Population shrinking, please BRING CROSSPLAY QUICK

SkaiFaith · June 19

Yesterday and today I've seen a huge mass of players on console (EU) due to subclassing launch: I didn't touch Solstice yet as I think most people.

What I would point out is - if with all these players around it will still be difficult to find Dungeons, Trials and Battlegrounds, then I would suspect it's not a problem of population but the fact that said population is more interested in others aspects of the game, not much in the multiplayer...

We'll see

(Edited the term Subclassing, I had wrote scribing)

fizzybeef · June 19

ThetaSigma wrote: »

End game no longer exists, try to find a prog group for anything hard especially trials and it’s difficult. This was before the latest update and there’s been no improvement since. I cancel subscription I think because it’s just fallen apart.

What server are you playing on?

DeadlySerious · June 19

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

Vengeance will revitalize PvP. It had 600 players on at once for the test. That's the direction the devs are going.

Vengeance mode will be the death of PvP if it's the only option. But look at the bright side. You'll have Cyrodiil all to yourself except for the PvE mains who will never give you much of a fight.

amiiegee · June 20

Cooperharley wrote: »

I imagine cross play will be a temporary bandaid over a bullet hole. ZOS will still have to fix underlying core game issues and player retention afterwards.

Still a necessary one

alternatelder · June 20

I could care less about cross play, they already said they are "seeing IF they can do it." We already know you want it so I don't know why you have to keep repeating the same thing over and over again if it isn't going to change anything as of now with that piece of information already out.

Even if the population was dying, which I don't really see on PSNA, I wouldn't care as I hold performance at a much higher priority, and if they offered a private instance like Fallout 76 does, I'd be sticking around more often. I've cut my playtime from 1k+ hours per year to barely hitting 300, much less this year. This is a result of the horse manure server performance that is worse and worse each year and ruins my enjoyment, it is number one priority over cross play, which would destroy performance even more.

Maitsukas · June 20

DeadlySerious wrote: »

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

Vengeance will revitalize PvP. It had 600 players on at once for the test. That's the direction the devs are going.

Vengeance mode will be the death of PvP if it's the only option. But look at the bright side. You'll have Cyrodiil all to yourself except for the PvE mains who will never give you much of a fight.

You really think one week of Vengeance is the end of the world?

sarahthes · June 20

DeadlySerious wrote: »

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

Vengeance will revitalize PvP. It had 600 players on at once for the test. That's the direction the devs are going.

Vengeance mode will be the death of PvP if it's the only option. But look at the bright side. You'll have Cyrodiil all to yourself except for the PvE mains who will never give you much of a fight.

That is such a broad, sweeping statement.

Also, a lot of so called PvE mains also PvP. A raid team is gonna put together a pretty effective ball group, after all, since they are already experienced at putting together buffs and debuffs across an entire group and balancing a comp.

fizzybeef · June 21

Seen this advert on instagram today, its saying basically „play together with 26 Million other players“.

💀
Counting all ever active accounts now as players, playing the game - are we?

Rungar · June 21

i feel that eso will have minimal development until the new game is out the door. Eso has alot of rehashed content which is fine ( such as spellcrafting being rehashed alchemy system or infinite archive a enemy rehash). but this demonstrates that most of zos's resources are being spent on the new game right now and have been for a while.

if the new game is a great success eso might stay on the backburner, if its not, since zos has no other product to sell, expect eso to get a massive engine upgrade and massive resource input since the new game has a brand new inhouse mmo engine and they will have to do something with it. Personally i think it would be foolish to have this new inhouse engine and not use it to upgrade eso, even if its a technical challenge.. elder scrolls is bethesda/zenimax's flagship ip afterall.

RealLoveBVB · June 21

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

Vengeance will revitalize PvP. It had 600 players on at once for the test. That's the direction the devs are going.

There was a golden pursuit with Cyrodiil-activities only.
Make a test without them and you will barely count 100 players.
My PvP guild finished the rewards on day 1 and never visited vengeance since then.

