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• PC/Mac: No maintenance – September 8
• PC/Mac: EU megaserver for maintenance – September 9, 22:00 UTC (6:00PM EDT) - September 10, 16:00 UTC (12:00PM EDT) https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/682784
Overland Content Feedback Thread
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Arunei✭✭✭✭✭
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Destroy them and only keep ones when you need to recharge your Weapons, then. Just because something exists doesn't mean you have to use them. The *option* to not use them is there, there's no need to implement a setting that forces you NOT to use them. Destroy or sell them, bank them, or just ignore them and rez at a Wayshrine instead of where you die.AlterBlika wrote: »That would destroy solo pve completely.But why use them if you don't want to? If it's impulse then just destroy them or put them in your bank.Options.
Like a check list of additional augmentations to the difficulty level you desire.
The game drops filled soul gems whether you want them or not. You can't just put them in the bank and be done with them, they're persistent.
Character List [RP and PvE]:Stands-Against-Death: Argonian Magplar Healer - Crafter
Krisiel: Redguard Stamsorc DPS - Literally crazy Werewolf, no like legit insane. She nuts
Kiju Veran: Khajiit Stamblade DPS - Ex-Fighters Guild Suthay who likes to punch things, nicknamed Tinykat
Niralae Elsinal: Altmer Stamsorc DPS - Young Altmer with way too much Magicka
Sarah Lacroix: Breton Magsorc DPS - Fledgling Vampire who drinks too much water
Slondor: Nord Tankblade - TESified verson of Slenderman
Marius Vastino: Imperial <insert role here> - Sarah's apathetic sire who likes to monologue
Delthor Rellenar: Dunmer Magknight DPS - Sarah's ex who's a certified psychopath
Lirawyn Calatare: Altmer Magplar Healer - Traveling performer and bard who's 101% vanilla bean
Gondryn Beldeau: Breton Tankplar - Sarah's Mages Guild mentor and certified badass old person
Gwendolyn Jenelle: Breton Magplar Healer - Friendly healer with a coffee addiction
Soliril Larethian- Altmer Magblade DPS - Blind alchemist who uses animals to see and brews plagues in his spare time
Tevril Rallenar: Dunmer Stamcro DPS - Delthor's "special" younger brother who raises small animals as friends
Celeroth Calatare: Bosmer <insert role here> - Shapeshifting Bosmer with enough sass to fill Valenwood
PC - NA - EP - CP1000+
Avid RPer. Hit me up in-game @Ras_Lei if you're interested in getting together for some arr-pee shenanigans!4 -
disky✭✭✭✭✭
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People keep coming back to the "just don't use [x]" concept as if it's an effective solution, but it isn't. The fact that it's there means it's always an option waiting to be used, and limitations like that simply aren't the same as a game-imposed restriction. One of the main points of a game is to provide a set of rules and if you're creating the rules for yourself then the game is not fully supporting your experience. I have done it in other games but it's simply not the same, and not anywhere near as enjoyable, as an external limitation.
Destroy them and only keep ones when you need to recharge your Weapons, then. Just because something exists doesn't mean you have to use them. The *option* to not use them is there, there's no need to implement a setting that forces you NOT to use them. Destroy or sell them, bank them, or just ignore them and rez at a Wayshrine instead of where you die.AlterBlika wrote: »That would destroy solo pve completely.But why use them if you don't want to? If it's impulse then just destroy them or put them in your bank.Options.
Like a check list of additional augmentations to the difficulty level you desire.
The game drops filled soul gems whether you want them or not. You can't just put them in the bank and be done with them, they're persistent.
Also, when you enable auto-loot (because you value your time and sanity), you're going to get filled soul gems automatically anyway, defeating the effort you place upon yourself to limit them. Unless you're going back into your inventory and destroying them, which sounds like a huge hassle.Edited by disky on April 24, 2025 1:17PM1 -
twisttop138✭✭✭✭
But why use them if you don't want to? If it's impulse then just destroy them or put them in your bank. I mean I still don't think myself having to run back makes anything harder, but other people do and I don't have to think something for others to.If you up the difficulty of the game, but can simply rez up exactly where you died, as if nothing happened, every time you die, then the extra difficulty becomes meaningless. And, yes, it's the adventure of having to fight your way back to the challenging quest content that makes it so much fun. This is a single player Elder Scrolls perspective.
I would love to be given the option to render both soul gems and way shrines unusable, because l will use them if I can't shut them off somehow; the Inns and my homes serving as the only rez point. This would increase immersion and, also, the motivation to purchase and decorate as many homes as possible. This turns buying homes into part of the progression of your character.
But this option already exists, the game shouldn't have to force it on anyone. If you don't wanna rez where you die, then only use your Houses. Only rez into a Dungeon and clear it and leave. Rez and then port to a friend or guild mate and then run back to where you were. Destroy Soul Gems or leave them in your bank since they are kinda needed for Weapon recharging, or just...don't use them if you keep them on you. This is something people already 100% can do if it would help them enjoy the game more.
People do Trials and HM Vet Dungeons and other hard content not because they want the challenge, but because they want the loot. People wanting harder Overland are wanting Overland itself to be more challenging so they find it fun, rather than boring. They don't need to be lured to the content with exclusive things like Skins because that's not what the reward is. The reward is the higher difficulty.sans-culottes wrote: »sans-culottes wrote: »Adding my two-bob's worth...
With opt-in difficulty please do NOT provide extra or better rewards beyond: more gold, more XP, more white/green gear trash. Ie: nothing that could be construed as significant enough that less able / old (senior) / newcomers / handicapped / casual players feel they are missing out.
I am in a couple of those above categories.
Many long time players want increased difficulty. But many long time players are also fearful that they'll be locked out of content too. I am already locked out of Trials and high level PvP. I don't want to be locked out of Overland content too.
Sure, make the vocal group clammouring for more difficulty happy. Give them that but nothing more and make it opt in. That means that the rest of us can continue on as per normal playing the greatest ever MMORPG!
@Taraezor, rewards like cosmetics and titles already exist behind content that not everyone can or wants to complete. That has been the case for years. Trials, veteran dungeons, and hard modes have exclusive rewards, yet no one claims those systems are exclusionary.
Optional difficulty needs an incentive. Players who opt in to a harder experience should not be expected to accept slower XP, more risk, and longer fights with nothing in return. That is not a power grab. It is basic game design.
No one is being “locked out” by someone else choosing to play differently. Suggesting otherwise relies on imagined harm to justify denying others the chance to enjoy the game more fully.
That's precisely why players who can't participate in trials, dungeons, etc., who are already locked out of exclusive rewards from that content, don't want there to be even more unobtainable exclusive rewards added to an overland hard mode.
The incentive, supposedly, is the enjoyment and challenge people have been requesting. People who are not eager to jump into overland hard mode for its own sake don't need an incentive to do so. Why should ZOS incentivize people to play in overland hard mode? And how is keeping the rewards the same "denying others the chance to enjoy the game more" when supposedly enjoying the game more comes from more difficult overland content?
Maybe "locked out" isn't the best term, but rewards that are only obtainable through challenging content are not accessible to all players (for a variety of reasons which multiple people have already laid out on this board). It's not that those players want to punish others who "play differently." It's that they don't want to miss out on yet more rewards.
