Why so many surveys for Northern Elsweyr?

krachall

A few months ago, I got around to cleaning up the huge piles of surveys I had in the bank. When I grabbed them all and started looking at locations, I noticed something odd.

I had ~100 surveys and at least one for every zone. ~97 of those surveys were either a single or a duplicate. Meaning I had 1 or 2 of all of them. Except for 3 surveys. For 3 of my 100, I had 7 or 8 copies. That alone is very strange, considering I didn't have 3 of any others.

Fast forward a few months and I'm again cleaning out a pile of surveys. Again, I have 1-2 of dozens of and dozens of surveys. But I have 8+ of four surveys: all Northern Elsweyr.

Is this ZOS way of trying to push people to buy the latest chapter?

Tryxus

krachall wrote: »

Is this ZOS way of trying to push people to buy the latest chapter?

Mindcr0w

These numbers are statistically significant enough to you to warrant theorizing about sinister underlying machinations?

I guarantee no one has ever been convinced to buy an expansion by receiving a few dozen extra surveys for a particular zone over the course of multiple months and no company would think they would be.

Tommy_The_Gun

Wow, I thought I am the only one with such an rng... Northern & Southern Elsweyr seems to be the one I get most often. Also for treasure maps.

And since you OP also noticed that...
* Puts tinfoil hat. *
It is done on purpose to make people buy what newest chapter there is currently... Will wait and see if this changes with Greymoor chapter and all of the sudden most common writ / treasure map will be the ones located in new zone.
* Takes off tinfoil hat. *

Sturmfaenger

If you don't own Elsweyr, you simply get your surveys for other areas accessible to you.
Unless you compare 2 accounts (with/without elsweyr) that are on the same level of char abilities etc doing exact the same amount of crafting dailies for a time, this is a strange thing but doesn't have any bad effects and could very well be coincidence.

kichwas

Latest expansion drive thing?

Might end up favoring Greymour after next week if so.

Ri_Khan

krachall wrote: »

Is this ZOS way of trying to push people to buy the latest chapter?

This is not the case. I don't have Elsweyr and I don't get mat surveys for that zone. I may have gotten one or two treasure maps but no surveys.

AlnilamE

You don't get surveys for content you don't own.

Also, whoever said they get surveys for Southern Elsweyr, I've never gotten any and I thought DLC zones didn't have surveys.

That said, my multiples are either for Wrothgar or Northern Elsweyr, but I've started getting very good at collecting them weekly.

Has anyone got surveys for Summerset? Because I can't remember getting any.

heaven13

Yep, Wrothgar, Northern Elsweyr, and Vvardenfell are where I get the majority of my surveys.

deleted221106-002999

AlnilamE wrote: »

You don't get surveys for content you don't own.

Also, whoever said they get surveys for Southern Elsweyr, I've never gotten any and I thought DLC zones didn't have surveys.

That said, my multiples are either for Wrothgar or Northern Elsweyr, but I've started getting very good at collecting them weekly.

Has anyone got surveys for Summerset? Because I can't remember getting any.

None for summerset but lots for N. elsweyr; I assumed it was intended to encourage exploration of the newest zone (or maybe zos assumed we'd be exploring it anyway?). Lots for wrothgar, too.

Also, I wondered if my view of getting more in wrothgar/elsweyr was because I tended to do those in 'oh no, not there please' batches. Some of the wrothgar ones are at the edge of the map and I need lots of motivation (3+ survey maps) to go there.

daim

Yup there's noticable more Elsweyr surveys than any others. Have been like that for a long while. Seconds best is probably Craglorn. I usually pile them up a month or two.

redgreensunset

My RNG seems to be in love with the AD zones when it comes to surveys. I seem to get the majority for Grahtwood, Greenshade and Malabal Tor, with Reaper's March also appearing frequently. Vvardenfell is the only dlc zone I regularly see surveys in.

xaraan

I don't know about the conspiracy theory of pushing the new chapter with this (and I'd bet most hard core writ farmers already do). But you are right it is weird, I get a ton more N Elsweyr surveys than any other. I only thought it was odd because Summerset didn't get any and I seem to get a fair amount for other areas like Craglorn, Wrothgar and Vvardenfell as well. It almost feels like reg zones are at base level, then those three zones at next level, then N Elsweyr ten levels above them lol.

