Skill Styles: From Free and Earnable to Crown Store—That Aged Well!

FelisCatus · December 2

Gabriel_H wrote: »

Eliahnus wrote: »

I would like to emphasize the last word of your quote : TRIALS
So, the nice ones are not for the casual player because for each of them you need a fragment which only drops in a specific trial ...

A normal trial is in no way beyond a casual player.

I agree, although the only issues with trials now is finding that many players. Game is so dead nowadays. Plus even if you find them they may crash constantly due to all the bugs that have never been fixed...

sarahthes · December 2

FelisCatus wrote: »

Gabriel_H wrote: »

Eliahnus wrote: »

I would like to emphasize the last word of your quote : TRIALS
So, the nice ones are not for the casual player because for each of them you need a fragment which only drops in a specific trial ...

A normal trial is in no way beyond a casual player.

I agree, although the only issues with trials now is finding that many players. Game is so dead nowadays. Plus even if you find them they may crash constantly due to all the bugs that have never been fixed...

Group finder trials tend to fill quite quickly, especially normal.

sarahthes · December 2

Quackery · December 2

I'd buy a NEW, non-annoying skin for the Twilight Matriarch instantly! The current one drives me absolutely insane!! 10 years now, and STILL no change or alternatives to the HIDEOUS Sorcerer pets!

Erickson9610 · December 2

sarahthes wrote: »

I was wondering when we were going to get those Skill Styles! I'm definitely looking forward to the next batch of Skill Styles being made — regardless of how they're acquired/bought.

FelisCatus · December 2

sarahthes wrote: »

Well this is some good news!

Erickson9610 · December 2

I wonder if/when we'll get another one of these Class Skill Style packs to change the VFX of more Class abilities to this new color palette?

sarahthes · December 2

Erickson9610 wrote: »

I wonder if/when we'll get another one of these Class Skill Style packs to change the VFX of more Class abilities to this new color palette?

If they have high uptake (both the earned and purchased ones) I assume they'll keep them coming.

Varana · December 2

I'm really tempted to post "this thread aged well" right now.

OTOH, I wouldn't have been surprised (is that the right tense?) if the styles would've been clown-store exclusive, so I'm restraining myself.

ElvenOverlord · December 2

FelisCatus wrote: »

Wow the responses this thread got are just shocking...

Not really. When you misinterpret a quote it’s going to get called out. People are just stating the obvious. Vast majority of these: 32 are earnable in game, more probably will in the future. The ones in the store, if you think it’s personally worth the price for you then buy it. If not, then don’t.

thedocbwarren · December 2

What are these again and what are they even for?

Taril · December 2

Erickson9610 wrote: »

I wonder if/when we'll get another one of these Class Skill Style packs to change the VFX of more Class abilities to this new color palette?

Soon™

I'd imagine they'd want to finish off the entire selection of skills as soon as possible (Especially if they're going into the Crown Store as suggested by Flappy Bird), as people will be more likely to engage with the palette swaps if they can change ALL of their skills rather than just a couple of them.

At a guess, I'd say that once they've finished doing all the skills, that other colour packs will be done quicker (As skills will already be set up to allow them to change colours)

I wonder what colours they will make available. Like, I wonder if they're just going to use the current colours (Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Purple, Black, Green) and give them to all skills or if they'll add in more colours.

Elvenheart · December 2

Too bad Nightblades cannot summon twilight matriarchs, a hideous glowing red twilight matriarch would go so well with the hideous red permaglow. 🤣

SkaiFaith · December 2

sarahthes wrote: »

Varana wrote: »

I'm really tempted to post "this thread aged well" right now.

I just saw the news and came here exactly to post that comment but your elegance, my people, didn't disappoint me - well done XD

tsaescishoeshiner · December 2

With 21 free earnable skill styles coming in December, it's fair to say that this post has aged well.