@Kallykat, but that’s just it. Those kinds of rewards already exist and always have. No one is retroactively stripping titles or skins from veteran players because someone else can’t or won’t run veteran content. Optional difficulty in overland would follow the same model: those who opt in take on greater risk, and they receive proportionate recognition. That’s not exclusion, it’s just consistency.
If someone doesn’t engage with trials, then they don’t get trial rewards. That’s understood. Applying that same principle to opt-in overland content is not suddenly unfair. Otherwise, the only “acceptable” reward system would be one where every player gets the same outcome regardless of what they choose to engage with. That’s not how RPGs are built, and it never has been.
Why should anything exclusive be locked behind harder Overland when that content itself, not what can be earned, is the whole point of it? Increased reward in Gold, experience, the quality of Gear drops, stuff like that is fine and makes sense. But it makes less sense to lock exclusive things behind a game mode that isn't meant to reward you with anything other than increased difficulty so the gameplay isn't boring.
But why use them if you don't want to? If it's impulse then just destroy them or put them in your bank. I mean I still don't think myself having to run back makes anything harder, but other people do and I don't have to think something for others to.If you up the difficulty of the game, but can simply rez up exactly where you died, as if nothing happened, every time you die, then the extra difficulty becomes meaningless. And, yes, it's the adventure of having to fight your way back to the challenging quest content that makes it so much fun. This is a single player Elder Scrolls perspective.
I would love to be given the option to render both soul gems and way shrines unusable, because l will use them if I can't shut them off somehow; the Inns and my homes serving as the only rez point. This would increase immersion and, also, the motivation to purchase and decorate as many homes as possible. This turns buying homes into part of the progression of your character.
But this option already exists, the game shouldn't have to force it on anyone. If you don't wanna rez where you die, then only use your Houses. Only rez into a Dungeon and clear it and leave. Rez and then port to a friend or guild mate and then run back to where you were. Destroy Soul Gems or leave them in your bank since they are kinda needed for Weapon recharging, or just...don't use them if you keep them on you. This is something people already 100% can do if it would help them enjoy the game more.
People do Trials and HM Vet Dungeons and other hard content not because they want the challenge, but because they want the loot. People wanting harder Overland are wanting Overland itself to be more challenging so they find it fun, rather than boring. They don't need to be lured to the content with exclusive things like Skins because that's not what the reward is. The reward is the higher difficulty.sans-culottes wrote: »sans-culottes wrote: »Adding my two-bob's worth...
With opt-in difficulty please do NOT provide extra or better rewards beyond: more gold, more XP, more white/green gear trash. Ie: nothing that could be construed as significant enough that less able / old (senior) / newcomers / handicapped / casual players feel they are missing out.
I am in a couple of those above categories.
Many long time players want increased difficulty. But many long time players are also fearful that they'll be locked out of content too. I am already locked out of Trials and high level PvP. I don't want to be locked out of Overland content too.
Sure, make the vocal group clammouring for more difficulty happy. Give them that but nothing more and make it opt in. That means that the rest of us can continue on as per normal playing the greatest ever MMORPG!
@Taraezor, rewards like cosmetics and titles already exist behind content that not everyone can or wants to complete. That has been the case for years. Trials, veteran dungeons, and hard modes have exclusive rewards, yet no one claims those systems are exclusionary.
Optional difficulty needs an incentive. Players who opt in to a harder experience should not be expected to accept slower XP, more risk, and longer fights with nothing in return. That is not a power grab. It is basic game design.
No one is being “locked out” by someone else choosing to play differently. Suggesting otherwise relies on imagined harm to justify denying others the chance to enjoy the game more fully.
That's precisely why players who can't participate in trials, dungeons, etc., who are already locked out of exclusive rewards from that content, don't want there to be even more unobtainable exclusive rewards added to an overland hard mode.
The incentive, supposedly, is the enjoyment and challenge people have been requesting. People who are not eager to jump into overland hard mode for its own sake don't need an incentive to do so. Why should ZOS incentivize people to play in overland hard mode? And how is keeping the rewards the same "denying others the chance to enjoy the game more" when supposedly enjoying the game more comes from more difficult overland content?
Maybe "locked out" isn't the best term, but rewards that are only obtainable through challenging content are not accessible to all players (for a variety of reasons which multiple people have already laid out on this board). It's not that those players want to punish others who "play differently." It's that they don't want to miss out on yet more rewards.
@Kallykat, but that’s just it. Those kinds of rewards already exist and always have. No one is retroactively stripping titles or skins from veteran players because someone else can’t or won’t run veteran content. Optional difficulty in overland would follow the same model: those who opt in take on greater risk, and they receive proportionate recognition. That’s not exclusion, it’s just consistency.
If someone doesn’t engage with trials, then they don’t get trial rewards. That’s understood. Applying that same principle to opt-in overland content is not suddenly unfair. Otherwise, the only “acceptable” reward system would be one where every player gets the same outcome regardless of what they choose to engage with. That’s not how RPGs are built, and it never has been.
Why should anything exclusive be locked behind harder Overland when that content itself, not what can be earned, is the whole point of it? Increased reward in Gold, experience, the quality of Gear drops, stuff like that is fine and makes sense. But it makes less sense to lock exclusive things behind a game mode that isn't meant to reward you with anything other than increased difficulty so the gameplay isn't boring.
I don't think wanting harder overland just for the challenge is what everyone has said is the reason they want it. It's not zero sun. Many people want it for various reasons. I think @sans-culottes made an excellent point in that this is already a feature of all content in the game. The more challenging it is, the more it rewards the player for the effort and time spent. We can see this in HM mounts and skins for vet. Not being able to get it is acceptable if you don't want to or are unable to achieve it. I want worm wizard. I want it very much. I'm not there yet to be able to get the clears necessary to get it but it's something to work towards. If I never get it, that's ok. Same with an amazing mount for one of the trials. One of the best in the game imo. It's locked behind a difficult achievement and if I never get it that's acceptable. The same goes for whatever Nick knacks they may put for vet overland. It's nothing new in the game, that harder content earns better rewards. Saying that people should be happy just to have it because that's what some may have said the content itself was the reward fails to recognize that it's something many different people want for different reasons. Now, I have no dog in this fight. I would like harder overland content, optional, but have no idea what it looks like so I keep my mouth shut on that. But when it happens, it will most definitely have achievement and rewards.6 -
Sarannah✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭There should NEVER be extra rewards for any increased overland difficulty option(s). I don't care how small those extra rewards would be, there just should not be any! No extra exp, no extra gold, no extra loot, no different server instances, nothing! This was about immersion, yet somehow we are now at the point where players 'need' rewards for what they first wanted without rewards.
Extra rewards is something I am 100% against! Players should not miss out on something 'extra' if they do not want or simply can't take the higher difficulty option. Granting extra rewards would 'force' players to go to the higher difficulty, even if they do not really want to do so, or they would feel like they are missing out.9 -
twisttop138✭✭✭✭There should NEVER be extra rewards for any increased overland difficulty option(s). I don't care how small those extra rewards would be, there just should not be any! No extra exp, no extra gold, no extra loot, no different server instances, nothing! This was about immersion, yet somehow we are now at the point where players 'need' rewards for what they first wanted without rewards.
