What Do You Think of ESO’s Trading System?

Radiate77 · December 3

Too much running around, blind bidding, and reliance on add‑ons.

Furyous wrote: »

Radiate77 wrote: »

Nobody expects a player to go to every trader, but when you have an Add-On telling you to go to XYZ for the best deal, you’re not going to look around nearby at other stalls and potentially window shop a good deal.

That vision has been trampled over.

I am not sure why you would not still "window shop." The term itself inherently means to look without actively searching.

If you are the type of player who enjoys browsing after finding what you came for, a universal search would not prevent that. It would simply make it easier to locate the items you need while still leaving room for casual exploration.

Think of it like Amazon: the platform offers powerful search tools that let you find exactly what you want, yet it also generates countless impulse buys through recommendations, related items, and casual browsing. A universal search in ESO would work the same way, improving efficiency without eliminating the option to browse or stumble across something unexpected.

It is clear you are at conflict with the design decision of Guild Traders in ESO and would only be happy with a shift to a generalized Auction House.

If you can’t provide constructive feedback on how to improve the current system, within it’s framing, then why waste your time at all?

I find it odd that you keep trying to twist my posts into meaning something else entirely, but in the spirit of constructive feedback, I’ll give you this advice, you should try to design your poll options a bit better in the future, they are a mess. You can’t ask an open-ended question and assume everyone’s answer.

Al_Ex_Andre · December 3

It’s clunky, but I’ve learned to live with it.

Clunky but have learnt to live with it.

If you are a casual player, gl to be able to sell your things. Maybie it's the hidden reason, needing to apply to a guild, and then need to play the game...more. MMOs are champions to make you stay in their games...with daily rewards, events, and so on...

Cheers

Furyous · December 3

Too much running around, blind bidding, and reliance on add‑ons.

scrappy1342 wrote: »

look for trading guilds that don't have any requirements. there are plenty out there ^.^ once you join, you can simply sell your things (after figuring out how to price them <opens a whole new can of worms>)

Your first point: I have been in trading guilds, and some of them were great communities. But the constant fundraising to cover trader costs, raffles, auctions, donation drives, always left me feeling uneasy. I end up feeling guilty using a trader that requires so much effort and expense from the guild just to keep it running. I hope there can be a better way.

I have my own small guild and would be happy with an out‑of‑the‑way trader, but I honestly have no idea how to secure one under the current system. It feels broken, and it doesn’t have to stay that way.

scrappy1342 wrote: »

hit the nail on the head here... it really is overcomplicated and it's a horrible system at this point in time. at one point, sales tax would have paid for a trader. but then you have too many ppl bidding on traders and the bids are too high now. it really is not worth it. in regards to bid prices... the two main factors you want to look at are "how many traders are in this spot?" and "how far is it from the wayshrine?" those are the things that drive a bid up. places like vivec, mournhold, wayrest, etc. that have large groups of traders right on top of the wayshrine go for the most.

Your second point: With 288 traders spread across nearly 50 zones, tracking down the lower‑cost options is practically a full‑time job. I don’t have a knowledge base built up of which traders are good or bad, and it seems most people are reluctant to share that information for fear of competition. That lack of transparency is exactly why guides and resources on the subject are so scarce.

Razmirra · December 3

Small guilds and casual players can’t realistically participate.

1) 2 weeks per item put up for sale kinda screws with things as opposed to 30 days.
2) Small guilds won't able to afford the nicer locations such as in the cities and high traffic zones.

valenwood_vegan · December 3

The system is fine as is, I enjoy the hunt and guild dynamics.

MincMincMinc wrote: »

[

It's not decentralized though lol. It hasn't been decentralized since they allowed addons to track store inventories. Now it is just exceedingly poorly centralized on a half assed addon & third party website abused by bots and scammers. Subjecting the casual player base into leaving the integrity of the game and to use potentially risky 3rd party software/websites.

It was fine at launch, but now its pointless and a tedious waste of time. It only serves a nostalgia purpose for some of us older players, but to newer/younger players with shorter attention spans and other game options it is not doing ESO any favors.

