Treasure maps need love

orangeman57ub17_ESO

So when i first started playing ESO back in the beta, I enjoyed trying to find buried treasure after I found a map. It was neat and I felt like I accomplished something when I found it, until I opened it up. The loot was bleh, and it turned me off from wanting to search for more. Now I just try to give the maps away, and destroy them if no one wants them. This is a fun part of the game, that is not very rewarding.

When I first got a treasure map, my mind immediately thought of a MMO i played years ago, Runescape. In Runescape, when you found a treasure map, it would give a clue in the form of a picture (much like ESO), a written riddle, or Coordinates (you actually had to use a sextent and a few other tools to find your coordinates). Once you found the spot the clue led you to, you would usually get another clue to a different locale. After a few clues (somtimes up to 10), you would get your loot. It was alot of fun and the more clues you get the more excited you were to get your chest. After a while, you could just search the locations online, but the reward was worth it.

now thats all fine and dandy but in ESO, the reward isnt worth spending an afternoon going from clue to clue to get 40 gold, a blue item, and maybe a soul gem. Runescape's chests would contain costume peices, rare mats, valuable stuff to sell, and sometimes very good weapons. A grand majority of the rarer things, could only be found by opening those chests. The reward was great on many accounts.

I dont expect ZOS to go the same route, i was just giving an example. As it stands now, Treasure maps are just some junk taking up inventory slots. It would be nice to see them turn into something fun and rewarding for the players invested time. I could also say the same thing for fishing as well, but I think that topic has been covered by many others already.

Its something to consider ZOS. If you gave one of your maps to Nathan Drake, he would blow his nose in it and throw it behind him.

Rodario

I look at the loot this way: "yay, one more rare temper".

I'm really surprised there isn't an achievement for finding all (non CE) treasures within a zone, the meta achievement being comprised of all the zone sub-achievements plus the "open 1000 treasure chests" one. Could give the title "Master Treasure Hunter".

This would give some meaning to treasure maps and certainly increase their market value. Especially if the meta achievement awards a rare dye, preferrably a true gold colour.

EDIT: Opened a thread about this idea (in more detail):
http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/discussion/131404/achievement-suggestion-master-treasure-hunter

GFBStarWars

I would love to have a different approach to treasure maps, making them linked so that u need all of them to get to the chest and having a really good reward from the chest. (Pretty much what u said)
This could be even done by keeping the current maps and adding 2 or 3 clues to the so that each map would have a nice amount of hidden chest.
Making the clue random would even better (no website to get location) but if the loot is not improved no point in doing so

bertenburnyb16_ESO

I got a bankeralt filled with treauremaps, the reward is just so crappy I dont even bother to use em

FreedomDude

I have two treasure maps, but when I find the treasure location it's not even there... -__-

Vuron

FreedomDude wrote: »

I have two treasure maps, but when I find the treasure location it's not even there... -__-

You need to have the treasure maps in your inventory for the treasure to show up. You can't have them in the bank or anywhere other than your actual inventory.

MornaBaine

I think it would be great if the treasures REALLY varied in treasure chests. Imagine a chest that yielded 2,000 gold, and that's all. How about one that had the usual pitiful amount of gold... but also contained a really beautiful (or badass) costume? What about one that gave you a lore book library of 10 lore books? A dozen soul gems? A couple gold glyphs? A rare "magical" pet? How about an EMPTY chest with a note saying, "Ha! Beat you to it!" ??? My point is that treasure chests should be fun and you should never know what to expect but when you do get goodies from them, they should be awesome in some way or another.

c0rp

MornaBaine wrote: »

I think it would be great if the treasures REALLY varied in treasure chests. Imagine a chest that yielded 2,000 gold, and that's all. How about one that had the usual pitiful amount of gold... but also contained a really beautiful (or badass) costume? What about one that gave you a lore book library of 10 lore books? A dozen soul gems? A couple gold glyphs? A rare "magical" pet? How about an EMPTY chest with a note saying, "Ha! Beat you to it!" ??? My point is that treasure chests should be fun and you should never know what to expect but when you do get goodies from them, they should be awesome in some way or another.

This guy gets it.

PSLAnimal

MornaBaine wrote: »

I think it would be great if the treasures REALLY varied in treasure chests. Imagine a chest that yielded 2,000 gold, and that's all. How about one that had the usual pitiful amount of gold... but also contained a really beautiful (or badass) costume? What about one that gave you a lore book library of 10 lore books? A dozen soul gems? A couple gold glyphs? A rare "magical" pet? How about an EMPTY chest with a note saying, "Ha! Beat you to it!" ??? My point is that treasure chests should be fun and you should never know what to expect but when you do get goodies from them, they should be awesome in some way or another.

This would be so far out that it would be on it's way back.

JessieColt

Treasure Maps are an underused/underdeveloped feature of the game.

It may not be necessary to make them into mini quests, but Z really could improve them a heck of a lot.

