Just not feeling it.

Punches_Below_Belt · June 2

It’s launch day and I’ve been counting down the days but after a few hours of play, it’s just not there.

The story doesn’t interest me, the zone doesn’t interest me, subclassing doesn’t interest me. It all just feels like so much reheated leftovers. Worm cult, high elves with Alinor furnishings, redo your build for fourteenth time.

I feel like Miranda Priestly from “the Devil Wears Prada”. “Florals for Spring. How groundbreaking!” Except it’s “Argonians on an island beach? How thrillingly original!”

When the highlight of your launch day is getting to bury 27 crystal anomalies and 21 Riven thrones in a vault, we’re actually back in Kansas and no where near Oz. 10 points if you see the plot twist before you finish section one of the storyline.

I haven’t done the public dungeons or trial yet which are usually highlights but I’m having serious buyers remorse on the content pass.

Pixiepumpkin · June 2

You are not the only one.

I am getting covid era Blackwood vibes from the zone. It feels empty, half done (not talking about the half behind the wall either).

Contrast the decorating in Gold Road at Ontus or even Skingrad compared to the new zone and city and it just feels like a different team worked on this.

The story is frankly boring (and we have listened to every voice acted prompt, so not skipping anything). The zone feels small, not well decorated and lackluster.

Toured the new home to see what new High Elf furnishings we might get....zero. It's all from summerset.

Between the reuse of old assets for the home, the furniture, the story line, the very small amount of content, the relabling of the mount section to separate the mounts to make it feel like more types exist than actually exist (Using "equines" vs "horses" was infinitely cooler...we went from Tamriel to Earth...uggg), and of course subclassing which is old stuff made into "new stuff"...and ya, it feels like there was a lot of shuffling to make this content/expansion/chapter, but not a lot of new ideas or work put into it.

I am glad I pre-ordered for the mage recall. But the content itself is definitely buyers remorse worthy. It should have been 50% less retail than it's current price for what we are getting.

icapital · June 2

oh noes, worm cult again *yawn*

LadyAstrum · June 3

I'm surprised they used the same furniture in Solstice that's in Sunmerset. Any new ones?
The Inn seems sparse as if it took 5 mins to furnish. There are some nice little things, but it's generally underwhelming in many ways.

The island seems small and lacking details. I came across some sort of small camp area and there were no npcs there at all. It didn’t register on the map either.

I feel like West Weald was done so well. Solstice doesn't feel like it was designed by the same people.

TheAgentNZ · June 3

Punches_Below_Belt wrote: »

It’s launch day and I’ve been counting down the days but after a few hours of play, it’s just not there.

The story doesn’t interest me, the zone doesn’t interest me, subclassing doesn’t interest me. It all just feels like so much reheated leftovers. Worm cult, high elves with Alinor furnishings, redo your build for fourteenth time.

I feel like Miranda Priestly from “the Devil Wears Prada”. “Florals for Spring. How groundbreaking!” Except it’s “Argonians on an island beach? How thrillingly original!”

When the highlight of your launch day is getting to bury 27 crystal anomalies and 21 Riven thrones in a vault, we’re actually back in Kansas and no where near Oz. 10 points if you see the plot twist before you finish section one of the storyline.

I haven’t done the public dungeons or trial yet which are usually highlights but I’m having serious buyers remorse on the content pass.

Probably didnt need a forum post for this. It add's little to no value to launch day. Buyers remorse could of been avoided perhaps if you played the PTS to see all the changes before you bought it. Just a thought for future.

SilverBride · June 3

Pixiepumpkin wrote: »

I am getting covid era Blackwood vibes from the zone. It feels empty, half done...

That is very interesting because it is almost exactly how a friend described it to me. He said it feels like Blackwood and unfinished.

Zoidsberg · June 3

It is crazy to me that there are people who still preorder games.

smallhammer · June 3

Thanks for info. Haven't all new chapters over the years, had undead and cults in different forms? It feels like it.

Northwold · June 3

smallhammer wrote: »

Thanks for info. Haven't all new chapters over the years, had undead and cults in different forms? It feels like it.

