The Whitestrake event is the catalyst that could propel ESO into a new era. A Monthly Event

Acenj11 · February 2025

Hello fellow players,

I’m Heyjensen—an ardent PvP enthusiast with a presence spanning PS4, PCNA, and PC EU, and I proudly have multiple 5-star PvP toons. Today, I want to honor not only my own dedication but also pay tribute to our thriving PvP community, whose passion and prowess define the spirit of ESO.

A Thriving Battleground

The current state of ESO is nothing short of exhilarating. Our population charts are peaking, and every PvP campaign is bursting with energy. Whether it’s Cyrodiil or Imperial City, our battlegrounds overflow with dedicated players, each striving to hone their craft and dominate the fight. The fresh content being produced continually draws in more enthusiasts, pushing us all to farm for the best sets and refine our strategies.

The Case for a Permanent Whitestrake

Imagine if the Whitestrake event—already a beacon of PvP excellence—were extended into a near-permanent fixture. Imagine if it were every single month. This event could be transformative and change ESO to the game we want it to be. Here’s why:

Sustained Engagement: A longer Whitestrake period would keep our battlegrounds alive and buzzing, ensuring that every player feels the adrenaline of battle week after week.

Community Growth: With more time dedicated to this epic event, new players will be drawn into our ranks, further enriching the PvP community. This will also create an environment where players who wants to get better at PVP engage with PVE content more so as they need to farm sets, skills, skill points, transmogs, and much more.

Skill Advancement: The ongoing challenge would force every participant to continually evolve their tactics, pushing the entire community to new heights.

A Vision for ESO

This isn’t just about one event—it’s about shaping ESO into the ultimate PvP masterpiece on top of the other achievements it has already in the PVE and Housing Scene. Our current environment, with its innovative phasing system and multiple active campaigns, already sets us apart from other MMOs. Consider how New World and Throne and Liberty attempted to capture this magic and ultimately fell short. ESO, with its dynamic combat and passionate player base, stands as the true embodiment of what a PvP MMO should be.

Our game is busy, our battlegrounds are packed, and the occasional lag is a small price to pay for the exhilarating chaos that only a well-organized, community-driven event can provide. The Whitestrake event is not just a battle—it’s a movement, a symbol of what we can achieve when passion meets perseverance.

In Conclusion

I firmly believe that extending the Whitestrake event is not merely an option but a necessity. It is the catalyst that could propel ESO into a new era—one where it becomes the PvP MMO masterpiece that our community has longed for. This is the ESO we deserve, the ESO that every PvP enthusiast, whether veteran or newcomer, has been waiting for.

Let’s rally together and make our voices heard. The time is now for a Whitestrake event that endures, to secure ESO’s legacy as the pinnacle of PvP excellence.

Fight on,
Heyjensen

Alchimiste1 · February 2025

I don’t think you would get the influx of players if it was a permanent thing. It wouldn’t be an event at that point just the standard

Artanisul · February 2025

Im going to copy this post saying the PvP community is thriving....lol

I just use it to do no PvP and still get the horse speed increase.

peacenote · February 2025

First, I'm not sure the game/servers could handle hosting multiple events. As much as I love PvP, there need to be other kinds of events, too.

Midyear Mayhem hits twice a year, I think? Sneaking it in a third time might be worth considering, but I think that's about the max they should consider.

Btw, there is a downside to Midyear Mayhem for those of us who have lots of characters and enjoy switching around and getting Tier 1's. I think I have about six up-to-date toons with PvP builds and a few more with non-meta builds. I can only get into Greyhost early in the morning. As the day progresses, switching characters results in a long queue, and is almost not worth waiting for once, let alone over and over. I get bored, too. I often play for a few hours, and then want to practice on another build. But not at the expense of such a long wait!

Therefore, I always enjoy the event but also enjoy when it is over, so that it is easier to get in and out of my "primary" campaign.

Heren · February 2025

Ah, yes - another take with no arguments.

tomofhyrule · February 2025

Here's the fun part about making this event more often - then it's less special, and you won't get people grinding it out, which means you'll have only the PvP regulars in it, which means it'll be the same as it always was.