FelisCatus · December 2

tsaescishoeshiner wrote: »

With 21 free earnable skill styles coming in December, it's fair to say that this post has aged well.

Yeah maybe my feedback was passed on.

tsaescishoeshiner · December 2

FelisCatus wrote: »

tsaescishoeshiner wrote: »

With 21 free earnable skill styles coming in December, it's fair to say that this post has aged well.

Yeah maybe my feedback was passed on.

That would be funny if it was related lol, but I think it's unlikely given that the December promotion would have been planned out way ahead of time, especially since the Styles were noticed on the PTS several months ago now. They clearly know players want earnable ones, and hopefully take everyone's appreciative comments, completion rate, and game time as positive feedback. It's a fun surprise!

I just don't think they ever lied to or misled anyone about Skill Styles. Can't make anyone agree about that, but it's fair to say there are more reasons to disagree on the facts than someone being a whale defending monetization.

FelisCatus · December 3

tsaescishoeshiner wrote: »

FelisCatus wrote: »

tsaescishoeshiner wrote: »

With 21 free earnable skill styles coming in December, it's fair to say that this post has aged well.

Yeah maybe my feedback was passed on.

That would be funny if it was related lol, but I think it's unlikely given that the December promotion would have been planned out way ahead of time, especially since the Styles were noticed on the PTS several months ago now. They clearly know players want earnable ones, and hopefully take everyone's appreciative comments, completion rate, and game time as positive feedback. It's a fun surprise!

I just don't think they ever lied to or misled anyone about Skill Styles. Can't make anyone agree about that, but it's fair to say there are more reasons to disagree on the facts than someone being a whale defending monetization.

Who knows maybe they planned it as paid feature but then saw the backlash or maybe it is like you said and was pre-planned. Although knowing ZOS I doubt they listened to my feedback even if it was passed on.

Either way as I said in my Steam post. I don't think this feature should be monetised when enough is already monetised. It may be great for those who are willing to throw hundreds at the game. I have been since 2015 however It's not sustainable anymore especially with the cost of living crisis that affects my country and I'm sure many others.

So when player engagement and population is lower than it has been historically I think it's very bold and alientating for them to monetise a great feature. A feature that could of been used to fulfil the pleas of many forum posters/players saying the game needs more earnable rewards. Now if ZOS wants to finally create a class change token that's something I could stomach buying although that should as a respec ability should also be purchasable with gold. Anyhow I just think that the devs are very out of touch with the average player. Not everyone can throw hundreds/thousands of real life currency at this game. That's why so many people trade gold for crowns.

Plus the reason I found a lot of the responses here shocking in comparison to the ones I saw on Steam is because I'm just saying there should be more earnable rewards (which is how skill styles started). I'm not calling for something unreasonable like all DLCs should be free. So it does feel like I have to walk on eggshells in this forum lest the bees swarm me. Yet on Steam I am much freerer to have an opinion, quite telling.

Taril · December 3

FelisCatus wrote: »

I don't think this feature should be monetised when enough is already monetised.

You know it costs money to have people work on things. Right?

ZOS is a business and businesses need to earn money. You don't earn money by spending money on stuff that doesn't earn money.

Given that the business model for ESO is that of selling cosmetics to generate the revenue required to KEEP THE GAME RUNNING let alone the costs of creating more content and additions, it seems silly to say "No, don't generate revenue from this because I said so!"

FelisCatus wrote: »

Anyhow I just think that the devs are very out of touch with the average player. Not everyone can throw hundreds/thousands of real life currency at this game.

And that's why they are mostly sticking to optional cosmetics being monetized so much. (I.e. It's not like D&D Online where you have to buy... EACH INDIVIDUAL QUEST. At worst, you buy a chapter and get the entire thing the zone(s), all quests within and whatever new chapter feature(s)... Or just wait until it rotates into ESO+)

You can play the game for relatively cheap (Technically, for free you just will need to trade a bunch of gold for crowns to acquire DLC), especially with just ESO+

All these optional cosmetics are not required to play the game or have enjoyment from it. Can they enhance enjoyment? Sure, people like to make their characters look pretty and get cool shiny items. But they are not necessary.

