Companions up for purchase, really?

Erickson9610

ThoraxtheDark wrote: »

jaws343 wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

I don't know what percentage of players are Non-ESO+ players, so dunno how big of an issue this really is.

But too, you can aways just purchase one month of ESO+, unlock the companions, the let the subscription expire. It'll put a few crowns in your wallet too.

Dunno that they'd be giftable, so dunno if you can buy them for gold from a Crown seller.

Or, just wait for a free ESO+ trial and get them for free unlocked permanently.

A whole lot of noise over a fairly reasonable thing.

We knew companions weren't included with Gold Road. So expecting them to retroactively be included in that purchase is absurd.

Zos also removed 2 entire paid DLC updates, so expecting them not to find some way to monetize content they are releasing, even if it is just a few companions, is odd. I would expect the DLC release changes have absolutely cut into the amount of money they were making per year on DLC sales.

And again, if you have ESO+, the companion unlock is free and permanent.

Not everyone has eso plus nor do they want it. Frankly the game isn't worth the sub lately and I'd rather play when I feel like it from here on out.
You would still have to spend money on the sub to get the companions, as well as purchase gold road. That's two separate purchases , as opposed to 1 ( for the last 3 major expansions , high isle necrom blackwood)

At least now, you don't need to buy Gold Road if you're only interested in the Companions. There's no requirement to own Gold Road if you're not interested in Scribing and only want this year's new Companions.

Necrotech_Master

LPapirius wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

laniakea_0 wrote: »

it's not only that we still pay the same for the chapter even though there's less content in it, it's also that with them releasing in Q4 at an additional cost, we are paying more for the same amount at a longer wait time!

This is unacceptable ZOS! [snip]

if you have eso+ its 100% free, so there is no additional cost

tindomiel4 wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

zos kevin has already confirmed if you claim the companions while you have eso+ they are permanent for your acct

you never lose access to something you get from the crown store, its not like a DLC which is conditionally given if you have eso+, the new companions have to be claimed from the crown store in order to access them, even if you have eso+

it wont be any different than say the imperial city DLC, which was made free some many years ago but still has to be claimed from the crown store to access outside of ESO+, even though that is free for everyone now

Yes, I agree. That's why I don't see companions as adding much long-term value to ESO Plus. No one (as far as we know) will need to keep paying for Plus just to keep the companions. Though if they decide not to keep them in the Crown Store permanently, I will be incorrect in this.

(I think I'm agreeing with both of you that I've quoted. We just may be looking at it from different angles.)

for me, i actually enjoy using the companions, assuming the unlock quests are not ridiculous (and its annoying they will still have a per character unlock quest that needs to be done even after acquiring them from the store)

the passives are basically also permanent account upgrades too, i would be really nice to have a permenant keen eye for heavy sacks from the new companion for example

i dont know what the plan is, but its unlikely they will be removed from the store, i think they will be permanent inclusions much like the assistants

ESO+ isn't free, so anything that comes with ESO+ is also not free. These companions cost $15 real money. This is an additional cost to the Gold Road chapter, and ZOS heavily inferred that the companions would be included with the Gold Road chapter even if they didn't say it outright. Call it a bait and switch or whatever you want. ZOS was misleading from the start about how this would work. They should have told customers up front that companions were no longer included with the chapter and would have to be purchased separately, and for real money.

I wonder, can we gift these new companions then? Will players be able to buy the companions with in game gold traded for crowns? Who want's to bet they won't be?

obviously eso+ isnt free, but its not like your paying extra to get these new companions if you have eso+

if you get eso+ purely to claim the companions for free, thats on you, but i have the sub to support the game and the craft bag, everything else is just a bonus

they did say the companions were not included with the chapter, months before it released, even before it was on the PTS for gold road, i even know there wouldnt be companions included with it on the first day gold road was offered to preorder

[edited to remove quote]

LPapirius

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

LPapirius wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

laniakea_0 wrote: »

it's not only that we still pay the same for the chapter even though there's less content in it, it's also that with them releasing in Q4 at an additional cost, we are paying more for the same amount at a longer wait time!

This is unacceptable ZOS! [snip]

if you have eso+ its 100% free, so there is no additional cost

tindomiel4 wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

zos kevin has already confirmed if you claim the companions while you have eso+ they are permanent for your acct

you never lose access to something you get from the crown store, its not like a DLC which is conditionally given if you have eso+, the new companions have to be claimed from the crown store in order to access them, even if you have eso+

it wont be any different than say the imperial city DLC, which was made free some many years ago but still has to be claimed from the crown store to access outside of ESO+, even though that is free for everyone now

Yes, I agree. That's why I don't see companions as adding much long-term value to ESO Plus. No one (as far as we know) will need to keep paying for Plus just to keep the companions. Though if they decide not to keep them in the Crown Store permanently, I will be incorrect in this.

