"Now Is the Time for an Account Wide Achievement System" or "Why Don't Play Alts"

Shantu · January 2019

Leveling alts are painful, period. Anything that would lessen the mind-numbing tedium would be great. I know the business model is to keep you online, regardless of how irritating it is, so the chances for crown purchases are increased. So I wouldn't hold my breath in wishing for a change in account wide logic.

ArgonianAustin · January 2019

I would love PvP ranks to be account wide because if you're a grand overlord and you make a new character and join PvP at level 10, you won't be a noob level 10, you'll probably take out max players because you have the experience in PvP. Some people might wonder why that level 10 was kinda annoying to kill. With account wide achievements they'd see that it was a 5 star they were fighting.

Odnoc · January 2019

LordWenzel wrote: »

Odnoc wrote: »

Not sure where this came from, how they are now it is pretty evident they are character progressions. It is an RPG. Would I like to have grand master crafter on all my alts, yeah, a lot of time and several million gold went into that, no way I want to do that again. But the fact is, it is character progression.

Really, you definitely should not have the emperor achievement on a level 1 alt that you never pvp'ed with. That kills your whole argument right there.

Follow that logic i shouldn't have the vMA achievements completion with classes i never used to complete it. But still... I have those...

yodased wrote: »

BUT no way can you have fighters guild, skyshards and mages guild count on pre 50 characters. That would give yoymu a massive advantage over other people. If you want to grind out dawnbreaker and meteor and get the skyshards pre 50 thats on you, but rolling a character, getting them to 10 and going into pvp with 100 skill points, dawnbreaker, meteor and passives is a big helllllll no

Achievements account wide doesn't mean remove character progressions. People still have to level up skills, skill lines, gain skill points and levels. It's like all the other games, you don't get maxed out characters if you restart the game after unlocked all the achievements.

You're correct, you shouldn't. Two wrongs don't make a right.

Odnoc · January 2019

driosketch wrote: »

Odnoc wrote: »

Just play the game and have fun? Not sure why people worry about achievements on other characters when they probably don't have them all on one anyhow.

But what if your fun is earning achievements on multiple characters? This is basically how I approach events. Breaking up doing the same thing over and over by doing it with a character who plays a little different. Every progression and discovery, from lorebooks, I mark them on an add-on map as a game in and of itself, to the first time a character makes it through particularly hard content.

I like that titles are character based, for the most part. I'm fine with cosmetics like dyes or costumes being account wide.

About the only one I'd suggest be account wide is the throphy drops, e.g. chattering skull from skeleton enemies. Because those things are not based on skill or time put in, but are instead pure RNG. Even fishing has mechanics that helps you catch the fish you need slightly faster.

If that's your fun, making them account wide would take away from that. I'm in the they should be separate boat myself, that is the point of playing a role in an RPG. You have a blank slate and develop and progress your character. Meta shouldn't be a thing (and by meta I mean outside influence).

Quaesivi · January 2019

Sadly, it all comes down to two things, for most people at least.
Skyshards? They should definitely be account wide, as it is a pointless grind, mainly the Cyrodiil ones.
Mounts? They will never be account wide because crown store has a shortcut, thus they would never give up on that money.
Rest of the achievements? Unlocked dyes are already account wide, so are trophies, so only thing that changes is whether you are a completionist or not.

Tetrafy · January 2019

Yes please. Making things reasonable actually pushes people to play alts.

Ajaxandriel · January 2019

Karius_Imalthar wrote: »

I've been playing Elder Scrolls Online for five years now (since beta) and I have characters that were created since launch. I used to be against an account wide achievement system but now that the game is nearly five years old it is unrealistic to expect someone to create an alt now and have it ever eclipse or overtake their other characters in achievements. Basically it makes me never want to make an alt because, looking at the Achievements page, they look pathetic in comparison. I think the time has come to either introduce an account wide Achievement system. Players should be able to view their character-only achievements to see their progress on things like quests, etc. Without an account wide system though it feels like all newer characters are throwaway (especially with how easy it is to level now) and I quickly lose interest in playing. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

I totally support this!

I've been playing since end of march 2014, I'm actually quite casual an achiever (I only bother about achievements when they make sense roleplay-wise for a given character)
But I think there should be some account-wise legacy system apart from the CP.

- The mount speed, bags and stamina.
- The skill points granted by sky shards.
- The achievement-gated items (unlocked furnitures).

Since some people would be upset to lose the "count" of each achievement on each alt, a simple solution is to put an option on the achiev menu (UI) for any achievement:
- click on the achievement
- index for each: states if checked on the alt, and if already checked account-wide
- option given to the player on this alt:
- Do you want to earn the achievement thay you already got account-wide on this character ? => Yes => Unlocks
- No => Lets you farm it "old school" way.

