Calling all people who eschew Maxing and just Play

Clisair · May 2016

I always play for the exploration and just to have fun with my wife of 25 year (we have been together 27). We always play as a duo and was thrilled when I was able to get her to play this one with me. We level slowly and just enjoy all the eyecandy and puzzles that we find along the way.

FrostFallFox · May 2016

I just play and it's hard to not get better gear. It just happens.

But I really like doing dungeons with the squad or doing the cyrodil daily quests on our low levels and get loot fer days.

Lord_Nala · May 2016

Now this is what I'm talking about! Gamers who know the value of what a game is supposed to be and enjoy every aspect of it. You sound like my kind of gamers who I'd enjoy running with. It's nice to stop and smell the flowers every once in a while. Just be careful not to step in some Guar dung! Seriously, I know we are all playing on different servers and consoles but it would be awesome to play with like minded gamers who really "Get It".

GilGalad · May 2016

FortheloveofKrist wrote: »

Gil.Galad wrote: »

FortheloveofKrist wrote: »

[...]Sometimes I like to hunt squirrels [...]

No. Just no.

Why not? Small game on PS4 sells for around 100g each. It takes about 30 minutes (if you're an expert squirrel hunter like myself) to get a stack of 100. So I'd say 10000g for 30 min is pretty good.

Not to mention, it's actually fun. You have to listen for the squirrels and rabbits, and you gotta know the good hunting spots.

Or were you just being poopy for negativity sake?

Well on PC it's worth nothing, especially if you have to kill one of the most adorable animals out there!

Selique · May 2016

I play what ever feels most fun for me. I don't do FOTM builds or chase gear and stats for +2 more stam or magicka.

I currently run a Stam NB with DW and Bow. Perhaps not the best, nor worse build, but it is the build I like, and I make it work for me!

Also, I chose Argonian for my race because we are the master race.

GivvumBoane · May 2016

Selique wrote: »

I play what ever feels most fun for me. I don't do FOTM builds or chase gear and stats for +2 more stam or magicka.

I currently run a Stam NB with DW and Bow. Perhaps not the best, nor worse build, but it is the build I like, and I make it work for me!

Also, I chose Argonian for my race because we are the master race.

I also ran this setup, but wooded. Used medium armor and spec'd into shadow. Cloak's morph to 100% critical within 3 sec, and surprise attack's 4.5 sec stun. Drop them before the stun wears off.

Corysia · May 2016

I'm a bosmer stamina nightblade with dw and bow. I'm v4 and will probably never see v5. I think I've been v4 for over six months. I use a med 5 set of Night Silence because I like to run while sneaking. My character has always tried to do 1:1 kills rather than groups, being more of a DB assassin-style...kill your target, sneak past everyone else. It's just the play style I like. But you don't get xp from sneaking except in Abah's Landing quests.

I chose Bosmer because I'm short. So she's short, even for a bosmer. And I've been Bosmer in every ES game I've played, which is all of them (except Redguard...couldn't find that one).

The only thing I wish I could do better is heal. I found I really enjoy healing, so I have alts.

My alts are other races, but they're only alts.

GivvumBoane · May 2016

Corysia wrote: »

I'm a bosmer stamina nightblade with dw and bow. I'm v4 and will probably never see v5. I think I've been v4 for over six months. I use a med 5 set of Night Silence because I like to run while sneaking. My character has always tried to do 1:1 kills rather than groups, being more of a DB assassin-style...kill your target, sneak past everyone else. It's just the play style I like. But you don't get xp from sneaking except in Abah's Landing quests.

I chose Bosmer because I'm short. So she's short, even for a bosmer. And I've been Bosmer in every ES game I've played, which is all of them (except Redguard...couldn't find that one).

The only thing I wish I could do better is heal. I found I really enjoy healing, so I have alts.

My alts are other races, but they're only alts.

