Will the new dungeons be available for purchase IMMEDIATELY after the release of the update on 10.03

Ph1p · March 11

The typical example of FOMO in an MMO is people participating in events or buying items, which are only available for a limited time, Crown crates and event tickets being the most obvious examples. It implies that people wouldn't have engaged in those activities without that time limit. However, people wanting to play multiplayer content with their friends doesn't fit this definition for me.

Other people may define things differently. But here's why calling this FOMO is truly annoying and aggravating: This whole situation has never existed during the entire history of ESO. Since their inception in 2016, we had 14 dungeon DLCs in a row, where everybody could join in on day 1, either by subscribing or buying the DLC using Crowns.

ZOS intentionally changed that paradigm. ZOS split up the player base. ZOS diminished what my Crowns could buy me. ZOS decided to go an anti-consumer route. ZOS chose not to clearly communicate. But calling it FOMO turns this on its head and puts the player at the center (because it's players who experience FOMO) instead of the people responsible for all this.

DenverRalphy · March 11

Ph1p wrote: »

ZOS intentionally changed that paradigm. ZOS split up the player base. ZOS diminished what my Crowns could buy me. ZOS decided to go an anti-consumer route. ZOS chose not to clearly communicate.

You don't know this. Nobody but ZOS themselves knows the reason behind the change. And until April when they reveal why, it's just conspiricy theory.

Ph1p · March 11

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Ph1p wrote: »

ZOS intentionally changed that paradigm. ZOS split up the player base. ZOS diminished what my Crowns could buy me. ZOS decided to go an anti-consumer route. ZOS chose not to clearly communicate.

You don't know this. Nobody but ZOS themselves knows the reason behind the change. And until April when they reveal why, it's just conspiricy theory.

I never claimed I knew what ZOS' exact intentions were. But everything I wrote is factual:

ZOS did change the principle of being able to buy the DLC with Crowns at launch.
ZOS did therefore split players further, because non-subscribers can't play certain group content the same way as before, even if it's just temporary.
ZOS made 1500 Crowns less useful to me, because again, I can't use them to buy the DLC at launch any more.
That's an anti-consumer move, especially since they held a Crown sale in December, before telling people about the changes in January.
And regarding the clarity of communication... Well, Matt did explicitly "apologize for the confusion" and Jessica admitted that they were "a bit vague" in this very thread...

sans-culottes · March 11

Ph1p wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Ph1p wrote: »

ZOS intentionally changed that paradigm. ZOS split up the player base. ZOS diminished what my Crowns could buy me. ZOS decided to go an anti-consumer route. ZOS chose not to clearly communicate.

You don't know this. Nobody but ZOS themselves knows the reason behind the change. And until April when they reveal why, it's just conspiricy theory.

I never claimed I knew what ZOS' exact intentions were. But everything I wrote is factual:
ZOS did change the principle of being able to buy the DLC with Crowns at launch.

ZOS did therefore split players further, because non-subscribers can't play certain group content the same way as before, even if it's just temporary.

ZOS made 1500 Crowns less useful to me, because again, I can't use them to buy the DLC at launch any more.

That's an anti-consumer move, especially since they held a Crown sale in December, before telling people about the changes in January.

And regarding the clarity of communication... Well, Matt did explicitly "apologize for the confusion" and Jessica admitted that they were "a bit vague" in this very thread...

You’re describing fear of missing out. Purchasing something on sale is a classic example of this behavior. When people see a limited-time deal, they sometimes feel compelled to buy the commodity in question, not because its fundamental value has changed, but because the opportunity to obtain it feels more urgent.

That this change diminishes the value of Crowns in your eyes does not mean that their actual use-value has changed. The ability to purchase DLC with Crowns remains intact, and the exchange rate is the same. What has shifted is only the timing of availability. Your perception of Crowns’ usefulness has changed due to the delay, but in quantifiable terms, the exchange-value remains the same.

The shift in availability does create a temporary difference between ESO+ subscribers and Crown purchasers, but this gap has always existed. ESO+ has always granted access to DLC at no additional cost, while Crown users had to make a one-time purchase. The only difference now is a waiting period, which alters immediacy but not the actual purchasing power of Crowns.

That does not make the change anti-competitive. The ability to purchase Crowns with in-game gold has always been an emergent behavior rather than a guaranteed feature of the system. There was never a formal promise that all content would be available for Crown purchase at launch, only an assumption based on past practice.

freespirit · March 11

I don't believe people wanting to play with their usual group and not being able to due to no ESO+ for whatever reason is exhibiting fomo, I think that is more annoyance than actually being fomo.

However IF there is or turns out to be a set that drops that is consequently deemed to be bis, then I think fomo may well come into the argument. 🤔

RealLoveBVB · March 11

sans-culottes wrote: »

The shift in availability does create a temporary difference between ESO+ subscribers and Crown purchasers, but this gap has always existed. ESO+ has always granted access to DLC at no additional cost, while Crown users had to make a one-time purchase. The only difference now is a waiting period, which alters immediacy but not the actual purchasing power of Crowns.

The gap wasn't always there. It just started on Monday with the new dungeon DLC.
Players always had 2 payment-options: Accessing DLCs temporarily with ESO+ or permanent with a one-time purchase with crowns. It was -always- like this.
As they delayed one payment method (permanent purchase with crowns) they created your mentioned gap just now.

Also you should rephrase your "fear in missing out" in "defacto missing out".

It has nothing to do with fear. But with the simple fact that many groups are frozen now, as they have to wait one month (ironically also those with ESO+), that they can play finally their content they are seeking for a half year already.

sans-culottes · March 11

RealLoveBVB wrote: »

sans-culottes wrote: »

The shift in availability does create a temporary difference between ESO+ subscribers and Crown purchasers, but this gap has always existed. ESO+ has always granted access to DLC at no additional cost, while Crown users had to make a one-time purchase. The only difference now is a waiting period, which alters immediacy but not the actual purchasing power of Crowns.

The gap wasn't always there. It just started on Monday with the new dungeon DLC.
Players always had 2 payment-options: Accessing DLCs temporarily with ESO+ or permanent with a one-time purchase with crowns. It was -always- like this.
As they delayed one payment method (permanent purchase with crowns) they created your mentioned gap just now.

Also you should rephrase your "fear in missing out" in "defacto missing out".

It has nothing to do with fear. But with the simple fact that many groups are frozen now, as they have to wait one month (ironically also those with ESO+), that they can play finally their content they are seeking for a half year already.

