Writhing Wall Event – Consolidated Messaging Thread

PunkAben

I guess game development at Zenimax is going the same way as a chicken’s scratch — random, messy, and with no real purpose.
Honestly, you didn’t have to go out of your way to make an event this bland. It’s almost as thrilling as collecting survey maps… without the reward.

twisttop138

Sarannah wrote: »

Questions: Looking at the article, it states only the vitrified souls and camp defense quests to be able to drop the coldharbour home, but some players have posted the crafting ones do too? Do the blue coffers also have a chance for the home to drop, or only the golden coffers? Do the blue *crafting* coffers have a chance for the home to drop?

kind_hero wrote: »

Right now, I wish the event would be much shorter, I would rather go straight to Eastern Solstice and do the story content, than grind the wall for another month.

Personally I also do not like this way of releasing content, I would rather buy a chapter outright and gain access to it at a certain date. Having access to content at a certain date makes me look forward to the content. With the current event it feels like I have to earn/work for my already bought content(and will probably be burned out by the time I can access it). Realize, this is coming from someone who loves doing daily quests!

Better would have been to release the content at a certain date. And use the wall/event thing to open up something smaller like a new secondary trial, or two new dungeons, or a new character slot, or the zone's public dungeon, or that new zone in a different time period, or a new companion, or something like that. That way we can look forward to the new content, have a reason to progress the bar, have a reason to play in the new content, and have something to unlock which doesn't really matter when it unlocks exactly.

But but but...you don't like being tricked? Made to think this dlc zone the size of Markarth (with a worse story) was worth 50 dollars and big enough to be split over the whole year? Then made to compete in a ridiculous, boring unrewarding event just to get the other half of the content you paid for? You're not into that?

The devs are probably laughing their behinds off. You think this years bad. Next year this time you'll be begging us for a tiny zone.

Edit. Self censored

LootAllTheStuff

twisttop138 wrote: »

Sarannah wrote: »

Questions: Looking at the article, it states only the vitrified souls and camp defense quests to be able to drop the coldharbour home, but some players have posted the crafting ones do too? Do the blue coffers also have a chance for the home to drop, or only the golden coffers? Do the blue *crafting* coffers have a chance for the home to drop?

kind_hero wrote: »

Right now, I wish the event would be much shorter, I would rather go straight to Eastern Solstice and do the story content, than grind the wall for another month.

Personally I also do not like this way of releasing content, I would rather buy a chapter outright and gain access to it at a certain date. Having access to content at a certain date makes me look forward to the content. With the current event it feels like I have to earn/work for my already bought content(and will probably be burned out by the time I can access it). Realize, this is coming from someone who loves doing daily quests!

Better would have been to release the content at a certain date. And use the wall/event thing to open up something smaller like a new secondary trial, or two new dungeons, or a new character slot, or the zone's public dungeon, or that new zone in a different time period, or a new companion, or something like that. That way we can look forward to the new content, have a reason to progress the bar, have a reason to play in the new content, and have something to unlock which doesn't really matter when it unlocks exactly.

But but but...you don't like being tricked? Made to think this dlc zone the size of Markarth (with a worse story) was worth 50 dollars and big enough to be split over the whole year? Then made to compete in a ridiculous, boring unrewarding event just to get the other half of the content you paid for? You're not into that?

The devs are probably laughing their behinds off. You think this years bad. Next year this time you'll be begging us for a tiny zone.

Edit. Self censored

I doubt very much that the devs are "laughing their behinds off". Given all the layoffs and staffing changes, it probably has not been easy. I'm prepared to cut the actual devs considerably more slack than those making the big employment decisions. I would *guess* that at least some of the devs would have preferred to hold off until everything was better cooked, but dates had been set and decisions made higher up the chain of command, and we got what we got. I sincerely hope for the sake of the game that those at the top of the chain learn the REAL lessons from how all this is playing out and make changes for future events, It's not like they haven't been pointed out repeatedly in this very thread.

twisttop138

LootAllTheStuff wrote: »

twisttop138 wrote: »

Sarannah wrote: »

Questions: Looking at the article, it states only the vitrified souls and camp defense quests to be able to drop the coldharbour home, but some players have posted the crafting ones do too? Do the blue coffers also have a chance for the home to drop, or only the golden coffers? Do the blue *crafting* coffers have a chance for the home to drop?

kind_hero wrote: »

Right now, I wish the event would be much shorter, I would rather go straight to Eastern Solstice and do the story content, than grind the wall for another month.

