Is it a characteristic of MMO's that you MUST farm and grind?

DenMoria · September 2015

I'm not much of one for farming and grinding (I find it boring), but, from reading over this forum, I am getting the idea that true success is not attainable in ESO without grinding and farming for specific quantities of mats and equipment.

Am I wrong?

Any suggestions as to how you can farm without getting bored? Grinding I understand - it may be boring, but, at least it's just the same quest/delve/action over and over again.

Ace_of_Destiny · September 2015

MMO = Faming & Grinding

The nature of the beast.

DenMoria · September 2015

Ace_of_Destiny wrote: »

MMO = Faming & Grinding

The nature of the beast.

Okay. Thought I'd ask. I wish I had the patience.

Ace_of_Destiny · September 2015

DenMoria wrote: »

Ace_of_Destiny wrote: »

MMO = Faming & Grinding

The nature of the beast.

Okay. Thought I'd ask. I wish I had the patience.

You can, however, just play the parts of the game you really like.
Save up all your gold, and buy the things you need instead of grinding for gear.
Things like Champion Points will come eventually, so I see no real need to "grind" for them.
I just play the way I like to play.

Good Luck!

Alucardo · September 2015

Well, you can kind of skip the farming process if you have the gold. Never farmed a day in my life, though I do pick up the odd mat along the way if I come across one. Guild stores usually have everything I need under one roof for my crafting. As for grinding, nowadays I level to about 20 then go PVP, so not much grinding either.

BaldusMageezack · September 2015

Yeah. This one is pretty grindy though

dsalter · September 2015

saddly the grinding ESO throws at you currently isn't fun, unlike WoW's pvp set "grinding" where you practice what you enjoy to get better stuff to help you improve at it

AlnilamE · September 2015

Why do you feel that you must farm and grind?

What does farming and grinding give you that you will not get through other means?

What alternative ways to obtain this would you suggest they introduce into the game?

BaldusMageezack · September 2015

AlnilamE wrote: »

Why do you feel that you must farm and grind?

What does farming and grinding give you that you will not get through other means?

What alternative ways to obtain this would you suggest they introduce into the game?

I farm for vendor trash for gold and XP. Also for materials for refining to get upgrade mats. What would make that better? Repeatable quests(Not writs) where i can get rewarded upgrade mats and gold. Writs are cool too I just run out of the material needed and farming it is really a drag. I mean almost want to quit the game drag so bad i stopped farming for the mats all together. I want to make some gold, farm some mats and get into pvp asap daily. I don't want to spend all day picking flowers and mining ore i want to kill stuff.

DenMoria · September 2015

AlnilamE wrote: »

Why do you feel that you must farm and grind?

What does farming and grinding give you that you will not get through other means?

What alternative ways to obtain this would you suggest they introduce into the game?

As I said, I'm mostly basing it on the comments here on the forum where a large part of the topics always seem to be about farming or grinding certain locations and items. I so want to "Git Gud" at this game, but I find that I'm outleveled long before I ever even reach level 50. I don't consider myself a horrible player, but I am apparently not very good either.

Learning though. Maybe one day I'll reach the exulted heights, but it won't be anytime soon.

Kuroinu · September 2015

Farming and grinding are not specific to MMORPGs, they exist in most game genres in some form or another. While a MMO will accentuate this process due to aiming at being a game that players can enjoy long term, most other game genres have this process it's just less apparent.

AlnilamE · September 2015

I think it really depends on how quickly you want something specific. I usually just go about my business unless I have a short term objective (ie, 40k XP before my next champion point or 6k gold until I can afford the next tier of bag space). Then I'll focus on that. Other stuff will just come together eventually (sometimes I don't even realize it).

Just by trying to get as many gold/silver keys as I could before my toons his V14, I got enough pieces of Worm Cult to have a set and spares, as well as almost a full set of Ebon, 3 pieces of Treasures of the Earthforge (and a duplicate), and by running the trials every once in a while I got some nice gear from that that I can use.

But I'm not going to run a dungeon 10 times in a row in hopes of getting a full set of something. I'll run them if they are the pledge and I have time, or if I'm helping a friend get the dungeon achievement or something else that I find interesting.

That's what works for me.

Treasure_Goblin · September 2015

not for 50 days to get a single item

Lightninvash · September 2015

if you think about it most games are a grind... call of duty you sit in a pvp que and kill and kill and rinse and repeat till you get better weps and prestige levels.. the zombies in cod or aliens in ghost you kill waves of enemies, grinding them, till you get enough coin to buy new guns. In destiny you have weekly things to farm and try and grind out the new or better gears or specific items you want. In minecraft all you do is farm for new mats to build with or create new things with. most people just don't ever really sit there and realize they are grinding or farming. In Deadrising 3 you grind zombies to clear the path and farm better items and blueprints to get better weapons. its just how you look at it....