Extra rewards is something I am 100% against! Players should not miss out on something 'extra' if they do not want or simply can't take the higher difficulty option. Granting extra rewards would 'force' players to go to the higher difficulty, even if they do not really want to do so, or they would feel like they are missing out.
That's totally cool to feel that way. I understand your feeling, though I disagree. The game already does just that. It rewards higher difficulty content. Also, I wish we could just dispense with saying that it was supposed to be about immersion. Though some did feel this way and stated it, that's not everyone. You can't group everyone in the same category, cause it's just false. We're gonna have to wait and see what the future brings for sure. I would bet though, that there will definitely be rewards for higher difficulty overland.7 -
sans-culottes✭✭✭✭✭
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Well said, @twisttop138. You rightly cited Worm Wizard as an example of this phenomenon.twisttop138 wrote: »There should NEVER be extra rewards for any increased overland difficulty option(s). I don't care how small those extra rewards would be, there just should not be any! No extra exp, no extra gold, no extra loot, no different server instances, nothing! This was about immersion, yet somehow we are now at the point where players 'need' rewards for what they first wanted without rewards.
Extra rewards is something I am 100% against! Players should not miss out on something 'extra' if they do not want or simply can't take the higher difficulty option. Granting extra rewards would 'force' players to go to the higher difficulty, even if they do not really want to do so, or they would feel like they are missing out.
That's totally cool to feel that way. I understand your feeling, though I disagree. The game already does just that. It rewards higher difficulty content. Also, I wish we could just dispense with saying that it was supposed to be about immersion. Though some did feel this way and stated it, that's not everyone. You can't group everyone in the same category, cause it's just false. We're gonna have to wait and see what the future brings for sure. I would bet though, that there will definitely be rewards for higher difficulty overland.
Edited by sans-culottes on April 24, 2025 2:50PM4 -
tohopka_eso✭✭✭✭There should NEVER be extra rewards for any increased overland difficulty option(s). I don't care how small those extra rewards would be, there just should not be any! No extra exp, no extra gold, no extra loot, no different server instances, nothing! This was about immersion, yet somehow we are now at the point where players 'need' rewards for what they first wanted without rewards.
Extra rewards is something I am 100% against! Players should not miss out on something 'extra' if they do not want or simply can't take the higher difficulty option. Granting extra rewards would 'force' players to go to the higher difficulty, even if they do not really want to do so, or they would feel like they are missing out.
You worded it exactly how I was thinking. Thank you.6 -
Credible_Joe✭✭✭✭✭FOMO really does things to people. It's gotta be the most toxic element of any live service game.
Call this a hot take if y'all want, but FEELING compelled to participate in certain content is not the same as BEING compelled. Want Master Angler? The price is fishing. Want an Elder Scroll decoration? The price is Grand Overlord.
Being rewarded for adventuring at higher difficulty is NOT the same as being excluded for adventuring on easy mode. The price for higher gold, XP, treasure quality, whatever would be the risk of failure, and potentially more if they apply the Tel Var / bounty system. Or any other consequence, like disabled self resurrections, extra equipment damage, higher repair costs, etc.
Let's look at crime as an example. Not a high yield vector for income, but good enough to incentivize anyone to do it casually if they want. Imagine, just for a moment, if they added higher-yield rewards with higher-risk content. Master-writ style acquisition targets out in the world. But-- while you're carrying the item, your heat drains more slowly, your bounty NEVER decays, you can't fast travel, and if the guards catch you it locks your character in prison with a real-world timer that can't be skipped. You get one lockpick, as is tradition. Guildmates and players on your friends list can bust you out at the risk of being locked up themselves.
Would anyone actually BE compelled to participate in this? Even if the rewards yield at rates comparable to say, Writ Vouchers?
Was anyone compelled to make their character a criminal just to have access to the modest income stolen items provide when crime was first implemented?
The answer to both is a definite No. There are other ways to make gold. Writ vouchers liquidate at a higher rate than any other commodity in the game, and requires the LEAST interfacing with the whole of what the game offers.
Arguing against one incentive for a proposed gameplay system is arguing against every incentive for every gameplay system. And if they implement a risk mechanic like Tel Var or bounty, which I very much believe they should, the incentive for adventuring on easy mode would be zero risk of loss, time, or any consequence for failure.Thank you for coming to my T E D talk10 -
twisttop138✭✭✭✭sans-culottes wrote: »
Well said, @twisttop138. You rightly cited Worm Wizard as an example of this phenomenon.twisttop138 wrote: »There should NEVER be extra rewards for any increased overland difficulty option(s). I don't care how small those extra rewards would be, there just should not be any! No extra exp, no extra gold, no extra loot, no different server instances, nothing! This was about immersion, yet somehow we are now at the point where players 'need' rewards for what they first wanted without rewards.
Extra rewards is something I am 100% against! Players should not miss out on something 'extra' if they do not want or simply can't take the higher difficulty option. Granting extra rewards would 'force' players to go to the higher difficulty, even if they do not really want to do so, or they would feel like they are missing out.
That's totally cool to feel that way. I understand your feeling, though I disagree. The game already does just that. It rewards higher difficulty content. Also, I wish we could just dispense with saying that it was supposed to be about immersion. Though some did feel this way and stated it, that's not everyone. You can't group everyone in the same category, cause it's just false. We're gonna have to wait and see what the future brings for sure. I would bet though, that there will definitely be rewards for higher difficulty overland.
Off the top of my head that is, I think, the coolest thing locked behind harder content. The mount I mentioned is up there for me as is the dro'mathra skin. If I want those rewards, I do the content. Hard stop. It's not unfair to me if I don't get them cause I make the choice. Some don't see it this way, and that is ok. We're all just sharing opinions at the end of the day, and being able to disagree and have discourse around these topics is really cool.
Now, I'm not a fan of assumptions, but I'm gonna make a prediction. There will be a higher tier of rewards for harder overland. They will not be anything special. I highly doubt a mount, skin or personality. My guess would be purple quality zone gear, a little more gold and xp. I really don't see more then that tied to it. Feel free to tell me what you all think but I'm pretty convinced.3 -
spartaxoxo✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Granting extra rewards would 'force' players to go to the higher difficulty, even if they do not really want to do so, or they would feel like they are missing out.
Why is this considered legitimate only one way? Equal rewards requires extra exp because the mobs take longer and to kill you'd be able to take on less at the same time. Exp awarded is directly impacted by the number of mobs you kill over time.
Being against this means normal would have extra awards over vet.
Which brings me back to my original point. Why is it only considered legitimate force in a single direction?
Why is that equal exp over time = forced casuals into vet
Extra awards for normal =/= forcing vets into normal?
I think it would be plainly unfair for vets to be punished for wanting a more engaging story. And rewards have always been part of the conversation. It just was not a controversial part until more recently so it did not generate much discussionEdited by spartaxoxo on April 24, 2025 4:55PM6 -
Sarannah✭✭✭✭✭
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Can totally understand some players disagreeing with me, and that is fine. But any already existing special reward for higher content, is in repeatable content(worm wizard also)! Meaning everyone can still get it, at any time and any rate they want. Overland is NOT repeatable, and even if it was, a higher reward for increased difficulty would be massively exploitable by both players and bots(remember the coldharbour introduction quest, not a good idea!).sans-culottes wrote: »
Well said, @twisttop138. You rightly cited Worm Wizard as an example of this phenomenon.twisttop138 wrote: »There should NEVER be extra rewards for any increased overland difficulty option(s). I don't care how small those extra rewards would be, there just should not be any! No extra exp, no extra gold, no extra loot, no different server instances, nothing! This was about immersion, yet somehow we are now at the point where players 'need' rewards for what they first wanted without rewards.