Ecara · January 2019

If ZOS continues to make new characters, they need to find a solution for this issue.

At one point, you won't be able to catch up all those missing achievements.

I am not quite sure, which achievments should be account-wide, because there are no clear lines. Like stealing 1kk or fishing is (for some people) annoying and time-consuming. But this counts for the DLC dailies too (which you need to lvl thiefs guild or something like this). Would it be wise to make these account wide?

An option how to implement account-wide achievments would be, like with the housing achievments (you just need to visit the houses and not buy them again), that you can activate some achievements by talking to a NPC or something like this, to get them for another char; so no one would be forced to activate it. (and can make these achievments over and over again).

I think, ZOS needs to find a solution or at least give us an answer, that would be great.

Kiralyn2000 · January 2019

Ecara wrote: »

If ZOS continues to make new characters, they need to find a solution for this issue.

At one point, you won't be able to catch up all those missing achievements.

But why do alts need to "catch up"? Especially on something that doesn't actually do anything for the character stat-wise?

(there's a pretty clear division here between the people who think that all their characters need to be 100% "complete", and the ones who just play their different characters for them to be different.)

Tandor · January 2019

Ecara wrote: »

<snip> I am not quite sure, which achievments should be account-wide, because there are no clear lines. Like stealing 1kk or fishing is (for some people) annoying and time-consuming. But this counts for the DLC dailies too (which you need to lvl thiefs guild or something like this). Would it be wise to make these account wide? <snip>

No, it would be wise for players who find certain achievements annoying and time-consuming not to go after them.

GabiAlex · January 2019

Aliyavana wrote: »

I used to be against this but some trials are magika biased and ill never get those achievements on my stamina character

This. My main on which I got most of my achievements is stamina and I want to unlock all of them on her. But guess what? I'm not allowed to join Halls of Fabrications because of a choice I made a long time ago.

Ecara · January 2019

Kiralyn2000 wrote: »

Ecara wrote: »

If ZOS continues to make new characters, they need to find a solution for this issue.

At one point, you won't be able to catch up all those missing achievements.

But why do alts need to "catch up"? Especially on something that doesn't actually do anything for the character stat-wise?

(there's a pretty clear division here between the people who think that all their characters need to be 100% "complete", and the ones who just play their different characters for them to be different.)

Yes, there is a division here. If player dont care about the achievments, it does not matter, if they are account-wide or not.

But if someone is really interested in gathering all achievments (to complete the char 100%), then it is really hard, to catch up to the already gathered achievements.

For me, there is no benefit, that I have an achievement on Character X, which i dont play anymore. I want to have it on character Z , which I actually play, to gather more achievements, to come closer to 100%.
[so it is not about to have 15 perfect characters]

It is okay for people to dont care about achievements. Everyone should play like he wants to.
But I (and I think some other player to) like to make one achievement after another, to catch more and more of them.

And if ZOS makes a new class (which some of us like more and want to play, to play as a main char), we have to start over and over again, and at some point, catching up becomes really hard.

GabiAlex · January 2019

Also, there can be other achievements like Reach level 50 on _______ class, or Reach level 50 playing as [race].

Would be easier to get achievements for dealing X damage points, heal x hitpoints, block x damage.
Easier to have a werewolf and a vampire on two separate characters instead of switching them for completion.
Would be less frustrating to see how the missing monster trophy on your main dropped for your least played alt instead.
People will be encouraged to play trials and veteran dungeons on their alts too.

MrGarlic · January 2019

I am in favour of this, but I imagine it would just go into ZOS's 'Too-Hard Basket,' or the 'No-Finacial-Gain-For-The-Effort Receptacle.'

I'd also like to see better achievement rewards. Dyes that don't really colour very well and character titles are pretty limited. I don't see that changing either for the reasons listed in paragraph 1.

Edziu · January 2019

GabiAlex wrote: »

Also, there can be other achievements like Reach level 50 on _______ class, or Reach level 50 playing as [race].

Would be easier to get achievements for dealing X damage points, heal x hitpoints, block x damage.
Easier to have a werewolf and a vampire on two separate characters instead of switching them for completion.
Would be less frustrating to see how the missing monster trophy on your main dropped for your least played alt instead.
People will be encouraged to play trials and veteran dungeons on their alts too.

and this!

for example I play mainly stam character - this is pain for me to do vAS+2 or cloudrest - I dont even look for group for this as I know I would be here ball and chain with not enough dps on this content and I dont care to go for this on my magica alt with better range dps becasue I dont care about any achievements on my alts as I wont get them on my main..

TheShadowScout · January 2019

And yet again, the cries for more and more acouint wide stuff because people want to have it all without further effort...

Despite the achievements not doing -anything- except unlocking dyes (which are already account wide), titles (which never should be account wide!) and showing what you achieved on this or that character!