Personally I also do not like this way of releasing content, I would rather buy a chapter outright and gain access to it at a certain date. Having access to content at a certain date makes me look forward to the content. With the current event it feels like I have to earn/work for my already bought content(and will probably be burned out by the time I can access it). Realize, this is coming from someone who loves doing daily quests!

Better would have been to release the content at a certain date. And use the wall/event thing to open up something smaller like a new secondary trial, or two new dungeons, or a new character slot, or the zone's public dungeon, or that new zone in a different time period, or a new companion, or something like that. That way we can look forward to the new content, have a reason to progress the bar, have a reason to play in the new content, and have something to unlock which doesn't really matter when it unlocks exactly.

But but but...you don't like being tricked? Made to think this dlc zone the size of Markarth (with a worse story) was worth 50 dollars and big enough to be split over the whole year? Then made to compete in a ridiculous, boring unrewarding event just to get the other half of the content you paid for? You're not into that?

The devs are probably laughing their behinds off. You think this years bad. Next year this time you'll be begging us for a tiny zone.

Edit. Self censored

I doubt very much that the devs are "laughing their behinds off". Given all the layoffs and staffing changes, it probably has not been easy. I'm prepared to cut the actual devs considerably more slack than those making the big employment decisions. I would *guess* that at least some of the devs would have preferred to hold off until everything was better cooked, but dates had been set and decisions made higher up the chain of command, and we got what we got. I sincerely hope for the sake of the game that those at the top of the chain learn the REAL lessons from how all this is playing out and make changes for future events, It's not like they haven't been pointed out repeatedly in this very thread.

While you make a very fair point, I used the word devs to encompass them all. I should've just said Zos. I doubt very much though that anyone at the top, the decision makers, who had very pretty politician words in the letter to us and the reddit ama, will even see any of the feedback in this thread. Or anywhere else for that matter. It's painfully obvious that this new leadership is looking like the last. Out of touch. I stand by my underlying point though, that I think by this time next year, we'd be happy to have a solstice. I hope very much I'm wrong, but they said themselves what they want to do. Tell new stories in old zones. Short 3 to 6 months seasons. New quests taking us around old places. I hope very much that they right this ship.

SeaGtGruff

Regarding drops of vitrified souls at the camps, most of the I’m getting at least a few, and sometimes I’m getting all 15 from a single camp. My best guess is that I’m either running into an occasional problem with the game’s general cooldown period (since there are times when none of the enemies I kill have lootable corpses), or maybe I’m not among the top 12 players as far as how much damage I’m doing.

The weird thing is, when I do get drops of vitrified souls, I might help clear the waves of enemies at one soul reaper, then I move to help clear one of the other soul reapers and it’s surrounded by lootable corpses even though I didn’t attack any of them.

liliub17_ESO

Sarannah wrote: »

Questions: Looking at the article, it states only the vitrified souls and camp defense quests to be able to drop the coldharbour home, but some players have posted the crafting ones do too? Do the blue coffers also have a chance for the home to drop, or only the golden coffers? Do the blue *crafting* coffers have a chance for the home to drop?

I got mine from a gold crafting box. None of the vitrified boxes or other non-crafting ones have dropped much of anything. The blue crafting boxes provide 10x <insert crafting material here> ... and now multiple plans for the Breton Spyglass.

If RNG smiles upon me (which has been historically once every couple of years), it'll happen another three times for the rest of my accts. If not, oh well.

Syldras

The new event crafting quest for glyphs is bugged. It sends you to the daily crafting writ turn-in point in Sunport to throw the glyphs into a box there before you're allowed to get back to Reistaff (the guy at the main camp) for the reward. I don't think that huge detour is expected. Please fix it.

DenverRalphy

Syldras wrote: »

The new event crafting quest for glyphs is bugged. It sends you to the daily crafting writ turn-in point in Sunport to throw the glyphs into a box there before you're allowed to get back to Reistaff (the guy at the main camp) for the reward. I don't think that huge detour is expected. Please fix it.