You’re arguing that the gap between ESO+ subscribers and Crown purchasers only just started with this change, but that isn’t accurate. The only difference now is a temporary delay in when that purchase can be made. That changes the timing, not the fundamental structure of access.

Reframing this as “de facto missing out” instead of “fear of missing out” doesn’t change the argument. The concern being raised is about timing, not permanent loss. If this were about actual accessibility, then the issue would be that Crown purchasers could never obtain the content, not that they have to wait.

As for groups being “frozen,” this has always been a part of ESO’s content release model. Whenever a new chapter or DLC is released, there are always players who don’t have immediate access. That has never been treated as an inherently broken or unfair system. This situation is no different in any meaningful way.

Aashiana · March 11

As the GM of Hard Dungeoneers on PC/NA, on behalf of the entire guild, I want to express my disappointment that the dungeon drops were handled this way. We are the oldest and largest dungeon guild on our server, and we have teams every year that gear up for the new dungeons and attempt to get the world first records or tris on the first day, or at least the first week. Many are cross-server groups of international players that find it cost-prohibitive to keep up ESO+ on every server they play on.

It's been difficult enough with only one release of dungeon content each year to even keep our guild together. Because many of our members have every possible dungeon achieve, they mainly do end-game trial content the rest of the year, or other games. Due to this, we now have an annual influx of long-time members prior to the dungeon drops that have to be retagged and re-establish their groups for PTS and then the release. Over the last year we have reorganized and strategized ways to keep the guild and content fresh for our members, but it's been a challenge.

Now, not only do we have fewer dungeons each year, but a substantial portion of our membership cannot access them at the same time. It just adds insult to injury that they were able to practice them on PTS but not play them when they came out. My own personal dungeon group, friends I have played with for more than 6 years, is sidelined due to the DLC issue. Always in the past we've handled this by gifting the DLC or buying it with crowns. Never have we left a person behind. We cannot imagine how this is beneficial to ZOS, since we otherwise would be buying crowns to stay and play together. If you think we would find it fun or acceptable to wait a month or more to complete these achievements while everyone else gets them, you definitely don't understand what motivates us.

We are the people who are most loyal to ESO, most driven to do each and every achievement you put in the game, read every lorebook and talk to every NPC, pay for collectables to achieve completionism in all things. When we can't do this with our friends and guildmates, it just takes all the fun out of it. It's sad that you're celebrating the 10-year anniversary of ESO, while simultaneously reducing the incentive for members that have actually been in the game that long to keep playing.

In the little spare time I've had between tagging our first-day member achievements, I can say that I think the new dungeons look really fun. There are a lot of interesting mechs and side achieves. While the end-game players have been finding them easier than the last few sets, I think that's a good thing overall for the player base. They will be challenging but not impossible. My only concern is that it's hard to run them on Groupfinder (which can be said of a lot of mech-heavy dungeons) due to the lack of voice communication. Which is, frankly, part of the reason our guild exists - to teach and provide that consistent solid group experience that makes it easier to ultimately get an achievement like the Coral Aerie tri.

I know many others have said it before, but please rethink this approach and any other plans you have to not make DLC available across the entire player base at the same time. If you think it will result in more ESO+ memberships, I beg to differ. Instead it is more likely to have people leave altogether, particularly since it has yet to be seen what kinds of changes you're making this year to the game overall and how this will affect people's enthusiasm to stay. Having an in-game option to earn gold to pay for DLC provides a more affordable approach for many, especially with the real-world disruptions that many people across the world are experiencing right now.

Thanks for providing this forum and others to provide feedback.

colossalvoids · March 11

Aashiana wrote: »

As the GM of Hard Dungeoneers on PC/NA, on behalf of the entire guild, I want to express my disappointment that the dungeon drops were handled this way. We are the oldest and largest dungeon guild on our server, and we have teams every year that gear up for the new dungeons and attempt to get the world first records or tris on the first day, or at least the first week. Many are cross-server groups of international players that find it cost-prohibitive to keep up ESO+ on every server they play on.

It's been difficult enough with only one release of dungeon content each year to even keep our guild together. Because many of our members have every possible dungeon achieve, they mainly do end-game trial content the rest of the year, or other games. Due to this, we now have an annual influx of long-time members prior to the dungeon drops that have to be retagged and re-establish their groups for PTS and then the release. Over the last year we have reorganized and strategized ways to keep the guild and content fresh for our members, but it's been a challenge.

Now, not only do we have fewer dungeons each year, but a substantial portion of our membership cannot access them at the same time. It just adds insult to injury that they were able to practice them on PTS but not play them when they came out. My own personal dungeon group, friends I have played with for more than 6 years, is sidelined due to the DLC issue. Always in the past we've handled this by gifting the DLC or buying it with crowns. Never have we left a person behind. We cannot imagine how this is beneficial to ZOS, since we otherwise would be buying crowns to stay and play together. If you think we would find it fun or acceptable to wait a month or more to complete these achievements while everyone else gets them, you definitely don't understand what motivates us.

We are the people who are most loyal to ESO, most driven to do each and every achievement you put in the game, read every lorebook and talk to every NPC, pay for collectables to achieve completionism in all things. When we can't do this with our friends and guildmates, it just takes all the fun out of it. It's sad that you're celebrating the 10-year anniversary of ESO, while simultaneously reducing the incentive for members that have actually been in the game that long to keep playing.

In the little spare time I've had between tagging our first-day member achievements, I can say that I think the new dungeons look really fun. There are a lot of interesting mechs and side achieves. While the end-game players have been finding them easier than the last few sets, I think that's a good thing overall for the player base. They will be challenging but not impossible. My only concern is that it's hard to run them on Groupfinder (which can be said of a lot of mech-heavy dungeons) due to the lack of voice communication. Which is, frankly, part of the reason our guild exists - to teach and provide that consistent solid group experience that makes it easier to ultimately get an achievement like the Coral Aerie tri.

I know many others have said it before, but please rethink this approach and any other plans you have to not make DLC available across the entire player base at the same time. If you think it will result in more ESO+ memberships, I beg to differ. Instead it is more likely to have people leave altogether, particularly since it has yet to be seen what kinds of changes you're making this year to the game overall and how this will affect people's enthusiasm to stay. Having an in-game option to earn gold to pay for DLC provides a more affordable approach for many, especially with the real-world disruptions that many people across the world are experiencing right now.

Thanks for providing this forum and others to provide feedback.

Plain and simple what it is all about, good piece of feedback there.

Ph1p · March 11

sans-culottes wrote: »

You’re describing fear of missing out. Purchasing something on sale is a classic example of this behavior. When people see a limited-time deal, they sometimes feel compelled to buy the commodity in question, not because its fundamental value has changed, but because the opportunity to obtain it feels more urgent.

