Studio Director’s Message Key Points
Update 46 is now available for testing on the PTS! You can read the latest patch notes here: https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/676209
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Jaraal✭✭✭✭✭
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people are freaking out and are very anxious about what these changes will mean. You can't leave it to April. 4 MONTHS before giving some sort of outline about what your seasonal model will look like.
Seriously, this is what we mean about communication issues. The letter is super exciting, and has heaps of potential, but it's also promising some big changes and a lot of people are really not comfortable with change. You CANNOT just say "we're changing everything but we're not going to tell you how this is going to work for almost half a year!"
It will be very interesting to watch the ESO Steam Charts over the next few months.
There's no doubt that encouraging players to pre-order chapters so they can get "free" goodies helps to drive the engagement. People want to keep playing, in anticipation of what the next big thing (and their already paid money) brings. Simply telling players, "Well, we have stuff planned, but we aren't going to tell you about it for a few months, or whether you have to pay for it, where it is, what's included, etc. But we may or may not be experimenting with various things.... you just have to trust us that it'll be worth your while" is such an open ended and nondescript concept that it allows players to walk away from the game without really having a reason to.
It's one thing to have a roadmap, and a completely different thing to have an old farmer working on his tractor tell you, "Oh, just head on down the road a ways 'till you see a big tree, take a left and go up that hill over yonder until you find what yer looking for."
People will actually pay for a map.13 -
Castagere✭✭✭✭✭The game world is huge. And they will do what just about every MMO should be doing and give us a reason to revisit all those older zones. So I'm okay with that, and I'm tired of all the chapter stuff and over-the-top chapter boss fights. Of course, it will suck for those of us that do zone completions.1 -
Lyraen_Skyforge✭✭✭✭✭
✭People will actually pay for a map.
The last roadmap had a big “housing feature” and major “PvP update”. Both were very poorly received.
The ambiguous roadmap gives people too much hope and then backfires when people are disappointed.
The “good vibes” projected by community managers and player facing employees has started to feel super forced and fake. Too much lip service and not enough results.22 -
DaniimalsSF✭✭✭
nothing new in that.
It’s so interesting how we can come to such vastly different perspectives. It’s my perception that 90% of the game is solo content. I don’t know if people can solo trials, but everything else right? Keeps in Cyrodill can even be taken solo.5 -
the1andonlyskwex✭✭✭✭✭
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@ZOS_JessicaFolsom has already stated that "Seasons" are not going to be removed.
ZOS is simply going to be adding more content for players to do as it is ready throughout the year as opposed to waiting each year to dump what the team has worked on for months and then players play that content for 3 mo and then leave. The new design I believe is to try and keep "new" content in the pipe through the year while still having all the other content to complete for new / returning players or even your daily players who decides to switch up some content they're playing.
They may not be taking away "Content" at the end of each season, but you can bet that every season will have it's own golden pursuit, and its own event ticket / cosmetic grind, and possibly it's own set of activities that provide bonus drops, etc..
I already have trouble keeping up with events and endeavors. Maybe it won't be as bad as I fear, but I'm not sure I'm willing to stick around and find out.11 -
MedicInTheWild✭✭✭
I think Matts letter a nice PR way of addressing current challenges this year has faced and a way they plan on handling them.
It's a "hey we want to give you a heads up this is coming.. but as for the specifics of the content we want to wait to do our global reveal". Global reveals/season reveals are important for PR and pushing new players into the game. If they didn't give anyone heads up and dropped the bomb on us then everyone would be asking questions like they are right now instead of focusing on the specifics of the content that was unveiled - which would not drive new players.
As for them coming into this thread.. this is them improving communications. They are immediately stepping in and clearing up any confusion before it goes off the rails - something we all have been asking for.
The biggest takeaway from the letter to me is they waited to release the poor PVP performance statement in the letter. We all know the performance is horrible, they should have addressed this months ago. I fear they have waited to long as many new games have been released and people are moving on and all you have to do is look at streamers that were almost exclusive to ESO weather PVP or PVE and see they are into other games recently. Also i believe I seen a post that seems more on this wont be released until April........ That's 4 more months of unknown/poor performance before we see their plans to fix this astonishing issue which could take an unknown amount of time.
