Have you failed or been successfully at recommending ESO to friends?

Destai · December 2020

I've only convinced one friend to play it. They gave up after 15 hours or so. I've had other friends who played it on launch and will peak in once in a while, but never stay around.

For some, I couldn't sell them on the idea of seeing some kiddo running around while you're questing. For most, the monetization model was a very hard sell. For all of them though, they just couldn't get the feel of the game. The combat wasn't well received, they complained how hard it is to quest with someone, and just how poorly the game introduces you to concepts.

My crew's now playing Red Dead Online and Ghosts of Tsushima - both respect your immersion and don't inundate you with noise upon logging in. When I come back to ESO, even I notice the difference, so I won't be recommending it in the future.

Kikazaru · December 2020

I tried twice so far but both aren't big into MMOs.

LadyLethalla · December 2020

Zero out of... I lost count. One had prior experience in an MMO and didn't want that kind of commitment. Another said he'd bought it but never ever played it. Another friend played briefly, as did my son. There were others I've lost track of. And sadly, my husband won't even try, what with not actually being into gaming - even though he promised.

etchedpixels · December 2020

I've had some success once I explained to them
- everything on alcast etc is irrelevant to anything but end game power gamers
- anything in the clown store is avoidable
- that none of the main story stuff needs ESO+
- how to get around some of the excess monetization (using alts as chests, going from/to imperial city instead of buying merchant/banker, the quest/free houses pets and mounts and so on, stuffing things into the craft bag each free eso+ week)
- that the intro arrangements are totally brain dead, and to read the 'how to do it in the right time order' documents
- how to get all the free twitch crates for the other goodies they might fancy

and a few other "how to make it as offline as possible" tips (turning off all the chat etc)

ESO is huge - and most of the online supporting/fan content is end gamer content by hardcore end gamers for hardcore end gamers.

It is possible to play it as a very big Oblivion/Skyrim game, and that may lead into other stuff sure. I think they actually miss a very big audience by not having a 'solo-ish' mode where other players simply don't exist except near group events (dolmens, world bosses, dragons and so on), in public dungeons, group dungeons and trials.

ScarletThorn · December 2020

I buy it for my friends on steam when its on special, I have had 3 keep playing and 2 drop off.
I take them through the first quest zone explain to them the main mechanics they need to know and give them some gold to get a mount most of them enjoy it. The 2 that dropped off just preferred other mmos over ESO

Eedat · December 2020

3/4. I got 3 friends to start playing and 1 to come back. Three of the four are still playing and are at CP200 currently. We just started running Vet dungeons and they're having a lot of fun

Zski · December 2020

I actively do not recommend this game and cannot until the power ties address that the performance issues require investment, and that the content schedule without this investment is a bubble waiting to burst.

Some of my viewers are trying it anyway, so I guess those count as temporary failures.

GenjiraX · December 2020

0/3. I haven’t actually “recommended” it, just talked about it as it’s what I spend most of my time on, outside of work. One is a NMS-devotee and criticised ESO’s last-gen graphics. The other two prefer playing and completing a game, then moving onto a new game.

Elwendryll · December 2020

Some kept playing for a while. But out of the 5 people I made try this game, 0 are still actively playing.

I wouldn't recommend it anymore nowadays.

Minyassa · December 2020

Literally the day after I responded to this thread with my lack of luck, my brother called me and said he was trying ESO and had questions for me about it. I'm trying to talk him into ditching console and playing on PC so he can play with me because I think I can show him the better side of the game than the quick grinding he's already into. Wish me luck.

Iccotak · December 2020

The only way I found to engage my friends in the content was by also getting them into the dungeons along with the questing.

because they found the combat in the overland experience to be too easy - like it did not encourage the player to get better at the game. They enjoyed dungeons though

faeeichenlaub · December 2020

My friends family have moved on. Only my son pops into play every now and then with me. My recommendations have not seemingly enticed anyone to play nor has the lure of providing them BIS grand master crafted gear.

In retrospect.. maybe the discovery and grind for better gear is part of the charm that makes long term players like me. It's the only game installed in my console.

Take away that feeling of progression to move someone to easy god mode perhaps makes them less invested and rewarded.

Stridig · December 2020

I'm 0/5. A few just didn't have the time to invest and the other 2 couldn't keep the game running in Cyrodiil.

the1andonlyskwex · December 2020

UGotBenched91 wrote: »

WiseSky wrote: »

I am pretty sure "UGotBenched91" is asking survey questions...

all of there questions are Feedback Survey like...

To answer your question

Divide by 0

" if its a AI, that question was to destroy them"

Blink twice if its you Todd

Nope I’m just trying to make entertaining and conversation starter threads from the usual complaining threads that seem to be the norm on this forum.