I have no idea where you're going with this. This DLC situation isn't "purchasing something on sale" or a "limited-time deal". Buying the new dungeons hasn't become more urgent than before, it's has remained the same. Just like with every other dungeon DLC, I would like to join my subscriber friends, who will play it at launch. There isn't an artificial time limit typical for actual FOMO examples like Crown crates. Instead, it's ZOS putting up a new hurdle for non-subscribers to play group content.

sans-culottes wrote: »

That this change diminishes the value of Crowns in your eyes does not mean that their actual use-value has changed. The ability to purchase DLC with Crowns remains intact, and the exchange rate is the same. What has shifted is only the timing of availability. Your perception of Crowns’ usefulness has changed due to the delay, but in quantifiable terms, the exchange-value remains the same.

Imagine if ZOS had an extra Super-Crown currency, that costs the same as regular Crowns. The DLC also costs the same number of Super-Crowns as regular Crowns, but you can buy it at launch using Super-Crowns. Which one is more valuable?

sans-culottes wrote: »

The shift in availability does create a temporary difference between ESO+ subscribers and Crown purchasers, but this gap has always existed. ESO+ has always granted access to DLC at no additional cost, while Crown users had to make a one-time purchase. The only difference now is a waiting period, which alters immediacy but not the actual purchasing power of Crowns.

Multiple people have articulated why the waiting period isn't a trivial difference and why it absolutely changes the value of Crowns compared to how they were handled before. It may have zero impact on you, but it definitely does for others. Acting like this doesn't actually change the structure of accessing DLCs and downplaying this as FOMO is not constructive.

sans-culottes wrote: »

That does not make the change anti-competitive. The ability to purchase Crowns with in-game gold has always been an emergent behavior rather than a guaranteed feature of the system. There was never a formal promise that all content would be available for Crown purchase at launch, only an assumption based on past practice.

Saying "you can't sue me, we didn't have a formal contract" isn't as great of an argument as you think it is... Especially if your product's success depends on reputation, trust, and word-of-mouth. I would much prefer ZOS thriving and not having to resort to such a line of defense.

Anyway, we are unlikely to come to an agreement, but I appreciate the civil discussion and the insight into how some other people think about this. Good luck and enjoy the game!

ArchMikem · March 11

Not sure how I feel about Season Passes being in an RPG. Then again I already have an Annual Sub, but still. I never touched the ones in CoD.

sans-culottes · March 11

Ph1p wrote: »

sans-culottes wrote: »

You’re describing fear of missing out. Purchasing something on sale is a classic example of this behavior. When people see a limited-time deal, they sometimes feel compelled to buy the commodity in question, not because its fundamental value has changed, but because the opportunity to obtain it feels more urgent.

I have no idea where you're going with this. This DLC situation isn't "purchasing something on sale" or a "limited-time deal". Buying the new dungeons hasn't become more urgent than before, it's has remained the same. Just like with every other dungeon DLC, I would like to join my subscriber friends, who will play it at launch. There isn't an artificial time limit typical for actual FOMO examples like Crown crates. Instead, it's ZOS putting up a new hurdle for non-subscribers to play group content.

sans-culottes wrote: »

That this change diminishes the value of Crowns in your eyes does not mean that their actual use-value has changed. The ability to purchase DLC with Crowns remains intact, and the exchange rate is the same. What has shifted is only the timing of availability. Your perception of Crowns’ usefulness has changed due to the delay, but in quantifiable terms, the exchange-value remains the same.

Imagine if ZOS had an extra Super-Crown currency, that costs the same as regular Crowns. The DLC also costs the same number of Super-Crowns as regular Crowns, but you can buy it at launch using Super-Crowns. Which one is more valuable?

sans-culottes wrote: »

The shift in availability does create a temporary difference between ESO+ subscribers and Crown purchasers, but this gap has always existed. ESO+ has always granted access to DLC at no additional cost, while Crown users had to make a one-time purchase. The only difference now is a waiting period, which alters immediacy but not the actual purchasing power of Crowns.

Multiple people have articulated why the waiting period isn't a trivial difference and why it absolutely changes the value of Crowns compared to how they were handled before. It may have zero impact on you, but it definitely does for others. Acting like this doesn't actually change the structure of accessing DLCs and downplaying this as FOMO is not constructive.

sans-culottes wrote: »

That does not make the change anti-competitive. The ability to purchase Crowns with in-game gold has always been an emergent behavior rather than a guaranteed feature of the system. There was never a formal promise that all content would be available for Crown purchase at launch, only an assumption based on past practice.

Saying "you can't sue me, we didn't have a formal contract" isn't as great of an argument as you think it is... Especially if your product's success depends on reputation, trust, and word-of-mouth. I would much prefer ZOS thriving and not having to resort to such a line of defense.

Anyway, we are unlikely to come to an agreement, but I appreciate the civil discussion and the insight into how some other people think about this. Good luck and enjoy the game!

I think we’re looking at this from different angles. I get that you see this as a meaningful devaluation of Crowns, but I still don’t think that’s quite what’s happening. The actual purchasing power of Crowns hasn’t changed—they still buy the same DLC for the same price, just a little later than before. That’s a shift in timing, not in intrinsic value.

Your “Super-Crown” analogy doesn’t really work here because it introduces a second currency with different purchasing power. In ESO, Crowns still buy the same thing for the same price. What’s changed is when that purchase is available, which makes this a question of immediacy rather than devaluation.

As for FOMO, I don’t think it’s limited to scenarios where there’s an artificial time limit like Crown Crates. It’s also about perceived urgency—like wanting to play content at launch with friends who have ESO+. That’s still a form of FOMO, even if the mechanics behind it are different.

And on the point about past practices, my argument wasn’t “this was never promised, so it’s fine.” It’s just that there was never an explicit guarantee that DLC would always be available for Crowns at launch. Player expectations absolutely matter, but businesses adjust their models over time. Whether that’s a positive or negative change is debatable, but it’s not quite the same as being anti-competitive.

I appreciate the conversation as well, and I get why this feels frustrating. Hope you enjoy the new content once it’s available.

SaffronCitrusflower · March 11

I'm not seeing where these dungeons can be purchased. I don't see them listed in the dlc section of the crown store or in the ESO store web page.

Or do we get access automatically if we have eso+?

Soarora · March 11

SaffronCitrusflower wrote: »

I'm not seeing where these dungeons can be purchased. I don't see them listed in the dlc section of the crown store or in the ESO store web page.

