When comparing The Elder Scrolls Online vs Star Wars: The Old Republic, the Slant community recommends The Elder Scrolls Online for most people. In the question“What are the best MMORPGs on Steam?” The Elder Scrolls Online is ranked 5th while Star Wars: The Old Republic is ranked 10th. The most important reason people chose The Elder Scrolls Online is:
Elder Scrolls games have always placed the world's unabashedly bizarre mythology in the forefront, and ESO is no exception. Between quest storylines, hundreds of in-game books, passing NPC dialog, and the landscape itself, ESO presents a world that feels bigger than the player and can be incredibly immersive.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Built on twenty years of game lore
Elder Scrolls games have always placed the world's unabashedly bizarre mythology in the forefront, and ESO is no exception. Between quest storylines, hundreds of in-game books, passing NPC dialog, and the landscape itself, ESO presents a world that feels bigger than the player and can be incredibly immersive.
Pro Immersive first person play
While the game can be played in third person (which may work better in PvP), there is an option to play in first person view which keeps in tradition of the view found in other Elder Scroll titles. This gives this MMO the feeling of playing Skyrim or Oblivion, which should appeal to those who are fans or familiar. It is also a unique way to play an MMO, which could appeal to those tired of traditional third person view MMOs.
Pro High immersion as minimalist HUD brings focus to action and the world
Minimalist HUD-approach brings focus to action and the world for immersion rather than focus on hotkeys, cooldowns, and other immersion-breaking intrusions
Pro Good single player TES game
With an MMO-ish progression. Also, has great voice acting.
Pro Excellent controller support
Not only is controller support provided, but a combination of elements of the games design (minimal UI, enforced focus on favorite/preferred actions, and a clear vision to design console support in early on) means play with a controller is a great, comfortable experience.
Pro Unrestrictive class system
ESO's character system is based on skill lines; each class provides three. There are dozens of other skill lines, including all weapons and armor, which are open to all characters. Resource stats (Health, Stamina, Magicka) aren't tied to class either. This means any character can use any gear and be built to fill any role.
Pro High build variety keeps PvP interesting
Though "flavors of the month" will arise in any competitive game, ESO's versatile characters and MOBA-like limitation on simultaneous skill availability greatly reward creative builds and counter-building.
Pro Limited skill bar encourages build variety
There are only six skill slots (five regular and one "ultimate") available at any one time. A character can swap between two equipped weapon sets, making at most 12 total skills available in combat. With well over 100 skills to choose from, finding two characters with exactly the same build is the exception, not the rule.
Pro Free to play
You can play through the full story for each class as well as each planetary story absolutely free.
Pro Fully voiced characters
For as many characters as there are and how much dialogue is present in the game the voice acting is superb and comparable to the best offers out there. Quests are not just text boxes to read but actually told to you by the NPC asking for your help.
Pro Subscription bonuses
As a subscriber ($15 a month), a player gets a significant XP boost for completing Story missions. At 12x the experience gain, this allows players to progress through a character's class story without having to repeat planetary quests that can become mundane when leveling multiple characters. Other perks include a 500 Cartel Coin allotment per month, useful in the cartel market; as well as faster quick travel cool downs, more character slots, and many more. These perks are quality of life improvements rather than pay to win.
Pro Companions in any role (4.0)
Companions can now fulfill any role: Tank, Healer, Damage. Also companions no longer use gear stats, and so do not require constant gear upgrades. Gear is only used for cosmetic changes now.
Pro Movie like Star Wars universe
Play as a character from the beloved Star Wars universe, and immerse yourself in a fantastic story from Bioware set 1000 years before the movies. Choose a side and fight for the Sith Empire or the Republic as a Jedi, Sith, Trooper, Bounty Hunter, Smuggler and Imperial Agent.
Pro Stream-lined leveling (4.0)
With game update 4.0, Knights of the Fallen Empire, and later, leveling has been streamlined to highlight quests that are relevant to your personal story, so it's easier to move forward rather than waste time on side quests. This includes on your Map, Minimap, quick travel and flight paths.
Cons
Con Generic MMO quests
Like most MMOs this game features mundane fetch or collect quests that can become not only repetitive but pretty boring.
Con Pay for Convenience
While Bioware has been careful to avoid pay-to-win, being a subscriber or paying some real money for in game quality of life perks can be a big bonus, and offer monthly rewards.