Seriously, why do dungeons even have story quests?

Btoop · March 2023

Hey Zos,

You know those dungeon quests which are supposed to be a key part of these year long stories? You do realize they're a waste of effort because hardly anyone gets to actually enjoy them, right?

Every year it is the same for the vast majority of players, (even on the day of release) you can't listen to more than a line of dialogue without people running ahead and leaving a trail of dead enemies.

You are either someone who wants the story or someone who wants to get on with the dungeon and it is unfair on both parties to keep forcing story and group content together.

P.S. The fact that this unenjoyable experience is supposed to be the introduction these year long adventures.... yeah, please stop, you're better than making content people can't enjoy.

stewhead2ub17_ESO · March 2023

I think your anger is misplaced. This isn't a ZOS problem, it's a player issue. Frustrating to be sure, but I've found finding a comfortable guild with like minded players or simply advertising in chat for a group that wants to run the story can alleviate the frustration. Also, I've had great success merely greeting the party and mentioning that you need the story when using the GF. Hang in there.

emilyhyoyeon · March 2023

stewhead2ub17_ESO wrote: »

I think your anger is misplaced. This isn't a ZOS problem, it's a player issue. Frustrating to be sure, but I've found finding a comfortable guild with like minded players or simply advertising in chat for a group that wants to run the story can alleviate the frustration. Also, I've had great success merely greeting the party and mentioning that you need the story when using the GF. Hang in there.

They could add a story mode.

Some people don't want to use one of 5 guild slots for a guild just to run through the stories of dungeons when they'd also might rather do it alone to boot.

Like, personally, I wouldn't want people ruining my immersion by wearing for ex the nord bathing towel dyed Maw of Lorkhaj blue with the VAS skin because there's no guarantee that people in a dungeon-story-friendly-guild wouldn't wear that, and I am not going to be that guy who requests people to wear ''appropriate'' outfits. How many people are like this? I don't know, but why not just add a story mode to dungeons?

Personally I don't have an issue soloing a DLC on normal. I get the impression that a lot of people do though. And there's always the chance of them adding mechanics that require more than one person, on normal or not.

Btoop · March 2023

stewhead2ub17_ESO wrote: »

I think your anger is misplaced. This isn't a ZOS problem, it's a player issue. Frustrating to be sure, but I've found finding a comfortable guild with like minded players or simply advertising in chat for a group that wants to run the story can alleviate the frustration. Also, I've had great success merely greeting the party and mentioning that you need the story when using the GF. Hang in there.

It is less anger and more bewildered frustration. As a developer you can't just hope players are going to be considerate, part of designing content for an MMO includes considering how players are going to act and current ZOS are neglecting this when it comes to quests in dungeons.

While it is an option to try and track down other players who you can better rely on, the hassle shouldn't be nessisary when many would rather just play content without organising a group (not to mention, a returning player trying to play the quest of a previously released dungeon would have a much harder time finding players willing to go through old content with them.)

bmnoble · March 2023

I don't bother with them anymore think the last one I did was unhallowed grave and the other one that came out the same time.

Even when I was doing the quests for me it was more about the skill point for completing the quests, since I knew from experience doing the base game dungeons that I would not get the chance to hear the story dialogue, unless I looked it up via Google. With how many Skyshards and skill point quests there are now I don't even bother with the skill point quests in dungeons on alts anymore.

I would be much more likely to buy the dungeon DLC, if they kept the dungeons for farming the gear but moved the story element of the dungeons into overland and handled them much the same way they do with the various prologue quests.

Just have each of the quests end at locating the threat of a new dungeon, then actually entering the new dungeon is up to the player no story within just bosses that reference the quest you have been on at most, with the final villain alluded to during the quest line at the end of the dungeon but kept separate from needing to complete the quest, basically like how you could complete the story in Craglorn but the final bosses were in the trials for those that wanted to do them.

ZOS_Icy · March 2023

Greetings,

After further review we have decided to move this thread to a category we think is more appropriate for this topic.

Thank you for your understanding.

AvalonRanger · March 2023

stewhead2ub17_ESO wrote: »

I think your anger is misplaced. This isn't a ZOS problem, it's a player issue. Frustrating to be sure, but I've found finding a comfortable guild with like minded players or simply advertising in chat for a group that wants to run the story can alleviate the frustration. Also, I've had great success merely greeting the party and mentioning that you need the story when using the GF. Hang in there.

Is that "guild" which you mentioned NA-PC?

