Crown Crate shrinkflation ....

Amethyst_Unearthed · February 2023

((Xbox)) Has anyone else noticed that with 15 crates (or any amount) that your end result items obtained (if we want it or not, like mementos, pets, tattoo's etc.) is getting to be less and less?! Ive only been able to buy crowns with RL funds 2-3 times so ive always bought with gold as long as we were able too. Since then ive bought 1 to 4 (only got 4x15 one time lol) 15 crown crates bundles of every theme crown crates released. In 1.5+ years I have not got a themed mount drop (the 400 crown gem Apex mounts, BUT also ive never got a radiant apex ever since either, which is ok but still SUCKS

) the things given to me the past 2 years or so have not once left me to feel like I got my gold worth... Am I wrong to be upset? I'm thinking the only thing that keeps this form of 'random reward containers for currency' legal is the expectation ( pretty sure they state somewhere in TOS about it) that rewards given are equal to cost of crates? so its not a form of "gambeling". (could be wrong)...... Yesterday was my boiling point I got 15 Akavari crates, kept 1 -100% scroll and 5-7 crown mimic stones and 2 riding speeds that dropped from them from, the rest of the could be exchanged for crown gems.... out of the items dropped that were doubles and what I traded in I got under 100 crown gems... this has NEVER been this bad...

-0 Legendary Rewards.
-1 Epic Reward, 2 pets, a dress of (none had option of exchanging for crown gems, most had multiple drops would be very nice to be able to exchange these for gems).
-10 Superior Rewards (multiple multiple multiple doubles) 4 of the style items, pets, 1 scroll...and more tattoos.
- the amount of food, potions and poisons was sickening... none of these are better then in game items, and are pointless at this point IMO and just get turned in for 1 gem per bunch...
-2 fine rewards + crown soul gems (kind of obsolete now that we have 1 size soul gem in game and it drops from everything?) and 2 riding speeds

I am honestly upset, but also feel like its to the point now that the drop rates are so low in these things they are doing it to sell more... but I know SOOOO MANY people who refuse to buy anymore because of the lack of drops and final crown gem tally now... you used to ALWAYS have a mount drop or large 400 gem item drop or have enough things to exchange for gems to get the 400 gems and buy the item you wanted.... one or the other, rarely both. I live in Canada and 5500 crowns cost 52$+tax if I was to buy crowns.... that's a lot.... its a whole new DLC?!

... please don't attack me for this opinion, this game is my enjoyment and my pastime and mass majority of my friends are on it and were made on it. Has anyone had any recent similar experiences? what have you done? I was streaming when I got the drops but it pissed me off so much I deleted the stream.... I really do wish I hadn't but what's done is done, but i know all future crates will be recorded on there so I have them to compare

Livvy · February 2023

Just wanted to chime in and say I have noticed the exact same thing.

It used to be that I ended up with way more apex items in way fewer crates. If I was trying for something in particular, I would end up with way more along the way to getting it. Which made it a little easier to stomach. Like at least I had SOMETHING to show for it, even if it wasn't the particular thing I wanted.

The change has been pretty drastic in comparing my experiences years ago to my more recent experiences.

I do understand it can all just be luck. But when so many are noticing the same thing, I do start to wonder...

It's a shame. It has taken a not-so-great experience in the first place, yet stomach-able experience, and turned it into a pretty torturous one you usually end up feeling pretty sick about in the end.

Necrotech_Master · February 2023

ive only bought crates 2 times since crown crates existed, and generally never been satisfied lol

i just make a point to do the endeavors so when i see something i want i can get it without the garbage RNG of crates lol

Veinblood1965 · February 2023

I've bought them with gold three times and the last time actually got a mount out of the Akavari crateds. The other two was just trash really. I'd be super pissed if I paid cash though.

IgnisDrakkon · February 2023

I have noticed this too. I have purchased crates on the crown store more than I care to admit over the past several years. Years ago it used to be that you can get the themed mounts to drop more easily, if you open a decent number of crates. Recently, even after opening a ton of crates I do not get any of the themed mounts. I am lucky if I get one of the themed mounts to drop. I now have to "buy" them with the gems. Ever since ZOS introduced the gems, they expect you to open a ton of crates just to scrape together enough gems to get the mounts. And in case anyone brings up the seals of endeavor, these take too long to accumulate and if you recently spent it on a mount, then you may not have enough for the current crates and still need to use the gems. I think it definitely is harder to get the mounts because ZOS wants us all to use the gems.

Amethyst_Unearthed · February 2023

Glad to see its not just me.... but i feel sorry you all had the type of disappointing experiences I did too, its getting tot he point everything fun or cool is behind a "pay wall" and with crown crates you now cant even get something for 50$+/ 500k gold in my case... I wish i could get a boycotting of the crowns active, the maybe they would stop being so greedy.... its sad honestly

merpins · February 2023

Gonna chime this in real quick:
Been playing since Beta. I've spent a good amount on crates over the years since their introduction. I'd usually get a year sub when I play regularly (not currently, but when I do play, I get the year sub). I used to spend most if not all of what I got yearly on crown crates. I'm also a veteran player, so when I regularly play, I frequently have enough gold to buy some crates from time to time. I usually save it to gold out jewelry since I do that pretty regularly and it gets expensive quickly when golding out several sets at a time, but I'd buy crowns on occasion with gold.