Lol same here. Night's Silence fo sho . I handle 3 man groups easily, 5 man groups are rough. I stealth everywhere. Stealth group delves for the sky shards. I hit v13 and finished Caldwell's gold. No dlc, so all I have left is Craglorn. Guess It'll be staying at v13

Gidorick · May 2016

I am much more concerned with the narrative of my character than the game mechanics, high score leaderboards, min/maxing or anything of the sort. I have my characters story... and. I play according to that story.

That's pretty much the long and short of it.

Alurria · May 2016

This thread gives me hope..there are still gamers who love the journey. Who live the ride, who stretch their imaginations. Who play this game for fun, friendship, fellowship. Who realize the minutes and hours spent here in ESO should be filled with laughter and joy, not stress and drama. This game is therapy for me, it takes the stress from dealing with work and washes it away for me.

I could never play a game as a second job. I wonder if the creators of games ever cringe when they read how seriously some people take it. I'm sure they created it with fun in mind, how could they not?

Uriel_Nocturne · May 2016

pieceofyarnb14_ESO wrote: »

This thread gives me hope..there are still gamers who love the journey. Who live the ride, who stretch their imaginations. Who play this game for fun, friendship, fellowship. Who realize the minutes and hours spent here in ESO should be filled with laughter and joy, not stress and drama. This game is therapy for me, it takes the stress from dealing with work and washes it away for me.

I could never play a game as a second job. I wonder if the creators of games ever cringe when they read how seriously some people take it. I'm sure they created it with fun in mind, how could they not?

And IMO, that's the entire point of an MMORPG. The journey.

MMO's didn't start out as min/max'ing chores. They didn't used to be FotM rat races. Both of those came along when the FPS crowd started invading MMO's. MMO's are about the journey. About building a character that is fun to play (first and foremost), and that gets built up over time with a great story to go along with that character.

As I said before; I couldn't care less what the FotM build is, I don't care about grinding a dungeon for that one specific piece of gear. I'm not going to crunch numbers to make sure I'm at the top of some meaningless "Leaderboard" for DPS.

What I will do in my MMO's is build a character around a great back story, and then play that character for the fun in running around in, getting lost in, and discovering this huge living, breathing world.

That's what an MMORPG is all about for me. And judging by this thread, I can take comfort in the fact that I'm not alone.

NovaMarx · May 2016

I play however I want! And always have! The only character I have where I actually put some "practical" thought into gear and skills is my main - since she is the one I do PvP/trials/dungeons with etc.

But I am an avid RPer, and part of a large community - with own guild even. So most of my time is spent talking/chatting to others, doing RP events and other random stuffs with my online friends

Oh, and I enjoy exploring the world and taking pictures

Sogreth · May 2016

This is what keeps me interested.

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/266544/i-want-to-know-about-you-kind-of-rp?new=1

I don't follow any type of build. I just use what I feel comfortable with, and what fits my playstyle.

GreenhaloX · May 2016

FortheloveofKrist wrote: »

There have to be other players out there who do not try to get the best gear, best setup, max stats, and simply attempt to play, have fun, and find their own entertainment.

I understand your point, but.. to just play.. is doing so going through the motion of completing quests. For someone looking to complete trials or get a better fighting chance against big bosses and not die multiple times during the fight, you would have to focus on increasing your CP, gears and abilities. After the quests are over and you want to continue on messing around within Tamriel, it more enjoyable with upgraded gear, abilities and increased CP. To me, even though I have plenty of grand soul gems, it is more satisfying finishing a big boss fight without dying even once.

TheShadowScout · May 2016

I have never really cared about mix-maxing, and play my characters after the character idea I had when making them, choosing gear and such to match the concept, and don't complain on the occasions when I fail hard in PvP... which happens often enough for both my mains - a bounty huntress / mercenary nightblade going with archery and twin daggers (and I even fail at the nightblade-trademark ganking every so often because I refused to min-max the character to put all into the first sneak attack power), and a ranged caster librarian sorceror (who refuses to use fire staves despite being dunmer because it does not fit my image of the dark and somewhat gloomy goth-boy character)...