Many players (especially casuals) gave positive feedback, how cool and balanced this campaign was.
They sadly haven't noticed, that they got 70k hp for their testing purpose and no dots were working.
They will realise very fast, how wrong they were, when they are back to their 20k hp and the additional pressure from dots is back.
Once Vengeance is live, it will boom in the first campaign. But you will see a hard decrease on the 2nd campaign already, as players will get bored (see ravenwatch).

With 2 sided BGs, Vengeance and subclassing they ruined every aspect of the game. So many bad decisions in such a short time.

fizzybeef · June 22

RealLoveBVB wrote: »

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

Vengeance will revitalize PvP. It had 600 players on at once for the test. That's the direction the devs are going.

There was a golden pursuit with Cyrodiil-activities only.
Make a test without them and you will barely count 100 players.
My PvP guild finished the rewards on day 1 and never visited vengeance since then.

Many players (especially casuals) gave positive feedback, how cool and balanced this campaign was.
They sadly haven't noticed, that they got 70k hp for their testing purpose and no dots were working.
They will realise very fast, how wrong they were, when they are back to their 20k hp and the additional pressure from dots is back.
Once Vengeance is live, it will boom in the first campaign. But you will see a hard decrease on the 2nd campaign already, as players will get bored (see ravenwatch).

With 2 sided BGs, Vengeance and subclassing they ruined every aspect of the game. So many bad decisions in such a short time.

Yous got two campaigns populated? We cant even fill GH, PS EU

fizzybeef · June 22

sunday 1pm. So for me, strictly a pvp player - whats the point playing this game?

Damn right i turn it off, just happy i bought the content pass to get that new mythic 💀

Cooperharley · June 22

ThetaSigma wrote: »

End game no longer exists, try to find a prog group for anything hard especially trials and it’s difficult. This was before the latest update and there’s been no improvement since. I cancel subscription I think because it’s just fallen apart.

There’s just no meaningful reason to repeat things.

Several foundational issues with PvP and PVE end game across the board. AND the icing on the cake is all typical meaningful rewards are in the crown crates and crown store :-)

Cooperharley · June 22

MISTFORMBZZZ wrote: »

Honestly, crossplay is one of the few major solutions that could breathe new life into ESO, especially for PvP and veteran content. Right now, the community feels split and stagnant. When players say zones are empty or PvP feels dead, it's not just a content issue—it's a population distribution issue. Crossplay would help consolidate fragmented player bases, giving more opportunity for grouping, faster queue times, and healthier economies.

I get that there are tech and policy hurdles—different platforms, certification processes, even balancing concerns. But other MMOs have made it work, and in ESO’s case, the benefits outweigh the downsides at this point.

And for anyone worried about PvP imbalance from different input methods (like controller vs. keyboard/mouse), give players the option to toggle crossplay in PvP instances, like different campaigns. There are solutions—what's missing is commitment from ZOS to prioritize it.

Population shrinkage isn't going away on its own, and without bold steps like crossplay, we’re just patching holes instead of fixing the ship.

It may help a zone feel more populated, but it doesn’t fix the reason most people are leaving, unless their sole reason is because they can’t find people to play with, which I imagine is a relatively small portion of the playerbase.

They have a lot of work to do on end game.

Exploration and questing is dope, but that’s finite. A live service game requires meaningful end game gameplay loops and cool rewards to keep people around, which we largely done have because we’ve prioritized monetization over that for a long time now IMO

AngryPenguin · June 22

Maitsukas wrote: »

DeadlySerious wrote: »

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

Vengeance will revitalize PvP. It had 600 players on at once for the test. That's the direction the devs are going.

Vengeance mode will be the death of PvP if it's the only option. But look at the bright side. You'll have Cyrodiil all to yourself except for the PvE mains who will never give you much of a fight.

You really think one week of Vengeance is the end of the world?

Do you really think that vengeance mode isn't the future of ESO PvP? (with the elimination of the current live mode) ZOS isn't going to invest dev time into two different PvP modes at the same time and they've already forsaken, apparently, any investments into their current live PvP mode.

