Official Discussion Thread for Crown Crates

Shinni · September 2016

When previewing the box, there is a list of dropped items. This list should also display the percentage of getting said items.

In Germany gambles are heavily regulated. For instance you have to clarify the percentages to the customer when offering gambles.
Given that this isn't the case in this game, you are probably in some loophole because the gamble costs a virtual currency, the gains are purely virtual and the TOS states that all these virtual goods/currencies aren't actually owned by the player.

Yet the fact that you do not disclose the win-rates/percentages makes these crates look really scammy for someone like me, who lives in a country/society where the disclosure of win-rates is typical. Not disclosing the win-rates makes me never want to buy one of these.

edit: All these posts in this thread about the fear of secretly changed drop-rates, show the need of displaying the percentages.

Wizzo91 · September 2016

Absolutely horrible at the current state - does not belong into the game.

Sadly some poor folk will spend horrid amounts of money to get one of the mounts.

My Suggestion has some RNG but not exclusively:

After spending a specific amount of crowns on crates (approx. 3000-5000) you automatically get to choose one of the Mounts. If you are lucky you can get it earlier.

I also have to add, that RNG Crates are a terrible and lazy game design. Devolpers who support this have no integrity what so ever. I have a feeling that this is just the beginning. Just a matter of time until they will add game changing items into the loot boxes - that will be the time I will cancel my sub and move on. Lets hope CU get released before I have to see that.

ChuckyPayne · September 2016

I don't like this box. I hate it. very much. not because the rng, but now this box means the temporary sales 2.0. that I hated, not just here but in every game too. Same feelings like before

Finally I left the GW2 not because only poor new contents but mostly because the temporary sales in gem store.

I had bad feeling many time here when a new temporary item arrived in the crown store. many times. Sometimes I felt it would be better if I left this game too, because this is no better than the rest. I had to realize that this is a reality. Every game is arround the in-game shop. It is ok, i can accept it, but the temporary sales isn't ok to me.

I don't like (I hate) when a game's marketing management team want to say to me when and how long can I buy something. I don't want buy everything (i'm not an idiot), but if I like something new, few times I would buy something in the future but not in the next few days.

Since these news leaked, I don't have desire to play. I am thinking a lot these days.
I'm a subscriber, because I got some extra and in addition the 1500 crown. 1500 crown/month it is enough to me. I save it, and buy some new stuff I like, but to me don't fit the temporary sales. For example I would buy the last year halloween horses. I hope that at this year I can, but now we know never again, but now only from this box. RNG lol never again, no thank you. I said good bye to this mount. I'm not going to pay a multiple of the price of the game for a single virtual item.

Conclusion. This game is my game! This game is a huge, the team is awesome, amazing work.
I think now, I will stay, but I won't renew my subscription. it's not worth it to me anymore. I just prefer to buy the DLCs, and I never buy anything else from the store.

The temporary sales poisoned my gameplay, because of the invisible force and limits. The subscription means to me, you are free, you can reach everything, but not in this game anymore. Very interesting, what a little thing like this, what induces in the players.

I'm sorry that they decided to introduce temporary sales and this box.
This could turn out even well, for me sure. I will pay half next year as much in this year for the game.

Preyfar · September 2016

Wizzo91 wrote: »

After spending a specific amount of crowns on crates (approx. 3000-5000) you automatically get to choose one of the Mounts. If you are lucky you can get it earlier.

They can do this by simply giving a set amount of CS Gems with each box. If you're guaranteed to get a handful of them you'll be able to purchase the things you may get stiffed at with RNG.

But I can't imagine somebody legitimately trying to collect all 6 mounts. I've dealt with the nightmare that is ZOS RNG trying to farm Maelstrom Arena and go for Master Angler. You're more likely to get 10 of the same mount in a row than the one you're actually after.

Sigma957 · September 2016

Having played around with this, got 10 crates, on the second opening I got an atro guar mount and some costumes but then it was mostly consumables for the rest of the crates.

Darkonflare15 · September 2016

I find this sad that Zos makes One Tamriel to make it worthwhile to do dungeons by having guaranteed monster helm drop. Making treasure chest worth it because all zones now drop sets now. You make the cp passive treasure hunter better, make loot scale base on your skill level of both legerdemain and theives guild to get better rewards from their gains. Also you making undaunted plunder for raiders to make money. You do all of this so players can be rewarded for doing the content and then make this crap. That basically screws players. You basically took two steps forward and serveral steps back.

Faulgor · September 2016

Another reason why this whole thing upsets me is this:

I was very cautious about the Crown Store in the first place. To me, cosmetics for roleplaying belong into the roleplaying game itself, not into an extra store. But I thought I should support the game, right? Buy the stuff I'd like to see in the future, so ZOS doesn't get any crazy ideas like selling gear in the store. If they see what people buy they will make more of it, I thought.

