I think we've been in somewhat of a content slowdown compared to the past, even though the updates have been substantial and added a lot of non-zone content, reworks or Companions. But previously, we would get a full-sized zone plus one smaller zone each year. But in the past 12 months, we've only gotten 1 small zone (I enjoy Solstice a lot and more than some full zones, but over 12 months, it's just less to return to). We'll see how that feels after Eastern Solstice and learning what's coming next--I think at least part of it is just adjusting to the new content release schedule.

There had been complaints by some players that there was more and more new content while systems and performance were being left behind. We've gotten a bit of a shift in the other direction, with systems for many different parts of the game.

It sounds like the approach to longterm appeal has been adding systems rather than just only new content. For example, Scribing, Home Tours, Subclassing, the Archive, reworked battlegrounds. (I would say the Vengeance experiment to fix Cyrodiil lag is also sort of part of this, looking into the performance of existing systems.)

Well combat wise would you want to do major overhauls on classes while you are waiting for the vengeance tests to conclude? Whether all skills need to be recoded? Maybe all sets? Passives? Mundus? Enchants? Food?

The game was not ready or ever setup for subclassing. To fix it requires major design changes, but without the data yet, they may design in the wrong direction entirely.

My favourite part about all this is they think we have the memory of a gold fish.

We were told about 3 years ago that the content release structure would change from what we knew:

To something more open ended that allowed them to experiment, changing Q3/Q4 since they believed the base game had enough storys, dungeons, and zones to explore, so they could afford to cut that content for something outside the box:

That lasted 2 years, now we're right back to the original setup for 2025 with no word as to why they regressed despite most of the playerbase liking the change of pace.. I understand the need to better spread out the release structure, but it doesn't explain why there is less overall content instead of the same amount just spread over time or why they went back to the 2016-2022 content cadence.

Instead of getting a full chapter in Q2, it was cut directly in half and sold as a Q4 zone, something we used to get. Doubt we'll get an arena like previous years, seeing as it should of been announced by now, the content pass is not meant to be a secret, they have to sell the entire year for the consumer upfront.

What's worse, we're right back to what was easy in making the oversaturated 4 dungeons a year. What happened to dedicating Q3 to bug fixes or Q4 to experimenting?

This year, we also got no extensions to previous game mechanics. No more companions? No more tales of tribute decks? No new grimoire or scripts for the new game mechanic they released just LAST year? Just more glorified missed opportunity sets via the mythic system instead of actually niche, but powerful things people want to use.

Q4.. are they even going to finish Infinite Archive with the last class sets? Are they going to add more levels to it like they did last year? Who knows, sure would be nice to know given we paid to have access to a year of content.

Put it this way. With subclassing being free, the new trial not being worth the farm, the zone cut in half with only more overland content coming to Q4 via skyshards/group dungeons/world events/story quests, no extensions to previous existing mechanics, why did I even buy the content pass to begin with? So far, very dissatisfied.

They even said something like "this year will be weird as we transition from the chapter system to the content pass system so it will feel more traditional"... Except, that's not true because you already deviated from that format in 2023 and 2024 with Q3 and Q4. This is right back to how 2016-2022 worked under a new name.

Content slow down.

Outside of any main 'annual' release (previously a Chapter) and a few overland events scattered through the year that don't require anything complicated in the way of builds or combat, there isn't a lot going on here.

randconfig wrote: »

I don't know how anyone is shocked by this. They literally said this year would be transitory and that they were going to focus on improving the base game. Of course, the new content wouldn't be as expansive, as they needed to reallocate developers/artists to working on the base game.

They have been updating animations, revitalizing starting zones, fixing long standing bugs that have pilled up over the 10 years, trying to make a new PvP experience that is more akin to the early game Cyrodil PvP before the server was overwhelmed with new systems, proc sets, etc.

And that's all in addition to the new subclassing system, new zone+story, and the writhing wall server-wide event.

I honestly think they've done more this year than the past 5 years, and the foundation they're laying now will make the content to come in the next years even better. You just gotta have some faith in the devs... Even if they make annoying changes to balance from time to time (looking at you Arcanist class mastery script )...

This may hold some truth but none of it justifies pushing multiclassing on live in the most raw form possible when the combat system is anything but ready for it and then not fixing the situation due to the year being “transitional”.

They knew full well what kind of pandora’s box they are opening, or they should have because it was obvious. And they still went ahead with it.