Should epic items be earned or bought?

Fingolfinn01 · November 2022

Should epic items be earned or bought? like mounts, weapons, armour and all those collectable cool stuff.

Danikat · November 2022

Purchased epic items should have equivalent epic item that are earned

So by 'epic items' you mean cosmetics like mounts and motifs? Not things like legendary or mythic gear?

In that case I'm fine with a mix of both. The crown store allows ZOS to offer the game without a mandatory subscription, which works better for me and as long as it's just cosmetic and convenience items it doesn't really affect gameplay.

The only crownstore item I've got which made a noticeable difference to how I play is the banker, and then it just saves me running to a wayshrine to go to the bank and then back to where I was. (In terms of time saved that's probably cancelled out by buying the hairstyles pack and some costumes which means I keep stopping what I'm doing to consider how my character should be dressed for the next part.

)

I only bought a banker because I had discounted crowns and it was on sale, in total saving me about 40%. At full price it's too expensive for the minor convenience of running to the bank.

I do think some categories of items, like mounts, could have more in-game options. But on the other hand I've never bought a motif from the crown store because there's so many available in-game I've never felt like I needed to.

robwolf666 · November 2022

something else, a penny for your thoughts

All items in the game should have alternative ways to earn them - but I'm a bit tired of some things being hidden behind certain types of content.

DinoZavr · November 2022

brought? maybe bought/purchased?

ESO lacks a lot of things to be obtained via playing the game and Endeavours are not quite a solution.
WOW has very recognizable mounts and outfits which are unique and might be obtained only with game achievements.
Sunspire senche and Rockgrove velva are the exclusions, not the rules.
Where are PVP ranks uniforms (except Emperor's one), where are housing/fishing gowns, where are guild ranks costumes?
I think game needs way more collectables acquired with the in-game achievements, not just them dyes.

spartaxoxo · November 2022

something else, a penny for your thoughts

I think it's okay for some epic items to be earned. It's also okay for some to be bought. I don't think crown store items always need to have an equivalent item can be earned, assuming we're just talking cosmetics and small time savers.

I wish there was mounts and stuff earned in-game, but I don't have an issue with the crown store existing or having exclusive cool cosmetics to buy. I don't consider the crown store a game mechanic though and do think this game is a bit over monetized.

Soarora · November 2022

something else, a penny for your thoughts

I very strongly believe endgame pve needs our earnable rewards back. But I don’t think there should be an equal in the crown store as it devalues those rewards and is insulting.
However, as stated in another thread, I do think there should be an earnable 2-seater mount and not have them all be crown store only.

Jaimeh · November 2022

something else, a penny for your thoughts

Epic as in purple quality, or epic as in the crown crates items? I'm fine the system as it is, where you can buy some and you can earn some, it's a good balance, but I would like some of the crate items be moved to the store and sold for a flat price, rather than having to gamble for them. I would also prefer it if more rewards were earnable in game, and I think harder content should reward more skins, mounts, etc. In the past for eg., a few of the challenger achievements, which were not that hard to do, had some really nice rewards.

Nestor · November 2022

Endeavours makes some Crown Store items Earnable.

Just takes longer.

And we have some mounts and skins and other cosmetics that can only be earned. And, those should stay that way.

Danikat · November 2022

Purchased epic items should have equivalent epic item that are earned

Nestor wrote: »

Endeavours makes all Crown Store items Earnable.

Just takes longer.

And we have some mounts and skins and other cosmetics that can only be earned. And, those should stay that way.

It's not all crown store items, endeavours only allow you to buy items in the crown crates. There's a lot of crown store items which have never been in crates and may never be added. For example you'll probably never be able to get any of the assistants or houses with endeavours.

Hamfast · November 2022

something else, a penny for your thoughts

I am having an issue on how to say what I would like to see... I know, that may be normal...

I would like to see everything "Epic" offered in multiple ways at different times, so everyone can acquire the "Epic" items they want in a way they enjoy...

I would say that some epic items may be outside of this, for example the lancers (Epic Siege Weapons?) need only be available via activities in Cyrodiil as they are specifically only useful and usable in Cyrodiil, not that I would not like to be able to use them as a furnishing...

I guess my other problems is trying to decide what is "Epic"... because I find a lot of the items called "Epic" as nothing more than another useless bauble I have no use for.

VaranisArano · November 2022

You know what "earned" means, right?

It means running daily quests for 2-3 event tickets.
It means collecting 5-10 event tickets to buy one piece of a morphable collectible.
It means buying 2-3 more pieces of that collectible.
It means collecting 10 event tickets to buy one piece of what you need to transform that collectible into the next stage.
It means collecting 3-4 more pieces before you can transform the collectible.
It means doing it all again once the Impresario's inventory resets.
It means complaining bitterly about not getting enough tickets if there's an event you don't want to do like Whitestrake's Mayhem.
It means cramming the New Life event to make up for pieces you missed so they don't sit uselessly in your collections menu.

Okay, that might be a little jaded, but make no mistake: we asked for more mounts to be earnable in-game and ZOS gave us Indriks.

(Oh, and "earned" also means that you can get a trial trifecta to earn a mount that's nearly identical to one sold in the Crown Store. Enjoy earning your Sunspire mount!)

Ragnarok0130 · November 2022

Yes they should be earned, and not brought

Nestor wrote: »

Endeavours makes all Crown Store items Earnable.

Just takes longer.

And we have some mounts and skins and other cosmetics that can only be earned. And, those should stay that way.

Endeavors were never a serious way for players to earn crown store items due to the extremely anemic earning rate and the fact that the items you want will likely be cycled out before you can actually earn enough endeavors to get what you want.

