Should the PvE ( "old" open world) area difficulty be increased?

Voice_of_Chronicles · May 2019

Over the course of the past years ESO has developed into one of the best, if not THE best MMORPG currently on the market! Congratz to everyone at ZOS and players who have provided valuable feedback and dedication to shape ESO into the game it is today. I have played this game with great joy, mostly because I like to PvP aspect (AvA, BGs) and do a HM dungeon now and then. Yet something that never really got my attention, was the "old world". I remember having to quest throughout the game before "T Unlimited" was released. Even if you enjoy the story being told alot and you love the great voice acting, you will probably notice, that slaying the same kind of enemies (at least very similar mechanic-wise) over and over again, becomes very dull at some point. This has kept me from exploring areas over and over again on my other characters and honestly I think it is a shame! The game world is beautiful... if only it were a bit more challenging so that I would actually have to pay attention to the endless hordes of NPCs I am slaughtering. Elsweyr will surely bring some exciting PvE content, after all we will be hunting dragons, but let me make this very clear: In my humble opinion you are wasting ALOT of the game's potential with regard to replayability and joy in PvE by not making "old world" NPCs more of a challenge! If it is by increasing NPCs dmg by 50% , increasing their aggro range by 100%, implementing a better system of NPC group alarming system or updating NPC mechanics to be more versatile... I really don't care. Just make it so, that questing is more than a grind!

I am aware that there might be people who say that would make the content not beginner friendly enough, but let's be honest, I have encountered a lot of players (including some RL friends) that turned right away from the game because of how repetitive and unchallenging the combat vs NPCs in the open world was.
Also increasing PvE open world difficulty will have ppl grouping and supporting each other more and help shape players up for PvP content and new HMs/trials.

I am very keen on your opinion about this, because this has been on my mind for far too long!

Aliyavana · May 2019

Agreed, please increase the difficulty in PvE areas greatly!

This games main demographic is casuals tho.l or those who want to feel godly/instant gratification.

TequilaFire · May 2019

No thanks, PvE difficulty is fine as it is.

Start from scratch on a new virgin no cp account, then come back and discuss.

Starlock · May 2019

No thanks, PvE difficulty is fine as it is.

Voice_of_Chronicles wrote: »

I am aware that there might be people who say that would make the content not beginner friendly enough, but let's be honest, I have encountered a lot of players (including some RL friends) that turned right away from the game because of how repetitive and unchallenging the combat vs NPCs in the open world was.

Then this wasn't the right game for them anyway. If someone is turned off from this game for these reasons, they will fail to appreciate what makes this game as good as it is. Hint: it's not the combat.

Voice_of_Chronicles · May 2019

Agreed, please increase the difficulty in PvE areas greatly!

Right probably, especially since they didn't stay around long enough to see it's greatness and so compared to other MMOs, it shines in every regard...yet it is giving away potential to attract even more people since I don't believe anyone would be turned away if the difficutly in the open world was increased somewhat.
But there are factually ppl turning away because it is too easy and not challenging.
So the game could only benefit from this change.

WildRaptorX · May 2019

Agreed, please increase the difficulty in PvE areas somewhat.

There’s a lot of small things that could help increase difficulty without upping NPC damage. Like increasing the range enemies can detect you by for example. Instead of fighting one enemy then two enemies in delves, have all three be alerted.

Another would be to give NPCs more and different moves instead of delayed light attacks with snares all the time

Voice_of_Chronicles · May 2019

Agreed, please increase the difficulty in PvE areas greatly!

Keylun wrote: »

There’s a lot of small things that could help increase difficulty without upping NPC damage.

Absolutely!

Xerikten · May 2019

No thanks, PvE difficulty is fine as it is.

being forced to play on the pts with OUT any cp, I can say the difficulty is fine and still there.

cp is the major part of this difficulty issue and not the content. any changes not involving cp will only discourage new players from this game.

playing sub 50 without cp has the difficulty you desire if any of you even desire it. the solution involves cp and not the mobs, mechanics or such content.

Knightpanther · May 2019

No thanks, PvE difficulty is fine as it is.

TequilaFire wrote: »

Start from scratch on a new virgin no cp account, then come back and discuss.

This
We all forget how much overpowered 810CP makes our alts.

Be safe

Voice_of_Chronicles · May 2019

Agreed, please increase the difficulty in PvE areas greatly!

Xerikten wrote: »

being forced to play on the pts with OUT any cp, I can say the difficulty is fine and still there.

Good to know....I would like that feeling back.
So basically you agree with me in that the PvE difficulty by either increasing difficulty or lowering CP impact should be changed.