And unsurprisingly, as soon as this is mentioned, the gimme crowd also pops up and demands account wide skyshards, and accout wide mage guild books, and accout wide riding, and account wide everything except levels because they know they can grind those easily enough by doing some dolmen over and over and over...

Why should ZOS implement that?
If the riding really bugs you so much, go buy those crown store riding lessons! That's why they are sitting there in the crown store, to taunt you!

And that is the best you will be able to get in other regards as well.
Crown store convenience items.
Shelling out piles of cash-bought crowns to bypass parts of the game.

And that one I would have no issues with. Those who want to take a shortcut ought to bloody well pay for it, I say!

But that's now what the people keep asking about, is it now? No, they want it for free... they somehow think they are entitled to get it for free...

That being said...
...I for one would love to see an account achievement overview page.
Where you can see all the things you have done on your various characters... each achievement, and which characters has done it already, and which one has yet to go there.
And they could put the dye unlocks to that page, and then add more stuff to unlock for multiple completions! Do mainstory with every race, get a "companion weapons" outfit unlock! Complete Cadwells with every class, get a special mount! Reach PvP rank with every alliance, get an "alliance ambassador" costume! That sort of thing...

Karius_Imalthar · January 2019

I see a lot of differing views here. In all other MMOs I've always been an Alt-a-holic. I almost never stuck with a single character. In ESO, though, I've managed to stay with a main character that I mostly enjoy but I still lost interest at times. I want to try other classes and races but I feel compelled to play the character for the bagillionth time to finish yet another "do this thing 250 times" which makes me hate playing. If I could play my fun new alt and have it count towards my 250 times that would definitely entice me to play more. Right now I can barely muster enough interest to log in to get the daily reward.

Reistr_the_Unbroken · January 2019

lordrichter wrote: »

Karius_Imalthar wrote: »

I've been playing Elder Scrolls Online for five years now (since beta) and I have characters that were created since launch. I used to be against an account wide achievement system but now that the game is nearly five years old it is unrealistic to expect someone to create an alt now and have it ever eclipse or overtake their other characters in achievements. Basically it makes me never want to make an alt because, looking at the Achievements page, they look pathetic in comparison. I think the time has come to either introduce an account wide Achievement system. Players should be able to view their character-only achievements to see their progress on things like quests, etc. Without an account wide system though it feels like all newer characters are throwaway (especially with how easy it is to level now) and I quickly lose interest in playing. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

I've been playing this game for 5 years, and feel that the Achivements are the reason to create new characters.

I’ve been playing it for not even a year, and used up all 8 of my slots. Was it for achievements? No, because I won’t get a majority of them. Instead I have 1 main and seven alts because I like to make characters and let them have their own backgrounds.

SilentFox22 · January 2019

Thank you OP! This is the number one reason why I cannot do alts.

Playing since beta, I have invested nearly five years now into a class/faction I just do not enjoy. I've tried starting over several times and it is always so daunting to redo...EVERYTHING. It would take me another four years to get to where my main character is now. I just gave up and rarely play anymore.

Since we cannot change class/faction as easily as race, account wide achievements would make leveling alts more appealing for sure.

Edziu · January 2019

SilentFox22 wrote: »

Thank you OP! This is the number one reason why I cannot do alts.

Playing since beta, I have invested nearly five years now into a class/faction I just do not enjoy. I've tried starting over several times and it is always so daunting to redo...EVERYTHING. It would take me another four years to get to where my main character is now. I just gave up and rarely play anymore.

Since we cannot change class/faction as easily as race, account wide achievements would make leveling alts more appealing for sure.

ahh this is damn it..

I also play since beta
I was playing only and only my main for good 4 years in only this single class because I wanted to get everything on this my main and if I would play on alt..I would get some thing which I would never get on my main etc...
after 3.5years of playign this only single character I quitted
after half of year I went back here and what? Im totally disgused this class on my main after that much time playing only this class because it was my main

I have created an alt with different class and what? not even hal skillpoint gathered of total able to get, dont care about achievs etc, on my main I had goo 28k+ achiev points before morrowind release...no on my alt idk if I have 6k achiev point + I dont play this game that much as I dont enjoy this that much while playing on really poor and incomplete alt

instead of running different things in game I do only 1 thing...these newst hardest content from dlc's/chapters and only if friends will call me for this, otherwise I just afk in game waiting for call or jsut playing different game as I have no more playing on my main crated for maxing as Im really sick of playing single class for years and Im sick of gathering everything again on my alt only to catchup my main which I will never do

AlboMalefica · January 2019

No thank you, I don’t see why there has to be a thread regarding this every so often. I understand your need of wanting this but ultimately you haven’t said anything new that hasn’t been said 100 times before on many, many threads that exist already.

