(NA) Toxicity in PvP community reaching CRITICAL LEVELS

Prince_of_all_Pugs

Ive been here since day one , and while the fact that toxic people have always existed in this game, ITS NEVER BEEN THIS BAD, the salt is practically BRINE now. Almost every post we make on this forum gets shut down because of all the hate tells and salt throwing. you cant even send people a GG tell after a fight anymore because you get a hate tell back. We all need to chill out as a community, its discouraging the newer players.

Soul_Demon

You are absolutely right. Usually, the zone Generals are tolerable....however in the last few months in particular the toxicity has gotten over the top. We all know the 'usual' players who use zone chat as therapy or just as someone to talk to while the rest of us are apparently supposed to read their blather endlessly without regard or block them. The games entertainment value begins to deteriorate rapidly with the emboldened zone trolls who log in to only poison the zone chat. ZOS, these people are truly disturbed and have issues (only they don't know they are disturbed)- NONE of us can help them work through there very real problems, so please insert yourselves into Alliance zone chat and drop some bans. The rest of us should not be subjected to hours upon hours of pure vile from some of these players. They are not even playing the game in most cases and simply spewing in zone chat all day and all night. If you could find a bit of time to remove that capability from them it would enhance my game for sure. And as a sideline, block works- but only when you don't allow offenders back into game with new accounts or names.

Talcyndl

I love the angry "Zone Generals" telling the entire Alliance how stupid we are. I always wonder if they realize how counterproductive their [snip] is.

[Edited to remove profanity]

Agrippa_Invisus

Talcyndl wrote: »

I love the angry "Zone Generals" telling the entire Alliance how stupid we are. I always wonder if they realize how counterproductive their [snip] is.

I doubt there is even a marginal chance they'd acknowledge it.

[Edited for quote]

VaranisArano

The best way to deal with PVP trolls throwing out bait/salt/hate tells is to accept that it means you are doing something right and otherwise ignore them.

You can't blame ZOS for shutting down threads when people can't stop feeding the trolls.



As for in-game...sometimes I think people think the real PVP happens in zone chat.

LOL. Win, and let your victories speak for themselves. Have fun, and let that be your own reward.

DHale

Don’t read zone chat, if you are in pvp and typing in zone chat instead of doing something constructive you are the bad player.

Koensol

It is just as bad on EU tbh. I am playing on PC and last week I was just paying a visit to Bergama wayshrine for some practice duels. Literally within the first minute I have people giving me hate for using a heavy stamblade build. Then another guy felt the need to tell me how much of a better player he thought he was because he won against me on a non-meta build.

I mean seriously, I am coming just to have a bit of fun and these *** insecure kids with inferiority complex are just spitting out hate non stop. The toxicity is just so off putting. It's really sad that duelling degraded into cockfighting, because it is a great way to improve your gameplay.

Sandman929

It's egos on parade, all the time.

zyk

I dunno, I think this is the least toxic and most civilized PVP forum I've seen. To the point it's actually a bit boring. I like to see heated rivalries boil over -- in the same way they can in sports, but then you have a beer together later, and everything is cool.

The toxicity here is like... catty grandmothers...

Izanagi.Xiiib16_ESO

zyk wrote: »

I dunno, I think this is the least toxic and most civilized PVP forum I've seen. To the point it's actually a bit boring. I like to see heated rivalries boil over -- in the same way they can in sports, but then you have a beer together later, and everything is cool.

The toxicity here is like... catty grandmothers...

Its very easy to provoke though

Ghostbane

I have all the best dad jokes as zone general.

Vilestride

zyk wrote: »

I dunno, I think this is the least toxic and most civilized PVP forum I've seen. To the point it's actually a bit boring. I like to see heated rivalries boil over -- in the same way they can in sports, but then you have a beer together later, and everything is cool.

The toxicity here is like... catty grandmothers...

Yeah I have to agree. The salt / trolling in this community is pretty dull. I think due to it's older audience this community is particularly sensitive to which adds a perceived level of bitterness that isnt really there. Overall I don't think eso is particularly toxic, I just think that toxicity is taken too easily to heart here.

Honestly in my opinion it is due to the casual nature of the game. Casual play and the lack of a competitive format actually allows ego to thrive more so than a community with structure.

Ladders, ranks, scrims, prizes ect all thicken the skin and forces players to let results speak for themselves and nothing short of that.

NightbladeMechanics

Zone chat is for entertainment only. Very little meaningful dialogue actually happens there.

As for toxicity, you gotta get a thicker skin, put them on /ignore, and move on. If you stop letting them affect your mental state, then they fade into obscurity within the crowd. They literally stop existing. Trust me on that one.

I will say that the small scale / dueling / 1vX / BGs / GvGs communities have gotten WORLDS better on this front over the last several months since we brought Legend back. I have observed a marked reduction in toxicity from these communities and have enjoyed watching members with past beef make peace, get to know each other, and actually become friends over time. You're welcome to join if you want a very large and active community which engages in all kinds of PvP.