Extra rewards is something I am 100% against! Players should not miss out on something 'extra' if they do not want or simply can't take the higher difficulty option. Granting extra rewards would 'force' players to go to the higher difficulty, even if they do not really want to do so, or they would feel like they are missing out.
That's totally cool to feel that way. I understand your feeling, though I disagree. The game already does just that. It rewards higher difficulty content. Also, I wish we could just dispense with saying that it was supposed to be about immersion. Though some did feel this way and stated it, that's not everyone. You can't group everyone in the same category, cause it's just false. We're gonna have to wait and see what the future brings for sure. I would bet though, that there will definitely be rewards for higher difficulty overland.
Let's assume the current situation: Overland is not repeatable, meaning many players will already miss out on the higher difficulty rewards. As they cannot complete that content again, even if they could do that higher difficulty.
Not to mention the complaints from 'new' players on the forums and to customer service, which will most likely happen: "Ohw, I found overland easy but did not know I could change it to a higher difficulty and have now missed out on the extra rewards. Please grant me all the rewards I missed out on!"
Rewarding one player with more than another player, is only going to make many players feel bad. Especially if it is for the same content, regardless of if one completes that content somewhat faster or slower. The reward(s) should stay the same in all difficulties(for non-repeatable content).
The way I see it, any extra rewards for more difficult overland would only have negative sides to it. Negative sides for the entire playerbase. All while immersion was the main target point for asking for a higher difficulty... or atleast, that was claimed to be the target point at first.
PS: Personally I do not think ZOS should waste time on any overland difficulty increase. Some players will always find overland too easy or too hard, no matter what options are given with regards to difficulty. Including with a difficulty slider. (You can also see this pattern in other games like for example Path of Exile and Diablo, where some players ask for higher tier maps and higher torment levels... some players will always want more difficult content, as they will always find it too easy. Regardless of how many difficulty options are given to those players.)Edited by Sarannah on April 24, 2025 5:05PM7 -
spartaxoxo✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Nobody is going to submit a ticket to support because they missed out on getting the same exp as someone else4 -
sans-culottes✭✭✭✭✭
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Can totally understand some players disagreeing with me, and that is fine. But any already existing special reward for higher content, is in repeatable content(worm wizard also)! Meaning everyone can still get it, at any time and any rate they want. Overland is NOT repeatable, and even if it was, a higher reward for increased difficulty would be massively exploitable by both players and bots(remember the coldharbour introduction quest, not a good idea!).sans-culottes wrote: »
Well said, @twisttop138. You rightly cited Worm Wizard as an example of this phenomenon.twisttop138 wrote: »There should NEVER be extra rewards for any increased overland difficulty option(s). I don't care how small those extra rewards would be, there just should not be any! No extra exp, no extra gold, no extra loot, no different server instances, nothing! This was about immersion, yet somehow we are now at the point where players 'need' rewards for what they first wanted without rewards.
Extra rewards is something I am 100% against! Players should not miss out on something 'extra' if they do not want or simply can't take the higher difficulty option. Granting extra rewards would 'force' players to go to the higher difficulty, even if they do not really want to do so, or they would feel like they are missing out.
That's totally cool to feel that way. I understand your feeling, though I disagree. The game already does just that. It rewards higher difficulty content. Also, I wish we could just dispense with saying that it was supposed to be about immersion. Though some did feel this way and stated it, that's not everyone. You can't group everyone in the same category, cause it's just false. We're gonna have to wait and see what the future brings for sure. I would bet though, that there will definitely be rewards for higher difficulty overland.
Let's assume the current situation: Overland is not repeatable, meaning many players will already miss out on the higher difficulty rewards. As they cannot complete that content again, even if they could do that higher difficulty.
Not to mention the complaints from 'new' players on the forums and to customer service, which will most likely happen: "Ohw, I found overland easy but did not know I could change it to a higher difficulty and have now missed out on the extra rewards. Please grant me all the rewards I missed out on!"
Rewarding one player with more than another player, is only going to make many players feel bad. Especially if it is for the same content, regardless of if one completes that content somewhat faster or slower. The reward(s) should stay the same in all difficulties(for non-repeatable content).
The way I see it, any extra rewards for more difficult overland would only have negative sides to it. Negative sides for the entire playerbase. All while immersion was the main target point for asking for a higher difficulty... or atleast, that was claimed to be the target point at first.
PS: Personally I do not think ZOS should waste time on any overland difficulty increase. Some players will always find overland too easy or too hard, no matter what options are given with regards to difficulty. Including with a difficulty slider. (You can also see this pattern in other games like for example Path of Exile and Diablo, where some players ask for higher tier maps and higher torment levels... some players will always want more difficult content, as they will always find it too easy. Regardless of how many difficulty options are given to those players.)
I think we may be talking past each other.
Overland content is, in fact, repeatable—unless one defines “content” strictly as questing. World bosses, dolmens, delve bosses, vampire and werewolf spawns, Harrowstorms, dragons, geysers, and so on are all part of overland, and all of them are repeatable. Some players engage with those more than with quests.
Moreover, the concern about “players feeling bad” if they don’t opt into a higher difficulty is not unique to overland. The game already rewards higher difficulty in dungeons and trials. Players choose the level of challenge and rewards that match their goals and playstyle.
If the concern is about clarity, then that’s a UI and communication issue. It is not a reason to avoid optional systems altogether.Edited by sans-culottes on April 24, 2025 6:21PM8 -
twisttop138✭✭✭✭
Can totally understand some players disagreeing with me, and that is fine. But any already existing special reward for higher content, is in repeatable content(worm wizard also)! Meaning everyone can still get it, at any time and any rate they want. Overland is NOT repeatable, and even if it was, a higher reward for increased difficulty would be massively exploitable by both players and bots(remember the coldharbour introduction quest, not a good idea!).sans-culottes wrote: »
Well said, @twisttop138. You rightly cited Worm Wizard as an example of this phenomenon.twisttop138 wrote: »There should NEVER be extra rewards for any increased overland difficulty option(s). I don't care how small those extra rewards would be, there just should not be any! No extra exp, no extra gold, no extra loot, no different server instances, nothing! This was about immersion, yet somehow we are now at the point where players 'need' rewards for what they first wanted without rewards.
Extra rewards is something I am 100% against! Players should not miss out on something 'extra' if they do not want or simply can't take the higher difficulty option. Granting extra rewards would 'force' players to go to the higher difficulty, even if they do not really want to do so, or they would feel like they are missing out.
That's totally cool to feel that way. I understand your feeling, though I disagree. The game already does just that. It rewards higher difficulty content. Also, I wish we could just dispense with saying that it was supposed to be about immersion. Though some did feel this way and stated it, that's not everyone. You can't group everyone in the same category, cause it's just false. We're gonna have to wait and see what the future brings for sure. I would bet though, that there will definitely be rewards for higher difficulty overland.
Let's assume the current situation: Overland is not repeatable, meaning many players will already miss out on the higher difficulty rewards. As they cannot complete that content again, even if they could do that higher difficulty.