Enemy-of-Coldharbour · September 2015

Yes...unless you have the gold to buy what you want.

Sumarius · September 2015

I think this is one of the reasons I like MMOs. Many days after work. I don't feel like thinking or doing anything that requires much effort. Grinding and farming are things I like to do while resting my brain and listening to my guild talk.

ssewallb14_ESO · September 2015

Usually... although ESO wasn't always like this, which was the only reason I even bothered with endgame. For a while simple legendary crafted gear was 95% as good as trials gear, and even that wasn't much of a grind to obtain. Sadly, as of last update, they've gone full on endless gear grind like every other MMO. You can expect new BIS gear around the time Orsinium is released, right around the time many have completed grinding for this season's gear.

dreamfarer · September 2015

BaldusMageezack wrote: »

AlnilamE wrote: »

Why do you feel that you must farm and grind?

What does farming and grinding give you that you will not get through other means?

What alternative ways to obtain this would you suggest they introduce into the game?

I farm for vendor trash for gold and XP. Also for materials for refining to get upgrade mats. What would make that better? Repeatable quests(Not writs) where i can get rewarded upgrade mats and gold. Writs are cool too I just run out of the material needed and farming it is really a drag. I mean almost want to quit the game drag so bad i stopped farming for the mats all together. I want to make some gold, farm some mats and get into pvp asap daily. I don't want to spend all day picking flowers and mining ore i want to kill stuff.

You might want to check out Cyrodiil, seriously. There's plenty of town areas in there which offer repeatable quests. As you do the quests you'll definitely pick up drops from mobs that you can decon into mats, and the mobs and the quests offer gold as a reward. Plus there's the added thrill of PvP, where you can't sleep walk though the quests since you need to stay alert for other players.

The quests I'm talking about aren't the "Kill 20 Nightblades" quests that you get from your faction either (though you can do those too). They're ones from NPCs out in Cyrodiil that are basically just like the quests you see in the regular zones.

Violynne · September 2015

DenMoria wrote: »

Any suggestions as to how you can farm without getting bored? Grinding I understand - it may be boring, but, at least it's just the same quest/delve/action over and over again.

Honestly, ESO doesn't require you to farm a single thing. That is, if you accept what the game delivers.

Those who farm generally want the better gear, which unfortunately, requires the grind. I'm one of these players. I could probably be fine with the stuff I get, but I enjoy the customization and buffs I can add to my stuffs.

Recent changes to the heavy sack have been decent for those who don't want to run around all the time. The downside: RNG on what's in the bag. I've seen quite a bit of raw material mats, so this should help a bit.

So I don't think it's a requirement for every MMO. It's just what most people choose to do despite it being a chore.

Most, if not all, MMOs can fix this with one simple solution: sell the items in the game shops.

HAHAHA. Then how else will they measure metrics and "game play in hours".

Smitch_59 · September 2015

Sumarius wrote: »

I think this is one of the reasons I like MMOs. Many days after work. I don't feel like thinking or doing anything that requires much effort. Grinding and farming are things I like to do while resting my brain and listening to my guild talk.

Yeah, I find farming to be strangely relaxing for some reason.

CidxLucy · September 2015

Ace_of_Destiny wrote: »

MMO = Faming & Grinding

The nature of the beast.

Eso over did it with CP. Final Fantasy 14 did it right.

They have a system for casual players can get good armor by just doing Dungeons and trials to get tome to trade in for gear (not making you have to do pvp like eso doing now) its not as good as raid gear but raid gear not super super better.

and they got a system where you could grind raids for best gear but don't need it.

for matter fact all you have to grind is your classes in ff14.

CidxLucy · September 2015

Violynne wrote: »

DenMoria wrote: »

Any suggestions as to how you can farm without getting bored? Grinding I understand - it may be boring, but, at least it's just the same quest/delve/action over and over again.

Honestly, ESO doesn't require you to farm a single thing. That is, if you accept what the game delivers.

Those who farm generally want the better gear, which unfortunately, requires the grind. I'm one of these players. I could probably be fine with the stuff I get, but I enjoy the customization and buffs I can add to my stuffs.

Recent changes to the heavy sack have been decent for those who don't want to run around all the time. The downside: RNG on what's in the bag. I've seen quite a bit of raw material mats, so this should help a bit.