Just to clarify, I realize that addons have reduced the decentralization, but it's still decentralized compared to an auction house, in the sense that there is not one interface from which a player can immediately purchase everything. And also the information provided by TTC is delayed.

I agree that the reliance on addons is a negative and as I mentioned, the system would be improved by including within the game the information currently being supplied by addons. I'd also agree that the game has changed in the last 11 years and the trading system could at least use some updates and maybe some rethinking, though I'd personally be against straight up replacing it in a way that would eliminate the trading guild communities that people have put so much time into.

SolarRune · December 3

The system is fine as is, I enjoy the hunt and guild dynamics.

Furyous wrote: »

I mentioned I am new to this. There are 288 traders that must be clicked on individually to bid, and the game provides no system, FAQ, or guide to walk you through this labyrinth of a morass of a maze of a system. As someone new to the trading game, I have no clue where 99 percent of those traders even are, so I end up spending hours just trying to find a list of budget traders that might be in my price range.

The only information I have found after hours of searching are vague references to “wilderness traders” (what even are those?) and “Thieves Hall traders.” But which ones? I would assume the Thieves Hall traders in Dasehen would bid much higher than the ones in small towns, but which towns are considered small?

I cannot even find out what a reasonable bid is. Is it 1,000? 10,000? 100,000? There is no way I can make enough profit to cover the costs of a blind bid with the small number of items I want to sell.

And I only get ten chances at this. If I bid too low on the wrong traders, I have to wait a full week to try again and do even more research because I obviously did it wrong last time.

Oversimplifying the process to make it sound easy does not actually help anyone. It comes across as dismissive of the real challenges involved and ignores how confusing the system is for most players. I would guess the majority of people have no clear idea how this process works. I have a degree in computer science and have worked as a network engineer for more than 30 years, and if I am having this much trouble with it, the fair conclusion is that the system is not simple.

Apologies i didnt mean to come across as dismissive, its just there is a bid on trader button if you have the perms every time you go to a trader - there are many sources of maps online to find the locations. And i didn't really know much about it before this year and just tried throgh trial and error until i started winning vendors. I'm no brainbox, and I could figure it out, so can anyone.

Like others have said if you want to sell just your stuff, then you are unlikley to make your money back - the minimum bid if you can find one at changeover day is 10K (i think) and I do know of bids well in excess of 100m gold - hence why most people use trading guilds. And i've read elsewhere you feel guilty for using, dont be, people make and enjoy trading guilds for that part of the game - by not listing with a trading guild you are actually disadvantaging them - keep those sales slots full!!

Remember if it's normal trash, you can just sell to an NPC directly - a good proportion of the stuff i get goes that way.

Hapexamendios · December 3

It's fine the way it is. I like that it's not like other games.

scrappy1342 · December 4

ESO needs a universal auction house like other MMOs.

Furyous wrote: »

I have been in trading guilds, and some of them were great communities. But the constant fundraising to cover trader costs, raffles, auctions, donation drives, always left me feeling uneasy. I end up feeling guilty using a trader that requires so much effort and expense from the guild just to keep it running. I hope there can be a better way.

the solution would be less guilds and more traders. by making another guild, you are putting more competition on those spots. and not just you, of course, but every person who has the same line of thought.

Furyous wrote: »

Your second point: With 288 traders spread across nearly 50 zones, tracking down the lower‑cost options is practically a full‑time job. I don’t have a knowledge base built up of which traders are good or bad, and it seems most people are reluctant to share that information for fear of competition. That lack of transparency is exactly why guides and resources on the subject are so scarce.

i'm sure there's a good number of out of the way spots that have little to no competition that ppl don't want others to know about. they certainly aren't going to say "yeah, i bid the minimum on this trader out in the boonies every week and win it."

kargen27 · December 4

The system is fine as is, I enjoy the hunt and guild dynamics.

Soarora wrote: »

I wouldn’t care if we keep this system or get a centralized system, though a centralized system would suck for trade guilds… but also would drive people to join more non-trade guilds. Main thing is I wish we had a sanctioned crown:gold conversion marketplace like other MMOs.

