Are you more hopeful for the game since the Jan 7th announcement?

DenverRalphy · January 8

Maybe

dinokstrunz wrote: »

I'm not convinced from what I saw on the global reveal. There is zero hype building up. ZoS really needs to learn how to hype of their product for once. Not saying the changes are good/bad just not enough to really revive the game for me. The direction feels all over the place.

If there's one thing ZOS knows how to do.. it's hype a product. So much so, it's also what got them into hot water with the fanbase the past couple of years. IMHO, It's good that they've dialed it down a notch or three.

Northwold · January 8

Maybe

Thinking about it a bit more I actually wonder if switching to an every-two-year major content model (like other MMOs) with more incremental / random changes in between might not have been more sensible.

It's almost like we're going from too many periodic releases for people to care about and the team to handle to a trickle of less significant stuff all the time, and without any big hook periodically to look forward to players and potential players may struggle to remain interested.

Tensar · January 8

Maybe

I stopped to play the game because each years was the same and 2025 was the worst

But here I am curious to this, I think the game will continue to die, and when we think about it the lack of new content in 2026 continue to show this but at least I am interested in the idea of free content.

Qagh wrote: »

I want new chapters with big story. I‘m out now and i will play single player games with stories.

RIP ESO 2026!

Chapters stories are bad since years anyway

Wup_sa · January 8

No

Morvan wrote: »

Wup_sa wrote: »

I would be much more hopeful if they quit changing animations and focusing more on balance.

They're not changing just animations with the class rework, they're meant for balance.

It's still useless work. To focus on visuals over balancing more classes at once rather than per season. Not to mention the new visuals looks like they are straight from Temu.

AzuraFan · January 8

Yes

Because they seem to be listening and the ship is turning under the new leadership. Whether this results in a better experience for my style of play remains to be seen. But today I have hope that things will improve. Tomorrow...we'll see.

agelonestar · January 8

No

I will admit, I’m a little bitter right now.

Some of the new stuff looks good - but let’s be honest, they’re QoL changes that should just be wrapped into the old update cycle (or a new one).

What I’m incredibly disappointed about is as follows:

1. Where’s the new content? I get ZoS’s desire to move away from the possibly brutal dev schedule of Chapters, but we’re moving from one large new zone with new base game elements, and one small zone, plus what was originally four dungeons, and QoL improvements, to….. nothing. When you strip it back, what they announced yesterday is just a recycling exercise. Some extra quests for zones you already completed.
2. The whole “we’re listening” thing is getting old now. Since I started playing I’m pretty sure I have heard this schtick every other year. And I’ve never seen communication improve for more than a month or two. And it’s never made any appreciable difference to the game. Ask any regular PTS contributor.

And didn’t we launch Seasons last year? So are we all agreeing that was an abortion? The Twitch stream felt like I missed the huge apology for last year’s nonsense, like everyone had admitted things were not good enough, and this was the response. Only, that didn’t happen - because in ZoS usual communication style, we’re just skipping over last year and pretending this is the first Season.

Like just about every old friend, and many many others, I feel like it’s time to scale back and stop pretending this is getting better.

liliub17_ESO · January 8

I'm in the "not really but I want to be" camp.

Too long of ZOS ignoring player feedback on changes (on the PTS and then live), too many times of something being hyped as the latest, bestest thing ever in the history of gaming only to flop horribly because it either wasn't tested fully or balance was absolutely ignored or < fill in the blank > .

I *want* to be hopeful and feel more positive about the game's future, but the devs can only kick this poor kitty so many times before I refuse to put myself within reach again. :: shrugs ::

zenonuk · January 8

Maybe

For me everything announced and coming in 2026 feels like it's the "transitional" year they promised last year.

There's some new quests/content/trial, but no new group dungeons and no new zone to explore.

The QoL updates, a bunch of other changes, and rolling back some past bad decisions, are all great step in the right direction.

I also liked the new professional/sombre presentation style without the spin/hype/pr/marketing of previous years' reveal streams.