I've gotten a total of 0 Radiant Apex rewards in the nearly 10 years the game has been out.
I've also gotten maybe 5 or 6 apex rewards, two of which I bought with gems (a personality and a skin i believe).

The RNG on the crown crates is very much weighted to make it so you're not likely to get what you want. That's by design of gambling systems like this so you spend more money. It's not a system I like to indulge in, which is why I make a point to only spend my sub crowns and gold on it on occasion, and also a main contributor as to why I'm not currently playing eso.

CBreeze71 · February 2023

On Xbox X noticed the same thing. I don't want to waste my monthly on crates anymore. It's been potions and stuff I don't even need, and I agree with OP that it is not an even return value. I have only been playing for about 18 months, but the change in drops has been very noticeable lately. Kind of frustrating.

Luke_Flamesword · February 2023

Agressive monetization for me is biggest drawback of this game. It's level of f2p game, but at the same time it forces you to pay for eso+ if you want to play it for real (for me it's just imposible to play without crafting bag or double furniture limits). I can understand agressive monetization on players who play almost for free, without sub. But I play game for years, paying for ESO+ 100% time, buying all chapters and still I'm treated like f2p player. I'm still have to pay for every crown store feature or thing, getting only symbolic discounts on some products. We getting crowns for eso+ but this is ridiculously little amount - for half year sub I can buy 3 crown store animated trees to my house.

I like housing, but one house for 13k crowns is just shameless cashgrab and I don't have even words for buying furnitures (no avaiable through game itself, where you pay just for one piece of furniture, not even recipe). It should be normal, that loyal players who pays all the time for playing, should have open access to many more features - for example - some crates in daily rewards, free 10 furniture from crown store every month, free tokens to change stupid name and many more. It's normal in other MMOs but in this game loyalty is nothing and veteran player who pays a lot of cash and loves game, are treated like suckers.

And this is even more evil when you catch for this system and buy crates anyway - then you realised that you have been conned twice - first time paying for it as eso+ player, second when you see how badly rng is rigged against you. It's not even real rng - obviously better rewards (even in same tier) have much lower chance to drop.

What is most sad thing in all of this? It's works, because people paying anyway. Some even defend whole system...

Unij · February 2023

If you want to know how high your chances are, here is a site, they have used an app to track the drop rates. https://www.crowncrates.com/

The chances for legendary and apex were always low.

Amethyst_Unearthed · February 2023

Unij wrote: »

The chances for legendary and apex were always low.

True, BUT you could always trade in your drops to obtain at least enough crown gems to buy one... you don't even get to get half the amount you need now... its a major disappointment , if they need money so bad, there are sooooo many more ways to get it then con us on crates....and over priced digital houses.... 13k crowns cost me just over 150$... we dont even pay that much for a new collectors edition dlc.....

Kesstryl · February 2023

I think they would make so much more money putting all the crown crate items in the cash shop. People would be able to buy exactly what they want and would be more likely to support the game if they didn't feel like they were being bled out with predatory monetization.

Amethyst_Unearthed · February 2023

Kesstryl wrote: »

I think they would make so much more money putting all the crown crate items in the cash shop. People would be able to buy exactly what they want and would be more likely to support the game if they didn't feel like they were being bled out with predatory monetization.

i agree 100%

kloverleaf · March 2023

I would be more ok with the trash drops if:

When trading in the item for gems you got the value they would be if you purchased them (it sucks that you get a depreciated value).
Why not rework it so you earn something from that "tier" that you could then choose the item you wanted.

I've also noticed that the mounts that they release in the 600 range now are basic - they have NO special effects.
If you want the special effects mounts they are now in this 1200 range... It's like they aren't spending as much time on the items you are getting. Like I love the mounts, but that is just one thing I've noticed within the last year or two.

Araneae6537 · March 2023

I would absolutely prefer that we could purchase what we want directly. RNG crates could be an alternative for those want (for example, GW2 charges significantly less for a random mount skin from a set than for choosing the one you want). Alas, it seems unlikely to change, but at least now we have endeavors. All that said, I haven’t noticed worse RNG, although I don’t get them often. When I do, I have gotten an apex mount from a 15-pack maybe half the time? I also had some exceptionally good fortune from some 4-packs, including the recent Wraithstone.

I would definitely recommend NOT keeping anything you can get another way — XP scrolls, mimic stones, and especially mount riding (those are essentially 250g each) and maximize your gems at least. But it definitely sucks when you get nothing that you want. I feel like the apex level has been diluted by the inclusion of some ugly skins (sure, sometimes the mounts are ugly too but I don’t buy those crate seasons) and I feel fortunate NOT to have gotten any of those.

ADarklore · March 2023

I think they need to up the gem extractions for unwanted items!! Considering that's what we get most of the time, the current extraction is too low IMO.

Although, what also sucks is that until you actually acquire most of the items in the current season, you end up with items you don't want but cannot extract them until you get a duplicate! They should allow us to extract from ANY item we received in the current crate until we close the window- then all items become permanent.