Story mode for dungeons needed

Elvenheart · January 1

After a lot of runs in the Infinite Archive working on and tweaking my character's build (and with the help of a friend) I finally got through Arc 4 and now I have all but three of the IA achievements. To take a break on a whim I decided to try soloing Scrivener's Hall and Bal Sunnar on normal. When these dungeons first came out I had queued and completed each one with a character for the experience, but of course then there was no time to really read/listen to the dialogue to understand what was going on, understand the boss mechanics because they were all killed so quickly, or experience the side puzzles or secret bosses. I know, the common argument is if I wanted to do that I should have asked in guild chat and found three other like-minded people who all wanted to do that to at the same time I was able to, but in reality that can be problematic, so I just tried to glean what I could from the queued runs and then read a guide later to understand the story better. Well, like I said I decided just to try to solo them (with a companion), and surprisingly I was able to complete them with the character I built for the IA! This was not the character I had queued up for the dungeons with so many months ago, and it was actually fun going through the dungeon at a slow pace and figuring it out as I went along. I died a few times during the boss fights but finally figured out the mechanics and made it through all the way to the end. But it made me think that not everyone has or even wants a character built for the IA, or wants to try soloing hard content or has the time it takes to do so, and not everyone has access to other people who could help them go slowly through dungeons to experience their well-written and scripted stories (I really loved Bal Sunnar!). I know all the arguments - ESO is not a solo game, people should join guilds, etc. - but sometimes that's just not feasible for some people and it's such a shame a lot of players have to miss out on this content. Instead of just normal and veteran versions, I think they should add one more, "Story Mode" or "Easy" to the choices. The rewards could be green versions of the gear so people who only solo could complete their sticker books if they wanted, or if people against this idea think that's too much the rewards could simply be overland pieces from the zone the dungeons are in. And doing dungeons on story mode could not qualify for Undaunted pledges if people think that would be too much too. And finally, it has always been my opinion no dungeons should ever have mechanics that require two or more players to progress through the dungeons - I think people who like the challenge of soloing dungeons should at be able to make it through every one if they have the skill to do so and not be blocked by impassable mechanics.

spartaxoxo · January 1

I agree. It's really the best solution to being unable to hear the stories. And few of the stories are unfortunately some of the more interesting writing in ESO on top of that. If you haven't already, I recommend checking out the story from The Dread Cellar btw. That one is really good.

I think it would need to have no group drops so as not split the queue too much (no gear, no keys, no Transmutes, no pledge progress, no random daily bonus). But a story mode for actually taking the time to explore the area and it's tale makes sense and leaves the group finder mode to people who are there to farm.

valenwood_vegan · January 1

Totally agree - if they're going to keep putting stories in dungeons, players need a way to experience them. This keeps getting harder for many players as the DLC dungeon difficulty continues to increase.

It can be difficult to find others for a story run since most are there to farm sets / get a clear / achievement hunt / get pledges and random normal rewards as quickly as possible... and those who DO enjoy the story probably don't want to go back and slog through a story run over and over again (when it's one-and-done and they can't even pick up the quest to share in the story after the first time).

Also agree that story mode probably shouldn't include any of the regular dungeon drops / pledge rewards / etc... overland gear seems like a good compromise here - but wouldn't be against them awarding the skill point for quest completion.

licenturion · January 1

Can't you just make a LFG listing in the game and put STORY MODE RUN in the description?

Otherwise we have too much MM queues and it will take forever and you can't see how long you must wait and how many people are in the queue.

Drammanoth · January 1

Story mode for dungeons pls

Braffin · January 1

Agreed.

Story mode dungeons (without the possibility to earn group-related rewards like transmutes and keys) would be a nice addition and very helpful for newer players.

If have no problem with rewarding dungeon sets (excluding monster set) and the skill point tho.

Some very few dungeons would need a rework to be soloable, the rest of them is rather easily scaleable by using the scaling mechanics also used for IA (and hopefully for overland in the forseeable future).

