There comes a point in life when you realise something.
If I played Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) for an hour a day, I would complete all quests and see every corner of the world in ... 342 years.
So let’s get cracking!
This is only a half-joke.
The world of Tamriel, setting for the popular online role-playing game, is rather large and just keeps getting bigger with the release of new chapters.
In the 10th year of the game’s existence, there comes an eighth full chapter to expand the lore of this magical world, introduce new quests and characters and storylines, offer the chance to learn a new skill, and open up new areas of the map.
Gold Road is a solid if formulaic addition to the ESO chain of adventures.
The story evolves around a Daedric prince — the Daedra are immortal creatures who exist in various forms, and their princes are the powerful ones with unique and sometimes terrifying abilities — called Ithelia.
She (yes, she) is also known as Prince of Paths, the Mistress of the Untravelled Road, the Unseen, the Fate-Changer, The Dark Reflection, the Last Tomorrow, and She Who Saw and Wept.
Long business card.
Basically, a bunch of folk are eager to restore Ithelia to power.
She had sort of been wiped away by other Daedric princes who recognised her ability to alter fate was, you know, kinda frightening.
Off you go to do what needs to be done to prevent this happening.
Hundreds of quests offer the usual mix of exploration, combat and patiently waiting for characters to fill in their back-story.
And, as always, you find yourself easily distracted.
The new zone opened up is an area called West Weald, which featured way back in the Oblivion game, and a capital city called Skingrad.
There are forests and wastelands and mountains and vineyards — all the good stuff you expect in an MMORPG — and a lot of interesting, odd and downright frightening characters to interact with.
Most ESO chapters introduce a new character race or skill. For Gold Road, it is the latter.
So, say hello to scribing — no, not writing a match report from a Highlanders game.
This is a sort of spellcrafting-ish system where you use "grimoire" (books) to create special abilities to enhance your play style. A bit grindy, at first, but actually quite fun.
Some lament ESO’s heavy recent focus on single player action and exploration. Not me.
I have never really loved the MMO part of MMORPG.
But, for those who much prefer teaming up online, there is a big new "trial", a venture that can only be undertaken in a party of 12.
Gold Road might not reinvent the wheel but it will ensure the Elder Scrolls Online world is populated for a while yet.
Come back to me in 341 years to see how I am faring.