ZOS needs to shake things up with their yearly releases

BrentBlemish

This is NOT a "im quitting post"

I cant be the only long time player that has become incredibly bored with ZOS's incredibly predictable release patterns since Morrowind and the predictable content that comes with it. At first when ZOS announced their release plans back in Morrowind, it was pretty exciting! It was also our first Chapter. But here we are 6 years later and we get the same content and same release pattern each year. And now having played High Isle on the PTS, i found myself bored of pretty much feeling like im doing the same type of content over and over again.

Granted for any new players, this release pattern will always seem exciting to them, but as a long term player im bored of this. All these releases are predictable. You know pretty much 90% of what you are going to get. and most of it is more and more and more useless Sets to shove down our throats. ESO is so BLOATED with sets. I feel like its what ZOS passes as "new content".

Lets look at what we know we get each year... 2 DLC dungeons that come with 6 total new sets and 4 new monter sets. Chapter DLC with 3 overland sets, 3 new crafted sets and 4/8 Trial sets (non perfected and perfected) and then a Zone DLC adding 3 more overland sets and 3 more crafted sets. Now we add in each Chapter and Zone DLC now come with new Mythic sets. And then they also give us new PvP sets. SETS ON TOP OF SETS ON TOP OF SETS. and we barely use 80-90% of these sets.

Yes each chapter comes with a new system, but even that has now become predictable.

The way ZOS has shifted the game to being more new player friendly is great for getting new players to join, but your also hurting the long term gameplay. Grinding has become easier. access to Ability Altering weapons is now a cake walk. Overland sets have become worthless for selling and farming because of the damn collections book. Unless you have perfected gear on, nothing you run really signifies any real time or effort put into the game anymore.

I get on each day and I think "what should i do today?" I end up doing my daily writs and logging off because there isnt really much for me to do after ive achieved so much in the game already... Lots of vet/trifecta achievements, check... Emperor achievement. check... Making lots of gold for the market... check... building a nice home... check... I've officially run out of things to do and ive become bored of the content that the game keeps putting in front of me. because 90% of it is the same.

What i would like to see is new ways to play the game via combat. I'd like new combat systems that expand over time through playing the game. I want new ways to progress my character. New crafting systems. Update the fishing systems. add new ways to explore and interact with the world. a lot of core system in the game have been the same for YEARS. Some havent changed since the game launched.

Hell, i just say it... I'd also like a battle pass system. If the core gameplay loop is going to stay the same, then give me a reason to log on each day and grind out XP. Champion system is become more and more worthless with each update as ZOs continues to nerf it into the ground to make the game more accessible for new players. having a high CP level is becoming pointless. its just a number. At least if there was a battlepass, I'd have something to chase. I hate feeling like i need to log in for 10 seconds just to claim my daily log in and mail and then log out.

I can't be the only one whose feeling this way...

UntilValhalla13

I literally do the same thing. If there's not a trial that night, I'll usually just log on to do writs, and go play something else. I have like 2k cp and it doesn't really matter after a certain point. You have every passive and four slottables. There's no real sense of being super powerful because someone with 900 cp has about the same level because the game hamstrings you.

I loved Summerset. That was the last time that I felt excitement for patch. Since then, the skeleton of the storyline has basically been the same. The quality has diminished greatly. Now, the yearly updates just give us things that no one wants. Antiquities, companions, a card game... You just...stop caring after a while.

Dovahkiin02191973

The game is on its way out. DYING! That is what happens to all of these MMOs that are poorly managed by the developers. I stopped caring with Elsweyr and have only been buying the new chapters since as I am an Elder Scrolls fan. I have not quit yet because I am a fan of the games however since Elsweyr all I have been doing is stockpiling my daily reward into a bank. I must have 20K Lethal Poison Potions. I keep holding on hoping that things will change but my hope is gone. I do play the main storyline of the new chapters to a point where I feel what is the point then I go right back to collecting. In reality none of it matters because whatever ZOS is going to do is what they are going to do as this is their game and in reality video games don't matter. Spending time with your loved ones while you can is what really matters.

