We need seasons. Yes, I said it.

moderatelyfatman

Dear All,

Before you all pile on top of me and crush me under a mountain of criticism, please keep reading.
The following announcements give me a glimmer of hope for the future:

PvE
A full class rebalance of every class in the game.

PvP
1. A full refined Vengeance campaign.
2. A smaller version of Cyrodiil.

The problem is that even if ZOS were able to exceed all expectations and deliver on the above, it's doubtful that we will see anything substantial in the next two years.
This wouldn't be too much of an issue if this were 2022, but the game is currently in an 'intolerable' state for many long term players. The way I see it, if things stay the way it is for the next two years, a sizeable chunk of the long-term player base will either 'quiet quit' the game or leave for good.

So how do we solve this: place holder solutions in the form of Seasons.
ZOS has the tendency to make irreversible changes and keep them despite continual opposition. What if these changes were to occur over a season (one month) and then the players who participated were allowed to vote on whether they could keep them. A majority vote of around 65% would be needed to make the changes to avoid dividing the community.

These changes can also be a way to shake up the monotony: players can try out new things that the devs come up with in the knowledge that things will go back to the way they were after a month. For example:

No Beam Week
For the next week the Herald of the Tome skill line is disabled in Vet Trials. Let's see where the meta goes in this case and let the devs use this to buff the alternative builds.

Siege Month
Meatbags catapults remove buffs. Stationary oils and Oil Catapults remove HoTs.
Let's see if this change is enough to bring some of the balance back to Cyrodiil.

Old School BGs
Bring back the 4v4v4 for a month during Whitestrakes Mayhem.

The possibilities are endless and it will give players something to look forward to while the long term changes are being made.

Treeshka

moderatelyfatman wrote: »

No Beam Week
For the next week the Herald of the Tome skill line is disabled in Vet Trials. Let's see where the meta goes in this case and let the devs use this to buff the alternative builds.

Siege Month
Meatbags catapults remove buffs. Stationary oils and Oil Catapults remove HoTs.
Let's see if this change is enough to bring some of the balance back to Cyrodiil.

This straight up does not fit to this game.

mdjessup4906

That sounds more like themed combat events which would be fun i think, and a good way to test possible changes. But putting it ino a "season" sounds like its paywaled. Testing combat ideas in the form of an event week/month/whatever shouldn't be something you have to pay for.

aetherix8

There’s definitely a merit in the OP, but would players actually like it? Vengeance tests showed that:

1. Players will likely complain about being “unpaid testers” and “guinea pigs”.
2. Players will likely complain A LOT about their favorite thing being disabled for one week or more, and replaced with some “mandatory” alternative or nothing at all.

I’m not sure that players who absolutely love their beam will be thrilled about it being taken away from them for a week. As for old BGs, how bringing them back for a week or so helps, when players keep asking for them to be brought back permanently? That would be just rubbing salt into a wound. But “siege month” sounds pretty interesting - it wouldn’t affect players that much imo while allowing for testing some ideas.

Overall, I think that could unfortunately result in wasted resources - to develop smth new just for players to vote meh.

mdjessup4906

"I’m not sure that players who absolutely love their beam will be thrilled about it being taken away from them for a week."

Good point lol Yes plz dont do this to my progs
Maybe their first test can be a toggle for this mode so we can flip it off/on at will. And im down to be "paid" for my valuable input via endeavors, crown crates, and other worthy things like that.

tomofhyrule

Can we just wait to decide how good seasons are until the 7th when we find out precisely what "Seasons" means for ESO?

Vaqual

Any temporary change that infringes on the baseline functionality of a build will be extremly unpopular with people who have invested time and effort into their character.
Incentives maybe.
Disabling stuff - no.

Still, this temporary "shaking up" style of keeping things relevant is the one thing that I despise most about modern games. By such an astronomically large margin. I will pay for meaningful content. Screw the rest, really.

CoronHR

i thought this was a post about weather changes. i'm all about weather changes! and more rain/torrential downpours! lightning!

SummersetCitizen

tomofhyrule wrote: »

Can we just wait to decide how good seasons are until the 7th when we find out precisely what "Seasons" means for ESO?