(I think I'm agreeing with both of you that I've quoted. We just may be looking at it from different angles.)

for me, i actually enjoy using the companions, assuming the unlock quests are not ridiculous (and its annoying they will still have a per character unlock quest that needs to be done even after acquiring them from the store)

the passives are basically also permanent account upgrades too, i would be really nice to have a permenant keen eye for heavy sacks from the new companion for example

i dont know what the plan is, but its unlikely they will be removed from the store, i think they will be permanent inclusions much like the assistants

ESO+ isn't free, so anything that comes with ESO+ is also not free. These companions cost $15 real money. This is an additional cost to the Gold Road chapter, and ZOS heavily inferred that the companions would be included with the Gold Road chapter even if they didn't say it outright. Call it a bait and switch or whatever you want. ZOS was misleading from the start about how this would work. They should have told customers up front that companions were no longer included with the chapter and would have to be purchased separately, and for real money.

I wonder, can we gift these new companions then? Will players be able to buy the companions with in game gold traded for crowns? Who want's to bet they won't be?

obviously eso+ isnt free, but its not like your paying extra to get these new companions if you have eso+

if you get eso+ purely to claim the companions for free, thats on you, but i have the sub to support the game and the craft bag, everything else is just a bonus

they did say the companions were not included with the chapter, months before it released, even before it was on the PTS for gold road, i even know there wouldnt be companions included with it on the first day gold road was offered to preorder

Where and when did ZOS tell us that the companions were not part of Gold Road AND that the companions would have to be purchased separately from Gold Road. (link please)

[edited to remove quote]

Necrotech_Master

LPapirius wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

LPapirius wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

laniakea_0 wrote: »

it's not only that we still pay the same for the chapter even though there's less content in it, it's also that with them releasing in Q4 at an additional cost, we are paying more for the same amount at a longer wait time!

This is unacceptable ZOS! [snip]

if you have eso+ its 100% free, so there is no additional cost

tindomiel4 wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

zos kevin has already confirmed if you claim the companions while you have eso+ they are permanent for your acct

you never lose access to something you get from the crown store, its not like a DLC which is conditionally given if you have eso+, the new companions have to be claimed from the crown store in order to access them, even if you have eso+

it wont be any different than say the imperial city DLC, which was made free some many years ago but still has to be claimed from the crown store to access outside of ESO+, even though that is free for everyone now

Yes, I agree. That's why I don't see companions as adding much long-term value to ESO Plus. No one (as far as we know) will need to keep paying for Plus just to keep the companions. Though if they decide not to keep them in the Crown Store permanently, I will be incorrect in this.

(I think I'm agreeing with both of you that I've quoted. We just may be looking at it from different angles.)

for me, i actually enjoy using the companions, assuming the unlock quests are not ridiculous (and its annoying they will still have a per character unlock quest that needs to be done even after acquiring them from the store)

the passives are basically also permanent account upgrades too, i would be really nice to have a permenant keen eye for heavy sacks from the new companion for example

i dont know what the plan is, but its unlikely they will be removed from the store, i think they will be permanent inclusions much like the assistants

ESO+ isn't free, so anything that comes with ESO+ is also not free. These companions cost $15 real money. This is an additional cost to the Gold Road chapter, and ZOS heavily inferred that the companions would be included with the Gold Road chapter even if they didn't say it outright. Call it a bait and switch or whatever you want. ZOS was misleading from the start about how this would work. They should have told customers up front that companions were no longer included with the chapter and would have to be purchased separately, and for real money.

I wonder, can we gift these new companions then? Will players be able to buy the companions with in game gold traded for crowns? Who want's to bet they won't be?

obviously eso+ isnt free, but its not like your paying extra to get these new companions if you have eso+

if you get eso+ purely to claim the companions for free, thats on you, but i have the sub to support the game and the craft bag, everything else is just a bonus

they did say the companions were not included with the chapter, months before it released, even before it was on the PTS for gold road, i even know there wouldnt be companions included with it on the first day gold road was offered to preorder

Where and when did ZOS tell us that the companions were not part of Gold Road AND that the companions would have to be purchased separately from Gold Road. (link please)

when gold road was announced, it said the companions would be part of the Q4 content

almost any of the roadmap posts for this year have mentioned that

how the companions were obtained was not available at the time as this info wasnt available in like february (all we knew was the companions were going to be Q4 content)

edit: this is the one stop shop gold road forum announcement thread from january, it even has the VOD link in that thread for what was announced as part of gold road https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/650191/one-stop-shop-welcome-to-the-elder-scrolls-online-gold-road

nowhere in there does it include companions, it mentions the west weald, and scribing, scions of ithelia dungeon DLC, but nothing about companions

so there was 0 expectations that companions were included with gold road

[edited to remove quote]

spartaxoxo

Didn't one of the streams claim that companions were delayed until Q4? Some thought they'd be base game because of that but some thought it meant that it was part of Gold Road and just delayed. I think that was the split expectations IIRC.

tom6143346

I don’t even want both of them , they can keep him/ her I don’t care . What I care is the continuation of cutting content parts out and sale them to us for extra money. Will see how this will work out for them in the long term . I m not willing anymore to be milked like a cow. I keep my money from now on, and if I feel like I want enjoy eso any further, I can do so with what I already bought . Games are out there with much less aggressive price politics, it’s really time to support them more. Sad to see where this game is heading.

