Player retention poll: When did you join ESO?

Danikat

2015

I was in the beta tests, but didn't buy the game until almost a year after release, because I thought it was ok but not worth the subscription fee. For some reason playing the betas always made me want to play Skyrim or Guild Wars 2 instead, when it should have felt like a perfect combination of them both. (I'd prefer it to be more like Morrowind or Oblivion, but it's obvious their main TES influence was Skyrim, which is fair enough I suppose when it's both the most recent and most successful game.)

It was also extremely frustrating being the person saying "It's a beta test, of course there's bugs" to "Well hopefully they just haven't put the latest version on the test servers" to "This isn't even a beta, it's just a stress test to prep the hardware for launch, I'm not sure why we're still seeing these same bugs". I know people complain about ESO as it is now but it's come a long way since those early days.

I kept following the game, waiting for something which would convince me it was worth the money and that ended up being when they switched to buy-to-play. I bought the game immediately and then waited a few days to set up my account so my free month would end just after they removed the requirement to subscribe.

I've basically been here ever since. I've taken breaks sometimes, but that's true of everything I play, I've never been one to pick up a game and play nothing else until I've finished it, I'm always going between different ones. So for me I've been playing ESO continuously for almost 6 years.

DaveMoeDee

2013 [Beta tester]

My most memorable moment was launch. I enjoyed beta the last two weekends. Before then, I was skeptical I would buy the game. Combat felt so awkward. But it started to feel good those last two weeks and I was sold. When the game launched, I loved it. There was so much narrative included, and I honestly prefer a more linear narrative to more open worlds with distractions. I loved the cultural immersion going zone to zone. I hated many of the MMO things, like the unnatural placement of mobs and how they would follow you to a certain distance and then return to their spawn point. It seems so clumsy.

I bought a 3 month sub on top of the one month included in the pre-order. I finished the base game narrative content in that one month, wasn't feeling Lower Craglorn, and happily left the game until TU.

Sahidom

2014 [Beta tester, release year]

I started in 2014 but the games direction and unresovled flaws send me playing other games.

Slyclone

2019

I wish I had joined in 2014. Because I love this game enough to spend the rest of my life on it.

Ratzkifal

2013 [Beta tester]

Beta tester but left for a year because the mandatory subscription model didn't appeal to me. I came back when they dropped it in Tamriel Unlimited.

colossalvoids

2017

2017-2021, hope there would be any reason to proceed.

Strider__Roshin

2013 [Beta tester]

One of the original beta testers, but I stopped playing when they put a cast time on Incap. Killed the combat for me.

Aptonoth

2019

Started during morrowind played a few days and got bored. Video gaming was better back then so ESO couldn't hold a candle to It wasn't a bad story just not an amazing game I had to experience like. Witch both Witcher 3 being replayed and Persona 5 the original and dozens of other games that are so great. Modern gaming is in somewhat of a dark age after 2017 *** hit the fan lol and had only been going downhill all my favorite game series are dead or made to casual and the few left were run into the ground. So I came to ESO and its been fine ever since any port in a storm until the port falls apart.

I came back to ESO as a noob just after Murkmire came out and had no idea it was the newest content. I finished playing Morrowind then went to Summerset. I've stuck around since then but will like 80% chance take a break this year. Everything I've seen has said 2021 will be a skip year in ESO but we will see in two days.

vibeborn

2018

I got gifted the game in autumn 2018, and started playing about a month after

KaGaOri

2020

January 25 (tomorrow) will be my first in-game anniversary. Hit 810 CP yesterday (yay!).

Being huge Elder scrolls fan, had been watching ESO from distance since it came out, but had been turned off by it being multiplayer. Eventually thought - "you've worked both in retail AND customer service - there is no way this could be worse" . Took only 6 years to get there ...

Vanya

2014 [Beta tester, release year]

2014 ,was insanely casual, started seriously in 2018, came back in 2020, finally consumed this month to greater extent. 2021 year of ESO will be for me with potentionally one of the best content upcoming yet have to complee incredible amount of stuff and to witness stories,locations,characters etc etc *insert TUESP Wiika page here*

TwinLamps

2015

wasnt beta tester, joined just when game went live, but you didnt had that option in pool

SydneyGrey

2016

I tried to play the Beta, but my internet couldn't handle downloading the patches after the initial download. As a result, I had to drop out of the beta and never got my monkey. It was the fault of my slow internet, not ZOS.

So then thanks to slow internet, I ended up not actually playing the released game until Dec. 2016, after I got faster internet so I could actually download the thing.

oddbasket

2013 [Beta tester]

Started in beta, my main character is still my Khajiit nightblade from back then. Took a long break and came back after One Tamriel. Nowadays staying away and maybe pop in occasionally or during events mainly due to bad game and long loading performance, too often getting extreme 0 fps lags and disconnects.

Nightowl_74

2018

I briefly tried the game in 2015 but wasn't impressed and didn't touch it again until 2018 with the Summerset dlc.

Robo_Hobo

2014 [Beta tester, release year]

Started the first day of official release. I had known it was in development, and was looking forward to it, but never really followed the news on it, and didn't get accepted to the beta the first time around of applying. Just saw a tweet that it had just released, noticed the date of release was the same day, and decided to go for it.

I'd just become unemployed so I was playing ESO non-stop for awhile. It was nice to get to experience an MMO right at release. Sure it had a lot of bugs, I remember the masses of us at the final quest in Coldharbour all stuck and trying to figure out workarounds to get past the stages that weren't activating, but there's just an extra amount of excitement to it when everyone's a noob, figuring things out as they go along.