They think they will be able to grab people back which is true, but not at the numbers which they have lost to other games. To give an example I play with a few that have moved to POE2 and are having a blast, does it have lag....some but I dont crash every 30 minutes. Will I return to ESO? Not if the fix is 6 months from now. The community begging for a fix to a problem that has been ongoing and they wait to place the notice in the yearly letter shows they want it to be a yearly goal, not a lets fix this problem for a community that has kept us alive for over a decade has an issue with.
I have said very few repetitive things in post which has seemed to do nothing but ended in nothing but "timeouts".
1. The only thing we seem to get in forums is reprimanded for bashing and being "off topic". I think this is the wrong way to go personally. It is rare they can answer anything which I understand the forum mods can only release what is allowed but telling what the community feels should not be blocked it should encourage actions on the management side to get results.
2. The crown store will always have new stuff to sell no matter how bad of a state the game is in. I understand that is their way of income to support a game. How much more could it be if they would fix the issues that players are leaving the game over. I know myself I am in the tens of thousand in money spent and I am done supporting the cause. Why would anyone continue to spend their money to support a game when you cant even do something as simple as use the damn mounts you spent $20+ dollars on when your stuck in combat.
3. HOT's (Healing over time) - This is way to much currently. I can walk into a ball group and not die, I went to make a cup of coffee and came back and still wasn't dead on a 26k health 19K resistance toon and wasn't in stealth. Until they reduce the amount per instance on you they will never have a healthy combat progression. They fail to utilize Battle spirit when I have run across multiple forums with this suggestion. Until they make a wide difference with battle spirit they wont have balance in the game.
With Love, MedicMedic
All platforms and servers1 -
Enodoc✭✭✭✭✭
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I predict "Season Passes" which will unlock content early (I think someone else suggested a similar thing further up), and Season content won't be added to ESO Plus for at least 2 or 3 cycles.Vonnegut2506 wrote: »If you thought they couldn't monetize things more, just wait until you see the new seasonal model.
But maybe they will finally get around to completing the "Larger Delves" project which they started in Update 3 (and postponed after Update 6). They still have the delves in the Tier 2 and Tier 3 base game zones to expand to a comparable size to the rest.
"Experimenting with more zones like Craglorn" sounds interesting too - could this be the return of Adventure Zones?
Edit to clarify: "Interesting" doesn't necessarily mean "good". I thought Craglorn was revamped specifically because nobody liked the Adventure Zone / Group content.
Also I would suggest a Unique Icon for Prologue Quests rather than removing the prologue quest pin completely. Even if new players won't initially see them, returning players should still get some sort of indication that it's something a bit different from a Story quest or Side quest.Edited by Enodoc on December 19, 2024 8:04PMUESP: The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages - A collaborative source for all knowledge on the Elder Scrolls series since 1995
Join us on Discord - discord.gg/uesp1 -
J18696✭✭✭✭✭the1andonlyskwex wrote: »
They may not be taking away "Content" at the end of each season, but you can bet that every season will have it's own golden pursuit, and its own event ticket / cosmetic grind, and possibly it's own set of activities that provide bonus drops, etc..
I already have trouble keeping up with events and endeavors. Maybe it won't be as bad as I fear, but I'm not sure I'm willing to stick around and find out.
We already have this now the event ticket cosmetics are already seasonal then at the end of the year we get the opportunity to earn the prevoius items again.
When they say seasonal I think its just them saying we will release content over the 3 month? Period as it's ready rather than wait for all of it tobe ready and leave the playerbase with nothing new untill that point.2 -
Jaraal✭✭✭✭✭
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The last roadmap had a big “housing feature” and major “PvP update”. Both were very poorly received.
The ambiguous roadmap gives people too much hope and then backfires when people are disappointed.
Yeah, the palpable let down after such a hopeful tease has many people questioning what these upcoming things mean. If people start expecting fabulous things, but are instead given minor tweaks to existing systems as 'new content,' then why should they remain optimistic? Actions speak louder than words. And how many people are actually satisfied with the "new PvP and housing content" that was promised last year?
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MidniteOwl1913✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭DaniimalsSF wrote: »
It’s so interesting how we can come to such vastly different perspectives. It’s my perception that 90% of the game is solo content. I don’t know if people can solo trials, but everything else right? Keeps in Cyrodill can even be taken solo.
I think in part that depends on skill level. Some players have trouble with soloing dungeons and WB's for instance. And I couldn't take a keep in Cryo solo if my life depended on it...
