LatentBuzzard wrote: »

Malyore wrote: »

The wall event is a reason I'm even considering purchasing it.

Players that don't have the content pass can still participate in the wall event as event activities aren't exclusive to the Solstice zone.

Yes, the devs said that. However, we don't yet know to what extent players will be able to participate in event activities if they don't have access to the Solstice zone. So if someone wants to be able to fully participate in all aspects of the event, it would be best to have access to the Solstice zone. But it's up to each player to decide for themself whether they want to participate in this or any other event, and if so, to what extent.

tomofhyrule wrote: »

I haven't done the story yet - honestly I've been disappointed by the quests and storytelling in ESO for a while (High Isle was the worst thing I've ever done), especially since I can get my RPG and storytelling fix so much more from other games like BG3 or even the single-player TES games.

However, just looking at the amount of content afforded by the Season pass... no, it's not worth it at all.

Look at what we got in 2023:
Necrom, $40:

• Two zones (one large, one small), sharing 6 WBs, 6 Delves, and 2 PubDuns
• A New Class
• Two Companions
• A new World Event (Bastion Nymics)
• One new Tales of Tribute deck
• A new Trial

Versus now:
Solstice, $50:

• One zone, presumably with 6 WBs, 6 Delves, and 2 PubDuns (so far, only 3 WBs have been released with one more in the U47 patch, 3 Delves, and 1 PubDun)
• No new feature (Subclassing is basegame so not included in the value of Solstice)
• No Companions
• A new World Event (releasing with U47)
• No new Tales of Tribute deck
• A new Trial
• 4 DLC Dungeons (also playable via ESO+)

Mathematically, Solstice is offerring way less than Necrom did, and the Dungeons aren't making up for that. Solstice is only a good deal for people who: i) want to own the dungeons permanently regardless of ESO+ status, and ii) only get Chapters for the zones and do not care about Chapter features.

If you're only interested in the story and don't care about needing to rush it to take part in the Wall event, this really looks like a "wait until it's on sale" thing. Especially if you are currently on ESO+ and don't want to essentially pay to permanently unlock the dungeons you're already paying for.

I blame inflation .

But I like where the story is going.

Malyore wrote: »

I haven't bought the new chapter/pass yet. I think it's the first time since owning the game that I haven't purchased the new content.

As I am someone who did not like the storytelling of Necrom & Gold Road, but who did like the original ESO main story (along with Clockwork City and Elsewyr) would you recommend me the new chapter? I enjoyed Zerith Vars quest infinitely more than Gold Roads story, and I actively disliked Tanlorins quest. If those make any indication as to story and characters I enjoy.

I'm hoping to avoid plot spoilers and moreso want to know how the tone of the story is.
Is it the same dull "the world is going to end because of daedra but we will save the day with positivity and courage" tone? How are the characters? Is the plot predictable with betrayal, and with villains standing right in front of you but being unkillable? Are you forced to side against villains in the first place simply because they are "bag guy grrr"? How are the player choices in plot and dialogue?

Does the zone provide anything worthwhile too?

I did not think I would like it as the last few additions have been annoying in all sorts of ways, invulnerable phases, quests where all you do is talk to this NPC then that one, then another. I actually enjoyed it. The zone WB's were well done (except one has a bug), the public dungeon is actually one of my favorites, it's very visually exciting and nice to explore, has ships, water, you can actually get lost. A few of the normal quests you run into have a couple of cool twists, the main story line is not too short and not too long. The zone itself is not so bad, I'd compare it to High Isle sort of but a little better, not too big, but big enough it took me a week of walking everywhere to explore it all(I walk through new zones without riding to explore).

The downsides are not a lot of overland mobs, kind of has that blackwood feel. Almost all the houses you encounter you cannot enter unless they have to do with a quest. Some look really cool on the outside, just sucks you can't go inside like you could on many of the pre summerset zones.

If they added a few wandering boss mobs like a few of the recent releases and could enter the houses it would have been quite nice.

Considering it is supposed to be HALF of a zone it's not bad. It was a lot better than the last few.

That being said I think subclassing is going to destroy the game and people will be leaving in droves after a time due to there are already weekly nerfs/changes happening and a lot of us old timers were already growing weary of continually rebuilding our builds.

Not in my opinion, no, it's not worth buying. At the rate things are going ZOS might not be around in a year anyway.

Malyore wrote: »

Mathius_Mordred wrote: »

The story is great, best for a while.

@Mathius_Mordred what is it that makes it great compared to recent ones?

AzuraFan wrote: »

It's difficult to say because we haven't seen the whole package yet. In terms of what's been released, it's worth buying if you like playing through story content

It's particular story content I enjoy. The selling point to me can't just be that there is some new story in it, but rather the particular narrative and tone of that story, and the freedom of the roles I could have within it.
That is the reason I really disliked Necrom and Gold Road. The tale itself was not a bad concept, in fact I thought the concept was very interesting. But the execution of its narrative was very poorly done and I just simply did not care about anything that was going on because of it.
I'd previously described the characters of Necrom/GR as cardboard cutouts. Characters of a mere two dimensions that flap in the wind and make pointless noise as they're dragged through the story.