Elsonso

GuuMoonRyoung wrote: »

It will happen sooner than later if people continue to indulge ZOS with the kind of nonsense they are pulling with this companion addition.

The game will persist longer than ZOS will be updating it. I expect that, eventually, they will wander off and make the game that follows the one they are working on but haven't announced yet. They are probably already thinking about that game.

LPapirius wrote: »

Where and when did ZOS tell us that the companions were not part of Gold Road AND that the companions would have to be purchased separately from Gold Road. (link please)

They never announced in advance that the new companions would cost money. However, it was not a great leap to figure it out months ago that they might try something like this. Monetization is how the game provides revenue. They can't give everything away for free.

That said, they have certainly have come up with creative ways to decrease the value of what we purchase. This year, it certainly looks like they offered less for the same price, so it will be interesting to see how much two companions stack up against a full 3Q or 4Q DLC in the cash shop.

Nharimlur_Finor

Erickson9610 wrote: »

LaintalAy wrote: »

Does access to Azander (arcanist class) require a purchased copy of Necrom?

Arcanist is now sold separately in the Crown Store. You don't get the Arcanist Class from buying Necrom, now that it's in the Crown Store.

Azandar, due to being located in Apocrypha, still requires the Necrom Chapter to unlock. You must buy Necrom from the Crown Store in order to unlock the Apocrypha zone, in which you can meet Azandar.


So, you could own Necrom without being able to make an Arcanist. Or, you could make an Arcanist without being able to meet Azandar.

thanks

Nharimlur_Finor

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

LaintalAy wrote: »

Does access to Azander (arcanist class) require a purchased copy of Necrom?

if this is about azander the companion, yes it requires necrom (or having eso+ which also gives access to the chapter, and this is regular eso+, companions in chapters are not useable with free eso+ if you dont own the chapter)

the arcanist class for making your own character i think can be bought separately now, but is included with necrom

Thanks

LPapirius

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

LPapirius wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

LPapirius wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

laniakea_0 wrote: »

it's not only that we still pay the same for the chapter even though there's less content in it, it's also that with them releasing in Q4 at an additional cost, we are paying more for the same amount at a longer wait time!

This is unacceptable ZOS! [snip]

if you have eso+ its 100% free, so there is no additional cost

tindomiel4 wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

zos kevin has already confirmed if you claim the companions while you have eso+ they are permanent for your acct

you never lose access to something you get from the crown store, its not like a DLC which is conditionally given if you have eso+, the new companions have to be claimed from the crown store in order to access them, even if you have eso+

it wont be any different than say the imperial city DLC, which was made free some many years ago but still has to be claimed from the crown store to access outside of ESO+, even though that is free for everyone now

Yes, I agree. That's why I don't see companions as adding much long-term value to ESO Plus. No one (as far as we know) will need to keep paying for Plus just to keep the companions. Though if they decide not to keep them in the Crown Store permanently, I will be incorrect in this.

(I think I'm agreeing with both of you that I've quoted. We just may be looking at it from different angles.)

for me, i actually enjoy using the companions, assuming the unlock quests are not ridiculous (and its annoying they will still have a per character unlock quest that needs to be done even after acquiring them from the store)

the passives are basically also permanent account upgrades too, i would be really nice to have a permenant keen eye for heavy sacks from the new companion for example

i dont know what the plan is, but its unlikely they will be removed from the store, i think they will be permanent inclusions much like the assistants

ESO+ isn't free, so anything that comes with ESO+ is also not free. These companions cost $15 real money. This is an additional cost to the Gold Road chapter, and ZOS heavily inferred that the companions would be included with the Gold Road chapter even if they didn't say it outright. Call it a bait and switch or whatever you want. ZOS was misleading from the start about how this would work. They should have told customers up front that companions were no longer included with the chapter and would have to be purchased separately, and for real money.

