Why Shadows of the Hist is an Important Update

Preyfar · August 2016

Look, we get it. There's not a lot of oomph, and the wow factor is somewhat mixed, but overall... yes, this is an important update. ZOS didn't need to release it, and realistically everything in Shadows of the Hist (and even the base game patch) could have been backburnered until One Tamriel which comes out in a few months.

But Update 11 /is/ an important update, and it's important for a few reasons.

Updates - Everyone complains that ZOS never does bug pure bug fixing. "Stop making new content," some cry with seething rage into an oscillating room fan. "Focus on bug fixes! Stop content and just fix things." Guess what? They did. In fact, the majority of this patch WAS bug fixes. Improvements. Fixes. Tweaks. Yes, two new dungeons were added to the mix, but the vast majority of everything of this patch was bug fixing. Some big, simple little.

You've been asking for it for ages, and you got it. Chicken McNuggets for everyone!
Quality of Life - "The RNG system sucks. BURN THE HERETIC!" Yep, the RNG sucks. You said. I've said. The guy at the drive thru window of my local Taco Bell said it. And with Update 11, the single biggest quality of life update is... *drumroll* ....the ability to defeat the RNG. You can now trade BOP items. Yes, this seems like a minor update in the scheme of things, but this is huge. This is the kind of thing that truly incentivizes and rewards group play. Y'know, that... that thing you've been asking for. That we've all been asking for. It's here. Right now.

Loot sharing will greatly encourage more group play. More trials. More dungeons. More people getting together and doing the content that may not have done, and not having to worry quite as much at being at the mercy of the RNG. Didn't get the part you wanted? Trade for it. You're no longer limited to the loot table of yourself, but he loot table of 3 to 11 other people.

Freakin'. Huge.

Not only that, but ZOS listened to our threads, heard our complaints, and made Maelstrom always drop a weapon. And made DSA always drop a weapon. Yeah, it's taken a while, but they listened. That's important. Write that down in your copy book now.
Personalities - I don't know of many other MMOs that can allow you to change your character's behavior, walk, idle in such an easy way. Darth Lambert and Emperor Firor could have declared each personality cost 1K crowns. They didn't. They bundled them, put them together in a seriously cheap and affordable pack, tied a little ribbon on it and basically gave it out for dirt cheap. Yeah, yeah, they still cost crowns, but they made them affordable to get them out there. Small impact, but it further helps customize characters. This is a good thing.
Costume Dyeing - Again, this a minor update but one that has a large impact to the feel of the game. It offers more customization and the ability to be a little bit more unique. You can customize how you look, feel, act and behave (especially accompanied by the new personalities) you can really go the extra mile to make your character feel unique and different from the rest of the pack. Again: huge.
Updated Content - They took the time to go back, fix, tweak and improve the updated content. No, it's not new, but creating new content takes ages. ZOS opened up a new floodgate of existing for people to engage in, and actually have it be rewarding and end up as something other than "Hey, got 10 minutes to kill to knock out AA for leaderboards?" Scaling also sets the stage for One Tamriel, and brings everything we've had prior up to part. Fixed. And yes, it gives us insight that they want Trials to be the hard, yet also accessible. Approachable for new players, and about as fun as a trip to the dentist for those looking for a challenge. Which is good, because that drives people to WANT to get better and improve.

With that, no, not everything is perfect, and this is a small DLC, but this is a small DLC that really focused and catered on the little things. A lot of little things that people have been asking for.

That's a great thing, and if you don't think it's a great thing, trust me... alcohol helps.

Milvan · August 2016

TL;DR?

BomblePants · August 2016

I agree strongly.... can't believe the lack of support for this post!

