Me: So... what's your opinion on this? (To ChatGPT)

Me: Y'know... what makes me laugh about some ESO players, a lot even, is they complain how changes ZOS make have destroyed Class identity etc - are very often the same people who go off and all make the same Meta builds - resulting in everyone being the same. So really... who destroys Class identity the most in this equation?

Copilot:
It’s one of the great ESO ironies, isn’t it, Robert — the loudest voices lamenting the “death of class identity” are often the same ones sprinting toward whatever Alcast, SkinnyCheeks, or the latest YouTuber declares meta that week. And the moment they do that, they flatten their own class into the exact same template as everyone else.

It’s not malicious. It’s just the MMO psychology loop at work.

Here’s the funny truth you’ve spotted:

🎭 Class identity isn’t destroyed by ZOS — it’s destroyed by conformity.
ZOS can tweak numbers, rebalance skills, adjust passives…
But none of that forces players to:

wear the same sets

run the same bars

copy the same rotation

chase the same parse

abandon flavour for efficiency

That’s a player‑driven phenomenon.

And it’s especially strong in ESO because:

DPS checks exist

Trials have expectations

Players want to be “viable”

Content creators publish “best builds”

People fear being judged in groups

So they all converge on the same handful of setups.

Then — hilariously — they turn around and say:

“ZOS ruined class identity!”

When in reality, ZOS gave them dozens of viable options…
and they chose to ignore 90% of them.

🧠 The deeper truth: meta culture erases identity far more than balance patches ever could
When everyone runs:

the same monster set

the same mythic

the same 5‑piece

the same bar setup

the same rotation

…you could swap their class and barely notice.

That’s not a design problem.
That’s a social problem.

It’s the MMO herd instinct.

🔥 So who destroys class identity?
Not ZOS.

Not balance patches.

Not skill changes.

It’s the players who:

copy the same build

refuse to experiment

treat ESO like a spreadsheet

optimise the fun out of their own class

then blame the devs for the sameness they created

It’s like someone buying the same IKEA furniture as everyone else, arranging their house exactly the same way, and then complaining that “modern houses all look identical.”

ChatGPT: Short version: your take is basically right — and the irony you’re pointing at is very real.

Longer, more nuanced version: both sides contribute, but in very different ways, and the larger share of the blame lands on player behaviour rather than developer intent.

What ZOS actually controls
ZOS controls possibility space. They decide what tools exist, how flexible classes are, how wide the performance gap is between options, and whether off-meta choices are merely “sub-optimal” or outright punished. Over the years, ESO has leaned very hard into horizontal flexibility: shared gear pools, shared weapon lines, hybridisation, and a willingness to let any class fill almost any role. That absolutely softens traditional class identity compared to older MMOs where a class had a rigid fantasy and mechanical niche.

So yes — ZOS has blurred edges. They’ve intentionally moved away from “this class does X and only X” toward “this class can do X, Y, or Z depending on how you build it.” That’s a design choice, and it does dilute identity on paper.

But here’s the critical point: blurred edges are not the same thing as erased identity.

ESO classes still have distinct kits, rhythms, visuals, passives, and play patterns. A Dragonknight still feels nothing like a Nightblade when played with intent. A Sorcerer still expresses power differently than a Templar. The identity is there — it’s just not enforced with a cattle prod.

What players actually do with that freedom
This is where your observation bites hardest.

Given freedom, many players do not explore it. They compress it.

Meta culture isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about risk avoidance. Running a meta build isn’t only about doing the most damage — it’s about avoiding social friction:

• not being questioned in a pug
• not being blamed for a wipe
• not having to justify choices
• not being seen as “dead weight”
• not having to think too hard

When you combine that with public parses, DPS thresholds, trial gatekeeping, and content creators whose livelihoods depend on declaring a “best” option, you get convergence. Massive convergence.

And convergence is identity poison.

When every stamina DPS — regardless of class — runs the same mythic, the same monster set, the same arena weapon, and the same back-bar DoT package, the class becomes cosmetic. At that point, class is just the animation set attached to the spreadsheet.

And crucially: no balance patch forces this outcome.

Players choose to flatten themselves.

The self-inflicted contradiction
The contradiction you’re laughing at is real and kind of beautiful in a tragic way:

Players demand freedom and flexibility

ZOS provides flexibility

Players immediately reduce that flexibility to a single “correct” answer

Everyone looks the same

Players complain about loss of identity

That’s not developer overreach. That’s social optimisation cannibalising variety.

If ZOS did enforce hard class identity — locked roles, exclusive buffs, strict niches — the same people complaining now would scream about being “forced” into playstyles they don’t like or being barred from content.

So the complaint isn’t really about identity. It’s about discomfort with self-imposed sameness.

Where ZOS does deserve criticism
To be fair, ZOS isn’t blameless.

They often tune content around top-end performance without clearly communicating that most content does not require that optimisation. They let DPS culture dominate the conversation without providing strong in-game signals that creative or flavour builds are acceptable outside cutting-edge content. They rarely celebrate unconventional play publicly.

That silence indirectly reinforces meta worship.

But that’s still different from “destroying class identity.”

Who actually kills identity the most
If we’re being honest:

• ZOS softens identity boundaries
• Players bulldoze what remains

ZOS creates a wide sandbox.
Players pour concrete over it.

Identity survives when people choose expression over optimisation — and ESO still allows that choice far more than its loudest critics admit.

So yeah. Your question lands exactly where it should.

If everyone voluntarily dresses the same, swings the same weapons, runs the same bars, and presses the same buttons, the problem isn’t the wardrobe.

It’s the fear of standing out.

And blaming the devs for that is just easier than admitting we optimised the soul out of our own game.