I don't understand why I am having such a hard time getting into this

SgtSilock

I love MMOs and I love Elder Scrolls, I think the features are great.

+Crafting
+Exploring
+Questing
+UI
+Graphics
+Music

But theres something about it that I am just really struggling to pinpoint, and I think it has something to do with combat. Perhaps I am too use to hotkey based games, or perhaps I just haven't found the right class for me yet. However, I can play through games like WoW and SWTOR for example multiple times and cap multiple characters but here the max I have ever gotten to is 25.

I have played a Templar and a Nightblade and have not been able to stick with any of them. Now I know that in every other MMO I play. I play as a caster; Mage, Warlock, Wizard etc, perhaps I just need to try out the Sorcerer, but I don't think it will help. I think the traditional tab targeting with hotkeys is just so engrained into me that when something new and different comes along, it immediately feels foreign and unnerving.

I guess perhaps I just need to bite the bullet and accept the fact that I just don't click with the game (or vice versa) instead of forcing myself to keep playing even though I am not really enjoying it very much.

Sorry if this feels like a blog post, I just wanted to relay my feelings in the hopes of some enlightening responses.

Earelith

My best friend have similar problem..he loves everything eso jas to offer but he cannot play because the camera turn around with the mouse movement instead of having a free mouse pointer to click around..he wants to click on players and turn the camera with right mouse key and not with just mouse movement..

Is psychological..he just cant get over it. He knows is his problem and not game problem but still is turning him away.

UrQuan

See and personally I like the active feel of the combat in ESO so much more than the way combat works in games like WoW. Aside from the cartoonish nature of the art, the way combat works in WoW is the biggest reason why I can't play that game.

Different strokes for different folks and all that. It comes down to personal preference. I'd say maybe try out a different class (a ranged sorcerer might be more up your alley) to see if that makes you enjoy the combat more, but it could very well be that this game isn't for you in the same way that WoW just isn't for me. Bottom line is that we don't all like the same things, and after giving it a good try if you really don't enjoy the combat in this game (or if it's not at least growing on you), then there's probably not any point in forcing yourself to keep playing, as that will only make you dislike it more.

Nestor

SgtSilock wrote: »

I think the traditional tab targeting with hotkeys is just so engrained into me that when something new and different comes along, it immediately feels foreign and unnerving.

There is Tab Targeting in this game. You an use the Tab key to cycle through the targets in the area. You can also enter Cursor Mode which facilitates this (I think, I am not sure exactly what Cursor Mode does, but it does change how I target things)

However the crux of your issue is combat. This is the same thing that got me at first. Well, that and skipping the Starter Islands so I was always under leveled. Anyway, it's funny you mention Hot Keys as the base combat in this game is your skill rotation which you assign to hot keys (1 to 5). Then you go into combat using those skills in a rotation that makes sense for what you have chosen, mixing those skills in with Light or Heavy Melee Attacks. Your skill load out will change over time and can change for each encounter if you want it to.

So, the game is exactly like what you are used to, just does it differently.

jkemmery

When ESO first came out, I didn't like it. The only Elder Scrolls game I had played was Skyrim, and I was expecting this to be more like a version of that. I hated that you needed to use the special skills to win in combat. I hated that you couldn't go wherever you wanted. I actually wrote an email to ZOS asking for my money back. (They did reply that I could get my money back if I chose to do so, but I decided to give it more of a chance) I went months without playing it, then decided for the heck of it to give it another try. I accepted the differences and found that I began to enjoy the game. Now I play almost every day

Right now it seems as if you have a decent understanding of the game, but are kind of pounding your head against the wall because of what it seems to lack for you. Maybe give it a break and come back to it in a couple months or so. You may find you will enjoy it. I did.

Robbmrp

I started with a Templar and to date that is my highest character. The versatility of them is great. They have really good damage spells as well as healing abilities. What kind of play do you enjoy more, single or group? If you haven't tried the group dungeons yet give them a try. It gives you a break from questing and you can see what else the game offers. You can also get 110% experience if your grouped with one other person while questing.

Mashille

I think it's just because you find it so different to most MMO's I came to ESO from GW2 at ESO's launch and I had a pretty hard time getting used to how the game mechanics worked and especially the fixed camera, because I wasn't an elder scrolls player, just an MMO player but I stuck with it and by the time I got to level 35, I was addicted and have only been back to GW2 a few times since then. And now my playtime on ESO is around 600 hours.

Try to stick with it because I found it odd and 'wrong' at first but I soon got completely into it.
Also don't pick classes based on roles such as, 'Caster' 'Melee DPS 'Healer' 'Tank' because that is completely wrong and that is one of the awesome things about ESO because any class can do any role well and the freedom in customization and skills is just amazing.

I hope this helps and good luck!

RazzPitazz

Usually the best remedy is to take a break for a couple days and see if you feel the *want* to play.

Drazhar14

I hate point and click combat, which is one of the downsides to MMOs. I am thankful ESO doesn't have it.

Lord_Kreegan

There is a lack of depth to this game in many ways, and the limit in combat to five skills is part of that.

As @Nestor indicated, you can have many different skills available, but you fundamentally have a skill rotation limited to just five skills. Yes, you can change skills from fight-to-fight to adjust for different situations... but THAT is the problem. That isn't something you do in the blink of an eye.

So usually you're going <yawn> 1-2-3-4-5 <yawn> 1-2-3-4-5 <yawn> 1-2-3-4-5... Every now and then you throw in an ultimate (usually by virtue of accidentally hitting your "R" key; advice: swap your "T" and "R" keys...) but most ultimates are less than awe inspiring, especially if the mobs can simply step outside of the effects.

While having two skill bars allows you to adjust your skills "quickly" -- when the game actually cooperates and swaps skill bars in a timely fashion -- that isn't as versatile as it should be. More than likely, a player is going to set up skill bars as single target - multiple target (AoE); or ranged combat - close combat; or combat - healing... which sounds all fine and good, but most likely you need single target - multiple target (AoE) - ranged - close combat - healing...

Some will argue that this creates a need to "choose wisely"; that's a nice rationalization, but until you've played through all encounters and you're working back through zones on alts or on veteran rank characters, you don't usually know what skills NEED to be so wisely chosen.

The more you play, the more this becomes an irritation.

Similarly, crafting is more about deconstructing things than creating things. After a while, that feels extremely shallow since the player really has little control over what can be built. It isn't a question of finding recipes or dealiong with scarce resources like most games; it's a matter of getting drops that can be deconstructed for research and "inspiration".

I'm not sure why ZOS chose the term "inspiration", because crafting certainly isn't awe-inspiring.

There are many more things any and alll of us can quibble about.

The long and short of it is that if you enjoy the game, play it. If you don't enjoy it, don't play it. It's B2P now. You don't have to pay a subscription fee unless you really want to (the benefits of a subscription are inconsequential at best).

I play eight characters; half are VR and half are upper-midway through the quest grind. I've seen very quest in game at least five times... yet I'm still playing. ESO is not the "be all - end all" game I hoped for, but I still enjoy. Sometimes the bugs and shortcomings really *** be off, but I'm still here.

Egonieser

This is mainly a problem for people who haven't played much of FPS or TPS games on which ESO combat is built around. All other ES games for that matter, except maybe the first few. And ESO is very forgiving for that matter as you don't need to precicely target the enemy, just in his general direction whereas previous ES games required you to be nearly as accurate as in twitch shooter games.

I've played all sorts of games for 2 decades starting from point and click to call of duty and i have adapted to nearly all styles of play, but i can see it being an issue for people who haven't.