For me, the backstory and feel of the charater is more important, and I accept that maybe some of my backstory-derived choices are suboptimal in effect, aggrivated by my at best adequate skills.
But I have fun playing them, and that is what counts.
I keep having days when I am not busy guiding an alt through cadwells, but take my main for a stroll, explore all the far off corners of a map or two, smell the flowers (then pick them for alchemy ingredients), look for treasure chests or thieves troves, see if I find a way to an area on the map or not, and so on... "winning" isn't everything, having fun is what the game is all about!

And I keep doing that even for my crafting/testbed alts - thus I came along with characters like the Argonian Dragonknight, Orc Templar, and Nord Sorceror... each with their own little backstory (though for most, not nearly as detailed as my main characters - since I made my mains for roleplay, and the others just for crafting and to test out a build, see what it can or cannot do... though I have to say, my prime craftsmistress is starting to grow on me, and as she does, her backstory evolves - might promote her to roleplaying character one of those days...)

Mellimal12 · May 2016

So many replies speak to my spirit of play here! I'm here for the fun and the boss scenery. Transitioning from XBOX Elder Scroll series to PC online was a bit of a challenge for me but I like it. I read through some of the guides and my eyes glazed over. I like to rp and explore the world. PvP doesn't hold any appeal for me. I'll go play CoD or DOOM or Halo (on mute) for PvP if I want to. Whatever skill set, loot set, build set, group set will get me to accomplish those two goals, I'm set.
I'm not a fan of griefers and they tend to usually come from one camp. I think that was a surprise when I started playing since this ESO is a game that you have to buy. But other than that, my ignore list grows by leaps an bounds.

BlitzGirl41 · May 2016

I have been pretty fickle with my characters and haven't played the game for a while, but starting tonight I am going to try to make a concerted effort to get back into it. And even if I only played a little before, I was pretty casual about, enjoying the journey, the environments, etc., not rushing into things and only worrying about gear when I felt I was getting hit hard by enemies around my level. I may not create backstories for my toons or even roleplay in-game, but there are other things I take enjoyment in. I honestly so far love to procrastinate finishing the Khenarthi's Roost questline since I hate having to leave the island due to its beauty.

GivvumBoane · May 2016

GreenhaloX wrote: »

FortheloveofKrist wrote: »

There have to be other players out there who do not try to get the best gear, best setup, max stats, and simply attempt to play, have fun, and find their own entertainment.

I understand your point, but.. to just play.. is doing so going through the motion of completing quests. For someone looking to complete trials or get a better fighting chance against big bosses and not die multiple times during the fight, you would have to focus on increasing your CP, gears and abilities. After the quests are over and you want to continue on messing around within Tamriel, it more enjoyable with upgraded gear, abilities and increased CP. To me, even though I have plenty of grand soul gems, it is more satisfying finishing a big boss fight without dying even once.

To me, "more enjoyable" in this context, means trivial because I out gear and out level everything. It is more satisfying to destroy a boss without dying once. CP make a big difference. I have 164 CP and I solo world bosses, dolmen, and group delves within 1 level difference.

FortheloveofKrist · May 2016

GreenhaloX wrote: »

FortheloveofKrist wrote: »

There have to be other players out there who do not try to get the best gear, best setup, max stats, and simply attempt to play, have fun, and find their own entertainment.

I understand your point, but.. to just play.. is doing so going through the motion of completing quests. For someone looking to complete trials or get a better fighting chance against big bosses and not die multiple times during the fight, you would have to focus on increasing your CP, gears and abilities. After the quests are over and you want to continue on messing around within Tamriel, it more enjoyable with upgraded gear, abilities and increased CP. To me, even though I have plenty of grand soul gems, it is more satisfying finishing a big boss fight without dying even once.

