What would make you spend more time in ESO?

Erickson9610 · October 19

Specifically, what do you think should be changed about or added to ESO that would make you spend more time in-game? Please be specific about how your suggestions would increase your playtime.

Here's a few examples of the kind of feedback I'm looking for:

Alternating 2-Team and 3-Team Battlegrounds weeks. I would feel excited to play on my favorite Battlegrounds format again. Also, cycling the two formats on a schedule allows me to plan ahead for when I'll log on to play it.
More Infinite Archive content + 3rd Class Set. I would grind for the new Class Sets if they're useful in the builds I create, and I'd play the IA just to see the new Visions/enemies/stages added to it since the last time I played it.

Getsugatenso · October 19

less standardization, more challenging open world, smarter mobs to entertain me, reworking of the useless sets that are the majority

tomofhyrule · October 19

Mine is easy: a new Class.

For me, every new Class is a new character and new potential for storytelling. I love the new character creation process. From writing a backstory to perfecting their look to exploring the new skills and taking my time levelling with only zone quests and skyshards, then eventually running dungeons and making a for-fun overland gear setup… That’s what I really enjoy.

Jan 2023’s announcement of Arcanist was the most hyped I ever was for this game, and the whole setup of my Arcanist kept me busy through the whole year easily. I honestly could never get enough of new Classes, and even just an announcement of one coming would sate me for at least 4-6 months, and that’s before I can even make them to spend another 6-8 months playing with them.

The other thing I can never get enough of is more dungeons. Every one they release is just so great to run through with my group of friends, but we’re back to the point where we have literally every 4-man achieve in the game again so I need more things to do on that front. The last set (especially BGF HM) were gloriously designed and were so much fun to prog and try to figure out the mechanics blind, and then the wonderful feeling of finally getting it.

Of course, there are things I’d love to see as well that would definitely reduce my frustration for the game as well:

Brown Werebear skill style for the werewolf transformation
Balance for pureclass builds to be competitive
More dev interactions, specifically on PTS

While these are more nebulous things (or in terms of the werebear, specifically something for one of my characters so he can finally be who he’s meant to be and I’d totally play exclusively him for like a week after that), they would make me feel better about the game. I’ve really been in a “log in, do endeavors, log out” mode for a while because of general disappointment with the game’s direction, and I hope that that will eventually turn around.

SilverBride · October 19

A save for the Infinite Archive.
A reason to run Bastion Nymics again.
All dungeons soloable.

These would all increase my playtime by giving me more activities I enjoy.

StihlReign · October 19

Hire someone to provide combat and game design oversight. The last guy started a new project in 2018 and scavenged from the current pool till he left in 2025. Specifically tasked to remove bloat, boring, tedious and troll types of design from gameplay and combat. I look forward to paying a subscription with that person in charge.

Soarora · October 19

Harder overland — I’m reattuning with my inner casual and quest bosses die quickly even if it’s just my companion fighting it…

ZOS generally making good and popular decisions — U35 I believe is when I stopped ESO+. I’ve abandoned my scorepushing dreams and trials because of subclassing. The way things are going I question if I should even bother running my guild, why try to foster a community that will be wiped out in 2 years?
Yes, it’s not very specific but a happy community is what matters more than my specific wants. Unless my builds get destroyed in the process. Then I might just quit.

BretonMage · October 19

1. Better rewards from incursions and DLC world bosses. These are fun, but give more people a reason to do them.
2. Better availability for furnishings:

No more nested RNG.
More items made directly purchaseable through crown store/home editor.

Housing is already time-consuming, I'm absolutely not spending months/years trying to chase down impossible-to-get furnishings.
3. Save point for Infinite Archive, agreed.
4. All dungeons soloable, agreed.

aussie500 · October 19

More love given to housing, make it equal to what we used to have in Skyrim, display cases, mannequins display stands and display plaques and weapons and armour to use with them for a start! Pretty pathetic we do not have such basic housing items already.

And more of those collectibles for housing to be obtained doing things in the game, like a torchbug or other small critters in a jar, things we would be proud to have on display. Or a nice potted plant. You cannot even buy a common broom for your house yet.

metheglyn · October 19

Really well-written story content that has actual decisions the player can make that will affect the outcome of the story to some degree. Not only would that be more interesting to me, it would encourage me to play through again on another character to see how different decisions play out.

I don't know how realistic that is for an MMO world, however.

