A Disheartening Shift: ESO's Focus on Crown Store Profits Over True PvP Engagement

Xanttious · September 10

I’ve been an avid player of Elder Scrolls Online for years, and I feel compelled to voice my frustration with the recent direction the game seems to be taking. As many of you have noticed, there has been a significant shift in focus towards monetizing the game through the Crown Store. While I understand the need for revenue, it’s disheartening to see that this has increasingly come at the expense of core gameplay elements, particularly for PvP enthusiasts like myself.

The Crown Store is overflowing with new items and cosmetics, which in itself isn’t a problem. However, it feels like the constant drive to push more microtransactions is overshadowing the development and support of the game’s PvP aspects. Each update seems to prioritize shiny new Crown Store items and the PvE aspects rather than addressing long-standing issues within Cyrodiil or improving the balance and quality of PvP content.

It’s as if the true PvP players are being neglected in favor of maximizing profit. We’ve seen less focus on balancing and more emphasis on enticing players to spend more. PvP in ESO has so much potential, but it’s becoming increasingly frustrating to see that potential squandered while the focus remains on generating revenue.

The imbalance and lack of attention to PvP issues, combined with the relentless push for Crown Store profits, is leaving many of us feeling sidelined and undervalued. We deserve better – a game where our feedback is taken seriously, and where the passion we pour into PvP is met with meaningful updates and support.

I hope that the developers will listen to the concerns of the dedicated PvP community and strike a better balance between monetization and gameplay. ESO has the potential to be a fantastic game for everyone, but it requires a more balanced approach that respects and nurtures all aspects of the game, not just the revenue-generating ones.

This was supposed to be a PvP update and you gave us PvP'ers nothing yet again.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I’m hopeful that by voicing these concerns, we can see some positive changes in the future.

Seyer530 · September 10

I echo Xan's sentiments. This update lacks any real PVP content. 8v8 BG maps? That's what you give us? So I have to like 7 other people to play that? I give you way too much money in monthly revenue and Crown purchases to not get anything I can actually play with in game.

Tandor · September 10

I must have dreamt the first long section on Battlegrounds, as well as the other section on changes in Imperial City.

By all means bemoan the lack of update announcements on Cyrodiil with only a tacit acknowledgement that it was being raised in Twitch Chat, but you don't give any credibility to your concerns by pretending that "you gave us PvP'ers nothing yet again".

spartaxoxo · September 10

This update is a pretty drastic overhaul of Battlegrounds. Should feel like something new. And they just made a huge overhaul to PVP currency too with the IC vendor and curation.

PvPers are the only ones that didn't get monetized in a big way, so I don't see how PvPers got nothing but crown store again. That's just not true.

Cyrodiil got nothing. Imperial City got a decent boost to rewards. And Battlegrounds got a massive overhaul.

You haven't even seen the new balance updates or sets yet.

Honestly, I'm trying to have sympathy and understanding of PvP concerns but it's harder to understand when it so obviously exaggerated. PvE is the one that took a backseat this patch. PvE is the one with a sudden new crown store focus to something previously free. PvP did NOT get that. That's just not the case.

L_Nici · September 10

Don't forget, that they reintroduced Power Ups, that were taken out, because they were ruining the experience. They force you to transform and lose all your skills and build if you carry some ball, one ultjumping DK can obliterate the entire enemy group on the "King of the Hill" Flag, because its on a bridge above slaughterfish water and the absolute best, Deathmatch has limited lifes...hooray

shadyjane62 · September 10

Never once have I entered a BG. I would like to say more but none of it would be constructive.

spartaxoxo · September 10

L_Nici wrote: »

Don't forget, that they reintroduced Power Ups, that were taken out, because they were ruining the experience. They force you to transform and lose all your skills and build if you carry some ball, one ultjumping DK can obliterate the entire enemy group on the "King of the Hill" Flag, because its on a bridge above slaughterfish water and the absolute best, Deathmatch has limited lifes...hooray

Thank you for explaining this! This is much easier to understand why some may not be excited for 8v8. I thought it looked pretty fun, but I can see why someone would have an issue with it.

