Concerns About 8v8 Battlegrounds and Premades

forum_gpt · September 27

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share my thoughts on the new 8v8 battlegrounds update currently on the PTS. While I’m excited about this new mode and the potential for larger, more chaotic fights, I’ve got some serious concerns about allowing premade groups to queue for these matches.

A coordinated group of four players with voice chat and predetermined builds will steamroll randoms who just queued solo or with a buddy. We’ve all been in matches where a group of synchronized players turn what should be a competitive fight into a frustrating mess of spawn camping and unbalanced gameplay.

I’m all for teamwork, but that’s exactly why premades should be limited to solo/duo queues in 8v8. By keeping the groups smaller, it keeps the playing field more balanced. Solo players and duos will at least have a fighting chance instead of being slaughtered by a well-oiled machine that’s been practicing together for hours.

This isn’t just about avoiding frustration—it’s about keeping the mode alive. If players log in and constantly get crushed by organized teams, they’re going to give up on 8v8 fast. There needs to be a way to keep the chaos and fun without creating an unbridgeable skill gap, and limiting premades is a solid start. Otherwise, we’re just creating a situation where the mode will be dominated by a small group of stacked teams, while the majority of players are left frustrated, burned out, and eventually quitting.

So, my suggestion to the devs is simple: Keep 8v8 solo/duo queue only. Save the premades for smaller formats or let them battle it out in their own queue. It’ll help balance the mode and make it enjoyable for everyone, not just the top 1% with a coordinated squad.

What do you all think? Is this a valid concern, or do you think there’s a way to make premades work in 8v8 without ruining the experience?

Thumbless_Bot · September 27

There are a lot of similar concerns in the thread below and it's rather apparent zos either didn't consider this, doesnt care, doesn't think it's a real problem because of some nonsense about matching on mmr ( which only suggests the last option) or they really just don't get it.

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/665797/pts-update-44-feedback-thread-for-two-sided-battlegrounds#latest

bladenick · September 28

Totally agree, it soon nobody ever touch it if no limit on premade

Aldoss · September 28

Thumbless_Bot wrote: »

There are a lot of similar concerns in the thread below and it's rather apparent zos either didn't consider this, doesnt care, doesn't think it's a real problem because of some nonsense about matching on mmr ( which only suggests the last option) or they really just don't get it.

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/665797/pts-update-44-feedback-thread-for-two-sided-battlegrounds#latest

No judgements can be made on this until patch notes drop on Monday.

If they don't have an MMR system to debut in Monday, whatever is in those notes will 99.99% make it to live.

The PTS is not a true 6 week cycle. It's mostly a 3 week cycle, with the majority of changes coming on week 3 patch notes (next Monday).

Save your fire until then.

They would have needed something done by 5pm today to be ready for the patch notes. Here's to hoping someone in the administration is smart enough to know that this entire patch's investment is on the line.

My gut tells me to be ready for disappointment. This is ZOS we're talking about. I hope @ZOS_MattFiror at least glanced at these threads to realize how united the entire community is on this one issue.

BGs are half-baked without a true MMR and they will die without one.

Amottica · September 28

In a random group, it is just as likely to get into a decent group as it is to be in one that gets steamrolled by another random group. It is often not due to a premade. Even then, premades are a life in pretty much any PvP, but a premade is only as good as those in the group. In games where one can see the guild players are in, I have seen random groups slaughter groups that were heavily from the same group.

One person noted the MMR here. I doubt there is a large enough BG population to make MMRs work as well as expected. The lower the population, the more likely one will see a disparity in the matchmaking. This is more noticeable during off-peak times.

Urvoth · September 28

Allowing 4 man premades in 8v8 also drives those players away from the 4v4 mode, especially for premades just looking to noob farm. 8v8 should definitely be limited to duos max.

MincMincMinc · September 28

The upwards climb mmr that just resets will also kill off newer players.

Basically the first week out of four will just be new players being steamrolled. I went into bgs the other day, but couldn't que with friends(from lack of pop) Then when queing solo I was with all new players. Its not even gloating to say it was easy to go 47/0. The only setback to killing these players faster was their respawn time.

Even a persistent system that is simply win matches to increase mmr +1 or lose a match to lower by -1.5 would be better. Score base cant work since some classes dont gain score. Either from shields or simply worthless classes like stamsorc. Any sort of competitive scene based on score will just end up being wardens with the highest aoe dot damage and the highest aoe hots in the game.

Amottica · September 28

Urvoth wrote: »

Allowing 4 man premades in 8v8 also drives those players away from the 4v4 mode, especially for premades just looking to noob farm. 8v8 should definitely be limited to duos max.

While the 8v8 is not the "competitive mode" it is not a noob mode either. Not everyone who played ESO with friends is interested in the more competitive PvP. So the logic does not seem appropriate.

Urvoth · September 28

Amottica wrote: »

Urvoth wrote: »

Allowing 4 man premades in 8v8 also drives those players away from the 4v4 mode, especially for premades just looking to noob farm. 8v8 should definitely be limited to duos max.

While the 8v8 is not the "competitive mode" it is not a noob mode either. Not everyone who played ESO with friends is interested in the more competitive PvP. So the logic does not seem appropriate.

The 4v4 isn't really going to be "competitive" anyway, so I'm not sure why a group of 4 couldn't play that. There's no win/loss leaderboard system, no ranks, etc. Nothing is stopping you from playing 4v4 casually.