Where do you think ESO's main focus should be in the next year:

Orbital78

Focus on bug fixes and making combat fun again. Diversify viable builds for veteran and hardmode content. Leave beams good but give us other options when we get bored with beaming.

DenverRalphy

The main focus should be on Project Management and Quality Assurance. Hands down. ZOS' Project Management and QA have deteriorated so much that it doesn't matter what content they put out, as it's almost guaranteed to be bug ridden or poorly planned and executed.

Over the last couple of years the QA problem has grown so much that we're waaay past the "all software has bugs" deflection. And as for Project Management; not only is content coming at a slower rate, the execution and deployment leave a lot to be desired.

Get those two aspects under control, and all the other listed categories shouldfall into place (or at least improve).

dwolfgheist

Visual skill design (visual revision and enhancement of current existing skills)

Gabriel_H wrote: »

They are already working on this Class Balance including revamping this New skill lines (Either entire new skill lines or new schola/weapons skills) along with Visual skill design (visual revision and enhancement of current existing skills).

While they have said they are also working on Game Difficulty (Focusing on overall player feedback regarding both the difficulty of overland and dungeon content), that would be pointless without the class revamp, as would New Class.

Not entirely sure what you mean by NPC Interactions (Enhancing npc AI Ex: not running back after a certain distance at least in Delves and dungeons, regaining full health and being immortal).

They have already explained why Housing (More items, storage possibilities? I am ignorant here) has limitations.

2026 Content pass will likely feature Overland content (good quests, new interesting map designs) and More Dungeons as always.

As for More Infinite content for groups (like endless archive) ... just run vDSA - trust me, it will feel like an eternity.

I mean good, this is a poll about what the main focus should be, so they are acting correctly based on it, if anything they should cut the content pass entirely with the current results. I run vDSA, it's not that long with the right team, vDSA has little to do with Infinite Archives, besides vDSA is a piece of cake provided everyone knows the basics of it. Infinite archive becomes hard no matter what after a while. Granted NPC interaction is a broad term, as I mentioned before this could be interactions with companions/town npcs (have city reputation baased on your interactions with npcs or have a like/dislike bar with each npc of the city individually and perks/cons based on it).

alternatelder

Class Balance

And by class balance, I mean getting rid of subclassing. We survived without it for 10 years, if they remove it, we're not losing much.

dwolfgheist

Visual skill design (visual revision and enhancement of current existing skills)

alternatelder wrote: »

And by class balance, I mean getting rid of subclassing. We survived without it for 10 years, if they remove it, we're not losing much.

*multiclassing and I think it's the opposite, it showed where the main issues have been all this years by enhancing it tenfold frankly. I am not against it at all, although I completly agree that the lack of overall balance has never been worse due to the lack of right precautions being made beforehand, it felt very rushed and out of nowhere.

Wolfshade

Classbalance is named every year in the last decade and something about that happend all 3 months and in all the month between this someone called classbalance should be reworked. Not sure if that is really needed as prio atm.

What is about to finish all the things that startet and never finished. Infinite Archive different Stagedesignes, Scripts for missing Skilllines, Companion Gear, ...

ArchMikem

New skill lines (Either entire new skill lines or new schola/weapons skills)

There's always going to be new overland content every single year, that's a given, because they need a new shiny to entice new players every year. What I've always wanted was a One Hand & Rune weapon skill line. It's how I always played my character in Skyrim and it'd be great to play it here.

DestroyerPewnack

Class Balance

Honestly, the game would become a million times more fun if they just remove subclassing, gear/skill hybridization and possibly scribing. I miss having a DW/bow stamblade and an inferno/lightning staff magblade.

On paper, these things sounded great. I was even one of the many people who were naively excited about subclassing. But in reality, by giving players no limits on what they can play, you end up forcing them to play the exact same thing, as the meta window becomes smaller and smaller.

Choices need limitations and trade-offs for them to have any meaning. The devs might think reversing those changes would be embarrassing, but in the long run, they will end up killing the game, and that is much worse than them admitting these changes were a mistake, and moving on.

Rohamad_Ali

Housing (More items, storage possibilities? I am ignorant here)

Real-estate is the real endgame.

ToddIngram

Rohamad_Ali wrote: »

Real-estate is the real endgame.

As in there is a big building in Maryland that's going on the market soon?

rothan117

Overland content (good quests, new interesting map designs)

If next year's content is as lackluster as Writhing Wall, all those other options are not going to matter much.

Chili_Pepper

ANYTHING that will keep interest to play

Finedaible

Class Balance

With how much unfinished stuff is on ZoS's plate, taking a year break from new content to finish "ongoing" reworks and improving systems would be preferable at this point honestly. However, that isn't going to happen since ESO has pigeonholed itself into this seasonal content release schedule with Chapters even before the Season pass model. I remember when they said that 2025 was supposed to be the year they really focus on Quality of Life, and while we did see a few improvements this year like swimming mounts and unidentified surveys, it was overall low impact. I was disappointed to see yet another two unstackable runeboxes released this year with the Witches Festival when they already know how bad inventory management is, and also right after they finally cleaned up surveys.

As long as ZoS is focused on the next content release, what needs to be worked on will only get postponed again and again indefinitely. This is why nobody believes in the class rework, especially not when there are far older things that were never completed even years later.