I personally don't put any money into the cash shop, rather just using money on ESO+. If there's something I actually care about in the store (Which there rarely is, I find most of the Crown Store cosmetics to be ugly as sin) I have ESO+ Crowns to spend on them.

It's only really expensive if, for some reason, you NEED to acquire EVERYTHING that is put up for sale.

FelisCatus wrote: »

Plus the reason I found a lot of the responses here shocking in comparison to the ones I saw on Steam is because I'm just saying there should be more earnable rewards (which is how skill styles started).

Except that isn't what you were saying. You were saying that these things should be free because your interpretation of half of a quote was that they would be free.

Like, literally nothing from your original post even remotely suggested anything about "More earnable rewards". It was simply just trying to bash ZOS because you misinterpreted a quote and thought they were going back on a statement about accessability of a particular feature.

Even in your Steam message to Kevin, you don't mention anything about simply wanting "More earnable rewards", it's again more bashing of ZOS for being "Greedy".

If you actually made a thread that was about simply wanting more earnable rewards, you'd get much different reactions than when you're trying to simply bash the company for doing... Its business model...

Quite a lot of people are interested in more earnable rewards - Heck, people are relatively pleased with the new Golden Pursuits because of just that, they're allowing you to earn more substantial rewards via gameplay.

FelisCatus · December 3

Taril wrote: »

FelisCatus wrote: »

I don't think this feature should be monetised when enough is already monetised.

You know it costs money to have people work on things. Right?

ZOS is a business and businesses need to earn money. You don't earn money by spending money on stuff that doesn't earn money.

Given that the business model for ESO is that of selling cosmetics to generate the revenue required to KEEP THE GAME RUNNING let alone the costs of creating more content and additions, it seems silly to say "No, don't generate revenue from this because I said so!"

FelisCatus wrote: »

Anyhow I just think that the devs are very out of touch with the average player. Not everyone can throw hundreds/thousands of real life currency at this game.

And that's why they are mostly sticking to optional cosmetics being monetized so much. (I.e. It's not like D&D Online where you have to buy... EACH INDIVIDUAL QUEST. At worst, you buy a chapter and get the entire thing the zone(s), all quests within and whatever new chapter feature(s)... Or just wait until it rotates into ESO+)

You can play the game for relatively cheap (Technically, for free you just will need to trade a bunch of gold for crowns to acquire DLC), especially with just ESO+

All these optional cosmetics are not required to play the game or have enjoyment from it. Can they enhance enjoyment? Sure, people like to make their characters look pretty and get cool shiny items. But they are not necessary.

I personally don't put any money into the cash shop, rather just using money on ESO+. If there's something I actually care about in the store (Which there rarely is, I find most of the Crown Store cosmetics to be ugly as sin) I have ESO+ Crowns to spend on them.

It's only really expensive if, for some reason, you NEED to acquire EVERYTHING that is put up for sale.

FelisCatus wrote: »

Plus the reason I found a lot of the responses here shocking in comparison to the ones I saw on Steam is because I'm just saying there should be more earnable rewards (which is how skill styles started).

Except that isn't what you were saying. You were saying that these things should be free because your interpretation of half of a quote was that they would be free.

Like, literally nothing from your original post even remotely suggested anything about "More earnable rewards". It was simply just trying to bash ZOS because you misinterpreted a quote and thought they were going back on a statement about accessability of a particular feature.

Even in your Steam message to Kevin, you don't mention anything about simply wanting "More earnable rewards", it's again more bashing of ZOS for being "Greedy".

If you actually made a thread that was about simply wanting more earnable rewards, you'd get much different reactions than when you're trying to simply bash the company for doing... Its business model...