Juomuuri · September 10

Gina alluded that there's gonna be something for Cyro next year (I hope she actually meant it) when the chat went wild about no Cyro content in 2024. I loved to just hop into Cyro back when we had 24 player groups and waaay bigger pop caps, it was how I grinded my tankDK's PvP ults and got lvl 10 in AW. I miss those times so much, even if I'm mostly a PvE player... I hope they will bring back the massive battles, 2025 is still about the 10th anniversary after all.

Clone4423 · September 10

I am central US time zone and around 1 to 2 am only 1 bar of players in Cyro on pc NA. Only pop locked for a few hours in the evening. Realistically with such a small base of PVP players they focus on the PVE aspect and the housing clients which is the player base that spends the $. It's about the Almighty Dollar! Sad but true..

kevkj · September 10

Are you asking for Volendrung tokens to be sold in the Crown Store or what?

Tandor · September 10

Juomuuri wrote: »

Gina alluded that there's gonna be something for Cyro next year (I hope she actually meant it) when the chat went wild about no Cyro content in 2024. I loved to just hop into Cyro back when we had 24 player groups and waaay bigger pop caps, it was how I grinded my tankDK's PvP ults and got lvl 10 in AW. I miss those times so much, even if I'm mostly a PvE player... I hope they will bring back the massive battles, 2025 is still about the 10th anniversary after all.

Did she actually express that in chat? Because I never heard her say that in the broadcast when she acknowledged the issue of Cyrodiil being raised in chat but just said that the stream was about BGs. I never bother with the chat because it scrolls off my screen too fast to read it and I'm more interested in what ZOS are saying, so I would have missed it if it was in chat.

Xanttious · September 10

Clone4423 wrote: »

I am central US time zone and around 1 to 2 am only 1 bar of players in Cyro on pc NA. Only pop locked for a few hours in the evening. Realistically with such a small base of PVP players they focus on the PVE aspect and the housing clients which is the player base that spends the $. It's about the Almighty Dollar! Sad but true..

That has to do with the bad taste has got in their mouth from PvP being neglected all these year. ALOT of players have left due to issues with character/set balance, queues, and the list can go on. We dealt with tests for months that was supposed to help improve lag ect in PVP and yet nothing has come from it, cryo has more lag then ever

Tandor · September 10

spartaxoxo wrote: »

This update is a pretty drastic overhaul of Battlegrounds. Should feel like something new. And they just made a huge overhaul to PVP currency too with the IC vendor and curation.

PvPers are the only ones that didn't get monetized in a big way, so I don't see how PvPers got nothing but crown store again. That's just not true.

Cyrodiil got nothing. Imperial City got a decent boost to rewards. And Battlegrounds got a massive overhaul.

You haven't even seen the new balance updates or sets yet.

Honestly, I'm trying to have sympathy and understanding of PvP concerns but it's harder to understand when it so obviously exaggerated. PvE is the one that took a backseat this patch. PvE is the one with a sudden new crown store focus to something previously free. PvP did NOT get that. That's just not the case.

I think they said that ESO+ players would get enhanced APs and Telvar Stones, about 10% uplift as I recall.

CameraBeardThePirate · September 10

L_Nici wrote: »

Don't forget, that they reintroduced Power Ups, that were taken out, because they were ruining the experience. They force you to transform and lose all your skills and build if you carry some ball, one ultjumping DK can obliterate the entire enemy group on the "King of the Hill" Flag, because its on a bridge above slaughterfish water and the absolute best, Deathmatch has limited lifes...hooray

Power Ups are only in the casual 8v8 queue, which is fine. It's supposed to be silly, it's an 8v8.

The forced transformation is also fine, as it prevents people from building cheesy max speed builds that just run around the perimeter of the map with the ball. It also forces people with the ball to actually need to stay with their team if they want any heals. And again, it's only in the 8v8, which again, is supposed to be casual/silly.