MISTFORMBZZZ · June 23

Today the addons are gonna be released for consoles too. Im hoping this is a step forwards crossplay, in the future

alternatelder · June 23

MISTFORMBZZZ wrote: »

Today the addons are gonna be released for consoles too. Im hoping this is a step forwards crossplay, in the future

It only says "week of June 23rd", not today. There isn't even scheduled patch maintenance for consoles this week.

MISTFORMBZZZ · June 24

alternatelder wrote: »

MISTFORMBZZZ wrote: »

Today the addons are gonna be released for consoles too. Im hoping this is a step forwards crossplay, in the future

It only says "week of June 23rd", not today. There isn't even scheduled patch maintenance for consoles this week.

they went live yesterday without a maintenance

alternatelder · June 24

MISTFORMBZZZ wrote: »

alternatelder wrote: »

MISTFORMBZZZ wrote: »

Today the addons are gonna be released for consoles too. Im hoping this is a step forwards crossplay, in the future

It only says "week of June 23rd", not today. There isn't even scheduled patch maintenance for consoles this week.

they went live yesterday without a maintenance

Cool, but they did change the date from June 23rd to "week of June 23rd." I was only speculating it wouldn't happen based on that, as they probably were as well. 🤷

MISTFORMBZZZ · June 25

even with addons and subclassing PS EU stays empty lol. Insane

fizzybeef · June 25

indeed

amiiegee · June 27

Yeah I’m 100% with everyone here—crossplay isn’t just some nice bonus feature anymore, it’s something ESO needs if it wants to stop bleeding players. The population issues aren’t just about people quitting, it’s about how split up we all are between PC NA/EU, Xbox, PS, and even whatever’s left of Stadia. It kills matchmaking, PvP queues, zone activity, the economy... all of it.

It’s not that people aren’t interested in playing the content, it’s just hard to find ppl to actually play it with. Crossplay would instantly fix so much of that by consolidating the community and making queues actually bearable again.

And now with addons coming to console?? That excuse is basically gone. That was always the big blocker they pointed to, and now it doesn’t hold up anymore. Other MMOs figured this out ages ago—WoW lets you use addons and still has a functioning cross-server setup. ZOS could easily do something similar and keep PvP fair with input-based matchmaking or just optional toggles for competitive stuff.

As for U46... yeah, it didn’t really bring ppl back. I was kinda hoping it would, but let’s be honest, it didn’t move the needle at all. The QoL stuff was fine I guess, but there’s still no real endgame loop to keep people around long term. Vengeance mode is already starting to feel DOA and the stuff that would bring ppl back (like cross-save or acc-wide achievements) is nowhere to be found.

Crossplay + cross-progression would do way more to revive this game than any patch we’ve had in years. Especially with how many ppl have changed platforms or just don’t wanna start over on a new account. The longer ZOS puts this off, the worse it gets.

They gotta stop playing it safe and make some real foundational changes. Crossplay needs to happen & it needs to happen soon!

Neelanna48 · June 27

Dimorphos wrote: »

I have two images here to show as a comparison and yes they could be made better but I was in hurry.

Wow group finder at approximately 22.00 is literally filled. In both mythic+ dungeons and raids got well over 100 active groups looking for people to join. And that is only one battlegroup/realm group of EU out of 16 I think there is.

While in ESO at the same time 22.00 covering all of what PC/EU has to offer and you can count the whole group finder activity with one hand fingers. There is practically nothing going on if you would look for something to do through group finder tool. And this is the reality of ESO. Ghost towns and nothing truly going on in PVE side and many guilds even those bigger ones are cancelling raids due to lack of people not joining. In cyrodiil you can ride from keep to keep without running into a single player and continue wandering alone for quite a long time. There is something going on in like 2 keeps at best even during the "rush hour". And that place is huuge and meant to be active pvp zone for hundreds of players at one time. There are many reasons why ESO is empty and why Wow is overflowing of activity.