Here is my opinion regarding how they can do that:

1. 5 Treasure Maps in every zone
2. Each zone should have 1 Treasure Chest Armor Set that cannot be obtained any other way. (1 piece in each of the 5 available chests). These set pieces should be BOP/BOA.
3. The chest should have a random chance of dropping a Motiff or Recipe.
4. Exploration Achievements for obtaining all parts of the available set in each zone. With a title and dye color for getting all of them.

The armor set should be Blue Quality with generic stats so that everyone can use the full set if they want. So it should be something like +Magicka, +Stamina, +Health. +Regen for all stats. Or maybe +spell, +weapon, +block, +crit on all attacks.

The stat itself should be based on the level of the zone where the armor was collected.

The Armor should have a unique look to it that is different from all other armors. (meaning not something that looks like any of the existing crafted or dropped armors). Something that when you look at it you immediately know what armor it is. Like how Dragon Bone looked completely different from all other armors in Skyrim.

There are a lot of other ways that Z could improve the treasure chests, above is just one way that I think would make them worth while and fun to collect.

Xeres14

Now here's something they should lift directly from Ultima Online. UO's treasure maps were done very well with the mobs spawning and such. Level 5 treasure maps? Unless you were a bard, bring a friend or two.

So do that ZO. And make the items in the chest worth it.

Ourorboros

Lower your expectations and quit making the game all about the gear you get. Treasure maps are not rare, more like so common people think they are worthless. Why should there be an exceptional reward for a common item? Now if maps spawned at the rate of recipes and motifs then, yeah, they should have awesome rewards.

bluesodafizz

I would like it if the maps came with notes that said why the treasure was buried there and who did it.

Would also be cool if it was like "take ten paces south from the scrib shaped rock and etc etc..."

AlnilamE

bluesodafizz wrote: »

I would like it if the maps came with notes that said why the treasure was buried there and who did it.

Would also be cool if it was like "take ten paces south from the scrib shaped rock and etc etc..."

There's a quest in Stros M'Kai like that.

I like treasure maps. Every time I accumulate half a dozen or so I spend an evening treasure hunting.

MornaBaine

I think there should also be AWFUL treasure chests just to heighten the excitement and uncertainty. Like I mentioned before, an empty chest with the note that reads, "Ha! Beat you to it!" And how about a chest full of crawlers? Or, worse, small spiders that attack! Or a booby trapped chest that blows up in your face and sends you flying (POSSIBLY even killing you) and thus "destroys" whatever the treasure inside may have been. A roughly 25% chance of getting such a chest should more than "compensate" for the awesome chests. I also think it would be great if, again using some sort of percentage chance, you would be attacked by NPC treasure hunters as you dig up the chest. If you die...you lose the chest! For me, the idea of treasure hunting is to make it unpredictable and fun and rewarding enough to keep trying!

Enemy-of-Coldharbour

FreedomDude wrote: »

I have two treasure maps, but when I find the treasure location it's not even there... -__-

/reloadui usually works in this situation. Has happened to me a couple of times.

ExiledKhallisi

I agree... I jsut delete treasure maps when I find them =/

daneyulebub17_ESO

Don't delete them! At least give them to somebody, or throw 'em in a guild bank!

SirAndy

c0rp wrote: »

MornaBaine wrote: »

I think it would be great if the treasures REALLY varied in treasure chests. Imagine a chest that yielded 2,000 gold, and that's all. How about one that had the usual pitiful amount of gold... but also contained a really beautiful (or badass) costume? What about one that gave you a lore book library of 10 lore books? A dozen soul gems? A couple gold glyphs? A rare "magical" pet? How about an EMPTY chest with a note saying, "Ha! Beat you to it!" ??? My point is that treasure chests should be fun and you should never know what to expect but when you do get goodies from them, they should be awesome in some way or another.

This guy gets it.

SirAndy

daneyulebub17_ESO wrote: »

Don't delete them! At least give them to somebody, or throw 'em in a guild bank!

I usually just give them away in zone chat to the first person who whispers me ...

Mountain_Dewed

I have a couple Cyryo maps I been holding onto 14 and 17. Thinking about checking 14 out now that I just reached v14(the legitimate way).

RSram

It's pretty sad that you get more valuable loot fighting a small mob in a random encounter than what you get in a treasure chest.

Cazic

Have to agree here - Treasure Chests are a great idea which is not implemented very well at this point.

Evergnar

RSram wrote: »

It's pretty sad that you get more valuable loot fighting a small mob in a random encounter than what you get in a treasure chest.

I would add it's not just with chests either. Loot makes little sense in ESO when the same items can be had from mudcrabs and skeevers.

kelly.medleyb14_ESO

Revisiting this threat because now that Treasure Maps are for purchase in the guild store you should really make them more attractive as they are pure junk right now.

AlnilamE

If you are talking about the CE maps, they've always ha more loot than regular treasure maps.

Saucy_Jack

NOTE: If you do not want your treasure maps, I'll take them! Please give them to someone (me) who will give them a loving home. Mail them to me 6 at a time, I'll even pay the COD fee of 10 gold, because I'm such a swell guy!

Karraxx

i buy the maps en masse every week by going around the kiosks and buying them when theyre 300g and under, usually walk away with about 100 and spend my week digging those up, has made me a crapton of gold so far