As you stated CPs are the problem, so I assume that you would agree PvE content to be way too easy to handle for people that have acquired a certain amount (200+ maybe) .
So in favor of all the players that have made it past that point which presumambly is the vast majority of the entire active population, you should actually be voting in favour of changes being made to the nature of PvE areas as they are only challenging for the first 50 levels and very low cp players.

redspecter23 · May 2019

No. Keep old stuff as it is. New content is for new challenges. New players need a place to learn and not die constantly. Many new players do struggle in these overland areas. I'd rather not turn any of them away.

Also, even though I breeze through overland and could easily still do it if it were increased in difficulty, I take issue with my characters essentially getting less powerful compared to old content. I play this game to improve my characters, not see them become less effective in old content.

pod88kk · May 2019

No thanks, PvE difficulty is fine as it is.

The only reason I go to 'Old Tamriel' is to do my surveys. It's big city living for me

spacebandit · May 2019

Agreed, please increase the difficulty in PvE areas greatly!

redspecter23 wrote: »

No. Keep old stuff as it is. New content is for new challenges. New players need a place to learn and not die constantly. Many new players do struggle in these overland areas. I'd rather not turn any of them away.

Also, even though I breeze through overland and could easily still do it if it were increased in difficulty, I take issue with my characters essentially getting less powerful compared to old content. I play this game to improve my characters, not see them become less effective in old content.

The problem is new players start off in new content too so it has to be just as easy as old overworld content.

I want the whole world to scale to Veteran Maelstrom Arena difficultly

IzzyStardust · May 2019

Agreed, please increase the difficulty in PvE areas greatly!

TequilaFire wrote: »

Start from scratch on a new virgin no cp account, then come back and discuss.

Been there, done that. Perhaps not knowing anything or how skills work or what gear would change things - but having that knowledge makes even a fresh acct easy tbh.

Voice_of_Chronicles · May 2019

Agreed, please increase the difficulty in PvE areas greatly!

spacebandit wrote: »

The problem is new players start off in new content too so it has to be just as easy as old overworld content.

Great you mention that!!
Why would the devs want new players to face of the greater challenges in the new world areas, hardly having any knowledge gear or CP at first and later go back to areas where it becomes way too easy compared to what they have gotten used to handle.

idk · May 2019

Aliyavana wrote: »

This games main demographic is casuals tho.l or those who want to feel godly/instant gratification.

Most new players do not feel godly when starting the game. It is easy for us to say but many of us have years experience with combat in this game and plenty of CP. I say this as someone with alt accounts who has leveled up more recently without the benefit of CP. While I could handle trash mobs easily, but there were some NPCs I had to approach with caution to fight. Caution is probably not the best word, but I could not just run in.

Yes, there are some players that are better than the average to begin with that find the game easy when they start, or they say so, but that does not mean it if reflective of the masses. I cannot think of a major MMORPG title where overworld stuff is really challenging. Especially for a game that has been out for a number of years like ESO.

Sevn · May 2019

No thanks, PvE difficulty is fine as it is.

Voice_of_Chronicles wrote: »

Right probably, especially since they didn't stay around long enough to see it's greatness and so compared to other MMOs, it shines in every regard...yet it is giving away potential to attract even more people since I don't believe anyone would be turned away if the difficutly in the open world was increased somewhat.
But there are factually ppl turning away because it is too easy and not challenging.
So the game could only benefit from this change.

It would lose way more current players if they gave in to the minority that wants to change the open world. Now that is a fact.

This is the wrong game for anyone seeking a challenging overworld.

TequilaFire · May 2019

No thanks, PvE difficulty is fine as it is.

Well we used to have zone progression via the Veteran system where the difficulty scaled up per zone.
I miss being one shot by mudcrabs when I entered a zone while under leveled.
But along came CP and One Tamriel.

Voice_of_Chronicles · May 2019

Agreed, please increase the difficulty in PvE areas greatly!

Sevn wrote: »

It would lose way more current players if they gave in to the minority that wants to change the open world. Now that is a fact.

This is the wrong game for anyone seeking a challenging overworld.

Please explain further... why you think players would quit the game if the old PvE areas' difficulty was increased? Do you think that this would keep people from playing? I am not saying it should be "un-progressably difficult"

imo ZOS intentionally designs the new content to be more challenging overland wise and I think everybody enjoys that. I would at least like to see difficulty of the old world lifted to that of the new zones...

DKMaestro · May 2019

Agreed, please increase the difficulty in PvE areas somewhat.

Difficulty would increase, if we would just allow NPC's to be able to crit as well.

