Since Pop count is low

wrrn519_ESO

With the amount of lull currently in the game and with the lower amount of people playing, are they going to give us some news about Endless Archives to boost some hype for upcoming news for the game? I was very interested to see what that was all about and having some lasting content to progress with. Everyone knows that upcoming Starfield and BG3 didn't help things out for numbers so any news would be a nice change for upcoming things instead of QoL.

Tenthirty2

Pop count low?...

nearly every night, except Sundays on PC\NA EST N.Elsweyr is consistently busy and the newer zones like High Isle, Galen and TP and Apoc all have quite a few ppl running about.

Where are you seeing that pop count is low?
Murkmire maybe lol

ZOS_Kevin

wrrn519_ESO wrote: »

are they going to give us some news about Endless Archives to boost some hype for upcoming news for the game? I was very interested to see what that was all about and having some lasting content to progress with.

We announced that we would have a livestream on Sept. 14 to talk about the Infinite Archive and the rest of the year. Full article coming soon.

AcadianPaladin

I agree with @Tenthirty2 . My elf lives in Elden Root on PCNA and it is way too crowded. You can barely see yourself in the Undaunted Enclave or turning in writs. Every delve or public dungeon we go into is crowded. I'd like to see more instances so that the density of players can be lowered in each. I'm spending more and more time 'processing' after quests etc in my houses because the cities are annoyingly crowded. And the plethora of flapping pets, duels in cities, exploding mounts and neon green arcanist effects only aggravates things.

TaSheen

Vivec is so crowded I keep thinking I should move..... That's both PC NA and PC EU (I play PC NA off peak - and it's STILL crowded - and PC EU is on peak and.... just UGH).

SilverBride

I've seen as many players around as usual.

ArchMikem

SilverBride wrote: »

I've seen as many players around as usual.

I as well. Every time I log in, the crowd densities always seem to be on par with what's usual. People talking about player counts are probably just look at the Steam Charts and thinking it's the case for all Servers and Platforms.

Ghaleb

I neither agree nor disagree with OP. But I think it is again necessary to point out two topics:

1. ESO is running on instances. Meaning: Only because <plugin any area you want> is buzzing, doesn't mean there is a high or higher than normal playercount. It means you are on a high(ly) utilized instance. Same goes for empty areas.
2. Steam is not representative for other platforms. But due to size of the sample, it is indicative of a trend. A trendline showing a(n) decline/increase of players on Steam will not translate 1:1 to other platforms. But the expectation, and any statistician will confirm that, can be voiced, that you will see a similar trendline on other platforms as well

edit: can't spell...

Shara_Wynn

I agree with the OP. I feel the lull also. Now with BG3 and soon with Starfield I have no doubt.

People will always gravitate to what is shiny and new. That is just how it is. ESO can't and won't live forever. It will inevitably diminish and go into the west...

But I think that's ok and we should all be looking forward to what comes next.

**EDIT** And I hope that the wonderful team behind ESO will be there right alongside us all.

wilykcat

I can say that about any online game. I thought world of warcraft will go under but no it still exist and still has a playerbase.

Anything that's trending becomes popular very quickly and then later on loses popularity even faster.

Shara_Wynn

wilykcat wrote: »

I can say that about any online game. I thought world of warcraft will go under but no it still exist and still has a playerbase.

Anything that's trending becomes popular very quickly and then later on loses popularity even faster.

Indeed, as will be the case for both BG3 and Starfield in time. However given how tantalizingly close we are to quantum computing and AI driven content soon games like WOW, ESO, BG3 and Starfield will all feel like we are playing with ancient tech.

I still remember the horror of 3D Monster Maze - truly it scared the hell out of me whenever I turned the corner and saw that T Rex coming for me, or the 'Deaths' in Gauntlet *shudders*.

And alas MMO's and MMORPG's are about the community and once my friends all stop playing then I will follow.

GooGa592

Pop caps in cyrodiil are currently the lowest they've ever been. The PvP and end game PvE community are currently at the lowest numbers since release.

Tandor

I suppose we should be adding Starfield to the list of other games like ArcheAge, Wildstar and more recently BG3 that were going to see off ESO when they launched.

Twohothardware

ESO really needs crossplay across platforms to address the lower pop count, particularly on console, because that issue isn't going to go away simply with the release of a new dlc dungeon.