FieryPhoenix · October 19

Just a few ideas off the top of my head:

Allow us to place more houseguests to create taverns or small shops and make them feel alive.
Increase furnishing limits. Many houses cannot be fully decorated due to the current limits.
Allow us to purchase multiples of the same house. Sometimes I have a build I really like and cannot bear to take apart, but still want to explore other build possibles for that same house.
Better written companions that aren’t so annoying to travel with. Almost all of them have things about them (mostly dialog comments) that are just annoying to deal with over and over. (Whoops, accidentally picked a butterfly again with Mirri, ugh. While we’re at it, let’s make them unlock account wide, grinding the quests over and over for alts to use them is just so unnecessary.)
Better written stories that make me emotionally invested in what’s going on. Make me care and feel something for the characters instead of ‘go fetch this or find this lost person’. Maybe we can have quests where we can side with the ‘bad guys’ or even get to decide who the ‘bad guys’ are in a situation. I dunno, something better than the same old, same old rehashed content we’ve been getting lately.
World building: take me to fun new locals, places I’ve never seen before, places that are outlandish, unusual. If I wanted to see tropical islands, I have reality for that, this is supposed to be a fantasy game.
Scalable difficultly of the content based on quantity of players present in the content. This way bosses aren’t impossible if you’re by yourself and they’re still a challenge with a group.
Make more things earn-able in game, this keeps people in game working towards things they want and feel are worth their time while the shareholders get sustained engagement (more opportunity for those players to see the cash shop Crownstore).
Balance combat. I’d like to not feel like its necessary to rebuild my toons every fricking patch. I do vet content and do need to concern myself with properly contributing to my group. Make this less of a slog. Pure classes should be still viable, not nerfed into nothingness. I’m not saying revert subclassing (although I’m not against that), but balance things so that pure classes still compete with subclassed builds. I don’t want to play arcanist beamathon, I enjoy the class diversity. The variety of playing the different classes and play styles. Now it all feels the same and it’s boring.

Edited for clarity.

Al_Ex_Andre · October 19

Hi

What would make me spend more time in ESO?

First I am all for this=

More Infinite Archive content + 3rd Class Set. I would grind for the new Class Sets if they're useful in the builds I create, and I'd play the IA just to see the new Visions/enemies/stages added to it since the last time I played it.

and also this: Imo

Every single dungeon should be soloable, especially the achievements herein. They would be easier to do in a group.

I am an achievement/success hunter,

Give me content with achievements, a lot and a lot of achievements, especially if they take time to complete, like weeks or even months. They don't need to be that difficult to complete per se, just that I can say, I was here, I did them.

Give

plentiful buyable skins/items/and so on, more of them please

in Imperial City for example, we have a limited one "ticket" per day (one per day max if you complete a repeatable quest per day), and they are of no use for me now. I have every single item that use/need them, since a long time.

I want to be bombarded by the achievements to hunt, and the skins to earn. Like....they are too many of them, to get them all.

Finally I am fan of knights, knighthood, middle-age dungeons and châteaux-forts. Give me content about that. I would gladly play that, like a chivalry tournament (would be good enough against NPCs, not everyone like PVP). And so on (in that vein).

Cheers

Tariq9898 · October 19

Difficulty options for Overland and questing.

BasP · October 19

Good class/ combat balance adjustments that result in more build diversity.
A new solo Arena.
A new class.
More difficulty settings for Overland content.
An Infinite Archive update with the 3rd round of class sets. I don't really like IA, but I'm looking forward to the next Warden and Nightblade class sets and would definitely farm them if they'd be any good.

SkaiFaith · October 19

I know some could say it's a "me problem" but I would REALLY play more and more happily if the crown store would have EVERY item up for sale at all times.

The reason is: I want my characters to be perfect when they go around playing hero of the world - I don't want to close every quest in the game in the span of 12/24 months without having the style/pet/mount/etc I would want to have with me while doing so.

So I hold on to playing, wasting my time not playing at all, waiting for my desired items to show up and have one day, hopefully, my characters complete of everything I want for them. Then I'll start wandering around with them like the heroes they deserve to be...

Is it just me? Is it like this for others? I don't know but this is definitely my feedback.

Al_Ex_Andre · October 19

Well do you know what will definetely make me play more, while being profitable to ZOS?

If I could safely buy crowns with my gold. I don't risk a penny yet.
No need to make tons of cosmetics/skins outside of the crown store then....which would not be very profitable to ZOS / goes against the crown store / goes against the free to play model.

- So this will be a new in-game/website tool; when someone wants to sell crowns, she posts his announce in a trading tool, and then, people like me send him gold, safely, for the gift we want. [Might be similar to WoW real money trade, the trade value would be fixed by ZOS. Can be changed in a monthly basis. Like if ZOS see the economy is changing.]

- specific items from the crown crates should be made a gift as well, but for a higher price. So it will be still more profitable to buy crown crates than individually, but hey player choice.