Rohamad_Ali · August 2016

You are correct that this was in fact a maintenance patch more then a content patch . For that ZOS should be praised . However the price tag on customizations people were waiting forever for over shadowed this positive part . Good post an give credit where credit is due . There's some new bugs to fix though ...lol . Keep working ZOS .

dodgehopper_ESO · August 2016

Rohamad_Ali wrote: »

You are correct that this was in fact a maintenance patch more then a content patch . For that ZOS should be praised . However the price tag on customizations people were waiting forever for over shadowed this positive part . Good post an give credit where credit is due . There's some new bugs to fix though ...lol . Keep working ZOS .

I agree here. I'm also somewhat disappointed that we do not have a beautiful new Argonian swamp to explore in an open world capacity like Wrothgar. Beyond that I'm looking forward to playing the new Argonian content for sure.

Lysette · August 2016

I recognized as well that loging into a crowded area on PC is a lot smoother now. In the last time I had often for a couple of seconds stuttering when I logged in and immediately mounted and sprinted away - this is gone now, it is smooth again.

Stravokov · August 2016

sounds like the OP bought a life supply of coolaid. OOOOOOOOOOH YEAH!!!

Vaoh · August 2016

dodgehopper_ESO wrote: »

Rohamad_Ali wrote: »

You are correct that this was in fact a maintenance patch more then a content patch . For that ZOS should be praised . However the price tag on customizations people were waiting forever for over shadowed this positive part . Good post an give credit where credit is due . There's some new bugs to fix though ...lol . Keep working ZOS .

I agree here. I'm also somewhat disappointed that we do not have a beautiful new Argonian swamp to explore in an open world capacity like Wrothgar. Beyond that I'm looking forward to playing the new Argonian content for sure.

Murkmire is still being worked on.

It'll be here one day.... just give it another ~3-12 months....

Lysette · August 2016

Doncellius wrote: »

dodgehopper_ESO wrote: »

Rohamad_Ali wrote: »

You are correct that this was in fact a maintenance patch more then a content patch . For that ZOS should be praised . However the price tag on customizations people were waiting forever for over shadowed this positive part . Good post an give credit where credit is due . There's some new bugs to fix though ...lol . Keep working ZOS .

I agree here. I'm also somewhat disappointed that we do not have a beautiful new Argonian swamp to explore in an open world capacity like Wrothgar. Beyond that I'm looking forward to playing the new Argonian content for sure.

Murkmire is still being worked on.

It'll be here one day.... just give it another ~3-12 months....

I wonder what the Q4 surprise will be - maybe the first area of Vvardenfell - I really hope so. Think of the bitter coast, it has something really swampy to it.

Robbmrp · August 2016

I agree. I would be perfectly fine with less DLC's and more bug fixes every year. I don't need all the flashy bells and whistles... I just would like a whistle that works....

Preyfar · August 2016

Erock25 wrote: »

OP is trying too hard to be funny. I stopped reading as well.

I'm not trying to be funny. That's just how I write. Any of the people who I guild with know I've got a quirky manner of writing. And it's cool if you don't want to read it, don't like how I write, but my believe my points still stand beyond the layer of hyperbole and metaphors thrown in.

Stravokov wrote: »

sounds like the OP bought a life supply of coolaid. OOOOOOOOOOH YEAH!!!

No. I am critical of ZOS when I need to and praise them when they need to be praised. I've been playing MMOs since 1997, and even helped out on the support team on one. I consider myself realistic, and I believe my post history accounts for that. I enjoy the game, yes, but I don't believe every post needs to be doom and gloom.

That said, I do occasionally like Kool-Aid. I'm a Tropical Punch person.

Preyfar · August 2016

Rohamad_Ali wrote: »

You are correct that this was in fact a maintenance patch more then a content patch . For that ZOS should be praised . However the price tag on customizations people were waiting forever for over shadowed this positive part . Good post an give credit where credit is due . There's some new bugs to fix though ...lol . Keep working ZOS.

