Since the release ofWorld Of WarcraftClassicthere has been a lot of discussion about how old school MMORPGs stack up against modern ones. Of course there’s always the obvious differences with the graphics and capabilities as technology has advanced, but how do the core mechanics, the guts of the games compare?
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The most debated comparison is howClassiccompares toElder Scrolls Online. According to fans of both, there are many thingsClassicdoes better, but definitely, some things working forESO.
10Does Better: Fun Community
The fanbase forClassicis incredibly fun. There are a lot of adults diving back into the game for nostalgic purposes, but there’s a surprising number of young gamers building names for themselves in Azeroth. Because of this there’s a greater emphasis on fun and doing whatever’s most entertaining rather than grinding to the top, maximizinggold gains, or milking out more and more power.
ESOcan have a bit of fun, but it takes itself much more seriously thanClassic. If you’re looking for laid back gamers looking to have a blast, thenClassicmight be a better game.
9It Doesn’t: Mature Community
Of course, the other side of that coin is you’re fighting alongside players who aren’t very mature. Young gamers can have their fun moments and be a blast to play with, but they can also be really annoying, petty, and discuss things that, as an older, more mature gamer, you can’t really relate to.
The community over atESOis more mature. They’re often adult gamers with jobs, families, and lives outside of gaming that makes them more interesting individuals and less prone to silliness or crass conversation. If you want to immerse yourself and play with individuals who take the game more seriously, thanESOis the one for you.
8Does Better: Skills
While it may seem simplistic, there is a lot going on beneath the surface that makesClassica deep and complex game of strategy, and skills are a great example of this. Everyone has a role and within that role is a wide scope of skills that allow you to do a tremendous amount of things.
These skills also feel more varied and empowering than the ones you find inESO. Sure they don’t look as pretty, but there are a lot more tools at your fingertips to play with.
7It Doesn’t: Characters
While you do have more skills to experiment withESOhas the advantage of giving your character more to do. InClassicif you’re a Paladin, you can only do Paladin things, but the same isn’t necessarily true forESO.
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You can become almost anything you want and your starting class often feels more like a starting point rather than a restrictive box you can’t break out of. As a result, you’re less likely to regret your character building decisions as you can still experience everything the game has to offer without requiring multiple characters to do it.
6Does Better: Roaming PVP
The world of Azeroth inClassicis a dangerous place, there are safe zones that you could operate in without ever encountering a player from the opposing faction, but that’s often the exception rather than the rule.
Navigating the world felt more realistic as players often set up ambush points, which led to players hiring guards or traveling in packs. The sense of danger didn’t necessarily come from aggroing PVE monsters, but by catching the attention of a bored PVPer. That’s something not really found inESO.
5It Doesn’t: Dynamic Questing
While the PVP components are better inClassicthe PVE narrative is much better inESO.In this world you feel like your choices matter and you’re tasked with a variety of quests that have you engaging with rich characters with interesting backstories.
InClassicyou’re little more than an errand boy or girl sent out to gather items, deliver messages, or kill monsters for faceless NPCs. While those elements certainly exist inESO,they’re the exception to the rule rather than the standard.
4Does Better: Huge Raids
One aspect of questingClassicdoes really well are the massive raids. Love or hate them you have to admit charging down a Fire Lord with 40 other players is much more interesting and engaged than it is inESO.
Part of this could be the punishing resurrection mechanics in case one of your teammates goes down. It could be that the foes you were facing were larger than life and more dramatic than inESO. Whatever the reason, raiding is awesome inClassic.
3It Doesn’t: Gear Restrictions
Having said that, one aspect of raiding is not fun, the gear. You are very much the victim of RNG when the gear pops, and you can’t wear any of it and must wait a week to try again.
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This results in two things thatESOis better at when it relates to gear; you can wear whatever the heck you want, and you can reroll the specs, so the gear is whatever you want it to be without having to grind the raid over and over again over several weeks.
2Does Better: Play To Win
Perhaps the thingClassicdoes best is that it’s a play-to-win kind of game. If you want to get stronger, you have to play. If you want to tackle ‘x’ content, you have to play. There are no shortcuts, no pay-to-win tools, and no catch-up mechanics.
To be fair,ESOis a lot better than other MMORPGs, but it’s still guilty of some of these. It’s a very hard line to walk for game developers, so their game doesn’t feel like a grind but also doesn’t sugar coat power increases, and it’s something thatClassicmanaged to do very well in the early levels.
1It Doesn’t: World Building
This was mentioned in passing before, but it bears repeating that theworld ofESOis much more involved and rich thanClassic. You could blame this on the limited technology available toClassicwhen it came out, but it doesn’t account for all of it.
Classicis designed to bring you back month after month, not by telling a good story or having you engage with unique characters, but throughaddictive grindingand a never-ending chase for better items. When it comes to world-building, dynamic areas, and rich characters,ESOis definitely better.
