SilverBride wrote: »

Will there be questing? Or World Bosses? Or Delves? Or Public Dungeons?

Yes to all of the above.

It is going to be a standard chapter zone but cut in half. Each side will have a public dungeon, delves and world bosses from my understanding. We don't really get companions or a major new system which is disappointing. I don't consider subclassing as part of the season/chapter as it is based game updates.

I still look forward to exploring, I liked Summerset architecture and I'm a Dunmer and Argonian fan. I hope the zone event makes up for the lack of new systems.

Nothing of what you mentioned actually changed the game much. Except for the subclassing which may or may not have that effect, and the content pass which distributes content differently. But the content pass itself has no in-game changes with it.
A somewhat higher difficulty does not change the game much either, just makes it a bit more annoying. Personally I wonder why players even ask the devs to waste time on this, as it will never be difficult enough for them.

Anyways, I don't think ESO has fundamentially changed all that much. The new systems and things ZOS has implemented has actually made this game more unique. Making it stand out from other games.

The only thing that has changed the game fundamentally over all these years, is the nerfing of skills/abilities/gear that is constantly going on. This has changed many fun builds and skills and gear into something less fun. This is the main problem with nerfing, eventually the game will feel different. When everything you knew, is now changed forever.

You can always just play the content you are familiar with, you do not have to chase the meta. As all the old things still work quite well. Even if they are different.

Here's what's in the new zone, Solstice:

https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Solstice

That's the first half of the season. The next half won't be released until later in the year.

having been told again and again checking out the pts players would see the fun i did, with one thing in mind to see how my current char plays without changing a thing after the update, [snip] i admit i only stayed for 50 minutes (time includes a few dummy bashing goes with my usual sets=non meta and some meta sets from current live) because thats how long it also took me to level 1 assasins skill line to 39 for all passives (last at stage1) in a PD (no random normal for a boost as not enough players were in queue for it to tick) for my arcanist to see if just using the passives increased the dps. result: non meta, janky outdated harder to play maybe a little less dps while then leveling up 1 nightblade skill line just for passives using none of the skills 2 arca lines 1 nightblade = higher dps and starts to feel somewhat like playing the original toon. theres also no way this is not a plain funneling for our characters down the subclassing road. overall opinion = worse state of affairs than i though before i entered. i did not need to stay or test results any longer to see where it was going. overall impression: if the cost of this is losing classes as a whole to be unique in thier own right, along with several other issues now. never in a million years should this update get the go ahead. feels really like stripping the old classes for the worse so people can come up with an idea for one new all powerful build, ONE

[edited for bashing]

Mesite wrote: »

I don't usually like change, but I'm okay with the changes but I was worried about the word 'Seasons' when I heard it. I wouldn't want the Seasons to change to be like Diablo 4 where you have to roll a new character every season. That would be a nightmare.

i have never cared much about eso change really and just gone on with playing, but this update is so bad its worth a mention from me (actually more than one mention)

SilverBride wrote: »

ESO has become unrecognizable to me with the changes happening this year. It actually started last year with Gold Road, and scribing, and the long tedious World Bosses and Incursions. But things are moving much faster this year in a direction that I don't feel a part of any more.

It feels like some of the changes are in response to things that players have asked for throughout the years, only they aren't all being implemented the way we expected.

Players asked for spellcrafting and we got scribing. (Which basically is spellcrafting I guess but not exactly.)
Players asked for a furniture crafting bag and we got the furniture vault. (Which is a step in the right direction.)
Players asked for a class change token and we got subclassing. (I won't go into that here.)
Players asked for a difficulty option for overland and we are told they have a team working on that. (I'm afraid to see how that gets implemented.)

Then there are Seasons instead of Chapters and DLCs. I actually don't see much difference because the first content is coming in June just like new Chapters did. I don't know what will come after that, but it's costing more and taking more away from ESO+. I personally am not going to purchase it because I have no idea what the new zone will be about, or what it will have. Will there be questing? Or World Bosses? Or Delves? Or Public Dungeons? Or is it a completely new format, too?

I just don't feel like I am playing the same game any more and I want my ESO back.

My biggest mantra on these forums that is WE as a community have to be careful what we ask for. because we very very rarely get anything close to what we asked for.

SilverBride wrote: »

ESO has become unrecognizable to me with the changes happening this year. It actually started last year with Gold Road, and scribing, and the long tedious World Bosses and Incursions. But things are moving much faster this year in a direction that I don't feel a part of any more.

It feels like some of the changes are in response to things that players have asked for throughout the years, only they aren't all being implemented the way we expected.

Players asked for spellcrafting and we got scribing. (Which basically is spellcrafting I guess but not exactly.)
Players asked for a furniture crafting bag and we got the furniture vault. (Which is a step in the right direction.)
Players asked for a class change token and we got subclassing. (I won't go into that here.)
Players asked for a difficulty option for overland and we are told they have a team working on that. (I'm afraid to see how that gets implemented.)

Then there are Seasons instead of Chapters and DLCs. I actually don't see much difference because the first content is coming in June just like new Chapters did. I don't know what will come after that, but it's costing more and taking more away from ESO+. I personally am not going to purchase it because I have no idea what the new zone will be about, or what it will have. Will there be questing? Or World Bosses? Or Delves? Or Public Dungeons? Or is it a completely new format, too?

I just don't feel like I am playing the same game any more and I want my ESO back.

I lost my ESO when homogenisation happened. Then patch 35 killed the rest.
PvE combat and class identity has never been the same since.

Phen0meenal wrote: »

I don't think the game should stagnate and do the exact same thing forever just because of one person. Things need to change sometimes.

ZOS has the data, they know what they're doing.