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the1andonlyskwex✭✭✭✭✭
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We already have this now the event ticket cosmetics are already seasonal then at the end of the year we get the opportunity to earn the prevoius items again.
When they say seasonal I think its just them saying we will release content over the 3 month? Period as it's ready rather than wait for all of it tobe ready and leave the playerbase with nothing new untill that point.
I'm saying that I expect all of the same event stuff we have now, plus a bunch of "seasonal" (possibly paid or semi-paid) stuff on top of that. Golden Pursuits are a good example of the new model in action. More limited-time grinds, that are stacked on top of the ones we've already had for the last few years. I fully expect (paid) battle passes too, because that's what games with seasonal models do.1 -
J18696✭✭✭✭✭the1andonlyskwex wrote: »
I'm saying that I expect all of the same event stuff we have now, plus a bunch of "seasonal" (possibly paid or semi-paid) stuff on top of that. Golden Pursuits are a good example of the new model in action. More limited-time grinds, that are stacked on top of the ones we've already had for the last few years. I fully expect (paid) battle passes too, because that's what games with seasonal models do.
I understand but if it's true eso plus subs are falling off I fully expect them to just implement these premium passes into that but I get u in the worst timeline possible we see exactly what you describe0 -
TX12001rwb17_ESO✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭Hopefully now we will beable to get smaller DLC in areas of the map that are missing like Central Elsweyr, also it will be great to get new DLC for Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood.1 -
Defatank✭✭✭✭the1andonlyskwex wrote: »
They may not be taking away "Content" at the end of each season, but you can bet that every season will have it's own golden pursuit, and its own event ticket / cosmetic grind, and possibly it's own set of activities that provide bonus drops, etc..
I already have trouble keeping up with events and endeavors. Maybe it won't be as bad as I fear, but I'm not sure I'm willing to stick around and find out.
Oh I 100% agree with you. There is going to be unlocks / rewards tied to the seasons but its really no different than the achievement system that we have in place right now for completing content and getting rewarded for it, which I'm sure some of it will be for a "limited" time to obtain which again not really any different than what we've been given over the past 10 years. There's plenty of things I've missed out on that are only obtainable from impresario bags during certain events because I missed the actual event when they dropped so really no big drastic changes coming in those senses I dont believe. However going back to the changes at hand these changes will in fact encourage / carrot on a stick (if you will) players to stick around and be active on a more regular basis since content will be released more regularly as opposed to here's a mass amount of content to do at your own pace or burn through it in a week then complain for a year about not having anything "new" to do.2 -
shadyjane62✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭ohaphazardo wrote: »Once again ZERO love for solo players...
I too am a solo player closed out of a lot of content.6 -
Jaraal✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭shadyjane62 wrote: »
I too am a solo player closed out of a lot of content.
You'll be closed out of a lot more, too, if they make a harder overland.
Like somebody said earlier, fighting a skeever for two minutes so you can harvest a resource node is going to push a lot of players away.13 -
Vonnegut2506✭✭✭✭✭For harder overland difficulty, they should just let the person who designed the boss fights in West Weald be in charge. That way every overland mob could have several periods where they are immune to damage and take forever to kill.7 -
Lyraen_Skyforge✭✭✭✭✭
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You'll be closed out of a lot more, too, if they make a harder overland.
Like somebody said earlier, fighting a skeever for two minutes so you can harvest a resource node is going to push a lot of players away.
just the idea of wasting time on trash while trying to do zone dailies is already enough to push me away.
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Amottica✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭While I am afraid that instead of paying once a year for chapter, we might be required to pay more times (per season)... The real concern for my playstyle is this part:
If this will be done, it will be the end of ESO for me personally
I like easy fights in overland, casually exploring and not being afraid of mobs who guard treasure chests and resources. I already prefer to not participate in world boss/world events in chapters and DLC zones - but when I see an active Dark Anchor in base game zones, I always go for it.
And zones which force (or strongly encourage) grouping like old Craglorn are not how I wish to play nowadays
I doubt they increase the difficulty level by much. They know that most of the player base is not interested in a big challenge in overland or quests. They have said as much before. Today it is extremely easy so they will likely just ramp it up to be regular easy.
As for how often we pay, we have been paying multiple times a year. Either someone subscribes or they purchase the DLCs or they do without. They will not be getting rid of the sub as that is a cash cow that brings in a lot more than selling DLCs.