TequilaFire · May 2019

No thanks, PvE difficulty is fine as it is.

DKMaestro wrote: »

Difficulty would increase, if we would just allow NPC's to be able to crit as well.

Then PvP gear would become PvE gear?
What will they kick from pug group for then?

zaria · May 2019

Agreed, please increase the difficulty in PvE areas somewhat.

New zones should be increased some, a bit above current craglorn would be nice.
I and most others probably agree that doing new zones on new caracters is a bit pointless even if I understand why they did it for Morrowind.

Leave the old zones and just do this to new ones.
Reasoning is simple then you are done with the old zones you will be above cp 160 and can easy get some crafted / overland set

Vigawatt · May 2019

Agreed, please increase the difficulty in PvE areas greatly!

I recently soloed the locations and quests of Craglorn and I thought it was amazing. I was like this is the difficult solo content I've wanted. Of course it was designed to be a group area, but there aren't any one shot mechanics that require a group. I also felt that rewarded with vMA.

Trials and vet dungeons are challenging, but I would appreciate more difficult solo content. I'd support more Craglorn zones, not so much every zone be more difficult.

BabylonRocker · May 2019

Agreed, please increase the difficulty in PvE areas greatly!

Make a Vet. version so ppl can decide.

Of course with incentives to it.

Voice_of_Chronicles · May 2019

Agreed, please increase the difficulty in PvE areas greatly!

BabylonRocker wrote: »

Make a Vet. version so ppl can decide.

Of course with incentives to it.

I like that idea! It reminds me of how Age of Conan rewarded better gear back in the day. Before entering a zone you could chose if you wished to enter the normal or veteran zone. The vet zone was so difficult you needed at least a few people to progress and kill bosses!
Nice!
In Vet zones! Purple drops could become standard!!! That would give the old PvE areas that you didn't cover by leveling up an actual incentive to go there besides the story.. how much flavour this would add.

Blaqk_EyeD · May 2019

Agreed, please increase the difficulty in PvE areas greatly!

At least to craglorn solo areas. Silver and gold is a cakewalk snoozefest

Thorvik_Tyrson · May 2019

No thanks, PvE difficulty is fine as it is.

Voice_of_Chronicles wrote: »

Also increasing PvE open world difficulty will have ppl grouping and supporting each other more and help shape players up for PvP content and new HMs/trials.

I'll start off by saying that I have only been playing ESO for the past month, so I think that I am a good example of the new to ESO player.

I'm Sorry, but I do not agree here. I know more players that want to solo MMO content than I do players that want to group up for basic leveling. If they are forced to group up to do the basic leveling, then you will drive away more players than I think you realize. Honestly, I think there is a good balance right now. The open world quests can be soloed. Delve bosses may require 2 people, and zone chat seems good enough for finding groups for world bosses.

I would prefer to play in a group, but I find it hard/difficult to find someone that wants to do the same content at the same time that I do. Therefor I wind up soloing most of it. I have stood around in some Delve's waiting for another player to come along so that a boss can be killed. Or I skip it.

I have not tried open world dungeons or group dungeons yet due to the difficulty in finding new players to group with.

Edit: This not even close to the repetitive grind fest that other MMO's that I have played is. ESO has lots of content that will last me way past level 50.

Thorvik

barney2525 · May 2019

No thanks, PvE difficulty is fine as it is.

I don't play games for the STRUGGLE.

There is nothing wrong with ESO as it is. Struggling and needing groups just to complete PVE normal quests is just plain ridiculous.

How many is "A Lot"?

I get it. You want Zos to make Your Opinion the Rule in this game. So you spruce up your viewpoint with a statement that cannot be proven, but it sounds like it supports you. How many, out of 10 million players is "a lot", who played the game and left because it was too easy?

Questing is for the Stories and the Stories are very enjoyable. If you slow down and just Enjoy the game you might not find a need to run through the world mindlessly slaughtering everything.

You want to make it more challenging for yourself? Fine. Pick ONE ability and only use that. Don't use any other buttons. Just light attack, heavy attack and ONE ability. Don't even slot anything else.

karekiz · May 2019

Its fine as is for overland/normal dungeons. No real need.

BretonMage · May 2019

No thanks, PvE difficulty is fine as it is.

If new players find questing too difficult (which is where they start), they won't stay.

I think a harder/vet overland mode could be something ZOS could look into though.

rpa · May 2019

No thanks, PvE difficulty is fine as it is.

Difficulty is fine for casual questing on new account. But option to adjust normal difficulty up / scale character power down would be nice for more experienced players.

The Elder Scrolls Online

Should the PvE ( "old" open world) area difficulty be increased?

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