MasterSpatula · January 2019

The moment they do this is the moment my treasured, individual characters become nothing but meaningless "toons." Mere avatars for me as I finger-mash my way through endgame "content" and see the storytelling and character that makes this game so great become devalued.

It's a big step in the direction away from everything I love about this game, and I have a hard time understanding why those who want it choose this game when there are many games out there where you can play as a mere avatar of yourself rather than a character with its own accomplishments and achievements.

Edziu · January 2019

MasterSpatula wrote: »

The moment they do this is the moment my treasured, individual characters become nothing but meaningless "toons." Mere avatars for me as I finger-mash my way through endgame "content" and see the storytelling and character that makes this game so great become devalued.

It's a big step in the direction away from everything I love about this game, and I have a hard time understanding why those who want it choose this game when there are many games out there where you can play as a mere avatar of yourself rather than a character with its own accomplishments and achievements.

give me please any other mmo game similiar to wow/gw/eso but still with TES lore/things, I will wait
as I love TES and I really liked even better system in gw2 I just couldnt play for many months like I could for years in ESO because of just TES thing which I was missing in gw2

EDIT: and as it was proposed many times I will write it in tl;dr - it could be toggable option so you will lost nothing as you would not toggle it whiel many other payers will finally play any character other than their single maxing char - main

Siohwenoeht · January 2019

After the first thread like this popped up recently, I decided to make another alt and play it through as if I was completely new to the game (with a few exceptions as I wanted all the main story rewards lvl50 cp160 for a joke build at a later point).

So I immediately ported to my faction start zone and played with the mindset that I'd collect each skyshard, location of interest and quest completion achievement before I left each zone. I didn't grind through mages or fighters guild, just played it as if this was pre 1tam where I'd get my butt handed to me if I went to the next zone too quickly.

Long story less long, that character is lvl50, mages and fighters guild at almost 8, 10 extra skill points I don't need to use, my two weapon lines at 50, my racial at 50, class lines 50/50/47. Undaunted is still low, by choice, because I want the top level awards.

This character has maybe 40 gameplay hours invested and that is using the exp scrolls that were *free* from daily login rewards.

I'm completely fine with non- pvp achievements being account wide minus the titles and rewards that come with it, but it really doesn't take any time to to level a max toon or get enough skill points from all the sources in the game to make a build.

Just my 2 pennies.

Lord_Wrath · January 2019

Non-combat achievements should be account wide. A lot of these achievements are tedious busy work that rely on luck. Ive played one toon since launch due to my personal time but mostly because of the fact that I take pride in all ive accomplished. I have no interest in redoing all that zone quest marker chasing for 69 gold, or sink time into researching and crafting when i already have a crafter.

Edziu · January 2019

Lord_Wrath wrote: »

Non-combat achievements should be account wide. A lot of these achievements are tedious busy work that rely on luck. Ive played one toon since launch due to my personal time but mostly because of the fact that I take pride in all ive accomplished. I have no interest in redoing all that zone quest marker chasing for 69 gold, or sink time into researching and crafting when i already have a crafter.

yes, and many other people was explaining literally this but in different ways, many of us will even not touch alt for playing because we dont care for their character progress, we care for our as player progress and we have no interest to make this all over again only because we want play just different class than always on our mains....

jainiadral · January 2019

Vapirko wrote: »

And so starts the argument between the people who spend their time doing quests and collecting lore books (or play for 14 hours a day), and those who just want to press through to endgame content with each new character. For me, I don't much care about achievements but Im all for it. All the grinds are getting really old. Having to do sky shards, mages/fighters guild, undaunted, psijic, maybe vamp, on each toon aside from various weapon lines and of course class skills, alchemy, riding lessons and so on. I'd be on board for making at least sky shards and riding lessons account wide as well.

It's a little more complicated than that

I'm a casual story-based questing and exploring sort, but I love getting annoying grocery-list stuff that MMOs shove on us out of the way so I can chill and enjoy the story without drudgery. The thought of touching anything with the Psijics or Undaunted or Fighter's Guild or horse training on any future alts fills me with dread. I haven't touched researching nirn-honed on my crafter, let alone doing any reasearch at all on any alts. It's pointless checklist stuff.

Grinding sucks for many types of players, including some of us questy folks.

barney2525 · January 2019

There IS an account wide record keeping.

Dyes.

Thats what I do the achievements for. I have one character who is my Master Crafter. I am Not going to even feel bad when none of my other characters get those achievements.

Minyassa · January 2019

I actually really enjoy redoing skyshards, lorebooks and such on new toons and it would diminish the game greatly for me if I didn't have to.

Cpt_Teemo · January 2019

Make everything account wide and be done with it, games been out for 4 years now everyone's basically done everything possible atleast once so yeah, time to move things along and just make everything account wide