While we begin the long wait for the next mainline Elder Scrolls, one wait that is going to be a very, very long one no doubt, there is a way to get your fix of the franchise with Elder Scrolls Online. The game just had one of its biggest expansions, and now the story that began there will come to a conclusion with new DLC, and you’ll get a chance to try out the game free of charge as well.

The Dragonhold DLC is a story based one that ends the Season of the Dragon that began with the Elsweyr expansion. It will add a new zone along with new weapons, armors and quests that will conclude several ongoing quests. It’ll be available to all ESO Plus subscribers as well as purchasable separately in the in-game store. You can see the trailer below.

Elder Scrolls Online is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. If you are curious about the game and have never had a chance to try it out, it’s actually free to play on all platforms through the next week until November 13th.

It’s going to be quite some time before we ever really see Elder Scrolls 6 (and boy, do we mean quite some time). In the meantime, there’s the ongoing MMO Elder Scrolls Online, which just had the release of the latest expansion, Elsweyr. The game has been a success for Bethesda, and a solid way to keep the IP awareness up as we await an official new installment. And it could be getting some cross-play features soon.

In an interview with Wccftech, Creative Director Rich Lambert talked about the game and its newest expansion in length. He talked about the improvements they’re focusing on right now as well as the new material that it added. When it came to cross-play talk, specifically cross-save functions, he said the team was very aware that cross-play is a big thing right now. While nothing is officially slated, sounds like it’s something they’re actively thinking about.

“We know this is kind of what players want,” said Lambert. “And we are starting to see more and more announcements about it. We don’t have anything on the roadmap currently, but we’re aware.”

Cross-play features are starting to become a lot more common than they once were, so it’s not hard to see a near future where at least cross-saves come to the popular MMO. Elder Scrolls Online is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

While we’re in for what looks like a long wait for the next mainline Elder Scrolls (and we have to emphasize that we are talking about a long wait here), the series’ companion MMORPG, The Elder Scrolls Online, is still going steadily. The game is due to have its next expansion soon and has had a pretty constant stream of updates since release. Now, according to the head of the studio, we might be seeing something else from them.

Sitting down in an interview with the Official Xbox Magazine (Issue 177) the head of Zenimax Online, Matt Firor, talked about the game and its team. He expressed a lot of pride for what they had accomplished with the title, the challenges of keeping a large audience engaged, and then dropped the information that the team is working on something new. Though they will remain focused on ESO as well, they are also looking toward a new game and engine.

“Not a lot of people have picked up on this, but if you look on our job site you’ll see that we are accepting applications for people to work on a new engine for a new triple-A game,” he said. “So yes, we have ideas, but we’re committed to ESO for as long as it takes.”

The Elder Scrolls Online is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Elsweyr, the next expansion, will be available June 4th for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with PC users getting early access on May 20th.

The Elder Scrolls Online launch has been, like the launches of every single MMORPG ever, troubled; a plethora of bugs and glitches accompanied the launch of the game, and naturally, there have been the regular scammers and exploiters trying to scam unsuspecting players and the in game economy. ZeniMax Online have been working overtime to ensure the game keeps running smoothly, and in a forum post on the Elder Scrolls Online forums, they decided to give everyone a bit of a progress report.

“Please know that we are doing everything we can to combat the gold spammers and bots – especially ones that ‘camp’ dungeon bosses,” Matt Firor, the boss of ZeniMax Online, wrote. “I play the game every day; I see them too, and yes, they drive me crazy.”

Developers have faced a “daily running battle” with gold spammers since launch, he added, “moving them from global chat, to in-game email, to creating bogus guilds and inviting players – and we continue to take measures to keep them away from players, even when it isn’t always apparent that we are.”

“Because of this huge influx of contact relating to this one issue, our CS team has been slower to react to other problems than planned – our sincere apologies if you have been held up for a long period of time waiting for CS to respond to you. Again, our goal is to keep this activity away from you so you don’t have to contact Customer Service in the first place.”

“We still have much to do,” Firor concluded, pointing to the game’s upcoming update which is expected to include numerous fixes. “We are in process of putting up our first major update to the game on our Play Test Server (PTS), which includes many updates to the game, including class and weapon ability tweaks, content fixes, and updates to almost all game systems. It also contains our new end-game Adventure Zone, Craglorn, with Veteran content aimed at 4 and 12-man groups.”

It’s clear the team is working its hardest to keep the MMORPG running smoothly; they will probably find their work doubled as they approach the release of the game on the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 later this year.

Succeeding Skyrim is The Elder Scrolls Online; a deviant game in the series as it is an MMO instead of following the traditional single player formula that the Elder Scrolls series is famous for. Leaving aside the generally tepid and often fervent reaction to the game in general, let’s move on to analyse what the game’s visual department has in store for the Elder Scrolls series’ fans.