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Sakiri✭✭✭✭✭
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You'll be closed out of a lot more, too, if they make a harder overland.
Like somebody said earlier, fighting a skeever for two minutes so you can harvest a resource node is going to push a lot of players away.
You mean, so someone else can walk up and take it while you're still fighting.
Toxicity at it's finest.12 -
Ragnarok0130✭✭✭✭✭
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Just to clarify, no one said we are not doing things like this anymore. They just won’t be packaged under a chapter. We still plan on story content, music, world activities, etc. We’ll have more info to share in April.
You have to understand if things are released together as a chapter like we've historically received we can justify your rather hefty price tags whereas if you split content up I'm not sure one can justify the inevitable ZoS pricing schema for far less content released more frequently.7 -
Ragnarok0130✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭Alinhbo_Tyaka wrote: »After reading the letter I get the feeling we will see the Fallout 76'ization of ESO. This is something that would be the last nail in the coffin as far as my having anything to do with the game. The letter also gives me the impression that the team is at the end of its creative line and will be doing the minimum to keep the cash flowing rather than continue with the comprehensive story lines you'd expect from an Elder Scrolls game.
I play Fallout 76 occasionally. The whole season thing is a mechanism to get players on a treadmill without a lot of effort in actual content development. I can see the Golden Pursuits and Endeavors becoming the equivalent of FO76's daily/weekly challenges that reward points for unlocking the seasonal rewards and obtaining currency to purchase the unlocked rewards. The season is also monetized such that many of the best rewards are locked behind the monthly Fallout 1st sub. While not truly pay to win it sure pushes the limits of what's not P2W. It is a model I would never have expected from an MMO that is suppose to be top tier player. I guess we will find out in April just how far ZOS has gone.
I agree. I'm a BETA FO76 player and got so sick of the seasonal treadmill after the first few seasons that I stopped playing and I really liked FO76. The last thing I want in ESO as an ESO BETA player is the same kind of nonsense I experienced in FO76. This 100% feels like going into maintenance mode while trying to squeeze every last cent from the player base on the way out.11 -
OnnuK✭✭✭✭I do not agree to this:
"We have been able to keep up with the times, make hard decisions and big changes when it was time to make them. Looking back on all the changes that have gotten us here, it is pretty clear that we have generally made the right decisions at the right times for our game"
Almost all the recent changes seem to alienate ESO's hardcore players in both PvE and PvP.
I’ve practically stopped playing—only logging in for Endeavors—because I’ve lost my motivation. I’ve already collected all the necessary gear, completed all the dungeons and trials to a reasonable extent, and, to make matters worse, my trial group has left the game. While a battle pass might offer some motivation, the question remains: motivation for what, exactly?
PvP was supposed to be my endgame after finishing all the PvE content, but as we all know, real PvP has been abandoned since 2017.Edited by OnnuK on December 18, 2024 5:52AMPC/EU @onnuk, Guild: ANADOLU "|H1:guild:29269|hAnadolu|h"13 -
agelonestar✭✭✭✭✭There are some interesting - and some slightly worrying - points in Matt's message.
I'm intrigued by the thought that the base game zones could be improved and updated - that's long overdue, if that's what is going to happen. Cyrodiil is looooooong overdue some attention. These things could be really positive for the game.
As a GM, I see all too clearly how hard it is for some players to get started or return to the game, so putting some effort into an improved glide path is a great idea.
I guess my biggest request for ZoS is that they don't overlook players who, for whatever reason, spend most of their time playing solo (like me). I don't want "hard" overland content - I want to be able to opt into harder stuff when it suits me and I know I'm not alone in that. I don't want to be forced into a group all the time, either. I come to Tamriel to escape reality and I'll admit there are days I don't want to be sociable.
The mantra for Elder Scrolls Online has long been "play your way". I hope that's still possible throughout 2025 and beyond.GM of Sunfire's Sect trading guild on PC/EU. All that is gold does not glitter; not all those who wander are lost...... some of us are just looking for trouble.SpoilerGM of Sunfire's Sect (Open) & Dark Star Rising (Priv) | Retired GM of several trade guilds | Trader | Here since the beta7 -
Coo_PnT✭✭✭I was one of the players who mainly enjoyed PvP in Cyrodiil.