I play off and on, usually for a few months at a time, then a break for several months, with occasional popping in here and there. Even on my downtime though I still look forward to the future of the game.

KovalskyNestor

2014 [Beta tester, release year]

Late 2013, I was really hyped for ESO release and I remember myself constantly checking official pages for any news. I remember being bummed out when I wasn't accepted in first beta testing, but got accepted in second closed beta and I was really happy. I remember my first few hours in Tamriel and how I enjoyed the game.

Bought it at release, but after playing for 500 hours I got bored (there wasn't that much content back then) and I wasn't really motivated to keep playing.

Tried to get back into the game few times when Morrowind was released and again in 2018 but I was turned off by the monetisation and quests order. Finally I sat down and actually gave it a proper try last year and I'm finally having fun like never before.

looshora

2017

I first played ESO on my Sisters xbox when I was babysitting back in 2016.
Completely forgot this game was a thing after that.
2017 hits, I'm subscribed to then called Humble Monthly, ESO was a part of it. Was gonna give the game away, had no interest. About a month later I say screw it, activate the game for myself. Start playing....... 4 years later and some 3k-4k hours in.... and I'm still chomping about in here.

As for my best memory.... well I was in a good mood one day, about two or so months into playing ESO, I was helping some random person in Malabal Tor Zone Chat and outta nowhere I get this super random pitch from a guy that sounded so gosh darn familiar. He wanted me to join his guild, I try to explain to him I don't do MMO's I don't last long in them and when I do play them I avoid guilds.
No idea what he said after that but I ended up joining the guild. Still in it, I've met a lot of great people in that guild. Was an Officer for a time, even met some members irl.

So for my overall best memory, I'd say joining that guild.

Other high points I'd say the day the Outfit System was released, decorating my Psijic Villa all 3 times and my Hall of the Lunar Champion...... even if it did take me like a year. I'd also say the day I got my Blackmarrow Necromancer Skin.

leeux

2014 [Beta tester, release year]

I still remember the day, 30 March 2014, and it was a Sunday... that was the day I started playing, and it should've been on the Saturday!

But it took 18hs to download the game with my crappy internet, and had to leave my comp running over-night downloading it so I could play on Sunday

Jaxious79

2014 [Beta tester, release year]

November`13 I didn't play at launch though, picked it up on Xbox at release. Moved to PC a couple years ago and been playing on and off since.

wolfbone

not long after morrowind released. remember seeing it advertised in a game shop and it got my interest.

Sylvermynx

2018

I wasn't really interested in another MMO after WoW and RIFT (both of which I left when they went directions I didn't find fun - and haven't ever been back to either). Daughter and granddaughters were in beta on this game, and they weren't impressed - but they had no previous TES experience, unlike me - I played TES from Arena release through all the others. Thousands of hours having more fun than many would think possible....

But after a couple of RL friends got into ESO in a big way, I did a lot of reading, and thought - oh why the hell not? So I wound up here and I love it. Dollars to doughnuts I won't be alive (or not able to play games, whichever) when TES VI releases (if it ever does) so yeah. ESO it is.

Honestly, this game works just fine for me. I have zero interest in endgame pve, and less than that in pvp. So I quest, I explore, I do antiquities. I don't have any issues. I understand that those who spend their time in pvp, or pve endgame, have issues. I wish it wasn't so. But I'm happy I'm not affected, though I do feel very sorry for those of you so affected.

bmnoble

2018

I was a hold out for a very long time because I had been looking forward to the next single player Elderscrolls game but they just kept re releasing Skyrim over and over.

Eventually Skyrim got boring even with mods.

I had player SWTOR for a number of years was starting to get bored of that, I had kept looking into ESO over the years and did not like what I saw for the first few years, was bored and work had finished up for the year so I had time on my hands decided to give the game ago in December 2018, kept up my ESO+ subscription since then.

That said I will admit I am starting to get bored of the game, depending on how this year does I might drop the subscription late in the year and go free to play.

I guess the main thing that has kept me playing ESO is the lack of any good MMO's that have caught my interest to play instead, not many single player games have interested me much lately either, guess I am just losing interest as I get older.

kargen27

2014 [Beta tester, release year]

Bought the game April 3, 2014.

Been playing mostly solid since.

katanagirl1

2017

I had never played an MMO before (unless you count Diablo 3 offline as such) but I loved Oblivion especially and then Skyrim. I picked up a physical copy of ESO:TU at GameStop and decided to do as much of the game as I could solo.

I have surpassed my original goals. I have run every group dungeon and the base game vet dungeons on normal, some dlc dungeons on vet (almost all of these using the group finder), and a few trials on normal. I would love to say I have done them all but they keep adding more so I’m not sure how many more I will do.

I oftentimes see people say how they are so bored in this game. I don’t understand this, there are so many things to do, even though I have the luxury of being able to play many hours each day, I am always busy doing something.

ccfeeling

2015

July 2015 on PS4 NA

GrimTheReaper45

2015

Ps4 launch

Kwoung

2013 [Beta tester]

Played beta and launch for a while, but took a break for a while. My wife and I were between MMO's at the time and had heard the Elder Scrolls franchise was fairly popular, so thought we would give the invite a try. We will probably be playing for years to come now the game is so good.

LadyLethalla

2015

Release week on PS4.
By the time I got to Grahtwood I was really struggling to solo even dolmens and being 8-11 hours ahead of EU/UK meant there was barely anyone around, so I did quit for a little while. Also quit for 6 months after Murkmire, and am reducing my playtime again now.

Cirantille

2018

But actively playing since 2019 summer

Also thanks for sharing that video, never saw it before