YstradClud

Overland content (good quests, new interesting map designs)

Rohamad_Ali wrote: »

Real-estate is the real endgame.

ESO has even more competition than it already had in that now.


I honestly don't know why they decided to delve into housing though when raids and dungeons were what most their player base logged in for.

Ei8htba11

Performance

Recent patches have made the game choppy (for me, and I know I have enough headroom on my system. Other posts have mentioned similar)

Improving visuals WITHOUT taking anything away or nerfing things like animations. Give players the option to disable OTT effects so that older hardware can cope without diluting the overall experience for everyone.

Be honest with yourselves and the community about how you want the game to present and maybe consider raising minimum specs to take that into account?

Ishtarknows

Overland content (good quests, new interesting map designs)

I'll pay for new content.

New zones, questlines, group content etc. If that comes with new skill lines or class or race then all the better, but I've completed all the other overland content so a bit of lipstick on old zones won't cut it for me.

I regard things like class- or skill-balancing like bug fixing. It's general maintenance or housekeeping. It's most definitely not new content and should not be featured as part of the paid for Season Pass. Especially as everyone benefits (or not- Nerfs incoming for all I expect) whether they pay or not.

AvalonRanger

Overland content (good quests, new interesting map designs)

I need Whiterun.
I need Winterhold.
I need Riverwood.
And, I need throat of the world.

No---More---Small---World, and nonsense event.

AvalonRanger

Overland content (good quests, new interesting map designs)

I bought full price "Orsinium Crate". Dev get money then it's your turn.

SwordOfSagas

pvp

JeroenB

Overland content (good quests, new interesting map designs)

Gabriel_H wrote: »

[...]
2026 Content pass will likely feature Overland content (good quests, new interesting map designs) and More Dungeons as always.
[...]

While I'm sure they will release new quests and map designs, I'd note the voting option included "good" and "interesting" as qualifiers. And it is at the very least debatable as to whether the past few years of overland content have left a 'good' and 'interesting' impression... From the forums it would appear that many players disagree with that.

KalevaLaine

Class Balance

I need fun and excitement to play all my classes, so please fix and make them woth playing again beside this stupid subclassing.

licenturion

Overland content (good quests, new interesting map designs)

Ishtarknows wrote: »

I'll pay for new content.

New zones, questlines, group content etc. If that comes with new skill lines or class or race then all the better, but I've completed all the other overland content so a bit of lipstick on old zones won't cut it for me.

I regard things like class- or skill-balancing like bug fixing. It's general maintenance or housekeeping. It's most definitely not new content and should not be featured as part of the paid for Season Pass. Especially as everyone benefits (or not- Nerfs incoming for all I expect) whether they pay or not.

I was going to type out my personal thoughts and preference, but it is 100 percent the same as this so I will take the easy route and quote you. XD

I will only pay for zone content with new stories, new quests, new assets, new vistas, new gear, new dungeons etc. All the other options are nice but should be free updates to the base games. New classes or systems are nice expansion bonus but not thing I open my wallet for.

Northwold

I don't know about "main focus" but I would like them to do something about the trading system. The idea of preventing players from being able to sell in a sensible way except via guild membership is fundamentally wrong headed and makes selling in the player economy either highly irritating or plain inaccessible for a large chunk of the player base. It needs to be addressed and affects other gameplay. For example, housing is presumably seen as a way to keep players engaged in the game. But the way trading is currently set up means that for many players housing devolves into a maddening, unsatisfying grind fest rather than a pleasure.

emilyhyoyeon

Overland content (good quests, new interesting map designs)

Quests with good writing & well done roleplay features

SaffronCitrusflower

ToddIngram wrote: »

Fixing Grey Host.

...the only part of the game that matters to me and many others.

shadyjane62

Overland content (good quests, new interesting map designs)

I would have said class balance but the only way to do that meaningfully is to deep six subclassing. And since that may never happen I would be happy to have overland more fun.


And no more bad stuff like season pass, stupid wall I've never seen after doing fetch quests for an event that was invisible.

11 years I have been here and I've spent less time playing and a lot more time trying out other games.

Do better ESO.

AVaelham

Overland content (good quests, new interesting map designs)

If there is no new overland content for an entire year, then I’m just not going to play - as simple and as brutal as closing the last page of a book series that refuses to add a new volume. This game lives and dies, for me, in the pulse of STORY and QUESTLINES. If that spark goes out, if the world stops growing, then my will to linger in it dims too.

Take that away for a whole year, and what’s left? Replaying the same storylines we already have, with a new shiny class/skill lines, or balanced classes, or new animations? No thanks.

Give me another Orisinium. Or Summerset. The game desperately needs a memorable content release.

edward_frigidhands

Honesty.

Al_Ex_Andre

Class Balance

It's a toss between Class balance, and Overland content for me.

I am on maintenance mode since a few months, and before that since a few couple of years, but ok I vote class balance not because of me, but because it's best for the game imo, it's what a game should aim for. If it is serious that is.

Overland is what I personally aim to do now foremost, though. I do not need balance, and power (ie an arcanist beam), for that.

Cheers

Gabriel_H

dwolfgheist wrote: »

I mean good, this is a poll about what the main focus should be, so they are acting correctly based on it

They were acting wayyyy before the poll existed.