In this review we will discover Firesong, the latest expansion of The Elder Scrolls Online that marks the end of Legacy of the Bretons
The last chapter of the narrative arc Legacy of the Bretons has now landed on all gaming platforms. The update, however, it is not a simple narrative “closure”., but fortunately it is also proposed as an expansion in every respect and as a small patch that fixes some small details. But let’s go in order, starting this one review and finding out how he behaved The Elder Scrolls Online: Firesong.
A Cycle Well Done – The Elder Scrolls Online: Firesong Review
Legacy of the Bretons, while it hasn’t overturned the structure of ESO, has nonetheless brought a breath of fresh air the likes of which have not been seen for some cycles. For too long, in fact, the gameplay has stagnated on what is the legacy of The Elder Scrolls created in the various single player chapters. But this cycle has us detached from that morbid security in which the developers had holed up, giving us not only a completely varied new plotbut also new settings and innovative landscape views.
Maintaining the level of previous Legacy of the Bretons expansions wasn’t easy, yet in this respect the boys of ZeniMax Online Studios they have not failed. As mentioned previously, Firesong is an expansion in every way and, in addition to giving hours of gameplay to many users, it was mainly characterized by the introduction of a completely new and “wilder” map than those already present in ESO.
But unfortunately the same problems always remain, some of which have been encountered since the very beginning of The Elder Scrolls Online’s arrival on the market. First of all, and perhaps what turns out to be most important for all of us, is the absence of the Italian localization. There is still no trace of what the translation should be, at least in the texts, into our language. A pity because plots like thatalthough not entirely innovative, they are well structured and understanding certain terms, given the important characterization of the characters, is not as intuitive as one might think.
An Island with Ups and Downs – The Elder Scrolls Online: Firesong Review
The real novelty of this expansion is given by the new region. Galen is none other than the fourth island of the archipelago Systres. This earth will stand as one primeval and wild land in many of its areas and the only “bastion of civilization” is represented by city of Vastyr. Galen is the prime example of how the world of the Bretonsdescribed in this story arc, come into contact with that of the druids to blend in bettergiving life to an island that sees the first flashes of a civilization, the city of Vastyr precisely, set in a habitat where respect for nature is the master.
For the first time we will find ourselves wandering in an almost completely uninhabited region, despite the mild climate, in which nature is the real focal point. This does not mean that there will not be settlements ready to welcome or reject us. However the streets will be less safe compared to those of the other regions known to date and the clashes will not be lacking. This can be a plus if you are the type who likes to play for the sake of exploring and visiting every corner of the world. If, on the other hand, you are more “concrete” people who just want to complete the missions as soon as possible, this could be a point against.
In short, the new region may be the icing on the cake of what Legacy of the Bretons was during these four expansions. It is noticed a big step forward from the point of view of the characterization of the places and this new region is a prime example of that. However, even in this case, as we travel along roads, paths and clearings of all kinds, we will always feel that feeling that will make us say: “I’ve already seen this”. Some models are obviously “recycled”, if you pass the term, making you lose that sense of novelty that should characterize a new expansion.
The arrival of some news… – Review The Elder Scrolls Online: Firesong
The arrival of this expansion brings with it some novelties which, in some ways, we hope are not ends in themselves, but a starting point for next year. One of the most important, but which unfortunately does not concern us, is the localization in simplified Chinese. This gives us hope that, perhaps, the developers are planning to implement all the necessary translations. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to play ESO in Italian at all almost nine years after its release.
Other than that and the usual bugfixthe developers have added a new UI system which allows us to mark allies, enemies and even ourselves. The guys from ZeniMax have also thought well of “to limit” the animals in the city. Through the appropriate option “Limit Followers in Towns”, we will be able hide other players’ pets around certain highly overcrowded objects in the game.
Another important update concerns the quality of life of homes. These improvements give you the ability to create chat links within your own homes, give you more visibility into which home you are currently visiting, and how many people are currently there. They guarantee the possibility of see a complete listing of the furnishings within a homelet you scroll through items with the Tab key, and let you have of the improved positioning alignments for hundreds of different wall decor.
Obviously other small improvements have also been made, but these are precisely “marginal” things in our opinion. The updates we would like to see are quite differentwhich guarantee a “rejuvenation” of the game in the first place, but they are working on this and also well, and accessibility even to those who do not have an advanced level in understanding the English language.
…and the end of a cycle
We have now reached the end of this review regarding Firesong, the latest expansion of The Elder Scrolls Online, and therefore the time has come to sum up a bit. This expansion is proposed as the icing on the cake for a narrative arc that has left pleasantly surprised. The news hasn’t been sensational and often it has been small improvements. Yet this Legacy of the Bretons has been able to arouse our curiosity.
Much is due to one well done new region and divided into several islands, each of which will be well characterized. Even Galen is no different and is the perfect fusion point between the Breton culture and that of the druids represented in this narrative arc. The story is obviously not among the most innovative, however he knows how to be appreciated, giving us hours of play that are really welcome. Nevertheless, the presence of a rather characteristic language can cause some problems also to those who have a good ability to read and understand the English language.
In fact, the Italian translation is still struggling to arrive, despite some small improvements that arrived together with the release of the expansion. However, these do not guarantee the “rejuvenation” of the title which, although full of new contents, remains anchored to a modus operandi that is starting to look rather outdated. Obviously these are criticisms aimed mostly at the title itself and at the expansion, but if the latter costs 2000 Crowns, surely gamers will expect something more too.
For this review of The Elder Scrolls Online: Firesong is now all. We remind you that this expansion can only be purchased in the game’s online store. If you intend to recover the High Isle DLC instead, we refer you to the Instant Gaming page. In order not to miss future news relating to ESO and everything related to the gaming universe, continue to follow the pages of everything!
Plus points
- Compelling story
- Galen
- Small improvements in general
Points against
- Lack of Italian localization
- No gameplay innovation