I have to respectfully disagree. I think maxing stats sometimes makes the game less enjoyable. I have often been bored with certain zones or had to skip them entirely because my gear and skills were too good. It's so easy to over level in this game to the point that certain activities feel boring and lack challenge. And for those activities that require you have the best gear and maxed stats, I don't even bother. I could care less about trials or gold keys. Sure, I get a gold key here and there, but it's just because I happened to play with cool people who didn't care about rezzing a group member multiple times. I have been the person rezzing others, and I have been the one repeatedly on the floor. But with the right group of people, I honestly don't care as long Im having fun.

And the point of the thread was that people play in all kinds of ways, so playing just to play does not have to mean "going through the motion completing quests." One player on here said they haven't leveled in over a month. Questing is enjoyable also, but again, it's not the only way to play the game.

FortheloveofKrist · May 2016

TheShadowScout wrote: »

a ranged caster librarian sorceror (who refuses to use fire staves despite being dunmer because it does not fit my image of the dark and somewhat gloomy goth-boy character)...

Love this. I will sometimes use a skill that is not good at all (like Fire Rune) just because it fits my character.

GivvumBoane · May 2016

FortheloveofKrist wrote: »

TheShadowScout wrote: »

a ranged caster librarian sorceror (who refuses to use fire staves despite being dunmer because it does not fit my image of the dark and somewhat gloomy goth-boy character)...

Love this. I will sometimes use a skill that is not good at all (like Fire Rune) just because it fits my character.

And we all know fire seriously ruins books, and being a librarian, well.....we can't have that. Lol

Volkodav · May 2016

Oreyn_Bearclaw wrote: »

Volkodav wrote: »

Oreyn_Bearclaw wrote: »

Samwell Slayer wrote: »

Oreyn_Bearclaw wrote: »

First TBS is probably better than hundings in a proper group setting so nice job min/maxing. Haha.

I think the vast majority of people play like that. I did for the better part of a year. I was a dagger and bow NB at launch and it was a long time before any min/maxer would even consider it to be viable.

That being said, at some point a little min/maxing goes a long way. The vast majority of this game can be completed with almost no thought to a build. Hovever, if you want to be competitive at end game, "play the way you want" sort of flies out the window.

Just made a post about TBS vs Juli for group play.

KK, done advertising for myself. Bow was not viable for pve for a year, and they changed it so that it is. The fact that you were using bow for a year before that does not mean you had some great insight, it just means you used bow back when it sucked. No offense.

Never said I had any great insight. I was pointing out that for a long time I ran a sub-optimal build because I wanted to play dagger/bow regardless of performance. In other words, not min/maxing. That was the point of this thread.

Also, bow is still terrible single target DPS in PVE. There was a period for a few months when it was really good, but it was short lived. Bow has not been competitive as a main bar weapon in quite some time. Is is viable, sure, but people are clearing vWGT with nothing but light attacks. Almost anything is viable. However, it's certainly not competitive.

Again, kind of my point. Play the way you want works for most things in this game unless you are talking competitive end-game. Some people like to compete and some don't. Neither group is in the wrong.

I dont understand why a bow isnt a good main bar weapon to have for PvE. This is all I use on all my alts. I have no problems with it giving me the damage I need when I need it.I have dual wield on my second bar and switch when caught in close up combat.
I can see that it might be a problem in PvP though.

I am not saying you cant make it work, but when you compare it to other ranged options like a Magic NB or a Magic Sorc with a destro staff, the numbers you pull wont be in the same ball park. Again we are discussing the distinction between what is viable and what is competitive.

As a general rule, Melee Damage is going to be better than ranged damage, although the gap is not nearly as far apart as it used to be. It makes sense that way. Playing Melee is generally tougher. You are exposed to more mechanics and it requires good mobility, etc. Range has always been a "safer" way to play, and that generally comes with a DPS loss.