Marcus684

I see very little toxicity in game, probably because I have the worst offenders on /ignore. Works wonders. The forums on the other hand...

Beardimus

This seems to be a NA thing, and worse on Xbox.

I think because its harder to message enemies on console / takes effort its rare to see anything. Very occasionally you will get a salty message. Generally if you tea bag a better player or something. But its rare.

All the salty screen grabs I see are PC.

Still_Mind

Of all online games that I played, ESO probably has THE least toxic chats/forums. Sure, there's occasional salt being tossed here and there, some from-under-the-bridge troll sightings, but the gallons of bile, whine, trolling and hate that I've seen in, say, WoW, SWToR, Tera, Guild Wars really aren't even comparable.

Ectheliontnacil

Same here on PC EU. Over the years a complex system of alliances has been established in the hardcore pvp community. Through temporary friendships and numerous reinsurance treaties we've been able to maintain an uneasy peace.
This peace has now been broken by a series of diplomatic blunders and an all out war between a well known streamer (who shall not be named) and several guilds has engulfed Cyrodiil. The green pastures have withered with all the salt that's being spilt, the air echoes with rage whisps and the slaughterfish population is dwindling as toxicity levels reach an all time high.

That's why I go questing now.

zyk

zyk wrote: »

I dunno, I think this is the least toxic and most civilized PVP forum I've seen. To the point it's actually a bit boring. I like to see heated rivalries boil over -- in the same way they can in sports, but then you have a beer together later, and everything is cool.

The toxicity here is like... catty grandmothers...

I've been bothered subconsciously since posting this. My response wasn't nuanced enough. This one won't be either, but I want to add some things.

We live in a challenging time. After World War 2, the world saw incredible and transformative social progress that began in what we call western nations. But now it seems the pendulum is swinging in the other direction. It's been building up for a while, probably decades, and now the cat is out of the bag and we're all experiencing the rise of the unashamed, uninhibited jerk.

Most of the posters in this forum, even those that spar amongst each other, are not like that. Though some of us, myself included, have lost our composure at times and perhaps have been very wrong in some instances, they're still fundamentally good people and are strong contributors to this community in different ways.

Yet there are others in this game -- many of whom have been removed from the forums -- who are pretty malignant almost all of the time. I'm not defending those people or condoning their behavior. They're not an ESO phenomenon though. It's a societal thing. They're everywhere and making their presence known.

I don't have any answers and don't want to make it seem like I think I do. I think it's a pretty scary time. All I can say to all the decent people out there is to let it roll off you. When you are on the receiving end of unapologetic rage and baffling vitriol, know it's them and not you -- wherever you might encounter it. The only way to win is to be the bigger person. Let it roll off you and rise above it.

Doomed

As a zone general i take offense to this, Most Generals on EP just do what they can to keep the map looking nice, there will always b trolls no matter what. IDK about AD or DC tho. For the most part EP "Zone Generals" Keep things organized and moving. There are trolls but its not the people leading the groups

Prince_of_all_Pugs

Doomed wrote: »

As a zone general i take offense to this, Most Generals on EP just do what they can to keep the map looking nice, there will always b trolls no matter what. IDK about AD or DC tho. For the most part EP "Zone Generals" Keep things organized and moving. There are trolls but its not the people leading the groups

A zone chat general is only toxic if he doesnt have any forces under his command or if he isnt pushing for emp keeps. A real zone chat general sounds like this"hey guys my raid is seiging this keep with 20 siege get here" or " my forces will hold the zerg back , hit or defend x." A toxic zone chat general is the kind of guy who sits on keeps trying to get others to push out and leach a defense tick.A toxic zone chat sounds like this" WHY IS X GUILD TAKING A THIS KEEP, TAKE THAT, or THIS FACTION SUCKS. these players are so toxic.

Ixtyr

Prince_of_all_Pugs wrote: »

Doomed wrote: »

As a zone general i take offense to this, Most Generals on EP just do what they can to keep the map looking nice, there will always b trolls no matter what. IDK about AD or DC tho. For the most part EP "Zone Generals" Keep things organized and moving. There are trolls but its not the people leading the groups

A zone chat general is only toxic if he doesnt have any forces under his command or if he isnt pushing for emp keeps. A real zone chat general sounds like this"hey guys my raid is seiging this keep with 20 siege get here" or " my forces will hold the zerg back , hit or defend x." A toxic zone chat general is the kind of guy who sits on keeps trying to get others to push out and leach a defense tick.A toxic zone chat sounds like this" WHY IS X GUILD TAKING A THIS KEEP, TAKE THAT, or THIS FACTION SUCKS. these players are so toxic.

This. Zone Generals rarely actually lead groups or do anything constructive. They just throw hissy fits in chat. If you're leading a group, you're not the kind of Zone General being referenced here.