- I was surprised at first that some specific houses are only available to buy once, in a year or two. Maybie make them affordable every time, but make a discount once a year? This could be true of the crown stores items/crown crates. (to respond to SkaiFaith, above me)

With this system, I would play more, my goal would be to earn the most gold I can, which is not my goal now. And I will get my (crown store) cosmetics. And this will be profitable to ZOS.

Of course, playing with the only goal to earn gold is not a game I would like, but it will work for me at the start at least (while doing my other in-game stuff), and probably then, from time to time.

(2nd reply here)

Pinja · October 19

SkaiFaith wrote: »

I know some could say it's a "me problem" but I would REALLY play more and more happily if the crown store would have EVERY item up for sale at all times.

The reason is: I want my characters to be perfect when they go around playing hero of the world - I don't want to close every quest in the game in the span of 12/24 months without having the style/pet/mount/etc I would want to have with me while doing so.

So I hold on to playing, wasting my time not playing at all, waiting for my desired items to show up and have one day, hopefully, my characters complete of everything I want for them. Then I'll start wandering around with them like the heroes they deserve to be...

Is it just me? Is it like this for others? I don't know but this is definitely my feedback.

Personally don't feel good on a character until they've crushed my enemies in PvP. I get to walk around with fancy skins, a mount, and more importantly 5-stars that say I could beat any player to a pulp.

Update 44 expanded my interest in the Imperial city and it now feels more rewarding to play there. I've made about 20 million gold from farming in the zone since it updated, and I'm still making more.

It would be nice and I'd play more if there are:

Additional perks to claim with alliance rank.
Better Pvp player economy with more motifs and furnishing plans.
A pvp exclusive personality.
Repeatable Pvp quests that exploit battle performance(double kills, kill streaks, revenges, heal saves, ect.) and reward unique bound sets.
Server siege events.
Grander open world Pvp (opt-in system)
Forth Alliance

There were several years that I'd log on only to do, and update my build for, Battlegrounds. The ultra rare drop "Chief Arquitius's Lost Thesis" has lured me in for years. Even if I had the recipe unlocked I'd still probably log into do them seeing as the recipe goes for around 700 million gold on PC and 100 million gold on Xbox.

Ultra rares are a lure, but I wouldn't bank on emptiness. I use the AP gained from battle grounds for supplies for Imperial City.

sleepy_worm · October 19

More character slots.

I spend time creating thematic builds and I occasionally re-do all 20 characters' skills and gear. More characters = more time doing this, and unfortunately more gold spent but hey can't win 'em all.

Kendaric · October 19

My list is simple:

1. Better quest and character writing, at the very least to the level we had during the Summerset/Elsweyr chapters.

2. Allow us to turn off the flashy mounts and pets clientside. I don't care about them, I don't want to see them and they most certainly don't entice me to spend more on the clown store.

3. New skill lines and/or "classes". I'd really love to have an unarmed monk with martial arts or bard.

4. Solo mode for dungeons. Let me experience the dungeons at my own pace, with reduced rewards (green gear instead of blue, maybe even replace dungeon sets with overland sets).

5. Give us an option to "flag" ourselves for specific playstyles, thereby allowing players with the same flag to be grouped together in instances.

6. Visual overhaul of the basegame zones both in regards to landscape and NPCs. Replace the NPCs' old armor models with newer, more detailed ones, e.g. the "ancestral xy motifs" where applicable or similar motifs.

IncultaWolf · October 19

Erickson9610 wrote: »

Specifically, what do you think should be changed about or added to ESO that would make you spend more time in-game? Please be specific about how your suggestions would increase your playtime.

Here's a few examples of the kind of feedback I'm looking for:
Alternating 2-Team and 3-Team Battlegrounds weeks. I would feel excited to play on my favorite Battlegrounds format again. Also, cycling the two formats on a schedule allows me to plan ahead for when I'll log on to play it.

More Infinite Archive content + 3rd Class Set. I would grind for the new Class Sets if they're useful in the builds I create, and I'd play the IA just to see the new Visions/enemies/stages added to it since the last time I played it.

Both things you listed are actually my most wanted changes.

Zodiarkslayer · October 19

1. New style of story writing.
I want much more of the shorter side quests, where we get to experience more world building, culture and local flavour more.
I want deeper and more complex storytelling, with more character depth and especially development.
I want the writers to shed their fear of writing something inappropriate and "being cancelled" for it.

2. Changes to RnG and loot tables
This is the most discouraging experience in ESO. A combined probability of 1:100.000 to get a lead for an antiquity from a treasure map is beyond ridiculous. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

ESO_Nightingale · October 19

Frequent balance changes, reworked systems like sets and champion points and significantly harder overland difficulty

Sarannah · October 19

-Less inventory management. Over half of my playtime is spent getting rid of stuff and managing a full inventory! (Yes, I have ESO+ and all inven/bank upgrades)

-More character slots.

-More classes.