It is a dead game ESO when you compare it to Wow, Final fantasy XIV and other mmorpg titles that actually take care of their game and listen to the community and provide content, enough good story material and activities to do. Crown store and decorating homes, that's what ESO is about it seems and it fails even in player housing because they can't offer more decorating room which community has literally cried for because raising that bar would make it unbearable for older gen. consoles. And they said some time ago they have no intentions to work on this problem/wish of community. These are the main reasons I left ESO for now and cancelled my sub. and returned to Wow and 20 years old graphics but at least that game delivers. Happy to pay the monthly fee again. Zenimax, you have abandoned your loyal ESO community and I hope someone there will wake up and demand a change. It is only a 10 year "old" game and it would have a lot to offer for people who want to enjoy it, if you allow it and work for it.

Have played ESO since launch and have to agree 100% with every point raised about this game. Ignoring your paying customers and their ideas, complaints and suggestions and in some cases even openly attacking your customer base is not going to help sustain or improve player numbers. If Microsoft want to save this game they need to get rid of the management and get in people who know how to properly look after their customer base.

Abelon · June 27

Neelanna48 wrote: »

Dimorphos wrote: »

I have two images here to show as a comparison and yes they could be made better but I was in hurry.

Wow group finder at approximately 22.00 is literally filled. In both mythic+ dungeons and raids got well over 100 active groups looking for people to join. And that is only one battlegroup/realm group of EU out of 16 I think there is.

While in ESO at the same time 22.00 covering all of what PC/EU has to offer and you can count the whole group finder activity with one hand fingers. There is practically nothing going on if you would look for something to do through group finder tool. And this is the reality of ESO. Ghost towns and nothing truly going on in PVE side and many guilds even those bigger ones are cancelling raids due to lack of people not joining. In cyrodiil you can ride from keep to keep without running into a single player and continue wandering alone for quite a long time. There is something going on in like 2 keeps at best even during the "rush hour". And that place is huuge and meant to be active pvp zone for hundreds of players at one time. There are many reasons why ESO is empty and why Wow is overflowing of activity.

It is a dead game ESO when you compare it to Wow, Final fantasy XIV and other mmorpg titles that actually take care of their game and listen to the community and provide content, enough good story material and activities to do. Crown store and decorating homes, that's what ESO is about it seems and it fails even in player housing because they can't offer more decorating room which community has literally cried for because raising that bar would make it unbearable for older gen. consoles. And they said some time ago they have no intentions to work on this problem/wish of community. These are the main reasons I left ESO for now and cancelled my sub. and returned to Wow and 20 years old graphics but at least that game delivers. Happy to pay the monthly fee again. Zenimax, you have abandoned your loyal ESO community and I hope someone there will wake up and demand a change. It is only a 10 year "old" game and it would have a lot to offer for people who want to enjoy it, if you allow it and work for it.

Have played ESO since launch and have to agree 100% with every point raised about this game. Ignoring your paying customers and their ideas, complaints and suggestions and in some cases even openly attacking your customer base is not going to help sustain or improve player numbers. If Microsoft want to save this game they need to get rid of the management and get in people who know how to properly look after their customer base.

It's a casual game. This community, these very customers, have ensured that this remains a VERY casual game. This community was the one fighting tooth and nail against any sort of overland difficulty. This community was the one fighting tooth and nail against improving the combat, dealing with light animation cancelling, issues that are WIDELY known to have pushed many an MMO player away. Players who would have been interested in taking part in combat content and endgame content.

So yeah, sorry, but this "loyal community" stuff I don't really buy. As far as I can see, it is precisely the "loyal community" that made this game what it is today. And it is precisely the "loyal community" that ensures it STAYS what it stays, and never grows past its issues.

Not going to bother comparing to FFXIV, because that game is suffering from similarly complacent devs who stick to the good old formula and refuse to innovate, starting to push even the most loyal players away. But WoW, sure, it's a decent example. There is something WoW devs have recently become quite good at, and it's clearly showing results. They sometimes listen to the community... And sometimes they don't... I know, crazy idea. But here's the thing. Game devs need to have a vision and they need to be willing to try things out and to INNOVATE. MMO communities are often very loathe to change or adapt. Sometimes you have to force them. Y'all know just how much whining there was when WoW added Dragonflight? Absolute insanity that. A harmless and fun system that didn't have a single negative impact on existing systems or the vet players. But they threw tantrums nonetheless. Thankfully the devs knew to stand their ground. Sometimes you just have to.