Prince_of_all_Pugs

IMO the only people who should be zone chat generals, are Zerg leaders, elite small man leaders and maybe SUPER ELITE 1vXers.

Minno

Prince_of_all_Pugs wrote: »

IMO the only people who should be zone chat generals, are Zerg leaders, elite small man leaders and maybe SUPER ELITE 1vXers.

Score timer callouts and basic "EP hitting x" are what I reserve my zone chat for. Helps out everyone without telling people what to do .

Unless DC yolos on AD when EP has a 1k lead and it's largely left alone; makes no sense to be a slave to the "second place" mentality when you can die fighting for first. Especially when the former doesn't let you win.

Soul_Demon

Doomed wrote: »

As a zone general i take offense to this, Most Generals on EP just do what they can to keep the map looking nice, there will always b trolls no matter what. IDK about AD or DC tho. For the most part EP "Zone Generals" Keep things organized and moving. There are trolls but its not the people leading the groups

Indeed, EP tends to have the better zone generals and never ending stream of useful callouts to boot. But those 'visiting' zone trolls flooding out our normally clean chat are quite annoying. Nothing will take fun out of a game more than mentaly disturbed players spamming zone chat endlessly....worst part of that is they are not playing the game to post so prolifically, simply there to turn it toxic as possible to match their own lives I imagine. Misery loves company- and needs a therapist.

zyk

Prince_of_all_Pugs wrote: »

IMO the only people who should be zone chat generals, are Zerg leaders, elite small man leaders and maybe SUPER ELITE 1vXers.

I think everyone is entitled to an opinion as long as they're not toxic about it. Cyrodiil is a public server played by a huge variety of players with different perspectives.

That goes for organized groups too. Sometimes it's players in organized groups who are the first to be toxic when someone they don't recognize says something they don't agree with. Just because one's group is the most effective doesn't mean they're always right or that they're entitled to belittle 'pugs'.

The key is to, regardless of your role and playstyle, try to be polite and respectful.

Further, competition does get heated and sometimes normally level-headed people lose their cool. When that happens, try not to escalate it by trolling them because they might be triggered.

THEDKEXPERIENCE

I can only speak for XBox NA but things are downright civil in comparison to every other game I play. Have you ever tried to play a FIFA drop in game with 10 players? On the off chance that someone isn’t blaring music directly into their headset making it impossible to hear anyone else, you’re highly likely to encounter a staggering amount of racial slurs.

Worst I’ll see in ESO zone chat are a few people bickering about someone’s mom.

SwampRaider

When I see groups making stupid tactical decisions I let them know in zone. I will even explain it in detail in zone. . Then when the thing happens I wanted to prevent, they don't care.

I look at the map, I'm a big picture map commander. I've been through all situations, I know the predicted patterns of movement when each side owns certain keeps or scrolls. How each faction reacts to scrolls in different keeps. You'd be surprised how no one is unpredictable these days.

but in the end of the day people are different.

Our pvdoor oceanic crew runs differently and thinks differently than our primetime " fast twitch" organized ball groups. We love them, but their tactical big picture decisions often hurt us at NA night

Such is the life of vivec DC/PC.

ZONE CHAT GENERALS UNITE!

All hail <Sooz Scouting Network> we love you mama sooz!

Agrippa_Invisus

SwampRaider wrote: »

All hail <Sooz Scouting Network> we love you mama sooz!

The joke EP side is that Sooz is 'Schroedinger's Sooz'. That she's in every DC keep until it's opened and you don't find her inside.

THEDKEXPERIENCE

Most of the time I use zone chat - it’s been awhile - is to say, “focus on the keeps, ill get all the resources”. Usually it gets ignored until people notice that 5 resources were just flipped back in like 20 minutes. Flipping resources is about the single best thing a solo PVPer can do for their alliance.

Amdar_Godkiller

Beardimus wrote: »

This seems to be a NA thing, and worse on Xbox.

I think because its harder to message enemies on console / takes effort its rare to see anything. Very occasionally you will get a salty message. Generally if you tea bag a better player or something. But its rare.

All the salty screen grabs I see are PC.

Nope. XBox in NA is pretty much devoid of toxicity in PVP. Now PVE, that's a different story...

Of course, I don't really view crouching over someone as being synonymous with toxicity in most instances...

THEDKEXPERIENCE

Amdar_Godkiller wrote: »

Beardimus wrote: »

This seems to be a NA thing, and worse on Xbox.

I think because its harder to message enemies on console / takes effort its rare to see anything. Very occasionally you will get a salty message. Generally if you tea bag a better player or something. But its rare.

All the salty screen grabs I see are PC.

Nope. XBox in NA is pretty much devoid of toxicity in PVP. Now PVE, that's a different story...

Of course, I don't really view crouching over someone as being synonymous with toxicity in most instances...

But but but ... PVPers are mean! You didn’t get that memo? Haha