ZOS_Hadeostry · January 2

Greetings,

After further review we have decided to move this thread to a category we think is more appropriate for this topic, as it's about dungeons.

Thank you for your understanding

LunaFlora · January 2

yes please story mode would be awesome.

however i do think it needs the rewards you can get by going through dungeons alone as of right now,
otherwise people would be excluded for wanting a lower difficulty.

the set items could be green if there needs to be a change to rewards at all.

Braffin · January 2

LunaFlora wrote: »

yes please story mode would be awesome.

however i do think it needs the rewards you can get by going through dungeons alone as of right now,
otherwise people would be excluded for wanting a lower difficulty.

the set items could be green if there needs to be a change to rewards at all.

I think it's necessary to differentiate between dungeon-related rewards and group-related rewards.

The former (skyshard from quest, 5pc dungeon sets and motifs) are tied to a specific dungeon and should indeed also drop in story mode, as they are already obtainable solo at present.

The latter (transmutes, daily extra xp) are rewards for grouping up and keeping the queues healthy. There is no place for them in story mode.

I'm not sure about keys tho. While it's already possible to do pledges solo, they definitely are a factor regarding healthy queues.

vsrs_au · January 2

No comment on the story mode, but I do agree with the poster above who said all dungeons should be playable by a solo player. I really wanted the Shipbuilders Woodworking Station, to add to the other antiquities-sourced crafting stations I've acquired, but I can't because the final lead is in Wayrest Sewers II which is not soloable (although it apparently used to be, due to a now-defunct workaround).

LunaFlora · January 2

Braffin wrote: »

LunaFlora wrote: »

yes please story mode would be awesome.

however i do think it needs the rewards you can get by going through dungeons alone as of right now,
otherwise people would be excluded for wanting a lower difficulty.

the set items could be green if there needs to be a change to rewards at all.

I think it's necessary to differentiate between dungeon-related rewards and group-related rewards.

The former (skyshard from quest, 5pc dungeon sets and motifs) are tied to a specific dungeon and should indeed also drop in story mode, as they are already obtainable solo at present.

The latter (transmutes, daily extra xp) are rewards for grouping up and keeping the queues healthy. There is no place for them in story mode.

I'm not sure about keys tho. While it's already possible to do pledges solo, they definitely are a factor regarding healthy queues.

yea i agree with that!

thegreeneso · January 2

licenturion wrote: »

Can't you just make a LFG listing in the game and put STORY MODE RUN in the description?

Otherwise we have too much MM queues and it will take forever and you can't see how long you must wait and how many people are in the queue.

Can be solved by making the story mode solo. And instead of just being the same dungeon but tuned for 1 player it could have 3 other NPCs with tank/healer/dps roles. (this is also how FFXIV does it) I think this is the best solution to story mode dungeons as it would not only allow you to experience the story at your own pace, but also give you the full dungeon experience with all mechanics.

jecks33 · January 2

yes please!!

Elvenheart · January 4

spartaxoxo wrote: »

If you haven't already, I recommend checking out the story from The Dread Cellar btw. That one is really good.

@spartaxoxo, I had been swept along with the crowd in that dungeon a time or two when it first came out and picked up bits and pieces of the story, but based on your recommendation, I decided to try and solo it to go slowly, and was able to complete it! The experience was so much more enjoyable when I listened to the exchange of the NPC’s, and read the dialogue and the correspondence you find lying around in places. it ended up being a great experience! This is what so many people miss out on and why I wish there was a story mode for those who cannot find a group willing to go at a slower pace and enjoy the experience.

Túrin_Vidsmidr · May 22

Yes please! It would be great to leisurely experience those stories instead of rushing through with a group.
Even WoW is adding this rn.

AvalonRanger · September 7

I vote "yes" including Trial. Actually say, I don't understand 90% story aspect of grouping contents.
But honestly say, only "Sanity's Edge" and "Bal Sunnar" are interesting story group mission so far.