Bow is actually a better weapon for PVP as a main bar than PVE, especially if going for a ganker build. What happened a while back was that Snipe (and the morphs) were the staple of a single target bow build for PVE. People were running combos of Hawks Eye and Morag Tong, and they were pulling very competitive numbers in trials and that sort of thing by weaving snip and a few DoTs/Buffs. The problem was, that this translated into people getting one-shot in PVP left and right, so the bow got a pretty big nerf. The bow is probably the biggest victim of the balance issues that stem from trying to deal with both PVE and PVP.

Please understand that I am not telling anyone that you cant play with a bow effectively to clear just about anything in the game. However, if you are trying to pull competitive numbers in a trial setting (i.e. do more DPS than the guys standing next to you), bow is near the bottom of the list as a main bar weapon. As a back bar weapon, it is great. It has some great DoTs that can tick really hard (especially with a maelstrom bow), but the vast majority of DPS from competitive stamina players is coming from Dual Wield, not the bow.

I would love to see the bow as a competitive weapon again for trials and such, but it would probably require a rework of snipe to keep the PVE/PVP balance.

No,no.I didnt think you were trying to tell people that they couldnt play with a bow effectively.
I was speaking in general about why people think they cant use a bow for their main.I can think of using nothing else.I've tried staffs,and swords,etc,but they all disappoint me.
To use one in PvP would make it competitive,and to use it in PvE would make it viable,and that's what I need.
I dont PvP at all,so my bow works fine for me.

captainwolfos · May 2016

newtinmpls wrote: »

OTOH, playing my not-especially realistic "goblin" character, Broken Branch Toothmaul is a blast (Templar; rolled as a bosmer 'cause 'goblin' wasn't a choice). she loves her mount "big brown horse" although for unknown reasons, some of the folks I've/She's been gaming/adventuring with insist on calling him "The Shetland War Pony"

I, too, have a goblin character. Which I decided to create after finding a goblin disguise/polymorph in Stonefalls. So you, too, can have a real goblin should you so choose!

cosmic_niklas_93b16_ESO · May 2016

Taleof2Cities wrote: »

Refreshing to see posts like this ...

... as compared to all the other over the top complaint threads about how a player's build was ruined and said player can't change with the new patch.

Some just don't have anything else to switch to as all their class skills are mostly useless next patch

Tryxus · May 2016

While I do make several decisions in an effort to max my chars (like races), I still prefer to have my own personal touch to them even if it's not efficient or allows them to be fully maxed.

I also like to experiment at times, when my ingame gold and supplies allows for it

Whiphid · May 2016

I like reading this thread!

The main reason I got this game was because I needed my daily fix of Tamriel after my third playthrough of Skyrim.
I'm pretty much doing what I want, without being concerned too much about "the perfect build".

Managed to keep myself alive most of the time (unless I try to solo a dolmen that has six spellcasters, my bad) and spend a decent amount of skillpoints and time into crafting. I don't see the need to respec and put all those points into skills and passives that might make me a bit more competetive in PvP, as it is PvE 99% of my time anyway.

Mostly play the game after a day of work, so it's to get my mind of things and just relax. I've just started Caldwell's Silver and intend to do every single quest in these Silver/Gold zones as well. So much work has gone into creating this immersive world, it's a shame some people don't stop every now and then to just enjoy the scenery. I loved seeing the Khajit architecture on that beautiful AD starter island!

Cryptical · May 2016

Samwell Slayer wrote: »

FortheloveofKrist wrote: »

There have to be other players out there who do not try to get the best gear, best setup, max stats, and simply attempt to play, have fun, and find their own entertainment.

For example: I recently made a TBS set in all Akiviri med armor for my V16 Orc stam NB. Had to make the Soul-shriven 2H sword to match (since it's really the only samurai looking sword). And even though it certainly doesn't have the damage ability of my Hunding setup, I find that I'm getting much more enjoyment out of it. I use mostly 2H abilities since they feel more like swordplay, and I stopped animation canceling because it feels more realistic since I can see the actions. Sometimes I like to hunt squirrels and rabbits and pick flowers, cause my Orc is the strong silent type, but he is also pragmatic and sensitive. Basically I'm playing up the Samurai persona, and yes I know that's not the lore but who cares.