Zenimax always plays it far too safe. No, the game wouldn't have crashed and burned if they started working on overland difficulty sliders years ago. No, most of the people complaining on the forums about a feature that wouldn't have impacted them in the least, wouldn't have gone anywhere whatsoever. They would have continued decorating their houses like they always do. But Zenimax were too scared of their "loyal community." And then people are confused why nobody runs pve endgame content? Hello, you guys do realize that up to max level, the game doesn't teach you anything whatsoever and hands every mob and boss to you on a silver platter? And then they get to the "hard" stuff (just normal stuff really, but it sure will seem hard in comparison) and what they are supposed to do?

fizzybeef · June 27

Yeah, I’ve gotta echo what a lot of folks in this thread are already saying—this comparison really puts things into perspective. You look at WoW’s group finder during a random evening in EU time and it’s packed. Like, over 100+ active groups for Mythic+, raids, everything. Meanwhile, you log into ESO at the exact same time on PC/EU and… zero. Not just low—literally zero groups listed for PvP or Infinite Archive. That’s insane for an MMO, and it says everything about where this game is right now.

It’s not just about numbers either. It’s about how the core systems of ESO have been left to rot while the devs focus almost entirely on seasonal events, crown store items, and housing fluff. Meanwhile, the actual backbone of an MMO—group content, matchmaking, competitive PvP, replayable PvE—is either half-baked or outright broken. The group finder hasn’t worked properly for years, and even when it does work, nobody’s using it because there’s simply not enough players left online at the same time on any given platform/server shard.

And yeah, crossplay would be a huge step toward fixing that, but we keep getting vague answers or nothing at all from ZOS. The addon excuse is basically done with now that they’ve confirmed console addon support is coming. So what’s the holdup? WoW, FFXIV, even smaller MMOs have figured out how to handle crossplay and progression without everything falling apart. The only thing stopping ESO is ZOS dragging their feet.

Update 46 was supposed to help, but honestly? It came and went with barely a ripple. Some minor QoL tweaks, yet another PvP experiment with Vengeance mode, and still no real answer to the underlying problems. It didn’t bring players back. You can check any zone, even during “rush hour”—dead. PvP? Cyrodiil is a ghost town. Maybe one or two keeps being fought over at best, and even those are usually one-sided. Group content? Guilds are cancelling trials left and right because they just can’t fill the roles anymore. This isn’t sustainable.

And don’t even get me started on the lack of innovation. ESO’s been playing it so safe for so long, afraid to challenge the “loyal community” or introduce systems that might actually push the game forward. Overland is still brain-dead easy, the game teaches you nothing mechanically before throwing you into vet content, and any time someone suggests something like difficulty sliders or meaningful combat changes, the devs fold the moment there’s forum pushback. Meanwhile, WoW added Dragonriding and got screamed at, but they stuck to their vision—and now it’s one of the most praised features they’ve added in years. That’s the kind of conviction ESO is sorely lacking.

I’ve played this game since launch. I want it to succeed. But it’s getting harder to recommend it to anyone when even the most basic MMO features—like finding a group for current content—don’t work because of population fragmentation. Crossplay, cross-save, proper endgame loops, actual balance passes—these aren’t wishlist features anymore, they’re essential if ZOS wants to keep this game afloat.

And if Microsoft is serious about backing this game, they need to start pushing for leadership changes at the top. Because right now, it just feels like we’re being milked with cosmetics while the core experience slowly dies. The players are still here—frustrated, vocal, and wanting to engage—but we’re not being given the tools or updates to do that.

It’s long past time for real change.