I do the crafting quests in the rampart camp, and it just sends me right back to Reistaff. Though I've never been near a regular crafting plaza after completing them, so it may just be that it points to either point simulatneously.

Syldras

DenverRalphy wrote: »

I do the crafting quests in the rampart camp, and it just sends me right back to Reistaff.

Also the one with the glyphs?

DenverRalphy

Syldras wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

I do the crafting quests in the rampart camp, and it just sends me right back to Reistaff.

Also the one with the glyphs?

Yep. I'm on PSNA, but I don't imagine server location would make a difference. [edit]Unless it's a U48 thing.

Syldras

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Yep. I'm on PSNA, but I don't imagine server location would make a difference.

On PC EU it can't be turned in directly at Reistaff. There is no dialogue option. Quest marker points to the boxes at the crafting corner in Sunport. You throw it into a box there, which gives no reward but leads to the quest progressing to another stage called "Talk to Reistaff". If you talk to him then, you get the reward. Which can't be intentional.

DenverRalphy

Syldras wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Yep. I'm on PSNA, but I don't imagine server location would make a difference.

On PC EU it can't be turned in directly at Reistaff. There is no dialogue option. Quest marker points to the boxes at the crafting corner in Sunport. You throw it into a box there, which gives no reward but leads to the quest progressing to another stage called "Talk to Reistaff". If you talk to him then, you get the reward. Which can't be intentional.

Mabye a U48 thing? I turned in the enchtant/glyph quest at Reistaff on all of my toons that randomly picked it up yesterday and today. I have 14 toons that do all the siege camp crafting dailes.

Syldras

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Mabye a U48 thing? I turned in the enchtant/glyph quest at Reistaff on all of my toons that randomly picked it up yesterday and today. I have 14 toons that do all the siege camp crafting dailes.

Maybe. All I know is that it doesn't make much sense not to be able to turn in the glyphs directly at the camp, but having an extra quest step of travelling to Sunport inbetween.

DenverRalphy

Syldras wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Mabye a U48 thing? I turned in the enchtant/glyph quest at Reistaff on all of my toons that randomly picked it up yesterday and today. I have 14 toons that do all the siege camp crafting dailes.

Maybe. All I know is that it doesn't make much sense not to be able to turn in the glyphs directly at the camp, but having an extra quest step of travelling to Sunport inbetween.

Someone on Reddit has run into what appears to be the same issue.

twisttop138

SeaGtGruff wrote: »

Regarding drops of vitrified souls at the camps, most of the I’m getting at least a few, and sometimes I’m getting all 15 from a single camp. My best guess is that I’m either running into an occasional problem with the game’s general cooldown period (since there are times when none of the enemies I kill have lootable corpses), or maybe I’m not among the top 12 players as far as how much damage I’m doing.

The weird thing is, when I do get drops of vitrified souls, I might help clear the waves of enemies at one soul reaper, then I move to help clear one of the other soul reapers and it’s surrounded by lootable corpses even though I didn’t attack any of them.

I seem to be getting them at the camps when I'm early. Idk why that matters but I'll get 15 easy. When I'm grouped, I get the 15 way before the boss spawns. Ymmv.

OldManJim

PCNA clocked over 100% about 5 minutes ago and...nothing. Nothing has changed at all.

It's just pathetic.

I wish I could get a refund.

Edit: approx 5 minutes after I posted this, a notification popped up saying phase 1 had ended and phase 2 would start in 20 minutes. So basically a 30 minute turnaround between phases. Urgh.

chaz

Phase 2 started, I followed SKORDO up the hill, he went in, BUT THE WALL WON'T LET ME IN WHAT THE DEVIL IS HAPPENING!!!!!!!!

Vampryss

The ending of phase 1 was very anticlimactic. stood here forever waiting for something.. anything to happen.. a crack, a sound, a beam of light.. Molag Bal's thundering voice powering through the wall telling us we're worms! but nothing. feels like there's no point to keep grinding. the prizes, although exciting in the beginning, are starting to become piles of duplicates I can't give away for free.

Just so disappointed..