Things like this always sound like obvious ideas until they're done. Remember when the CEO of JCPenney was like "Hey, instead of sales, why don't we just have low prices all the time and never mark things down? That'll surely make people always want to come in instead of just when we have a sale!"
Yeah, that went well.

Hapexamendios · February 2025

If it was every month, I wouldn't participate.

Poss · February 2025

There’s only 2 PvP events a year, would love to see a few more. I suggested this over a year ago

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/661343/add-a-double-ap-weekend-once-a-month#latest

Amottica · February 2025

Alchimiste1 wrote: »

I don’t think you would get the influx of players if it was a permanent thing. It wouldn’t be an event at that point just the standard

Pretty much this.

Many players drop what they are doing for the event but are not PvP-focused normally. If they were, they would spend more time in PvP when events were not happening. The more often it happens, the less of an effect it would have.

Desiato · February 2025

It wouldn't last. Engagement is high because the rewards are high. It is not sustainable.

If loot entered the game at this rate indefinitely, they would quickly lose their value and players would no longer be motivated by them.

You don't build a successful pvp game with loot rewards. You do it with good gameplay. Players continue to play the classics like TF, Battlefield, CS, etc for the pure enjoyment of the game.

To attract such players, zos needs to both improve the gameplay and make eso pvp more accessible to actual pvp players outside of the game -- which is currently overflowing with skyrim pve casuals.

I've been progressing through the mmr ranks this event and the gameplay degenerates as MMR increases. It's total cheese and not appealing to most pvp players IMO.

Kittytravel · February 2025

The flaw with this argument is the engagement may only LOOK high.

But it's more than likely that 60-75% of the players joining in these campaigns are simply PvE players looking for pursuits tickets. If you remove those aspects I imagine engagement in the event would likely tank.

After all every year Midyear Mayhem happens it's filled with players bemoaning the existence of an event that forces them into PvP zones. So yes while I'm glad you are excited for a PvP community the reality is there is probably still the same amount of PvP players doing actual PvP during this event while many others are simply not interested and are only doing it because they want a cute siege ram to bash their rocks for them.

ChaoticWings3 · February 2025

I would say the only thing I would like from the Mayhem event to be permanent is to have at least one extra cp campaign in imperial city and/or cyrodill (7 day). I'm not exactly a fan of the 30 day long campaigns in general so the 7 day ones tend to be more approachable at least to me. I also find the amount of players to be decent and (so far) no lag to ruin the experience. The downsides though is that they may feel too empty in general later down the line when the event ends.

licenturion · February 2025

I don't play PvP in ESO usually. I dabbled a few times in the past but usually got put off these modes very quickly.

However this time I had some time and decided to invest more in the mode and got tickets every day, got my pursuit finished, helped capture a few keeps and farms, did some roaming bosses in IC and completed the IC storyline. And that all with my slightly modified version of my PvE gear I normally use and I did fairly well.

Did I have fun? Yep, a lot. To my surprise.

Did I see the massive problems PvP would have outside of this event? Absolutely.

The reason why PvP isn't really that popular outside these big events is fairly obvious. A very small part of the player base chase a big part of the player base away with how they interact with the modes and the players within.

In my battlegrounds there was in every match always one player who clearly should have a way bigger MMR and not my in my game one-shotting everyone and get 54 kills at the end while other players had 12 by average. That player also didn't play the objective at all.
In Cyro, I saw on my chat for an half an hour 30 times in a row 'player XXX killed player XXX of my alliance'. At some point people started talking on alliance zone chat 'Look player XXX is doing his thing again, that guy mustn't get much love at home'. So this means it is regular behaviour and this is probably invisible ganking of newer or casual players trying to get to a team/alliance objective.
In IC we where fighting with 15 people one other player for 5 minutes until everybody gave up because his health bar stayed at 85 percent at all times while he took on the whole group on his own.

When reward events are not active, these type of players are a lot more common in PvP and makes a lot of people just ignoring the mode and go back to their usual things. Yet these types of players are usually the ones who cry the hardest that PvP is neglected and not popular, although it is their own making.

That said, as long as normal players are in the majority in the PvP zones during the event, I will keep playing until it ends.

Nathanbreakfast · February 2025

"n IC we where fighting with 15 people one other player for 5 minutes until everybody gave up because his health bar stayed at 85 percent at all times while he took on the whole group on his own.

