting bugs and glitches, good news: the game has received a 1GB patch to address those problems, though a posting on the Bethesda blog fails to detail exactly what has been fixed. "The ... update covers minor bug fixes and optimizations," a post reads. When asked exactly what that meant in the comments, Bethesda reiterated that these were "general technical improvements and bug fixing." Well, that certainly clears things up. Near the end of October, The Evil Within received another, larger patch that significantly improved technical performance. Whether this patch changes the experience as much, we'll leave for you to decide. [Image: Bethesda]
Elder Scrolls Online says there's still 'work to do' on its console version, no launch date yet
The self-imposed six-month delay of Elder Scrolls Online's console release has come and gone, and it looks as though fans will be waiting a while yet to see the title come to Xbox One and PlayStation 4. In a new Road Ahead post, the team admits that the adaptation has been tricky but that progress is being made. "We have been (and will continue to be) steadily working on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of ESO. They are playable and fun right now, but there's still some work to do before we can set an official launch date," Game Director Matt Firor said. He mentioned that, among other tasks, the team is designing a new UI from the ground-up and adding voice chat for the consoles. Firor also discussed Update 6, which is scheduled for January. The update will contain the new champion and justice systems, the latter of which will allow players to pickpocket NPCs and steal from vendors. However, this will be but the first pass for the justice system, as PvP will be integrated at a later date.
Elder Scrolls Online walks you through crafting writs
Fun fact: Elder Scrolls Online's Update 5 is about a month old at this point and is now able to roll over and distinguish shapes. Among its treasure trove of new features was the introduction of crafting writs. However, in case you are a little confused or curious what these are and how to do them, ZeniMax has crafted (get it?) a new dev diary to walk you through the process. To be able to take on writs, players will first need to become certified in a desired crafting profession by undertaking a related quest. Once completed, players can accept a task from a writ board to craft specific goods and turn them in for rewards. Each category of writ can only be fulfilled once a day, and completing them can even net you survey reports to point you toward a cluster of harvest nodes.
Elder Scrolls unveils its six-month loyalty reward
ZeniMax has revealed its six-month subscriber reward for players of The Elder Scrolls Online. The devs are continuing with the vanity pet theme introduced for the three-month reward, only instead of a High Hrothgar Wraith, this time we have the Dwemer Sphere. Keep in mind that the reward months accumulate whenever you have an active sub, so if you leave for a month or two and then resubscribe in the future, you'll retain your progress in terms of loyalty rewards.
Elder Scrolls Online's Update 5 goes live, reduces VR grind
ZeniMax has published Elder Scrolls Online's Update 5. The patch features improved facial animations, chat bubbles, dungeon and solo-instance scaling, and the Veteran City of Ash. Speaking of veterans, they'll probably be happy to know that the devs are continuing to roll out the previously announced veteran rank revamp with Update 5. Veteran Ranks are now earned via experience points, and each rank will grant an attribute point and a skill point. It now takes 1,432,550 experience points to earn a VR, and ZeniMax says that it expects "this to reduce the amount of time it takes to gain a Veteran Rank." [Thanks Matthew!]
Take a shot at Battlecry's first three class types
In a world where gunpowder is banned, a massive sword that can transform into a shield isn't so outlandish. This gunless world hosts the team-focused, free-to-play Battlecry, which Bethesda Softworks detailed three class types for during a panel at PAX Australia. The Enforcer wields the aforementioned transforming sword, as well as the beefiest health stats in the game. Each attack blocked by an Enforcer's shield builds adrenaline, which can be used as fuel for stronger attacks. In contrast, the Tech Archer is an at-a-distance character, both due to having the best attack range in the game and a general vulnerability to getting stabbed. Should their spacious personal bubble be invaded, Tech Archers can use a Sonic Shot ability to push opponents away from them.
The Daily Grind: Do you defend your favorite MMO?
