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Removing Map Based Leads?

  • MidnightDuel
    MidnightDuel
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    MoonPile wrote: »
    I've had quite a few drop, maybe like 5 so far? One actually contained a Solstice map, even.

    But still no Vitrified Soul Crystal lead 😂

    Good to know that the "Unopened Treasure Maps" can indeed drop Solstice Treasure Maps!

    Sorry that the Vitrified Soul Crystal is behaving as if its lead were supposed to drop from a treasure map. ;)
  • MidnightDuel
    MidnightDuel
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    I'm not sure if anything changed with U49 and Solstice drop rates from maps, but from 22 maps, 6 leads dropped today. One purple lead, 5 blue. Only the purple lead advanced a codex. The blues cannot be purchased with a complete codex anyway and probably dropped because each codex was already complete.

    At least it was nice that the maps stacked.

    hn64maijthyk.png

    h2g58w3ckt3s.png

    Edited to add:
    I should note that before digging up the Solstice Treasure Maps, I dug up a series of other zone treasure maps, which included three from the Telvanni Peninsula, without any furnishing leads dropping whatsoever.
    Edited by MidnightDuel on March 16, 2026 8:37AM
  • MoonPile
    MoonPile
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    I'm not sure if anything changed with U49 and Solstice drop rates from maps, but from 22 maps, 6 leads dropped today. One purple lead, 5 blue. Only the purple lead advanced a codex. The blues cannot be purchased with a complete codex anyway and probably dropped because each codex was already complete.
    ...
    Edited to add: [/i] I should note that before digging up the Solstice Treasure Maps, I dug up a series of other zone treasure maps, which included three from the Telvanni Peninsula, without any furnishing leads dropping whatsoever.

    Interesting! Thanks for sharing. Bolded those parts FWIW –

    Codex complete: Idk if it's objectively true, but "it is known" among players that 2/3 - 3/3 have the worst odds, and then it levels out after you've completed the codex. Or possibly the pattern repeats: 4th is good, 5-6 suck again, and so on.

    And I've now seen a few players in different places (incl. earlier in this thread: one who shared data with better odds than others) mention that digging up other maps (usually they use cheap ones) seems to trigger more Leads, as if it's a faucet we first have to unblock 😂

    I hate this tin-foil-hat ritual stuff, but maybe useful to note if anyone really needs to complete something and can't wait for a possible real QOL change.

    P.S.
    Sorry that the Vitrified Soul Crystal is behaving as if its lead were supposed to drop from a treasure map. ;)
    ^ I've seriously wondered about this: Whether there's some kind of pattern wherein leads drop from types of sources consecutively, thus I'm not getting one because I've refused to use Solstice Maps. But it seems like others got it unlocked without Maps? Idk.

    Edited by MoonPile on March 17, 2026 9:49PM
  • MidnightDuel
    MidnightDuel
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    Zone Treasure Maps seem to behave differently from other sources. For example, I have never seen more than one lead drop from a Treasure Map at a time. However, I have seen double-lead drops from World and Delve Bosses on several occasions, including two leads yesterday in Solstice from the boss in the Lair of the Black Worm delve. One of the leads only drops from that WB and the other (Giant Crocodile Skull) can drop from anything in the zone.

    Has anyone ever seen a double lead drop from a Zone Treasure Map?
  • lillybit
    lillybit
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    Zone Treasure Maps seem to behave differently from other sources. For example, I have never seen more than one lead drop from a Treasure Map at a time. However, I have seen double-lead drops from World and Delve Bosses on several occasions, including two leads yesterday in Solstice from the boss in the Lair of the Black Worm delve. One of the leads only drops from that WB and the other (Giant Crocodile Skull) can drop from anything in the zone.

    Has anyone ever seen a double lead drop from a Zone Treasure Map?

    Right at the start you used to get both base ancestral leads in each zone together but they stopped it. I remember rushing around trying to get them all before the patch hit.
    PS4 EU
  • MidnightDuel
    MidnightDuel
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    lillybit wrote: »
    Right at the start you used to get both base ancestral leads in each zone together but they stopped it. I remember rushing around trying to get them all before the patch hit.

    There was a lot of confusion around leads for the motif styles when Antiquities was added. The fact that it was patched underscores the intent that maps only have a chance to drop one lead at a time.