So I don't think it's a requirement for every MMO. It's just what most people choose to do despite it being a chore.

Most, if not all, MMOs can fix this with one simple solution: sell the items in the game shops.

HAHAHA. Then how else will they measure metrics and "game play in hours".

So you don't have to grind but if you don't people will have tons of more CP then you and yes CP do make ppl bettet

Yolokin_Swagonborn · September 2015

No. But enough developers and players believe that it is. So they design it and put up with it respectively.

nimander99 · September 2015

MMO literally stands for Farming and Grinding... let me break it down for you;

M = Farming
M = Grinding
O = Online

MMO = Farming and Grinding Online

zornyan · September 2015

Tbh I kind of enjoy the grind, mmo's are one of the only if not the only genre that require constant attention and work. Any game like for instance ff8, you could play for 50 hours and get near the end, then come back a year later and pick up where you left off. Regular games are more of a pick up here and there for a few hours a day.

Now mmo's are constantly evolving, and most of your work is to get.to top tier and be the best you can, which requires normally at least an hour or so a day?
Leave an MMO for a year and come back? Expect to find new level caps, that you require new gear, and to be below those that have stayed with it.

It's the nature of the beast. I love it.

Funkopotamus · September 2015

Anyone that says ESO is a "GRIND" are doing it all wrong and doing it with a bad mind set.

If you think standing at VR16 with top rank gear within a month is too much of a grind I would strongly suggest not playing MMO's as ESO is one of the EASIEST MMO's to cap out on.

Some people will reach that mark with ease. Then there are some that see those people and get all hate eyes and then say this game is a grind..

CidxLucy · September 2015

zornyan wrote: »

Tbh I kind of enjoy the grind, mmo's are one of the only if not the only genre that require constant attention and work. Any game like for instance ff8, you could play for 50 hours and get near the end, then come back a year later and pick up where you left off. Regular games are more of a pick up here and there for a few hours a day.

Now mmo's are constantly evolving, and most of your work is to get.to top tier and be the best you can, which requires normally at least an hour or so a day?
Leave an MMO for a year and come back? Expect to find new level caps, that you require new gear, and to be below those that have stayed with it.

It's the nature of the beast. I love it.

Its been like what 3 month for ps4 and x1 and we get a dlc?!?
1.5 month later aftet game came they let you buy exp pot why because of CP. ESOwant down for me quick.

ff14 say they willnt add things to get cash shop to make you better then other.
Eso said they only add things to make you look different and wouldn't go P2W
Well look like eso just wants money dont care how they do it.

let othet way ff14 beat eso.

i got so many item in eso i dontknow what to do with them being i quit maybe i just remove eso from ps4 and forget about them.

LordSemaj · September 2015

nimander99 wrote: »

MMO literally stands for Farming and Grinding... let me break it down for you;

M = Farming
M = Grinding
O = Online

MMO = Farming and Grinding Online

Macro Multitaskers Online

On a more serious note, these games don't require grinding at all. They were based on RPGs that were intended to take years to progress through. It was intended to be a gradual thing where you log in for a few hours per day or week and EVENTUALLY get to the end, though with enough content updates no player ever would. Instead, people turned these games into their second job and no-lifed the crap out of them. Now people feel the need to grind just to keep up with the no-lifers. Even in a cooperate PVE setting, people feel the need to grind to keep up with newly released raid content.

Grinding is a myth, an invention of the minds of competitive players who want to be on the level of literally 2% of the server, the no-lifers who have scored their perfect gear arrangement. So few people proportionally ever achieve their gear sets and it becomes an eternal resetting ladder where maintaining the top positions require constant effort. If you're okay with not being in the top 2% of the server, you can get gear extremely easily and cheap because V14 stuff is out of date and V15 stuff not good enough to a powergamer.

Funkopotamus · September 2015

CidxLucy wrote: »

zornyan wrote: »

Tbh I kind of enjoy the grind, mmo's are one of the only if not the only genre that require constant attention and work. Any game like for instance ff8, you could play for 50 hours and get near the end, then come back a year later and pick up where you left off. Regular games are more of a pick up here and there for a few hours a day.

Now mmo's are constantly evolving, and most of your work is to get.to top tier and be the best you can, which requires normally at least an hour or so a day?
Leave an MMO for a year and come back? Expect to find new level caps, that you require new gear, and to be below those that have stayed with it.

It's the nature of the beast. I love it.

