Bethesda kicks off signups for The Elder Scrolls Online beta

Bethesda has announced that the beta signups for its upcoming MMORPG, The Elder Scrolls Online, are now open. Those interested can register at the official website for a chance to play the game during the closed beta. The company will reveal the details about the start of the beta at a later date.

“We’re really excited to get the game into players’ hands,” said Matt Firor, Game Director - The Elder Scrolls Online. “We receive invaluable feedback through the beta process, and that helps us ensure that the game will be one of the best online gaming experiences ever offered -- one worthy of The Elder Scrolls franchise.”

Seems like the perfect time for a return to Tamriel

Back in November, Bethesda had released a trailer for the MMORPG. The trailer gave us the first detailed look at the game since its announcement. It reveals information about the world, the combat system, the class system and the end game, among other things.

The world of the game is set in Tamriel, which is the main continent where all the different provinces of the Elder Scrolls games are. Thanks to the layout of the continent, all the main player-versus-player happens in the province in the centre of the continent, named Cyrodiil.

The combat system, shown in the video, looks like a simplistic version of the combat system in Guild Wars 2 – which is a mix between real time combat and the hotkey-based combat from games like World of Warcraft.

The class system offers flexibility by not limiting the characters by forcing them to use certain armour and weapons. Characters can wear whichever armour and weapons they want, allowing combinations like a sneaky healer and a mage carrying a large two-handed weapon.

The end game of Elder Scrolls Online starts at level 50, where you can do the typical MMORPG stuff like raids and dungeons. The game will also feature a mechanic thought to be extinct in MMORPGs – the open dungeon. Open world dungeons are dungeons where you can simply walk in and team up with random people to kill things.

A major change from the rest of the franchise is that The Elder Scrolls Online seems to be forgoing the first person perspective for a third-person view. Bethesda also seems to be going for an expansive world that will encompass provinces that were featured in other games such as Skyrim from the latest game, Vvardenfell from The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and Cyrodiil from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.