  • WithMyLaserGun
    WithMyLaserGun
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    Yes! Thank you for saying this. I spent over 50k buying maps from Guild Traders (And considerable time trying to find them cheaply) just to get one book for my house T_T
  • BradTheNord
    BradTheNord
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    this isn’t just for treasure maps either leads need improving across the board I’ve been in Root Sunder Ruins for over a eeek Tryna get a lead of a boss and it just won’t drop.
    Edited by BradTheNord on March 18, 2026 9:26PM
  • MidnightDuel
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    this isn’t just for treasure maps either leads need improving across the board

    Agreed. In particular, the 2nd and 3rd leads are especially grindy. It took me15 months of regular trips to Wayrest II to get the lead from the final boss to complete a codex.

    Also, when new mythics have leads from delves and public dungeons, it's nearly impossible to get hits on targets that drop the leads because so many players are after the same source. At least those lead sources are only tied to normal RNG and not double-locked behind a second layer of RNG, such as a treasure map, and a loot table equal to several mythics worth of leads.
  • Thoriorz
    Thoriorz
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    Has anyone ever seen a double lead drop from a Zone Treasure Map?

    Yes, it wasn't from Solstice, but I definitely remember hunting for leads a while back, and I remember getting two leads from a single treasure map. I don't really remember the exact details, but it just stuck in my mind that it happened...
    PCEU
  • MidnightDuel
    MidnightDuel
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    Thoriorz wrote: »
    Has anyone ever seen a double lead drop from a Zone Treasure Map?

    Yes, it wasn't from Solstice, but I definitely remember hunting for leads a while back, and I remember getting two leads from a single treasure map. I don't really remember the exact details, but it just stuck in my mind that it happened...

    Some zones have leads that will drop from anything, including treasure maps. An example is the "Stone Relief, Yokudan" furnishing from Alik'r Desert. Likewise, an Alik'r Treasure Map can drop leads for Ancestral Orc: Gloves or Ancestral Orc: Swords motifs, but probably not both motifs. Perhaps a furnishing lead could drop along with a motif lead?
  • anadandy
    anadandy
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    Now that U49 is live and "Unopened Treasure Maps" are dropping instead of zone-specific maps, what are players seeing?

    I had a double drop of Unopened Map from a dolmen chest.
  • Thoriorz
    Thoriorz
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    Thoriorz wrote: »
    Has anyone ever seen a double lead drop from a Zone Treasure Map?

    Yes, it wasn't from Solstice, but I definitely remember hunting for leads a while back, and I remember getting two leads from a single treasure map. I don't really remember the exact details, but it just stuck in my mind that it happened...

    Some zones have leads that will drop from anything, including treasure maps. An example is the "Stone Relief, Yokudan" furnishing from Alik'r Desert. Likewise, an Alik'r Treasure Map can drop leads for Ancestral Orc: Gloves or Ancestral Orc: Swords motifs, but probably not both motifs. Perhaps a furnishing lead could drop along with a motif lead?

    Yeah, I think it went something like this: I got a Lead drop that drops source is from anything, plus a Lead motif or Lead furnishing that drops specifically from a certain Treasure Map. And I know that when I was collecting motifs Lead in the Deadlands, I got somethimes 2x motif Lead from single Treasure Map. But I never got two furnishing Leads from one map. So there’s probably some rule about what can drop twice..
    PCEU
  • MidnightDuel
    MidnightDuel
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    anadandy wrote: »
    Now that U49 is live and "Unopened Treasure Maps" are dropping instead of zone-specific maps, what are players seeing?

    I had a double drop of Unopened Map from a dolmen chest.

    Good to know. Thieves Troves used to drop two zone maps on the regular. Since U49, only seen that happen once so far.


    Thoriorz wrote: »
    Yeah, I think it went something like this: I got a Lead drop that drops source is from anything, plus a Lead motif or Lead furnishing that drops specifically from a certain Treasure Map. And I know that when I was collecting motifs Lead in the Deadlands, I got somethimes 2x motif Lead from single Treasure Map. But I never got two furnishing Leads from one map. So there’s probably some rule about what can drop twice..

    Deadlands Treasure Maps have never been that kind to me. I still find the motif leads few and very far between and might get one lead every ten maps or so. Of the 14 Ancient Daedric motif chapters, I've dug up a total of 56 motifs in The Deadlands in the 5+ years the DLC has been around. Two of the motif chapter leads have only dropped once each. In comparison, I've collected 23 Shelf, Black Soul Gems furnishings in the much shorter time that's been available from multiple sources, including zone maps in the same zone.

    Whether it's furnishings or motifs, double-locking leads behind treasure maps is a punishing practice that's only gotten worse over time.
  • MidnightDuel
    MidnightDuel
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    More Map Data @MoonPile
    16 West Weald Treasure Maps yielded 3 furnishing leads:

    u9quwqcyopg6.png

    Two green and one purple, which literally drops from anything and everything.

