Overland Content Feedback Thread

  • Surgee
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    disky wrote: »
    I cannot imagine that after three years of this thread, after years of attempts at alternatives which have failed to change anyone's mind about overland being too easy and after the endless negative feedback over the enhanced difficulty in West Weald, that they would continue down that same path, with further attempts and floundering with "creative" solutions. ZOS has a (somewhat understandable) reputation for not listening to players, or for listening and then taking a completely different approach than what people were asking for, but this is one of the larger and more pressing issues on their plate and I can't imagine that they're going to take all of the available data and do something nobody ever actually wanted. Not this time, because we're we've all been here, in this thread, for years now, providing reams worth of feedback about ideal solutions.

    I've said before that I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt, and I still am. While I think it's understandable to prepare for the worst, I feel like there's a better chance that they know what we need from them now.

    Wait, what? West Weld has increased difficulty? I've finished campaign with my crappy casual character while being half asleep after late night shift. The only time I died was when I was speeding with my mount and fall damage got me. Mind you, my character doesn't even have a single healing skill. My companion casts something sometimes. If this is "increased difficulty" in their book, I'm already disappointed.

    At the current state of the difficulty, the mobs are more of annoyance for me.
  • colossalvoids
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    Surgee wrote: »
    disky wrote: »
    I cannot imagine that after three years of this thread, after years of attempts at alternatives which have failed to change anyone's mind about overland being too easy and after the endless negative feedback over the enhanced difficulty in West Weald, that they would continue down that same path, with further attempts and floundering with "creative" solutions. ZOS has a (somewhat understandable) reputation for not listening to players, or for listening and then taking a completely different approach than what people were asking for, but this is one of the larger and more pressing issues on their plate and I can't imagine that they're going to take all of the available data and do something nobody ever actually wanted. Not this time, because we're we've all been here, in this thread, for years now, providing reams worth of feedback about ideal solutions.

    I've said before that I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt, and I still am. While I think it's understandable to prepare for the worst, I feel like there's a better chance that they know what we need from them now.

    Wait, what? West Weld has increased difficulty? I've finished campaign with my crappy casual character while being half asleep after late night shift. The only time I died was when I was speeding with my mount and fall damage got me. Mind you, my character doesn't even have a single healing skill. My companion casts something sometimes. If this is "increased difficulty" in their book, I'm already disappointed.

    At the current state of the difficulty, the mobs are more of annoyance for me.

    They're probably referring to excessive usage of invuln phases in incursions and some other encounters, maybe also about unintentionally overturned public dungeon boss on release but that was already fixed.
  • spartaxoxo
    spartaxoxo
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    Surgee wrote: »
    disky wrote: »
    I cannot imagine that after three years of this thread, after years of attempts at alternatives which have failed to change anyone's mind about overland being too easy and after the endless negative feedback over the enhanced difficulty in West Weald, that they would continue down that same path, with further attempts and floundering with "creative" solutions. ZOS has a (somewhat understandable) reputation for not listening to players, or for listening and then taking a completely different approach than what people were asking for, but this is one of the larger and more pressing issues on their plate and I can't imagine that they're going to take all of the available data and do something nobody ever actually wanted. Not this time, because we're we've all been here, in this thread, for years now, providing reams worth of feedback about ideal solutions.

    I've said before that I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt, and I still am. While I think it's understandable to prepare for the worst, I feel like there's a better chance that they know what we need from them now.

    Wait, what? West Weld has increased difficulty? I've finished campaign with my crappy casual character while being half asleep after late night shift. The only time I died was when I was speeding with my mount and fall damage got me. Mind you, my character doesn't even have a single healing skill. My companion casts something sometimes. If this is "increased difficulty" in their book, I'm already disappointed.

    At the current state of the difficulty, the mobs are more of annoyance for me.

    Yes. West Weald was their attempt at forced increased difficulty to find the happy medium to still being new player friendly and making things more interesting for vets. It's what that looks like.

    It's done nothing but force some casuals out. It solves nothing for vets because it's still too easy.

    That's why I hope it doesn't happen again. I hope they don't consider that a success and put it in other parts of the game.

    A slider is the best solution IMO because it can have a bunch of different levels of difficulty.
  • Surgee
    Surgee
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    spartaxoxo wrote: »
    Surgee wrote: »
    disky wrote: »
    I cannot imagine that after three years of this thread, after years of attempts at alternatives which have failed to change anyone's mind about overland being too easy and after the endless negative feedback over the enhanced difficulty in West Weald, that they would continue down that same path, with further attempts and floundering with "creative" solutions. ZOS has a (somewhat understandable) reputation for not listening to players, or for listening and then taking a completely different approach than what people were asking for, but this is one of the larger and more pressing issues on their plate and I can't imagine that they're going to take all of the available data and do something nobody ever actually wanted. Not this time, because we're we've all been here, in this thread, for years now, providing reams worth of feedback about ideal solutions.

    I've said before that I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt, and I still am. While I think it's understandable to prepare for the worst, I feel like there's a better chance that they know what we need from them now.

    Wait, what? West Weld has increased difficulty? I've finished campaign with my crappy casual character while being half asleep after late night shift. The only time I died was when I was speeding with my mount and fall damage got me. Mind you, my character doesn't even have a single healing skill. My companion casts something sometimes. If this is "increased difficulty" in their book, I'm already disappointed.