I wonder, can we gift these new companions then? Will players be able to buy the companions with in game gold traded for crowns? Who want's to bet they won't be?

obviously eso+ isnt free, but its not like your paying extra to get these new companions if you have eso+

if you get eso+ purely to claim the companions for free, thats on you, but i have the sub to support the game and the craft bag, everything else is just a bonus

they did say the companions were not included with the chapter, months before it released, even before it was on the PTS for gold road, i even know there wouldnt be companions included with it on the first day gold road was offered to preorder

Where and when did ZOS tell us that the companions were not part of Gold Road AND that the companions would have to be purchased separately from Gold Road. (link please)

when gold road was announced, it said the companions would be part of the Q4 content

almost any of the roadmap posts for this year have mentioned that

how the companions were obtained was not available at the time as this info wasnt available in like february (all we knew was the companions were going to be Q4 content)

edit: this is the one stop shop gold road forum announcement thread from january, it even has the VOD link in that thread for what was announced as part of gold road https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/650191/one-stop-shop-welcome-to-the-elder-scrolls-online-gold-road

nowhere in there does it include companions, it mentions the west weald, and scribing, scions of ithelia dungeon DLC, but nothing about companions

so there was 0 expectations that companions were included with gold road

Yes, ZOS was clear that companions wouldn't come until Q4. They never said, anywhere, that companions were not included with Gold Road and that companions would have to be purchased separately in addition to Gold Road. And everyone I've spoken to about this is upset about this. We all assumed that if we purchased Gold Road we'd get the companions as part of the package, just later in the year. ZOS was never clear on this is how it would be until yesterday. It's simply not true that everyone understood they'd have to pay extra for companions later in the year. It was deceptive because up until this year companions have always been included with the chapter purchase. ZOS had a responsibility to be far more clear about these things than they were. And that's why people, legitimately, feel taken advantage of with this unannounced change.

[edited to remove quote]

WitchyKiki

LPapirius wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

LPapirius wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

LPapirius wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

laniakea_0 wrote: »

it's not only that we still pay the same for the chapter even though there's less content in it, it's also that with them releasing in Q4 at an additional cost, we are paying more for the same amount at a longer wait time!

This is unacceptable ZOS! [snip]

if you have eso+ its 100% free, so there is no additional cost

tindomiel4 wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

zos kevin has already confirmed if you claim the companions while you have eso+ they are permanent for your acct

you never lose access to something you get from the crown store, its not like a DLC which is conditionally given if you have eso+, the new companions have to be claimed from the crown store in order to access them, even if you have eso+

it wont be any different than say the imperial city DLC, which was made free some many years ago but still has to be claimed from the crown store to access outside of ESO+, even though that is free for everyone now

Yes, I agree. That's why I don't see companions as adding much long-term value to ESO Plus. No one (as far as we know) will need to keep paying for Plus just to keep the companions. Though if they decide not to keep them in the Crown Store permanently, I will be incorrect in this.

(I think I'm agreeing with both of you that I've quoted. We just may be looking at it from different angles.)

for me, i actually enjoy using the companions, assuming the unlock quests are not ridiculous (and its annoying they will still have a per character unlock quest that needs to be done even after acquiring them from the store)

the passives are basically also permanent account upgrades too, i would be really nice to have a permenant keen eye for heavy sacks from the new companion for example

i dont know what the plan is, but its unlikely they will be removed from the store, i think they will be permanent inclusions much like the assistants

ESO+ isn't free, so anything that comes with ESO+ is also not free. These companions cost $15 real money. This is an additional cost to the Gold Road chapter, and ZOS heavily inferred that the companions would be included with the Gold Road chapter even if they didn't say it outright. Call it a bait and switch or whatever you want. ZOS was misleading from the start about how this would work. They should have told customers up front that companions were no longer included with the chapter and would have to be purchased separately, and for real money.

I wonder, can we gift these new companions then? Will players be able to buy the companions with in game gold traded for crowns? Who want's to bet they won't be?

obviously eso+ isnt free, but its not like your paying extra to get these new companions if you have eso+

if you get eso+ purely to claim the companions for free, thats on you, but i have the sub to support the game and the craft bag, everything else is just a bonus

they did say the companions were not included with the chapter, months before it released, even before it was on the PTS for gold road, i even know there wouldnt be companions included with it on the first day gold road was offered to preorder

Where and when did ZOS tell us that the companions were not part of Gold Road AND that the companions would have to be purchased separately from Gold Road. (link please)

when gold road was announced, it said the companions would be part of the Q4 content

almost any of the roadmap posts for this year have mentioned that

how the companions were obtained was not available at the time as this info wasnt available in like february (all we knew was the companions were going to be Q4 content)

edit: this is the one stop shop gold road forum announcement thread from january, it even has the VOD link in that thread for what was announced as part of gold road https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/650191/one-stop-shop-welcome-to-the-elder-scrolls-online-gold-road

nowhere in there does it include companions, it mentions the west weald, and scribing, scions of ithelia dungeon DLC, but nothing about companions

so there was 0 expectations that companions were included with gold road

Yes, ZOS was clear that companions wouldn't come until Q4. They never said, anywhere, that companions were not included with Gold Road and that companions would have to be purchased separately in addition to Gold Road. And everyone I've spoken to about this is upset about this. We all assumed that if we purchased Gold Road we'd get the companions as part of the package, just later in the year. ZOS was never clear on this is how it would be until yesterday. It's simply not true that everyone understood they'd have to pay extra for companions later in the year. It was deceptive because up until this year companions have always been included with the chapter purchase. ZOS had a responsibility to be far more clear about these things than they were. And that's why people, legitimately, feel taken advantage of with this unannounced change.