It also didn't help that the gameplay was just sooooo slow. Having villains that stand plainly in front of you and talk on end while you're forced to not be able to attack them instantly wipes any care I have for what's going on, because the game itself doesn't allow me to care– it tries to hold me in an artificial level of suspense that does not exist. And I remember dialogue and sequences even breaking because my reaction/engagement speed was...existent: using the sorcerer streak ability to get to target locations quickly or roll dodging past NPCs that are "blocking" a doorway. Having to literally stop the fun I'm having to walk back and reset the story really breaks the illusion of a high stake narrative.

If that is what Solstice is like too, then I do not want it.

I understand wanting a good story. I love a good story. I played swtor, the mmo with the best story imo, for years. I bought the dlc for the trial. It was worth it to me as my team was going to be running it. Your requirements sound too stringent though man. What part of ESO's story was anything like what you want? Where were we ever given a freedom of roles we wanted to play? We're always the good guy. That's why I liked the orsinium story so much. No world ending stuff. Just local politics. I love it. Anyway, the story's been ok so far. It's no Summerset or Morrowind. Necrom was cool. This isn't anywhere near that stuff.

twisttop138 wrote: »

I understand wanting a good story. I love a good story. I played swtor, the mmo with the best story imo, for years. I bought the dlc for the trial. It was worth it to me as my team was going to be running it. Your requirements sound too stringent though man. What part of ESO's story was anything like what you want? Where were we ever given a freedom of roles we wanted to play? We're always the good guy. That's why I liked the orsinium story so much. No world ending stuff. Just local politics. I love it. Anyway, the story's been ok so far. It's no Summerset or Morrowind. Necrom was cool. This isn't anywhere near that stuff.

I actually just now played and finished orsinium today for the first time due to how much praise it has... and I loved it. It actually felt like elder scrolls in a lot of ways. And I was having fun!
Don't get me wrong, it was still very limited and very predictable in ESO fashion. But there were SO MANY CHOICES and it was fun to have them! I wasn't sure what impact, if any, my choices would have in the actual quest, but they were set up in a way that I felt I actually had to think about my actions and strategize which is the best one to take. Unfortunately though, about halfway through Orsinium, it turned into staler ESO format and did not become as dire of a situation as I thought it was building up for. Still is the most fun I've had in an ESO quest in years.

I recognize that ESO won't be something that it's not, but it has proven that it is capable of actually being fun and engaging, in some of its earliest content even. This is the type of stuff I hope for and seek in the newer content.

Personally I'm happy with West Solstice, the zone and side quests have been fun and i think there's interesting new lore regarding Nords, Argonians, Altmer, Meridia, Sanguine, and Maormer. The new dialogue options are used a bunch of times which is awesome too.
i love that the zone story is a sequel to the base game and I'm excited for the rest of it in update 47 and 48.

Malyore wrote: »

I've been seeing a lot of mixed answers, and the difficulty in deciding is that I believe both sides are correct in what they say. There's some improvements to the story compared to recent years, but overall it still falls short of what it should be.

Riding off of the enjoyment of finally playing Orsinium has got me wanting to give Solstice a chance, to see if it feels better than Necrom/GoldRoad. I'm still going to wait though and hear a bit more, across multiple threads and feedback, before I'm willing to drop a chunk of money on something that has a high risk of being a disappointment. ZOS still has a lot of burnt bridges to make up for imo before I'm willing to cross another one for them...just yet.

I appreciate what everyone has shared so far. Do we know when ✌️ "season 2" ✌️is coming out? Isn't the only way to get 1 is as a bundle together with 2?

season of the Worm Cult parts 1 and 2 are West and East Solstice, when update 48 releases the entire zone is there.
(edited to add: and of course update 48 releases very likely late October/early November just like past q4 updates)
it's releasing in parts just like Craglorn in 2014.

the actual season 2 would release next year and likely be part of 2026 Content Pass.

if the price is a concern, the content pass will likely be discounted for a week with Quakecon in August (week of August 7) and during the Writhing Wall event in October (probably first 2 weeks), just like previous chapters.
There'd be more discounts after that too, but those 2 are before the wall disappears incase you want to experience Solstice before that.

