Let’s Talk About Motifs

Enemy-of-Coldharbour

I got to thinking last night that new players who wish to become master crafters and learn all motifs for crafting and writs are lack of a better word ‘screwed’. The game has kind of reached the point of no return for them. Each new DLC introduces 2-6 new motifs which compounds the problem. New players simply won’t have time to run all the old and new content to acquire the motifs on their own and won’t have enough gold reserve to buy the motifs from other players. The majority of motifs are locked behind a DLC paywall, and the BA motif currently has the worst drop rate in the game and can only alternatively be acquired by gambling with Crown Crates (shame on you ZOS). I’m not sure what can be done to alleviate the issue, but I believe it needs to be addressed.

Here is an one idea:
How about we get a Golden Vendor that sells motifs for in game gold? Would work just like the current Golden Vendor in Cyrodiil (but in a different zone). Each week they would showcase one or two new motifs available for in game gold. You could buy single pages or a whole book.

I would love to hear other people’s ideas and comments about this.

@ZOS_GinaBruno

Nestor

Good idea.

Except for, you know, the Crown Store that also sells these motifs.

Of course ZOS is going to make it difficult for newer players to catch up. But, at the same time they offer this wonderful convenient service that only requires you to open your wallet and pull out a credit card to resolve. You need to read the previous sentence with your sarcasm filter.

Sorry to say, but if there is a solution in the crown store, it ain't coming to the game for in game Gold.

Shezzarrine

That would also destroy the value of motifs, which pretty much drive the games economy imho

altemriel

Enemy-of-Coldharbour wrote: »

I got to thinking last night that new players who wish to become master crafters and learn all motifs for crafting and writs are lack of a better word ‘screwed’. The game has kind of reached the point of no return for them. Each new DLC introduces 2-6 new motifs which compounds the problem. New players simply won’t have time to run all the old and new content to acquire the motifs on their own and won’t have enough gold reserve to buy the motifs from other players. The majority of motifs are locked behind a DLC paywall, and the BA motif currently has the worst drop rate in the game and can only alternatively be acquired by gambling with Crown Crates (shame on you ZOS). I’m not sure what can be done to alleviate the issue, but I believe it needs to be addressed.

Here is an one idea:
How about we get a Golden Vendor that sells motifs for in game gold? Would work just like the current Golden Vendor in Cyrodiil (but in a different zone). Each week they would showcase one or two new motifs available for in game gold. You could buy single pages or a whole book.

I would love to hear other people’s ideas and comments about this.

@ZOS_GinaBruno

well if someone wants to be a master in anything (master crafter knowing all availiable motifs), it takes lot of practice and time, so if you expect some newbie player to be able to reach this level of expertise in "short time", then you are missing the point there.

Ulfgarde

We get like 4 new motifs every DLC / major update, which is every 3 months, that are hard as hell to grind without bulk-buying off the market. Continuing to set them to low drops only kills the point in even trying to grind.

There's no unique way to earn motifs; no fun quest line or activity to getting motifs. You could be rewarded by achieves, for instance. With the latest ones, it's "kill these mobs" or "open these boxes in a specific place" to get the motifs, which have a crazy low drop rate. They need to diversify the options, and your solution is a valid one, I feel.

starlizard70ub17_ESO

Shezzarrine wrote: »

That would also destroy the value of motifs, which pretty much drive the games economy imho

The crown store already did this. If the motifs are too difficult to get myself, I don't buy em from other players, I just wait until they're in the crown store.

CaffeinatedMayhem

Agree with OP and that’s a fantastic idea. However, ZOS has poorly chosen a micro transaction model: make it so hard to get in game that people pay! It’s nice if you can afford this, but super sucks for those of us who can’t.

starlizard70ub17_ESO

^ The problem is how motifs are farmed. Once they're released, players try and sell them for insanely high amounts of gold. (I don't blame them.) Then once the price drops enough, the gold they sell for isn't worth the effect to farm them. I've been stuck one too many times with 4 - 5 pages left in a motif to get with no one selling them and a hellish grind to farm them. That's why I save up crowns just to buy them. The Vvardenfell motifs were comparatively easy to get instead of the usual 1 quest per day per character for a less then a 30% chance of a motif drop.

NobleX35

A dungeon currency system, or better yet an "activity" currency system, if implemented correctly would solve a lot of this games RNG problems. Hopefully one day ZoS will see the potential profitability in such a system, while also increasing customer satisfaction.

DeadlyRecluse

I just want a little more variety in how you get motifs. Mind-numbing daily quests with terrible RNG doth not a compelling gameplay loop make.

BuddyAces

I like it the way it is. No need for change.

CGPsaint

I returned to ESO after a yearlong hiatus, and aside from having to get back on top of my research, I also had to catch up with motif knowledge. I grinded dailies on my main for some sets, and purchased others. All told, I spent somewhere north of 4 million gold to get to the point where the only thing that I was missing was Soul Shriven, Mazzatun, and Silken Rings. Then they released more motifs, so I grinded for those, and purchased missing chapters if I could find them cheap. And then they released more... At this point I'm filling in the gaps for Mazzatun, Silken Rings, and Militant Ordinator, all while knowing that the new Clockwork styles will be dropping in less than 2 weeks!

