Welcome! To start, I would like to say that this game exceeds in several areas and is quite weak in many others. Most MMOs aren't perfect at launch, and before I continue, I want people to realize that this thread is here to provide constructive feedback on this game's dark anchors, not to unleash a *** of hate on Zenimax. So without further ado, here is how I think Zenimax should go about fixing the currently unrewarding and repetitive anchors.

1. Make Them Feel Like an Event

Dark anchors are currently confined to a small area, and have no impact on the world around them. Change that! make it so that anchors, if left open for too long, begin to impact the world by filling it with Daedra of all types. For example, an anchor left open for 10 minutes will begin to send out scamps and clanfears to various towns and cities, harassing players and killing NPC guards at the edge of town. If left open for 30 minutes, an anchor will begin sending organized squads of scamps, clannfears and dremora to raid and seize towns , preventing quests in the town from being completed until the daedra are repelled in a siege-style endeavor. After 4 hours of being open, a massive army of 200 high level daedra will pour out and begin slaughtering players, low level and high level. At this point, a zone will become absolutely overrun, with the only way for players to access it being a concerted effort to siege and take back various cities and towns. The times that these things occur will be adjusted with the zone's population, of course.

2. Cross Over Into Coldharbour

You should have to cross over into Coldharbour to close an anchor. Once the outside defenses of the gate have been breached, you and everyone else can go into the anchor, entering a wailing prison-type zone, where you must clear a large area and fight a zone boss that requires team work to kill. This boss should be big and powerful, and it should feel like a true incarnation of Molag Bal. Around the boss would be areas of different heights, with the boss moving from large cliffs and shooting balls of flame down to ground level where he smashes players with powerful AoE melee attacks. Once defeated, the anchor closes in a flash of light and the players are scattered to various places around around the zone, with a small buff called "Favor of Arkay" that gives you 1 free revive if you die in a PvE zone within the next 2 hours.

3. Cyrodiil Dark Anchors With Vampire Defenders. MUAHAHAHAH!

Vampires, being the children of Molag Bal, should naturally have the option to take up arms for their father. In cyrodiil, vampires can choose to defend a dark anchor from invaders, regardless of their faction.

Secondly, dark anchors should drop down at random in the middle of PvP battles, forcing alliances to either give up their hatred for each other and work together, or continue slugging it out while Daedra pour onto the field and slaughter their troops.

Obviously, dark anchors will have to work differently in cyrodiil than in PvE zones in order to keep the focus of the players in cyrodiil on each other and not on closing the anchor (unless it drops onto them in the middle of a PvP battle). This means that there would be no gradual invasion by Daedric forces across cyrodiil, and that there would be no Coldharbour section for PvP anchors. Instead, there would simply be an instant and deadly attack from a force of 50 or so high-level daedra.

4. LOOOOOOT

LOOT! Give the players who complete an anchor and successfully close it a good few items! Hand them some powerful, enchanted armor and weapons that is tailored to whatever they use, such as light armour or two handed weapons. Also give them a sigil-stone type item, similar to the ones from Oblivion, where you can apply it to an item and receive a powerful enchantment.

5. New Opportunities!

Players who close the anchors have attracted the hatred of Molag Bal, yes. HOWEVER! They have also garnered the attention of the other princes, who hate Molag. Now, multiple new daedric quest lines are open to players who have cleared an anchor.

NOTE: This was written at 1AM. I apologize for any grammatical errors.