I'm the biggest ESO fan, totally in love with the game.

Yet I don't understand the people who defend these practices, its... troublesome.

[edited to remove quote]

Rkindaleft

I don't get how anyone is defending this or saying it's totally fine.

While I don't regularly use companions and it was never explicitly stated that the companions would or wouldn't require Gold Road when they were to be released, it was the expectation that a prerequisite to unlocking the new companions would require Gold Road because that's literally how it's always been in the past - and the VAST majority of people here had that expectation. It has devalued the chapter even more than it has already been devalued because ZOS had until now set a precedent that companions would require a chapter.

With Gold Road, we have now paid the same price as every other chapter while receiving significantly less content. We got a smaller zone to explore, grindy content that's unfriendly to alts with scribing, making world bosses and the world event annoying with the immunity phases that serve no purpose other than to pad out the play time, we got less quests and more locked doors.

Now, companions aren't part of the chapter either. Why is it still the same price?

FlopsyPrince

WhiteCoatSyndrome wrote: »

LaintalAy wrote: »

Tanlorin grants “Tanlorin’s Finesse,” which provides an increase to the time it takes to pick a lock, an increased chance to force a lock, and a reduced chance to break a lockpick.

I thought that they would be doing the unlocking.

Zerith-var grants “Zerith’s Guidance,” which highlights valuable bags of loot found throughout Tamriel.

For a variety of reasons (players) this feature won't be as useful as it could have been.

So the first one is of limited use to anyone with the right Legerdemain passives and the second one is of limited use to anyone who has any Companion out at all because if you pay attention they’ll already stare at Heavy Sacks and make a comment to draw your attention to them.

I guess it might be helpful for those of us who prefer to go solo with no Companion, but honestly the Heavy Sack loot isn’t so awesome that I’d be that bothered by missing any I don’t spot the old fashioned way.

I hate getting a companion comment on a heavy sack and then not being able to see it in the game. That has happened too frequently for me, even when I look around after the comment.

FlopsyPrince

CrazyKitty wrote: »

quinancia wrote: »

CrazyKitty wrote: »

[snip]

[snip]

[snip]

Not true. Though not paying attention to your customers is likely to cause significant financial harm to your income.

[edited to remove quote]

FlopsyPrince

Erickson9610 wrote: »

laniakea_0 wrote: »

it's not only that we still pay the same for the chapter even though there's less content in it, it's also that with them releasing in Q4 at an additional cost, we are paying more for the same amount at a longer wait time!

This is unacceptable ZOS! [snip]

I wouldn't say they're "scamming" us. The price to content ratio isn't set in stone. It'd be scamming if we didn't get what we paid for — and in this case, the Companions weren't promised to be in the Gold Road Chapter, so we got exactly what we paid for when we bought Gold Road.

They were implied, since that is how the previous 6 worked. This is more than a bit of a cop out excuse.

It doesn't surprise me, but it is a bad sign.

An I haven't seen a Quality of Life change that really got me excited, at least not one I can recall.

[edited to remove quote]

FlopsyPrince

Elsonso wrote: »

GuuMoonRyoung wrote: »

It will happen sooner than later if people continue to indulge ZOS with the kind of nonsense they are pulling with this companion addition.

The game will persist longer than ZOS will be updating it. I expect that, eventually, they will wander off and make the game that follows the one they are working on but haven't announced yet. They are probably already thinking about that game.

That is almost certainly not true. The cost of running the servers and such for a game like this is significant and when they decide to stop working on it they will stop running the servers. Maybe not immediately, but eventually.

hiyde

I don't think, as some people are implying, that it was stupid or naive to believe that, even though they were delayed, purchasing Gold Road would include access to these 2 companions.

Also, the Q4 update is a free update. While I saw people asking for clarification on this, I didn't see anyone (correct me if I'm wrong) predicting (or ZOS stating) that companions were moving to the Crown Store.

The day ZOS announced that companions were moving to Q4 was the day they should have said "as a separate purchase via Crown Store / permanent free unlock for ESO+ subscribers".

Sure, as with now, some would be unhappy that the annual Chapter was losing an included feature but no one would be saying "bait and switch" today. They would have known this info before purchasing the Chapter (and I don't think it would have harmed sales of it).

For this batch of companions, I'd suggest ZOS just give the 100% discount to Gold Road owners in addition to ESO+ members.

Overall I'm mostly indifferent to the change, but I do think this was a very avoidable PR misfire.