    At the current state of the difficulty, the mobs are more of annoyance for me.

    Yes. West Weald was their attempt at forced increased difficulty to find the happy medium to still being new player friendly and making things more interesting for vets. It's what that looks like.

    It's done nothing but force some casuals out. It solves nothing for vets because it's still too easy.

    That's why I hope it doesn't happen again. I hope they don't consider that a success and put it in other parts of the game.

    A slider is the best solution IMO because it can have a bunch of different levels of difficulty.

    I'm a casual to be honest. I play my crappy random build I invented like 6 years ago and didn't change it since. Dual dagger poison magic dot shooting Nord dragonknight where nothing makes much sense. It was a walk in the park for me. Of course I can't solo an incursion, but that's a group event. Did West Weld really make people stop playing? How do we know that?
    Edited by Surgee on January 22, 2025 3:25PM
  • spartaxoxo
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    Surgee wrote: »
    spartaxoxo wrote: »
    Surgee wrote: »
    disky wrote: »
    I cannot imagine that after three years of this thread, after years of attempts at alternatives which have failed to change anyone's mind about overland being too easy and after the endless negative feedback over the enhanced difficulty in West Weald, that they would continue down that same path, with further attempts and floundering with "creative" solutions. ZOS has a (somewhat understandable) reputation for not listening to players, or for listening and then taking a completely different approach than what people were asking for, but this is one of the larger and more pressing issues on their plate and I can't imagine that they're going to take all of the available data and do something nobody ever actually wanted. Not this time, because we're we've all been here, in this thread, for years now, providing reams worth of feedback about ideal solutions.

    I've said before that I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt, and I still am. While I think it's understandable to prepare for the worst, I feel like there's a better chance that they know what we need from them now.

    Wait, what? West Weld has increased difficulty? I've finished campaign with my crappy casual character while being half asleep after late night shift. The only time I died was when I was speeding with my mount and fall damage got me. Mind you, my character doesn't even have a single healing skill. My companion casts something sometimes. If this is "increased difficulty" in their book, I'm already disappointed.

    At the current state of the difficulty, the mobs are more of annoyance for me.

    Yes. West Weald was their attempt at forced increased difficulty to find the happy medium to still being new player friendly and making things more interesting for vets. It's what that looks like.

    It's done nothing but force some casuals out. It solves nothing for vets because it's still too easy.

    That's why I hope it doesn't happen again. I hope they don't consider that a success and put it in other parts of the game.

    A slider is the best solution IMO because it can have a bunch of different levels of difficulty.

    I'm a casual to be honest. I play my crappy random build I invented like 6 years ago and didn't change it since. Dual dagger poison magic dot shooting Nord where nothing makes much sense. It was a walk in the park for me. Of course I can't solo an incursion, but that's a group event. Did West Weld really make people stop playing? How do we know that?

    The Steam Charts. A bunch of people came back for the chapter like they always do and were gone way faster than before.
  • ZOS_Volpe
    ZOS_Volpe
    admin
    Greetings,

    We are seeing some unnecessary back and forth in this thread. Please ensure you are treating others with respect on the forums even when they have views that differ from your own.

    Thank you for your understanding.
    The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited - ZeniMax Online Studios
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    Staff Post
  • SilverBride
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    Surgee wrote: »
    Did West Weld really make people stop playing? How do we know that?

    West Weald didn't make me stop playing ESO, but it did make me stop playing West Weald once I finished the zone. Normally I like to hang around a new zone even after I'm finished questing it and do the dailies and look for furnishing patterns, etc.. But I found the long drawn out World Bosses and Incursions tedious and not the least bit fun. And the Public Dungeon bosses were also more of the same.

    I always subscribe and purchase all the new chapters, but I decided that if any future content was going to continue this trend then I will not be purchasing it.
    Edited by SilverBride on January 22, 2025 3:58PM
    PCNA
  • Surgee
    Surgee
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    spartaxoxo wrote: »
    Surgee wrote: »
    spartaxoxo wrote: »
    Surgee wrote: »
    disky wrote: »
    I cannot imagine that after three years of this thread, after years of attempts at alternatives which have failed to change anyone's mind about overland being too easy and after the endless negative feedback over the enhanced difficulty in West Weald, that they would continue down that same path, with further attempts and floundering with "creative" solutions. ZOS has a (somewhat understandable) reputation for not listening to players, or for listening and then taking a completely different approach than what people were asking for, but this is one of the larger and more pressing issues on their plate and I can't imagine that they're going to take all of the available data and do something nobody ever actually wanted. Not this time, because we're we've all been here, in this thread, for years now, providing reams worth of feedback about ideal solutions.

    I've said before that I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt, and I still am. While I think it's understandable to prepare for the worst, I feel like there's a better chance that they know what we need from them now.

    Wait, what? West Weld has increased difficulty? I've finished campaign with my crappy casual character while being half asleep after late night shift. The only time I died was when I was speeding with my mount and fall damage got me. Mind you, my character doesn't even have a single healing skill. My companion casts something sometimes. If this is "increased difficulty" in their book, I'm already disappointed.

    At the current state of the difficulty, the mobs are more of annoyance for me.

    Yes. West Weald was their attempt at forced increased difficulty to find the happy medium to still being new player friendly and making things more interesting for vets. It's what that looks like.

