Just in case you missed the opportunity, Bethesda and Zenimax are making The Elder Scrolls: Online, their massive MMORPG based on the Elder Scrolls universe, free to play for a short period of time.
The Free Play Event was announced on Wednesday, November 6th, and has continued on throughout the week. Elder Scrolls: Online will stop being free to play at 10 AM EST on Wednesday, November 13th. Until then, the game is completely free!
Participating in the Free Play event allows players to access the base game at no charge. In the base game, players are able to choose between the basic classes of Nightblade, Templar, Dragonknight, and Sorcerer to explore the original zones of the game. This spans over twenty zones with a vast variety of quests and questlines.
On top of the main questline, players can also enjoy the Mages and Fighters Guild questlines. In a final addition, players will also be able to enjoy the Morrowind area and the story therein to explore the lore and story of the Dark Elves.
If you’ve played during a previous Free Play Event, then your account will be accessible again, allowing you to pick up where you left off. If this is your first Free Play Event, your new account will receive 500 crowns, the premium currency of the game. If the event ends and you feel that your experience was good enough to warrant purchasing the game to continue, you’ll be able to keep your Free Play account without losing any progress you’ve made.
Normally, The Elder Scrolls: Online is a relatively cheap game in comparison to others. While games like World of Warcraft rely on somewhat archaic subscription systems, requiring players to pay a monthly subscription fee, Bethesda’s MMORPG is a one-time purchase. Expansions and DLC aren’t free of charge, of course, but they are also a one-time purchase.
Of course, World of Warcraft doesn’t feature the premium currency and in-game shop that The Elder Scrolls: Online offers. Depending on your opinion on microtransactions, it could be seen as exchanging one evil for another.
Relatively cheap is nice, but we can all agree that free is always better. While this likely won’t be the last Free Play Event to take event, there’s no telling when the next will be. If you’ve been waiting for the chance to try out The Elder Scrolls: Online, don’t forget to take advantage of this Free Play opportunity!
