The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road review

It’s amazing to think The Elder Scrolls Online is ten years old. What started off as an empty and unfulfilling take on Tamriel and its lore has become one of the finest MMOs out there. ZeniMax has remained dedicated to TESO ever since, releasing expansions that dove into every corner of its world, races, and stories to deliver some fantastic expansions, and while The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road doesn’t always deliver with its story, I still enjoyed exploring the West Weald and uncovering the secrets of the new Daedric Prince.

The forgotten Daedric Prince Ithelia has returned with no idea who she is, and as you uncover more about this prince its clear to see her remembering could be one of the greatest threats known to Tamriel. We get a cult of Bosmer who are using her for their own gain, wanting to restore their own history without comprehending the consequences of their actions. It feels almost like a political thriller within the confines of TESO’s high fantasy, and for the most part I enjoyed the journey even if it felt predictable at times.

Ithelia is an interesting character and while Daedric Princes have been done to death, she was still a great addition to the game. You meet plenty of new characters along the way, and like all expansions some you connect with and some you don’t. The writing is strong once again, and it’s impressive when you think just how many stories have been added to the lore of Elder Scrolls, especially as this franchise has been out for so long.

The Colovian region of Cyrodil’s West Weald is a gorgeous area that features many different environments all ripe for exploration. The main city of Skingrad is filled with incredible architecture; jungles filled with bizarre plant life and tall trees feel like a botanical labyrinth; and wastelands that are ripe with death and peril. Wherever you explore within The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road, it always feels different to anything you’ve seen before, and even though it last featured in Oblivion, it’s not the same as you remember.

While exploring West Weald and partaking in main quests and ones you pick up organically, there’s a lot to see and do, allowing you to immerse yourself in the world like never before. It felt so good returning after a year or so away, and while it feels as though the developers are reaching its limits with what they can do with the technology on offer, they have excelled in ways they haven’t before, such as the boss fights that feel mechanically different to many of them from the past, and the new Scribing mechanic that allows players to customise their build in exciting new ways.

New players aren’t going to be able to get stuck into scribing as it requires you to be at least level 30, but it’s a fantastic new way to create exciting new abilities, even if it’s difficult to get to grips with once you first unlock it. It shows ZeniMax is consistently trying to make gameplay feel fresh even after a decade, and while it’s not a gamechanger, I still enjoyed experimenting with the customisation it allowed for my character. While I feel The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road can be enjoyed by new players, the new trial is going to test veterans as they take it on in teams of twelve, but the rewards are vast and well worth jumping into if you enjoy the grind.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road features a fun story that might not be among the best the series has seen, but it’s definitely one I enjoyed. I love the lore at the heart of the series, and any excuse to learn more will always make me excited to uncover any titbits I can. Some of the quests don’t always hit, but there’s plenty to do, and the new scribing mechanic is a great way to attune skills to match exactly how you want to play. West Weald is gorgeous wherever you go, and it feels like ZeniMax has pushed what is possible in TESO to its very limits.