Syldras wrote: »

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Well, for me, cosmetics actually are a big part of how I enjoy the roleplaying aspects. Like I wore my Stirk Fellowship motif during the Writhing Wall event and as I quested in Solstice. During "her down time," where the quests didn't have anything to do with the Fellowship, I wore tropical cosmetics.
So those currencies and the like do play a part in how I conceive of my characters roleplay as well. I also have houses that have various narrative purposes. Like it's actually my Bastian that owns the castle in Blackwood not my character. In my roleplay he got it after reconnecting with his sister.

It's nice that that makes partaking in the chores worthwhile for you, but I personally have collected so many cosmetics over the past 10 years that I have the feeling that I basically have everything I need. I have no clue how many mounts, pets and costumes I have (plus the huge outfit system where I know most styles because I do master crafting writs), but I really don't have the feeling that my characters need another 100 mounts, or costumes, or pets, or whatever (there are some very specific things that would fit some of my characters perfectly, and if those ever appear in the store or as a chore reward, I'll be going for those. But mostly, it's just not it. I have no druid character, so I don't need a druid costume; I have no pirate, so I don't need what clearly looks like a pirate costume, etc. And that's fine - other people might have exactly that character and will be happy with exactly that costume). Sometimes an endeavour might have something interesting, then I participate, but most often I don't have the feeling I need that reward. So there's not exactly a motivation to do that stuff. Which means no FOMO or stress - but nothing meaningful to do, either.

I definitely feel that. I got around it by themeing my character after the latest content or hunting for things for my companion. But, they didn't even release a companion this year and the content is pretty light this year. I'm currently happy with tomes and excited to try the vault and night market. But, after that, idk what I'm even going to do. I've already soloed the dungeon they're releasing as the content next.

After Update 50 is done, I may end up just buying the following tome with my plus tokens and then instead of doing it take a break. That is one reason that I like the tomes are permanent in this game.

It's been mentioned by others before, but ZOS is incorrect to refer to the current system as "subclassing" while it behaves more like multiclassing.
Subclassing, in the scope of this game, is more akin to a pet sorc vs a non-pet sorc. Or an ice mage within the warden class. They are subsets of a class and retain a unique identity nestled within it.

With the refreshes being underway, do you feel like ZOS is still allowing identity-based subsets within refreshed pure/monoclasses? The DKs had their poison motif taken away, and not all classes may have an equal degree of subsets available.

Is it possible the refreshes will erase some of these options and blend an entire class to all match just one identity or theme, in the aim to solidify a grander "class identity"?

If so, what does that mean for the players, for gameplay, and for ESO?

Edit: I wanted to add too that other classes seem to only have one or two abilities which are not enough to create a subset identity.

For Templars they are mostly light focused, with just a few skills being "lightless". If lightlessness was a theme in more of the abilities, I would say a "dark Templar" is a potential subset. But there just isn't enough for that to be currently true, and so I can't think of a current subset within Templar other than stamina vs magicka.

With that being the case, should the refreshes try to add some subsets?

If it comes down to the Nightmarket effectively not being playable solo, I will not be participating. I have plenty of houses I never use already. There is plenty of content in other games I can play instead. I am sure that is what ZOS wants me to do, go play other games instead of theirs. Their choice, I will be entertained either way.

Free your mind! You can play any way you want, you do not have to do the tome tasks as soon as they appear, they just sort of happen along the way if you just play the bits of the game you're interested in as and when you are and reroll off the ones you know you'll never do..

Especially the seasonal ones that hang around for several months.

SilverBride wrote: »

BretonMage wrote: »

Taarente wrote: »

The result isn’t motivation — it’s fatigue.
You stop choosing what you want to do, and start clearing things just to make the noise go away.

That’s why people are asking for downtime — not less content, just space to actually play on their own terms again.

It still impacts those others who do want these events. Perhaps we need an "opt out" system to help those struggling with event fatigue, where reminders and all other in-game communication regarding the event is removed on the player's end.

Are these the only things that those who like these events want to do? Wouldn't they like time to quest, and run dungeons and trials and the IA, and do housing etc., too? There needs to be a balance and right now we are being pushed heavily into tasks.

The problem is that you are thinking about this like a gamer from 2010 who only plays one game.

It’s 2026. The landscape of video gaming has changed significantly.

Gaming is no longer a “for fun” thing, it’s a service. If you have a period where you aren’t offering things to do (and get rewarded to do) then you’re going to lose audience to the other competitors who are.

Is it good? No. But is that how it is? Yep.

I feel like a lot of the “I only play Elder Scrolls” fans who haven’t played many games since Skyrim are now feeling like ESO is betraying itself. But it’s just evolving to match the current times, and this is how gaming in 2026 operates. ESO is a living product - heck, back in 2014, ESO funneled everyone into PvP as the only endgame, so even the “Skyrim with Friends” thing people think is ESO’s lifeblood was a ‘betrayal of what it originally was.’

Anyone who knows anything about modern gaming heard the dev stream about Season Pass and groaned. We know what that means: less content, more FOMO, more task lists instead of free-form, and more monetization. But the devs knew how to sell it, and a lot of players heard what they were selling and believed “more updates! More to do! More fun!” They scoffed at the people who warned about what modern game season passes meant.
And now we’re seeing that those people were right all along.

Nobody is going to get Microsoft to choose the player-friendly-but-less-profit path. Ever. And if you think you will, I have a bridge to sell you.
The only choice you have is to make a personal stand and say “I’m not playing your manipulative game.” Stop grinding if you don’t want it. Silence that voice inside that complains that you have unfinished tasks in a list you don’t want to do. Heck, if it’s too much, uninstall and go play an old non-Live-service game that doesn’t manipulate you.

Modern gaming in 2026 is all about learning to resist manipulation. And that’s a personal thing. You’re not going to get the big companies to stop, but you will be able to train your brain to resist.