Rungar · June 28

fizzybeef wrote: »

Yeah, I’ve gotta echo what a lot of folks in this thread are already saying—this comparison really puts things into perspective. You look at WoW’s group finder during a random evening in EU time and it’s packed. Like, over 100+ active groups for Mythic+, raids, everything. Meanwhile, you log into ESO at the exact same time on PC/EU and… zero. Not just low—literally zero groups listed for PvP or Infinite Archive. That’s insane for an MMO, and it says everything about where this game is right now.

It’s not just about numbers either. It’s about how the core systems of ESO have been left to rot while the devs focus almost entirely on seasonal events, crown store items, and housing fluff. Meanwhile, the actual backbone of an MMO—group content, matchmaking, competitive PvP, replayable PvE—is either half-baked or outright broken. The group finder hasn’t worked properly for years, and even when it does work, nobody’s using it because there’s simply not enough players left online at the same time on any given platform/server shard.

And yeah, crossplay would be a huge step toward fixing that, but we keep getting vague answers or nothing at all from ZOS. The addon excuse is basically done with now that they’ve confirmed console addon support is coming. So what’s the holdup? WoW, FFXIV, even smaller MMOs have figured out how to handle crossplay and progression without everything falling apart. The only thing stopping ESO is ZOS dragging their feet.

Update 46 was supposed to help, but honestly? It came and went with barely a ripple. Some minor QoL tweaks, yet another PvP experiment with Vengeance mode, and still no real answer to the underlying problems. It didn’t bring players back. You can check any zone, even during “rush hour”—dead. PvP? Cyrodiil is a ghost town. Maybe one or two keeps being fought over at best, and even those are usually one-sided. Group content? Guilds are cancelling trials left and right because they just can’t fill the roles anymore. This isn’t sustainable.

And don’t even get me started on the lack of innovation. ESO’s been playing it so safe for so long, afraid to challenge the “loyal community” or introduce systems that might actually push the game forward. Overland is still brain-dead easy, the game teaches you nothing mechanically before throwing you into vet content, and any time someone suggests something like difficulty sliders or meaningful combat changes, the devs fold the moment there’s forum pushback. Meanwhile, WoW added Dragonriding and got screamed at, but they stuck to their vision—and now it’s one of the most praised features they’ve added in years. That’s the kind of conviction ESO is sorely lacking.

I’ve played this game since launch. I want it to succeed. But it’s getting harder to recommend it to anyone when even the most basic MMO features—like finding a group for current content—don’t work because of population fragmentation. Crossplay, cross-save, proper endgame loops, actual balance passes—these aren’t wishlist features anymore, they’re essential if ZOS wants to keep this game afloat.

And if Microsoft is serious about backing this game, they need to start pushing for leadership changes at the top. Because right now, it just feels like we’re being milked with cosmetics while the core experience slowly dies. The players are still here—frustrated, vocal, and wanting to engage—but we’re not being given the tools or updates to do that.

It’s long past time for real change.

i dont think a leadership change is a good idea for this game. As Molag Bal would say.. there are far worse then him. lol. Good or bad this game was doa but pulled itself out of the fire and kept itself alive for ten years. Thats actually pretty impressive. Remember that people make and build this game and those people have been kept working for a decade even if you or i dont agree on various design technicalities and directions you have to give some credit where it is due. Sometimes you just have to work with what you have, and while i agree they arent particularly innovative with regards to eso, you can still play it for free after all this time. The new game they are making likely has no debt load like eso had so if its any good they will have alot more freedom i would imagine.

that said, now is the time for them to innovate if they want this game to continue. There are very few good mmos and this ones potential hasnt been tapped yet. The graphics are still relevent and the game has a number of great features but certain things and ideas do need an overhaul. This is their flagship products afterall and people will treat their next game the way they perceive this one. If nothing else they need to change peoples perceptions and that cant be done with marketing. It has to be done with features and investment.

amiiegee · June 29

Totally agree with this take. I get the frustration a lot of us have, but calling for leadership to be replaced isn’t necessarily the solution. Like you said, for all its faults, ESO did claw its way out of a rough launch and somehow managed to stick around for over a decade—and that’s no small feat in the MMO space. The team deserves credit for keeping it going this long, even if not every decision has landed well with the community.