I think ZOS should have offered an introductory price. "For this week, and this week only, we'll be offering these new services at a reduced rate." I think that would have been fine. And I also think there should be an in-game method to procure them as well. ESO has an odd lack of gold sinks, and the few gold sinks it does have tend to hurt new players far more than it does the vets.

potirondb16_ESO · August 2016

This DLC is actually AWESOME ! And it shall please hardcord gamers !

Been going at the two new dungeon and beated only ruins of mazzalum, but to be honnest, i had a blast failing a couple time

.and to be safe, we completed the dungeon with a 192cp sorc heal, 432cp tank 405cp and 531dps. Just to say the hard part of tjat dongeon isnt what you think.

But the biggest and more interesting aspect of this DLC are the new trial ! For the first time since I started raiding, I saw a normal mode who wasnt too easy but neither too hard and a vet mode who was actually nicely balance but unforgiving on AA at least.

So good job zenimax !!

Dromede · August 2016

Good points actually. I was just thinking yesterday how happy costume dyeing made me for an unimportant, fluffy thing it is. I love customization in this game. And now costume dyeing is a huge part of it

Preyfar · August 2016

dodgehopper_ESO wrote: »

I agree here. I'm also somewhat disappointed that we do not have a beautiful new Argonian swamp to explore in an open world capacity like Wrothgar. Beyond that I'm looking forward to playing the new Argonian content for sure.

I agree. I am disappointed the DLCs have been getting smaller and smaller, but I hope it's leading up to a larger payoff eventually.

CasNation · August 2016

Here's the thing...the actual DLC was a bit lackluster in that it only really offers two new dungeons and not much else alongside crown store items that some people beleive are overpriced.

But the BASE GAME PATCH, which is independent from the DLC is a MAJOR step forward for the game. All of the points the OP made are exactly right. The reintroduction of trials and DSA as playable content is huge, and made way more fun by the ability to trade BOP items. Hell, I actually WANT to run AA and Hel Ra again. It's been 2 years since I really wanted that.

DaveMoeDee · August 2016

The base game patch has zero bearing on the value of a DLC. Shadows of the Hist wasn't an important update for those reasons. The base game patch was important -- as it usually is in these quarterly updates.

I am not complaining about this DLC. I am happy to take 5 months off post DB and I will return to the game when a big DLC is released. I'll probably sub for one month and then play through the 2 dungeons along with the other DLC. I really like the current model where playing 2 months a year gives good value if I just sub twice, spending only $30 a year.

Claire · August 2016

Just based on the crowds at the dye station yesterday, the costume customization was unquestionably a success.

xilfxlegion · August 2016

i will be more than inclined to agree with you once it comes out and doesnt break the game.

ZOS_JohanaB · August 2016

We've gone through and cleaned this thread up a bit of baiting and comments that might have taken the thread off track. Remember that baiting is against the community rules. Please stay focused on the discussion at hand and if you disagree with something someone else has said please reply with constructive civility.

Dagoth_Rac · August 2016

This Update only added 2 new dungeons, but it is actually the update where my guild is most overwhelmed by stuff to do! Between dailies for new motifs, capturing towns in Cyrodiil, new dungeons, bind-on-group loot runs in SO and MOL, the upgraded AA, HRC, and DSA. There is a lot to do! We even had a group farming Vet City of Ash, in an attempt to use bind-on-group to get a guildie 5 pieces of Sunderflame gear (cuz armor debuffs that help entire group are awesome, even if armor is not CP160).

AfkNinja · August 2016

If i stop getting kicked from the server every 10-15 minutes I will cry for joy.

nimander99 · August 2016

You nailed it. Sides, I was able to buy everything with my Crown Stipend lol. This game is a deal no matter what you cut it, plus its awesome.

Lysette · August 2016

Claire wrote: »

Just based on the crowds at the dye station yesterday, the costume customization was unquestionably a success.

It certainly was, regardless of in DC, EP or AD, the dye stations where crowded after the patch went live. And we just started to experiment with it, this will keep us busy for quite some time, to test each and every costume for it's potential.