Foxtrot39

Should add race specific skills and a ult with a 6th skill slot you can only put those in

Visualy an update to character models would be more than welcome even more so about the animation (all character run like they have a broomstick up their [censored] while other looks plain bad )

A net increase of random encounter would make the game a tad more lively

Expanding on DB/Thieve guild by not forcing the player to alwasy return to the DLC area would be nice alongside more activities related to them, justice system could use an overhaul, make living as a criminal more interesting

ESO need what Paradox Interactive did, a dedicated team to look into old content and overhaul it

MashmalloMan

BrentBlemish wrote: »

What i would like to see is new ways to play the game via combat. I'd like new combat systems that expand over time through playing the game. I want new ways to progress my character. New crafting systems. Update the fishing systems. add new ways to explore and interact with the world. a lot of core system in the game have been the same for YEARS. Some havent changed since the game launched.

Spellcrafting would of checked all those boxes for you. The original idea for Spellcrafting was for you to collect, lets say a lead.. that would then bring you to a location in the overworld map. You'd follow a mage light that guides you to a hidden door, into a cave, a dungeon, something along those lines. At the end of that, you'd find a tome like how we found words of power in Skyrim. You'd copy the etchings with a minigame like mechanic of using charcoil on a piece of paper.

With that tome traced, you could take it to another location like an enhantment table and craft new spells.They were going to use this as a unique way to give us reasons to explore the map and find hidden places that only became available with the lead.

It would of been balanced based on standards they set and technically already exist in the game, it's how they create new sets, it's how they balance our existing skills, so realistically it's not like you could craft anything like some people think. At a minimalist level it would be the difference between creating a Fire Veiled Strike vs a Poison Veiled Strike that had no passive synergy's with your kit. You'd mix and combine different effects that determine a set outcome. This is esentially how Enchanting works.

As an example a spell could have 6 parts to it instead of 3 like enchanting, instead of collecting runes that are 1 time use, you collect the tomes in your collection. Maybe an added currency is made available that you can use to craft spells.

They could easily cap the amount of spells you have crafted at a given time to 2-3. This way you have flexibility, but skillbars aren't overrun with crafted spells, if you want to try new spells, you're forced to collect said currency even after you've collected all the tomes, this gives replayability.

Using what I know about their standards, this is a possible quick example for how you could combine different parts to create new spells:

1. Type: Ult, Damage, Healing, Utility, Defense.
2. Element: Fire, Frost, Shock, Magic, Physical, Poison, Disease, Bleed, Soul.
3. Formula: Direct + Single Target, Direct + AoE, Over Time + Single Target, Over Time + AOE.
4. Application: Ranged, Melee, Self Cast, Gap Closer.
5. Auxillary: Buff, Debuff, AOE, Utility.

An easy 1:
Spammable + Damage + Physical + Direct/Single Target + Melee + AOE.

What the formula would could do.

• Cost = Direct/Single Target + Melee = 2295 base cost.
• Cost Type = Ult (no) + Physical = Stamina
• Calculation = Direct/Single Target + Melee + Damage = 10k * 1.05(melee) = 10,500.
• Auxillary = Melee + Physical + AOE = 25% of damage done to your original target hits nearby enemies.

ZOS would only need to create what modifiers they want, list every combination it can create and either have set effects that just add on that the player chooses directly or decide what those look like based on a formula of combining different choices. Eg Melee + Physical + AOE = 25% damage done, but Melee + Fire + AOE = Cause targets around your initial target to take x damage over 4 seconds.

The effects are largely based on Element choice. Eg Physical = White, Flame = Red.

Design or recycle existing character animations, visual effects and sounds that they can simply apply a colour value modifer over.

• We asked for new weapons and new classes, we get companions.
• We asked for spellcrafting, we get Psijic Order and Scrying/Excavating.
• We asked for pvp, we get Tales of Tribute.

It's pretty obvious to me what the community asks for the most as you can see it on any Youtube Video, Forum Posts, Reddit, Polls, etc. So it begs the question why we're getting things that the majority of the community don't want to pay for?

I have to honestly say I've never seen a single person ask ZOS to create a Card Game. I've seen companions once or twice, but I doubt those people thought it would be that chapters entire mechanic, nor did I think they want companions with no inventory space, no set and theory crafting, 3 skills per tree with diluted versions of what we already use, crappy AI, 1 ultimate, a rapport system that punishes very small activities or the fact that we can't even change their hats.