When reward events are not active, these type of players are a lot more common in PvP and makes a lot of people just ignoring the mode and go back to their usual things. Yet these types of players are usually the ones who cry the hardest that PvP is neglected and not popular, although it is their own making."

So- the big problem with PVP is that regular PVP players refuse to drop dead from your zerg of PVE players? 🤣. I mean cmon bud. Typically, zergs of PVE tourists are easy to survive because 1. They don't know how to setup burst damage 2. They move poorly and predictably like NPCs and 3. They have 24k heath less then 30k armor and probably no impen. May the gods forbid we don't drop dead at the feet of your band of angry toddlers😂

Czeri · February 2025

I've always been of the opinion that MM should be running alongside every other event in the calendar. That way every player would get to do what they like to earn event tickets, and PVE-ers wouldn't be locked out of events twice a year.

licenturion · February 2025

Nathanbreakfast wrote: »

So- the big problem with PVP is that regular PVP players refuse to drop dead from your zerg of PVE players? 🤣. I mean cmon bud. Typically, zergs of PVE tourists are easy to survive because 1. They don't know how to setup burst damage 2. They move poorly and predictably like NPCs and 3. They have 24k heath less then 30k armor and probably no impen. May the gods forbid we don't drop dead at the feet of your band of angry toddlers😂

LOL who said I am angry. I am not. I said I had fun. I was mainly there for my sticker book anyway now that lots of people are doing objectives. But there is a giant imbalance between players that ZOS also sees and is trying to fix with the upcoming PvP tests.

But this is the reason next week there will be threads again with 'PvP is neglected / Battlegrounds is dead / We never get updates' if players who dabble in PvP with the event see that the mode is still widely imbalanced if you don't dedicated all your time in min maxing after every patch. And they they never return until there are tickets again.

Nathanbreakfast · February 2025

widely imbalanced if you don't dedicated all your time in min maxing after every patch. And they they never return until there are tickets again.

I keep seeing your types repeat "min maxing" like a broken record. What exactly are you referring to? Min maxing what exactly? I'm probably what your PVE zerg would refer to as a "sweat" and I play with other "sweats" just as good. We are wearing fairly predictable set-ups. Shattered, Stuhns, Wretched, Rally, Balorgs, Blood Spawn, Marykn, Saint Seducer, Torc. The question was rhetorical so I'll answer it for you. Nobody you're describing (me my friends) is "min maxing". You're using "min maxing" as a euphemism to cope with your lack of understanding of how PVP functions. You barely have PVP experience> You don't want to make a true PVP build> You can't handle true PVP players> You're sour that you can't zerg down two good PVP players> You resent PVP players for "min maxing" LOL. You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, but I appreciate your vein attempt to hold a PVP conversation.

Alinhbo_Tyaka · February 2025

As a PvE player who goes into Cyrodiil during MM, and doesn't mind, making it monthly or even three times per year would not get me to enter more often. When I go into Cyrodiil I wait for a favorable map so I can get my event tickets and occasionally extra Pelinal's Boon Boxes in PvE content. Without these I have no reason to go into Cyrodiil as PvP does not appeal to me. I generally don't go to IC at all as one ticket isn't worth effort IMO.

Sarannah · February 2025

It's been three days since the PvP event started, and I already wish the event had ended three days ago. Terrible gameplay!! Cyrodiil isn't fun at all(town dailies are ok), the new BG's are terrible and a hell to play and get rewards from, and the IC is just a punishment to play.

Hate getting the tickets in these areas, and hate getting my time wasted like this.

PS: Normally this PvP event is fun for the first few days, for some reason it isn't now!

Nathanbreakfast · February 2025

Hate getting the tickets in these areas, and hate getting my time wasted like this.

The event isn't for you. It's for PVP players. The only thing wasting your time is yourself.

licenturion · February 2025

Nathanbreakfast wrote: »

. You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, but I appreciate your vein attempt to hold a PVP conversation.

Cute, but I am not holding a PvP conversation at all because I am focused on PvE. I just gave my perspective as a PvE player on the PvP event. It was actually pretty positive overall. Yet for some reason you try to bend it negatively, which is not surprising for the 'hardcore PvP sweat' you where talking about.

