Wow! I remember this poll! I forget what I voted, but I am sure it was a low number.
Obviously opinions are my own;
PROS:
A )The story is better than greymoor, but that is a low bar to clear. Also while it is better then Greymoor, it’s not as good as the other chapters. It’s fine, but in a disappointing way.
B ) The terrain looks nice, but it does not feel like a forest. Still looks nice though.
Ironically Blackwood feels like more of a “moor” than a forest, while the terrain of Greymoor feels more like a forest than a “moor”.
C ) Companions are nice, but feel 1/2 finished. They need more varied dialogue, and they need to actual interact with some environmental objects. It would be cool if they sat down, or if they are near a crafting station (in a home) they started using it. (I don’t want to block other players.)
Skyrim companions felt more “alive” then these do.
Still it’s a nice starting point for hopefully something better.
CONS:
A ) On going Mac client issues that make the game barely playable in the new areas are STILL happening.
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/541794/spontaneous-system-crash-issue-with-video/p1
B ) I still don’t understand the thinking behind portals. From a narrative standpoint I get it. But from a gameplay perspective they are problematic in many ways;
They are hidden.
They are new player unfriendly.
They are designed for high end dps players only, a lone tank or healer is going to have a hard time.
If the player is unable to solo the mobs, they have no idea if anyone else is in there to do the portal with.
Loot is not that great vs the effort.
In short there are more reasons to ride by them than there are to go in, even if you find one. They feel like content made for just a small sliver of the player base.
C ) Super difficult to get the new zone specific furniture recipes to the point it becomes a stand out annoyance.
•••
In short the zone feels like a place I did once, but now feels like there is no reason to do the story again on other characters. It’s really disappointing overall as ESO’s early chapters were so good.



Darkstorne wrote: »
Skyblivion just released their latest dev blog that showcases their version of the Blackwood region and the city of Leyawiin (video here, timestamped to Blackwood for you at 04:43). THAT'S Blackwood. I don't know what ZOS's version is, with their bizarre forest design of almost exclusively mature trees 100s of yards apart, and where they forgot (just like Bethesda did with TES4!) that ships need to be able to sail through Leyawiin and up to the Imperial City, and not be blocked by low stone bridges in the city.
Companions are a joke for a chapter system and completely useless for anyone who actually has guilds or friends to play with.
And I suspect that most people who say that the Orsinium Update was one of the best, subconsciously think so because of her! There, I said it lol.
Ghanima_Atreides wrote: »
I think this is really important to keep in mind. On the forums, or any enthusiast site like Reddit, we're representative of the more core fans, so of course companions aren't going to appeal to a lot of us here. But the vast majority of MMO players these days (not just ESO, but FFXIV, GW2, SWTOR etc) engage primarily in solo play. Group content is something they might do with a small percentage of their game time, but most of what they like to do is solo questing and exploration etc. They don't read up on meta builds. They don't min/max their characters. They don't care if their badass dragon-looking Argonian isn't the best pick for a PVE Stamina DPS, or even that Stamina in general isn't the best pick for PVE DPS. They just want to chill out in this game and have fun their way. That's the majority.Companions are a joke for a chapter system and completely useless for anyone who actually has guilds or friends to play with.
And this is exactly the people that Companions WERE NOT designed for. Not every addition to a game is designed for every single player, I certainly don't complain when they add group content or PVP content, even though those are things I do not play.
I actually gave this Chapter an 8 solely because of the introduction of Companions. I find them very useful, especially as a healer for when I solo World Bosses, and any additional DPS is beneficial.
I've never had a Companion die, except when I had Bastian as a tank and left him on his own against a WB while I took on the additional WB; that was MY fault as I should have had his back. I think far too many people blame companions when it's their job to have their Companions back as much is theirs to have ours.
Companions are a joke for a chapter system and completely useless for anyone who actually has guilds or friends to play with.
Not every addition to a game is designed for every single player, I certainly don't complain when they add group content or PVP content, even though those are things I do not play.