So I bought DLC, even when I subscribed because I actually want them to develop new content, and I bought some exclusive costumes, because I want them to create more roleplaying variety, even if it has to be bought from the store. If I had seen a mount that I liked I might have bought that as well, like the upcoming Kagouti.

But now, with the introduction of these horrible crates, I have to assume all that was for naught. Because they are putting everything behind another paywall. If they are going to do what they want anyway, why should I even bother giving feedback? Why should I bother paying for the things I support? Why should I support the game at all?

LMar · September 2016

Did you like/use the consumables you received from the Crown Crates?

No they did not seem useful and rather a waste of money

Do you have any general feedback?

The addition of crate exclusive items is a big no no and big red flags are waving everywhere. I know people who want to outright buy the atronach mounts for example but would never spend a dime on crown crates. So you are losing out on potential customers and income.

I have tried the crates out on the PTS, and while the system/animation/pacrooti are a pleasure to behold, it is like a golden cage. I wish other systems worked as nice and looked as nice in the game too. Please heed our feedback. These crates could be what drives a lot of players out.

It almost feels like this is the worse case scenario so can be tweaked slightly and people would accept what they wouldn't otherwise. This doesn't feel like "Do no harm"

Elara_Northwind · September 2016

On pts I got FIVE lizard pets, a hideous dress, a mind shriven skin and some body markings which I would never use, and 2 Argonian cosmetics which are useless to me as I don't have an Argonian. The rest were all consumable items I had no need for. There were perhaps 2 or 3 items that I like overall from the crates, but I don't believe that having to buy so much junk that I don't want on the off chance that I might get them is worth it, even with so many duplicate items, I did not have enough gems to purchase anything cool.

I am very thankful for the chance to be able to test these on pts, because I was dubious about the idea of these crates before, but I am 100% sure that I definitely would never purchase one now

Preyfar · September 2016

For those wanting to test further crowns have been replenished.

EDIT: After opening 13 more crates, I still have 0 Apex rewards and only 60 gems. That'd be in $80 real cash through testing, and I have next to nothing to show for it except a handful of mimic stones, some crappy food items a lot of appearance items I can't use because I mostly play Khajiit. I did get some mounts (red wolf, mind shriven horse) but I was hoping for something shiny.

If I'd spent real money on this I'd be pretty torqued right about now.

code65536 · September 2016

There are two very easy fixes for Crown Crates:

Option 1: Let us by Crown Gems directly with Crowns. Something like 15 Crowns per Gem or something. This keeps gambling open as an option for people who prefer to play luck games, but allow everyone else to essentially direct-purchase everything and avoid all the nonsense.

Option 2: Scrap the idea.

Akwila · September 2016

Aside from not being able to see the cards (the loot is still added) the method and delivery are all nice and good.

However, I think that putting exclusives behind an RNG paywall is a ***, shameful, and dirty way to make money. HOWEVER, this is somewhat remedied by the gem functionality BUT the exclusives are much too expensive. On average it seems, you get about 5 to 10 gems only after you dump a considerable amount of cash into this (this is crappy) and then you have to open 40+ more boxes to have enough gems to get an exclusive which is an UNGODLY amount of money.

Solutions:

-Decrease the number if gems needed to buy an exclusive to be about $40 to $60 worth of crates (could be a tish bit higher or lower). Gem cost for exclusives could be 150-200 (if you get, on average 5 gems per crate, which you wont without first dumping a crap ton of cash into it, then this would still cost the player 16,000 or less in crowns which is still pretty freakin' expensive). So bring gem costs down to like 100? Still pricey at 8,000 crowns

-Give 1-10 gems ALWAYS with each crate on top of gems awarded for doubles .

-Allow crown consumables (except XP scrolls) to be recycled for gems at a 10:1 ratio.

OR

Dismantle this whole toxic system and just sell the items during time limited sales. There. Fixed.

Based on my test of this on the PTS, I will never buy this or put money into it. I will also actively dissuade others from doing so as well.

Darlon · September 2016

Having played some other games in the past where these kind of things were common (and quite succesful), I can't say I am impressed with this.

Swtor did many things wrong, but I like the way they handled the items you could get from these kind of boxes:

Right now when we get a vanity item (costume, mount, pet etc) that we don't have yet it gets added to your collection immediately. Once it is a double it is converted to gems automatically...

A way better option would be (in my opinion, like they did in swtor) if all the items would be put into our inventory as a consumable box (every item a seperate box). Then we could chose what to do with it, for instance use it ourselves, convert into gems, or trade with another player (maybe he has the exact mount I want, and I have the one he wants).