It's impressive how quickly this topic turned into one of the most extreme complaint threads I've seen in a while.

It does raise a few questions though:
1) How many of the people who say they wouldn't recommend ESO still play it?
2) How many hundreds of hours did the complainers play before they stopped having fun?
3) Why do people who wouldn't recommend ESO still play it?
4) Why are people who don't play anymore still on the forum?
5) Are people who haven't played in a while complaining about things they've actually experienced, or just parroting thing they saw in the forums?

As for the original topic, I convinced 3 other people to get ESO when it first launched on console, and we all gave up after a few weeks. It felt like 90% of our time was spent running/porting back to town to sell junk to free up inventory space. I also found myself rapidly outleveling content (because I was trying to do all of the quests in each area before moving on), which made further leveling/progression excruciatingly slow.

I eventually gave the game another shot after One Tamriel and the craft bag were introduced, and I've been playing on/off/casually ever since (with a huge break between Morrowind, which made the game unplayable on a base PS4, and when I got a PS4 Pro a couple years later).

I haven't convinced anyone else to give it a shot since the initial release. People are either unwilling to commit to an MMO, or were permanently soured by our initial experience with the game.

Vanya · December 2020

Lmao I spoke to my friend from ESO he cannot run game properly , system not powerful enough, my GF's laptop same story.

For rest I cannot say for I have very few friends , Succes rate : so far

zero

Scardan · December 2020

I fail mostly because ESO is paid MMORPG and my friends used to play free to play korean stuff.

Zski · December 2020

the1andonlyskwex wrote: »

It does raise a few questions though:
1) How many of the people who say they wouldn't recommend ESO still play it?
2) How many hundreds of hours did the complainers play before they stopped having fun?
3) Why do people who wouldn't recommend ESO still play it?
4) Why are people who don't play anymore still on the forum?
5) Are people who haven't played in a while complaining about things they've actually experienced, or just parroting thing they saw in the forums?

1) I do because there is no other actual PvP MMO, with GW having the playerbase of a small village and BDO having functionally no endgame.
2) A bunch, because it used to at least work sometimes and lowbie PvP was active and great.
3) Lack of PvP MMO alternatives. Like let's be real, if ESO actually worked it'd be the best MMO I've ever played.

It just doesn't.

4) Same reason lots of players still hang out places after they stop playing - you spent years of your life on something and embedded yourself in a community. That's hard to let go of.
5) Probably the former, but why does it matter? If enough people are still complaining about performance that it's clearly this visible...

Ultimately, while souring, the overwhelmingly negative presence on the forums is probably because you've congregated a lot of people that care an awful lot about something that isn't being taken care of. Part of the bargain inherent in a continual experience is "we'll keep taking care of what we've sold you as best we can", and ZOS just flat out has not lived up to that inherent bargain. In a lot of of the content - and *at least* what is functionally half of the endgame - the game *straight up doesn't work*, and *hasn't worked* and *shows no real sign of improving, but in fact shows plenty of signs of degradation*.

Of course people that care are going to be negative - they deserve better than that. The fans and players of ESO deserve better than what they've gotten.

decade_mauler · January 2021

Its been 1 year since I quit ESO and just checked in to see what was happening. I had played it exclusively since 2015. When I quit I made sure I deleted all my characters and, broke down all my armor/weapons and gave away everything I had so there was no way I would return.

I have had the urge to play again several times but knowing I would have to start from scratch put a quick end to those urges.

If Zenimax let us build up points and skills which could be applied to any character I would likely still be playing but they are so money hungry that they make sure you have to payup or grind for everything .

My main gripe was with PVP and them adding new characters and making them so OP that it made PVP useless . They did this so that it forced people to buy the DLC and make the same character just to compete and 2-3 months later they would fix it . Nothing seems to have changed

I may try ESO 6 but it depends on how it handles transitions from 5-6

Sahidom · January 2021

I've recruited a dozen+ people but they've left the game over the toxicity of the player community.

mb10 · January 2021

Nairinhe wrote: »

To recommend ESO to friends you need friends :'(

I’ll be your friend

mickeyx · January 2021

I tried but they didn't see much added value to play as free to play when they say how expensive cash shop is and they were turned off by the loot crate gambling system.

Sephyr · January 2021

Zski wrote: »

I actively do not recommend this game and cannot until the power ties address that the performance issues require investment, and that the content schedule without this investment is a bubble waiting to burst.

Some of my viewers are trying it anyway, so I guess those count as temporary failures.

Same. I just cannot in good faith recommend it and won't until they actually make good on their promises.