MasterSpatula · August 2016

One nice thing I noticed last night: I turned in writs in Wrothgar on 4 different characters. I went from Shatul Wayshrine to writ-turn-in and back four times, and not once did I get a loading screen. I'd call that a very positive change.

KICHZY · August 2016

The only thing I'm truly happy for is that text chat is finally coming to console. (now just for buff timers to be implemented).

I'll take core mechanics over new content anyday.

Lysette · August 2016

MasterSpatula wrote: »

One nice thing I noticed last night: I turned in writs in Wrothgar on 4 different characters. I went from Shatul Wayshrine to writ-turn-in and back four times, and not once did I get a loading screen. I'd call that a very positive change.

Yeah something with the loading has improved, as well on the PC in very crowded areas when you directly login there. It's far faster and smoother.

mike_de · August 2016

Preyfar wrote: »

Valn wrote: »

I agree here. I'm also somewhat disappointed that we do not have a beautiful new Argonian swamp to explore in an open world capacity like Wrothgar. Beyond that I'm looking forward to playing the new Argonian content for sure.

I agree. I am disappointed the DLCs have been getting smaller and smaller, but I hope it's leading up to a larger payoff eventually.

As long as they fix bugs, I can live with small DLC. But I don't see any fps or lag relevant patches. The core engine needs to be fixed next,

So that more than "five" players can enter a town without start lagging. It's more than five, I know, I'm only sarcastic.If that is not possible, they have to lower the number of players in an instance, or, as I said before, fix the damn thing.

Fixing it, would be the better option. Otherwise they can forget about the whole "Fighting alliances Scenario"

altemriel · August 2016

YES!!

Vaoh · August 2016

ZOS_JohanaB wrote: »

We've gone through and cleaned this thread up a bit of baiting and comments that might have taken the thread off track. Remember that baiting is against the community rules. Please stay focused on the discussion at hand and if you disagree with something someone else has said please reply with constructive civility.

That! I like your word choice.... fancy fancy

daemonios · August 2016

This is the biggest piece of whitewashing I've seen in a long time in these forums.

In terms of content we have 2 dungeons. The revamped trials shouldn't count, because they were essentially finished and just needed to be upscaled. Too little, too late IMHO.

As for bug fixes, the list is quite small compared to other updates. And I see nothing about recurring bugs such as "can't see team mates when we're all in the same trial" or "overload turns light attacks into heavy attacks until I block, or stops working altogether" or "can't loot a dungeon boss until I do a dodge roll". The fact remains that ZOS have some of the worst track record in fixing bugs. I've been unable to res using my soul gems for a month, unable to use any mementos for another month... Their fixing some bugs shouldn't be a reason to celebrate.

The QoL "improvement" of group trading is close to the worst possible solution to the RNG problem. It will encourage people snooping on others' loot (last I heard this is possible with some add-on, but I've never used it). It will foster arguments about whether someone should or shouldn't trade a piece of gear. It will promote extortionary sales because the market is all of 4 or 12 people. It doesn't work on vMA since there's no group with which to trade. It doesn't fix the preposterous loot tables and the vast preponderance of useless traits, which will all remain in dungeon loot, even if some were removed for trials. Sorry, you can't sell me this as a positive change.

As for cosmetics and similar changes in this update, I couldn't care less. Yes they can be fun, but they're locked behind an obscene paywall, especially for the name/race changes. As a subscriber, I'd much rather the game have it as a standard feature than as a bottomless pit where you pay per each use, with no limit. It's one of the aspects I find most objectionable in cash-shop models, especially given that the availability and price of things in the shop are exclusively determined by the game developers.

Sorry, but I don't share your optimism. I find this update truly lackluster and wouldn't even consider buying the DLC. As I said, I'm a subscriber, but I've cancelled my automatic renewal and I'm waiting to see if anything can convince me to resubscribe after my ESO+ time is up. This update doesn't cut it, not by a long shot.