Or do we get access automatically if we have eso+?

They are currently not purchasable. Only way to enter them is eso+.

Darcwolf · March 12

If this is gonna be ESO new model I'm quitting and going back to GW2, the reason I liked this game was I had a choice, now it appears they want to force subs on people.

Hotdog_23 · March 12

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Hi everyone. We realize the "after console launch" detail for when the Fallen Banners dungeons will be available for purchase in the Crown Store was a bit vague. At the time, we were still firming up dates for our ESO Direct. We can confirm that the dungeons will be available in the Crown Store for purchase on April 10 sometime after the ESO Direct. This is part of the transition period as noted in Matt Firor's message and we'll talk about more details during the upcoming ESO Direct.

Sorry, but this is a failure on ZOS side. I get that you are changing things up come April, and this has been in the works for a while now. Honestly, any content you release before April’s announcement should work like the old system of how you used to release Dungeons. There should be no transition period since you have chosen to do the announcement in April but release the Dungeons in March.

You are not being fair to your loyal players by changing early the method of releasing dungeons without any form of communication except saying basically wait another month to find out the details and purchase the new dungeons. Understand that you want to wait to announce in April which is fine that’s your prerogative, but penalizing your players should not be the way to transition to a new system of releasing content. We deserve better. This is a problem and hurt feeling you are causing some of your players for no good reason other than it’s what you choose to do.

Do better and be better!

Stay safe

Varana · March 12

And when that event happens in April, we will hear about how this change is amazing, and how it improves the experience, and what great opportunities it offers, and whatever other marketing bs they will come up with.

And not a word of self-criticism and reflection and apology about how terribly wrong this idea of delaying the "big reveal" until April was. This is just the latest fallout, as if to make sure that as many people as possible are negatively affected by that delay.

sans-culottes · March 12

Varana wrote: »

And when that event happens in April, we will hear about how this change is amazing, and how it improves the experience, and what great opportunities it offers, and whatever other marketing bs they will come up with.

And not a word of self-criticism and reflection and apology about how terribly wrong this idea of delaying the "big reveal" until April was. This is just the latest fallout, as if to make sure that as many people as possible are negatively affected by that delay.

I understand why some people are frustrated by the wait, but this is being framed like some catastrophic betrayal when, realistically, it’s just a slight delay in one specific way to access the content. The only real change here is a few weeks of waiting if you want to buy it with Crowns instead of playing it immediately through ESO+.

If this were a permanent change—like removing the ability to buy DLC with Crowns entirely—then I’d understand the backlash. But as it stands, this is just a matter of timing, not lost access. The content itself hasn’t changed, and no one is being locked out in the long run.

ZOS is clearly trying to encourage ESO+ subscriptions more aggressively, but that’s hardly shocking given that subscription-based access has always been a core part of their business model. While it’s fair to criticize how the change was communicated, calling this some kind of “fallout” or major harm to the player base seems excessive.

Loves_guars · March 12

Aashiana wrote: »

As the GM of Hard Dungeoneers on PC/NA, on behalf of the entire guild, I want to express my disappointment that the dungeon drops were handled this way. We are the oldest and largest dungeon guild on our server, and we have teams every year that gear up for the new dungeons and attempt to get the world first records or tris on the first day, or at least the first week. Many are cross-server groups of international players that find it cost-prohibitive to keep up ESO+ on every server they play on.

It's been difficult enough with only one release of dungeon content each year to even keep our guild together. Because many of our members have every possible dungeon achieve, they mainly do end-game trial content the rest of the year, or other games. Due to this, we now have an annual influx of long-time members prior to the dungeon drops that have to be retagged and re-establish their groups for PTS and then the release. Over the last year we have reorganized and strategized ways to keep the guild and content fresh for our members, but it's been a challenge.

Now, not only do we have fewer dungeons each year, but a substantial portion of our membership cannot access them at the same time. It just adds insult to injury that they were able to practice them on PTS but not play them when they came out. My own personal dungeon group, friends I have played with for more than 6 years, is sidelined due to the DLC issue. Always in the past we've handled this by gifting the DLC or buying it with crowns. Never have we left a person behind. We cannot imagine how this is beneficial to ZOS, since we otherwise would be buying crowns to stay and play together. If you think we would find it fun or acceptable to wait a month or more to complete these achievements while everyone else gets them, you definitely don't understand what motivates us.

We are the people who are most loyal to ESO, most driven to do each and every achievement you put in the game, read every lorebook and talk to every NPC, pay for collectables to achieve completionism in all things. When we can't do this with our friends and guildmates, it just takes all the fun out of it. It's sad that you're celebrating the 10-year anniversary of ESO, while simultaneously reducing the incentive for members that have actually been in the game that long to keep playing.

In the little spare time I've had between tagging our first-day member achievements, I can say that I think the new dungeons look really fun. There are a lot of interesting mechs and side achieves. While the end-game players have been finding them easier than the last few sets, I think that's a good thing overall for the player base. They will be challenging but not impossible. My only concern is that it's hard to run them on Groupfinder (which can be said of a lot of mech-heavy dungeons) due to the lack of voice communication. Which is, frankly, part of the reason our guild exists - to teach and provide that consistent solid group experience that makes it easier to ultimately get an achievement like the Coral Aerie tri.

I know many others have said it before, but please rethink this approach and any other plans you have to not make DLC available across the entire player base at the same time. If you think it will result in more ESO+ memberships, I beg to differ. Instead it is more likely to have people leave altogether, particularly since it has yet to be seen what kinds of changes you're making this year to the game overall and how this will affect people's enthusiasm to stay. Having an in-game option to earn gold to pay for DLC provides a more affordable approach for many, especially with the real-world disruptions that many people across the world are experiencing right now.

Thanks for providing this forum and others to provide feedback.

Thank you very much for speaking out. I don't have a hate for Zenimax, I always defended them, and this hit my little group of friends, that was very happy with the game.

Soarora · March 12

sans-culottes wrote: »

Varana wrote: »

And when that event happens in April, we will hear about how this change is amazing, and how it improves the experience, and what great opportunities it offers, and whatever other marketing bs they will come up with.

And not a word of self-criticism and reflection and apology about how terribly wrong this idea of delaying the "big reveal" until April was. This is just the latest fallout, as if to make sure that as many people as possible are negatively affected by that delay.

I understand why some people are frustrated by the wait, but this is being framed like some catastrophic betrayal when, realistically, it’s just a slight delay in one specific way to access the content. The only real change here is a few weeks of waiting if you want to buy it with Crowns instead of playing it immediately through ESO+.