    It's done nothing but force some casuals out. It solves nothing for vets because it's still too easy.

    That's why I hope it doesn't happen again. I hope they don't consider that a success and put it in other parts of the game.

    A slider is the best solution IMO because it can have a bunch of different levels of difficulty.

    I'm a casual to be honest. I play my crappy random build I invented like 6 years ago and didn't change it since. Dual dagger poison magic dot shooting Nord where nothing makes much sense. It was a walk in the park for me. Of course I can't solo an incursion, but that's a group event. Did West Weld really make people stop playing? How do we know that?

    The Steam Charts. A bunch of people came back for the chapter like they always do and were gone way faster than before.

    So from dropping steam charts numbers you have concluded that the game is too hard? Really?
  • spartaxoxo
    spartaxoxo
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    Surgee wrote: »
    spartaxoxo wrote: »
    Surgee wrote: »
    spartaxoxo wrote: »
    Surgee wrote: »
    disky wrote: »
    I cannot imagine that after three years of this thread, after years of attempts at alternatives which have failed to change anyone's mind about overland being too easy and after the endless negative feedback over the enhanced difficulty in West Weald, that they would continue down that same path, with further attempts and floundering with "creative" solutions. ZOS has a (somewhat understandable) reputation for not listening to players, or for listening and then taking a completely different approach than what people were asking for, but this is one of the larger and more pressing issues on their plate and I can't imagine that they're going to take all of the available data and do something nobody ever actually wanted. Not this time, because we're we've all been here, in this thread, for years now, providing reams worth of feedback about ideal solutions.

    I've said before that I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt, and I still am. While I think it's understandable to prepare for the worst, I feel like there's a better chance that they know what we need from them now.

    Wait, what? West Weld has increased difficulty? I've finished campaign with my crappy casual character while being half asleep after late night shift. The only time I died was when I was speeding with my mount and fall damage got me. Mind you, my character doesn't even have a single healing skill. My companion casts something sometimes. If this is "increased difficulty" in their book, I'm already disappointed.

    At the current state of the difficulty, the mobs are more of annoyance for me.

    Yes. West Weald was their attempt at forced increased difficulty to find the happy medium to still being new player friendly and making things more interesting for vets. It's what that looks like.

    It's done nothing but force some casuals out. It solves nothing for vets because it's still too easy.

    That's why I hope it doesn't happen again. I hope they don't consider that a success and put it in other parts of the game.

    A slider is the best solution IMO because it can have a bunch of different levels of difficulty.

    I'm a casual to be honest. I play my crappy random build I invented like 6 years ago and didn't change it since. Dual dagger poison magic dot shooting Nord where nothing makes much sense. It was a walk in the park for me. Of course I can't solo an incursion, but that's a group event. Did West Weld really make people stop playing? How do we know that?

    The Steam Charts. A bunch of people came back for the chapter like they always do and were gone way faster than before.

    So from dropping steam charts numbers you have concluded that the game is too hard? Really?

    Did I say the game is too hard? Because I distinctly remember saying it's still too easy for vets.

    West Weald is a problem because they tried to find a middle ground between new players and vets and none exists because the power gap is too great. It made casuals who don't want difficulty leave and failed to bring in vets because it's still too easy.
    Edited by spartaxoxo on January 22, 2025 5:38PM
  • SilverBride
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    It's not too easy for vets. Many vets enjoy a relaxing questing story experience.

    It's only too easy for players that want everything to be a challenge, and that is not what every vet wants.
    PCNA
  • spartaxoxo
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    It's not too easy for vets. Many vets enjoy a relaxing questing story experience.

    It's only too easy for players that want everything to be a challenge, and that is not what every vet wants.

    "Bring in vets" is meant to refer to the subset of vets that are unhappy with the overland and aren't currently using it. Some of them would be brought in if there was an optional difficulty increase. Sorry that was unclear.
    Edited by spartaxoxo on January 22, 2025 5:50PM
  • SilverBride
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    That was clear, thank you. I do feel that I should clarify the point I was making, also.

    Preferring difficulty is a personal preference that is held by some vets and some new players and every play style in between. Just like preferring a relaxing story experience is what some vets and some new players and every play style in between may prefer.

    I find it more inclusive to say something like "Overland is still too easy for some players" rather than specifying just vets.
    Edited by SilverBride on January 22, 2025 6:17PM
    PCNA
  • BananaBender
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    I wanted to see how easy/difficult the questing experience would be for a beginner player, so I played through the West Weald main quest line. (not all the way through since it requires completing Necrom questline as well and I didn't have the time nor the interest to complete that for this test)

    Of course I can't just remove thousands of hours of experience, so I limited myself with a few criteria,
    1. No light attacks. None what so ever to negate the benefits from weaving.
    2. Heavy attack only for resources.
    3. I'm only allowed to use a single skill, which in this case was Puncturing Sweeps.
    4. Only purple crafted gear with purple enchants. No monster sets, mythics or arena weapons.
    5. No CP (remembered the existence of CP only at the last boss, though it made minimal difference)
    6. Minimal movement. I moved only if the boss jumped out of reach.
    7. No companion or any outside help.

    I logged all boss pulls, so you don't have to take my word for it, but I will break down the logs for people who don't know how to read logs.

