Microsoft/ZOS/ESO is giving me the SOE/Vanguard: Saga of Hero Vines

Illbleed · November 1

Phase 1 was bad, but Phase 2 is even worse (it's the same as Phase 1 with a added cornball daily). Am I the only person seeing this situation as the game silently being shifted into maintenance mode with the new focus being holiday/seasonal events sprinkled in to be passed off as content? If someone has a different view of this debacle, please enlighten me because I'm confused about this "game changing, historic event thay changes the game world as we know it" lie we were told.

Rungar · November 1

i imagine theyll get one shot to turn it around and after that its done. Problem is that investment has been very weak for years and they may not have the resources to do anything meaningful.

LunaFlora · November 1

the Writhing Wall event will technically change the game as the wall will vanish if you also do the story quests.
it is the first event like it so i guess that makes it historic, plus it is supposed to never happen again.

maintenance mode would be nothing other than maintenance.
But we get quarterly updates with new sets, housing, fashion, quests, dungeons, zones or content in existing zones. i do not see this stopping.
2025 had 4 dungeons as opposed to 2 dungeons in 2023 and 24.

we have had events for years which is content and in update 48 in terms of events we get:
- New Life Festival gets 8 new quests this year
- Heart's Week in (likely) February is a new event with its own quests too
- Daedric War and Whitestrake's Mayhem only get outfit styles, but Mayhem is said to be changed in the future (i assume the q2/3 Mayhem event and beyond):
Event: Whitestrakes Mayhem
There are no major changes to this event at this time outside of a new outfit style chase, the Tava’s Goshawk armor set. Old rewards cycle as before, with the Arkay Unending Cycle pages entering the Mayhem grab bag. Future iterations of this event will receive some foundational changes, so stay tuned!
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/683811/pts-patch-notes-v11-2-3

of course we do not know what 2026 will have exactly, but what is the point in believing zos will suddenly stop adding anything besides events (which again is content too)

twisttop138 · November 1

LunaFlora wrote: »

the Writhing Wall event will technically change the game as the wall will vanish if you also do the story quests.
it is the first event like it so i guess that makes it historic, plus it is supposed to never happen again.

maintenance mode would be nothing other than maintenance.
But we get quarterly updates with new sets, housing, fashion, quests, dungeons, zones or content in existing zones. i do not see this stopping.
2025 had 4 dungeons as opposed to 2 dungeons in 2023 and 24.

we have had events for years which is content and in update 48 in terms of events we get:
- New Life Festival gets 8 new quests this year
- Heart's Week in (likely) February is a new event with its own quests too
- Daedric War and Whitestrake's Mayhem only get outfit styles, but Mayhem is said to be changed in the future (i assume the q2/3 Mayhem event and beyond):
Event: Whitestrakes Mayhem
There are no major changes to this event at this time outside of a new outfit style chase, the Tava’s Goshawk armor set. Old rewards cycle as before, with the Arkay Unending Cycle pages entering the Mayhem grab bag. Future iterations of this event will receive some foundational changes, so stay tuned!
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/683811/pts-patch-notes-v11-2-3

of course we do not know what 2026 will have exactly, but what is the point in believing zos will suddenly stop adding anything besides events (which again is content too)

I mean, yeah the events are content, I guess. Cool to see new quests for new life. Finally. Maintenance mode? No I wouldn't say that, definitely. But the content of years past? That ships sailed. I would be surprised if there's a new zone for us next year beyond maybe this craglorn style mini zone, that may take the place of a trial. The era of big zones full of quests, things to discover, public dungeons, delves, world bosses, trials, new systems, that's most likely gone. Your list of content, that's a pretty sad list. Reaching, really. New gear sets we'll never use? This game needs an Orsinium. Remember that? Excellent story, big zone, no earth ending trouble. Just local politics. Or a Vvardenfel. Something to turn the ship around. Not a companion love event and some new gear sets.

Syldras · November 1

LunaFlora wrote: »

the Writhing Wall event will technically change the game as the wall will vanish if you also do the story quests.
it is the first event like it so i guess that makes it historic, plus it is supposed to never happen again.

Then every new event they ever introduced was "historic" - but they never announced them as such, but just as a normal addition to the game (as it should be, from my point of view). Changes to the game also happen all the time, locations and npcs get added or removed, etc. The phrasing used made people expect more than the ordinary things.

LunaFlora · November 1

Syldras wrote: »

LunaFlora wrote: »

the Writhing Wall event will technically change the game as the wall will vanish if you also do the story quests.
it is the first event like it so i guess that makes it historic, plus it is supposed to never happen again.

Then every new event they ever introduced was "historic" - but they never announced them as such, but just as a normal addition to the game (as it should be, from my point of view). Changes to the game also happen all the time, locations and npcs get added or removed, etc. The phrasing used made people expect more than the ordinary things.

sure. i was just guessing why zos called it historic.
personally i did not have big expectations even with the marketing.

aetherix8 · November 1

It’s the age of shrinkflation all over the place, including gaming, and we’re getting less content for the same price. I don’t see an end to it, but to say that ESO is in maintenance mode is simply incorrect at the moment. Far too much stuff is going on with the game for us to reach such a conclusion. So nah, the game is fine so far, and it remains to be seen for how long.

SkaiFaith · November 1

Syldras wrote: »

LunaFlora wrote: »

the Writhing Wall event will technically change the game as the wall will vanish if you also do the story quests.
it is the first event like it so i guess that makes it historic, plus it is supposed to never happen again.

Then every new event they ever introduced was "historic" - but they never announced them as such, but just as a normal addition to the game (as it should be, from my point of view). Changes to the game also happen all the time, locations and npcs get added or removed, etc. The phrasing used made people expect more than the ordinary things.

My theory is that since they hinted at overland difficulty rework as a 2025 thing back then, it was originally scheduled to happen with U48 and the wall coming down, but something happened during development and they had to push it to 2026 - this would explain why U48 feels "poor".

spartaxoxo · November 1

It's not in maintenance mode because an event sucks. Maintenance mode games don't get events that require developing things like the Writhin Fortress. This game can still turn things around. It just needs to better at listening to players.