And yeah, now really is the time to take risks and invest in innovation. The bones of a great game are still here—the art, music, worldbuilding, combat system—they all hold up. But the systems and structure need a refresh. It's not just about new content drops, it's about showing the community there's a long-term vision worth sticking around for.

I also agree that how this game ends its lifecycle is going to shape how players view ZOS’s next project. If they want goodwill for the future, they need to start making bold improvements now, not just coasting on nostalgia or cosmetics. Changing perception takes more than PR—it takes real features, real fixes, and a real plan.

Here’s hoping they’re willing to go for it.

licenturion · June 29

fizzybeef wrote: »

I’ve played this game since launch. I want it to succeed. But it’s getting harder to recommend it to anyone when even the most basic MMO features—like finding a group for current content—don’t work because of population fragmentation. Crossplay, cross-save, proper endgame loops, actual balance passes—these aren’t wishlist features anymore, they’re essential if ZOS wants to keep this game afloat.

And if Microsoft is serious about backing this game, they need to start pushing for leadership changes at the top. Because right now, it just feels like we’re being milked with cosmetics while the core experience slowly dies. The players are still here—frustrated, vocal, and wanting to engage—but we’re not being given the tools or updates to do that.

It’s long past time for real change.

The issue isn’t leadership—it’s the identity crisis tied to the franchise name.

ESO has always attracted players who love rich, immersive single-player RPGs. That’s the core audience—people who come for the story, the world-building, and the ability to play at their own pace. And for over a decade, that’s exactly how Zenimax has made the bulk of its revenue: through story-driven zone DLCs, compelling narratives, and cosmetic purchases. There are daily posts like 'Is ESO good to play solo' everywhere.

The beauty of ESO lies in its flexibility. You can experience the vast majority of the content—stories, exploration, even group dungeons—on your own terms. You’re not required to min-max, join a sweaty trial guild, or grind endlessly if that’s not your playstyle. That freedom is what has kept many players around for 11 years. If the game were to suddenly pivot toward a hardcore-focused direction—locking story or cosmetics behind high-difficulty content or mandatory systems—it would alienate a huge portion of the paying player base.

Let’s be real: if story-focused or casual players are forced into content they don’t enjoy, it doesn’t just harm their experience—it actively makes the group experience worse for everyone. Just look at Battlegrounds. Every match is a coin toss to see which team gets stuck with the most PvE players just queueing for their daily reward. They’re not there to win, they’re just trying to get it over with, and the result is one-sided stomps and frustration on all sides.

ESO thrives because it accommodates different playstyles. If it loses that balance, it risks losing the very identity that made it special for most players in the first place. I also don't understand how people come up with a bunch of reasons why game XXX does it so much better and want to change this one...why just not play that game as well if you think it is a better for your playstyle.

StihlReign · June 29

licenturion wrote: »

The issue isn’t leadership—it’s the identity crisis tied to the franchise name.

Leadership issue.

Abelon · June 29

StihlReign wrote: »

licenturion wrote: »

The issue isn’t leadership—it’s the identity crisis tied to the franchise name.

Leadership issue.

It's ChatGPT slop, so naturally none of it makes sense and contradicts itself every second sentence. It's ridiculous that forum users have become so lazy that they are incapable of expressing their own opinions in their own words.

Signs aside from the blatant overuse of em dashes and colons? Very specific phrasing patterns across multiple paragraphs. "The issue isn't X — it's Y" (where X and Y are actually the same thing) very common to ChatGPT since one of the updates a few months ago. Or the good old "Let's be real:" that always, without fail, is followed by something that wasn't particularly "real" at all, nor needed that sort of introduction. Same paragraph always has something along the lines of "They/you/pronoun of choice are not there to X, they're there to Y." Etc etc.

Anyways. Making ChatGPT write those things for you, really only dilutes whatever you were trying to say in the first place. That thing does NOT write well.