I want to say that before I even get into this, I'm not talking about grouping et al. I believe that optional grouping is fine and more power to those that want it. The issue is when grouping is forced. It's playing up to people with vapid personalities, serious social anxiety issues, and attitude problems that would mar the mental health of those they group with. Whenever forced grouping is present, it makes it a right for them to have people with them, and they see it as a privilege for others to solo. It allows them to be lazy.

In a game with optional grouping, it would be up to them to find people who are willing to tolerate them, those who know what they're getting into. The thing is is that others will only end up resenting them, and not wanting to group. Then they'll end up resenting ZOS for actually having forced this pathos upon them instead of being able to go into it informed. If all grouping was optional rather than forced, anyone with issues would have to be up front about any disabilities they have before grouping, which will lead to a more sympathetic grouping environment. I'm autistic, I can freeze in stressful situations, I mention this every time I group with people. I've found that a good amount of those I've grouped with are understanding, but some would rather not have me there. If they don't want me there, that's okay, I'd rather not be around intolerant people.

Sometimes, however, I can't find a group because I'm upfront. So I can't play the content solo. This makes me and people like me resent ZOS and other developers for discrimination. The players aren't the ones creating these unhealthy environments, the developers are. And sure, there are those who won't be perspicacious enough to understand why this is a raw deal. They'll love forcing others to group with them despite their own problems, and that'll result in a miserable environment for everyone. This is why more and more MMOs just don't bother with forced grouping. Look at the latest Final Fantasy MMO and how it's changed its tune since the first Final Fantasy MMO.

With forced grouping, you're telling people that they can force others to group with them and they can be lazy and have ZOS fix all their problems for them. And if they don't want that, then they may find themselves without a group because of discrimination, and they won't be allowed to just enter a dungeon with just one or two other people. For example: I always have one other person to group with, I sometimes have two. I never have three. So I'm invariably under-equipped for a forced group dungeon. My options are to PUG and tell people about my condition, or to ignore the content.

I don't think that's ideal.

I think that the ideal would be the dungeon scaling to not just the level of the people entering, but the amount of people entering as well. So if one or two people entered, it would scale the difficulty to one or two people. This would mean that those with disabilities would have to be as up front and honest as I am, which would lead to a less toxic community. It would also mean that if I can't find a third or fourth, I could just go in with two or three people and complete the dungeon. This is fair to people who aren't as socially equipped as extreme extroverted personalities are. Everyone wins. The only people who would be against this are those who have issues and enjoy forcing others to group with them. That's unhealthy.

It's so unhealthy that it reflects badly upon the game, and it makes the game look like it encourages unhealthy mindsets. So if a person has one of the more notable versions of antisocial personality disorder and they do nothing about it? That's harmful to others, they can still find a group because others will need them to continue. They won't have to learn to behave and stay their antisocial tendencies. It also means that no one would ever be willing to help them.

Again: The solution is so simple. Have forced group dungeons scale to the amount of people entering. Have Craglorn scale to the amount of people playing it. I'm not the only one saying this.

Back in August 2014, there was a polle about whether forced grouping was good or bad. At the time of writing, the poll was a landslide in favour of it being a bad idea, with a majority of 73 per cent. That's not a minority of the players, that's the majority of the demographic. I think most of the demographic playing ESO would prefer it if people had the option to play as their style suits them. If I want to group, then, I can be upfront and see if anyone wants to. If they don't? No skin off my nose, I can still go in with just my friends and happily play. Discrimination doesn't have to harm me, that way.

This has been true for every game that has forced grouping since the dawn of time. It allows a grotesque level of unhealthy behaviour to fester and revel, which turns into a resentment toward the developer. That the Imperial Citadel DLC has two forced grouping dungeons is a slap in the face to people who feel this way. We can't all be born as neurotypical social butterflies. That would be a bad idea, anyway, because without genetic diversity our species would simply flop over into extinction. It's worth recognising that not only are those who don't want to continually forced into grouping exist, but that they also seem to be the majority.

And please note that I'm not demanding anything. I'm not. I'm just making the entirely fair and just point that with optional content rather than forced content, everyone wins. No one loses. And no unhealthy attitudes are encouraged. WoW was a festering ground of horribleness thanks to a pro-forced grouping attitude. Anyone remember Barrens chat? It was terrible. I don't want ESO to be that.

With an optional system, you can choose whether you want to go in as one person, two people, three, or four.

Everyone benefits from this. No one ends up hating other people. I won't end up resenting neurotypical social butterflies, or people who're comfortable with forcing their disabilities on others as though that's their privilege. I won't feel resentment towards ZOS for allowing this to flower into some sort of bloody venus fly trap of noxious doom. At this point, I can only wonder... why didn't this happen patches ago?

As a final addendum I'd also point out that it wouldn't hurt to have optional instanced versions of public dungeons. So if someone as a solo player or a duo wants to go in alone to have a very immersive experience, without having thirty others treading around this 'mysteeerious, ancient, untouched for centuries' cave? Well, there would be an option for that. And everyone would be happy because then everyone could play in the style that makes them comfortable. Sometimes, if they feel it fits the lore of the place, they could go into a public version. If they want an immersive experience, they could take it into a private instance. And this caters to all players except for those who want to make a toxic environment for their own benefit.

The thing is is that I've been off and on taking breaks from ESO to play Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (Commonwealth vault hunting tickles me pink), and the Skyrim co-op mod. I fell in love with ESO because I genuinely enjoy the gameplay and I think the Aldmeri Dominion's writing is simply divine. I'm always impressed with what I see and I don't like the way that I feel when I encounter a dungeon I won't do out of principle. It's aggravating. And it's pushing me away from ESO. I really wouldn't mind betting that if ESO's numbers are dropping, that's why. Those who come to the game find a co-op Elder Scrolls experience like they've always wanted. Then the forced grouping dungeons and the public dungeons just stick in their craw.

ZOS, you're so close to having the perfect online experience. Don't ruin it by forcing toxicity. Please at least consider having options. That's all I ask. Thank you.