BretonMage

Syldras wrote: »

On PC EU it can't be turned in directly at Reistaff. There is no dialogue option. Quest marker points to the boxes at the crafting corner in Sunport. You throw it into a box there, which gives no reward but leads to the quest progressing to another stage called "Talk to Reistaff". If you talk to him then, you get the reward. Which can't be intentional.

I was able to do it on PCNA. It must be a PCEU bug.

chaz

I def DO NOT WANT TO GRIND anymore, it's tedious. I followed SKORDO up to the place I'm supposed to go into up the hill, and it wont let me in, grinded for 3 hours to get up to 0.04 % in phase 2. YOU FOLKS Need to fix the door to LET US THE HECK INTO THE EAST side of the ISLAND, chop chop !!

Silufadumar

Let me get this straight... Players can get a notable sized, quite unique house, as a drop in reward boxes from this event.

Which is great for those who don't already have it.

If we already own that home, what do we get?... A different home of equivalent value... A monetary amount in Crowns or

in-game gold equivalent to the value of the house?

No...No we don't.

10k in-game gold... That's what we get!

It is a backhanded slap across the face of all players who pay real money (or considerable amounts of in-game gold) time

and time again in support of this game.

Please Zos, you need to do better.

kind_hero

LootAllTheStuff wrote: »

twisttop138 wrote: »

Sarannah wrote: »

Questions: Looking at the article, it states only the vitrified souls and camp defense quests to be able to drop the coldharbour home, but some players have posted the crafting ones do too? Do the blue coffers also have a chance for the home to drop, or only the golden coffers? Do the blue *crafting* coffers have a chance for the home to drop?

kind_hero wrote: »

Right now, I wish the event would be much shorter, I would rather go straight to Eastern Solstice and do the story content, than grind the wall for another month.

Personally I also do not like this way of releasing content, I would rather buy a chapter outright and gain access to it at a certain date. Having access to content at a certain date makes me look forward to the content. With the current event it feels like I have to earn/work for my already bought content(and will probably be burned out by the time I can access it). Realize, this is coming from someone who loves doing daily quests!

Better would have been to release the content at a certain date. And use the wall/event thing to open up something smaller like a new secondary trial, or two new dungeons, or a new character slot, or the zone's public dungeon, or that new zone in a different time period, or a new companion, or something like that. That way we can look forward to the new content, have a reason to progress the bar, have a reason to play in the new content, and have something to unlock which doesn't really matter when it unlocks exactly.

But but but...you don't like being tricked? Made to think this dlc zone the size of Markarth (with a worse story) was worth 50 dollars and big enough to be split over the whole year? Then made to compete in a ridiculous, boring unrewarding event just to get the other half of the content you paid for? You're not into that?

The devs are probably laughing their behinds off. You think this years bad. Next year this time you'll be begging us for a tiny zone.

Edit. Self censored

I doubt very much that the devs are "laughing their behinds off". Given all the layoffs and staffing changes, it probably has not been easy. I'm prepared to cut the actual devs considerably more slack than those making the big employment decisions. I would *guess* that at least some of the devs would have preferred to hold off until everything was better cooked, but dates had been set and decisions made higher up the chain of command, and we got what we got. I sincerely hope for the sake of the game that those at the top of the chain learn the REAL lessons from how all this is playing out and make changes for future events, It's not like they haven't been pointed out repeatedly in this very thread.

I totally understand the situation in the industry, with all the layoffs, and pressure. However, I ask you the same question I ask myself, what could I do about it? Can we do something so the devs here keep their jobs or have less crunch time? And I think the answer is mostly NO. However, there is something that might help. If the playerbase is happy, if more people come to the game and stay, this might show somewhere up the chain you mention.

Until now, their communication was PR speak. We don't know exactly what to expect next. We don't know, do they have plans for the veteran players, or will just focus on getting new players and keeping them engaged for a couple of months with events with xp buffs and cheap collectibles? This event doesn't bring novelty to the game, aside from the huge FX of the wall, and when that will be gone, will there be any memorable milestone to look back upon? Like, for example, how I look at my House of the Lunar Champion, a place I unlocked gradually doing the Elsweyr stories.

I wish the best to all the developers, truly. Because to me they bring dreams to life, they can make millions of people happy. It's a dream job. I hope they can be lead by people who are passionate about stories, not money, but that's more fantasy than ESO. And I hope they listen to their community.