Season of the Worm Cult.

We know seasons are not good. Nothing about this year bodes well for the new model.

katanagirl1

This sounds like something that should happen on the PTS, though I don’t really like the idea of it ever going live.

Sheridan

SummersetCitizen wrote: »

tomofhyrule wrote: »

Can we just wait to decide how good seasons are until the 7th when we find out precisely what "Seasons" means for ESO?

Season of the Worm Cult.

We know seasons are not good. Nothing about this year bodes well for the new model.

Season of the Worm Cult is the current model (Content Pass) and now they said about moving away from it to the new model, so thse new seasons can be something different.

licenturion

The playerbase will probably just keep shrinking because there are a vastly different type of players.

For me the game is fine today. Yes, this year wasn't my favorite but it is fine.

If they do Vengeance, class redesign, more scribing skills, a new tribute deck, overland difficulty etc.... It is all fine for me. But it is nothing I open my wallet for.

So far I prepurchased the deluxe versions of all chapters and the Solstice pass. But if there is no truckload of actual content like a new zone with new assets, new music, new stories, new sets etc I will probably just skip a year and play even less. This year I finished every quest, sticker book, maxed out all (sub)classed skill lines, got all companion keepsakes etc. I am waiting for actual new content to keep playing. 'Reimagined old content' will not keep me paying and playing.

They sacrificed a lot of players this year it seems with subclassing and other decisions. But the only type of player they haven't disappoint greatly are the people who love new places and stories to play. I am curious to see if this will be another segment of players they will cut lose or not on the 7th.

Xarc

No thx

Cooperharley

What you stated just sounds like little combat events, not really seasons.

IDC what they end up doing as long as it's good quality. The writhing wall and 2025 in general was absolute trash in my opinion. Whether they go back to the chapter model or do seasons, whatever. Let's just actually communicate what we're doing well ahead of time and work together to get this ship back on track.

BardokRedSnow

Hard pass, will kill the game not revive it.

The chapter system is what they need to go back to, and maybe focus on the content being good rather than what new system can we make to sell it because meta.

JinKC98

Hard disagree. No Beam Week sounds like self-inflicted Hard Mode. Why would we be allergic to clearing contents? Like there are many other builds available and people are free to use them but stopping others from using Beam is just bad idea through and through.

Elvenheart

tomofhyrule wrote: »

Can we just wait to decide how good seasons are until the 7th when we find out precisely what "Seasons" means for ESO?

Well said.

Meridiano

So, ZOS make irreversible changes, and players vote yes/no, and ZOS... ignore the votes and keep the changes, because they are... irreversible.

Huh?

Not to say dealing with features impl / un-impl is a double headache, and it would drag ZOS from other potential features.

Not to say we already have PTS where players decide if they like the features or not, and how to adjust them. If only ZOS don't ignore some major reports...

Nemesis7884

I dont care if you call it seasons, content pass or chapter - i just want content and value for money spent...i liked chapters before; so far my main issue is that value for money seems to decline...

what i personally wouldnt care at all about is seasons with battle passes ala diablo...that bores the living bajezus out of me... i rather want stories, new areas, new systems, new classes or skill lines

twisttop138

tomofhyrule wrote: »

Can we just wait to decide how good seasons are until the 7th when we find out precisely what "Seasons" means for ESO?

This please. Seasons will likely look much different than 2025. Likely a couple of months with some new quests in old zones. I have a feeling that ZOS will use what they said in the letter, wanting to fix pain points and core game issues as well as the class refresh as a excuse for the much less content we will get this year. We will have to see on the 7th but info going around in the community has given me pause. I very much hope I am wrong.

Short months of stuff like the op mentioned may be fun, but unlikely to fit in the 2026 vision. Only time will tell.

El_Borracho

I thought this was going to be applying spring, summer, fall, and winter to Tamriel to match the season in real life. Which would be awesome.

This suggestion, not so much. If anything, disabling skill lines for limited times would drive people away from the game.

kojou

A full class rebalance of every class in the game.

^^
This gives me heartburn and I am so tired of major rebalancing efforts.