At this point a centralized system would be a disaster. There is a lot of players sitting on 100+million gold and they could easily manipulate the market on high end items. You also have the problem of players being able to see prices and undercutting on common items.
Common items prices would drop and rare items would shoot up in price. Had the game started with a central system maybe it would have worked. The system we have has created entire guilds that are built around trading as an end game activity. Changing it now would cause some of those players to leave the game.
The downside of changing is far greater than any upside. There could be some tweaks to what we have now. I would like to see a central board in each zone that lists items for every trader in that zone. No prices would be shown and you would need to go to the trader to purchase. That way players just wanting something and not worried about price can go to the most convenient location. Players wanting a bargain are going to have to hop around from trader to trader. Flippers can still flip.

Mathius_Mordred · December 4

ESO needs a universal auction house like other MMOs.

It's the number one cost by far for most guilds. It shuts out all but the larger guilds. I pay on average 150 million a year on hiring our weekly guild trader, our guild with raffles raises maybe 50 million a year, the rest is paid for out of my own pocket by selling Crowns. Some guild pay far more than me if they are a dedicated trading build.

They won't change it because it requires dedicated guild leaders to cough up real money to keep it working. A game-wide auction house would end all that income instantly.

robpr · December 4

It’s clunky, but I’ve learned to live with it.

It's fine as it is.
Going fully centralized would destroy only true gold sink in the game and skyrocket inflation instantly. Official search site would be nice - if Path of Exile could do it then Eso could too. Best if you could do it within the game for a small gold fee so we would control the gold sink a little bit more.

Suck for the buyer, yes, but I think its healthy for the game's economy in the long run. What I would change is to simply add more trader spots in lesser map settlements and move those absolutely in middle of nowhere that nobody without an addon even thinks to visit on their own.

Juju_beans · December 4

The system is fine as is, I enjoy the hunt and guild dynamics.

It's too easy to corner the market with a single AH. Just look at WOW as an example.

Traveling to trader hubs is part of the game. All the guild traders offers healthy competition for prices.

couriersix · December 4

It’s clunky, but I’ve learned to live with it.

I didn't like it at first and found it initially difficult to understand and navigate, but now that I understand how it works, I don't really want a centralized trade house. The bidding serves an important function to the game economy, since it's arguably the largest and most consistent gold sink that we have. It does suck to pay dues, but there are plenty of guilds with decent traders and optional dues if you know how to look.

I think the games economy would be worse off without the guild traders. It IS inconvenient to check TTC and to run around the map to an obscure trader in some outlaw refuge, but it also does give everyone a fair chance and prevents people from being able to immediately snipe good deals. The system also does encourage you to check your own guilds first and foremost as well, which directly helps out your guild.

DragonRacer · December 4

Furyous wrote: »

Ph1p wrote: »

Despite my vote, I think there are great arguments for a central trading system, but it makes no sense to switch at this point. That decision should have been made early on. Not 11 years in, when you literally have hundreds of guilds who have built and maintained so many player communities around traders.

By all means, improve on the current system, add more quality of life features, better search tools, and so forth. By the way, trading guilds themselves have been begging for those, too, so there's much room for agreement here. But advocating for trading guilds to go away or categorically maligning them as extortion, racketeering, and organized crime doesn't get us anywhere.

EDIT: Typo

I am not sure where you read that I accused trading guilds of extortion. My point was about the blind bid system itself. The way it forces escalating bids makes it feel as though the NPCs are the ones extorting you just to be able to sell your items. That is very different from saying guilds themselves are engaged in extortion.

You literally have another thread on this subject that you titled "Is ESO's Trading System Run by the Mafia?" That type of wording brings about specific connotations. As the GM of a trading guild myself, it certainly set a tone when I opened the thread. So I presume that is where the person got the impression that you might have been accusatory towards trading guilds.