Zenimax bought the new hardware for all the platforms, it's time to link them together.

wrrn519_ESO

Ty Zos_Kevin, I was not aware that was upcoming. I am extremely excited to hear what all of you have in store.
Have a great and adventuresome day!!!

bulbousb16_ESO

GooGa592 wrote: »

Pop caps in cyrodiil are currently the lowest they've ever been. The PvP and end game PvE community are currently at the lowest numbers since release.

PvP numbers were very high before Necrom. Right after it released. They went low. I wonder why?

merpins

I mean a year without any second major DLCs like this one will cool off towards the later half of the year. After U35 as well, this cooling is a bit more intense. The 2-man dungeon probably won't have a huge effect unless it's super good, thus we probably won't see any big upticks in players until the next major DLC comes around next year, and only if they announce something worthwhile will they really see any major increases i'd wager.

Necrotech_Master

bulbousb16_ESO wrote: »

GooGa592 wrote: »

Pop caps in cyrodiil are currently the lowest they've ever been. The PvP and end game PvE community are currently at the lowest numbers since release.

PvP numbers were very high before Necrom. Right after it released. They went low. I wonder why?

that was likely due to burnout from the pre-necrom pvp event lol

then we had another pvp event post-necrom lol

not like we needed more burnout lol

Malprave

I’ve gotta disagree with this idea that the game population is low strongly. Frankly, I have never, ever, seen it this crowded.

Seems like wherever I go, no matter how far off the beaten path it is, somebody will come running by being chased by a bear(or whatever). There is always somebody there.

Pushover world bosses that I routinely use as punching bags when working out builds have players standing in line to kill them, 24/7.

I can get dungeon groups as a dps at really strange times, day and night. I’m not saying there’s no wait, there is but no more than normal. It used to be that if you wanted to pug you’d better que during prime time or forget it.

Of course this is anecdotal, but my main has every way shrine, and I go everywhere, and everywhere there is some little dude running by in his underwear, world boss in tow.

MrGarlic

It depends where on the maps you go.

The capital cities and trade hubs seem to be as lively as they have always been, but get further afield and there are fewer players around. But that seems normal compared to the 7 previous years I have played.

However I just did the public dungeons in High Isle and of the 4 runs I did there, I was alone in 3 of them. So, there is that..

Amottica

Tenthirty2 wrote: »

Pop count low?...

nearly every night, except Sundays on PC\NA EST N.Elsweyr is consistently busy and the newer zones like High Isle, Galen and TP and Apoc all have quite a few ppl running about.

Where are you seeing that pop count is low?
Murkmire maybe lol

I often wonder where people get that the game's population is low.

TaSheen

Amottica wrote: »

Tenthirty2 wrote: »

Pop count low?...

nearly every night, except Sundays on PC\NA EST N.Elsweyr is consistently busy and the newer zones like High Isle, Galen and TP and Apoc all have quite a few ppl running about.

Where are you seeing that pop count is low?
Murkmire maybe lol

I often wonder where people get that the game's population is low.

Yeah.

SeaGtGruff

Shara_Wynn wrote: »

And alas MMO's and MMORPG's are about the community and once my friends all stop playing then I will follow.

I think that depends on the players.

Soloists probably don't care so much about "the community," and play specific MMOs because they're interested in the game itself, not in "the community."

And if group-oriented players are playing specific MMOs because of "the community" then it begs the question, how much do they actually care about the game itself?

On the other hand, if group-oriented players are playing specific MMOs because they're interested in the game itself, it seems likely that they will make new friends within the game if a lot of their old in-game friends leave or die.

Mathius_Mordred

wrrn519_ESO wrote: »

With the amount of lull currently in the game and with the lower amount of people playing, are they going to give us some news about Endless Archives to boost some hype for upcoming news for the game? I was very interested to see what that was all about and having some lasting content to progress with. Everyone knows that upcoming Starfield and BG3 didn't help things out for numbers so any news would be a nice change for upcoming things instead of QoL.

Your opening argument is flawed. Population doesn't seem low to me, you may have been in a new instance with just a few peeps in it. BG3 and Starfield will definitely take some players but only until they finish each game or lose interest then they will be back. ESO is a continually developed and virtually endless game as are other MMOs, that's one of the attractions for me at least.

Shara_Wynn

SeaGtGruff wrote: »

Shara_Wynn wrote: »

And alas MMO's and MMORPG's are about the community and once my friends all stop playing then I will follow.

I think that depends on the players.

Soloists probably don't care so much about "the community," and play specific MMOs because they're interested in the game itself, not in "the community."