And half the base game was undead, too. "Oh my god there are ZOMBIES in this village? Surely not." Mind you in Skyrim it was every time you went through a door, so by that standard ESO has been positively conservative.

kind_hero · June 3

Everytime I want to compare, I go to Wrothgar... That is a zone so well done, and the stories are good too.

I haven't seen all the island yet, but it feels empty at times. Bringing back the Worm Cult is not really exciting, but any other new cult would have been the same.

I really don't like the wayshrine placement in Sunport.

However, this update brings a lot of new things to do and try, like multiclass. I just hope the devs are hiding behind this little island, and working on something much more interesting and worthwhile.

gc0018 · June 3

Stroy is just ok, others are boring. I just went back to do the old routine other than spend time on U46 new feature after several hours of playing.

But old stuffs are still good, not too bad.

SeaGtGruff · June 3

I haven’t set foot in (on?) Solstice yet, either on PTS or Live, so I can’t comment on the new zone and its storyline.

But the highlight of my day has definitely been dumping all of my furnishings into the Furnishings Vault. The amount of space I’ve gotten back from my main’s inventory, from my bank, and from my storage containers is very much appreciated, and once I’ve gotten everything reorganized between my alts’ inventories, my bank, and my storage containers, I’ll be able to actively play on my alts again, which I’m excited about.

I’m looking forward to trying out subclassing, although I’m not necessarily going to change all of my characters.

And I’m also looking forward to exploring the new zone, although I’m not necessarily going to work through all of the quests yet.

JimT722 · June 3

I haven't done much of the main quests but the side quests have been very good so far. the one delve i did was nice. I think the content so far is good, though I wonder if there will be enough of it.

Punches_Below_Belt · June 3

I also think the art department does a lot of the heavy lifting in some past zones. Not so much here. The tide-born furnishings I saw in previews had me excited for the zone. But very little of it is featured in this half of the island. I like the look of the weird sci-fi cube crystals but they are bizarrely out of place. Were those going to be part of Mirrormoor before they decided to just reuse Fargrave assets?

Vonnegut2506 · June 3

The main quest is your standard fare for most expansions, but I have really enjoyed some of the side quests. There are a couple I won't spoil that are fairly entertaining, one involved a goat.

VDoom1 · June 3

I love your reference to Devil Wears Prada, great movie!

Yes I totally agree.
Seems like ZoS is having trouble coming up with new stories. So they just go back and like throw things together. Like a little from there, a little from that, kind of a mix match.

Some bad guys from that expansion, some allies from there etc.

I also really dislike having to redo my build after every single major patch or update. That is a big part of ESO that I dislike. You can spend hours and hours pursuing a specific set/s, depending on RNG. Then a couple of months later at the next update, it's no longer "good enough."

Well of course I don't have to redo my build, I can use whatever I want. But if I wanna keep up with the changes, use what is regarded as the "good stuff" then one is a bit forced to tag along or get left behind.

maboleth · June 3

Idk if I'm in minority but I always loved Blackwood and thought it had very interesting story. To think they did this (blackwood) from home only is mind blowing.

Still haven't touched the new zone so fingers crossed it's good.

Frayton · June 3

Punches_Below_Belt wrote: »

It all just feels like so much reheated leftovers.

That's exactly what it is. Great way to put it.

moderatelyfatman · June 3

@Punches_Below_Belt
I know how you feel: I logged on last night for the first time in nearly a year. It was nice seeing all my old toons again and a bit of fun level up my main toons in nightblade skills.
I was going to farm the Rakkhat's Void but I then realised that it was behind a $85 AUD paywall and that it was going to get nerfed once the FOMO crowd had been farmed out. So basically I was going to pay the equivalent of a full price game (not Civ7) to play in a zone for a few hours and a new trial.
No thanks, I'll be playing GW2 for the next few months until the Season Pass is half price or less.

SeaGtGruff · June 3

VDoom1 wrote: »

I also really dislike having to redo my build after every single major patch or update. That is a big part of ESO that I dislike.