If this were a permanent change—like removing the ability to buy DLC with Crowns entirely—then I’d understand the backlash. But as it stands, this is just a matter of timing, not lost access. The content itself hasn’t changed, and no one is being locked out in the long run.

ZOS is clearly trying to encourage ESO+ subscriptions more aggressively, but that’s hardly shocking given that subscription-based access has always been a core part of their business model. While it’s fair to criticize how the change was communicated, calling this some kind of “fallout” or major harm to the player base seems excessive.

On one hand, I understand the business reasoning. On the other hand, unlike with trials, people who do dungeons are used to being able to buy them. Splitting release dates for availability splits groups who have run together for years, leaving people to make choices on if they want the achievement of day 1/week 1 clear over waiting for their friends. Additionally, it makes it harder for ESO+ members to find groups now (I’ve already had 3 people ask me about running the dungeons, but I don’t have ESO+) and it’ll be harder for non-ESO+ members to find groups later (all the eso+ members will have the tri already and may not want to go back).

ImmortalCX · March 12

Kappachi wrote: »

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Hi everyone. We realize the "after console launch" detail for when the Fallen Banners dungeons will be available for purchase in the Crown Store was a bit vague. At the time, we were still firming up dates for our ESO Direct. We can confirm that the dungeons will be available in the Crown Store for purchase on April 10 sometime after the ESO Direct. This is part of the transition period as noted in Matt Firor's message and we'll talk about more details during the upcoming ESO Direct.

whaaaat? it's an entire month delay? Is this going to be the case every single time? This is incredibly disheartening to us who own all the DLC of the game via crown trading and can't always afford eso+... Was one of the reasons I kept coming back to play ESO because I didn't need to pay a subscription every month and just needed to buy the one new expansion but in this case I can't even buy it until a month later...

This is the whole reason I play world content. Farming, trading. So I can get crowns to buy the DLC. Even though its a stupid waste of time compared to spending $10 or whatever for the DLC, its something I enjoy doing.

If that mechanism is gone, then one of the main incentives is gone. The way it is now, you buy a major expansion for $60 (or whatever) and play through the expansion while trading to collect the DLCs.

I'm not going to pay $60 for an expansion and then also pay for DLC on top of that. Or $60 for major expansion and $15/mo for unlimited storage.

And if the DLCs are pay for some period (lets extrapolate from 1month as it is now, to a year), then it really is segmenting the population.

My hope is that there aren't enough subscribers for the ESO+ players to get enough groups, so they have to relax this policy.

sans-culottes · March 12

ImmortalCX wrote: »

Kappachi wrote: »

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Hi everyone. We realize the "after console launch" detail for when the Fallen Banners dungeons will be available for purchase in the Crown Store was a bit vague. At the time, we were still firming up dates for our ESO Direct. We can confirm that the dungeons will be available in the Crown Store for purchase on April 10 sometime after the ESO Direct. This is part of the transition period as noted in Matt Firor's message and we'll talk about more details during the upcoming ESO Direct.

whaaaat? it's an entire month delay? Is this going to be the case every single time? This is incredibly disheartening to us who own all the DLC of the game via crown trading and can't always afford eso+... Was one of the reasons I kept coming back to play ESO because I didn't need to pay a subscription every month and just needed to buy the one new expansion but in this case I can't even buy it until a month later...

This is the whole reason I play world content. Farming, trading. So I can get crowns to buy the DLC. Even though its a stupid waste of time compared to spending $10 or whatever for the DLC, its something I enjoy doing.

If that mechanism is gone, then one of the main incentives is gone. The way it is now, you buy a major expansion for $60 (or whatever) and play through the expansion while trading to collect the DLCs.

I'm not going to pay $60 for an expansion and then also pay for DLC on top of that. Or $60 for major expansion and $15/mo for unlimited storage.

And if the DLCs are pay for some period (lets extrapolate from 1month as it is now, to a year), then it really is segmenting the population.

My hope is that there aren't enough subscribers for the ESO+ players to get enough groups, so they have to relax this policy.

I get that this change affects people who primarily rely on Crown trading to access DLC, but I think it’s worth stepping back and acknowledging that Crown trading was always an emergent behavior rather than a guaranteed system.

You even note that trading for Crowns is an inefficient way to acquire content compared to just paying directly. That’s why it’s hard to argue that ESO’s monetization model has fundamentally changed—it’s still built around either an ESO+ subscription or direct Crown purchases. The only thing that has changed is the timing of the Crown option.

I think the bigger question is whether a one-month delay meaningfully reduces access to content in the long run. If a month’s wait fundamentally alters someone’s ability to play the game, then that suggests Crown trading wasn’t as sustainable a system as it seemed.

Thysbe · March 12

sans-culottes wrote: »

I get that this change affects people who primarily rely on Crown trading to access DLC, but I think it’s worth stepping back and acknowledging that Crown trading was always an emergent behavior rather than a guaranteed system.

Wrong - several crown bundle for cash buyers posted already in this thread. Don´t see why you ignore that fact and spin your whole reasoning now around crown trading.

sans-culottes wrote: »

You even note that trading for Crowns is an inefficient way to acquire content compared to just paying directly. That’s why it’s hard to argue that ESO’s monetization model has fundamentally changed—it’s still built around either an ESO+ subscription or direct Crown purchases. The only thing that has changed is the timing of the Crown option.

We have zero confirmation that the model stays the same for ESO+ players (they somehow have to make up for not selling chapters any more - to force some stray non ESO+ into getting a sub for a moth or to wont cover that) nor that we will be able to buy the dungeon DLC on April 10th stand alone as we used to.

sans-culottes wrote: »

I think the bigger question is whether a one-month delay meaningfully reduces access to content in the long run. If a month’s wait fundamentally alters someone’s ability to play the game, then that suggests Crown trading wasn’t as sustainable a system as it seemed.

For most of the posters here it´s about splitting year long groups apart. They either have to wait, give in to the purchase preassure or split up and play with randoms. Hollowing the whole experience for all group members, ESO+ or not.

I can see that this might be hard to understand if you just PUG through a dungeon and be done with it, but for some of us group play and socialisation is still the main reason to stay with a game for 10 years. Dungeon and trial release nights are something highly anticipated to set up a date and group up to dive in the newness together.