And if group-oriented players are playing specific MMOs because of "the community" then it begs the question, how much do they actually care about the game itself?

On the other hand, if group-oriented players are playing specific MMOs because they're interested in the game itself, it seems likely that they will make new friends within the game if a lot of their old in-game friends leave or die.

You are right, it does depend on the players.

Perhaps I should repharse:

Shara_Wynn wrote: »

And alas MMO's and MMORPG's for me are about the community and once my friends all stop playing then I will follow.

For me, if a game gets stale, and my friends are still playing, I am more than likely to keep playing. But once "that community" is gone, then so too am I.

Lags

The cope is beyond unreal. Of course the game feels more empty. And tbh, it will never feel like it did back in one tamriel. People everywhere, capitol city chats flooded with people lfg for dungeons. 20-30 people dueling outside the undaunted areas. People trading in chat. Many new players. These things have dwindled over the years, and over the last 2 years seem to really dwindle a lot.

Many things change, and theres many reasons it feels more empty. But overall, craglorn feels so dead compared to how it was a year ago. Cyrodil seems so dead unless its a weekend, and even then you dont see ques like you used to. A lot of the time i get in at prime time without a que on weekends, and almost always on weekdays. Gone are the days of a 200 que prime times, and maybe thats a good thing but its very telling.

Dungeon finder is beyond slow, you can blame it on the dungeon finder itself if you want, but i remain unconvinced its not partly because of less players queing. Less trial pugs, although its gotten better from the update 35 debacle. My friends list is 90% people who haven't logged in for months or longer. And i dont mean low level players with a few hundred hours, im talking about players who have played for many years. Same with some guilds im in that dont kick people like that. My mournhold guild trader will always look alive, for sure, though. Less people watching on twitch. More creators leaving, more players i know gone.

It is what it is, if you play casually its all sunshine and rainbows, and im happy for you.

SilverBride

Lags wrote: »

...craglorn feels so dead compared to how it was a year ago. Cyrodil seems so dead unless its a weekend...

Craglorn and Cyrodiil are the least populated zones in the game. Craglorn is players standing around town looking for groups and carries, or players farming for nirncrux. It's rare to find someone actually questing or any other activity there. And Cyrodiil is specifically for PvP and that is not an activity that the majority regularly take part in. These zones are not a good representation of the game in general.

ProudMary

Amottica wrote: »

Tenthirty2 wrote: »

Pop count low?...

nearly every night, except Sundays on PC\NA EST N.Elsweyr is consistently busy and the newer zones like High Isle, Galen and TP and Apoc all have quite a few ppl running about.

Where are you seeing that pop count is low?
Murkmire maybe lol

I often wonder where people get that the game's population is low.

The PvP population is a fraction of what it was 4 years ago. As in there are less than 1/4 of the PvP players as there were 4 years ago. They've even reduced the pop caps to about 80/faction when it used to be 400/faction. So denying the pop hasn't gone down is not rational. U35 devastated the end game PvE community and about 1/2 the streamers that used to stream ESO moved to other games. There are a vastly reduced end game community and as a result far fewer tutorials for new content is being created.

But I'm certain there are at least a couple regulars that will remain in denial on this issue.

ProudMary

SilverBride wrote: »

Lags wrote: »

...craglorn feels so dead compared to how it was a year ago. Cyrodil seems so dead unless its a weekend...

Craglorn and Cyrodiil are the least populated zones in the game. Craglorn is players standing around town looking for groups and carries, or players farming for nirncrux. It's rare to find someone actually questing or any other activity there. And Cyrodiil is specifically for PvP and that is not an activity that the majority regularly take part in. These zones are not a good representation of the game in general.

Except PvP and Craglorn (where people wait to group for end game PvE content) populations ARE representative of the overall population of the game.

Holycannoli

SilverBride wrote: »

I've seen as many players around as usual.

That's because of instancing. The world will not feel empty, it will just have fewer instances.

There are a lot of new games out now and in the very near future so it's expected that the pop will drop.

XxCaLxX

Overall population on Xbox NA seems pretty much the same as always. It's mainly just the type of players that's on alot now. Not as much endgame players and players that want to achieve endgame content. It's become way to repetitive and stale. Something PvP has to deal with also. It's way too easy to achieve end game builds and perfected gear only barely better than normal doesn't help and it's still too easy to get. Outside of trifectas endgame is a joke.