However, it really will come down to the implementation. After 2025 they have a lot to prove, and a lot of trust to rebuild. I was about to finish with ESO after 2025, but I'll watch how 2026 plays out, and if they're starting to turn things around and the 2027 reveal has a focus on new questing/zone/content* and group dungeons (together with the completion of the class rebalancing needed from sub-classing), there's a good chance they'll have won me over.

I wish them good luck for 2026, they've a mammoth job to restore my trust.

[*EDIT: Hopefully they'll use this year to develop some really well written and good quality story content and lore updates for delivery in 2027... I'd rather have no story/lore content, than a repeat of the weird muddle we got in 2025 with Solstice. That said, the questing update with the Thieves Guild will be a good indicator this year how they're fairing in the writing tone/style/quality going forward.]

DaveMoeDee · January 8

Maybe

It is good to see them do away with paying for a season pass. I will always hate making inventory management horrible on purpose to push subs, but I appreciate that people that can manage their inventory well can play for free.

I also like there is no long a reason to spend above the cost of ESO+.

Making outfit slots account-wide is nice, though I don't use outfit slots at all. The free respecs are also great. Especially with all the annoying rebalancing this game does.

I don't care about anything related to cosmetics as I don't care about cosmetics in any game.

rothan117 · January 8

No

I play for story content and questing. Some warmed over rehashed Thieves guild quests does not cut it, I did not like thieves guild the first time and only completed it on my main, never touched it again on alts. Sheogorath is annoying and not even amusing anymore. I see little to nothing that will interest me in 2026. Cooperative events just sounds like more Writhing Wall extended and boring grinds.

Destai · January 8

Yes

From a leadership perspective, absolutely. Both Nick and Susan seem to get "it". They know where the game is, they know if things don't change, ESO's not long for this world. They seemed very relatable and didn't exhibit the "we know better" attitude that I've seen from the previous leaders. Seeing communication being ramped up is also good. I know the CMs have their work cut out for them.

From a QoL perspective, yes, I'm more hopeful. I was blown away by moves like making Outfit slots account wide. The new DK skills sounded really fresh, so again, hopeful there.

From a content perspective, mixed. I accept they need time to deal with technical debt. I don't think that Nick and team were handed the best cards, due to Matt and Rich's leadership and Microsoft's layoffs. So I'm willing to support the battlepass setup if it helps that goal. They have to deliver though. I worry without more robust story telling, we'll lose a significant population. That being said, I'm not a story-driven player. Haven't been in years. I want fun systems, cool outfits, and exploration. Time will tell.

From a monetization perspective, mixed. I'm very happy to see content being free going forward. This makes me feel like my sub is enough to carry me through the game. ESO+ also has some new benefits, so it's value has increased. Overall, I'm feeling better about being a subscriber. But, I don't like that there's 3 tiers to the battlepass. I could live with two. But, if I don't like the cosmetics, which is possible, I just won't buy it.

I'm looking forward to a revamped warden this year.

BXR_Lonestar · January 8

Yes

Yes. It sounds like we're getting a lot of what some of us have been begging for since we really got into the game - increased cap on transmutation gems? Check. Increased furnishing limits for housing? Check. Faster/easier upgrades for mounts and inventory slots. Check. Display your guild affiliation without a tabbard? Check.

Some of these may not sound like they're impactful because many of us already have maxed inventory and bank slots, but these are the kinds of things that serve as pain points for new players that can be barriers to entry to the game, so making these things easier is a good thing.

The increased housing limits directly addresses the primary reason why I just fail to dive deep into housing. Nothing sucks more than having a new house you are excited to decorate, only to get part way through and you hit the cap well before you are closed to finished decorating the thing.

And display guild affiliation without a tabbard is amazing! Finally, I no longer have to feel compelled to wear a costume to prevent it from looking like I'm wearing a bib. Me and my guild can finally run around Cyrodil dressed as power rangers while still displaying our guild affiliation! This is a dream come true!

I understand that these changes don't seem like they are earth-shaking changes, but they are now clearly listening to us, so I'm very optimistic for the future of the game (combat/class changes aside).

whitecrow · January 8

No

Those are very minor changes. I don't even do battlegrounds.