I do not know where folks originally got knowledge (I presume trial and error as, no, the game itself does not really give a guide on being a trading guild GM) as I inherited the trading guild I run from its original creator (who, himself, got his knowledge from someone else who was a GM of a trading guild he was in). He taught me about bidding, good/bad spots, fundraisers like auctions and raffles (because the blind bid system has made bids high so the sales tax from sales does not cover the cost of the bids at all, so they are supplemented either by forcing dues or weekly sales minimums, or by asking for donations/running fundraisers, etc), and taught me price ranges - which can and do fluctuate over time as well (and which, yes, are generally not shared around because the blind bidding process means every other guild out there bidding against you is competition - unless you are a guild that has entered an alliance with other guilds, which is an entirely other can of worms/drama). Trading guild system is merchant PvP, for the most part.

It is a lot of work, much of it thankless or unnoticed. It is very much like having a second job. Trading guild GMs and, by extension, their officers have to have a love of the game and the system, and of the guild and its members, to want to run a trading guild. If all you are seeking to do is sell your wares, it will be easier and more affordable for you to join a trading guild that is already established versus frustrating yourself throwing countless gold at random traders and being angry the bids aren't winning. If you are interested in running a successful trading guild with other guild members, then that is a different story but that is not the impression I have gathered from your two threads on the subject. I run a trading guild now because I joined one, fell in love with its members and its auctions, asked how I could help, eventually became an officer, and over time the creator wanted to step back from the admin work and asked if I wanted to be GM.

(None of the above is a personal argument from me for or against the current system. Even though I run a donation-based trading guild, I'm fairly neutral on the overall topic. The system we have now is what we have, and so I operate my best in it, and it is from that view that I bring this reply to try and help give advice/shed light where I can.)

And to answer some of the questions you brought up earlier, Thieves Guild means the underground Outlaw Refuges, which have one guild trader. And "wilderness traders" - also often called solo traders or lone wayshrine traders - are the ones that are not in cities which have 5-6 traders all clustered together. You see one trader at a random wayshrine in the middle of nowhere of a map - that is a "wilderness trader". As far as better or worse to bid on, is somewhat platform-specific. The three big capitals and the DLC/chapter capitals tend to be at the top and the most expensive because they see the most foot traffic for shoppers. Next tier would mostly be non-capital cities. After that the wilderness and Outlaw Refuge traders. But some middle ground maps do better on some platforms versus others - I believe Belkarth and Rawl'kha are fairly popular on PC, but those are mid-level or lower traffic on PS NA, for example.

DoofusMax · December 4

Too much running around, blind bidding, and reliance on add‑ons.

I'm not a heavy trader and I don't run a guild where I'd have to mess with getting a trader kiosk each week (kudos to my tireless guildmaster who takes care of that), but there are lots of pain points in the guild trader system. The poll responses don't really match up well with my take on the system, to the point where "it's fine" and "I don't trade enough" are about the only ones that don't apply.

1. Trade happens in an problematic information environment. The game itself tells you nothing about items other than their worth if you were to dump them onto an NPC vendor. I'm sure that purple furnishing plan is totally worth 13g. Players must rely on outside information to get anything approaching a reasonable picture of how the market views any given item or they must spend an unwarranted amount of time browsing the various vendors to gather the information on their own. In the latter case, their subscription, food/bev buffs, XP buffs, and whatnot are ticking down as the do that.
2. On a similar topic and still without resorting to information from outside the game, the player only knows what sellers are asking rather than what buyers are paying. Asymmetrical information is a different kind of information problem, but it's still a problem.
3. The locational basis of the traders kind of goes to immersion, but because players can't know what all traders have available and at what price, even with addons, the result is a tiered system of "trading hubs" where traders in high-traffic areas are pretty much accessible only to guilds with large bank accounts behind them. I'll note with some amusement the one or two instances I'm aware of where non-trading guilds burned a lot of gold to outbid some of the capital traders for a week and sat back to enjoy their consternation, but smaller guilds are usually relegated to backwater locations and individuals are pretty much locked out of the trader system unless they want to spam zone chat with "WTS" or "WTB" messages (while their subscriptions and buffs tick away).
4. The guild trader system is among the primary reasons to join an active guild in the first place. There are some other perks to guilds, but Home Tours kind of removed the guildhall perk (shameless self-promotion: "Khajiit Crafts" on PC NA is a fully stocked "guildhall" and is open to the public, although the decorating continues on an "as I get to it" basis).
5. The game needs gold sinks and weekly trader kiosk bids and the fees that go along with trading are a part of that.
6. The locational basis of the guild traders is an excellent impetus to get out there and explore to find wayshrines and traders.
7. I really enjoy some of the kiosk traders' comments when opening their stores. Very immersive and they all seem to have distinct personalities (kudos to the sound team).