    SPOILER ALERT Minor spoilers about the West Weald story line (boss names)
    I used the same setup the whole time, Order's Wrath and Claw of the Forest Wraith with 2pc Assassin's Guile. I had a normal skill bar, but as stated in the rules I only used Puncturing Sweeps.
    a38xgle6lr6o.png


    So, how was the final boss of the quest line? It was mind blowingly simple and easy. There is no really other way to put it. Even when restricting myself as much as possible to a point where I was using the Crown Recovery food you get for free from login rewards to try to make my HP move even a little bit. As I will show you, it barely did. None of the heavy attacks from any of the bosses dealt ANY damage to me, even when in 6pc light armor. There was a fight where a quest follower gives you a shield, and during the whole fight the enemy DID NOT EVEN MANAGE TO BREAK IT.
    I genuinely do not know how I could further restrict myself for there to be a single bit of challenge, apart from wearing actively harmful sets or nothing at all.

    These are all taken from the Shardmarshal Vargas fight, which is the last fight before you are required to complete Necrom.
    Here is every single cast I used from skills to potions and everything in between.

    wt91qdz6kc9u.png
    (Abolisher is the mechanic given to you in the fight)


    This picture shows my HP during the fight, while actively standing in everything that could hurt me. It also shows that I had a max HP of 17,680. I was a nord with every attribute point put into Magicka.

    arme7rehjx44.png


    Here is my damage taken sources, note that not a single attack was blocked.
    lgstwaqlpnct.png


    Full logs for anyone interested ↓
    https://www.esologs.com/reports/a:TVdMpafqrmRQYnA2

    At this point I don't really even know what to think. I know this won't change anyone's opinion or anything and at this point I don't really care.
    I'm just so disappointed honestly... How has this been the acceptable state of the quests for this long? The questing experience isn't easy, it's a joke.

    I was under the impression that the fights were really easy only because of my build and overall knowledge of the game and its mechanics, but that just wasn't the case. The enemy won't deal damage even if you give them time to. You don't have to have damage, weaving, healing, shielding, resistances, buffs or anything, literally nothing is required or expected. You have to show up and that's it. I know I was using a skill which heals and deals damage and not all classes have access to it, so some classes might have to use a second key to finish the last fight. At this point might as well have the forced quest companions fight the battle for you.

    The visuals were amazing and I absolutely loved how the quest areas looked now that I had more time to look around. The story was solid in my opinion. But all that world building and story telling was completely broken by the encounters. There was no immersion as if we were actually invading a daedric price's realm, as her loyal followers were not even able to break through the shield given to me automatically by a quest NPC, as if that was ever required when my passive HP regen was almost enough to out heal the incoming damage.


    I was hoping to be more objective than this, but I just simply cannot. I don't see a single reason why one skill is all you need to breeze through everything. I gave my best attempt at seeing the other side of the argument, but at this point I just cannot. I don't know what would I have to do to make this even a close fight. I could go on and on about how much of a disappointment all of this was, but I think I'm done for now.
  • SilverBride
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    I gave my best attempt at seeing the other side of the argument, but at this point I just cannot.

    I feel the exact same way, but from the other perspective.

    I see Overland for what it is... the place to quest and play through the story. I'm the hero that helps countless NPCs save their homes, so I should be strong and powerful.

    If I level and gear my character, and set up a good build, the questing zone enemies should become easy to defeat. They should not be a challenge for a well developed character.

    This is why I just cannot understand why Overland should be expected to challenge the player. That isn't what Overland is.
    PCNA
  • Arunei
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    Surgee wrote: »
    spartaxoxo wrote: »
    Surgee wrote: »
    spartaxoxo wrote: »
    Surgee wrote: »
    disky wrote: »
    I cannot imagine that after three years of this thread, after years of attempts at alternatives which have failed to change anyone's mind about overland being too easy and after the endless negative feedback over the enhanced difficulty in West Weald, that they would continue down that same path, with further attempts and floundering with "creative" solutions. ZOS has a (somewhat understandable) reputation for not listening to players, or for listening and then taking a completely different approach than what people were asking for, but this is one of the larger and more pressing issues on their plate and I can't imagine that they're going to take all of the available data and do something nobody ever actually wanted. Not this time, because we're we've all been here, in this thread, for years now, providing reams worth of feedback about ideal solutions.

    I've said before that I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt, and I still am. While I think it's understandable to prepare for the worst, I feel like there's a better chance that they know what we need from them now.

    Wait, what? West Weld has increased difficulty? I've finished campaign with my crappy casual character while being half asleep after late night shift. The only time I died was when I was speeding with my mount and fall damage got me. Mind you, my character doesn't even have a single healing skill. My companion casts something sometimes. If this is "increased difficulty" in their book, I'm already disappointed.

    At the current state of the difficulty, the mobs are more of annoyance for me.

    Yes. West Weald was their attempt at forced increased difficulty to find the happy medium to still being new player friendly and making things more interesting for vets. It's what that looks like.

    It's done nothing but force some casuals out. It solves nothing for vets because it's still too easy.

    That's why I hope it doesn't happen again. I hope they don't consider that a success and put it in other parts of the game.

    A slider is the best solution IMO because it can have a bunch of different levels of difficulty.