Not to mention the complaints from 'new' players on the forums and to customer service, which will most likely happen: "Ohw, I found overland easy but did not know I could change it to a higher difficulty and have now missed out on the extra rewards. Please grant me all the rewards I missed out on!"
Rewarding one player with more than another player, is only going to make many players feel bad. Especially if it is for the same content, regardless of if one completes that content somewhat faster or slower. The reward(s) should stay the same in all difficulties(for non-repeatable content).
The way I see it, any extra rewards for more difficult overland would only have negative sides to it. Negative sides for the entire playerbase. All while immersion was the main target point for asking for a higher difficulty... or atleast, that was claimed to be the target point at first.
PS: Personally I do not think ZOS should waste time on any overland difficulty increase. Some players will always find overland too easy or too hard, no matter what options are given with regards to difficulty. Including with a difficulty slider. (You can also see this pattern in other games like for example Path of Exile and Diablo, where some players ask for higher tier maps and higher torment levels... some players will always want more difficult content, as they will always find it too easy. Regardless of how many difficulty options are given to those players.)
Well, like I said I'm very clueless about how any of it will work. The same as the rest of us really. I do know that players complaining to support shouldn't be taken into the equation. Also, I guess immersion was talked about but I can't bring myself to read every reply in this thread. I do take your word for it, but again just because some fires it as a reason doesn't mean everyone did. I can tell you, personally, I don't care about immersion. Mount your crazy mounts, use the dark anchor recall. So it's not all of us. I think some extra challenging overland could be fun sometimes. Still though. I don't think anyone will be missing out. There is plenty of overland and more to come, to get that sweet sweet worthless overland sets in purple or 25 gold instead of 19.4 -
icapital✭✭✭✭There should NEVER be extra rewards for any increased overland difficulty option(s). I don't care how small those extra rewards would be, there just should not be any! No extra exp, no extra gold, no extra loot, no different server instances, nothing! This was about immersion, yet somehow we are now at the point where players 'need' rewards for what they first wanted without rewards.
Extra rewards is something I am 100% against! Players should not miss out on something 'extra' if they do not want or simply can't take the higher difficulty option. Granting extra rewards would 'force' players to go to the higher difficulty, even if they do not really want to do so, or they would feel like they are missing out.
Nah, there should be rewards for those who are willing to tackle higher difficulties. Right now, the difficulty of the overworld is story mode, there should be reward for those willing to step outside of that safety.2 -
Iselin✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭Wow! This thread has certainly devolved in 4 years. Now some want extra rewards for their higher tuned overland content instances?
I thought this was all about playing content at a difficulty that more suits their taste, not about greed or flaunting their ubernes with special titles, costumes, speed leveling prowess or gold.
Kids these days!
(and yes, I'm 75 and can legitimately think of most of you as kids, lol) 13 -
Franchise408✭✭✭✭✭
✭Credible_Joe wrote: »FOMO really does things to people. It's gotta be the most toxic element of any live service game.
Call this a hot take if y'all want, but FEELING compelled to participate in certain content is not the same as BEING compelled. Want Master Angler? The price is fishing. Want an Elder Scroll decoration? The price is Grand Overlord.
Being rewarded for adventuring at higher difficulty is NOT the same as being excluded for adventuring on easy mode. The price for higher gold, XP, treasure quality, whatever would be the risk of failure, and potentially more if they apply the Tel Var / bounty system. Or any other consequence, like disabled self resurrections, extra equipment damage, higher repair costs, etc.
Let's look at crime as an example. Not a high yield vector for income, but good enough to incentivize anyone to do it casually if they want. Imagine, just for a moment, if they added higher-yield rewards with higher-risk content. Master-writ style acquisition targets out in the world. But-- while you're carrying the item, your heat drains more slowly, your bounty NEVER decays, you can't fast travel, and if the guards catch you it locks your character in prison with a real-world timer that can't be skipped. You get one lockpick, as is tradition. Guildmates and players on your friends list can bust you out at the risk of being locked up themselves.
Would anyone actually BE compelled to participate in this? Even if the rewards yield at rates comparable to say, Writ Vouchers?
Was anyone compelled to make their character a criminal just to have access to the modest income stolen items provide when crime was first implemented?
The answer to both is a definite No. There are other ways to make gold. Writ vouchers liquidate at a higher rate than any other commodity in the game, and requires the LEAST interfacing with the whole of what the game offers.
Arguing against one incentive for a proposed gameplay system is arguing against every incentive for every gameplay system. And if they implement a risk mechanic like Tel Var or bounty, which I very much believe they should, the incentive for adventuring on easy mode would be zero risk of loss, time, or any consequence for failure.
Never in my entire life of gaming have I ever seen a community that wants all the rewards for none of the work like this one. I don't know why some people are so insistent upon having equal access to every single reward, while not doing the work of the actual content or difficulty level to get it.5 -
spartaxoxo✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Quest reward overhaul: Receive a reward chest at the end of a quest depending on the type of quest you have completed. The reward chest rolls on a drop table for various material, motif, cash, furniture or armour set rewards. Each chest has access to the same drop table with the greater chests having a better chance of better loot.
[*] An optional challenge mode toggle for overland quests: A list of debuffs are afflicted onto your character depending on the challenge you have selected. A collectible tool can toggle these effects on and off in case you decide it is too difficult, or you need to go do something else entirely. Cancelling the challenge will fail the challenge however. Upon completion of the quest and challenge you receive a better rewards chest which has a slightly increased drop chance of better loot from the same drop table as the other chests, a little something for your efforts.
[*] Increase the difficulty and complexity of objectives and puzzles when making new quests. Currently we are spoon-fed the objectives in a quest as if they were made for toddlers. This would be another way to make questing more engaging without touching combat.
[*] Other rewards: This suggestion will be a bit more controversial as some people don't like the 'pressure'. Include achievements, skins and titles for those who wish to complete quests using the challenge toggle. For example, complete all quests in a certain zone using the 'half HP' toggle and receive the 'something something' title.
This quote is from the first few pages of this thread.
There are also people saying they don't want overland to have any rewards at all on the very first page of this thread, as this thread was created in the response to spammed threads that also included discussion of rewards. So, it was also brought up before this thread was even created.
It is simply untrue that it's "all of a sudden," people have wanted any difficulty to not have a little something so that people don't feel they are worse off gameplay wise for choosing it. It's been a request the entire time. And it was mostly uncontroversial because it's how it works in every game I have ever played.
Most games will at the very least leave you at net neutral. Some actively reward picking the harder difficulty. I've never played a game where the easiest difficulty was also the most rewarding.Edited by spartaxoxo on April 24, 2025 10:09PM5 -
spartaxoxo✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Franchise408 wrote: »Never in my entire life of gaming have I ever seen a community that wants all the rewards for none of the work like this one. I don't know why some people are so insistent upon having equal access to every single reward, while not doing the work of the actual content or difficulty level to get it.
Not only that but thinks the casual difficulty level should be far the most functional and rewarding. The part about this that I really don't get is that the quest exp isn't even good. Anyone serious about leveling does it by grinding, not going through a story mode. And any exp modifier that they gave would never be able to compare to being able to grind a ton of stuff at once unless it was crazy overtuned and unlike what is typically seen in video games.