By far, Spellcrafting, Classes and Weapons are the most popular requests, but they're all related to combat. ZOS has gone on record saying they can't even create new character animations because they're held back by older hardware, aka PS4 and Xbox One. However, this is a false equivalency in my opinion because Psijic Order, Warden and Necromancer were all released after the fact and they recycle animations we already use.

The character animations are not what make those combat alternatives interesting. The effects, tooltips, passives and theory crafting are. We don't care HOW you cast a skill, we care about what comes out. This problem didn't stop them from creating Crystal Weapon, an exact rip off of Crushing Weapon. They have different effects, different purposes, different visual effects, so it really doesn't matter how your character casts it.

We know they have no problem with introducing new visual effects because we get sets every 3 months that have brand new effects all the time. Bosses get new effects and those effects sometimes make it to sets. So it's literally as they put it, character animations.

MashmalloMan

To piggy back off my above comment on Spellcrafting and balance, you could use this as a way to offer classes what they may be missing the same way any world/guild skill line works. ZOS's mentality is that you should be able to complete anything and everything in the game viably, but not optimally.

They want you to use universal skill lines to cover the areas of your class that have things missing. Thats what keeps the classes unique playstyles, pro's and con's intact. Their option for something is usually the best and if it isn't, it's argueably bad game design and should be looked at lol.

Eg. DK's have chains for tanking, but any other class can use Fighters guild for chains. It's worse than DK's chains, but it's there and can help any class fill that type of skill for themselves while also providing some different pro's/con's like Stamina cost and more damage.

Or how about classes without Major Brutality/Sorcery like Necro, they use Degen or a Weapon Skill.

Spellcrafting would be a way to fill those gaps, but not replace what you already use (in most cases). So for a source of Major Brutality, maybe instead of Degen, you craft a spell that can do that.

You could choose to create that on a spammable, a heal, a self cast, an ultimate or an aoe for instance as 1 of the auxillary effects.

BrentBlemish

MashmalloMan wrote: »

To piggy back off my above comment on Spellcrafting and balance, you could use this as a way to offer classes what they may be missing the same way any world/guild skill line works. ZOS's mentality is that you should be able to complete anything and everything in the game viably, but not optimally.

They want you to use universal skill lines to cover the areas of your class that have things missing. Thats what keeps the classes unique playstyles, pro's and con's intact. Their option for something is usually the best and if it isn't, it's argueably bad game design and should be looked at lol.

Eg. DK's have chains for tanking, but any other class can use Fighters guild for chains. It's worse than DK's chains, but it's there and can help any class fill that type of skill for themselves while also providing some different pro's/con's like Stamina cost and more damage.

Or how about classes without Major Brutality/Sorcery like Necro, they use Degen or a Weapon Skill.

Spellcrafting would be a way to fill those gaps, but not replace what you already use (in most cases). So for a source of Major Brutality, maybe instead of Degen, you craft a spell that can do that.

You could choose to create that on a spammable, a heal, a self cast, an ultimate or an aoe for instance as 1 of the auxillary effects.

Spellcrafting would be great! But I also feel like so many early systems in this game have been left untouched, that Spellcrafting alone won't solve everything. For example... Once I'm all capped on spellcraffing stuff... What do I do now?

As much as WoW likes to get hate sometimes, at least every time they add an expansion to their game, they bring forth these huge game systems that become time sinks that also further progress your charecter. ESO desperately needs these things and revamp to old systems.

Fishing for example in ESO is so dated and lack luster, while games like Final Fantasy and even New World blow ESO's fishing so far out of the water that it's basically a joke.

If ZOS wants to add non combat related mini games to the game like Antiquities and card games, then add these mini games to crafting systems to make them deeper. Make special crafting nodes that can yeild great materials but requires you to go through some digging mini games or something to that extent.

Add some mini games to the fishing system. Just... DO SOMETHING to breath life into systems that already exist instead of adding all new ones no one asked for or wanted.

MashmalloMan

BrentBlemish wrote: »

MashmalloMan wrote: »

To piggy back off my above comment on Spellcrafting and balance, you could use this as a way to offer classes what they may be missing the same way any world/guild skill line works. ZOS's mentality is that you should be able to complete anything and everything in the game viably, but not optimally.

They want you to use universal skill lines to cover the areas of your class that have things missing. Thats what keeps the classes unique playstyles, pro's and con's intact. Their option for something is usually the best and if it isn't, it's argueably bad game design and should be looked at lol.