Faulgor · January 8

Yes

I love all the things that were announced, so I'm optimistic on that front.

But I get that it's difficult to get "hype" because a) everything is free, and there is no immediate purchase option like we were used to with chapters, b) the content is stretched over the whole year and doesn't have a clear "hook". I was also surprised they didn't even bother with new key art, simply reusing the login screen art we have had for how long now? That's not a good look to introduce something new.

So I'm happy, but not hyped? It's odd.

Monweel · January 8

Maybe

I just hope they complete the map of Tamriel before the game dies.

Syldras · January 8

No

spartaxoxo wrote: »

It sounds like there will be quests. I'm not sure why people are under the impression there won't be.

The question is the scope and the quality. I think it was not a good decision not to give any details in yesterday's stream except for the vague topic of the stories. Especially after the constant content reduction over the past years, and now the change to everything except for the battle pass being free, people are just not expecting much anymore. It would have helped in alleviating worries if they had given us a bit more info at least: Where these stories are set, how many quests or hours of playtime to expect. "A story about Sheogorath" can mean a whole questline like the main one from Solstice (East and West) which were about 6 to 7 hours of content (though that's still not much considering what we got with Summerset, for example!), it could mean some mid-size questline like the one about Veya or about Sun-in-Shadow in Morrowind, or it could be some short prologue-like story which is done within half an hour at most. Of course, after the last year, many people are expecting the worst.

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Also ship battles just sound really fun. I'm excited for that event.

I think it's an interesting theme, but I'm sceptical since I remember the awesome promises about the Wall event.

Sarannah · January 8

No

Absolutely not!

Nothing longterm, nothing real about the future. I fear the end!

Syldras · January 8

No

zenonuk wrote: »

For me everything announced and coming in 2026 feels like it's the "transitional" year they promised last year.
There's some new quests/content/trial, but no new group dungeons and no new zone to explore.

It might not be a transition, it might remain like this forever now (or for years at least, considering how often they've already changed concepts).

Tensar wrote: »

Chapters stories are bad since years anyway

The solution would be improving them, not removing them.

Juomuuri · January 8

No

The QoL seemed cool but it's too little, too late for me at least. The expensive battle pass and shrinkflation of content + the playerbase dwindling is a sign that the game is dying. I for sure am not coming back since there's nothing to do in the game as they aren't adding stuff I'd enjoy (new zones, GOOD writing in quests)...

CatoUnchained · January 8

Maybe

We'll see. I'm far more hopeful than I was before the reveal stream, but past roll outs have made me skeptical of how this will pan out. It sounds good overall IMO, but let's see how it looks and plays. Let's see what we actually get out of these changes and at what price point.

Anumaril · January 8

Yes

This update preview leaves me so hopeful for the future of the game, but I'm sceptical about the quality of storylines going forward with this new season format.

First of all, what makes me really excited is all of the following:

Updated visuals for abilities
Unlockable collectibles just by playing the game (they don't have to look good, the mere fact they exist as unlockable reward is a good thing, compared to just purchasing them on the Crown Store)
Overland difficulty system: the single most important thing to reinvigorate my gameplay experience in ESO and finally bring me back. I just hope they didn't under-do it with the difficulty, because making things just 25% harder than they are would be nothing.
New (smaller) questlines focused around existing zones, characters, and organisations, like the Thieves Guild
Solo dungeons (a lot less than the others, but is still intriguing)
Roadmap for class revamps they announced a few weeks ago. It looks like Necromancer will be at the end of the list, but I'm really keeping my fingers crossed they'll do it right and we'll finally have proper necromancy available to players.

What I'm slightly worried about is that the scope/quality of storylines will radically decrease. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, mind you, as I've been a long advocate for dumping the "world is ending" model of Chapter questlines. But from what the length of seasons are going to be, even more humble questlines like what we saw in the Orsinium DLC will not be possible. They'll have to keep things tight and compact, like the Dark Brotherhood or Thieves Guild questlines. I worry that the potential for longer stories will be somewhat extinguished.