Quite a lot of people are interested in more earnable rewards - Heck, people are relatively pleased with the new Golden Pursuits because of just that, they're allowing you to earn more substantial rewards via gameplay.

[snip]

Players already pay for the base game, DLCs, chapters, crowns, housing, crown crates, and other Crown Store items such as skill lines, cosmetics, and consumables. Every aspect of ESO is monetised, and most of it is overpriced. So, I find it hard to sympathize with the argument that more monetization is necessary to “support the game.” ESO isn’t cheap, and it’s not like these revenue points are going away.

You mentioned optional cosmetics, but the issue isn’t just cosmetics. ESO has been charging premium prices for years while delivering content that many, including myself, find lacklustre—especially with recent releases like Gold Road. Despite that, chapters can’t be bought with crowns during sales, and even crown sales are rare. Players are being asked to pay more without seeing a proportional increase in value.

What really disappointed me was the shift in how this feature was handled. [snip]

Other live-service games manage to provide consistent, free updates while monetizing only cosmetics, which are often far more reasonably priced than ESO’s. These games thrive because they respect the balance between profitability and player satisfaction. It’s proof that a game can be successful without leaning into aggressive monetization. ESO could benefit from following a similar approach instead of adding yet another paid feature, especially when the player base is already shrinking.

Calling this critique “bashing” is an easy way to dismiss a legitimate concern. I’m pointing out unnecessary monetization layered on top of an already robust revenue model. If the goal were truly to support the game, they’d balance monetization with player-friendly systems instead of converting earnable rewards into paid content. This is one of those things I feel should have been left alone.

Furthermore, the community is already showing signs of dwindling, with fewer players engaged than in earlier years. Decisions like this only inflame the situation. For a live-service game like ESO, keeping players invested should be the top priority. Players who feel alienated or taken advantage of rarely return, and short-term revenue gains won’t matter if the long-term player base continues to shrink.

I have no issue paying for reasonably priced DLC or cosmetics, but this could have been a great opportunity to earn player goodwill. [snip]

[edited for bashing]

AllenaNightWood · December 3

im mean dont buy them its not like your gonna be using some of them anyway depending on class and build

sarahthes · December 3

FelisCatus wrote: »

Taril wrote: »

FelisCatus wrote: »

I don't think this feature should be monetised when enough is already monetised.

You know it costs money to have people work on things. Right?

ZOS is a business and businesses need to earn money. You don't earn money by spending money on stuff that doesn't earn money.

Given that the business model for ESO is that of selling cosmetics to generate the revenue required to KEEP THE GAME RUNNING let alone the costs of creating more content and additions, it seems silly to say "No, don't generate revenue from this because I said so!"

FelisCatus wrote: »

Anyhow I just think that the devs are very out of touch with the average player. Not everyone can throw hundreds/thousands of real life currency at this game.

And that's why they are mostly sticking to optional cosmetics being monetized so much. (I.e. It's not like D&D Online where you have to buy... EACH INDIVIDUAL QUEST. At worst, you buy a chapter and get the entire thing the zone(s), all quests within and whatever new chapter feature(s)... Or just wait until it rotates into ESO+)

You can play the game for relatively cheap (Technically, for free you just will need to trade a bunch of gold for crowns to acquire DLC), especially with just ESO+

All these optional cosmetics are not required to play the game or have enjoyment from it. Can they enhance enjoyment? Sure, people like to make their characters look pretty and get cool shiny items. But they are not necessary.

I personally don't put any money into the cash shop, rather just using money on ESO+. If there's something I actually care about in the store (Which there rarely is, I find most of the Crown Store cosmetics to be ugly as sin) I have ESO+ Crowns to spend on them.

It's only really expensive if, for some reason, you NEED to acquire EVERYTHING that is put up for sale.

FelisCatus wrote: »

Plus the reason I found a lot of the responses here shocking in comparison to the ones I saw on Steam is because I'm just saying there should be more earnable rewards (which is how skill styles started).