ETA
Quest exp rewards are already barely functional and should frankly be increased for everyone over level 50 imo. So, that continuing to quest actually helps CP a good amount. Obtaining max CP is extremely grindy, albeit not necessary.Edited by spartaxoxo on April 24, 2025 10:15PM3 -
sans-culottes✭✭✭✭✭
✭Wow! This thread has certainly devolved in 4 years. Now some want extra rewards for their higher tuned overland content instances?
I thought this was all about playing content at a difficulty that more suits their taste, not about greed or flaunting their ubernes with special titles, costumes, speed leveling prowess or gold.
Kids these days! (and yes, I'm 75 and can legitimately think of most of you as kids, lol)
I think we may be talking past each other a bit. Asking for proportionate rewards tied to increased overland difficulty isn’t about “greed” or vanity. It’s about consistency with the game’s existing systems, which already reward higher challenge in dungeons, arenas, and trials. A title or cosmetic tied to optional difficulty isn’t flaunting; it’s just recognizing effort, the same way veteran clears already are.
This isn’t a generational issue, nor is it about moral superiority. It’s just about giving players meaningful ways to engage with content on their own terms, just as others do when they opt to play more casually. Everyone plays for their own reasons. Optional rewards tied to optional difficulty are not exclusionary.Edited by sans-culottes on April 25, 2025 8:42PM4 -
Iselin✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭sans-culottes wrote: »Wow! This thread has certainly devolved in 4 years. Now some want extra rewards for their higher tuned overland content instances?
I thought this was all about playing content at a difficulty that more suits their taste, not about greed or flaunting their ubernes with special titles, costumes, speed leveling prowess or gold.
Kids these days! (and yes, I'm 75 and can legitimately think of most of you as kids, lol)
think we may be talking past each other a bit. Asking for proportionate rewards tied to increased overland difficulty isn’t about “greed” or vanity. It’s about consistency with the game’s existing systems, which already reward higher challenge in dungeons, arenas, and trials. A title or cosmetic tied to optional difficulty isn’t flaunting; it’s just recognizing effort, the same way veteran clears already are.
This isn’t a generational issue, nor is it about moral superiority. It’s just about giving players meaningful ways to engage with content on their own terms, just as others do when they opt to play more casually. Everyone plays for their own reasons. Optional rewards tied to optional difficulty are not exclusionary.
IDK how long you've been around, but I've been playing since day 1 when overland content was much, much tougher, especially in Veteran content when you got sent by Cadwell to the other alliance zones.
As the game evolved, the difficulty has gotten rather trivial.
This thread was created in response to many, many threads that were created for a few years prior asking for increased difficulty.
This idea of choosing a difficulty via phasing, I presume, came much later as a compromise, but absolutely not one single person was asking for better rewards for opting in to a more difficult phase. This is a new thing. All that many of us wanted was a more challenging overland, period.
Some of you have come along lately and started asking to be rewarded for opting in to a higher difficulty. This is a new spin. And you're right it's no generational thing (I was just joking about kids and age lol) although I suspect it's a new player thing.
Those who weren't around when veteran levels were replaced by champion points, One Tamriel launched, level scaling was introduced, etc. never got to experience the progression of cumulative changes that resulted in a much easier game.
To new players what exists now is normal so I can see, to a small extent, where you may be coming from asking to be rewarded for opting into a "new" higher difficulty. To those like me who have been here for 10 years, we see it as a restoration, at least in part, of what already existed. Asking for rewards for that just seems weird and alien to me.
8 -
twisttop138✭✭✭✭sans-culottes wrote: »Wow! This thread has certainly devolved in 4 years. Now some want extra rewards for their higher tuned overland content instances?
I thought this was all about playing content at a difficulty that more suits their taste, not about greed or flaunting their ubernes with special titles, costumes, speed leveling prowess or gold.
Kids these days! (and yes, I'm 75 and can legitimately think of most of you as kids, lol)
think we may be talking past each other a bit. Asking for proportionate rewards tied to increased overland difficulty isn’t about “greed” or vanity. It’s about consistency with the game’s existing systems, which already reward higher challenge in dungeons, arenas, and trials. A title or cosmetic tied to optional difficulty isn’t flaunting; it’s just recognizing effort, the same way veteran clears already are.
This isn’t a generational issue, nor is it about moral superiority. It’s just about giving players meaningful ways to engage with content on their own terms, just as others do when they opt to play more casually. Everyone plays for their own reasons. Optional rewards tied to optional difficulty are not exclusionary.
IDK how long you've been around, but I've been playing since day 1 when overland content was much, much tougher, especially in Veteran content when you got sent by Cadwell to the other alliance zones.
As the game evolved, the difficulty has gotten rather trivial.
This thread was created in response to many, many threads that were created for a few years prior asking for increased difficulty.
This idea of choosing a difficulty via phasing, I presume, came much later as a compromise, but absolutely not one single person was asking for better rewards for opting in to a more difficult phase. This is a new thing. All that many of us wanted was a more challenging overland, period.
Some of you have come along lately and started asking to be rewarded for opting in to a higher difficulty. This is a new spin. And you're right it's no generational thing (I was just joking about kids and age lol) although I suspect it's a new player thing.
Those who weren't around when veteran levels were replaced by champion points, One Tamriel launched, level scaling was introduced, etc. never got to experience the progression of cumulative changes that resulted in a much easier game.
To new players what exists now is normal so I can see, to a small extent, where you may be coming from asking to be rewarded for opting into a "new" higher difficulty. To those like me who have been here for 10 years, we see it as a restoration, at least in part, of what already existed. Asking for rewards for that just seems weird and alien to me.
I think you're on to something with your statement of restoration, though I think it needs to be optional. I don't think though, that anyone needs to have been here from the "beginning" as you put it, for their opinion to be valid or taken seriously. Length of time in game really has no bearing on that. Also, while you may think that in the beginning of this harder overland conversation, it was just about restoration with no thought of rewards, ideas and opinions evolve over time. I was also here at the "beginning" and played on and off since due to kids and a job I put more time and energy into them I should. That doesn't make what I say any more or less important then anyone else. I will say though, that reading these many threads over the years, there has always been talk of how it should be rewarded. Let's be plain, this game rewards you for time spent and it's usually proportional to the difficulty of the content you're doing. See perfected gear vs regular gear. Undaunted treasures in vHRC, pets for normal dungeons and skins for vet. From the start of reading these threads I took improved rewards to just be a matter of fact to go along with the increased difficulty, as I'm sure others did.
We are all welcome to our opinion, and I respect your yours. It's a good take even if I disagree with some of it. My opinion is that it should be rewarded, but not in an extreme way, because I just don't think it needs crazy stuff and I don't think ZOS will anyway. In my mind I'm picturing purple quality zone sets and a higher gold and xp rate. This is reasonable. I don't think there will be skins or mounts or anything like that and I think most people would agree that ZOS won't go that far.i can see this thread is stressful to some, I would encourage those people to try not to worry so much. It's a game at the end of the day, it shouldn't be causing you undue stress. Whatever happens will happen but if you really think about it, I don't see Zos driving away large parts of an already small community by cranking it up to 10. Or even 5. I choose to believe it'll be optional.6 -
sans-culottes✭✭✭✭✭
✭sans-culottes wrote: »Wow! This thread has certainly devolved in 4 years. Now some want extra rewards for their higher tuned overland content instances?