If you don't want to be knocked into the water, then maybe block the DK leap?

As for limited lives, they said it's a per map basis. Plus, I'm kind of all for a limited respawn/round based system. It's something different, and in situations where one team completely steamrolls, you aren't forced to play respawn simulator - the other team will just win.

Juomuuri · September 10

Tandor wrote: »

Did she actually express that in chat? Because I never heard her say that in the broadcast when she acknowledged the issue of Cyrodiil being raised in chat but just said that the stream was about BGs. I never bother with the chat because it scrolls off my screen too fast to read it and I'm more interested in what ZOS are saying, so I would have missed it if it was in chat.

At least that's what I heard her say, I meant the chat was going wild and she said the thing out loud.

jaws343 · September 10

CameraBeardThePirate wrote: »

L_Nici wrote: »

Don't forget, that they reintroduced Power Ups, that were taken out, because they were ruining the experience. They force you to transform and lose all your skills and build if you carry some ball, one ultjumping DK can obliterate the entire enemy group on the "King of the Hill" Flag, because its on a bridge above slaughterfish water and the absolute best, Deathmatch has limited lifes...hooray

Power Ups are only in the casual 8v8 queue, which is fine. It's supposed to be silly, it's an 8v8.

The forced transformation is also fine, as it prevents people from building cheesy max speed builds that just run around the perimeter of the map with the ball. It also forces people with the ball to actually need to stay with their team if they want any heals. And again, it's only in the 8v8, which again, is supposed to be casual/silly.

If you don't want to be knocked into the water, then maybe block the DK leap?

As for limited lives, they said it's a per map basis. Plus, I'm kind of all for a limited respawn/round based system. It's something different, and in situations where one team completely steamrolls, you aren't forced to play respawn simulator - the other team will just win.

Yeah, I pretty much am onboard for all of the changes and modes announced. It hits a lot of the BG suggestions a lot of us were making a few years ago, especially the objective mode team verse team change. 3 teams was just poor design for domination and flag games, so the change is going to really make those modes a lot more fun and engaging.

And the lives for Deathmatch is interesting. It will allow matches that aren't going well to end quickly.

CameraBeardThePirate · September 10

Xanttious wrote: »

This was supposed to be a PvP update and you gave us PvP'ers nothing yet again.

Sorry, but did you watch the same stream? A BG overhaul is excellent, and is far from "nothing".

Quackery · September 10

Clone4423 wrote: »

I am central US time zone and around 1 to 2 am only 1 bar of players in Cyro on pc NA. Only pop locked for a few hours in the evening. Realistically with such a small base of PVP players they focus on the PVE aspect and the housing clients which is the player base that spends the $. It's about the Almighty Dollar! Sad but true..

Wrong, I'm without a shadow of a doubt one of their best customers, and I played almost exclusively in Cyrodiil. We PvP players actually DO spend a lot of money on the game.

Xanttious · September 10

CameraBeardThePirate wrote: »

Xanttious wrote: »

This was supposed to be a PvP update and you gave us PvP'ers nothing yet again.

Sorry, but did you watch the same stream? A BG overhaul is excellent, and is far from "nothing".

I appreciate your enthusiasm for the Battleground (BG) overhaul. However, I'd like to clarify that while the BG changes are valuable, the core of our game is designed as a Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) experience. The term "Massive" in MMO emphasizes a large-scale, expansive world with numerous players interacting concurrently. The 4v4 and 8v8 modes, although engaging, represent a smaller scale of game play and don't align with what a MMO should be

Galeriano2 · September 10

CameraBeardThePirate wrote: »

Xanttious wrote: »

This was supposed to be a PvP update and you gave us PvP'ers nothing yet again.

Sorry, but did you watch the same stream? A BG overhaul is excellent, and is far from "nothing".

I wouldn't call it an overhaul but rather an addition. At the end of the day it's just few more, closed space small scale matches added to the game with nothing groundbreaking about them. And I say this as someone who spends majority of the playtime in BGs.