"The game employs a number of graphical tweaks although some are clearly seen missing like the level of AA employed or solutions like MSAA or SMAA. Being an MMO, we can grant some concessions to ESO. "

Following in the footsteps of a game that was hailed for its graphical prowess as much as for its gameplay, ESO presents a rather contrasting picture on the PC. ZeniMax Online Studios chose the Hero Engine – an engine specifically for MMOs – for ESO. Developers at ZOS had said that they’ll make the game compatible even with 5 years old machines as a result of which, ESO is playable even with low-mid range graphics cards like Radeon 6450 or the GeForce GT 630 at a remarkably decent frame rate of about 30fps in 720p with graphic settings cranked to medium.

Benchmarks aside, the difference between the game’s maximum and minimum display quality is as stark as night and day.

As much as you’d want to play the game smoothly with a low end card, ESO on minimum feels like an RPG from the 90s. In any case, tweaking the settings in the right manner would give you an almost stable 30+fps gameplay with even low end cards.

As much as I appreciate the efforts made by ZOS to make the game compatible, I have to commend them on making the game rather splendidly beautiful. The game employs a number of graphical tweaks although some are clearly seen missing like the level of AA employed or solutions like MSAA or SMAA. Being an MMO, we can grant some concessions to ESO. Anti-aliasing in the game seems to have been implemented a as post processing effect as even shadows, grass, hair and even leaves look affected by it. The V-sync in the game is something you hardly expect from MMOs. You may experience tearing at times but the instances are very rare.

"Characters have been nicely moulded and given ample attention albeit once a while it may turn out to be a slight disappointment but it’s not much to fret over. Shadows seem to have been given a special focus in the game. Shadows seem real enough and are affected by AA which is much appreciated."

One of the most flabbergasting things about the game is the water reflections. hands down, this was something that had left in utter awe for a long time. The water reflects every object of the world in real time and the ripples are a sight to behold. Viewing water bodies from different angles provides a feel of realism due to the anisotropic filtering.

Anisotropic filtering(AF) in the game is aptly and nicely used but it may seem lacking at times although, it would take a keen eye to notice any real difference in the sharpness and details of textures and objects when viewed from different angles. AF in the game may not be something that would hold you in awe, but it’s not a big let down.

The particles and the textures of the game are otherwise quite wondrous. You’d find yourself admiring the the interplay of lighting and the textures of the environment at large and hardly notice them, which is how they should be.

Characters have been nicely moulded and given ample attention albeit once a while it may turn out to be a slight disappointment but it’s not much to fret over. Shadows seem to have been given a special focus in the game. Shadows seem real enough and are affected by AA which is much appreciated.

Why almost all the shadows in the game look so brilliant is because the game uses the GPU to render them instead of the CPU, unlike a few earlier games that tend to use the CPU for the purpose. For grass, a simple option has been provided to the user; you either turn it on, or off. Turning grass rendering off has a marginal performance effect on slower systems, but it’s recommended that you turn it on because the grass rendering in the game is something to look out for. Not magnificent, but still praiseworthy.

"Bloom effect in the game has not been overused and I actually like that. ZOS hasn’t overdone bloom and what this has resulted in, is that light sources look beautiful and realistic enough when objects or subjects block the source. Metallic objects like armour and other objects in the world pronounce the light source just enough to make it pleasing."

Coming to post processing effects. This is where ZOS has really stepped up the HeroEngine. Distortion is amply used throughout the game; around fires, trees with light sources behind them and a sundry other random objects.

It’s subtle enough that you tend to not notice this and yet gives you a more realistic feel of the world. Depth of field is almost exclusively noticeable when interacting with NPCs as the background of the subject fades out of focus. Otherwise, there are only a handful of instances where you’d actually notice the use of this cinematic effect.

Bloom effect in the game has not been overused and I actually like that. ZOS hasn’t overdone bloom and what this has resulted in, is that light sources look beautiful and realistic enough when objects or subjects block the source. Metallic objects like armour and other objects in the world pronounce the light source just enough to make it pleasing.

On the other hand, non-reflective surfaces like leather armour or skin give off a waning reflection which again adds to the realistic approach that the developers have striven to provide.

Ambient occlusion. Hats off to ZOS for this. As a result of nigh flawless implementation of this, the game looks vibrant. Entry level gaming rigs may feel the pressure of this effect on their systems quite visibly as it involves rendering each pixel with regard to the contours of the objects present in a frame as visible in the presence of light.

What this means is that your armour, characters features and the environment in general looks realistic as shadows appear on the lee way of object/subject contours with respect to the light source. But there’s a trade off here which is, if you are in a poorly lit area like a cave, you’re as good as blind with ambient occlusion on as this further darkens the areas that may otherwise receive light. But it’s either about pleasing your aesthetic senses or just strutting about through beautiful vistas mindlessly.