I thought this was all about playing content at a difficulty that more suits their taste, not about greed or flaunting their ubernes with special titles, costumes, speed leveling prowess or gold.
Kids these days! (and yes, I'm 75 and can legitimately think of most of you as kids, lol)
think we may be talking past each other a bit. Asking for proportionate rewards tied to increased overland difficulty isn’t about “greed” or vanity. It’s about consistency with the game’s existing systems, which already reward higher challenge in dungeons, arenas, and trials. A title or cosmetic tied to optional difficulty isn’t flaunting; it’s just recognizing effort, the same way veteran clears already are.
This isn’t a generational issue, nor is it about moral superiority. It’s just about giving players meaningful ways to engage with content on their own terms, just as others do when they opt to play more casually. Everyone plays for their own reasons. Optional rewards tied to optional difficulty are not exclusionary.
IDK how long you've been around, but I've been playing since day 1 when overland content was much, much tougher, especially in Veteran content when you got sent by Cadwell to the other alliance zones.
As the game evolved, the difficulty has gotten rather trivial.
This thread was created in response to many, many threads that were created for a few years prior asking for increased difficulty.
This idea of choosing a difficulty via phasing, I presume, came much later as a compromise, but absolutely not one single person was asking for better rewards for opting in to a more difficult phase. This is a new thing. All that many of us wanted was a more challenging overland, period.
Some of you have come along lately and started asking to be rewarded for opting in to a higher difficulty. This is a new spin. And you're right it's no generational thing (I was just joking about kids and age lol) although I suspect it's a new player thing.
Those who weren't around when veteran levels were replaced by champion points, One Tamriel launched, level scaling was introduced, etc. never got to experience the progression of cumulative changes that resulted in a much easier game.
To new players what exists now is normal so I can see, to a small extent, where you may be coming from asking to be rewarded for opting into a "new" higher difficulty. To those like me who have been here for 10 years, we see it as a restoration, at least in part, of what already existed. Asking for rewards for that just seems weird and alien to me.
Appreciate the reply, though I think a bit of historical perspective may help clarify things.
Optional difficulty tiers with corresponding, non-power rewards aren’t a radical innovation but a design convention. Lord of the Rings Online has long implemented scalable landscape difficulty with cosmetic and title-based incentives. It wasn’t controversial there, and it didn’t fragment the player base. It gave players meaningful ways to opt in or out of challenge without penalizing either group. It worked precisely because the rewards were symbolic, not mechanical.
The same principle applies here. If a player chooses a harder version of overland content, then they’re still doing the same quests and clearing the same zones. A title or cosmetic earned in that mode doesn’t negate the accomplishments of those who played at standard difficulty. It simply recognizes a different kind of engagement, one the game itself invited.
The argument isn’t about entitlement. It’s about design consistency. Every other system that scales difficulty—dungeons, trials, arenas—uses rewards to structure and incentivize engagement. If overland difficulty is to be a genuine system and not just a toggle, then it will need internal logic. Otherwise, it risks becoming ornamental rather than meaningful.
The desire for challenge isn’t undermined by modest, optional recognition. On the contrary, it’s often what keeps that challenge compelling over time.
P.S. As a longtime player myself, I was a little puzzled by the suggestion that this is all being pushed by “Johnnies-come-lately” asking for something alien to ESO’s design. The idea that optional difficulty should come with proportional reward is not some recent corruption of the game’s ethos. Rather, it’s a well-established model in MMOs, including games like LotRO and has been floated in ESO’s own community for years. In fact, ESO already sets a precedent here: dungeons and trials include difficulty toggles that offer greater rewards for greater challenge. Tenure alone doesn’t confer authority. Arguments stand or fall on their own merit, not on the seniority of the person making them.Edited by sans-culottes on April 25, 2025 11:57AM6 -
DaveMoeDee✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭sans-culottes wrote: »sans-culottes wrote: »Wow! This thread has certainly devolved in 4 years. Now some want extra rewards for their higher tuned overland content instances?
I thought this was all about playing content at a difficulty that more suits their taste, not about greed or flaunting their ubernes with special titles, costumes, speed leveling prowess or gold.
Kids these days! (and yes, I'm 75 and can legitimately think of most of you as kids, lol)
think we may be talking past each other a bit. Asking for proportionate rewards tied to increased overland difficulty isn’t about “greed” or vanity. It’s about consistency with the game’s existing systems, which already reward higher challenge in dungeons, arenas, and trials. A title or cosmetic tied to optional difficulty isn’t flaunting; it’s just recognizing effort, the same way veteran clears already are.
This isn’t a generational issue, nor is it about moral superiority. It’s just about giving players meaningful ways to engage with content on their own terms, just as others do when they opt to play more casually. Everyone plays for their own reasons. Optional rewards tied to optional difficulty are not exclusionary.
IDK how long you've been around, but I've been playing since day 1 when overland content was much, much tougher, especially in Veteran content when you got sent by Cadwell to the other alliance zones.
As the game evolved, the difficulty has gotten rather trivial.
This thread was created in response to many, many threads that were created for a few years prior asking for increased difficulty.
This idea of choosing a difficulty via phasing, I presume, came much later as a compromise, but absolutely not one single person was asking for better rewards for opting in to a more difficult phase. This is a new thing. All that many of us wanted was a more challenging overland, period.
Some of you have come along lately and started asking to be rewarded for opting in to a higher difficulty. This is a new spin. And you're right it's no generational thing (I was just joking about kids and age lol) although I suspect it's a new player thing.
Those who weren't around when veteran levels were replaced by champion points, One Tamriel launched, level scaling was introduced, etc. never got to experience the progression of cumulative changes that resulted in a much easier game.
To new players what exists now is normal so I can see, to a small extent, where you may be coming from asking to be rewarded for opting into a "new" higher difficulty. To those like me who have been here for 10 years, we see it as a restoration, at least in part, of what already existed. Asking for rewards for that just seems weird and alien to me.
Appreciate the reply, though I think a bit of historical perspective may help clarify things.
Optional difficulty tiers with corresponding, non-power rewards aren’t a radical innovation but a design convention. Lord of the Rings Online has long implemented scalable landscape difficulty with cosmetic and title-based incentives. It wasn’t controversial there, and it didn’t fragment the player base. It gave players meaningful ways to opt in or out of challenge without penalizing either group. It worked precisely because the rewards were symbolic, not mechanical.
The same principle applies here. If a player chooses a harder version of overland content, then they’re still doing the same quests and clearing the same zones. A title or cosmetic earned in that mode doesn’t negate the accomplishments of those who played at standard difficulty. It simply recognizes a different kind of engagement, one the game itself invited.
The argument isn’t about entitlement. It’s about design consistency. Every other system that scales difficulty—dungeons, trials, arenas—uses rewards to structure and incentivize engagement. If overland difficulty is to be a genuine system and not just a toggle, then it will need internal logic. Otherwise, it risks becoming ornamental rather than meaningful.
The desire for challenge isn’t undermined by modest, optional recognition. On the contrary, it’s often what keeps that challenge compelling over time.
