Has this game gotten any better since release?

Etori · March 2016

I pop into these forums every once in a while hoping to see something that will draw me back to the game. My biggest detractor was the addition to the crown store. Nothing is more of a detractor than being forced to pay money to earn something instead of being able to earn those items in game.

Have they finally gotten rid of vet levels?
Are the items in the crown store exclusive to only the crown store, or can they be earned in game?
What is the learning curve like? I have a basic understanding from playing at release, but I am sure much has changed.
Lastly, it looks like the dev communication with the playerbase is as terrible as I've ever seen. In the few replies I see by them on the forums they're typically very generic type answers that offer almost no help. Is that the case, or am I just missing actual helpful devs? I come from another MMO that has constant dev interaction on the games messageboard.

Volkodav · March 2016

It's rather relative.One person will say it has gotten better,the other will say it's horrible now.
Personally,I think it's fine,and I love it.

TheBull · March 2016

Outside the well needed DK/Vamp nerfs at launch it's questionable. It has certainly changed, but better? I don't know.

WalkingLegacy · March 2016

Base game hasn't improved in the slightest.

Orsinium is pretty darn good. thieves guild content is tiny and unfortunately these DLC are all geared towards solo play.

TG added one trial. So if you're against being nickeled and dimed for what is free in the offline TES game then stay clear.

If you got a bud playing with you then it's pretty fun until you're split for solo content only.

Etori · March 2016

WalkingLegacy wrote: »

Base game hasn't improved in the slightest.

Orsinium is pretty darn good. thieves guild content is tiny and unfortunately these DLC are all geared towards solo play.

TG added one trial. So if you're against being nickeled and dimed for what is free in the offline TES game then stay clear.

If you got a bud playing with you then it's pretty fun until you're split for solo content only.

Exactly what I wanted to know. Thanks, I guess I'll continue to check back periodically to see if this mindset ever changes.

Defilted · March 2016

Yes

TerraDewBerry · March 2016

I was in the Beta, did early head start, and left as soon as my 1 month patron ended from the pre-order. I came back for the Thieve's Guild, and I have to say I'm extremely happy so far with how things have changed (minus the recent nerf hammer the to the thieve's troves). This has now become my main game, and hopefully, when The Dark Brotherhood makes their long awaited appearance... it will be to "die" for..

Volkodav · March 2016

Etori wrote: »

WalkingLegacy wrote: »

Base game hasn't improved in the slightest.

Orsinium is pretty darn good. thieves guild content is tiny and unfortunately these DLC are all geared towards solo play.

TG added one trial. So if you're against being nickeled and dimed for what is free in the offline TES game then stay clear.

If you got a bud playing with you then it's pretty fun until you're split for solo content only.

Exactly what I wanted to know. Thanks, I guess I'll continue to check back periodically to see if this mindset ever changes.

The mind set will never change.You read one person's post and made up your mind.
It's never going to be a total either way.
Make up your own mind about it.Perhaps you might try subbing,and if you dont think it's worth it,unsub then.
For the price of a Pizza.
Personally,I'd sub,and buy a Pizza anyway.

Elsonso · March 2016

Overall, yes, the game has improved on most fronts. This is a poor time to ask because a lot of people in the forum are upset with various changes, and bugs, in the Thieves Guild DLC. They have made some nice improvements with grouping, and while it will be harder to find people in the forum that agree, they have been incrementally working on class balance and Cyrodiil lag. Cyrodiil lag is probably the biggest issue for the game right now.

Veteran Ranks are still in the game. They will likely be removed during the second quarter DLC (Dark Brotherhood) but we are waiting for confirmation.

The Crown Store is deliberately done so items in there are Crown Store only, however, there are in-game equivalents for XP boosters, food, crafting motifs, and stuff like that. There are some pets available in the game, others only available in the Crown Store. The in-game mounts remain the same horses that were available at launch with the exotic mounts only available in the Store. Differences between mounts in the same family are cosmetic and none of the pets and mounts do anything special aside from animations and appearances. The Store does remain cosmetic and convenience, and as one might expect, they are right up to the line there. Depending on who you talk to, they are on both sides of that line. However, as of yet there are no weapons or armor in the Crown Store.

Imperial City DLC is going to interest players that like mixed PVE/PVP as it is set in a PVP zone, but with a heavy dose of PVE in the form of daedra and some objectives. Tel Var stones collected in the Imperial City can be stolen in PVP if they are not safely deposited in the bank.

Orsinium is a pretty large PVE zone that includes both multiplayer and solo content. All characters are battle leveled to Veteran Rank 16 upin entry to the zone, so all characters can play in the zone. However, players with few Champion Points will likely find this zone more difficult. There is nothing PVP in this zone.

Thieves Guild is a smaller PVE zone that includes a new Trial and is focused on the more criminal activities. While there is content for people not interested in the Thieves Guild, the Guild is the purpose of the DLC. As with Orsinium, there is no PVP in this zone.

Communication between ZOS and the players is a lot better than at launch and the few months following it and it has been steadily getting better, in terms of both what they share and the level of participation, over the last two years. It ebbs and flows depending on where they are in the development cycle for a DLC. The main form of communication right now is more around bugs and the status of fixes. They do read the forum and they will take note of things that interest them, however, they do not enter into game play and mechanics debates and discussions, other than to make the occasional statements.

Brunoad · March 2016

Been playing since Beta day 1 and am confident to say that ESO is continually getting better overall. Sure, it has its share of bugs, but for a project of this magnitude, it is to be expected. None of us are perfect, nor do perfect work.

Farorin · March 2016

There are still some things that need to be worked on, and for some people, that means the game is bad, but there will ALWAYS be things that need working on in a game like this.

The facts are that now there is more content, more to do, and more options. Hopefully they keep heading in that direction.

Vaoh · March 2016

@Etori I am not the authority of this but it is sort of a consenus that PvE has drastically improved while PvP has gotten drastically worse. Hence, the forums are filled to the brim with complaints which ZOS no longer prioritizes (due to Crown Store aka $$$).

Do NOT let this dissuade you. You must absolutely try it out again. These are facts, but ESO is a fantastic game. It's one of my favorite games and undoubtedly the one I have sunk the most hours into. Many more to come as well!

Iyas · March 2016

Pve is okayish but is missing Endgame and a good loot system.

Pvp is completely broken. It's a laggy mess

Zanen · March 2016

I've been an on again/off again player since beta, played at PC launch, went back to PC, transferred to PS4, and have taken long breaks from the game between expansions.

The game is WAY better than it was at PC launch, there's just no question. People must have forgotten all the bugs, broken quests, broken classes, and exploits.

I'm not surprised at all the devs feel like the game is healthy and doing well. For a new player just starting out or coming back the solo PVE experience is phenomenal now. With no knowledge of the game and no champion points gameplay is fun and challenging, the problem is people have been playing two years and leveling a 500 CP toon for the 8th time is not.

I question a lot of the decisions that have been made since launch, but there's been a lot of polish. Power creep and competitive endgame build diversity and balance are still issues, and the devs maddening tendency to make sweeping changes to combat and progression systems every few months rather than fixing what was wrong with it five patches ago... but there's a lot more to do, and it's a lot more fun to do it, than it was at launch.

olsborg · March 2016

PvP is broken, the meta is unbalanced crap and its lagging like f if theres more then 5 people in cyrodiil. PvE is too easy (unless you raid, maelstromarena) because of champion points.

Firerock2 · March 2016

PvP has gotten worse. There is more PvE content though if you like that crap.

Buffler · March 2016

It really Irks me when people say its too easy due to champions points.....they are bloody optional, you don't have to use them!