Gabriel_H wrote: »

The inherent problem with forum polls is that most people who visit the forum come to complain. Given the number of posts vs the estimated number of players, that isn't a large chunk of the player base, and so should not be used as a foundation for an argument.

Also the superabundance of people on here who plain do not understand statistics and pluck things out at random then present whatever they're claiming as "objective truth". It's funny, if nothing else.

RealLoveBVB wrote: »

Rungar wrote: »

Pixiepumpkin wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Pixiepumpkin wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

AngryPenguin wrote: »

Why should anyone trust ZOS with a new MMO when things are going the way they are with ESO?

Gamers have selective memory. They'll always insist the newest game release will be the next big thing, despite all evidence to the contrary. Heck, it doesn't even have to be a new game release. It can be a remaster. Case in point, the recent Bethesda title that recently dropped a remaster is absolutely saturated with bugs, and quite horribly so. Most of those bugs were present in the orginal! Yet it sold like crazy, reviewers gave it perfect scores, and even praised the bugs as "part of the charm".

ZOS could drop any new MMO tomorrow, and it would get scooped up by the masses.

No, if that were true ESO would have been "scooped up by the masses". The only thing that has kept ESO going is its tie to the Elder Scrolls name and universe. Literally many if not most players came because of nostalgia from Morrowind, Skyrim or Oblivion. Without "Elder Scrolls" attached to this game, it would have been a miserable failure and shut down years ago.

ESO was "scooped up by the masses" when it first released over a decade ago when it releasaed. Precisely for the reasons you stated it's still hanging on today. And Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim (though Skyrim to a lesser extent) all being riddled with bugs.

Really? Is that why they had to refomat the game with Tamriel 1? Because of the massive playerbase?

Ohh wait, no that is not what happened. ESO was a failure at launch, this is well established. Any game scooped up by the masses is not going to fail. So no, ESO was not "scooped up by the masses".

ill give zos credit where its due. They fought tooth and nail to keep eso alive and it worked because they were innovative and adaptive in their approach. This is something i feel they have forgotten.

I think opinions can split here... there are bugs, that aren't fixed since years (castle thorn circle for example). If they really "fought tooth and nail" they would have fixed it several years ago already.
The only thing they really fought for is to make the game more "accessible" for casuals, with adding oakensoul, companions and now subclasses. This has nothing to do with quality tho. It's more like "make the game super easy and everyone will have fun".

Who really keeps the game alive is the community. All those nice evenings as 12, doing content together.
If guilds and all those relationships wouldn't exist, most players would have quit a long time ago already.
Personally, the last update I really liked and was hyped for, was the time, when they introduced the stickerbook and the new CP system (eventho I would like it more without the cap).
If I wouldn't have my raids in the evenings, there would be nothing to keep me here.

Couldnt agree more on that.
I would be long gone without my guild.

Also about the bug, wanna throw the ''stuck in combat'' bug in cyro in the room *skullemoji*

Northwold wrote: »

Gabriel_H wrote: »

The inherent problem with forum polls is that most people who visit the forum come to complain. Given the number of posts vs the estimated number of players, that isn't a large chunk of the player base, and so should not be used as a foundation for an argument.

Also the superabundance of people on here who plain do not understand statistics and pluck things out at random then present whatever they're claiming as "objective truth". It's funny, if nothing else.

Don't be silly: just because you are shocked that nearly half the population is below average doesn't mean you don't understand statistics.

JJBoomer wrote: »

The people who are upset have always been a minority. They do not represent or speak for the majority of players. And the games shouldn't be catered to only them.

Things change. Either adapt or be left behind. That's life boys.

I couldn't agree more, ZOS.

karthrag_inak wrote: »

Lol @.63 whole people! WOAH khajiit is bedazzled by the staggering 'quorum' you've discovered!

Just represents people are loosing trust tbh.

I'm not a fan of the ZOS creative design of this game in many, many aspects, but the premise that they are slowly abandoning ESO and putting it into maintenance mode is an absolutely ridiculous conclusion to come to.

CalamityCat wrote: »

I honestly don't think a major change of direction will happen unless there is a noticeable drop in income. Or ZOS believes there could be more profit in taking another direction.

My feeling is that I'm clearly not the intended customer for this game now But it will take a lot more than that before ZOS go "hang on, we've got a problem". Especially as a lot of players still love ESO but have just stopped playing and paying as much because they aren't happy. I think it'll take a while before those who dislike the direction actually decide to quit the game or stay. But I hope ZOS listen and try to make the game appeal to those who aren't happy.

Cant‘t believe that there is NO drop of income, since the playerbase is shrinking rapidly.

LadyAstrum wrote: »

I'm not a fan of the subclassing. It feels like a gimmicky way of adding the illusion of content.

