I almost resurrected this thread, but didn't want it closed on Necrotechnicality: https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/comment/5586834#Comment_5586834

On PS4, in off prime hours I keep getting 3v3v3 matches. Almost all of my matches in the past few days have started this way, with people loading into the empty spots at intervals. Sometimes I'm loading into a match in progress. It happens during prime time as well, but less often. I don't understand why the game is starting the instance before its full, and then filling in players in progress. I have difficulty believing the 4th player on all three teams is dropping consistently after the finder says the group is ready. Does the finder now only require 9 to start a match?

The morale side of things is heavily effected sometimes. I don't care about being outmatched, and I can deal with a -1 team mate who hides/lone wolf etc. When short a player though, that selfish player is now 1/3 instead of 1/4 and you can feel it with only 9 players out there. Joining a match that is already lost is demotivating. At least in a hopeless dungeon group you give it a go to eat up your 15 minutes and maybe make a breakthrough. People que for random dungeons, see the blue portal, check out the group and immediately leave based on prejudgements - and the same effect happens with BG score. Instead of leaving, I've seen people just sit in the base to waste the remainder of the match instead of the 15 min penalty.

TLDR; Replacement players should only be sent to a match if players leave. Stop starting matches with less than full teams, the arrival of replacement players is not consistent.

Anybody else on PS4 getting a 3v3v3 start consistently?