On the whole, I like the immersive aspects of the trader system, but the gameplay aspects are especially clunky, aggravating, time-consuming, and sometimes downright infuriating.

O_LYKOS · December 4

The system is fine as is, I enjoy the hunt and guild dynamics.

In general i think its alright. It can be a pain running around to try find an item. But it also allows for some solid finds. Auction house like wow and FF is much more accessable and easy to use however. And gives everyone the same chance at find what the need

shadyjane62 · December 4

ESO needs a universal auction house like other MMOs.

I hate the trader system so much I never use it. I would have to join a guild to make it work and that is a non-starter.

I have contented myself by refining and vendoring. As I am now at 70 million gold and 210 million worth of mats I feel I have done ok.

I am now at the point that I am giving away more than I gather.

I have 15k crowns left from sub and am looking forward to Christmas giveaway.

I hope everyone will participate in helping all the other players.

joshisanonymous · December 4

The system is fine as is, I enjoy the hunt and guild dynamics.

Honestly, just wish that the API didn't open it up to addons that undermine the point of having multiple markets. The current system without Master Merchant and such would be better, IMO.

Artanisul · December 4

Small guilds and casual players can’t realistically participate.

Furyous wrote: »

Radiate77 wrote: »

Nobody expects a player to go to every trader, but when you have an Add-On telling you to go to XYZ for the best deal, you’re not going to look around nearby at other stalls and potentially window shop a good deal.

That vision has been trampled over.

I am not sure why you would not still "window shop." The term itself inherently means to look without actively searching.

If you are the type of player who enjoys browsing after finding what you came for, a universal search would not prevent that. It would simply make it easier to locate the items you need while still leaving room for casual exploration.

Think of it like Amazon: the platform offers powerful search tools that let you find exactly what you want, yet it also generates countless impulse buys through recommendations, related items, and casual browsing. A universal search in ESO would work the same way, improving efficiency without eliminating the option to browse or stumble across something unexpected.

YAY!
You figured it out!
It should be like Amazon.....just one place to get what ya want and to sell your stuff.
Thanks for your support!

Artanisul · December 4

Small guilds and casual players can’t realistically participate.

kargen27 wrote: »

Soarora wrote: »

I wouldn’t care if we keep this system or get a centralized system, though a centralized system would suck for trade guilds… but also would drive people to join more non-trade guilds. Main thing is I wish we had a sanctioned crown:gold conversion marketplace like other MMOs.

At this point a centralized system would be a disaster. There is a lot of players sitting on 100+million gold and they could easily manipulate the market on high end items. You also have the problem of players being able to see prices and undercutting on common items.
Common items prices would drop and rare items would shoot up in price. Had the game started with a central system maybe it would have worked. The system we have has created entire guilds that are built around trading as an end game activity. Changing it now would cause some of those players to leave the game.
The downside of changing is far greater than any upside. There could be some tweaks to what we have now. I would like to see a central board in each zone that lists items for every trader in that zone. No prices would be shown and you would need to go to the trader to purchase. That way players just wanting something and not worried about price can go to the most convenient location. Players wanting a bargain are going to have to hop around from trader to trader. Flippers can still flip.

The point you make here is only possible because the system wasnt fixed a long time ago.

The malicious people (the organized crime syndicate that has it now) WOULD do that to the system. Starving them out with reposting fees is the only way the market would recover for sure. They can do this because the keys to the market were handed to them over the years.

