The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited: Orsinium Review: Massive

To say that the map for The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited: Orsinium is massive is an understatement. Huge in scope with plenty to see and do, the first DLC for ESO is a blast to play through, even if its more of the same fun from the main game.

A part of an expedition to Wrothgar to help rebuild a once proud Orc civilization, you’ll find a bevy of new friends and allies once you get there. Although it’s a lot of fetch-quest-based gameplay, there’s a depth to the story and the new characters and dungeons help flesh things out nicely. Some of the storylines are more immersive than you’d expect and thanks to some tough enemies and vivid and cool side quests, this DLC is something dedicated fans of the series can quickly latch on to. However, what is usually the case in the Elder Scrolls series, traversing the new map is the coolest part of the DLC.

From the snow covered mountains to the small towns and eventually greenery, it’s a beautiful environment, filled with secrets and treasure. Simply put, wandering around alone amounts to a wild amount of fun if the Elder Scrolls is your go-to game. If you only have a passing fancy with the series however, you won’t feel like all that much has changed.

That’s where the Maelstrom Arena changes things. An area designed for brawling, it’s a destination that adds more beef to the familiar feeling DLC. A real test of ones character, you’ll face waves of enemies that won’t let up. By the end of it all, you’ll have a good idea of what you’ve done right and wrong over the course of leveling-up your character. While it’s a cool time killer and addition to the gameplay mix, it’s not enough to bring back players that feel there’s nothing new to the series.

Overall, the new stretch of land is ultimately for hardcore fans that can’t get enough ESO. Gamers that want a few extra gameplay additions mixed into the formula won’t get it here, but they will get a bevy of new quests and dungeons, there’s enough things to do to take them into 2016.

Pros:

Massive Map: With over 20 hours of gameplay, new animals, weapons and quests, the massive map puts everything in a wild perspective. There’s simply too much to see and do.

Cool Missions: From rescuing people in caves to killing off tough new World Bosses, there’s plenty of spice to the mission types.

Cons:

More of the Same: It’s a lot of fun, but it isn’t as different an experience as you would expect.

Difficult: Even though you can jump into the DLC regardless of your level, you’ll enjoy it a lot more if you spent some serious time in the main game.

Not a Great Multi-Player Experience: Much of the same problems from the original remain as its just not a game that plays great with friends

Final Thoughts:

As a single-player RPG, The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited: Orsinium is a fun experience, but as an MMORPG, it lacks the bells and whistles needed to make it special with friends. In spite of the difficulty and the need to play in teams to truly thrive, it’s hard to feel compelled to. Regardless, there’s a ton to do and see. Overall, helping the Orcs rebuild their ancient civilization is a blast, just not in the way you’d expect.

A download code for The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited: Orsinium was provided to Review Fix for review.

 

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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