When You hear phrases like "a major PvP update" or " something new that wasn't in the game before" You expect something more than few new BG maps with the big difference being how participants are being split into teams.

CameraBeardThePirate · September 10

Galeriano2 wrote: »

CameraBeardThePirate wrote: »

Xanttious wrote: »

This was supposed to be a PvP update and you gave us PvP'ers nothing yet again.

Sorry, but did you watch the same stream? A BG overhaul is excellent, and is far from "nothing".

I wouldn't call it an overhaul but rather an addition. At the end of the day it's just few more, closed space small scale matches added to the game with nothing groundbreaking about them. And I say this as someone who spends majority of the playtime in BGs.

When You hear phrases like "a major PvP update" or " something new that wasn't in the game before" You expect something more than few new BG maps with the big difference being how participants are being split into teams.

It's an overhaul. They will not have 4v4v4s outside of holiday events, and the 2-team game modes have vastly different rulesets, including respawn limited round-based gameplay. That is an overhaul.

CameraBeardThePirate · September 10

Xanttious wrote: »

CameraBeardThePirate wrote: »

Xanttious wrote: »

This was supposed to be a PvP update and you gave us PvP'ers nothing yet again.

Sorry, but did you watch the same stream? A BG overhaul is excellent, and is far from "nothing".

I appreciate your enthusiasm for the Battleground (BG) overhaul. However, I'd like to clarify that while the BG changes are valuable, the core of our game is designed as a Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) experience. The term "Massive" in MMO emphasizes a large-scale, expansive world with numerous players interacting concurrently. The 4v4 and 8v8 modes, although engaging, represent a smaller scale of game play and don't align with what a MMO should be

Any MMO with PvP has arena/team based PvP. It's an MMO staple just as much as open-world PvP is.

And regardless, your statement was still blatantly false. You stated that PvPers received nothing. What you should have stated is that there was nothing you are interested in, and should not have spoken on behalf of all PvPers.

LadyGP · September 10

Xanttious wrote: »

This was supposed to be a PvP update and you gave us PvP'ers nothing yet again.

Cyrodiiler's got nothing.. yet again. 7 straight years. I think this is where the outrage is coming from. If you're into BGs (I honestly haven't met anyone who loves BGs but maybe they are out there) then I truly hope you enjoy this update.

Just wish something happened to Cyro cause.... well its been 7 years.

hiyde · September 10

Quackery wrote: »

ZOS's focus on wokeness instead of actually doing something about Cyrodiil performance,

The PvP update is BGs.

The companions and many other things are also included in the U44 update.

They didn't trade PvP updates for the non-binary companion.

Also: LGBTQ characters and stories have been part of ESO since the start.

Xanttious · September 10

I understand your point about arena and team-based PvP being staples in many MMOs. However, given that the core system of MMO gameplay—particularly open-world PvP—was a major selling point for the game, it’s crucial to address and fix any issues with that system before expanding into additional PvP features. Ensuring a enjoyable open-world experience should take priority to maintain the game's original appeal and promise. Once the foundational open-world PvP is solid, then focusing on arena and team-based PvP can be more effectively implemented and appreciated.

Urzigurumash · September 10

I love BGs, looking forward to it

System_Data · September 10

idk, have you ever thought that maybe cyrodiil isn't just that popular of a game mode for the majority of players and that perhaps it's just a very vocal minority. it's actually annoying that twitch chat is spammed about cyrodiil like a bunch of crying toddlers.

zos is a company trying to profit and if they calculate that losing cyrodiil players because they can get funds from other parts of the game then that's just how it is.

ZOS_Bill · September 10

Greetings,

We've locked this thread to prevent any further spiraling and due to its non-constructive nature. While we completely understand everyone has their own opinions, thoughts, feelings and even frustrations, we want the forums to be a civil and constructive platform for the game and it's community as a whole.

Thank you for your understanding.