Mesonyx

I know ZOS has said "This is a new event-type for ESO and we appreciate your continued feedback" but what worries me is this: how did anyone ever think that making your players grind from 0 to 100% over a series of weeks, then re-setting the timer back to 0% and making them go through the same thing all over again was fun, or a good idea?

Yeah it's the 1st event of its type, so fair enough that there will be issues or adjustments, but fun game design should be at the core and it doesn't take a genius or even experience in gaming to understand that working towards a goal, then wiping the slate clean as if all that 'work' didn't matter 1 tiny bit is extremely demotivating, frustrating and infuriating - all that while making players wait for weeks to have access to what they already paid for and are eagerly waiting for (and genuinely WERE excited about initially, but already well over it now).

To me, that indicates this event didn't start from "How can we inject fun into ESO and come up with a great event to give players something to enjoy?" but more of "How can we stretch out a hyped-up event as long as possible to push people to keep coming back and spending time in this zone?". What is the point of Phase 2? Why is it even there? It adds nothing.

This event has done (way) more bad than good for me and is making me re-consider signing up for any more of this. Also, I'm actually mad at myself for allowing myself to get excited about an Event when I should have known better.

twisttop138

Mesonyx wrote: »

I know ZOS has said "This is a new event-type for ESO and we appreciate your continued feedback" but what worries me is this: how did anyone ever think that making your players grind from 0 to 100% over a series of weeks, then re-setting the timer back to 0% and making them go through the same thing all over again was fun, or a good idea?

Yeah it's the 1st event of its type, so fair enough that there will be issues or adjustments, but fun game design should be at the core and it doesn't take a genius or even experience in gaming to understand that working towards a goal, then wiping the slate clean as if all that 'work' didn't matter 1 tiny bit is extremely demotivating, frustrating and infuriating - all that while making players wait for weeks to have access to what they already paid for and are eagerly waiting for (and genuinely WERE excited about initially, but already well over it now).

To me, that indicates this event didn't start from "How can we inject fun into ESO and come up with a great event to give players something to enjoy?" but more of "How can we stretch out a hyped-up event as long as possible to push people to keep coming back and spending time in this zone?". What is the point of Phase 2? Why is it even there? It adds nothing.

This event has done (way) more bad than good for me and is making me re-consider signing up for any more of this. Also, I'm actually mad at myself for allowing myself to get excited about an Event when I should have known better.

Your last sentence is the worst part. I keep seeing people say, oh you knew it was PR speak. You should've known. Has the game fallen so low that we should've known that anything they said about a new type of in game event was a lie? That we should be expecting not fun crap to come from them? Is that right? Should I have known? So we expect so little for even more money then a regular chapter? That should not be what they're striving for. I just cannot believe that no one along the way from inception to update raised any concern about this event, the rewards, the drop rate of the decent stuff though that's evened out I guess over the course of phase 1, I almost have enough hajmota scales. I simply can't believe that anyone with any sense thought this was going to be fun. That it should be a months long slog to get access to the rest of the very small chapter we already paid for. It's not like we're quibbling over the Q4 free story dlc, complaining about free stuff. This is what we paid for. We paid for the privilege of this event. Idk, but Zos needs to hear the feedback. Overwhelmingly negative feedback. Even from some of its most ardent supporters, here, on YouTube, on social media and reddit. The in game chat isn't very kind either. Let's hope future events are fun and rewarding. I'll grind my behind off. For hours. Hell I'll even use PTO to spend a day grinding. If the rewards are there.

aussie500

I see by all these positive vibes that I have basically more of the same boring, repetitive, buggy quest to go for phase 2. At least by looking at the current state of completion for all the servers, it is going to take less time to get to stage 3! I will attempt to last the distance without losing complete interest in the game.

Or maybe I should take a nap for 2 weeks and just congratulate the PC-NA server die hards when they get that wall down? I am not sure I am up to that much frustration.

Mesonyx

Molag Bal said it best himself: "I am patient. But not that patient, fool."

Sarannah

SeaGtGruff wrote: »

Regarding drops of vitrified souls at the camps, most of the I’m getting at least a few, and sometimes I’m getting all 15 from a single camp. My best guess is that I’m either running into an occasional problem with the game’s general cooldown period (since there are times when none of the enemies I kill have lootable corpses), or maybe I’m not among the top 12 players as far as how much damage I’m doing.