Erickson9610

I don't understand why people believe they're owed these Companions. If anything, ZOS making them free for ESO+ members is compensation enough — ZOS really didn't have to do that.

quinancia

The companions are free. If you don't ESO+ just wait for the free week and claim them. They have already said that once claimed you can keep them.

Finally free companions for base game players. What is not to like?

Syldras

quinancia wrote: »

The companions are free. If you don't ESO+ just wait for the free week and claim them. They have already said that once claimed you can keep them.

Didn't they explicitly say that free ESO+ doesn't count for this?

Erickson9610

Syldras wrote: »

quinancia wrote: »

The companions are free. If you don't ESO+ just wait for the free week and claim them. They have already said that once claimed you can keep them.

Didn't they explicitly say that free ESO+ doesn't count for this?

They never said that.

Necrotech_Master

LPapirius wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

LPapirius wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

LPapirius wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

laniakea_0 wrote: »

it's not only that we still pay the same for the chapter even though there's less content in it, it's also that with them releasing in Q4 at an additional cost, we are paying more for the same amount at a longer wait time!

This is unacceptable ZOS! [snip]

if you have eso+ its 100% free, so there is no additional cost

tindomiel4 wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

zos kevin has already confirmed if you claim the companions while you have eso+ they are permanent for your acct

you never lose access to something you get from the crown store, its not like a DLC which is conditionally given if you have eso+, the new companions have to be claimed from the crown store in order to access them, even if you have eso+

it wont be any different than say the imperial city DLC, which was made free some many years ago but still has to be claimed from the crown store to access outside of ESO+, even though that is free for everyone now

Yes, I agree. That's why I don't see companions as adding much long-term value to ESO Plus. No one (as far as we know) will need to keep paying for Plus just to keep the companions. Though if they decide not to keep them in the Crown Store permanently, I will be incorrect in this.

(I think I'm agreeing with both of you that I've quoted. We just may be looking at it from different angles.)

for me, i actually enjoy using the companions, assuming the unlock quests are not ridiculous (and its annoying they will still have a per character unlock quest that needs to be done even after acquiring them from the store)

the passives are basically also permanent account upgrades too, i would be really nice to have a permenant keen eye for heavy sacks from the new companion for example

i dont know what the plan is, but its unlikely they will be removed from the store, i think they will be permanent inclusions much like the assistants

ESO+ isn't free, so anything that comes with ESO+ is also not free. These companions cost $15 real money. This is an additional cost to the Gold Road chapter, and ZOS heavily inferred that the companions would be included with the Gold Road chapter even if they didn't say it outright. Call it a bait and switch or whatever you want. ZOS was misleading from the start about how this would work. They should have told customers up front that companions were no longer included with the chapter and would have to be purchased separately, and for real money.

I wonder, can we gift these new companions then? Will players be able to buy the companions with in game gold traded for crowns? Who want's to bet they won't be?

obviously eso+ isnt free, but its not like your paying extra to get these new companions if you have eso+

if you get eso+ purely to claim the companions for free, thats on you, but i have the sub to support the game and the craft bag, everything else is just a bonus

they did say the companions were not included with the chapter, months before it released, even before it was on the PTS for gold road, i even know there wouldnt be companions included with it on the first day gold road was offered to preorder

Where and when did ZOS tell us that the companions were not part of Gold Road AND that the companions would have to be purchased separately from Gold Road. (link please)

when gold road was announced, it said the companions would be part of the Q4 content

almost any of the roadmap posts for this year have mentioned that

how the companions were obtained was not available at the time as this info wasnt available in like february (all we knew was the companions were going to be Q4 content)

edit: this is the one stop shop gold road forum announcement thread from january, it even has the VOD link in that thread for what was announced as part of gold road https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/650191/one-stop-shop-welcome-to-the-elder-scrolls-online-gold-road

nowhere in there does it include companions, it mentions the west weald, and scribing, scions of ithelia dungeon DLC, but nothing about companions

so there was 0 expectations that companions were included with gold road

Yes, ZOS was clear that companions wouldn't come until Q4. They never said, anywhere, that companions were not included with Gold Road and that companions would have to be purchased separately in addition to Gold Road. And everyone I've spoken to about this is upset about this. We all assumed that if we purchased Gold Road we'd get the companions as part of the package, just later in the year. ZOS was never clear on this is how it would be until yesterday. It's simply not true that everyone understood they'd have to pay extra for companions later in the year. It was deceptive because up until this year companions have always been included with the chapter purchase. ZOS had a responsibility to be far more clear about these things than they were. And that's why people, legitimately, feel taken advantage of with this unannounced change.

i had 0 expectation that we would get the companions with the purchase of gold road, they were likely not going to be tied to gold road in any way

as i noted, they did not mention how the companions would be obtained because it was too early to announce

my opinion is that the companions are separate content, you never needed to or have to own gold road to get the new companions

if you bought gold road, you knew what you were getting, companions were not going to be included, if you assumed they would be given later that to me is a poor assumption on your part

should the companions have just been included as base game content instead of being in the crown store? maybe, but thats the decision that zos made, but i understand that if you are not subbed, and would have to pay for them, i completely understand why you would be frustrated

but if you dont read the fine print about what your buying, thats on you - gold road was never including companions in the expected content, there was no false advertising or bait and switch going on because they clearly stated the companions werent included

[edited to remove quote]

Rkindaleft

Erickson9610 wrote: »

I don't understand why people believe they're owed these Companions. If anything, ZOS making them free for ESO+ members is compensation enough — ZOS really didn't have to do that.