Everyone knows that the defacto and only realistic way to get items in the crown store is either via a direct purchase for crowns or by spinning the wheels of fate in the loot box system if they're only offered in crates. The endeavor system is almost certainly a legalistic way to skirt around/check the block to appease countries who have banned loot boxes by saying "hey, see our players can in fact get these items without loot boxes" without it being reasonable or likely that players actually can get those item without saving endeavors for an entire year for an apex mount that will cycle out in a month or two.

Tandor · November 2022

Bought as in buying a run? No.

Bought as in some items being earned in game and some items being bought in the crown store? Fine, if the balance is right between the two.

That's based on the belief that "epic" should mean just that and not be wasted on cosmetic item descriptions.

FeedbackOnly · November 2022

something else, a penny for your thoughts

Your poll is confusing but no to pay to win

kargen27 · November 2022

something else, a penny for your thoughts

I'm fine with cosmetic items being crown exclusive. There are plenty in game that can be earned. Weapon and armor styles are fine both ways. They shouldn't have exclusive armor sets.

Heartrage · November 2022

I don’t care if some cosmetics are sold for crowns. However, Eso should have more in-game cosmetics rewards AND make them interesting to get. Wow did this well when I played. Getting a rare mount, full sets or legendary equipment made heads turn and would often show off what content you had done and how good you were. The only thing I ever took the time to notice from other players is their cp level because cosmetics don’t mean anything in this game.

tomofhyrule · November 2022

I just think that earned rewards should be appropriate to the content.

I'm much more okay than most people at just buying cosmetics because they're just cosmetics. What I think it not okay is skill gating things that are more generic, which is basically saying "you can't RP the way you want unless you can do this trifecta!"

Case in point: the skin from Ruins of Mazzatun is a good reward - it's the Amber Plasm skin, which is used in that dungeon only. It can't really be used outside of that unless you're doing a very specific my-character-went-through-Mazzatun RP session, so it seems fine.
I do not think the Worm Wizard personality is a good reward. Personalities are extremely useful for things like RP, and nobody in Fang Lair uses the Worm Wizard personality. The only association is 'necromancers.' In fact, the Scalecaller skin should be the Fang Lair reward since the NPCs in FL wear that skin and nobody in SCP does.

It's another issue that I've had with things like locking the fishing boat behind vKA (what does killing a vampire lord have to do with putting a boat in your house?), or even the perennial early acces rewards - I guarantee that people woudn't have as many issues with the beta monkey/tiger mount/sphere centurion if the generic version of those was the crown store one and the beta tester reward had a sparkly gold vest with an Ouroborous or something.

Yes, sometimes that will get people to do content - I know I annoyed the heck out of my guild trying to get that Beast personality for my werewolf - but that's not a general rule. A lot of times, it'll just lead to resentment. And yes, there are a lot of endgame raiders who are also big into housing or RP or whatever, but that's not a general rule.

So go ahead and put more rewards behind content since it's fun to earn things. But don't lock things useful for one game mode behind other modes. We get enough resentment for having PvP mythic leads locked behind things like mindless farming or PvE content.

Nestor · November 2022

Danikat wrote: »

Nestor wrote: »

Endeavours makes all Crown Store items Earnable.

Just takes longer.

And we have some mounts and skins and other cosmetics that can only be earned. And, those should stay that way.

It's not all crown store items, endeavours only allow you to buy items in the crown crates. There's a lot of crown store items which have never been in crates and may never be added. For example you'll probably never be able to get any of the assistants or houses with endeavours.

I changed to Some... 😃

Freelancer_ESO · November 2022

something else, a penny for your thoughts

For me it depends on implementation.

If all sorts of content are going to have the rewards then, it would be nice.

If it's going to be like many of the existing rewards where they fall in content only a tiny fraction of the game actually wants to do and are sold in carry runs, I think it'd be better to just have them in the Crown Store.

DreamyLu · November 2022

something else, a penny for your thoughts

Some should be earned, some should be purchased, how many isn't an issue to me.
The only key point for me is that the ones for which we would have to pay, shall not give more advantages than the one we earned in game, to respect that the game is not a PtW game.

Bobargus · November 2022

something else, a penny for your thoughts

I'm going to be that guy, and say "Bought" and not "Brought".

Molydeus · November 2022

Purchased epic items should have equivalent epic item that are earned

People with means should be able to buy whatever cosmetic items they want to help provide money to the game, it's not hurting anybody. However, those same items should be capable of acquisition via in-game activities too, to allow for those without means the same opportunities.

BlueRaven · November 2022

Danikat wrote: »

Nestor wrote: »

Endeavours makes all Crown Store items Earnable.

Just takes longer.

And we have some mounts and skins and other cosmetics that can only be earned. And, those should stay that way.

It's not all crown store items, endeavours only allow you to buy items in the crown crates. There's a lot of crown store items which have never been in crates and may never be added. For example you'll probably never be able to get any of the assistants or houses with endeavours.

While that is true, they do occasionally reward houses in game. (I can think of four off the top of my head.) plus inn rooms are free. EDIT: I forgot to add you can buy a bunch with gold as well.

As for assistants, I think only one is rewarded in game, so eso could use some improvement there.

SaffronCitrusflower · November 2022

Purchased epic items should have equivalent epic item that are earned

There should be a ton more cosmetics that can be earned by playing the game rather than restricting the vast majority of items, and nearly every single mount to crown store only.

This is one of the aspects of ESO that leads people to question ZOS business practices.

The Elder Scrolls Online

Should epic items be earned or bought?

Should epic items be earned or bought? 63 votes