The weird thing is, when I do get drops of vitrified souls, I might help clear the waves of enemies at one soul reaper, then I move to help clear one of the other soul reapers and it’s surrounded by lootable corpses even though I didn’t attack any of them.

This explains why I hardly ever get any vitrified soul drops... the server I am trying to get the house on(PC NA), I do the dailies on a tank with 0 riding speed. I'm always late arriving at the camps, and often it takes me 3 or 4 camps to even get vitrified souls to start dropping. After the 3 golden boxes, I do the event's crafting dailies on all my characters, hoping for the house.

liliub17_ESO wrote: »

Sarannah wrote: »

Questions: Looking at the article, it states only the vitrified souls and camp defense quests to be able to drop the coldharbour home, but some players have posted the crafting ones do too? Do the blue coffers also have a chance for the home to drop, or only the golden coffers? Do the blue *crafting* coffers have a chance for the home to drop?

I got mine from a gold crafting box. None of the vitrified boxes or other non-crafting ones have dropped much of anything. The blue crafting boxes provide 10x <insert crafting material here> ... and now multiple plans for the Breton Spyglass.

If RNG smiles upon me (which has been historically once every couple of years), it'll happen another three times for the rest of my accts. If not, oh well.

Thanks for that info, atleast now I know the crafting golden box can drop the house. Still, I am wondering if the crafting blue boxes can also drop the house, as I have been doing the crafting dailies on all my characters hoping for the house to drop.

The crafting blue boxes do give a few different plans, have gotten quite a few purple ones myself(defensive wall, stirk tower, banner, etc) from the crafting dailies. Maybe because I am doing so many in hopes for the house to drop. Which is the main thing I want from this event(and the style pages/title).

twisttop138

Sarannah wrote: »

SeaGtGruff wrote: »

Regarding drops of vitrified souls at the camps, most of the I’m getting at least a few, and sometimes I’m getting all 15 from a single camp. My best guess is that I’m either running into an occasional problem with the game’s general cooldown period (since there are times when none of the enemies I kill have lootable corpses), or maybe I’m not among the top 12 players as far as how much damage I’m doing.

The weird thing is, when I do get drops of vitrified souls, I might help clear the waves of enemies at one soul reaper, then I move to help clear one of the other soul reapers and it’s surrounded by lootable corpses even though I didn’t attack any of them.

This explains why I hardly ever get any vitrified soul drops... the server I am trying to get the house on(PC NA), I do the dailies on a tank with 0 riding speed. I'm always late arriving at the camps, and often it takes me 3 or 4 camps to even get vitrified souls to start dropping. After the 3 golden boxes, I do the event's crafting dailies on all my characters, hoping for the house.

liliub17_ESO wrote: »

Sarannah wrote: »

Questions: Looking at the article, it states only the vitrified souls and camp defense quests to be able to drop the coldharbour home, but some players have posted the crafting ones do too? Do the blue coffers also have a chance for the home to drop, or only the golden coffers? Do the blue *crafting* coffers have a chance for the home to drop?

I got mine from a gold crafting box. None of the vitrified boxes or other non-crafting ones have dropped much of anything. The blue crafting boxes provide 10x <insert crafting material here> ... and now multiple plans for the Breton Spyglass.

If RNG smiles upon me (which has been historically once every couple of years), it'll happen another three times for the rest of my accts. If not, oh well.

Thanks for that info, atleast now I know the crafting golden box can drop the house. Still, I am wondering if the crafting blue boxes can also drop the house, as I have been doing the crafting dailies on all my characters hoping for the house to drop.

The crafting blue boxes do give a few different plans, have gotten quite a few purple ones myself(defensive wall, stirk tower, banner, etc) from the crafting dailies. Maybe because I am doing so many in hopes for the house to drop. Which is the main thing I want from this event(and the style pages/title).

I got mine from a gold box. Though I've seen screenshots of it dropping from chests at siege camps. I was happy to actually get it. A place to store stuff as my 500 slot furnishings vault filled up pretty quick. It also has some cool glowing plants I moved to the witches cottage for a housing contest.