Neutral dealers would be very helpful. Caps on prices would be helpful.
RIght now on PC NA prices are so high for things that we just play like there is no Market. The game gains nothing from the current system, just the Mafia Guilds.

Destai · December 4

Small guilds and casual players can’t realistically participate.

I can't stand it. And I also can't stand the culture it creates where I have to join guilds where there's constant raffles, auctions, and someone demanding a donation just to sell mats or something. I would much rather us have a central auction house.

SilverBride · December 4

It’s clunky, but I’ve learned to live with it.

I used to think the trading system was really strange and cumbersome, but the TTC website helps a lot with finding items at a reasonable price (usually), and I got used to it. But honestly I'd prefer an auction house system. I don't know what would happen with trade guilds but most of those do many other activities too, so I imagine they would not fall apart because of losing trading.

MincMincMinc · December 4

ESO needs a universal auction house like other MMOs.

valenwood_vegan wrote: »

MincMincMinc wrote: »

[

It's not decentralized though lol. It hasn't been decentralized since they allowed addons to track store inventories. Now it is just exceedingly poorly centralized on a half assed addon & third party website abused by bots and scammers. Subjecting the casual player base into leaving the integrity of the game and to use potentially risky 3rd party software/websites.

It was fine at launch, but now its pointless and a tedious waste of time. It only serves a nostalgia purpose for some of us older players, but to newer/younger players with shorter attention spans and other game options it is not doing ESO any favors.

Just to clarify, I realize that addons have reduced the decentralization, but it's still decentralized compared to an auction house, in the sense that there is not one interface from which a player can immediately purchase everything. And also the information provided by TTC is delayed.

I agree that the reliance on addons is a negative and as I mentioned, the system would be improved by including within the game the information currently being supplied by addons. I'd also agree that the game has changed in the last 11 years and the trading system could at least use some updates and maybe some rethinking, though I'd personally be against straight up replacing it in a way that would eliminate the trading guild communities that people have put so much time into.

Yeah we are kind of in a limbo state. You either have a centralized auction house. The decentralized traders. However we have a decentralized with a 3rd party getting involved to centralize it to the benefit of certain bots/players. Remember that some countries are so poor that people can literally make an IRL living watching the 3rd party sites to buy and price gouge. In some cases entire businesses are setup exploiting people to do this. Yet we see zos not put a stop to it. (please note I am not saying to do this or people should do this, simply that this happens)

If you were to centralize, you would essentially setup a marketplace where all listings are shown, but trading guilds could offer incentives or discounts of some sort. Its hard to describe without naming and giving examples using online stores, which would probably be against TOS in some way. Think of having a worldwide auction house, but you could search an item and then see what guilds list those items. So guilds would control pricing instead of individual players. >> This way individuals and newer sellers would sell to their guilds which then sell through the market to get their cut. One benefit here is that the individuals who are casuals can quickly sell off their product or farmed mats to a guild.

Or just dont have trading guilds with a single auction

Or region off the world and have a few auction hubs that are "decentralized". For instance 90% of people in DC sit in wayrest still, this would be the regional hub for all DC zones. To sell in the DC market you must be in a trading guild within DC. Perhaps the more expensive vendors could offer more of a return or less tax incentivizing guilds to bid for the wayrest npcs.

The problem is that ESO went with the guild trader system that was "decentralized". The reason to do this is to promote localized economies due to the distance differences and hotspot towns. However in ESO you can just teleport around. So instead all that has happened was you making tedious work and opening many doors to scammers preying on new players who dont know better. So not only do we not get the benefit of local economies because of addons, but we create a tedious environment for the older players and a scam driven environment for our newer players. Its a lose lose lose across the board.

Juju_beans · December 4

The system is fine as is, I enjoy the hunt and guild dynamics.

Trading guilds is a part of the game and a game iself to some players. One universal trading house would make them wither away to nothing.

AvalonRanger · December 4

The system is fine as is, I enjoy the hunt and guild dynamics.