I have kept basically the same build on my PCNA and PCEU mains for years. I've tweaked them a bit by changing the type of weapon on my back bar, and I've added a scribed skill or two-- one for damage, the other for healing-- but I prefer not to make huge changes to my builds in pursuit of "this season's META" the way a lot of players do. My DPS is mediocre at best, and I die a lot in PvP and vet PvE, but I just try to have fun.

Nissowolf · June 3

I have the game in french, it's catastrophic. The translation is done with AI, i am CERTAIN of it.

No one in their right mind would translate "Easy task" by "Faux cil" (litteraly "false eyelash"
No one in their right mind would translate "I did some asking" by "J'ai questionné des questions" (litteraly "I questionned some questions"

The whole translation is missing half of the specifiers and it makes her look so stupid that i swear i was wondering if she was finished when they gave her birth in the lore.

@ZOS_GinaBruno please do something about this next time because if not i swear i won't be able to recommand a single aspect of TESO lore to people, and i'm gonna do the opposite in fact.

maboleth · June 3

Nissowolf wrote: »

I have the game in french, it's catastrophic. The translation is done with AI, i am CERTAIN of it.

No one in their right mind would translate "Easy task" by "Faux cil" (litteraly "false eyelash"
No one in their right mind would translate "I did some asking" by "J'ai questionné des questions" (litteraly "I questionned some questions"

The whole translation is missing half of the specifiers and it makes her look so stupid that i swear i was wondering if she was finished when they gave her birth in the lore.

@ZOS_GinaBruno please do something about this next time because if not i swear i won't be able to recommand a single aspect of TESO lore to people, and i'm gonna do the opposite in fact.

I can believe a company like ZOS would dare to do such a mess without a single review from language professional. If true that's questionable/bad on so many levels.

ADarklore · June 3

Nissowolf wrote: »

I have the game in french, it's catastrophic. The translation is done with AI, i am CERTAIN of it.

No one in their right mind would translate "Easy task" by "Faux cil" (litteraly "false eyelash"
No one in their right mind would translate "I did some asking" by "J'ai questionné des questions" (litteraly "I questionned some questions"

The whole translation is missing half of the specifiers and it makes her look so stupid that i swear i was wondering if she was finished when they gave her birth in the lore.

@ZOS_GinaBruno please do something about this next time because if not i swear i won't be able to recommand a single aspect of TESO lore to people, and i'm gonna do the opposite in fact.

Well, considering there is a video game voice actor strike going on, and has been for over a year, a lot of games have been impacted. Not sure if this is the reason, but it's certainly possible. Right now SWTOR had to put their story expansions on hold due to the strike, and many other major studios are feeling it now too.

Elsonso · June 3

LadyAstrum wrote: »

I'm surprised they used the same furniture in Solstice that's in Sunmerset. Any new ones?
The Inn seems sparse as if it took 5 mins to furnish. There are some nice little things, but it's generally underwhelming in many ways.

The island seems small and lacking details. I came across some sort of small camp area and there were no npcs there at all. It didn’t register on the map either.

I feel like West Weald was done so well. Solstice doesn't feel like it was designed by the same people.

The Summerset vibe is real. I am actually sort of surprised that Solstice was way over on the east side of the map. If anything, it should have had a Khenarthi and Khajiit vibe to it. It definitely feels like it belongs over on the western side of the map.

Maybe they were trying to captivate the people who loved Summerset.

And yes, the place is tiny.

Zoidsberg wrote: »

It is crazy to me that there are people who still preorder games.

It is definitely harder to trust studios and publishers these days. It feels like there is a growing disconnect with the players.

I pre-ordered because I knew I would be buying it to see what this whole wall thing was about. It is definitely not worth the price they are asking, so pre-order extras were the obvious way to improve the value of the purchase. A sale before the wall event is not guaranteed.

ZigoSid · June 3

Nissowolf wrote: »

I have the game in french, it's catastrophic. The translation is done with AI, i am CERTAIN of it.