Does anyone else follow a similar (yet your own) path? Nothing against people who want the baddest setup and skills, but it started to become a drag.

So what do you do to entertain yourself besides questing and PvP? Fishing expeditions? Talk with everyone in town? Steal ingredients to make stacks of food to sell? I want to hear ideas, because I want to try them out. Especially the bizarre ones.

Do tell...

It's perfectly fine in my book up to a point. If you are not doing your best to do as much as you can for your groups, then I don't want you in my group. It's not personal. I actually love playing with new players who are doing their best but still have trouble killing skeevers.

If you're not grouped with me go ahead. Do what you want. You want to be a Samurai? Then just use one sword. Whatever. Have fun. Just don't be a pug in my group or you'll get kicked.

Someone needs to be reminded that it is a game, and that the numbers on the screen do not express happiness at any recent nice events nor do those numbers offer condolences or sympathies for recent unhappy events.

cosmic_niklas_93b16_ESO · May 2016

Cryptical wrote: »

Samwell Slayer wrote: »

FortheloveofKrist wrote: »

There have to be other players out there who do not try to get the best gear, best setup, max stats, and simply attempt to play, have fun, and find their own entertainment.

For example: I recently made a TBS set in all Akiviri med armor for my V16 Orc stam NB. Had to make the Soul-shriven 2H sword to match (since it's really the only samurai looking sword). And even though it certainly doesn't have the damage ability of my Hunding setup, I find that I'm getting much more enjoyment out of it. I use mostly 2H abilities since they feel more like swordplay, and I stopped animation canceling because it feels more realistic since I can see the actions. Sometimes I like to hunt squirrels and rabbits and pick flowers, cause my Orc is the strong silent type, but he is also pragmatic and sensitive. Basically I'm playing up the Samurai persona, and yes I know that's not the lore but who cares.

Does anyone else follow a similar (yet your own) path? Nothing against people who want the baddest setup and skills, but it started to become a drag.

So what do you do to entertain yourself besides questing and PvP? Fishing expeditions? Talk with everyone in town? Steal ingredients to make stacks of food to sell? I want to hear ideas, because I want to try them out. Especially the bizarre ones.

Do tell...

It's perfectly fine in my book up to a point. If you are not doing your best to do as much as you can for your groups, then I don't want you in my group. It's not personal. I actually love playing with new players who are doing their best but still have trouble killing skeevers.

If you're not grouped with me go ahead. Do what you want. You want to be a Samurai? Then just use one sword. Whatever. Have fun. Just don't be a pug in my group or you'll get kicked.

Someone needs to be reminded that it is a game, and that the numbers on the screen do not express happiness at any recent nice events nor do those numbers offer condolences or sympathies for recent unhappy events.

Happiness doesn't come from wiping continuously for hours because some people wanted to play on their sub-par build and wasting 3 other people's time either

laurajf · May 2016

At least in this particular thread, most of the people posting here have mentioned that they realize their builds are not the best but they also either don't do group content/PVP or if they do or will do so in the future, they will work on their builds in order to not be a burden.

I realize there are those out there with not-ideal builds (whether knowingly or unknowingly) who join group content regularly but at least for this thread, the folks here are pretty much all on the same page with regard to that.

Edited to say that I'm one of those people who will not group up, and I only play solo because I prefer to pick and choose my characters and their skills for my pleasure/enjoyment only.

FortheloveofKrist · May 2016

cosmic_niklas_93b16_ESO wrote: »

Happiness doesn't come from wiping continuously for hours because some people wanted to play on their sub-par build and wasting 3 other people's time either

"Sub-par" is a subjective ideal. More reason to play with people you know and like.