    I'm a casual to be honest. I play my crappy random build I invented like 6 years ago and didn't change it since. Dual dagger poison magic dot shooting Nord where nothing makes much sense. It was a walk in the park for me. Of course I can't solo an incursion, but that's a group event. Did West Weld really make people stop playing? How do we know that?

    The Steam Charts. A bunch of people came back for the chapter like they always do and were gone way faster than before.

    So from dropping steam charts numbers you have concluded that the game is too hard? Really?
    We also can't make sweeping claims that dropping Steam chart numbers mean the game is too easy either, can we? Especially when the numbers in and of themselves only show decreasing players and don't give any indication WHY people stopped playing.

    If we can't infer people were quitting over Overland being too hard based solely on Steam chart numbers, then we can't try to infer from those same numbers alone that people are quitting because of it being too easy, either. Those numbers simply DO NOT INDICATE the reasons people stopped playing, only that they did.

    ETA I've been playing this game since closed beta. I'm definitely what people would call a vet in terms of someone who's been here for a while. I remember when the game was harder, I remember Craglorn pre-1T. I'm not afraid of harder Overland, I just prefer the game being as it is because I don't want every single mob to be on par with Craglorn Wasps or enemies that were even just a few levels above you.

    Because the important thing is that just making enemies hit a little harder, or absorb just a bit more damage, or have slightly more complicated AI and mechanics...isn't going to be enough for the people wanting harder Overland. That's not going to be drastic enough of a change to satisfy them. They'd still be mowing enemies down without breaking a sweat or engaging a single brain cell. It would have to be a serious, noticeable change...and I don't want every single mob I come across to require two or three minutes to burn down while questing or gathering mats or getting Skyshards or trying to RP in the world or whatever.
    Edited by Arunei on January 22, 2025 9:13PM
    Character List [RP and PvE]:
    Stands-Against-Death: Argonian Magplar Healer - Crafter
    Krisiel: Redguard Stamsorc DPS - Literally crazy Werewolf, no like legit insane. She nuts
    Kiju Veran: Khajiit Stamblade DPS - Ex-Fighters Guild Suthay who likes to punch things, nicknamed Tinykat
    Niralae Elsinal: Altmer Stamsorc DPS - Young Altmer with way too much Magicka
    Sarah Lacroix: Breton Magsorc DPS - Fledgling Vampire who drinks too much water
    Slondor: Nord Tankblade - TESified verson of Slenderman
    Marius Vastino: Imperial <insert role here> - Sarah's apathetic sire who likes to monologue
    Delthor Rellenar: Dunmer Magknight DPS - Sarah's ex who's a certified psychopath
    Lirawyn Calatare: Altmer Magplar Healer - Traveling performer and bard who's 101% vanilla bean
    Gondryn Beldeau: Breton Tankplar - Sarah's Mages Guild mentor and certified badass old person
    Gwendolyn Jenelle: Breton Magplar Healer - Friendly healer with a coffee addiction
    Soliril Larethian- Altmer Magblade DPS - Blind alchemist who uses animals to see and brews plagues in his spare time
    Tevril Rallenar: Dunmer Stamcro DPS - Delthor's "special" younger brother who raises small animals as friends
    Celeroth Calatare: Bosmer <insert role here> - Shapeshifting Bosmer with enough sass to fill Valenwood

    PC - NA - EP - CP1000+
    Avid RPer. Hit me up in-game @Ras_Lei if you're interested in getting together for some arr-pee shenanigans!
  • disky
    disky
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    Surgee wrote: »
    disky wrote: »
    I cannot imagine that after three years of this thread, after years of attempts at alternatives which have failed to change anyone's mind about overland being too easy and after the endless negative feedback over the enhanced difficulty in West Weald, that they would continue down that same path, with further attempts and floundering with "creative" solutions. ZOS has a (somewhat understandable) reputation for not listening to players, or for listening and then taking a completely different approach than what people were asking for, but this is one of the larger and more pressing issues on their plate and I can't imagine that they're going to take all of the available data and do something nobody ever actually wanted. Not this time, because we're we've all been here, in this thread, for years now, providing reams worth of feedback about ideal solutions.

    I've said before that I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt, and I still am. While I think it's understandable to prepare for the worst, I feel like there's a better chance that they know what we need from them now.

    Wait, what? West Weld has increased difficulty? I've finished campaign with my crappy casual character while being half asleep after late night shift. The only time I died was when I was speeding with my mount and fall damage got me. Mind you, my character doesn't even have a single healing skill. My companion casts something sometimes. If this is "increased difficulty" in their book, I'm already disappointed.

    At the current state of the difficulty, the mobs are more of annoyance for me.

    Aside from the Brazen Hoof fight in Silorn, which I can say is much harder than the average public dungeon group event, I don't really have much experience in West Weald myself because I'm waiting for it to be fun to play. But when I say that there's negative feedback about it, I'm not talking about my own, I'm talking about what we've heard from others in this forum who don't share your opinion of how the game should feel.

    I recommend that you try and decouple your idea of what is good from what is right for the game. They aren't the same thing. Even so, that doesn't mean you can't ask for changes which improve your experience, you just have to consider the fact that people who aren't like you are playing the game, and their interests are also important to ZOS.