I don't play PvP in gear grind games because it is never a fair playing field. I play a lot of PvP games like Rivals, Overwatch, The Finals, etc. But in these games everyone has the same tools available the second they start playing.

Anyway not point in arguing any further about this. This is the usual PvP vs PvE player discussion that will end nowhere for both sides.

katanagirl1 · February 2025

If they fix the performance issues in Cyrodiil, the population of campaigns will likely increase in response, maybe not what we had a few years ago but more than we have now. I have seen a few old names this event but there are still many others I have not seen in years.

scrappy1342 · February 2025

twice a year is too much

Freelancer_ESO · February 2025

You'd likely quickly have the population drop towards normal levels.

Once people have the rewards, the reward incentivized players will quit.

Once the people that are in it for rewards drop the players that do it because of the extra cannon fodder will also quit.

valenwood_vegan · February 2025

In my pve guilds, there always seems to be some temporary interest in the event because of the rewards, the novelty, the high population.

But as others have said, this would likely wear off quickly if the event occurred all the time. Even with two events a year, the interest quickly wanes among this population after the first weekend. The more pvp oriented players that show up because of the high population probably start to return to their regular routines too.

If the goal is to increase the population in the longer term, I would think they need to address things like performance and balance issues and poor matchmaking / the extreme gap between inexperienced and casual / experienced and hardcore pvp'ers.

Of course I'd agree that pvp could use some more and updated rewards too, but I don't think that would be accomplished by just running the mayhem event more frequently.

Stamicka · February 2025

I don’t think it’s a good idea. Honestly, as is these events are seeing really low participation rates compared to previous years. Making them more frequent would worsen the issue.

Lags · February 2025

Acenj11 wrote: »

Hello fellow players,

I’m Heyjensen—an ardent PvP enthusiast with a presence spanning PS4, PCNA, and PC EU, and I proudly have multiple 5-star PvP toons. Today, I want to honor not only my own dedication but also pay tribute to our thriving PvP community, whose passion and prowess define the spirit of ESO.

A Thriving Battleground

The current state of ESO is nothing short of exhilarating. Our population charts are peaking, and every PvP campaign is bursting with energy. Whether it’s Cyrodiil or Imperial City, our battlegrounds overflow with dedicated players, each striving to hone their craft and dominate the fight. The fresh content being produced continually draws in more enthusiasts, pushing us all to farm for the best sets and refine our strategies.

The Case for a Permanent Whitestrake

Imagine if the Whitestrake event—already a beacon of PvP excellence—were extended into a near-permanent fixture. Imagine if it were every single month. This event could be transformative and change ESO to the game we want it to be. Here’s why:

Sustained Engagement: A longer Whitestrake period would keep our battlegrounds alive and buzzing, ensuring that every player feels the adrenaline of battle week after week.

Community Growth: With more time dedicated to this epic event, new players will be drawn into our ranks, further enriching the PvP community. This will also create an environment where players who wants to get better at PVP engage with PVE content more so as they need to farm sets, skills, skill points, transmogs, and much more.

Skill Advancement: The ongoing challenge would force every participant to continually evolve their tactics, pushing the entire community to new heights.

A Vision for ESO

This isn’t just about one event—it’s about shaping ESO into the ultimate PvP masterpiece on top of the other achievements it has already in the PVE and Housing Scene. Our current environment, with its innovative phasing system and multiple active campaigns, already sets us apart from other MMOs. Consider how New World and Throne and Liberty attempted to capture this magic and ultimately fell short. ESO, with its dynamic combat and passionate player base, stands as the true embodiment of what a PvP MMO should be.

Our game is busy, our battlegrounds are packed, and the occasional lag is a small price to pay for the exhilarating chaos that only a well-organized, community-driven event can provide. The Whitestrake event is not just a battle—it’s a movement, a symbol of what we can achieve when passion meets perseverance.

In Conclusion

I firmly believe that extending the Whitestrake event is not merely an option but a necessity. It is the catalyst that could propel ESO into a new era—one where it becomes the PvP MMO masterpiece that our community has longed for. This is the ESO we deserve, the ESO that every PvP enthusiast, whether veteran or newcomer, has been waiting for.