Soarora · March 2023

I think having story quests in dungeons is fine but not necessarily in the way it's implemented. Normal DLC should be possible with one player and one companion for most people if they want to experience the story and are unable to play vet (where kill times are longer) or there should be a story mode. Additionally, less "talk to npc" dialogue. Picking up the quest at the beginning shouldn't be a traditional dialogue screen but more of a start button and have the npc talk loud enough that you can hear it over the fighting of trash. I've been able to pick up the stories of dungeons without really reading the dialogue, but I do skim it quickly. The rest of the storytelling in the dungeons are verbal (but shows up in subtitles and the npc chat if you turn it on) or things you only really notice as a tank because you get to bosses first (edit: except in some dungeons like Stone Garden and Coral Aerie where everyone has to listen to the storyline before continuing).

colossalvoids · March 2023

It's a player issue, not a dungeon one. If one can't form a group twice (once now) a year to get their story run I don't even know what to say. It's the same as saying there should not be main dlc/chapter quest at all because people skip dialogues and run it as fast as possible mostly. It matters not.

Luke_Flamesword · March 2023

I think it's poor design choices. When you make content for game, you must consider how this content is played by players. Dungeons are highly repeatative content, often played very quickly so design choices should consider that facts. Most players plays in PUGs and it feels very uncomfortable to delay other for reading dialogues. It's not players fault, but devs who put players in such conditions.

Design choice is that dungeons are for story, farming gear, daily rewards, etc. Ant these goals encourage to different approach (story is low pace and reading dialogues, farming is about faster, repetative expierience). There are conficts betweent players, because at most basic level it mixes purposes of dungeons and approaches to them. It's 100% on devs.

Nestor · March 2023

We have been asking for a Story Mode for years. We used to have it back before DLCs and One Tamriel.

1. Set Difficulty to normal delve or base zone public dungeon mob/boss levels.
2. No Monster Items. And Probably no Zone Set items.
3. You can still get the skill point, but no Achievements.

Then we can go in there solo, putter around and enjoy the story and scenery.

AvalonRanger · March 2023

I love story quest. But, there're no time to enjoy story with grouping.
People just want undaunted key or set equipment. And, go rush.

Is there any of guild who know Tamriel history very much, and make "story tour" for me?

Deter1UK · March 2023

What a wierd idea.

As an aging D&D GM I just dont get it.

What is the point of a dungeon without a story? How do you even write it or design it?

You may as well just populate tamriel with Arenas and put all the gear lying around on the floor and call the game something else like Mortal Doom Quake Combat .

(Honestly @ZOS_Kevin this is not a suggestion!!)

Btoop · March 2023

Deter1UK wrote: »

What a wierd idea.

As an aging D&D GM I just dont get it.

What is the point of a dungeon without a story? How do you even write it or design it?

You may as well just populate tamriel with Arenas and put all the gear lying around on the floor and call the game something else like Mortal Doom Quake Combat .

The point of the post isn't to say that all narrative in the game should be removed, the point is that the developers shouldn't be adding story to content in a way where most players are made to skip over it and can't properly experience it.

Btoop · March 2023

Luke_Flamesword wrote: »

I think it's poor design choices. When you make content for game, you must consider how this content is played by players. Dungeons are highly repeatative content, often played very quickly so design choices should consider that facts. Most players plays in PUGs and it feels very uncomfortable to delay other for reading dialogues. It's not players fault, but devs who put players in such conditions.

Design choice is that dungeons are for story, farming gear, daily rewards, etc. Ant these goals encourage to different approach (story is low pace and reading dialogues, farming is about faster, repetative expierience). There are conficts betweent players, because at most basic level it mixes purposes of dungeons and approaches to them. It's 100% on devs.

This.

M0ntie · March 2023

I like dungeons having a story - but I don't want to have to stand around listening to hear it when its the 100th time I've done the dungeon and there is a new person in group. ZoS needs to improve the implementation.

When you enter the dungeon, the story quest should be able to be picked up immediately and instantly - not after waiting for the NPC to talk for ages. Make any dialog while you're actually interacting with the NPC very short. If the NPC wants to tell you a story, have them tell it to the story quest taker while they are moving through the dungeon.

Any actions that need to be done for the dungeon quest (especially talking to an NPC) need to be able to be done without waiting for lots of dialog - and again if there is story to be told, tell it to the quester while they are moving.

At the end of the dungeon, do not allow the person with crown in a random dungeon to disband group - they can just leave group if they want. Then the other group members get more time to wander back through the dungeon and finish looting etc.

Making changes like the above will allow people who WANT to do the quest able to do so without holding up the whole group.