    One amendment I'd like to make: Overland enemies don't feel any different at all in my experience and that is something I'd like to see change...using an optional challenge slider.
    Edited by disky on January 22, 2025 10:34PM
  • Arunei
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    disky wrote: »
    Surgee wrote: »
    disky wrote: »
    I cannot imagine that after three years of this thread, after years of attempts at alternatives which have failed to change anyone's mind about overland being too easy and after the endless negative feedback over the enhanced difficulty in West Weald, that they would continue down that same path, with further attempts and floundering with "creative" solutions. ZOS has a (somewhat understandable) reputation for not listening to players, or for listening and then taking a completely different approach than what people were asking for, but this is one of the larger and more pressing issues on their plate and I can't imagine that they're going to take all of the available data and do something nobody ever actually wanted. Not this time, because we're we've all been here, in this thread, for years now, providing reams worth of feedback about ideal solutions.

    I've said before that I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt, and I still am. While I think it's understandable to prepare for the worst, I feel like there's a better chance that they know what we need from them now.

    Wait, what? West Weld has increased difficulty? I've finished campaign with my crappy casual character while being half asleep after late night shift. The only time I died was when I was speeding with my mount and fall damage got me. Mind you, my character doesn't even have a single healing skill. My companion casts something sometimes. If this is "increased difficulty" in their book, I'm already disappointed.

    At the current state of the difficulty, the mobs are more of annoyance for me.

    Aside from the Brazen Hoof fight in Silorn, which I can say is much harder than the average public dungeon group event, I don't really have much experience in West Weald myself because I'm waiting for it to be fun to play. But when I say that there's negative feedback about it, I'm not talking about my own, I'm talking about what we've heard from others in this forum who don't share your opinion of how the game should feel.

    I recommend that you try and decouple your idea of what is good from what is right for the game. They aren't the same thing. Even so, that doesn't mean you can also ask for changes which improve your experience, you just have to consider the fact that people who aren't like you are playing the game, and their interests are also important to ZOS.
    It's especially true given there have been direct quotes from Rich saying the game was too hard before and they had the data and evidence that backed that up.

    There's clearly demand for harder Overland, but it can't be claimed that's a majority. It's something they're going to experiment with, that doesn't mean a majority want it. It just means they have numbers that show it's worth at least testing to see how many people would actually engage with it.

    And I hope it works out for y'all. I've never once tried to claim you guys shouldn't have a game you enjoy too. I just firmly believe it shouldn't be imposed on everyone is all. I really hope whatever they implement is something that will satisfy both ends because we all play this game to have fun. We don't play it to struggle or to be bored because things are too hard or too easy.
    Edited by Arunei on January 22, 2025 9:31PM
    Character List [RP and PvE]:
    Stands-Against-Death: Argonian Magplar Healer - Crafter
    Krisiel: Redguard Stamsorc DPS - Literally crazy Werewolf, no like legit insane. She nuts
    Kiju Veran: Khajiit Stamblade DPS - Ex-Fighters Guild Suthay who likes to punch things, nicknamed Tinykat
    Niralae Elsinal: Altmer Stamsorc DPS - Young Altmer with way too much Magicka
    Sarah Lacroix: Breton Magsorc DPS - Fledgling Vampire who drinks too much water
    Slondor: Nord Tankblade - TESified verson of Slenderman
    Marius Vastino: Imperial <insert role here> - Sarah's apathetic sire who likes to monologue
    Delthor Rellenar: Dunmer Magknight DPS - Sarah's ex who's a certified psychopath
    Lirawyn Calatare: Altmer Magplar Healer - Traveling performer and bard who's 101% vanilla bean
    Gondryn Beldeau: Breton Tankplar - Sarah's Mages Guild mentor and certified badass old person
    Gwendolyn Jenelle: Breton Magplar Healer - Friendly healer with a coffee addiction
    Soliril Larethian- Altmer Magblade DPS - Blind alchemist who uses animals to see and brews plagues in his spare time
    Tevril Rallenar: Dunmer Stamcro DPS - Delthor's "special" younger brother who raises small animals as friends
    Celeroth Calatare: Bosmer <insert role here> - Shapeshifting Bosmer with enough sass to fill Valenwood

    PC - NA - EP - CP1000+
    Avid RPer. Hit me up in-game @Ras_Lei if you're interested in getting together for some arr-pee shenanigans!
  • spartaxoxo
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    I was hoping to be more objective than this, but I just simply cannot. I don't see a single reason why one skill is all you need to breeze through everything. I gave my best attempt at seeing the other side of the argument, but at this point I just cannot. I don't know what would I have to do to make this even a close fight. I could go on and on about how much of a disappointment all of this was, but I think I'm done for now.

    Purple crafted gear combined with the Under 50 buffs is all that's needed to trivialize everything. It's why I kinda didn't even bother paying attention to the troll health. I already knew with literally any resemblance of gear, even dumb stealth sets, it would be trivial. At a certain point you hit a level of diminishing returns and just doesn't make much difference at all anymore.

    Honestly, you can probably do it without any gear with under 50 buffs.

    Overland is very easy to a lot of people. It's not everyone but it's a lot of us. I have literally had to afk in the middle of a dolmen because of IRL and come back to my companion having cleared everything and all I need to do is close the pinions.
    Edited by spartaxoxo on January 22, 2025 9:33PM
  • sans-culottes
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    I gave my best attempt at seeing the other side of the argument, but at this point I just cannot.

    I feel the exact same way, but from the other perspective.