Lumenn · September 2016

Seen a few here worry about Zos adding "uber" gear/weapons etc. You know they don't even have to go there right?(they might eventually) they just have to lower the drop rates of gold mats, flowers, kuta/anything really(if they haven't already) then these consumables that are "worse" than ones we craft ourselves start looking good when all mats are rare and 300k or more....THATS what worries me.....

Palindiil · September 2016

I'm so disappointed by them adding in normal mounts like the black lion and the red wolf, as well as pets like the chub loon.

WAY too optimistic, but has anyone considered that they MIGHT come onto the Crown Store live in the next two months, as limited time offers, BEFORE they go into the crates?

There are 2 unreleased before 'normal' mounts - the lion and the wolf (October and November?) and 7 unreleased before 'normal' pets - the black mask bear dog, the clouded senche cub, the red pit wolf pup, the rosy netch, the tangerine dragon frog, & the chub loon. I guess they COULD be the next two months crown offerings?

Or am I being too hopeful here?

SantieClaws · September 2016

Palindiil wrote: »

I'm so disappointed by them adding in normal mounts like the black lion and the red wolf, as well as pets like the chub loon.

WAY too optimistic, but has anyone considered that they MIGHT come onto the Crown Store live in the next two months, as limited time offers, BEFORE they go into the crates?

There are 2 unreleased before 'normal' mounts - the lion and the wolf (October and November?) and 7 unreleased before 'normal' pets - the black mask bear dog, the clouded senche cub, the red pit wolf pup, the rosy netch, the tangerine dragon frog, & the chub loon. I guess they COULD be the next two months crown offerings?

Or am I being too hopeful here?

Khajiit has considered this and lives in hope however as there has been no clarification on this then khajiit she must assume the worst for now - as all things involving the crates point in that direction.

Yours with paws
Santie Claws

Palindiil · September 2016

SantieClaws wrote: »

Palindiil wrote: »

I'm so disappointed by them adding in normal mounts like the black lion and the red wolf, as well as pets like the chub loon.

WAY too optimistic, but has anyone considered that they MIGHT come onto the Crown Store live in the next two months, as limited time offers, BEFORE they go into the crates?

There are 2 unreleased before 'normal' mounts - the lion and the wolf (October and November?) and 7 unreleased before 'normal' pets - the black mask bear dog, the clouded senche cub, the red pit wolf pup, the rosy netch, the tangerine dragon frog, & the chub loon. I guess they COULD be the next two months crown offerings?

Or am I being too hopeful here?

Khajiit has considered this and lives in hope however as there has been no clarification on this then khajiit she must assume the worst for now - as all things involving the crates point in that direction.

Yours with paws
Santie Claws

Fingers and paws crossed, eh?

lolo_01b16_ESO · September 2016

lolo_01b16_ESO wrote: »

@ZOS_GinaBruno Is it intended that you can get adornments / body markings that you can't use on any of your characters? E.g. getting adornments that are limited to Argonians when you don't have a single Argonian.

Additionally you still get riding lessons even if you have maxed out all riding skills on all 12 characters, making them completely useless untill the charatcter cap will be increased again.
Furthermore you can get the same collectible twice from one single crate.

For the consumables I'm undecided. I never buy them direktly and I wouldn't use any of them for trial speedruns or duelling, but for easier content like dailies some of them (weapon damage, spell damage and tripots) would be a nice alternative to dropped potions. However poisons, invis pots, drinks and food are unsless in most situations.

In general I guess I won't buy any crates. The storm attro mounts look nice (especially the senche) but from my testing so far I guess that I need to spend ~40k crowns to get enough crown gems for it which is more than I can afford.

SantieClaws · September 2016

Palindiil wrote: »

Fingers and paws crossed, eh?

This one she does not have the fingers really as such but the paws, claws and tail are all wrapped around each other in the hope that somehow, someone has the good sense to sort out this mess before these boxes of mayhem are set loose on Tamriel yes.

Now could someone please untangle khajiit? It is not possible to drink like this.

Yours with paws
Santie Claws

WhiteCoatSyndrome · September 2016

@kkordasb14_ESO : You sounded like you were about to cry near the end there, so have a hug. *hug*

Slurg · September 2016

SleepyTroll wrote: »

I'm curious ZOS, do you even really care? The concensus seems to be in the form they are in now they are strongly disliked.

Or are you pulling some "hard" data from pts right now and cheering in the office because so many people baught crates because they were so excited for them?

Oh no - I didn't even think about that. I don't even want to test these on PTS anymore lest my testing be misinterpreted as hard data proving my enthusiasm for the product!

eserras7b16_ESO · September 2016

I dislike the idea in general.