Vimora

If that's what it takes to be a master crafter then I am one. I know a truckload of styles. You know how many times this knowledge was of any use to me? Zero. You know how many times I saw a person asking for crafter in a specific style? Zero. People simply don't care how they look. The only reason crafting motifs are farmed is because of some weird OCD completionism that is totally POINTLESS.

starlizard70ub17_ESO

Vimora wrote: »

If that's what it takes to be a master crafter then I am one. I know a truckload of styles. You know how many times this knowledge was of any use to me? Zero. You know how many times I saw a person asking for crafter in a specific style? Zero. People simply don't care how they look. The only reason crafting motifs are farmed is because of some weird OCD completionism that is totally POINTLESS.

If you do writs for crafting, you need to know the motifs to get the rewards.

Megabear

Agree

EvilCroc

First, motifs should be useful.
Before that, any speculations are pointless.

CaffeinatedMayhem

EvilCroc wrote: »

First, motifs should be useful.
Before that, any speculations are pointless.

Motifs are useulf if you are a crafter who does master writs and custom armor. As a tank, my shield is generally the only part of my outfit visible, and I really care what it looks like. Also, different shields for different sets helps too.

Moving on - RNG on dailies really needs ot be adjusted. It's not that the amount to sell motifs for is too low, it's that ZOS has lowered the drop rate so far it's not worth farming them just to sell them in game.

I'm working on motifs for alts - Draugr, Gold Coast motifs, Theives guild. Doing multiple dailies, every day. One month in... 0 drop for Order of the Hour and Minotaur. 2 for Assassin league (the rest I bought), Zero for Abah's Watch or Theives Guild. 3 for Dargur (but doing 2x the 3 dailies that give these motifs).

This is why no one farms them. You do all this work, and by the time you get a page, you'd want to charge so much no one will pay it. Even BA is getting like this - I found a page after a 3 month long stretch of not getting one, it sold 130k. I was hoping for more like 300k, becuase 130 wasn't worth the time I put into getting it.

ZOS really just wants you to pay in the Crown Store. Again, fine if you can afford it, but I don't have enough IRL money for that. I can spend $30-40 occasionally, but not on furniture AND housing AND motifs AND crown crates AND mounts AND pets and a bunch of other stuff I want. Real life strikes again, can't have anything nice unless you're rich.

SirAndy

Enemy-of-Coldharbour wrote: »

I got to thinking last night that new players who wish to become master crafters and learn all motifs for crafting and writs are lack of a better word ‘screwed’.

How about those of use who have 3 master crafters? Yes, i need every single motif x 3 ...

vovus69

Motifs are among one of the more or less long term goals in this game. if you are playing long enough - there is no content and new stuff you can get. What's left ? Motif hunting. And now - furniture recipes hunting. This somehow keeps endgame alive in this game. After cp700-800 it is kinda pointless to grind for the exp... I agree, it is fun to get four digit number, but it is kinda not enough...

[Don't propose pvp - it is rigged to the extend when it makes no sense to play as a real endgame. Give me global cooldown, friendly fire and ballistas from 2014 and we will talk... Until then - no pvp]

-vovus

VinyParsley2016

Enemy-of-Coldharbour wrote: »

I got to thinking last night that new players who wish to become master crafters and learn all motifs for crafting and writs are lack of a better word ‘screwed’. The game has kind of reached the point of no return for them. Each new DLC introduces 2-6 new motifs which compounds the problem. New players simply won’t have time to run all the old and new content to acquire the motifs on their own and won’t have enough gold reserve to buy the motifs from other players. The majority of motifs are locked behind a DLC paywall, and the BA motif currently has the worst drop rate in the game and can only alternatively be acquired by gambling with Crown Crates (shame on you ZOS). I’m not sure what can be done to alleviate the issue, but I believe it needs to be addressed.

Here is an one idea:
How about we get a Golden Vendor that sells motifs for in game gold? Would work just like the current Golden Vendor in Cyrodiil (but in a different zone). Each week they would showcase one or two new motifs available for in game gold. You could buy single pages or a whole book.

I would love to hear other people’s ideas and comments about this.

@ZOS_GinaBruno

If each piece of motif selling 250k in Golden Vendor, it's OK. Otherwise, NO WAY! You want something cool and rare? You must pay something, either time or gold!

Enemy-of-Coldharbour

VinyParsley2016 wrote: »

If each piece of motif selling 250k in Golden Vendor, it's OK. Otherwise, NO WAY! You want something cool and rare? You must pay something, either time or gold!

3.5 mil for a full set...you're delusional. But nice trolling...

vovus69

There is already one motif there selling - like Militant ordinator or something like that. Not sure how much it cost though - 250k AP or somesuch. Will check today. So it is possible to sell another one on yellow trader for example and make it 250k gold each chapter for Byoant Armiger. It will be expensive enough and who don't want to grind will buy it in crown store anyway. But others might buy it here one by one.

-vovus

EvilCroc

Wait for next anniversary and rare motif chapters in daily rewards. I am saving my gold for that. After this year anniversary I had short period with all motifs collected for my main. (and then came Morrowind with BA)

Aliyavana

No, they can spend time farming motifs as the rest of us. Also the prices have dropped since as they get older

lientier

even for long term players its impossible to keep up... without buying..

helediron

I hope ZOS keeps motifs in anniversary festival as a great equalizer. That is a good time for new players to catch up. Now when there are over 50 motifs, none of them is special any more. I am only farming them when there is something else to do at the same time, and otherwise just ignore them.