-PvE factions and reputation gain.

PS: It is funny that some of the things mentioned above would actually make me play less, things like: frequent balance changes, harder overland, more PvP.

Syldras · October 19

+ 1 for writing and lore

Though sadly I can't even really say it would make me play more - at this point it's about the question whether I want to play newer stories at all (no, this it not a goodbye message - I'll stay since I can still play old content like Morrowind, CWC and Summerset on side characters after all, but yes, with newer stories it has reached the point for me where I'm wondering whether they still interest me).

This year's story was, I'm sorry I need to say that, hugely disappointing to me. I've already finished the whole thing on PTS (don't worry, not going to post spoilers now), so I can judge the final outcome and can't resort to "Maybe it'll get more interesting in Part 2 and the half a dozen plot holes Part 1 created might be resolved somehow in the end" - they don't.

What we got was a very formulaic story that doesn't even try to bring up some more or less "unexpected" twist anymore. Characters usually don't even feel like people most of the time (with one exception, but the rest remains totally bland), they only seem to be there to serve their (very limited) function in the story. Just like artifacts conveniently seem to do whatever needed for the plot now. There was almost no new lore. Barely any lorebooks (unless I've missed a huge amount of them - but I know I usually don't). The story felt weirdly redundant - if it hadn't taken place, it wouldn't have made a difference. It brought nothing new of interest. It didn't give us new fascinating background lore. We didn't even learn much about the locations we visit. They're just beautiful backdrops, but we learn nothing about them (Now compare that to the early years when each location had at least one, often several, lorebooks telling us about the place or some person who had been there!).

Add to that that everyone on Solstice is tolerant (including religiously, with Aedric and Daedric shrines on the same pedestral in the Solstice chapel), friendly, the daedra are actually harmless and fine (Uncle Sanguine even ensures everyone can go home again safely after they're tired of dancing on his fair), what did I forget... Ah yes: Protect the environment! Don't eat too much cheese! Be nice to your sibling!

LunaFlora · October 19

housing
- more gold purchaseable homes.
More than just the annual Inn room Staple and Large Classic homes please.
We need more Small Staple, Medium Classic, and Notable homes purchaseable with Gold. Like Autumn's Gate, Sleek Creek, and Serenity Falls Estate.

- similar drop chance for Furnishing plans and Motifs from daily quests to Scribing Scripts. 1 of each type per day and then hopefully higher than it is now.
- higher drop chance for furnishing plans and motifs from other sources. it shouldn't take us weeks to get 1 Dawnwood or Tide-born motif.

fashion
- options to hide Tassets and Loincloths on outfit styles and costumes.
- Class styles being wearable by any Class.
it is absurd that in update 40 we could preview them on any Class and since u41 they became Class exclusive. Especially with some of the styles being very unique like Soulcleaver face mask and pants with pouches.

combat
- options to change heavy attacks to be tethered like Lightning and Restoration staff or not like all other weapons.
- all classes get something like Arcanists' Crux.
- more classes and individual skill lines.

- the option to skip or replace Infinite Archive stages so i can only fight cycle bosses and Tho'at.
even if it makes the Archival Fortunes from each boss a little less than usual.

i already play the game nearly every day, but these things would absolutely make me enjoy Elder Scrolls Online more

flizomica · October 19

Overland difficulty option (I'd love to replay old stories on my alts, with the gameplay being fun)
Incentives/currency/rare drops/etc added to old content to give a reason to re-run it (e.g. like the Asylum polymorph or a currency like IA)
Returning to and fleshing out half-finished systems based on player feedback (e.g. Companions, IA, finishing hybridization, more interesting scribing options)

Renato90085 · October 19

one day have 25 hour

Sarannah · October 19

Renato90085 wrote: »

one day have 25 hour

You're in luck, that is next week! When wintertime starts again in Europe, the clock goes back one hour! Making it 25 hours in a day.

Lucjan · October 19

Things that are not that much work development-wise, but would make so many players spend more time in the game:

Dungeons solo-able
New class or at least make less desirable skill lines better
New additional skill lines
Rework unused/unpopular dungeon sets to make them exciting again (not overland sets, most of have them all so that won’t keep people in the game)
Improve housing. Higher special item and collectable limits at least.
Wayshrine furnishing for housing.
Let us define where in the house we land when teleporting inside.
Make furniture less RNG depending. Many of us could spend a lot more time in the game on housing alone.

Rungar · October 19

dungeon overhaul
combat system overhaul
overland overhaul

Orbital78 · October 19

Enjoyable builds that can progress harder content rather than artificial walls unless you run the same build as everyone else.

Zodiarkslayer · October 19

Rungar wrote: »

dungeon overhaul
combat system overhaul
overland overhaul

How about an overall overhaul? 😉