It's too early to say anything about that, as we don't yet know "how much" content is still coming. One positive point for me is that we'll get a new area to explore twice a year again – with Goldroad, it was definitely depressing for me that we only had one new area to explore in June and then nothing for a whole year. Western Solstice's landscape is beautifully designed as always; I love walks on the beach, and many of the new Argonian structural furnishings and furniture are also beautiful.
I'm somewhat divided on Sunport. On the one hand, Sunport looks fantastic, and the color-modified Alinor building elements fit well with the Argonian structures. It also makes sense that newcomers to the island have brought "their architecture" with them. But still, it seems as if the developers took the easy way out by not adding any new High Elven structures or, in particular, furniture. The interiors of the buildings in Sunport are extremely unimaginative, downright disappointing.
Story-wise, I like the story so far, but the main quests have been so short that the entire main story feels more like a prologue. The lack of new companions and a new feature also makes it all seem rather "poor" at the moment. But let's wait until the end of the year.

SirLeeMinion wrote: »

I'm going to surprise myself and say, "Yes," it's worth it. I agree with those that say the area is smaller, main plot is weak, and the gear is unremarkable. I'm also playing less due to incoming nerfs and the damper that AI monitoring puts on chat (this despite the fact that I personally prefer PG-rated chat). So why, yes?

I'll get a lot of entertainment out of my $50 this year, and it helps keep the studio alive.

I understand your point, but I can't agree. This is a product that we buy and not a charity.
Also, I can't comprehend when ZOS claimed they make a lot of money every month from ESO and then we've gotten a tiny island with reused assets for the price of 50 bucks. Is it a joke?
[snip]
Until ZOS explicitly shows that they spent at least a fraction of the earned money to improve the game, I don't see any reason to support them.
[edited for bashing]

Djennku wrote: »

tomofhyrule wrote: »

I haven't done the story yet - honestly I've been disappointed by the quests and storytelling in ESO for a while (High Isle was the worst thing I've ever done), especially since I can get my RPG and storytelling fix so much more from other games like BG3 or even the single-player TES games.

However, just looking at the amount of content afforded by the Season pass... no, it's not worth it at all.

Look at what we got in 2023:
Necrom, $40:

• Two zones (one large, one small), sharing 6 WBs, 6 Delves, and 2 PubDuns
• A New Class
• Two Companions
• A new World Event (Bastion Nymics)
• One new Tales of Tribute deck
• A new Trial

Versus now:
Solstice, $50:

• One zone, presumably with 6 WBs, 6 Delves, and 2 PubDuns (so far, only 3 WBs have been released with one more in the U47 patch, 3 Delves, and 1 PubDun)
• No new feature (Subclassing is basegame so not included in the value of Solstice)
• No Companions
• A new World Event (releasing with U47)
• No new Tales of Tribute deck
• A new Trial
• 4 DLC Dungeons (also playable via ESO+)

Mathematically, Solstice is offerring way less than Necrom did, and the Dungeons aren't making up for that. Solstice is only a good deal for people who: i) want to own the dungeons permanently regardless of ESO+ status, and ii) only get Chapters for the zones and do not care about Chapter features.

If you're only interested in the story and don't care about needing to rush it to take part in the Wall event, this really looks like a "wait until it's on sale" thing. Especially if you are currently on ESO+ and don't want to essentially pay to permanently unlock the dungeons you're already paying for.

I'm going to counter this misinformation right here. You are comparing a chapter, Necrom, which is priced at $40-$50 with the Content Pass, which is about the same price, but only comparing the Q2 release, when in reality, the chapter Necrom only included that one update you are paying for.

The content pass includes not only one update, but 2 dungeon DLCs, AND the q4 DLC which is the whole year's worth of content for the same price as a single piece of content. You are getting so much more for the Content Pass vs a single chapter.

This is completely separate from ESO plus, because you own the content, and can access it eith or without a subscription. So that argument bevomes invalid.


To put it blunty, the Content Pass is well worth the price, but in the end, buying it or not is a personal choice and the worth is 100% up to the person considering buying the content.

There is no misinformation there, buddy

Gankform wrote: »

The Steam reviews are brutal, but a lot of them are complaining about the price. Hopefully ZOS is taking note. Customers know when they're being milked and don't like it.

It’s not. It’s a zone released half at a time which will no doubt lead to a mess. The writing I saw on the PTS was quite poor and it’ll force feed you four annoying DLC dungeons to permanently taint your random dungeon tool when you could be getting easy Fungal Grotto I or any other vanilla dungeon instead (A major downside of ESO+).

It’s also taking place in one of ESO’s made up non-canon world spaces so it’s not even useful as an elder scrolls themed themepark like the other zones.

Also the entire zone is just reused murkmire/summerset assets, they put all their money on their failed second MMO that just got cancelled. ESO’s been starving for at least half a decade now, imo longer.

Definitely Not worth the money,the new zone is also like one big empty space at the moment.

Honestly it's more of a copy and paste than anything hardly any new textures etc,typical reskin and reuse.

So the first half if you were to run through it would take max about 3-4 hours.

Taking your time like i did 10-12.

Won't be buying the content pass in the future though unless it offers substantially more content for the money.

There some really cool areas, the public dungeon is excellent. World bosses are generally cool. Good delves.

Zone story is too quick and some of the color selection in the overland is a little odd.