I think I'm getting old, because there was a time when I'd wade into a forum discussion about my favorite MMO and defend it to the death against all comers. I still catch myself doing that on occasion, but said occasions are getting rarer. The passion hasn't gone anywhere, but I'd rather just go play it than argue about it, you know? What about you, Massively readers? Do you defend your favorite MMOs? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Elder Scrolls Online is getting some scary monster face hats
When Massively newswriters are looking for news to write, they generally look first to the Massively newsroom. The Massively newsroom is a place where editors dump links that can be turned into stories, and more often than not said links are labeled with funny/sarcastic/bitterly angry temporary titles. The temporary title for the news post you're currently reading was "ESO Hats... you'd think a game this big could manage more than hat teasers on Twitter, but you'd be wrong!" It's quite a long temporary title as temporary titles go, but that's fine because it really captures the essence of this particular news post. The Elder Scrolls Online is in fact coming out with some new hats. OK, they're actually monster helms and they look pretty badass. You can expect them in Update 5!
Digital Foundry looks into Evil Within pre-patch problems
Our review of The Evil Within wasn't too keen on Shinji Mikami's latest survival horror epic, but according to the techies at Digital Foundry, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game are worse off if you play offline and forego the day-one patch. As you'll see in the performance comparison video beyond the break, the un-patched game runs 30 to 40 percent slower than its updated counterpart. The slowdown is so bad at times that when creating the video, Digital Foundry couldn't even properly record its findings and "needed to modify the values of our frame-time graph when creating the performance video, in order to accommodate gameplay pauses of up to 100ms." Additionally, while the patched game runs at a resolution of 1920x768, the unpatched game can only manage 1600x900 awkwardly crammed into a 1920x768 window. "What's baffling, though, is that even with a lower resolution, the performance is so much lower all around than the patched product," Digital Foundry adds. While the development team's impressive work on the game's 1.01 patch can only truly be appreciated when witnessing the technical troubles of its original incarnation, it does drive home the worrying nature of our new "always online" hobby. [Image: Bethesda Softworks]
Leaderboard: Which 2014 MMO will be the most financially successful?
2014 is winding down, and when it comes to big triple-A MMO releases, it's basically over already. The Elder Scrolls Online, WildStar, and ArcheAge all debuted this year and apart from their differing premises, mechanics, and reception, they also differed in terms of their business models. One thing they had in common, though, was expensive production values as well as the pressure of carrying the financial flag for their respective development studios. While it's hard to accurately predict the future, that's exactly what we're going to do in today's Leaderboard. Which of 2014's big three do you think will be the most financially successful in the long run? Vote after the cut and don't forget to explain your vote in the comments! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
Delve deeper into Elder Scrolls with two new book series
Why have Elder Scrolls Online only on your gaming machines when you can also have it on your bookshelves? Bethesda has partnered again with Titan Books to create two new series that delve deeper into the world of Elder Scrolls, one focusing on ESO and the other on Skyrim. A March 2015 release date is planned for the first volume of each series. The Elder Scrolls Online – Tales of Tamriel will be split into two volumes, the first titled The Land and the second, The Lore. Both will expound even further on the lore of the game and feature never-before-seen art. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – The Skyrim Library consists of three volumes (The Histories; Man, Mer and Beast; and The Arcane) that moves the all of the game's in-game text to out-of-game print that players can grab and read at their leisure.
Living without a head in The Evil Within
Having a head is so last season. All the stylish kids get through the trial and error of The Evil Within without a head.
Metareview: The Evil Within
Reviews for The Evil Within are flowing like a slit throat, with scores splattered all over the walls. Our review of the survival horror/action game faulted it as a frustrating experience that "ignored its own rules." Others were similarly disappointed, but plenty of folks seem to be content with getting something new within the genre to play.
Walk through walls, get infinite ammo in The Evil Within on PC
Bethesda doesn't support players using debug console commands to cheat their way through The Evil Within, but the publisher sure is making it easy to do so. In a post on the Evil Within forums, Bethesda outlines how to access the game's debug console via Steam and enable cheats such as god mode, infinite ammo, walking through walls, and a handy FPS lock. Perhaps these cheats will make The Evil Within more fun, or at least not as supremely disappointing. Curious gore lovers, see Bethesda's instructions below.
Tour the eerie world of The Evil Within in its new trailer
In this nearly three-and-a-half minute trailer, publisher Bethesda Softworks introduces players to the dark world of Shinji Mikami's The Evil Within, complete with bloody corpses, improvised weaponry and enemies that would be right at home in your most horrific nightmares. [Image: Bethesda Softworks]