Its been like what 3 month for ps4 and x1 and we get a dlc?!?
1.5 month later aftet game came they let you buy exp pot why because of CP. ESOwant down for me quick.

ff14 say they willnt add things to get cash shop to make you better then other.
Eso said they only add things to make you look different and wouldn't go P2W
Well look like eso just wants money dont care how they do it.

let othet way ff14 beat eso.

i got so many item in eso i dontknow what to do with them being i quit maybe i just remove eso from ps4 and forget about them.

0_o

But srsly? I know you are trapped in the PS4 and you do not have access to Neverwinter, but if it ever does come to PS4 I would suggest trying that..

People say Neverwinter is pay2win, BUT AGAIN I will challenge that as I myself have a fully decked out tank and wizard and most of everything on them was from grinding..

MMO's players today have to make a choice... They balk at a SUB FEE and then are going to be faced with either grind it out or pay up.... Simple as that. There are no companies developing games on an AIR,SUNSHINE budget..

Developers have to get paid people.....

CidxLucy · September 2015

Funkopotamus wrote: »

CidxLucy wrote: »

zornyan wrote: »

Tbh I kind of enjoy the grind, mmo's are one of the only if not the only genre that require constant attention and work. Any game like for instance ff8, you could play for 50 hours and get near the end, then come back a year later and pick up where you left off. Regular games are more of a pick up here and there for a few hours a day.

Now mmo's are constantly evolving, and most of your work is to get.to top tier and be the best you can, which requires normally at least an hour or so a day?
Leave an MMO for a year and come back? Expect to find new level caps, that you require new gear, and to be below those that have stayed with it.

It's the nature of the beast. I love it.

Its been like what 3 month for ps4 and x1 and we get a dlc?!?
1.5 month later aftet game came they let you buy exp pot why because of CP. ESOwant down for me quick.

ff14 say they willnt add things to get cash shop to make you better then other.
Eso said they only add things to make you look different and wouldn't go P2W
Well look like eso just wants money dont care how they do it.

let othet way ff14 beat eso.

i got so many item in eso i dontknow what to do with them being i quit maybe i just remove eso from ps4 and forget about them.

0_o

But srsly? I know you are trapped in the PS4 and you do not have access to Neverwinter, but if it ever does come to PS4 I would suggest trying that..

People say Neverwinter is pay2win, BUT AGAIN I will challenge that as I myself have a fully decked out tank and wizard and most of everything on them was from grinding..

MMO's players today have to make a choice... They balk at a SUB FEE and then are going to be faced with either grind it out or pay up.... Simple as that. There are no companies developing games on an AIR,SUNSHINE budget..

Developers have to get paid people.....

I got a x1 and pc but i think ff14 just better then alot of game. I like P2p vs b2p games. i guess its my ocd to dump alot of money into b2p games with cash shop lol

btw
I not a big pvp person so eso first dlc make me sad i love pve I love to tank.

Funkopotamus · September 2015

CidxLucy wrote: »

Funkopotamus wrote: »

CidxLucy wrote: »

zornyan wrote: »

Tbh I kind of enjoy the grind, mmo's are one of the only if not the only genre that require constant attention and work. Any game like for instance ff8, you could play for 50 hours and get near the end, then come back a year later and pick up where you left off. Regular games are more of a pick up here and there for a few hours a day.

Now mmo's are constantly evolving, and most of your work is to get.to top tier and be the best you can, which requires normally at least an hour or so a day?
Leave an MMO for a year and come back? Expect to find new level caps, that you require new gear, and to be below those that have stayed with it.

It's the nature of the beast. I love it.

Its been like what 3 month for ps4 and x1 and we get a dlc?!?
1.5 month later aftet game came they let you buy exp pot why because of CP. ESOwant down for me quick.

ff14 say they willnt add things to get cash shop to make you better then other.
Eso said they only add things to make you look different and wouldn't go P2W
Well look like eso just wants money dont care how they do it.

let othet way ff14 beat eso.

i got so many item in eso i dontknow what to do with them being i quit maybe i just remove eso from ps4 and forget about them.

0_o

But srsly? I know you are trapped in the PS4 and you do not have access to Neverwinter, but if it ever does come to PS4 I would suggest trying that..

People say Neverwinter is pay2win, BUT AGAIN I will challenge that as I myself have a fully decked out tank and wizard and most of everything on them was from grinding..

MMO's players today have to make a choice... They balk at a SUB FEE and then are going to be faced with either grind it out or pay up.... Simple as that. There are no companies developing games on an AIR,SUNSHINE budget..

Developers have to get paid people.....

btw
I not a big pvp person so eso first dlc make me sad i love pve I love to tank.

^^ Well if that last line is the honest truth... Then yes the last DLC made you a very .very sad person lol.