The traditional MMORPG treadmill

Nacario · November 2014

So far ESO is a hybrid between the traditional MMORPG genre and the ES universe. Whatever future lies ahead, please try and stay true to our current formula. If change is to happen, learn from past MMORPG mistakes of what doesn't work, even though this is trickster.

My subjective opinion is that ESO should have less emphasis on gear progression and through its item stats grant further segregation between PvE and PvP. That it can be possible to use same gear in both PvE and PvP, just that you'd have to trait it and have different set bonuses. That you shouldn't worry that in X time your gear will be subpar, because gear stats have a significant impact on gameplay.

Spellcrafting is a prime example of something new and promising. Introduction of new gear is great, but please keep the item stats in mind vs the stats of crafted gear.

This trap is something I feel many MMORPGs fall in because it becomes a pattern with new timeconsuming gear updates.

cesmode · November 2014

Well, while im not an enormous fan of gear treadmills especially ones gated behind large organized group content(raids...I simply don't have time for it anymore), they need to have something to keep people playing.

I wish more games would adopt the Diablo 3 loot system. You pick up a piece of loot and identify it. The game randomly rolls stats on the gear(within pre-set ranges) and there you have it. You can pick up two of the same sword and they could be different from eachother.

You could get this BiS sword but the stats you rolled on it suck. So you need to go out and find a new one. Or craft a new one until you get better stats that you like.

Additionally, expand on the 'enchantments' on gear...Again look at Diablo 3. Sometimes the gear or weapons you have determine what you will base your build around. For example: You find the sword 'Maximus' which procs a fire demon attached to you via a fire chain. You can build your toon around that...around fire damage and increasing that, and around having to place yourself on the opposite side of your fire demon so that the fire chains tick on the mobs.

Create opportunities where gear enchantments greatly influence skill choice and build variations.

There are a few ways to avoid a gear treadmill.

Audigy · November 2014

In my opinion, gear should come from crafting in the first place. Players should be able to repair their items, improve them further or destroy them & rebuild new ones.

Items required for crafting are random and could be discovered by entering caves, adventure zones, dungeons or even raids. Those items however, are as said random and someone who doesn't raid will still find them, just like someone who raids doesn't need to quest to do the same.

Upgrading an item would be something that takes days or even weeks, depending on the process. I am not a fan at all of the current philosophy where items become worthless after a new patch.

A player that wants to play with his level 1 bow should be able to by upgrading it to whatever maximum level there may be.

Besides that, new crafting styles, patters etc. can be unlocked by specific tasks, these tasks could be bound to world events where every player can participate without a premade or guild group. Those events are also random, happen whenever they want to happen and last several days.

There are so many possibilities that are better than gating every item behind premade raid content like it is standard today in MMOs. The spirit of MMOs never was instance grinding, it was an open world and Ultima is still the leading MMO there.

Cuyler · November 2014

It would just be nice if the gear needed to complete an instance wasn't gated behind said instance (i.e. trials)

MornaBaine · November 2014

Player made gear should ALWAYS be the best available gear in the game. That said, I ALSO love the idea of unique dropped gear that there are no motifs for and has its own very distinctive look. BUT crafters should be able to alter the stats on that gear (switching Stamina to Magicka, for example, but not the percentage of the effected stat) AND replace the enchantments on it or add enchantments where there are none.

I'm a little "iffy" on being able to upgrade/change the level of gear. IF we do that then it makes getting new gear not really all that attractive as we can just keep upgrading the gear we have, which would be a lot less expensive. The cost of gear overall would drop pretty dramatically and that would hurt crafters, not help them.