P.S. As a longtime player myself, I was a little puzzled by the suggestion that this is all being pushed by “Johnnies-come-lately” asking for something alien to ESO’s design. The idea that optional difficulty should come with proportional reward is not some recent corruption of the game’s ethos. Rather, it’s a well-established model in MMOs, including games like LotRO and has been floated in ESO’s own community for years. In fact, ESO already sets a precedent here: dungeons and trials include difficulty toggles that offer greater rewards for greater challenge. Tenure alone doesn’t confer authority. Arguments stand or fall on their own merit, not on the seniority of the person making them.
What I don't want to see is a nerf of rewards for using the default difficulty in overland. That also means I wouldn't want to see significant changes that move the economy so much that it is no longer economical to play at the default difficulty. I don't want to see an increase in non-bound rewards from harder overland. But cosmetics, titles, achievements, and other stuff that have no impact on anything sound find. But what content could you link to that? Beating world bosses on higher difficulty? Killing x mobs in zone? I don't want anything that encourages more people to farm zone mobs as long as there are quests requiring killing those same mobs.
WB seems good though. Delve bosses maybe. Or the bosses in those world dungeons that have like 6 bosses.2 -
Muizer✭✭✭✭✭
✭spartaxoxo wrote: »ETA
Exactly what is arriving and at what estimated time? Seriously though. I don't know of any other meaning.
Please stop making requests for game features. ZOS have enough bad ideas as it is!1 -
twisttop138✭✭✭✭DaveMoeDee wrote: »sans-culottes wrote: »sans-culottes wrote: »Wow! This thread has certainly devolved in 4 years. Now some want extra rewards for their higher tuned overland content instances?
I thought this was all about playing content at a difficulty that more suits their taste, not about greed or flaunting their ubernes with special titles, costumes, speed leveling prowess or gold.
Kids these days! (and yes, I'm 75 and can legitimately think of most of you as kids, lol)
think we may be talking past each other a bit. Asking for proportionate rewards tied to increased overland difficulty isn’t about “greed” or vanity. It’s about consistency with the game’s existing systems, which already reward higher challenge in dungeons, arenas, and trials. A title or cosmetic tied to optional difficulty isn’t flaunting; it’s just recognizing effort, the same way veteran clears already are.
This isn’t a generational issue, nor is it about moral superiority. It’s just about giving players meaningful ways to engage with content on their own terms, just as others do when they opt to play more casually. Everyone plays for their own reasons. Optional rewards tied to optional difficulty are not exclusionary.
IDK how long you've been around, but I've been playing since day 1 when overland content was much, much tougher, especially in Veteran content when you got sent by Cadwell to the other alliance zones.
As the game evolved, the difficulty has gotten rather trivial.
This thread was created in response to many, many threads that were created for a few years prior asking for increased difficulty.
This idea of choosing a difficulty via phasing, I presume, came much later as a compromise, but absolutely not one single person was asking for better rewards for opting in to a more difficult phase. This is a new thing. All that many of us wanted was a more challenging overland, period.
Some of you have come along lately and started asking to be rewarded for opting in to a higher difficulty. This is a new spin. And you're right it's no generational thing (I was just joking about kids and age lol) although I suspect it's a new player thing.
Those who weren't around when veteran levels were replaced by champion points, One Tamriel launched, level scaling was introduced, etc. never got to experience the progression of cumulative changes that resulted in a much easier game.
To new players what exists now is normal so I can see, to a small extent, where you may be coming from asking to be rewarded for opting into a "new" higher difficulty. To those like me who have been here for 10 years, we see it as a restoration, at least in part, of what already existed. Asking for rewards for that just seems weird and alien to me.
Appreciate the reply, though I think a bit of historical perspective may help clarify things.
Optional difficulty tiers with corresponding, non-power rewards aren’t a radical innovation but a design convention. Lord of the Rings Online has long implemented scalable landscape difficulty with cosmetic and title-based incentives. It wasn’t controversial there, and it didn’t fragment the player base. It gave players meaningful ways to opt in or out of challenge without penalizing either group. It worked precisely because the rewards were symbolic, not mechanical.
The same principle applies here. If a player chooses a harder version of overland content, then they’re still doing the same quests and clearing the same zones. A title or cosmetic earned in that mode doesn’t negate the accomplishments of those who played at standard difficulty. It simply recognizes a different kind of engagement, one the game itself invited.
The argument isn’t about entitlement. It’s about design consistency. Every other system that scales difficulty—dungeons, trials, arenas—uses rewards to structure and incentivize engagement. If overland difficulty is to be a genuine system and not just a toggle, then it will need internal logic. Otherwise, it risks becoming ornamental rather than meaningful.
The desire for challenge isn’t undermined by modest, optional recognition. On the contrary, it’s often what keeps that challenge compelling over time.
P.S. As a longtime player myself, I was a little puzzled by the suggestion that this is all being pushed by “Johnnies-come-lately” asking for something alien to ESO’s design. The idea that optional difficulty should come with proportional reward is not some recent corruption of the game’s ethos. Rather, it’s a well-established model in MMOs, including games like LotRO and has been floated in ESO’s own community for years. In fact, ESO already sets a precedent here: dungeons and trials include difficulty toggles that offer greater rewards for greater challenge. Tenure alone doesn’t confer authority. Arguments stand or fall on their own merit, not on the seniority of the person making them.
What I don't want to see is a nerf of rewards for using the default difficulty in overland. That also means I wouldn't want to see significant changes that move the economy so much that it is no longer economical to play at the default difficulty. I don't want to see an increase in non-bound rewards from harder overland. But cosmetics, titles, achievements, and other stuff that have no impact on anything sound find. But what content could you link to that? Beating world bosses on higher difficulty? Killing x mobs in zone? I don't want anything that encourages more people to farm zone mobs as long as there are quests requiring killing those same mobs.
WB seems good though. Delve bosses maybe. Or the bosses in those world dungeons that have like 6 bosses.
I get the concern. I have a feeling though that it won't even go as far as skins or anything. Maybe increased chance of zone motif drops, some low percentage of more gold and xp. Maybe purple quality sets from the zone you're in. I don't see them making it crazy. Though I know I don't care a fig for the "economy" I understand some people's concerns. Still though, I can't see Zos going overboard on rewards.1 -
spartaxoxo✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭spartaxoxo wrote: »ETA
Exactly what is arriving and at what estimated time? Seriously though. I don't know of any other meaning.
"Edited to Add" on an online forum. Generally used when a significant new/different point is being made rather than just editing for grammar or clarity. I try to remember to do that.Edited by spartaxoxo on April 25, 2025 6:21PM2 -
Rex-Umbra✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭I thought this was supposed to be the overland difficulty increase update. I don't see any mention in notes what's going on????Xbox GT: Rex Umbrah
GM of IMPERIUM since 2015.1 -
spartaxoxo✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭I thought this was supposed to be the overland difficulty increase update. I don't see any mention in notes what's going on????
They are letting it cook some more but it's still supposed to come out later this year. They have a team working on it and want to make sure it's done right.0 -
Credible_Joe✭✭✭✭✭I thought this was supposed to be the overland difficulty increase update. I don't see any mention in notes what's going on????
@ZOS_Kevin
Could we sticky a status update on this feature? The last information posted by the studio that's easily searchable on this topic is Rich's 2025 letter. Everything else is mid-thread mod correspondence and Rich's comments at the end of the seasons post-stream.
Between here, discord, and reddit, people keep asking about this over and over.Thank you for coming to my T E D talk2