Except that isn't what you were saying. You were saying that these things should be free because your interpretation of half of a quote was that they would be free.

Like, literally nothing from your original post even remotely suggested anything about "More earnable rewards". It was simply just trying to bash ZOS because you misinterpreted a quote and thought they were going back on a statement about accessability of a particular feature.

Even in your Steam message to Kevin, you don't mention anything about simply wanting "More earnable rewards", it's again more bashing of ZOS for being "Greedy".

If you actually made a thread that was about simply wanting more earnable rewards, you'd get much different reactions than when you're trying to simply bash the company for doing... Its business model...

Quite a lot of people are interested in more earnable rewards - Heck, people are relatively pleased with the new Golden Pursuits because of just that, they're allowing you to earn more substantial rewards via gameplay.

[snip]

Players already pay for the base game, DLCs, chapters, crowns, housing, crown crates, and other Crown Store items such as skill lines, cosmetics, and consumables. Every aspect of ESO is monetised, and most of it is overpriced. So, I find it hard to sympathize with the argument that more monetization is necessary to “support the game.” ESO isn’t cheap, and it’s not like these revenue points are going away.

You mentioned optional cosmetics, but the issue isn’t just cosmetics. ESO has been charging premium prices for years while delivering content that many, including myself, find lacklustre—especially with recent releases like Gold Road. Despite that, chapters can’t be bought with crowns during sales, and even crown sales are rare. Players are being asked to pay more without seeing a proportional increase in value.

What really disappointed me was the shift in how this feature was handled. [snip]

Other live-service games manage to provide consistent, free updates while monetizing only cosmetics, which are often far more reasonably priced than ESO’s. These games thrive because they respect the balance between profitability and player satisfaction. It’s proof that a game can be successful without leaning into aggressive monetization. ESO could benefit from following a similar approach instead of adding yet another paid feature, especially when the player base is already shrinking.

Calling this critique “bashing” is an easy way to dismiss a legitimate concern. I’m pointing out unnecessary monetization layered on top of an already robust revenue model. If the goal were truly to support the game, they’d balance monetization with player-friendly systems instead of converting earnable rewards into paid content. This is one of those things I feel should have been left alone.

Furthermore, the community is already showing signs of dwindling, with fewer players engaged than in earlier years. Decisions like this only inflame the situation. For a live-service game like ESO, keeping players invested should be the top priority. Players who feel alienated or taken advantage of rarely return, and short-term revenue gains won’t matter if the long-term player base continues to shrink.

I have no issue paying for reasonably priced DLC or cosmetics, but this could have been a great opportunity to earn player goodwill. [snip]

There are 43 free skill styles and only 6 with a cost (2 packages of 3).

[edited to remove quote]

ZOS_Icy · December 3

Greetings, as we've removed a few non-constructive comments around baiting and bashing, please remember that while it’s all right to disagree or even debate with each other, provoking conflict, baiting, inciting, mocking, etc. is never acceptable in the official The Elder Scrolls Online community.

Bashing and Slanderous Comments: We do not permit the bashing of individuals (including ZeniMax employees), groups, or other companies on our forums. We believe that doing so is neither constructive nor in spirit of our game and community.

Trolling or Baiting: The act of trolling is defined as something that is created for the intent to provoke conflict, shock others, or to elicit a strong negative or emotional reaction. It’s okay and very normal to disagree with others, and even to debate, but provoking conflict, baiting, inciting, mocking, etc. is never acceptable in the official The Elder Scrolls Online community. If you do not have something constructive or meaningful to add to a discussion, we strongly recommend you refrain from posting in that thread, and find another discussion to participate in instead. It is also not constructive or helpful to publicly call out others and accuse them of trolling, or call them a troll—please refrain from doing so. If you genuinely believe someone is trolling, please report the post or thread to the ESO Team, and leave it at that.

Thank you for your understanding.