I also feel Solistice should have been released in whole, not one half. It feels rushed and lacklustre. It's already forgettable to me. I find myself going back to West Weald, which I feel is infinitely better than Solstice in multiple ways.

So, yes, I agree with OP on the direction and sentiment behind it.

I mean, I do love ESO, but the development on this last update feels off.

We really need to stop calling it subclassing: true subclassing would be ZOS adding an additional skill line to each class which they can then use to fine tune their builds. Guild Wars 2 has this in their Specialisations which are unique to each class and can't be accessed by other classes.
What we have in ESO in multiclassing where each class and access every other classes skills. The problem with this is that it makes it much harder to balanced compared to true subclassing.

Pixiepumpkin wrote: »

moderatelyfatman wrote: »

LadyAstrum wrote: »

I'm not a fan of the subclassing. It feels like a gimmicky way of adding the illusion of content.

I also feel Solistice should have been released in whole, not one half. It feels rushed and lacklustre. It's already forgettable to me. I find myself going back to West Weald, which I feel is infinitely better than Solstice in multiple ways.

So, yes, I agree with OP on the direction and sentiment behind it.

I mean, I do love ESO, but the development on this last update feels off.

We really need to call it subclassing: true subclassing would be ZOS adding an additional skill line to each class which they can then use to fine tune their builds. Guild Wars 2 has this in their Specialisations which are unique to each class and can't be accessed by other classes.
What we have in ESO in multiclassing where each class and access every other classes skills. The problem with this is that it makes it much harder to balanced compared to true subclassing.

True.

But making actual subclassing spells, icons, art, animation, sounds, etc all cost development time which costs money and from what I can observe ZOS does not seem to be interested in investing into these things which for myself leaves subclassing feel unfinished.

I agree with you 100% and add: this is the real tragedy behind 'subclassing'. If ZOS has added a fourth optional skill line (you pick 3) that was unique to each class, they could have cleaned up the mess and actually balanced the classes a bit more. DK/Sorc could have had a proper healing skill line. For the sorc, they could moved Conjured Ward and Bound armor into a separate skill line and added more pet options to the Daedric Summoning while making non-pet sorcs viable. Even better, they could have split Bound Armaments and Bound Aegis into separate skill lines and created new morphs of each for damage and support.
Warden could have separated out the Winter's Embrace into a Support line and a proper Ice Themed dps line, much like the DK's Ardent Flame. It would have made the Warden a legitimate elemental damage dealer alongside the DK's fire and the Sorc's lightning.

All these opportunities, now gone forever because of multiclassing!

CalamityCat wrote: »

fizzybeef wrote: »

CalamityCat wrote: »

I honestly don't think a major change of direction will happen unless there is a noticeable drop in income. Or ZOS believes there could be more profit in taking another direction.

My feeling is that I'm clearly not the intended customer for this game now But it will take a lot more than that before ZOS go "hang on, we've got a problem". Especially as a lot of players still love ESO but have just stopped playing and paying as much because they aren't happy. I think it'll take a while before those who dislike the direction actually decide to quit the game or stay. But I hope ZOS listen and try to make the game appeal to those who aren't happy.

Cant‘t believe that there is NO drop of income, since the playerbase is shrinking rapidly.

I just wonder if any drop has been significant enough to make an impression this soon. Especially as the changes might be attracting in some new players to balance it out.

There's also a question of how ZOS interpret that data. Right now it might look like players just didn't find the season pass content appealing. Or that they're playing other games/enjoying the summer. It might be a while before it becomes clear if there is a problem. They might really be off doing other things and return to ESO later. I've been totally wrong with this sort of situation before so it wouldn't be a first

probably not 💀

MISTFORMBZZZ wrote: »

subclassing feels like a rushed system nobody asked for, and the poll clearly shows players don’t trust its direction. It looks more like a way to avoid balancing the core game than something meant to improve it.

With a new AAA game in development, it honestly feels like ESO is being left behind. Communication is minimal, balance is a mess, and community feedback gets ignored. People are losing faith — fast.

If the devs want to keep this game alive, they need to start listening. This isn’t just about subclassing — it’s about showing the player base that ESO still matters.

Even if they don't want to keep it alive, and focus only on their new AAA, they still need to listen.

Getting into eso, I didn't think twice when I first saw the name zenimax online studios. Never heard of it.

But now I have, and seeing their logo on a new product will be enough to make me think "nope, not doing that again".

And I know I'm not alone in this thinking. Zenimax spends a lot of resources on acquiring new customers, and very little on keeping existing ones. Their latest marketing claims 26 million players. Considering how many actual mmo players there are across different games, I'd say there's a good chance the only players they haven't disappointed yet are the newborn gamers who are added every year.