Let’s rally together and make our voices heard. The time is now for a Whitestrake event that endures, to secure ESO’s legacy as the pinnacle of PvP excellence.

Fight on,
Heyjensen

i mainly pvp and never have more fun than during this event but once a month would be too much. It would just take away what makes it special. I was actually thinking about this last night and i think once every 3 or 4 months would be awesome, instead of twice a year. 3 or 4 months is plenty long enough for people to be hyped for it. And not too soon like once a month would be.

I read a comment from one of the zos team that said they were going to do more pvp events in the near future. I really hope they do. Obviously performance always holds the game back but there is still fun to be had, even amidst the abysmal lag that can pop up. I havent even entered gray host for this event but still ive seen plenty of game breaking lag, but also had a lot of fun.

I really do hope they increase it though. Even if its just one more a year. I cant stress this enough, this event is one of the only times during the year pvp feels like it did in the years past. Lots of people in the sewers, lots of people doing different things in cyrodiil instead of just zerging inner keeps. Its as good as things get with the games population right now and the way performance and the meta chases people away. Getting it even 1-2 more times a year would be absolutely huge.

Imperial_Archmage · February 2025

I actually disagree completely. Adding these additional incentives to lure PvE players to engage in PvP content is incredibly toxic. They’re just in it for the rewards, not because they enjoy PvP and are merely fodder for hardcore PvP players rather than posing a stimulating challenge. So it’s a lose/lose situation with the only ones benefiting the ghouls who take pleasure in steamrolling over other players who are participating for all the wrong reasons.

spartaxoxo · February 2025

Imperial_Archmage wrote: »

I actually disagree completely. Adding these additional incentives to lure PvE players to engage in PvP content is incredibly toxic. They’re just in it for the rewards, not because they enjoy PvP and are merely fodder for hardcore PvP players rather than posing a stimulating challenge. So it’s a lose/lose situation with the only ones benefiting the ghouls who take pleasure in steamrolling over other players who are participating for all the wrong reasons.

Every mayhem there's someone giving PvP a shot because they want the rewards, having fun, and then deciding to PvP every now and then if not becoming a regular PvPer. We now see similar sentiments around this particular golden pursuit. Giving people a small reward for stepping outside their comfort zone to try new things is a good thing.

Artim_X · February 2025

It is an economic issue. The incentive is tel var and AP. If the event is once a month, things that require PvP currency to get will be devalued and the incentive for peeps who don't typically PvP to come in and dip their toes in PvP land will be gone, which results in dead PvP content.

BXR_Lonestar · February 2025

I love the energy and enthusiasm, but I think I think you are under-estimating the fact that servers are full of non-PVP players who are just looking to get their quests done and get out. During big fights, I look to my left and I look to my right, and I look out at the enemies and I still see the same names I'm used to fighting all the time - with the occasional oddball name I don't recognize from a different server, or maybe they're just PVE kids trying their hand at zerg-surfing.

But now that I mention those PVE kids, I don't know how enjoyable their experience is in this game during the event. I spent the better part of yesterday morning getting my quests done for the golden pursuit, and playing solo, I basically farmed a small group of yellows and reds while they tried doing their quests (hey, not intentionally! I had to get to the quest giver to pick up/turn in quests without getting attacked too!). Not that I was intentionally trying to ruin their experience, but they couldn't have been having much fun, and the fights lacked the excitement of ballgroup vs. ballgroup combat. Overall, I think many players just see this event as one you just try to grit and bear and get through.

As a side note, It was truly hilarious going to Bruma, Vlas, or Cropsford on a small group of block tanks to troll the gankers screwing with the questers afterwards LOL.

As for the populations being thriving - again, I don't know what they're doing, but I suspect that they're just doing their quests and events and getting out. On the server I play, the population bar shows we're population locked, and yet, like I said - same blues I've been playing with night after night after night at every fight, and we're outnumbered by 30, 40, or 50+. It's just ridiculous trying to find a fight where you don't just get swamped within a minute of putting down siege.

I'm not saying this event hasn't had its good times, I'm having a blast playing with my pvp guilds - I'm just trying to say that my experience has been different from yours.