Agreed. Even if I freak out on the forums over potential changes, like those to the Necromancer class, I have enough charitability and faith in ZOS to adjust and see what comes next.

ESO wouldn't be here today if they didn't shake up the meta and introduce new mechanics/systems.

That said, after subclassing, I think they need to build on what already exists (e.g. new companions, new mythics, new scribing skills, new classes, new class sets, new class mastery scripts) and of course, continue to make balance adjustments, to find balance so that people who choose "pureclassing" will have as strong a setup as someone who chooses "subclassing".

SilverBride wrote: »

ESO has become unrecognizable to me with the changes happening this year. It actually started last year with Gold Road, and scribing, and the long tedious World Bosses and Incursions. But things are moving much faster this year in a direction that I don't feel a part of any more.

It feels like some of the changes are in response to things that players have asked for throughout the years, only they aren't all being implemented the way we expected.

Players asked for spellcrafting and we got scribing. (Which basically is spellcrafting I guess but not exactly.)
Players asked for a furniture crafting bag and we got the furniture vault. (Which is a step in the right direction.)
Players asked for a class change token and we got subclassing. (I won't go into that here.)
Players asked for a difficulty option for overland and we are told they have a team working on that. (I'm afraid to see how that gets implemented.)

Then there are Seasons instead of Chapters and DLCs. I actually don't see much difference because the first content is coming in June just like new Chapters did. I don't know what will come after that, but it's costing more and taking more away from ESO+. I personally am not going to purchase it because I have no idea what the new zone will be about, or what it will have. Will there be questing? Or World Bosses? Or Delves? Or Public Dungeons? Or is it a completely new format, too?

I just don't feel like I am playing the same game any more and I want my ESO back.

I get where you’re coming from; changes like scribing, subclassing, and the shift to Seasons are a big departure from the ESO we first started with. But I honestly think the game is evolving in the right direction, and most of these updates are based directly on what players have been asking for over the years. It’s not about becoming a different game, it’s about expanding on what’s already there.

Scribing *is* spellcrafting in practice, just with structure to keep the game balanced. It lets you design abilities with customizable effects, far more useful and flexible than just “more class skills.” Subclassing, too, is a smarter version of class change. Instead of wiping your class, you now *add* new skill lines to enhance what your character can already do. You’re not locked into a new role; you’re gaining more options.

The new seasonal content model isn’t cutting content either. It’s actually the same amount (or more) than we used to get with Chapters, it’s just spread out and themed. We still get a new zone, delves, world bosses, a new Trial, and ongoing story content. And ESO+ still gives access to dungeon DLCs and core perks like the craft bag and crown stipend.

I’ve played since launch, and it still feels like ESO to me. The lore continues, the world is still growing, and the core gameplay loop is intact. Only now, we have way more tools to play the way we want. If anything, they’re finally giving us the kind of freedom we've been asking for all along. Change can be uncomfortable, but it doesn’t mean the soul of the game is gone.

Phen0meenal wrote: »

ZOS has the data, they know what they're doing.

History has proven otherwise, U35 being the most recent example and the Morrowind patch being a legacy historical example that did exactly what end game players predicted while we were called "doomers" here on the forum. Those of us who have witnessed the ESO train drive off several cliffs after ample warning from the community to stop the train before it's too late are rightly skeptical of this claim.

If ZoS was truly confident in their combat vision for subclassing they wouldn't be on communication blackout, they'd have weekly updates and Q&As addressing the community's many concerns about such a sweeping change to a core feature of ESO. Instead we've received repeat of U35's execution but instead of the devs engaging in social media shenanigans they've just gone completely radio silent across all communication channels. That doesn't bode well for a balanced and well thought out execution of subclassing.

If we're being realistic, to get a balanced and polished execution of such a drastically game altering change we'd need a one year PTS cycle specifically dedicated to subclassing. Instead we're getting that compressed into the normal PTS cycle with with what seems to be even less communication from the studio.

SilverBride wrote: »

Phen0meenal wrote: »

ZOS has the data, they know what they're doing.

There is no data on planned changes that have not been in the game yet.

Is this bait? Obviously they'd collect a ton of data before doing anything like overland difficulty changes or introducing subclassing.

You have 1200+ replies on the overland difficulty thread mostly involving you saying things like it's never going to happen and later, that it shouldn't. In the past you've made comments saying that ZOS knows better, that they have the data and that whatever suggestion the OP of those threads had wasn't needed or wanted at all.

Why aren't you giving them the benefit of the doubt now like you did a million times in the past when people suggested any sort of change to the game?

Treeshka wrote: »

I do not get the arguing about overland content getting harder or they making them harder. Like how much harder they can make it?

Are you guys going to leave the game if they make it two times harden than now or three?

I'm pretty sure the overland difficulty changes are optional, which is why I'm confused people are arguing against it. I just want to do the story without everything being an absolute joke if I dare to equip anything above white rarity or more than one spell lol

Phen0meenal wrote: »

SilverBride wrote: »

Phen0meenal wrote: »

ZOS has the data, they know what they're doing.

There is no data on planned changes that have not been in the game yet.

Is this bait? Obviously they'd collect a ton of data before doing anything like overland difficulty changes or introducing subclassing.

You have 1200+ replies on the overland difficulty thread mostly involving you saying things like it's never going to happen and later, that it shouldn't. In the past you've made comments saying that ZOS knows better, that they have the data and that whatever suggestion the OP of those threads had wasn't needed or wanted at all.

Why aren't you giving them the benefit of the doubt now like you did a million times in the past when people suggested any sort of change to the game?

I am referring to the data on how these planned changes are working in game. That data won't be available until these changes have been in game for awhile.