ImmortalCX · March 12

sans-culottes wrote: »

ImmortalCX wrote: »

Kappachi wrote: »

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Hi everyone. We realize the "after console launch" detail for when the Fallen Banners dungeons will be available for purchase in the Crown Store was a bit vague. At the time, we were still firming up dates for our ESO Direct. We can confirm that the dungeons will be available in the Crown Store for purchase on April 10 sometime after the ESO Direct. This is part of the transition period as noted in Matt Firor's message and we'll talk about more details during the upcoming ESO Direct.

whaaaat? it's an entire month delay? Is this going to be the case every single time? This is incredibly disheartening to us who own all the DLC of the game via crown trading and can't always afford eso+... Was one of the reasons I kept coming back to play ESO because I didn't need to pay a subscription every month and just needed to buy the one new expansion but in this case I can't even buy it until a month later...

This is the whole reason I play world content. Farming, trading. So I can get crowns to buy the DLC. Even though its a stupid waste of time compared to spending $10 or whatever for the DLC, its something I enjoy doing.

If that mechanism is gone, then one of the main incentives is gone. The way it is now, you buy a major expansion for $60 (or whatever) and play through the expansion while trading to collect the DLCs.

I'm not going to pay $60 for an expansion and then also pay for DLC on top of that. Or $60 for major expansion and $15/mo for unlimited storage.

And if the DLCs are pay for some period (lets extrapolate from 1month as it is now, to a year), then it really is segmenting the population.

My hope is that there aren't enough subscribers for the ESO+ players to get enough groups, so they have to relax this policy.

I get that this change affects people who primarily rely on Crown trading to access DLC, but I think it’s worth stepping back and acknowledging that Crown trading was always an emergent behavior rather than a guaranteed system.

You even note that trading for Crowns is an inefficient way to acquire content compared to just paying directly. That’s why it’s hard to argue that ESO’s monetization model has fundamentally changed—it’s still built around either an ESO+ subscription or direct Crown purchases. The only thing that has changed is the timing of the Crown option.

I think the bigger question is whether a one-month delay meaningfully reduces access to content in the long run. If a month’s wait fundamentally alters someone’s ability to play the game, then that suggests Crown trading wasn’t as sustainable a system as it seemed.

I can probably live with a month delay. But the problem then becomes, what if I buy the DLC a month later and can't get groups to run the content.

It depends on the balance between ESO+ and Crown buyers. If majority of players are ESO+ and get their fill in the first month, then buying the content a month later has been devalued. Longer queue times. MUCH longer queue times, or even inability to run unless its a daily. It's been my experience that DLC dungeons are hot in the month after launch, but after that most of them are hard to find groups.

OTH, if ESO+ players are a minority, then they will have a harder time running the content at launch, as mentioned by some other people in this thread.

I want to mention to ZOS that there is intrinsic value in having poor players like myself grinding mats and trading to buy crowns; we keep the game/economy alive. I legitimately think $60 for a major expansion is alot given I will play it for 1-3 months and then come back in a year when there is another major chapter. $60 + $15/mo is laughable for the value I get from it.

If they think they can get me to sub for ESO+ they are mistaken. I've gotten very good at managing my inventory. The problem with eso+ is that if you sub for a few months, you lose the content after you stop. I'm not up to date on the monthly crown allotment that comes with ESO+ so maybe that is covered, but I doubt it.

sans-culottes · March 12

Thysbe wrote: »

sans-culottes wrote: »

I get that this change affects people who primarily rely on Crown trading to access DLC, but I think it’s worth stepping back and acknowledging that Crown trading was always an emergent behavior rather than a guaranteed system.

Wrong - several crown bundle for cash buyers posted already in this thread. Don´t see why you ignore that fact and spin your whole reasoning now around crown trading.

sans-culottes wrote: »

You even note that trading for Crowns is an inefficient way to acquire content compared to just paying directly. That’s why it’s hard to argue that ESO’s monetization model has fundamentally changed—it’s still built around either an ESO+ subscription or direct Crown purchases. The only thing that has changed is the timing of the Crown option.

We have zero confirmation that the model stays the same for ESO+ players (they somehow have to make up for not selling chapters any more - to force some stray non ESO+ into getting a sub for a moth or to wont cover that) nor that we will be able to buy the dungeon DLC on April 10th stand alone as we used to.

sans-culottes wrote: »

I think the bigger question is whether a one-month delay meaningfully reduces access to content in the long run. If a month’s wait fundamentally alters someone’s ability to play the game, then that suggests Crown trading wasn’t as sustainable a system as it seemed.

For most of the posters here it´s about splitting year long groups apart. They either have to wait, give in to the purchase preassure or split up and play with randoms. Hollowing the whole experience for all group members, ESO+ or not.

I can see that this might be hard to understand if you just PUG through a dungeon and be done with it, but for some of us group play and socialisation is still the main reason to stay with a game for 10 years. Dungeon and trial release nights are something highly anticipated to set up a date and group up to dive in the newness together.

@Thysbe, I think there’s a bit of misalignment in how you’re interpreting my points, so let me clarify.

First, I never said Crown bundle buyers don’t exist, nor did I say Crown trading is the “only” relevant factor here. My point was that Crown trading has always been an “emergent” behavior, not a guaranteed system with fixed entitlements. Whether someone acquires Crowns via direct purchase or trading, the underlying premise remains: ESO’s monetization has always revolved around subscriptions and Crowns, and that structure hasn’t fundamentally changed—only the “timing” of when Crown-purchased DLC becomes available.

Second, you suggest that we have “zero confirmation” about the availability of DLC à la carte on April 10th. If you have evidence that ZOS has explicitly stated otherwise, then I’d be interested in seeing it. Otherwise, it seems premature to assume a long-term shift when all available information suggests this is a “timing adjustment,” not the removal of the Crown purchase model.

Finally, I do understand that some groups plan dungeon release nights in advance. But this change doesn’t make group play impossible—it delays access for those who don’t subscribe. I recognize that a delay can be frustrating, but the framing of this as “hollowing the experience” assumes that waiting four weeks fundamentally disrupts a group’s ability to play together in a meaningful way. If Crown trading were sustainable long-term, then waiting a month should be an inconvenience, not a dealbreaker.

If the concern is that this policy will push some players toward subscriptions, then yes, that’s probably part of the intent—it’s a monetization model, after all. But I’m not convinced that waiting a month makes ESO unplayable for those who prefer Crown purchases. If it does, then that suggests Crown trading was already more precarious than many assumed.

ImmortalCX · March 12

sans-culottes wrote: »

Thysbe wrote: »

sans-culottes wrote: »

I get that this change affects people who primarily rely on Crown trading to access DLC, but I think it’s worth stepping back and acknowledging that Crown trading was always an emergent behavior rather than a guaranteed system.