Nobody thinks they’re “owed” anything. People think that removing content that’s always been included in a chapter since their release to then put it back in the crown store as its own separate purchase is dumb.

Why is the chapter the same price if it has had a significant decrease in the amount of content compared to the previous ones?

OtarTheMad

Rkindaleft wrote: »

Erickson9610 wrote: »

I don't understand why people believe they're owed these Companions. If anything, ZOS making them free for ESO+ members is compensation enough — ZOS really didn't have to do that.

Nobody thinks they’re “owed” anything. People think that removing content that’s always been included in a chapter since their release to then put it back in the crown store as its own separate purchase is dumb.

Why is the chapter the same price if it has had a significant decrease in the amount of content compared to the previous ones?

I see what you're saying but at the same time companions, in my opinion, don't add a ton of value to a chapter. ZOS said it themselves that they moved them this year to polish them up a bit, so it might be a one-time thing. If they discounted West Weald chapter due to lack of Companions, instead of being $40 maybe it'd be $38.50.

Plus, for those who do not have ESO+ I think you can just wait until a Free ESO+ Event and you'll be able to land them for free too so essentially everyone gets them free.

tindomiel4

Erickson9610 wrote: »

Syldras wrote: »

quinancia wrote: »

The companions are free. If you don't ESO+ just wait for the free week and claim them. They have already said that once claimed you can keep them.

Didn't they explicitly say that free ESO+ doesn't count for this?

They never said that.

They never said a number of things in this situation. However, it is extremely unlikely that they will provide these companions as part of free ESO+ promotions. They have explicitly excluded companion access from those promotions ever since Blackwood. I don't think anyone should count on getting these companions via that route.

That's not to say there's no chance ZOS will eventually release for free something players already paid for. There is precedence for that.

tindomiel4

OtarTheMad wrote: »

[Plus, for those who do not have ESO+ I think you can just wait until a Free ESO+ Event and you'll be able to land them for free too so essentially everyone gets them free.

Again, unless someone has seen them explicitly say they will be accessible through free ESO+ weekends, I caution people not to expect this. Companions have been explicitly excluded from these promotions since Blackwood.

We'll see if they play this out differently, but getting hopes up may lead to a repeat of this thread when everyone realizes they're going to have to pay after all.

Syldras

Erickson9610 wrote: »

They never said that.

I think I've seen a statement somewhere on the forums yesterday, but I have to search for it (and hope the thread hasn't been deleted). What I can already say is that during earlier free ESO+ weeks that included access to Blackwood, the quests to get Mirri and Bastian where disabled. Of course this time, it's a little different with them being directly in the store, but who knows...

OtarTheMad wrote: »

If they discounted West Weald chapter due to lack of Companions, instead of being $40 maybe it'd be $38.50.

I hope they consider that when making the crown store prices Although I doubt it. Companions also include a house guest version, and a talkative house guest alone, without companion functionality and quest line, costs 2500 crowns in the store. Not sure about the prices in USD, but I guess that's over 10 dollars? Around 15 maybe?

OtarTheMad

Syldras wrote: »

Erickson9610 wrote: »

They never said that.

I think I've seen a statement somewhere on the forums yesterday, but I have to search for it (and hope the thread hasn't been deleted). What I can already say is that during earlier free ESO+ weeks that included access to Blackwood, the quests to get Mirri and Bastian where disabled. Of course this time, it's a little different with them being directly in the store, but who knows...

OtarTheMad wrote: »

If they discounted West Weald chapter due to lack of Companions, instead of being $40 maybe it'd be $38.50.

I hope they consider that when making the crown store prices Although I doubt it. Companions also include a house guest version, and a talkative house guest alone, without companion functionality and quest line, costs 2500 crowns in the store. Not sure about the prices in USD, but I guess that's over 10 dollars? Around 15 maybe?

Well, they said back in January or whenever the Reveal was, that companions were going to be moved to Q4 so I just don't see the big deal I guess. I don't see a ton of value in companions, they are fun for sure but they are never even on my list for why I bought or didn't buy a chapter.

I know your other quote was to someone else but I think that's the interesting part. They are in the crown store this time.

I also found this by ZOS Kevin that kind of shines some light on it:

For those with ESOPlus, the companions will be a permanent unlock once you claim them from the store. So if your account lapses for whatever reason, you will still have the companions on your account.

