Hey guys!
Just wanted to post my overall experience and hopes for the future with Elder Scrolls Online after two months of rigorous playtime. I'll divide this post into different sections for ease of read. Hope you guys enjoy the read!
Also, I prefer dividing the sections by chapter because of how cool it sounds
Chapter I: My Experience So Far
I first logged on Elder Scrolls Online with low expectations two months ago after reading all the negative reviews on it from launch - disregarding the news on updates and changes in the process. I went through the character creation screen already expecting a boring game with barebones features and lackluster aesthetics.
And so I made my very first character... a Breton Nightblade. I've spent an hour or two making him because the character customization allowed so much changes but at that point, my low-expectations and expected-disappointment still didn't change.
So I log on the game... I went through the first "dungeon" and went to a house in Daggerfall, Glenumbra. All those initial thoughts I had about the game not being Elder Scrolls enough or being too much of an MMO
(Making it a game far from what Elder Scrolls stands for)...
I'm glad I was so wrong about what I first thought about the game. Lo and behold, the game was really good. I'm a huge fan of the Elder Scrolls series ever since my father showed me Morrowind at a very young age of 8
(A story for another time) and the moment I stepped out of that house in Daggerfall. Lots of the old feelings came back: the feeling of wonder and excitement and it's been a while since I felt that way in an MMO - hell, in an Elder Scrolls game since Skyrim.
The point is, ESO is an amazing game which I grew to love and care about.
Which is why it pains me to hear about ZOS just dropping hot topics and issues off - leaving caring players hurt and cheaters largely unpunished in the process. I really do believe that you - ZOS - should listen more to your players because we enjoy the game you passionately made for seven years! I can understand the passion from all the love and attention put into it as I explore Tamriel in all of its glory. Looking back on one of your old manifesto, I could tell how passionate you guys are in making this amazing game and believe me, I can relate how it feels in making something truly wonderful - with players sharing and experiencing the game with others; to have your story be the stories of millions of others. Looking back on this video, one can see the amount of work they put in a game like this and it's a shame that the players didn't receive it well on launch.
An Introduction to Elder Scrolls Online by Zenimax Online Studios
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxJTsq2XeKYChapter II: My Thoughts on Zenimax
If you aren't aware by now, I am a staunch supporter of Elder Scrolls Online - especially as an extension of the Elder Scrolls Series - as the game did well enough - in gameplay, community and ambience - to garner my loyalty. And believe me, it's hard for a game to do that, and when it does - it's even harder to make it last for more than a month as my interests normally die out when the game no longer has anything to offer. Fortunately, ESO is an Elder Scrolls game first and foremost so exploration and questing will be no problem for me as time passes by. And with the addition of yearly DLCs, I'll be playing this game for a very long time.
Just to make it clear though, it does not mean that I'll be playing Elder Scrolls Online forever as we all know that we all have to move on in the future. However, until that time comes, I'll be here enjoying the damn game.
But I digress.
As I spend time in both the forums and the game - communicating with others and sharing experiences - I've been growing rather unhappy by how Zenimax communicates with its players - leaving them mostly in the dark in a lot of situations or just outright being quiet about certain hot topics. I do understand that there are community moderators who are actively browsing the forums for breaches of conduct or points of inquiries - and I am happy that there are moderators doing that - but I do not understand why the moderators are mostly leaving us in the dark in certain topics and discussions - wherein the only time they post a reply in those certain topics is when there is a breach of conduct. I won't name another MMO - in fear of breaching the name & shaming rule of the forums - but all I can say is that it ends with wars wherein its community moderators and developers went in to answer the inquiries and fears of players. All in all, the community in the other MMO has their suggestions actually being taken into account and made into the game; the community in the other MMO has their fears relegated and improvements were put into the game.
Just to be clear though, it doesn't mean that Zenimax doesn't listen to its community and shares with us. On the contrary, I can name a lot of situations where they do - and when they do, I can say with confidence that we can express our emotions to them - anger, joy and fear - because they're players just like us. But there are times where things start to derail like the times they leave us mostly in the dark - with why things are and how things are. For instance, on the case of the exploits in PvP and crafting in recent events.
(Which by the way was handled poorly on my opinion)
That being said, I respect the developers for making an amazing game. I just don't wholeheartedly agree with how they treat their player-base thus far.
Chapter III: My Hopes for the Future"We are not now that strength which in old days moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are; One equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak by time and fate, but strong in will, to strive, to seek and not to yield."
Tennyson, Ulysses
I've really loved that line from Tennyson's work, Ulysses. It always speaks to me about how things were and how things will be - only determined by the choice we make. And looking back into it, I really do think that this poem is in-line with how I feel about Zenimax and Elder Scrolls Online... because after months of walking with players and developers alike - in the forums and in the game - I still have high hopes for what the game will be - all in part because of its wonderful community and passionate developers.
The poem's last segment talks about Ulysses and the experiences he's had with the mariners - all the joy, pain and fears clumped up in a singular story - through storms unwinding and abyss unchained. He tells the mariners that despite all that they were before, they will always have the chance to be honorable, to leave a legacy before their deaths.
While it is a macabre discussion to put in line with the game, I really believe that such is the case wherein I still have hopes for Zenimax to make this game an even better game than I already think it is.
Zenimax, I truly respect what you guys did with the game and I hope this post of mine reaches you because I really do think you've made an amazing game. I hope that you will make it an even better one in the future by improving on your principles. I wish you all the best!

Thanks for the read guys! Have a good one!
Edit: Fixed a few grammatical errors and simplified a few sentences.