Wrong - several crown bundle for cash buyers posted already in this thread. Don´t see why you ignore that fact and spin your whole reasoning now around crown trading.

sans-culottes wrote: »

You even note that trading for Crowns is an inefficient way to acquire content compared to just paying directly. That’s why it’s hard to argue that ESO’s monetization model has fundamentally changed—it’s still built around either an ESO+ subscription or direct Crown purchases. The only thing that has changed is the timing of the Crown option.

We have zero confirmation that the model stays the same for ESO+ players (they somehow have to make up for not selling chapters any more - to force some stray non ESO+ into getting a sub for a moth or to wont cover that) nor that we will be able to buy the dungeon DLC on April 10th stand alone as we used to.

sans-culottes wrote: »

I think the bigger question is whether a one-month delay meaningfully reduces access to content in the long run. If a month’s wait fundamentally alters someone’s ability to play the game, then that suggests Crown trading wasn’t as sustainable a system as it seemed.

For most of the posters here it´s about splitting year long groups apart. They either have to wait, give in to the purchase preassure or split up and play with randoms. Hollowing the whole experience for all group members, ESO+ or not.

I can see that this might be hard to understand if you just PUG through a dungeon and be done with it, but for some of us group play and socialisation is still the main reason to stay with a game for 10 years. Dungeon and trial release nights are something highly anticipated to set up a date and group up to dive in the newness together.

If the concern is that this policy will push some players toward subscriptions, then yes, that’s probably part of the intent—it’s a monetization model, after all. But I’m not convinced that waiting a month makes ESO unplayable for those who prefer Crown purchases. If it does, then that suggests Crown trading was already more precarious than many assumed.

That is the obvious intent.

It appears that they are using predicted long queue time (and inability to get server achievements) to incentivize people to buy eso+.

If I know that I won't be able to get groups a month after DLC launches, then a crown purchase has been devalued.

It's unknown how it will play out. But it will probably be this: Some players will quit and other players will migrate to eso+. A larger relative% of players will be ESO+. And over time this will only compound as queue times for crown buyers get worse. More people will quit, and more people will migrate to eso+.

If they aren't selling major chapters, then players like me who spend time running around and farming/trading are a drain on their resources.

I think their goal is to get a larger% of players on eso+. If they shed players because of this, it could be seen as a good thing for their bottom line.

If the 1-month delay is not having the desired affect, they could make the delay longer (a year or more) or exclusive to eso+. Since there are no major chapters anymore (I just learned this), it means that everything will be DLC, and they will need to gate its access to free players. Think about it: A player who burns their server resources farming to buy crowns to play everything for free, and who doesn't spend $60 yearly, is net negative on the game.

This is the only logical outcome, given they aren't selling $60 expansions anymore. They can't have players like me running around for free if we aren't spending $60 yearly to play.

tomofhyrule · March 12

ImmortalCX wrote: »

sans-culottes wrote: »

Thysbe wrote: »

sans-culottes wrote: »

I get that this change affects people who primarily rely on Crown trading to access DLC, but I think it’s worth stepping back and acknowledging that Crown trading was always an emergent behavior rather than a guaranteed system.

Wrong - several crown bundle for cash buyers posted already in this thread. Don´t see why you ignore that fact and spin your whole reasoning now around crown trading.

sans-culottes wrote: »

You even note that trading for Crowns is an inefficient way to acquire content compared to just paying directly. That’s why it’s hard to argue that ESO’s monetization model has fundamentally changed—it’s still built around either an ESO+ subscription or direct Crown purchases. The only thing that has changed is the timing of the Crown option.

We have zero confirmation that the model stays the same for ESO+ players (they somehow have to make up for not selling chapters any more - to force some stray non ESO+ into getting a sub for a moth or to wont cover that) nor that we will be able to buy the dungeon DLC on April 10th stand alone as we used to.

sans-culottes wrote: »

I think the bigger question is whether a one-month delay meaningfully reduces access to content in the long run. If a month’s wait fundamentally alters someone’s ability to play the game, then that suggests Crown trading wasn’t as sustainable a system as it seemed.

For most of the posters here it´s about splitting year long groups apart. They either have to wait, give in to the purchase preassure or split up and play with randoms. Hollowing the whole experience for all group members, ESO+ or not.

I can see that this might be hard to understand if you just PUG through a dungeon and be done with it, but for some of us group play and socialisation is still the main reason to stay with a game for 10 years. Dungeon and trial release nights are something highly anticipated to set up a date and group up to dive in the newness together.

If the concern is that this policy will push some players toward subscriptions, then yes, that’s probably part of the intent—it’s a monetization model, after all. But I’m not convinced that waiting a month makes ESO unplayable for those who prefer Crown purchases. If it does, then that suggests Crown trading was already more precarious than many assumed.

That is the obvious intent.

It appears that they are using predicted long queue time (and inability to get server achievements) to incentivize people to buy eso+.

If I know that I won't be able to get groups a month after DLC launches, then a crown purchase has been devalued.

It's unknown how it will play out. But it will probably be this: Some players will quit and other players will migrate to eso+. A larger relative% of players will be ESO+. And over time this will only compound as queue times for crown buyers get worse. More people will quit, and more people will migrate to eso+.

If they aren't selling major chapters, then players like me who spend time running around and farming/trading are a drain on their resources.

I think their goal is to get a larger% of players on eso+. If they shed players because of this, it could be seen as a good thing for their bottom line.

If the 1-month delay is not having the desired affect, they could make the delay longer (a year or more) or exclusive to eso+. Since there are no major chapters anymore (I just learned this), it means that everything will be DLC, and they will need to gate its access to free players. Think about it: A player who burns their server resources farming to buy crowns to play everything for free, and who doesn't spend $60 yearly, is net negative on the game.

This is the only logical outcome, given they aren't selling $60 expansions anymore. They can't have players like me running around for free if we aren't spending $60 yearly to play.

This is it right here.

I’m very interested in seeing what they’re gonna talk about in April, because their entire monetization scheme is changing and we still have just as many details on it as we had back in December.

But there are a few facts:

They are no longer doing Chapters, which is a 40-60$ per player on release they’re not getting.
A lot of people have been dropping subs over the last two years because they moved to basegame Q3 and Q4 updates for the past two years. See all of the “my ESO+ is devalued!” complaints, especially from people who do not do dungeons (which has been the only paid DLC we’ve gotten since 2022 with the exception of Zerith and Tanlorin)
Seals of Endeavors have definitely cut into Crate sales, now that players can get their shiny glittermounts even if it takes saving up for them.