" As many arguments as may be placed saying ESO is an MMO, the draw/view distances are a downright damper. Look a little too far away and you’ll see a couple of buildings, hills or a shipwreck or two that seem shrouded by dense fog when in actuality, it’s the engine's failure in not producing the required polygons for making the draw distances impressive."

Radiant streams of light from the sun (or some other bright light source) flitting through the clouds really makes the game’s fantasy setting all the more fitting. Even with all that good, view distances are something that leave a lot to be desired. As many arguments as may be placed saying ESO is an MMO, the draw/view distances are a downright damper.

Look a little too far away and you’ll see a couple of buildings, hills or a shipwreck or two that seem shrouded by dense fog when in actuality, it’s the engine’s failure in not producing the required polygons for making the draw distances impressive. There had been instances of input lag but they were few enough to not become a nagging problem.

The game’s compatibility is something worth praising ZOS over, but it’s recommended that instead of playing the game on bare minimum settings with only the colours brown and green to help you differentiate between grassy and sandy terrain, you upgrade your graphics card and play ESO on at least medium settings whilst appreciating a thing or two about the game. But the game is capable of being run on medium-high on almost every machine.

Granted The Elder Scrolls Online is an MMO, some things in the game are amiss. Interaction with water and light needs a little polishing. It would be good to see some alternatives to anti-aliasing settings instead of just having the option to switch the on or off. And something that I really look forward to is a dramatic increase in the draw distances.

We’ll have to concede to the fact that the game has just been released and that real problems would only show up once the gaming community takes to the game. But it also means that we will be seeing a lot on new upgrades and patches and there’s quite nothing in the game that can’t be fixed with a dozen patches or so over time.

The Elder Scrolls Online, the upcoming MMORPG based in the fantasy world of the Elder Scrolls series, will also be hitting the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One- and on the PlayStation 4, it will not require a subscription to the paid PlayStation Plus service, whereas on the Xbox One, it will require a subscription to the paid Xbox Live Gold.

This actually is a fair bit ridiculous- to play the game on the Xbox One, you will need to spend $60 upfront to first purchase the game, then $15 every month for the subscription to the game, then an additional $5 a month since Xbox Live Gold is mandatory. On PS4, you only need the first two expenses.

Of course, it is worth pointing out that if you already own these two consoles, you also almost certainly are subscribed to Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus, so it probably won’t even be much of a factor in your decision. But still, it’s actually a fairly crappy policy that is putting the bonus of unnecessary expenses on the consumer.

[PlayStation Blog]

Now it looks like the Elder Scroll series is finally making the leap into the online universe, with Elder Scrolls Online. They’ve done expansions and recently with Skyrim they’ve accepted the modding community with open arms and have thousands upon thousands of community made innovations for Skyrim, but of course there is nothing like Elder Scrolls Online.

This is a big step for the franchise as well, there hasn’t been any online components for any of the Elder Scroll titles before and it looks like the franchise isn’t even bothering to get it’s feet wet and is just jumping right into the deep end. The question is whether this online title is going to sink to the bottom or become an amazing online title that rises to the top?

As it stands, Elder Scrolls Online certainly has some stiff competition to live up to. With so many MMO games out there now, with developed environments, worlds, characters, gear and player bases already well established getting a game like this off the ground is a tough nut to crack. If that isn’t enough to deal with, ZeniMax has to fill the shoes of some of the most in-depth, single player experiences that have ever been created.

"As it stands, Elder Scrolls Online certainly has some stiff competition to live up to. With so many MMO games out there now, with developed environments, worlds, characters, gear and player bases already well established getting a game like this off the ground is a tough nut to crack."

With so much riding on this game, it’s no wonder they’ve kept it under wraps for so long and have been very careful about who has beta access and what information gets out to the public. As much as people try, some simply don’t get beta invites to the game.

At first, plenty of people were interested, but weary of the announcement of Elder Scrolls Online. Some folks viewed it as a simple “cash-in,” for a game that people all over the internet had been wishfully asking for, for years.

Once that announcement was made people’s tunes suddenly changed, fearing the worst with plenty of them expecting to just turn the game into another World of Warcraft clone.

While there have been plenty of developers who’ve made this mistake, it’s always something gamers worry about; especially when it’s about about a franchise that many people love. After the demos at E3 and QuakeCon this year though a lot of those worries have been put to rest, with a great twitch-based combat system and even the ability to quickly switch between third and first person views.

Luckily for us, ZeniMax has made this game a labor of love that they have, so far from what we’ve seen put a boatload of time into it. Elder Scrolls Online is going to have all the same classes we’ve enjoyed throughout the series.

"There is going to be plenty of sneaking, pick-pocketing and lock-picking too. So there is definitely more to this game than just grinding your way to the top and hoping that we’ve got some friends to play with along the way."