That's a trap for not so smart people who will bet money on them, sometimes when they don't have it. Keep the policy on the Crown Store cool, and invest the time on content. We want those special mounts to be given also in the content via achievements, etc.

DPShiro · September 2016

code65536 wrote: »

There are two very easy fixes for Crown Crates:

Option 1: Let us by Crown Gems directly with Crowns. Something like 15 Crowns per Gem or something. This keeps gambling open as an option for people who prefer to play luck games, but allow everyone else to essentially direct-purchase everything and avoid all the nonsense.

Option 2: Scrap the idea.

A good idea! Sadly they probably won't listen.

GhostwalkerLD · September 2016

Slurg wrote: »

Am I understanding this correctly? The style parlor, which was long anticipated and wanted by almost everyone, ended up being a pay money to go back to creation screen mechanic instead of involving any in-world interactive features as originally discussed. But this garbage that almost no one wanted has an in-game interaction with our beloved Pacrooti?!?

Way to show where your priorities lie. I'm even more disgusted by this now.

Agreed.. that was the final teaspoon of salt that rubbed the wound raw.

MissBizz · September 2016

SantieClaws wrote: »

Palindiil wrote: »

I'm so disappointed by them adding in normal mounts like the black lion and the red wolf, as well as pets like the chub loon.

WAY too optimistic, but has anyone considered that they MIGHT come onto the Crown Store live in the next two months, as limited time offers, BEFORE they go into the crates?

There are 2 unreleased before 'normal' mounts - the lion and the wolf (October and November?) and 7 unreleased before 'normal' pets - the black mask bear dog, the clouded senche cub, the red pit wolf pup, the rosy netch, the tangerine dragon frog, & the chub loon. I guess they COULD be the next two months crown offerings?

Or am I being too hopeful here?

Khajiit has considered this and lives in hope however as there has been no clarification on this then khajiit she must assume the worst for now - as all things involving the crates point in that direction.

Yours with paws
Santie Claws

I'm in the same boat. I really hope only the atronach stuff is exclusive... but when we asked for clarification it only muddied the waters further. As it stands I need to brace for the worst.. which would mean ~39 exclusive items vs ~16 past items. Hopefully they clear this up and the majority of the crates are past items rather than exclusives.

Llogwey · September 2016

- About consumables / potions etc....

Well I don't use any of crown store consumables I may be interested in everything about wardrobe/mount/pet but nothing else, so having 3 out of 4 items be consumables WITHOUT the ability to redeem them for crown gems makes the idea not worthwhile for me...

- general feedback

I made a test : I bought EVERY possible item (mount, wardrobe, upgrades) from the crown store, thinking I would easily find doubles in crates because I already had everything... but no ! every appearance or mounts or pets I got were ... new, so I was not able to find doubles (and get crown gems) even if I possess the whole current crown store oO only because rewards from the crate often come from items that are not.. on the crown store... so it's hard to get doubles outside of crates rewards themselves.

You definitly should give the ability to redeem consumables for crown geems in bundles, or simply directly transform crown crates into crown gems, voluntarily giving up on what the content could be, but in order to be able to collect enough gems to buy superior/epic/legendary items

Or allow items from the "crown gems store" to be buyable with crown coins on special promotional occasions at least

The way it is at the moment is necessarily a "money pump" FORCING people to buy stuff they don't want in order to have a CHANCE to BUY something they DO want... that's a bit "pervert"

or you need to dramatically change the ratios or price of crates.

Maybe you should also consider giving a certain number of crates or well, some kind of system, for eso+ subscribers.

Well those are only my feedback

Ilsabet · September 2016

Inb4 they were never actually planning to implement this system in-game and it was all just an elaborate scheme to get people primed to pay higher prices for crown store items out of sheer relief that they're not locked in RNG boxes.

Khenarthi · September 2016

The feeling I got is that most of them will be exclusives, as per the tooltips now. Which is a pity, I was really looking forward to getting the purple nixad. And possibly many other future items which will be only be accessible via crates.

Oh well... it just means I will spend my subscription bonus crowns on something else, and have little incentive to buy extra crowns.

I really hope that cool stuff continues to be added outside of crate content though. Otherwise I will end up with a massive stockpile of crowns but nothing to spend them on!

Craziux · September 2016

This is not The Elder Scrolls. Chose your future wisely, Zenimax.

MissBizz · September 2016

@Llogwey If you right click the crate in the crown store screen you can select "preview" and see what items you could possibly find it the crate. These are the same items you can buy for gems plus it lists the consumables you can (do) get. There are about 16 past items (frostmare etc.) compared to about 39 new items (not including consumables). So yeah, even if you own a lot to begin with.. chances of getting duplicates are pretty low until you've opened enough to have the common "new" items.