Erickson9610

Rkindaleft wrote: »

Why is the chapter the same price if it has had a significant decrease in the amount of content compared to the previous ones?

Because that's the price ZOS always sets for the Chapter every year, regardless of content contained within. There is no issue here; just hope that next year's Chapter has a little more content than this year's Chapter did — although this year's Scribing system was a massive undertaking that's well worth the Companions being moved to Q4, in my opinion.

colossalvoids

WitchyKiki wrote: »

LPapirius wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

LPapirius wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

LPapirius wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

laniakea_0 wrote: »

it's not only that we still pay the same for the chapter even though there's less content in it, it's also that with them releasing in Q4 at an additional cost, we are paying more for the same amount at a longer wait time!

This is unacceptable ZOS! [snip]

if you have eso+ its 100% free, so there is no additional cost

tindomiel4 wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

zos kevin has already confirmed if you claim the companions while you have eso+ they are permanent for your acct

you never lose access to something you get from the crown store, its not like a DLC which is conditionally given if you have eso+, the new companions have to be claimed from the crown store in order to access them, even if you have eso+

it wont be any different than say the imperial city DLC, which was made free some many years ago but still has to be claimed from the crown store to access outside of ESO+, even though that is free for everyone now

Yes, I agree. That's why I don't see companions as adding much long-term value to ESO Plus. No one (as far as we know) will need to keep paying for Plus just to keep the companions. Though if they decide not to keep them in the Crown Store permanently, I will be incorrect in this.

(I think I'm agreeing with both of you that I've quoted. We just may be looking at it from different angles.)

for me, i actually enjoy using the companions, assuming the unlock quests are not ridiculous (and its annoying they will still have a per character unlock quest that needs to be done even after acquiring them from the store)

the passives are basically also permanent account upgrades too, i would be really nice to have a permenant keen eye for heavy sacks from the new companion for example

i dont know what the plan is, but its unlikely they will be removed from the store, i think they will be permanent inclusions much like the assistants

ESO+ isn't free, so anything that comes with ESO+ is also not free. These companions cost $15 real money. This is an additional cost to the Gold Road chapter, and ZOS heavily inferred that the companions would be included with the Gold Road chapter even if they didn't say it outright. Call it a bait and switch or whatever you want. ZOS was misleading from the start about how this would work. They should have told customers up front that companions were no longer included with the chapter and would have to be purchased separately, and for real money.

I wonder, can we gift these new companions then? Will players be able to buy the companions with in game gold traded for crowns? Who want's to bet they won't be?

obviously eso+ isnt free, but its not like your paying extra to get these new companions if you have eso+

if you get eso+ purely to claim the companions for free, thats on you, but i have the sub to support the game and the craft bag, everything else is just a bonus

they did say the companions were not included with the chapter, months before it released, even before it was on the PTS for gold road, i even know there wouldnt be companions included with it on the first day gold road was offered to preorder

Where and when did ZOS tell us that the companions were not part of Gold Road AND that the companions would have to be purchased separately from Gold Road. (link please)

when gold road was announced, it said the companions would be part of the Q4 content

almost any of the roadmap posts for this year have mentioned that

how the companions were obtained was not available at the time as this info wasnt available in like february (all we knew was the companions were going to be Q4 content)

edit: this is the one stop shop gold road forum announcement thread from january, it even has the VOD link in that thread for what was announced as part of gold road https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/650191/one-stop-shop-welcome-to-the-elder-scrolls-online-gold-road

nowhere in there does it include companions, it mentions the west weald, and scribing, scions of ithelia dungeon DLC, but nothing about companions

so there was 0 expectations that companions were included with gold road

Yes, ZOS was clear that companions wouldn't come until Q4. They never said, anywhere, that companions were not included with Gold Road and that companions would have to be purchased separately in addition to Gold Road. And everyone I've spoken to about this is upset about this. We all assumed that if we purchased Gold Road we'd get the companions as part of the package, just later in the year. ZOS was never clear on this is how it would be until yesterday. It's simply not true that everyone understood they'd have to pay extra for companions later in the year. It was deceptive because up until this year companions have always been included with the chapter purchase. ZOS had a responsibility to be far more clear about these things than they were. And that's why people, legitimately, feel taken advantage of with this unannounced change.

I'm the biggest ESO fan, totally in love with the game.

Yet I don't understand the people who defend these practices, its... troublesome.

There's literally one or two in defence on entire forum, most people are implying sort of "what you're surprised with". Most of us were in love with ESO at one point and got disenchanted at some other point through monetisation, lack of our favourite feature support etc. (look at PvP as a biggest example possible) so it's logical that the short end of the stick comes eventually to each and every player sooner or later.

They also simply can't bloat every chapter or dlc with additions to every system possible forever.

[edited to remove quote]