    I see Overland for what it is... the place to quest and play through the story. I'm the hero that helps countless NPCs save their homes, so I should be strong and powerful.

    If I level and gear my character, and set up a good build, the questing zone enemies should become easy to defeat. They should not be a challenge for a well developed character.

    This is why I just cannot understand why Overland should be expected to challenge the player. That isn't what Overland is.
    For some players, the appeal of a more difficult overland is about the risk/reward structure in the system. It’s likewise about good old fashioned MMORPG grinding. So this can if anything lead existing content to “stretch” further.

    Story content seems to come up a lot. Enjoying an easy story is fine—whatever. But there seems to be a misunderstanding of what appeals to different players about specific gameplay modes. Gameplay exists, especially in MMORPGs, in and out of the story. This doesn’t necessarily mean story content needs to be affected, nor does it necessarily mean anything at all about harvesting. But the suggestion is for that to be a draw itself, right? Hence the frequent mentions of LotRO’s difficulty scaling system.

    To that end, since many of the concerns seem to be around making story content more difficult, would a mini-Cadwell’s so-and-so for each zone make sense? Something as (relatively) simple as, “Did you compete the zone story and/or other quests in the zone? If so, then would you like to enable veteran mode?”

    As to what that mode would look like—search me, but there are options. Not doing anything, especially after explicitly mentioning this was a priority, would be a bad look.
  • SilverBride
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    rrbreezy wrote: »
    Not doing anything, especially after explicitly mentioning this was a priority, would be a bad look.

    Where does it say this is a priority?
    PCNA
  • TaSheen
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    I'm not sure it's a priority. They said IIRC they're planning on "testing" it.
    ______________________________________________________

    "But even in books, the heroes make mistakes, and there isn't always a happy ending." Mercedes Lackey, Into the West

    PC NA, PC EU (non steam)- four accounts, many alts....
  • SilverBride
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    TaSheen wrote: »
    I'm not sure it's a priority. They said IIRC they're planning on "testing" it.

    That is what I remember, too, so I just looked at Matt's letter and I don't see anything about it being a priority.
    PCNA
  • sans-culottes
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    TaSheen wrote: »
    I'm not sure it's a priority. They said IIRC they're planning on "testing" it.

    That is what I remember, too, so I just looked at Matt's letter and I don't see anything about it being a priority.

    You say “not a priority,” I say “it’s in the studio letter.” I know you don’t like this idea, and that’s fine. Let’s just agree to disagree.

    PS. Dang, you two sure respond to each other quickly!
    Edited by sans-culottes on January 23, 2025 12:13AM
  • SilverBride
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    rrbreezy wrote: »
    TaSheen wrote: »
    I'm not sure it's a priority. They said IIRC they're planning on "testing" it.

    That is what I remember, too, so I just looked at Matt's letter and I don't see anything about it being a priority.

    You say “not a priority,” I say “it’s in the studio letter.” I know you don’t like this idea, and that’s fine. Let’s just agree to disagree.

    PS. Dang, you two sure respond to each other quickly!

    I never said "not a priority" anywhere. I only asked where it says that. I have checked Matt's letter, twice now, and I still don't see it.
    PCNA
  • sans-culottes
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    If you’re this worried about parsing “priority” vs. whatever the exact wording was, then that’s your prerogative. Some things are too pedantic even for me. :)
  • SilverBride
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    All I saw about overland iin Matt's letter is that it is one of the experiments. That's it.
    PCNA
  • sans-culottes
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    Right, in other words, it’s almost like it’s a “priority” that they experiment with this.

    As opposed to, say, Grave Lord’s Sacrifice. :)
    Edited by sans-culottes on January 23, 2025 12:33AM
  • Whizzinglane
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    Surgee wrote: »
    There were a lot of reasons why early ESO nearly failed, and it wasn't because it was "too hard"...

    Cadwell's Silver and Gold wasn't a problem of being "too hard", it was the fact that it was just a rehash of all the content you just did, but now you were faction locked to another faction.

    I played back then and the difficulty was a huge issue. I remember dying to mobs of wolves and other overland mobs just trying to quest.

    I also was one of the few that completed Caldwell's Silver and Gold, and those zones were progressively more difficult. I did it on one character then ended up leaving until One Tamriel, because of the difficulty.

    It was also not unusual to spend days to defeat a story boss.

    Caldwell's Silver and Gold took the player through the other faction's zones, but the zones and stories and quests were not the same ones being rehashed. They were the same zones and quests that are in the base game now. The problem was the difficulty.

    I understand that you and some others might have had a difficult time fighting regular mobs, but you must understand that vast majority of players did not. I've been playing since PC beta and then moved to console on launch and neither I or any of my friends and guildmates had a slightest issue defeating mobs or quest bosses solo. It was quite easy. We only had to do world bosses in pairs.

    What i know people had difficulty with is understanding the core mechanics and skills as they thought it will be Skyrim on-line (many even called it that way).

    As a poster before said that there was a massive issue with playing with friends. I just had a flashback how annoying it was to some and made them leave the game. The whole point of "explore the world with friends" was taken away the moment you went ahead in a quest or selected a different faction. It was ruining the fun and Immersion. ESO has fixed most of its problems now, and it's time to try to get people to try it again and fix it's reputation.

