Athory wrote: »

• Does ZoS have plans to turn ESO into something like a Dark Souls-style game?
• Do they have any plan to push solo players out of the game?

To answer the core questions asked:

Q: Does ZoS have plans to turn ESO into something like a Dark Souls-style game?
A: No.

Q:Do they have any plan to push solo players out of the game?
A: No.

Just following up here generally. We hear the feedback from solo players about the Night Market content. We want to follow up with just few things.

We have no intention of pushing solo players out of the game. However, we started this year off by noting that we were going to try some new things. Night Market is one of them. While we always provide group players with trials, we also wanted to try something different. This was not to alienate solo players, but rather to add a new way to play. That being said, we do hear the feedback and have passed that on our teams for future consideration, especially for when Night Market comes back later in the year. Remember, part of the ethos of this event is to add to it over time.

As several have noted in this thread as well, we have a roadmap that is publicly available. The point of the roadmap is to showcase the content we have coming throughout the year. As is noted on the roadmap and current PTS testing, we have plenty of solo friendly content as well. Thieves Guild and Sheogorath Questlines, Favors system, Rumors system, Two Solo Dungeons, Sage's Vault, and the list can keep going. And that is all on top of existing content. We also understand that not every piece of content will be for everyone, and that is okay.

We know this may come off as a contentious statement, but it does bear repeating. While we are an Elder Scrolls game, we are also an MMO. Storytelling and the heart of solo adventure will always be an important part of ESO. However, some of our event/ event zone content will be focused on encouraging group play. It is the nature of the genre. Additionally, we know just like there are players who come for solo content, there are also players who come for group content and challenging group content. So we want to make sure we are providing new things for them as well.

We'll close with this. Last year, we saw many threads throughout the year asking us to address content and find new ways of renewing the gameplay experience, both in variety and challenge. We are in the first passes of this now with items like Night Market going live. But we will have content throughout the year to address both solo and group play within the community. The feedback is helpful to steer us on the right track. So thanks to everyone, both solo players and group players, who have given their constructive feedback regarding the Night Market. The team is taking a look at what can be done during this current running and what can be adjusted for the next run of the Night Market.

I'm a solo player.
I'm having a great experience.
I don't feel locked out.
I use the group finder and have a blast so far.

To me it seems that a full group is the normal mode NM whilst solo/duo is veteran, more or less.

Group Finder. Guilds. Even messaging in Zone chat will help.

These are the ways you can participate in the Night Market.

The answer is "not everyone". And not even the majority.
The real problem is that in recent years ZOS has been pandering to the loud casual majority. This majority doesn't want to play the game, they want to log in for 10 minutes, get ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING, and never come back. As a result, the online population kept dropping, there was nobody to play with, and the game essentially turned into a paradise for solo players while becoming completely uninteresting and unplayable for those who actually want an MMO experience. Which would be fine, except that as a solo game, ESO can't even compete with Skyrim, and that's exactly what we've been seeing in recent years. And those solo players left too.
Night Market is a partial solution to the problem. We got MMO content with some actual replayability again. And, horror of horrors, you can't get everything at once! Who doesn't like that? Well, basically the people who wouldn't have been playing the game without Night Market anyway. They've crawled out to complain that they can't get everything in 10 minutes of gameplay. Meanwhile, there's no livelier zone in the actual game. I was forming skirmish groups at the deadest hours, and even then they filled up within minutes. During the day it's genuinely hard to even join a new group fast enough, it's easier to just make your own. For any purpose.
Yes, there's a real issue that people don't understand what's going on, not enough information and explanations out there. The trial is still hard to get through, people don't understand the mechanics. But isn't that exactly what the community is here for?

Fifth evening.

Finally got the first relic. Unlocked the vermin room - great place to keep my prisoners, thank you!

I've created several group finder groups this evening, with varying success. Sometimes it works well, other times it's utter chaos, people run around who knows where without aim, don't seem to read group chat or look at the map so see where their fellow group members even are.

A real disappointment and problem was today's last attempt, though. We were just three people waiting at an active skirmish (enemy npcs had spawned), so I opened a group searching for more people to join. It took a while for the group to fill - it wasn't even full when suddenly the skirmish just disappeared! Obviously, when someone said in chat that skirmishes only spawn every 30 minutes, the first players were already leaving the group again (I had suggested farming bosses instead until the next skirmish starts, but still). And I fully understand that. It was later in the evening and not everyone has time to idle around for half an hour if they maybe just wanted to do another skirmish before logging off.

Well, we went boss killing a bit then, the group kept shrinking, someone suggested dissolving the group and opening a new one in the finder so we get more people. I was about to do that - then my game crashed. And that's how today's evening ended for me.

I really wonder why the skirmishes just disappear on their own after a while?! Which purpose does that serve? I can tell many group members were really, really frustrated!

I've been calling to nerf Ele Sus for years but folk always come out of the woodwork to proclaim that it is somehow balanced, heh.

Folk really will make any argument, no matter how ridiculous, to keep their overpowered toys.

I would believe it ties to the leaderboard. There are rewards tied to the winning faction, which makes me think ZOS wants to make players put some effort into the system.

Players exclude themselves.

EDIT: This post is another I only want to play solo post, can we merge these? Into the main feedback thread?