There’s really no question that ESO’s revenue is likely down from before. And if that trend continues, all of the farming columbine in Tamriel isn’t gonna be able to keep the servers on because you can’t pay upkeep costs with in-game gold.

Jaimeh · March 13

Darcwolf wrote: »

If this is gonna be ESO new model I'm quitting and going back to GW2, the reason I liked this game was I had a choice, now it appears they want to force subs on people.

Yep, I had to get ESO+ so I could play on release, even though I wasn't planning to sub until we got more news about how content will be released from now on, but I wanted to be able to play with my group. The fact they delayed the buying option for a month does seem like they are trying to force subs on people.

sans-culottes · March 13

ImmortalCX wrote: »

sans-culottes wrote: »

Thysbe wrote: »

sans-culottes wrote: »

I get that this change affects people who primarily rely on Crown trading to access DLC, but I think it’s worth stepping back and acknowledging that Crown trading was always an emergent behavior rather than a guaranteed system.

Wrong - several crown bundle for cash buyers posted already in this thread. Don´t see why you ignore that fact and spin your whole reasoning now around crown trading.

sans-culottes wrote: »

You even note that trading for Crowns is an inefficient way to acquire content compared to just paying directly. That’s why it’s hard to argue that ESO’s monetization model has fundamentally changed—it’s still built around either an ESO+ subscription or direct Crown purchases. The only thing that has changed is the timing of the Crown option.

We have zero confirmation that the model stays the same for ESO+ players (they somehow have to make up for not selling chapters any more - to force some stray non ESO+ into getting a sub for a moth or to wont cover that) nor that we will be able to buy the dungeon DLC on April 10th stand alone as we used to.

sans-culottes wrote: »

I think the bigger question is whether a one-month delay meaningfully reduces access to content in the long run. If a month’s wait fundamentally alters someone’s ability to play the game, then that suggests Crown trading wasn’t as sustainable a system as it seemed.

For most of the posters here it´s about splitting year long groups apart. They either have to wait, give in to the purchase preassure or split up and play with randoms. Hollowing the whole experience for all group members, ESO+ or not.

I can see that this might be hard to understand if you just PUG through a dungeon and be done with it, but for some of us group play and socialisation is still the main reason to stay with a game for 10 years. Dungeon and trial release nights are something highly anticipated to set up a date and group up to dive in the newness together.

If the concern is that this policy will push some players toward subscriptions, then yes, that’s probably part of the intent—it’s a monetization model, after all. But I’m not convinced that waiting a month makes ESO unplayable for those who prefer Crown purchases. If it does, then that suggests Crown trading was already more precarious than many assumed.

That is the obvious intent.

It appears that they are using predicted long queue time (and inability to get server achievements) to incentivize people to buy eso+.

If I know that I won't be able to get groups a month after DLC launches, then a crown purchase has been devalued.

It's unknown how it will play out. But it will probably be this: Some players will quit and other players will migrate to eso+. A larger relative% of players will be ESO+. And over time this will only compound as queue times for crown buyers get worse. More people will quit, and more people will migrate to eso+.

If they aren't selling major chapters, then players like me who spend time running around and farming/trading are a drain on their resources.

I think their goal is to get a larger% of players on eso+. If they shed players because of this, it could be seen as a good thing for their bottom line.

If the 1-month delay is not having the desired affect, they could make the delay longer (a year or more) or exclusive to eso+. Since there are no major chapters anymore (I just learned this), it means that everything will be DLC, and they will need to gate its access to free players. Think about it: A player who burns their server resources farming to buy crowns to play everything for free, and who doesn't spend $60 yearly, is net negative on the game.

This is the only logical outcome, given they aren't selling $60 expansions anymore. They can't have players like me running around for free if we aren't spending $60 yearly to play.

This is an interesting perspective, and I think it ultimately comes down to differing evaluations of use-value versus exchange-value when it comes to Crowns and ESO+.

Your argument makes sense from a long-term monetization perspective—ZOS likely wants a larger percentage of the player base subscribing rather than relying on one-time Crown purchases. That shift would create more predictable revenue and reduce the number of players engaging in extensive farming and Crown trading rather than direct purchases. If the delay does push more players toward ESO+, then it’s functioning as intended.

However, I think where we differ is in how we perceive the value of Crowns under this system. You describe the delay as devaluing Crown purchases, but I’d argue that the exchange-value of Crowns hasn’t actually changed—1,500 Crowns still buys the same DLC. What’s shifted is its use-value relative to ESO+, because now, the immediate access ESO+ provides makes it comparatively more desirable. In other words, the utility of Crowns in accessing content has changed in relation to the new system, but the fundamental purchasing power of Crowns remains the same.

The real question is whether the delay meaningfully alters player behavior in the way ZOS expects. If Crown buyers find it increasingly difficult to find groups and ESO+ becomes the default expectation for dungeon runners, then your concern about a migration toward ESO+ at the expense of Crown buyers becomes self-fulfilling. If, however, enough players continue to rely on Crown purchases and maintain a viable population for grouping post-launch, then the effect might be less dramatic than anticipated.

I agree that this could be a test case for future monetization changes. If the delay proves effective in shifting player spending habits, then ZOS might push it further—potentially extending it beyond a month or even making certain content ESO+ exclusive. That would fundamentally reshape the economic landscape of the game, and at that point, the exchange-value of Crowns could meaningfully decline in a way that alters their function within the economy.

So in short, I don’t necessarily disagree with your assessment of ZOS’s intent—I just think the degree of actual devaluation is contingent on how much this shift impacts the broader player economy over time.

Ph1p · March 13

sans-culottes wrote: »

However, I think where we differ is in how we perceive the value of Crowns under this system. You describe the delay as devaluing Crown purchases, but I’d argue that the exchange-value of Crowns hasn’t actually changed—1,500 Crowns still buys the same DLC. What’s shifted is its use-value relative to ESO+, because now, the immediate access ESO+ provides makes it comparatively more desirable. In other words, the utility of Crowns in accessing content has changed in relation to the new system, but the fundamental purchasing power of Crowns remains the same.

You're making a fundamental mistake by tying the purchasing power of Crowns to the nominal exchange value instead of the utility value. If the price of a chocolate bar stays the same but its size decreased by 10%, you can't argue it's all fine just because the exchange value hasn't budged. If the next Crown Crate costs the same as the last one, but has lower legendary and epic drop rates, nobody will care about the price being the same. If the price of Crown packs stays the same but everything in the Crown Store costs more Crowns, ... well I hope you get the point