But, adding player's crafting writ request system will be better.
I want to do job with decent price.

manukartofanu · December 5

The system is fine as is, I enjoy the hunt and guild dynamics.

In a game where even searching through many traders is already somewhat automated to collect everything into a central data pool, adding an auction house would mean opening the door for addons to buy every good deal. Every single one of them.

And these addons will be run from many, many different accounts, putting a huge load on the servers for the sake of profit.

A lot of people complained about high prices about two years ago. Well, if you introduce a global auction house, the prices of rare items will skyrocket, because you no longer need to search for them across traders or monitor TTC and rush somewhere to buy them if you spot one. People will write custom addons that automate this. And don’t be naive, nobody will ever share such addons with the community.

Juju_beans · December 5

The system is fine as is, I enjoy the hunt and guild dynamics.

manukartofanu wrote: »

In a game where even searching through many traders is already somewhat automated to collect everything into a central data pool, adding an auction house would mean opening the door for addons to buy every good deal. Every single one of them.

And these addons will be run from many, many different accounts, putting a huge load on the servers for the sake of profit.

A lot of people complained about high prices about two years ago. Well, if you introduce a global auction house, the prices of rare items will skyrocket, because you no longer need to search for them across traders or monitor TTC and rush somewhere to buy them if you spot one. People will write custom addons that automate this. And don’t be naive, nobody will ever share such addons with the community.

We have games today that have a central auctionhouse and addons that scan and find the best deals right there at the foot of the auctioneer NPC.

Ysbriel · December 5

I think the competitive way to revamp the old guild trader system is to actually make the outcome of the Alliance Campaigns matter, since this game was about the 3 Banners wars, and revamping Cyrodiil in General, for instance make capturing the resources around the Keeps affecting resource gains, have players rely in overland materials such as rubedo etcetera to reconstruct and mantain the keeps, The top guilds of the winning faction Participating and claiming holds will have first dibs in selecting trader spots, plus if your alliance locked character reaches a certain campaign veteran threshold, at the end of the campaing you get a 5% resource gained through mining, collecting plants etcetera, not from from killing enemies. Incentives for being competitive. The rest of the winning campaign veteran guilds that claimed a hold, will get a 10% discount when bidding on the trader, let's incentivize being competitive and winning. Your guild can only claim one hold during the campaing and it must be held by the end of the campaing, making your Guild Leader a Lord of the Land. The losing factions, well fight harder, your guild didn't make it to top 5? Fight harder to earn your keep. New players? Learn, adapt, and progress, join or build an active competitive guild, make it more interesting than just having more coin than other players.

manukartofanu · December 5

The system is fine as is, I enjoy the hunt and guild dynamics.

Juju_beans wrote: »

manukartofanu wrote: »

In a game where even searching through many traders is already somewhat automated to collect everything into a central data pool, adding an auction house would mean opening the door for addons to buy every good deal. Every single one of them.

And these addons will be run from many, many different accounts, putting a huge load on the servers for the sake of profit.

A lot of people complained about high prices about two years ago. Well, if you introduce a global auction house, the prices of rare items will skyrocket, because you no longer need to search for them across traders or monitor TTC and rush somewhere to buy them if you spot one. People will write custom addons that automate this. And don’t be naive, nobody will ever share such addons with the community.

We have games today that have a central auctionhouse and addons that scan and find the best deals right there at the foot of the auctioneer NPC.

And none of them resemble ESO in terms of mechanics. If you apply ESO’s market to a global auction system, you'll end up with roughly 99% of easily farmable goods costing 5-500 gold, practically trash that nobody needs. And 1% of an elite market where nothing will be accessible to ordinary players, and the majority of deals will simply turn into real-money purchases, just like in other games with a unified auction house.

In ESO, you can actually play without buying anything for real money, and that’s the advantage of its trading system.

AllenaNightWood · December 5

Small guilds and casual players can’t realistically participate.

i like the system but i really wish players would price stuff more realistically just because a item is new doesnt mean it has any value because its about supply v demand if theres low supply but also low demand reduce the price