I don't see a good future for ESO, and after all the requests for fixes to Cyrodiil, can they really fix it now if they are serious about it? Can you fix the bug where the combat state cannot be unlocked?
Even after testing the set equipment procs and updating the hardware of the server itself, it could not be fixed.
I hope there will be some innovative fixes that will bring people back to Cyrodiil.
I would also appreciate it if you could look into the PvP class balance and cross heel issues.PC/NA
My native language is not English, so please forgive me if there are any odd expressions.
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Mayrael✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Overland content difficulty - Finally! I've been waiting for this since One Tamriel. If it's implemented well—making encounters more engaging by requiring blocking, dodge rolls, and break free mechanics, rather than just mobs with more HP—this is a reason for me to be excited.
Cyrodiil - I feel like our (players') imagination might have run a bit wild here. Personally, I think the purpose of this change isn't to redefine balance but to actually address problematic skills - just like Matt wrote. I believe the main focus will be on ball groups and generally on AoE skills with complex effects.
Seasons - The most important aspect here, in my opinion, is the cost and payment structure. I hope we won’t be forced to buy seasons four times a year at the price of a chapter each time.
The matter of new and returning players - For a very, very long time, ESO has been focusing on this group of players. While I don’t mind making it easier for them to get into the game, it would be nice to also acknowledge the veteran players who have been supporting the game for years through its ups and downs. I hope you'll keep your promise and work on resolving the persistent issues in the game that have been reported for years.Say no to Toxic Casuals!
I am doing my best, but I am not a native speaker, sorry.
"Difficulty scaling is desperately needed. 9 years. 6 paid expansions. 24 DLCs. 40 game changing updates including A Realm Reborn-tier overhaul of the game including a permanent CP160 gear cap and ridiculous power creep thereafter. I'm sick and tired of hearing about Cadwell Silver&Gold as a "you think you do but you don't"-tier deflection to any criticism regarding the lack of overland difficulty in the game." - @AlexanderDeLarge3 -
licenturion✭✭✭✭✭
You'll be closed out of a lot more, too, if they make a harder overland.
Like somebody said earlier, fighting a skeever for two minutes so you can harvest a resource node is going to push a lot of players away.
Or those new quest markers in existing zones when you talk to the NPC and get a 'this quest requires the Dragon's Dominion Pass' or how about 'the use of this armor station requires the Elder's Legacy Pass'.
I am one of those players who is there for new vista's, new stories, new music, new assets and new systems. But I don't think we will get much of this anymore.
Also difficulty should be like Diablo with world tier difficulty settings so they don't chase away a big silent part of the player base that play ESO specifically for this reason.Edited by licenturion on December 18, 2024 11:39AM3 -
PrincessOfThieves✭✭✭✭✭
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I don't think it's because ZOS hates raiders. I think it's because there aren't many raiders.
There are so few raiders because the lack of content and questionable design changes drove away a lot of midgame players. There really isn't much to do for an average player. You can get an achievement or a perfected set of gear, but if you are not hardcore enough for trifectas, there's no real reason to continue playing the same few trials over and over again.
I really wish there were better rewards, not just for the most hardcore players. For example, the way it is now, there is no real incentive to prog hardmodes if you know that you won't get the trifecta. You'd ony get a title, and most of us already have tons of them.3 -
colossalvoids✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭PrincessOfThieves wrote: »
There are so few raiders because the lack of content and questionable design changes drove away a lot of midgame players. There really isn't much to do for an average player. You can get an achievement or a perfected set of gear, but if you are not hardcore enough for trifectas, there's no real reason to continue playing the same few trials over and over again.
I really wish there were better rewards, not just for the most hardcore players. For example, the way it is now, there is no real incentive to prog hardmodes if you know that you won't get the trifecta. You'd ony get a title, and most of us already have tons of them.
To me it felt way more healthier before crown store took over completely sharing a lot of the same rewards to endgame content. I remember how many people I know became raiders and pushed for trifectas and scores after just once expressing their interest in covering their vamp with a skin from vmol, then to more shiny at vhof etc. being completely casual before that, like I for example bought the game to literally just read new tes lorebooks initially. This progression is lost with being showered with free and paid cosmetics every month to the point you're too lazy to browse the collection anymore and use defaults most of the time. Loot and looks are a big thing for an (online) RPG and the balance is tricky to not lost something when adding more fluff every single year in masses.2