    The West Weald maps were leftovers from when I had originally completed the zone codices. They were collected after digging up treasure from other stray zone maps.
  • MoonPile
    MoonPile
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    More Map Data @MoonPile
    16 West Weald Treasure Maps yielded 3 furnishing leads:

    u9quwqcyopg6.png

    Two green and one purple, which literally drops from anything and everything.

    The West Weald maps were leftovers from when I had originally completed the zone codices. They were collected after digging up treasure from other stray zone maps.

    Me and at least one housing friend really wanted to unlock the Colovian Tapestry, Worn – until we realized that was impossible over a year ago.

    That person was an amazing builder, but Idk if they are even playing anymore or entirely moved on to other games, and from what they've told me, it's in part due to the Map/Antiquities grind. They're not the only one and it bums me out.

    Some might argue that just a handful of people won't matter to a big company, but some of those "just a handful" were community members whose builds inspire many others – and even nudge us buy Crown houses we weren't previously interested in, only because they sparked something for us. FWIW, in case anyone with a say in these things is reading.
  • MidnightDuel
    MidnightDuel
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    MoonPile wrote: »
    Me and at least one housing friend really wanted to unlock the Colovian Tapestry, Worn – until we realized that was impossible over a year ago.

    That person was an amazing builder, but Idk if they are even playing anymore or entirely moved on to other games, and from what they've told me, it's in part due to the Map/Antiquities grind. They're not the only one and it bums me out.

    Some might argue that just a handful of people won't matter to a big company, but some of those "just a handful" were community members whose builds inspire many others – and even nudge us buy Crown houses we weren't previously interested in, only because they sparked something for us. FWIW, in case anyone with a say in these things is reading.

    One hopes the decision makers are reading these threads, or at least getting an executive summary that captures the pain points and recommendations for improving this aspect of the game. Sometimes I wonder if more of us had spoken up when Necrom came out with maps as a source for furnishing leads, or when West Weald upped the lead-locking, if the Solstice situation would have been better.

    I remember the frustration with the Necrom leads, and it was multiplied in West Weald. At least both of those chapters had an event that made those zone maps more obtainable. The Solstice zone event was a disaster is so many ways, not the least of which was that zone maps never got a boost to drop rates.

    Sorry to hear you've had player friends quit the game too. Players can only take so much, and when the game is no longer fun, there is no reason to stick around. Even though I've invested a lot of time and money in playing ESO, if the direction of the game doesn't change, I'll be looking to find another way to spend my time and something else to spend my money on as well.
  • Arunei
    Arunei
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    If people haven't posted in it yet, there's the pain points thread stickied that you could bring up the map lead matter in. All that feedback is supposed to be getting sent on to the devs.
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  • katanagirl1
    katanagirl1
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    MoonPile wrote: »
    Me and at least one housing friend really wanted to unlock the Colovian Tapestry, Worn – until we realized that was impossible over a year ago.

    That person was an amazing builder, but Idk if they are even playing anymore or entirely moved on to other games, and from what they've told me, it's in part due to the Map/Antiquities grind. They're not the only one and it bums me out.

    Some might argue that just a handful of people won't matter to a big company, but some of those "just a handful" were community members whose builds inspire many others – and even nudge us buy Crown houses we weren't previously interested in, only because they sparked something for us. FWIW, in case anyone with a say in these things is reading.

    One hopes the decision makers are reading these threads, or at least getting an executive summary that captures the pain points and recommendations for improving this aspect of the game. Sometimes I wonder if more of us had spoken up when Necrom came out with maps as a source for furnishing leads, or when West Weald upped the lead-locking, if the Solstice situation would have been better.

    I remember the frustration with the Necrom leads, and it was multiplied in West Weald. At least both of those chapters had an event that made those zone maps more obtainable. The Solstice zone event was a disaster is so many ways, not the least of which was that zone maps never got a boost to drop rates.

    Sorry to hear you've had player friends quit the game too. Players can only take so much, and when the game is no longer fun, there is no reason to stick around. Even though I've invested a lot of time and money in playing ESO, if the direction of the game doesn't change, I'll be looking to find another way to spend my time and something else to spend my money on as well.

    We did post about West Weald, we were told that the leads were dropping fine for the devs when they tested. We don’t know if they took into consideration that the one purple Ayleid tree drops from everything or that the first leads drop fairly quickly but some of us have never got any second leads.

    We have been posting about treasure map leads since the Ancestral motifs came out in the dlc zones but they continue this practice.
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