PC players only - Do you play ESO through Steam?

Chips_Ahoy

No

SilverBride wrote: »

This came up in another thread and I am curious about how many PC players use Steam to play ESO. Yes and no are all that is needed for this poll, but feel free to elaborate if you wish.

No, everything that requires using an app, Setam, Epic, Ubisoft, Origin, etc. I do not use it, which is 90% of the games, and in the future it will be 100%, if my destiny is not to play anymore, so be it.

rpa

No

I would not use Steam version of any game which requires a non-steam account.
(I prefer GOG over Steam anyway.)

Tornaad

Yes

I often play with a controller on my couch via Steam Link, so having ESO ran through Steam works better than it would otherwise.

NotaDaedraWorshipper

No

Started play ESO before it was on Steam. I don't even use Steam for other games.

Folkb

No

No. I bought ESO before it was on steam and didn't want to rebuy it just for steam. I also have heard in the past steam has issue with ESO when one or the other updates. I forgot the specifics.

Sylvermynx

No

I bought on steam to begin with because a friend got me into the game and he used steam. However, with crap satellite, I could NEVER get logged into the game (spent the first two weeks I owned the game trying - even at midnight, no go, nor at 3am, much less when I would normally play!), so I bought a second full game and have used that ever since with the .exe on my taskbar (only use the launcher for patching).

averyfarmanb14_ESO

Yes

It's how I bought it, so many years ago, and it's how I continue to play it. No real preference either way; just force of habit.

Vevvev

Yes

I bought a second copy just for the ESO related Steam stuff to decorate my profile, get the trading cards, and the achievement. Also helps that since I owned ESO before I got the Steam version that if Steam dies for whatever reason I can just start the client up normally and log in without issue.

Danikat

No

I bought ESO before the Steam version existed, but I also don't see any point in adding another program into the process. I only play games through Steam if they're not available another way.

Jameson18

Should do one and find out who uses Stadia

corrosivechains

Yes

Sarannah wrote: »

No, I hate services like steam. They make it feel like I am renting games I bought, same as all other online games. Once the platform goes down, or a company takes the gameservers down, there is no more way to access games I supposedly 'own'.

For MMO's I do not see that as an issue, as those are meant to be online with other players. But when that same thing affects singleplayer games, something in the gamesindustry is really wrong.

I agree with you wholeheartedly on this, though IIRC Valve does have a contingency in place which allows it's users to acquire the games they purchased should they ever do shutter.

Fenris_Arainai

No

Not any more.

I bought it first on Steam, and had multiple problems with installation, then often login errors. I found a good deal with Greymoor, so bought again non-Steam, reinstalled, and never had any problems since.

ghastley

No

If there was a way to play Skyrim without it, I would not use Steam at all.

Sylvermynx

No

ghastley wrote: »

If there was a way to play Skyrim without it, I would not use Steam at all.

Makes two of us.... Skyrim is the ONLY reason steam is still living on my computer.

colossalvoids

Yes

I believe that I started to use steam after buying Skyrim, as at least in my region it absolutely required it. Ngl there's some good in it still like more tamed pricing.

Sylvermynx

No

Yeah, in the US Skyrim is required to start through steam - and I almost didn't buy it for that reason. But since I'd played every other TES since Arena released.... *sigh*.

I really have no use for game "front end" crap companies like steam.

phaneub17_ESO

Yes

Jameson18 wrote: »

Should do one and find out who uses Stadia

I use Stadia, its connected to my Steam account. Something to do while on the crapper.

M_Volsung

No

I don't play it through steam and I don't use the launcher.

I do have some games on steam but ESO isn't among them.

wenchmore420b14_ESO

No

Like many others here, I started playing ESO before it was available for Steam, which is just fine.
I wholly dislike Steam and only use it for Skyrim.

Shazanti

No

I didn't have Steam installed until after I returned home from waiting in line to pick up my pre-order purchase of the physical copy of Skyrim on its release day.

Then when I got home I discovered that I had to have Steam, and that I couldn't actually install from disc. I was mighty pissed off. I bought the disc copy because I preferred hard copies of my games, that way I could always install my single player games and play my single player games without something useless to me in single player games- the internet. To find out the disc copy simply triggered Steam to download the entirety of the freaking game? I damn near didn't play it.

Now, over the years since that forced installation of Steam, I have purchased plenty of games on Steam, but for a great part of it, I buy cheap stuff there, less important (to me) stuff. I just don't like not actually owning my games. I don't like being forced to load the Steam launcher to launch my games. ESPECIALLY MMOs. For non-MMOs, Steam does make getting your games patched up simpler, and I can appreciate that aspect of it. I will say though that I prefer the Epic launcher and GOG launcher more than Steam's, because it's relatively simple to avoid having to use their launchers to play my games, if I want to avoid the launcher.

Some friends of mine love having all their games available in one place, but I don't have that desire. My husband has ESO through Steam, because at the time when he decided he wanted to play it, Steam had a good deal on ESO. My best friend has all the games he can possibly get through Steam, because he's a big one-game-library person (and he had non-Steam ESO to start with, but he transferred it when the option arose). I'll happily stay non-Steam.

Amottica

No

SilverBride wrote: »

jedtb16_ESO wrote: »

no. why would i?

That is what I thought too, but someone mentioned in another thread that most PC players play ESO through Steam, so I was curious if it was really that popular.

It would not make sense for more players to play ESO through steam.

The game was not always available via steam so most players who started early could not buy the game from steam.

Then there is the matter that most gamers do not buy their games from steam if they don’t have to. Why would someone voluntarily put a middle man that can cause issue between them and their game when it’s not needed. I understand steam has caused some big issues for ESO players.

Red_Feather

I originally did, but then switched to non steam client, but sometimes play on steam. It required buying the base game again (non steam version) and adding it to my account.

Phentos

Yes

I do play it off of Steam. I first bought the game on there, I've bought a lot of the DLC on there, so why not?

shadyjane62

No

Steam crashes my computer. Every time.

Mesite

Yes

Both. My new account was bought through steam and it won't let me sign it through the normal launcher. My old account wasn't bought through steam.

Aznarb

No

No, I avoid steam as much as possible.
To much problem in the past.

AzuraFan

No

I have a ton of other games on Steam, but not ESO. With MMOs, I go direct when possible.

Aelsioln

Yes

I was looking through Steam sales and noticed ESO had a discount so I decided to finally give it a try. Didn't really dawn on me to buy the game from the site directly for some reason until after I had done the purchase on Steam.

Luckily I think the only issue I've run across was when I went to make a forum account I ended up having to contact support as I had never gotten the "invite" to create one. Assuming that was because of my use of Steam.

DreamyLu

Yes

Yes, and am very happy about. I never ever had the slightest trouble.

Tyreal1974

No

I used to play through Steam , but I dropped that service like a hot potato after having to reinstall 60+GB of game files every few months or suffering through Steam access outages. Once ZOS gave me the option to extricate myself from using Steam i never looked back!