No one in their right mind would translate "Easy task" by "Faux cil" (litteraly "false eyelash"
No one in their right mind would translate "I did some asking" by "J'ai questionné des questions" (litteraly "I questionned some questions"

The whole translation is missing half of the specifiers and it makes her look so stupid that i swear i was wondering if she was finished when they gave her birth in the lore.

@ZOS_GinaBruno please do something about this next time because if not i swear i won't be able to recommand a single aspect of TESO lore to people, and i'm gonna do the opposite in fact.

I confirm all of that. Even got a whole untranslated dialogue page (when we find Gabrielle) and the word "mortes" (deads. but female/feminine) instead of "portes" (doors)

So when Gabrielle talked about opening dead women instead of doors ... well

Thysbe · June 3

why Alinor in this part of the map - why place a marble alinor villa on mossy murkmire rubble - I don´t get it and I really don´t klick with the "zone".

Feels a bit like "Marketing survey said Alinor is most popular, who cares about lore"

Lugaldu · June 3

I find the island visually very beautiful; the landscape appears detailed and "natural." The new Argonian furniture is also great. But I'm really disappointed with the interior of Sunport. From the outside, the combination of Argonian and Alinor architecture with a higher proportion of gray colors works very well and seems harmonious. But the fact that there are no new High Elf furniture in the interior, but only reuses of Alinor furniture, is extremely disappointing. It would be nice if there were at least a combination of some old furniture and some new ones—but as it is, it's just so boring. You walk into a building and immediately want to leave because it feels like you've been to Alinor a thousand times...

But the Furniture Vault is brilliant, thank you so much.

WhiteCoatSyndrome · June 3

Zoidsberg wrote: »

It is crazy to me that there are people who still preorder games.

This is part of why I still check things out on PTS despite the server Planemeld a year or so ago. Too many of the last few zones have been lackluster (looking at you, Galen!) to buy them sight unseen.

Punches_Below_Belt wrote: »

I like the look of the weird sci-fi cube crystals but they are bizarrely out of place. Were those going to be part of Mirrormoor before they decided to just reuse Fargrave assets?

Tangent, but bismuth is a real thing (though as far as I know it doesn’t boost necromancy in real life 😉).

maboleth · June 3

Thysbe wrote: »

why Alinor in this part of the map - why place a marble alinor villa on mossy murkmire rubble - I don´t get it and I really don´t klick with the "zone".

Feels a bit like "Marketing survey said Alinor is most popular, who cares about lore"

Well, I see it as the guys from Alinor traveled there and made their secluded space on a remote island. So the architecture and everything else came with them. It happens everywhere around the world (E.g. Corfu island in Greece has a lot of British architecture/influence across the island). Not an issue for me, whatsoever.

Thysbe · June 3

Its not the mix of styles that is disturbing but how they put a intricately decorated marble base on dirty, mossy rubble. Palace Quarter looks a lot better.

But the Honor side Quest pacified a lot of my rejection of this zone.

Ragnarok0130 · June 3

LadyAstrum wrote: »

I'm surprised they used the same furniture in Solstice that's in Sunmerset. Any new ones?
The Inn seems sparse as if it took 5 mins to furnish. There are some nice little things, but it's generally underwhelming in many ways.

The island seems small and lacking details. I came across some sort of small camp area and there were no npcs there at all. It didn’t register on the map either.

I feel like West Weald was done so well. Solstice doesn't feel like it was designed by the same people.

Everything feels like they just recycled content (zones, furniture, enemies, mechs) and did nothing new. I ran the new trial last night and it felt like they just stole assets and mechanics from just about every dungeon and trial that we’ve had so far as well as reused enemies that were never in Cold Harbour to begin with. In fact the trial felt like a 4 man dungeon until the final boss and felt extremely low effort. Taking all the rehashed mechanics and enemies in conjunction with basically allowing class skill line swaps did they do anything new with this expansion at all outside of the awesome furniture vault? Are there more than 3 devs left on the team because it doesn’t feel like there was much effort at all by the team.