Everest_Lionheart

I rolled through about 40 myself this afternoon. Pretty even mix 1-3 from all zones. Made for a nice little tour of Tamriel. I get lots of repeats it seems though, not al in the same batch but every time I clean out all the surveys and treasure maps in my bank I find myself visiting the same exact locations. Makes it easy enough that I don’t have to search the maps for them, but would be nice to see a few other locations.

tmbrinks

Sturmfaenger wrote: »

If you don't own Elsweyr, you simply get your surveys for other areas accessible to you.
Unless you compare 2 accounts (with/without elsweyr) that are on the same level of char abilities etc doing exact the same amount of crafting dailies for a time, this is a strange thing but doesn't have any bad effects and could very well be coincidence.

Incredibly, that's exactly the situation I'm in...



Top one is my main account, which has Elsweyr.

Bottom is my alt account, which does not have Elsweyr (but access to all others)

I wouldn't say it's that huge of a difference.

Karminathevamp

I get a lot of surveys in Cold Harbour and Wrothgar.

tmbrinks

Karminathevamp wrote: »

I get a lot of surveys in Cold Harbour and Wrothgar.

Remember, that compared to a base game zone,

Coldharbour is doubled, since there are two of each type there

Wrothgar and Craglorn are tripled, since there are three of each type there.

Bucky_13

It makes sense that you get most surveys generally for Northern Elsweyr, Craglorn, Coldharbour, Wrothgar and Vvardenfell assuming you have access to those zones as they offer 3 surveys/profession. I do them once a week, some of those zones usually have more surveys than the others, but it shifts from week to week for me.

Veesk

I do daily writs on 17 characters and typically by the end of the week have the most surveys in these zones: Craglorn, Wrothgar, Vvardenfell and then Northern Elsweyr - in that order. It feels like that rarely changes for me, so it must just be rng for everyone but with some preference to certain non-original base game zones if you have access to them.

Bradyfjord

The only function for what op describes that seems plausible to me is that they want more traffic in certain zones.

Or it's rng being rng.

Danikat

I hardly ever get ones for Northern Elseweyr. I occasionally get a jewellery crafting one and I once had an enchanting one, but it's very rare. Most of mine are in base game maps, even though I own all the non-dungeon DLC/chapters.

In fact now I think about it I don't think I've ever had one for a DLC map except Wrothgar, Vvardenfell, Northern Elseweyr. Is there a reason the other maps don't have any?

It also seems like it's often the same ones I get, like only getting jeweller surveys for Elseweyr, and if I get one for Shadowfen it's always blacksmith. I can't remember the last time I had one in Stonefalls or Rivenspire. Maybe certain characters are somehow more likely to get certain surveys drop?

twev

I tend to collect surveys and treasure maps on one 'toon until the ESO+space on that 'toon is just about maxxed with surveys alone and I'm starting to get more than the one treasure map for a location on each 'toon too often.

I'll have 15+ surveys for a lot of locations, hardly any for others before I break down and spend way too many hours trying to clear a map.

I get few for Northern Elsweyr, i don't remember getting any for Southern Elsweyr, and I can't say for certain I've gotten any.

100% anecdotal, no scientific method involved in any of the above

Ozby

Honestly I get more Northern Elswyer surveys than any other except maybe that annoying Malabal Tor alchemy one. And yes I do agree this is one of the ways that game companies push / convince people to buy DLC's it's really obvious too. I do about 200 surveys a week so trust me I've seen the figures. You watch if they make surveys for Greymoor all of sudden we will get more of them than any others.

Ozby

twev wrote: »

I tend to collect surveys and treasure maps on one 'toon until the ESO+space on that 'toon is just about maxxed with surveys alone and I'm starting to get more than the one treasure map for a location on each 'toon too often.

I'll have 15+ surveys for a lot of locations, hardly any for others before I break down and spend way too many hours trying to clear a map.

I get few for Northern Elsweyr, i don't remember getting any for Southern Elsweyr, and I can't say for certain I've gotten any.

100% anecdotal, no scientific method involved in any of the above

There are no southern Elswyer surveys