Onomos · January 8

No

Considering the last couple expansions/new zones didn't excite me and nothing in this announcement is significant enough for me to want to keep playing, I think it might be time to mosey for a while. Expansions have really been what's kept me coming back for new content, new zones, new stories, etc. Stabilizing the game is important but as someone who is already feeling bored by the game, this does nothing to reinvigorate me. It's a shame because I do love this game.

Dimorphos · January 8

Maybe

A strong MAYBE.

There were certainly quite a load of things and we just have to wait and see if they can deliver it all.. But it would seem that they are actually trying and working towards betterment of the game. And we have to remember one key thing - You can never please everyone, no matter how and what you do..

..And I think that is just the case here. I think there are quite many people playing this game who will never be satisfied no matter what the developers come up with. They expect too much, they expect things to go just as they have wished for and it is actually basic human behaviour. We rarely are 100% happy with what we have and what we get. - Don't get me wrong, the game has been in bad state and it has let us down many times and there are so many things waiting to be fixed, but I think we are at least somewhat on the right tracks now. There are great many things coming now that the community have long wished for, many new things and things you will get just by playing the game or using in-game currency. ESO+ subscription also gives you more in the future while cost remains the same.

You can't have it all at once and there surely is a lot of work to be done with what they now announced. Might be too much to ask for a new zone/zone story for the same year or new class/race new dungeons etc. And one year will pass by very quickly.

So let's just relax and see how the year 2026 will be executed and if they can deliver everything as promised.

Did not like 100% of everything that was announced, but mostly I was pleased with the 2026 road map.

Lugaldu · January 8

No

I'm hopeful that new players will be found who enjoy quickly jumping from one game to the next, a game with lots of flashing lights and where you can quickly grind for colorful mounts. But that's not my kind of game anymore.
For me it's about Tamriel and the stories of The Elder Scrolls. Maybe, if we're lucky then we get a story every few years that lasts longer than half an hour or a new area to explore. But I doubt I'll still be here then...

Duhne · January 8

Maybe

Too much focus on events (I never liked them) and too many layers of payments and rewards systems.

Otherwise amazing QoL and make every part of the game available to everyone is great too.

For the class rework, please stay simple and don't mess classes with "amazing" ideas.

By the way, why is DK fiery breath flat ?
Are DK blowing with a flat mouth ? Are they DargonducK now ?

And why change lava whip circle animation ?
It was unique and felt like whip.
Now it looks like a morph of lacerate or twin slashes

AScarlato · January 8

No

I answered "no" because the question is whether if I am MORE hopeful, and my instinctual reaction is absolutely not.

I appreciate the quality of life improvements - I really do. But I feel those should be bonus surprises for a YEAR of content - not most of what we are getting.

Experimental content where they don't know if it's good enough to be kept around permanently to me suggests they can't possibly be putting much investment in content they may just permanently remove at some point.

I was actually more hopeful in 2025 (before we saw how that all played out) as I thought they were going to focus on an ongoing narrative and continuation of our tale. Now it seems we might get random short-stories here and there - which would be fine if we had a focused narrative offering but not as the only story content to look forward to.

BardokRedSnow · January 8

Maybe

I feel like they highlighted all the right things but for all the good in the stream it was undermined by the battle pass stuff.

How much I like or dislike this new direction depends on how much they deliver on to make me ignore that. I hate battle passes. The content delivered better be good enough to justify it.

olsborg · January 8

Yes

I mean...its in a terrible state atm (pvp) and hopefully, probably, it cant get any worse..right(?)

Elvenheart · January 8

Yes

In regards to the Battlepass-like new system (couldn’t they have chosen a different word?), i’m glad that the most important stuff seems to be in the free pass that is replacing daily logins and endeavors, and I would only have to pay money if I just really like something I see in one of the upgraded passes. In the long run, that can be a savings as long as I don’t like something in every upgraded pass! 😂

Avran_Sylt · January 8

Maybe

Overall I'm hopeful.

That being said I'm uncertain about their overall business stability under Microsoft.