The setting of the game also takes place about a thousand years before Skyrim, so all those ruined cities, villages and those old Dwemer will be pretty lively this time around. ZeniMax is also paying very close attention to all the lore of the Elder Scrolls universe. They really have to with this particular title, people aren’t going to accept some half-baked online spin-off. ZeniMax knows this and they are taking it very seriously.

They are certainly doing their very best to bring the full, single player experience from games like Oblivion and Skyrim. There is going to be plenty of sneaking, pick-pocketing and lock-picking too. So there is definitely more to this game than just grinding your way to the top and hoping that we’ve got some friends to play with along the way. The world is certainly complicated too, with three factions all vying for the Emperor’s ruby throne there is going to be no lack of players the fight with as you explore the world. As big as Tamriel already is based on what has be released this far it is just going to keep getting bigger as the developers over at Zenimax unlock more areas in updates and expansions.

 Staying true to the Elder Scrolls series, there will still be plenty of small but interesting quests to send players out into the world, either together or by themselves. The player can choose to be a part of the Fighters, Assassin’s, Mage’s guild and many more. While the player may pick a class to start in, just like the single player games, you will have your choice of what skills and abilities you focus on. So there are plenty of options to make your character different, even if your friends decide to play the same class.

"While the player may pick a class to start in, just like the single player games, you will have your choice of what skills and abilities you focus on. "

There is going to be plenty to do in the this busily populated title with gamer’s who can’t wait to have a chance to get into this game. The game is still a little ways off, and plenty of people are waiting patiently for a beta invite and for a chance to get a bit of a hands-on preview with the game instead of just watching videos.

Even with all these great features though, making a great MMO title is a difficult nut to crack and there will be no shortages of critical eyes looking at this title under a microscope. As long as the Elder Scrolls online can stay true to the series that plenty of gamers have grown to love than we should get a great MMO experience, and finally one that we can also share with our friends, instead of just trading stories. We’re also getting this MMO on our next generations consoles and even OSX, so it doesn’t look like anyone is going to be missing out on this exciting game.

Until recently though, the MMO market has been pretty limited in the sense of what platforms they could run on. Basically, the only option that was available was the PC. Most games weren’t particularly demanding, but that didn’t change the fact that they simply were not being made for consoles. What new MMO titles are now turning into are almost unrecognizable from where they started and regardless of what platform you choose to play on these days, chances are there’s going to be something for you.

Note: This list was updated on November 30th, 2013. The title was changed to better reflect the content. This list consists of MMO only games as well.

Tom Clancy’s The Division

This game is getting quite a bit of press since it was shown at E3 this year and with good reason. This persistent open world has PvP and cooperative modes which will give gamers plenty of options as they play. There still isn’t too much known about the game but what we do know is it’s a cover-based shooter that doesn’t seem to be following the formula of any MMO title available now. The best part is that this puppy will be hitting the PS4, PC and Xbox One.

This semi-realistic, near-future shooter is something altogether new to the online arena. Ubisoft is looking to mesh fast-paced action and tactical combat in a world that’s continually being affected by other real players.

Unfortunately it doesn’t look like we’re going to be seeing any cross-platform play from this title, but judging from how well it was received upon it’s reveal, The Division is certainly not going to have any lack of players regardless of what next-gen console you’re looking into getting. The title is still ways off from release, and is currently being scheduled for release sometime towards the end of 2014. Be patient, it looks like a good one.

Zenimax and Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls Online, the MMO based on the incredibly massive Elder Scrolls franchise of role playing games, is coming to PC, PS4, and Xbox One (in spite of Sony claiming it would be a console exclusive at their press conference). However, those of you who figured that something as fundamentally connected as an MMO would be, well, connected, will be let down. Today, it was confirmed that players would be segregated based on what platform they are playing on, and that The Elder Scrolls: Online would not feature any cross platform play whatsoever.

On their Twitter, Zenimax Online confirmed the different versions of the game will be hosted on different servers.“The Elder Scrolls Online’s megaserver technology will allow PC and Mac players to play together,” the developer said. “Xbox One and PlayStation 4 players will have distinct megaservers.”

I guess that makes sense in that the control schemes on the consoles would definitely be much more hampered and hamstrung than those on PC and Mac. At least this way, everybody gets to experience the game without having to worry about one version holding back the others.

Still, it is a bit of a disappointment.

The Elder Scrolls Online is being developed for PC and Mac under the leadership of industry veteran Matt Firor, who has spent the last two decades working in online game development. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the most recent title set in the award-winning Elder Scrolls universe. Skyrim, developed by Bethesda Game Studios, was released in November 2011 and enjoyed worldwide critical and commercial success.

Elder Scrolls Online is due for the PC and MAC. The game is being handled by Bethesda.