Eg. DK's have chains for tanking, but any other class can use Fighters guild for chains. It's worse than DK's chains, but it's there and can help any class fill that type of skill for themselves while also providing some different pro's/con's like Stamina cost and more damage.

Or how about classes without Major Brutality/Sorcery like Necro, they use Degen or a Weapon Skill.

Spellcrafting would be a way to fill those gaps, but not replace what you already use (in most cases). So for a source of Major Brutality, maybe instead of Degen, you craft a spell that can do that.

You could choose to create that on a spammable, a heal, a self cast, an ultimate or an aoe for instance as 1 of the auxillary effects.

Spellcrafting would be great! But I also feel like so many early systems in this game have been left untouched, that Spellcrafting alone won't solve everything. For example... Once I'm all capped on spellcraffing stuff... What do I do now?

As much as WoW likes to get hate sometimes, at least every time they add an expansion to their game, they bring forth these huge game systems that become time sinks that also further progress your charecter. ESO desperately needs these things and revamp to old systems.

Fishing for example in ESO is so dated and lack luster, while games like Final Fantasy and even New World blow ESO's fishing so far out of the water that it's basically a joke.

If ZOS wants to add non combat related mini games to the game like Antiquities and card games, then add these mini games to crafting systems to make them deeper. Make special crafting nodes that can yeild great materials but requires you to go through some digging mini games or something to that extent.

Add some mini games to the fishing system. Just... DO SOMETHING to breath life into systems that already exist instead of adding all new ones no one asked for or wanted.

Great points, I'd love some upgrades to existing systems too. However, I don't see improvements to existing systems as ways they can sell the chapter and thats where the issue comes into play.

I think ZOS is just really slow at this and for chapter selling mechanics, they need to create something new that will hook people. Improving crafting, something we already use and gets the job done isn't going to be something people want to pay for, nor should we.

The quality of life department that improves existing content is pretty solid imo actually. Most of the excitement I have and had for ESO in the past is based around their free updates, not their paid ones.

One Tamriel, CP, CP2.0, Outfits, Armory, Housing, Guild Store, Zone Guide, Hybrid Scaling, Hybrid Scaling sets, shfting IC and Battlegrounds to base game, Dynamic Scaling Light/Heavy attacks, Transmute system and Sticker Book come to mind. All base game improvements that got sprinkled in throughout the years, not necessarily when a chapter came.

One could argue a lot of those above changes came at launch with other games and we've given them feedback about things like light/heavy attack scaling for years, yet they only now implemented it. It makes ZOS look like they spent years playing catch up and ignoring us instead of creating unique content. It's questionable if we should applaud them for that, but I loved the changes all the same and enjoyed the game before they were there, so I guess thats something.

They really, REALLY, neglect older content. I'm surprised they still make mythics and companions at this point, but companions still have the same issues they had from launch. Again, shouldn't applaud them for releasing 2 more when imo they should of never lead with only 2 at launch last year.

They stopped creating new maps for Battlegrounds. Theiving, Dark Brotherhood and the justice system are just as simplistic and barebones as they were on their launch.

Idk.. I just want more combat related improvements, I think waiting 3 years, now 4 by the time the next chapter comes out is enough.

In regards to your question about Spellcrafting longevity. Creating a system with a cap on how many spells you can have and the ability to find the relevant "recipes", attached to a new currency would be how you create a repeatable system that can be later expanded upon. Maybe later on, they come up with new modifers you can play around with. I think the biggest problem with ESO is we don't have enough skills and weapons to mess around with. Most of the theory crafting comes from set building. I've basically had the same 7-8 skills on my stam sorc in pvp for 5 years. Thats a problem.

What spellcrafting would add to the game is theorycrafting and build exploration. Since you could create any generic idea of skill, you could make new builds that weren't possible, whether pvp, pve or just thematic. Eg. It's really hard to make a shock or ice mage right now, even less so with other elements (besides fire). Being able to create an ult, spammable, dot or buff based on those elements would breath new life into ESO. What about pets? Maybe a pet you can create for non pet classes. Things like that.

I tell you 1 thing, it'd be 10 times better than Psijic Order, that was 1 and done. 6 generic skills that fit 1 archetype each, so basically 1-2 skills useful to most people for an 8 hour grind fest.