    I'm part of the most popular mmo website of my country and every time ESO news is posted everyone in the comments say one of these or all of them together:

    - this game with wooden, combat
    - this game with god awful animations that make me not want to look at my character when it runs
    - this single-player game
    - not again this boring game with zero progression because you kill everything with 1 skill
    - this game where there's no point to group up at all
    - a game for lonely people
    - let it die already, it's a house decorator not an mmo
    - a game that made a buzz with Cyrodil and let it die right after

    Some of these comments are on point and some are still based on the first impression of the game they had when they tried it 10 years ago. It pains me to read it because I absolutely love ESO and I think it could be the best mmo ever made if it took itself a bit more seriously.

    I'm very glad that the Devs finally are trying a new approach. If the game will cater to the broader audience, it will get more funding. More funding will mean more options and content for people of any skill to enjoy.

    THIS POST! I agree with everything this poster--this player who had played the game at its infancy wrote here! We are simply asking the Devs to re-add "some" difficulty back into the game.

    It was player working with one another, and it was fun back then! I am simply asking for "some" difficulty. Since the Devs are focusing on the old zones or base game, now is the opportune time to add this most desired improvement back into the game.

  • Surgee
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    I wanted to see how easy/difficult the questing experience would be for a beginner player, so I played through the West Weald main quest line. (not all the way through since it requires completing Necrom questline as well and I didn't have the time nor the interest to complete that for this test)

    Of course I can't just remove thousands of hours of experience, so I limited myself with a few criteria,
    1. No light attacks. None what so ever to negate the benefits from weaving.
    2. Heavy attack only for resources.
    3. I'm only allowed to use a single skill, which in this case was Puncturing Sweeps.
    4. Only purple crafted gear with purple enchants. No monster sets, mythics or arena weapons.
    5. No CP (remembered the existence of CP only at the last boss, though it made minimal difference)
    6. Minimal movement. I moved only if the boss jumped out of reach.
    7. No companion or any outside help.

    I logged all boss pulls, so you don't have to take my word for it, but I will break down the logs for people who don't know how to read logs.

    SPOILER ALERT Minor spoilers about the West Weald story line (boss names)
    I used the same setup the whole time, Order's Wrath and Claw of the Forest Wraith with 2pc Assassin's Guile. I had a normal skill bar, but as stated in the rules I only used Puncturing Sweeps.
    a38xgle6lr6o.png


    So, how was the final boss of the quest line? It was mind blowingly simple and easy. There is no really other way to put it. Even when restricting myself as much as possible to a point where I was using the Crown Recovery food you get for free from login rewards to try to make my HP move even a little bit. As I will show you, it barely did. None of the heavy attacks from any of the bosses dealt ANY damage to me, even when in 6pc light armor. There was a fight where a quest follower gives you a shield, and during the whole fight the enemy DID NOT EVEN MANAGE TO BREAK IT.
    I genuinely do not know how I could further restrict myself for there to be a single bit of challenge, apart from wearing actively harmful sets or nothing at all.

    These are all taken from the Shardmarshal Vargas fight, which is the last fight before you are required to complete Necrom.
    Here is every single cast I used from skills to potions and everything in between.

    wt91qdz6kc9u.png
    (Abolisher is the mechanic given to you in the fight)


    This picture shows my HP during the fight, while actively standing in everything that could hurt me. It also shows that I had a max HP of 17,680. I was a nord with every attribute point put into Magicka.

    arme7rehjx44.png


    Here is my damage taken sources, note that not a single attack was blocked.
    lgstwaqlpnct.png


    Full logs for anyone interested ↓
    https://www.esologs.com/reports/a:TVdMpafqrmRQYnA2

    At this point I don't really even know what to think. I know this won't change anyone's opinion or anything and at this point I don't really care.
    I'm just so disappointed honestly... How has this been the acceptable state of the quests for this long? The questing experience isn't easy, it's a joke.

    I was under the impression that the fights were really easy only because of my build and overall knowledge of the game and its mechanics, but that just wasn't the case. The enemy won't deal damage even if you give them time to. You don't have to have damage, weaving, healing, shielding, resistances, buffs or anything, literally nothing is required or expected. You have to show up and that's it. I know I was using a skill which heals and deals damage and not all classes have access to it, so some classes might have to use a second key to finish the last fight. At this point might as well have the forced quest companions fight the battle for you.

    The visuals were amazing and I absolutely loved how the quest areas looked now that I had more time to look around. The story was solid in my opinion. But all that world building and story telling was completely broken by the encounters. There was no immersion as if we were actually invading a daedric price's realm, as her loyal followers were not even able to break through the shield given to me automatically by a quest NPC, as if that was ever required when my passive HP regen was almost enough to out heal the incoming damage.


    I was hoping to be more objective than this, but I just simply cannot. I don't see a single reason why one skill is all you need to breeze through everything. I gave my best attempt at seeing the other side of the argument, but at this point I just cannot. I don't know what would I have to do to make this even a close fight. I could go on and on about how much of a disappointment all of this was, but I think I'm done for now.

    There. This is the best breakdown of the state of questing in this entire thread. No guess work, just pure data. Thank you, sir.
  • SilverBride
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    I agree that overland is easy for many players. I don't agree that this is a bad thing.
    Edited by SilverBride on January 23, 2025 2:11AM
    PCNA
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