Group play is fun - looking for groups isn't

Altyrann · March 2015

For fear that this comes across as entirely negative, I enjoy the game, and enjoy playing group content. I would, however, be interested to know if there is any intention ever to address the number of mechanics preventing groups being formed easily?

No cross-faction grouping even for dungeons/trials
Morph system and champion points pushing characters into more specialised roles
Powerful / unbalanced racials pushing characters into more specialised roles
Cost of top end gear adding substantial time/effort to acquiring multiple gear sets (not impossible, but painful grinding)
Lack of real dual/multi spec system
Utterly useless LFG tool
No cross zone chat channels

dramsb14_ESO · March 2015

I do believe WoW's LFD/LFR tool set a pretty high bar.

lihentian · March 2015

so ture, the que take forever to find anyone.. and it never fill the group... i totally give up grouping dungeon

Ley · March 2015

Altyrann wrote: »

[*] Utterly useless LFG tool

This.

If they improved the grouping tool, I'd be doing group content all the time. I just don't like putting my game on hold, so I can spam guild/zone chats to find a group.

Savitar · March 2015

Join a good guild.. toss a group ask in the guild chat.. problem solved.. and yes, it's really that easy most of the time. That's why the group finder is so empty, that's what everyone else is doing.

Altyrann · March 2015

Guilds help, but don't solve the problem nearly so effectively as a good LFG tool. On top of that, ESO seems to suffer the usual role split with very few healers and particularly tanks, but has no real dual spec system to compensate. With more and more specialisation, high time to reach max level and no real dual spec, this is tough to get past. I find I can often help guildies by going along as a DD, and can have a go at healing (magicka spec), but there is no way that character will ever be anything more than a poor badly specced tank.

tpanisiakb16_ESO · March 2015

I've mentioned it in another location but I think giving a champion point for doing a vet pledge through the group finder might encourage more people to do it, and encourage those people to bring their A-games / do their research to assist the group in getting through it.

I also think we need to stop doing faction-only for the group finder and instead allow it to pull people from cross-factions. From a lore standpoint this is very doable, (hello Fighter's / Mage's guild?) and even if it's not, let's be honest; my EP toon sneaks into Wayrest Sewers when he can and the Bretons there don't turn down my help. Heh.

Right now with the champion system you're kind of "forced" into specific roles. Now I'm not saying you can't be a DPS and tank at the same time. You can, but if you're prime-spec'd damage using your Champion Points you won't perform as admirably as a tank whose using Champion Points for tanking, and as a result the population has lost those pinch hitting tanks / healers. I'd be all for dual spec's, to be honest.

LIQUID741 · March 2015

Savitar wrote: »

Join a good guild.. toss a group ask in the guild chat.. problem solved.. and yes, it's really that easy most of the time. That's why the group finder is so empty, that's what everyone else is doing.

That's not fixing the real issue of a useless feature that is in game. Should probably fix the LFG, and not give explanations on how to circumvent it...although I do agree with your suggestions...since it's sadly the only way in game atm. Least until console, when the community is going to RAGE until it's fixed.

Tobius · March 2015

I don't believed the grouping tool is broken, per say, just that not enough people are using it. I tired it yesterday for the first time as a healer and after an hour of 'searching' still not group. I played another MMO that had a grouping tool and healers usually were grouped up in five minutes.

Obscure · March 2015

There's a really really really really really easy way for ZOS to fix dungeon grouping and even LFG:

Just show a list of open groups, let players set "Public" or "Private" and just let players join each other from the LFG menu. Default that to private. No search engine, no LFG flagging, just a list of people in groups set to public.

It's literally a matter of creating a menu to display open groups and what they're doing, info the game already tracks and displays in Guild, Party, and Group menus. Wanna get more advanced? Add filters for level and location. Worried about lag issues this will create on servers constantly checking group data to update the list? Don't update it actively, set it to update the list once every 60 - 90 seconds, and short term cache the list.

If ZOS gave me access to this in the API I could hammer out a functioning beta version over the weekend.

Ley · March 2015

Savitar wrote: »

Join a good guild.. toss a group ask in the guild chat.. problem solved.. and yes, it's really that easy most of the time. That's why the group finder is so empty, that's what everyone else is doing.

I'm not fortunate enough to be in such a guild where finding an appropriate, ready to go group is that easy. Usually asking in guild chat, in my experience, leads to an hour of trying to find people around the appropriate level, organize the group roles, wait for people to finish whatever they're working on, wait for people to finish what their doing and did I mention wait for people to umm finish doing whatever they're doing.

"Invite me, I'll brb going for a smoke, then walking my dog, gotta pick up a pizza too and up my gf requires some attention... oh yea, I can only do half the dungeon btw because I g2g to work in 15 minutes" So yea basically a lot of waiting around, in my experience.