Have some thoughts to share.
One of the main appeals of ESO PvP is the ability to create and experiment with different builds, sets, and playstyles. However, with this one week Vengeance Cyrodiil testing, it feels like diversity has been significantly reduced. If there's no real incentive to farm new sets or upgrade gear, the meta becomes stale, and innovation is discouraged. What’s the point of having a deep crafting and set system if only a handful of setups are viable?
The lagging issue in Cyrodiil has been a persistent problem for years, and a single large campaign exacerbates it. The core problem isn't just skill effects but the sheer number of players packed into one instance. Vengeance Cyrodiil doesn’t seem to address this fundamental problem.
Why we can't:
1. Implement multiple smaller campaigns with player caps to distribute the population.
2. Split Cyrodiil into smaller maps where players can choose which zone to enter. Each smaller map could be a phase in the overall battle, with factions needing to win a map before unlocking the next one. This tiered progression could add a new layer of strategy and depth to PvP.
The current state of Cyrodiil gameplay is repetitive: dog fight, take a keep, lose a keep, repeat. There’s little strategic depth beyond zerging objectives. To make PvP more engaging, we need new mechanics and features that add variety and purpose to battles.
Suggestions:
1. New Siege Weapons & Gameplay Elements: Add innovative siege weapons beyond traditional ballistae and trebuchets. Air balloon ships that transport players into keeps, or large mobile siege factories that require fights to control, could make warfare more dynamic.
2. Resource Gathering & Battlefield Bosses: Introduce an element where players need to gather resources to spawn powerful bosses or purchase unique siege weapons. Each major keep could have a world boss that players must defeat to capture the location, adding PvE elements to PvP.
3. Capture-and-Hold Strategic Locations: Instead of just keeps, introduce small outposts, unique siege towers, or power nodes that grant faction-wide buffs.
The Vengeance Cyrodiil test is an interesting experiment, but it feels like a step backward in some ways. If ZOS truly wants to improve Cyrodiil, they should focus on addressing the root causes of lag, maintaining build diversity, and injecting fresh gameplay elements to make PvP more than just a predictable zerg fest.