Queue is broken

Flangdoodle · February 21

I don't know what happened after the last edition of Whitestrake's Mayhem, but ever since then the queue for Gray Host is broken. Friday night (2/20/2026) was the worst I've seen it since the old 200+ "Midyear Mayhem" days. Everyone was talking about how the queue was ridiculously long (even for a Friday), and worse - took FOREVER to get through. I myself started in queue at 4:30pm PST at #72 aiming for a 6pm PST guild raid, and it took me over an hour and a half to get into Gray Host. Other people in guild chat talked about being in queues of over 100 and some missed the raid entirely. How are people supposed to plan for a scheduled raid like this? And while Friday was the worst it has been - it's been somewhat like this every night.

It's not as though there are hundreds of new people coming into Cyrodiil - at least not as evidenced by the names I see 1) when fighting 2) in my kill feed, and 3) in zone. It's the same names as usual for that time slot. If there are, great and congratulations, but it doesn't seem like it. What happened? My armchair theory is that the pop-cap must have been expanded for Mayhem and when the event was over it was brought back to pre-testing levels or something, but I have no idea. Anyway if you guys could fix whatever broke it'd be great.

Cheers.

Flangdoodle · March 21

UPDATE

It has been 1 month since I posted this, and as I type I have been in queue for Gray Host tonight (3/20/2026) for 1 hour and 25 minutes.

I started at #107 and now I am at #50. This is ridiculous. Fix what you broke. A queue like this on a non-PVP event weekend is unacceptable.

Flangdoodle · March 21

Update 2 - it took me 3 HOURS to get through that queue. WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!

Theignson · March 21

Queue is completely broken. Last night at 1:30 AM (EST) I queued up and the queue was 25 players!

Then, when I got in (EP as always), there was a huge AD zerg but EP was way outnumbered despite supposedly poplocked with a queue.
The only thing happening on the map was AD zerg taking everything

The queue has been broken since MYM I agree

For a long time there have been rumors that people are creating free alt accounts and logging in to clog the queue/ and/or inflate the opponent population. Players obviously have no way to prove this

However something is seriously wrong

Unfortunately this PvP forum has died so no one reads it

YandereGirlfriend · March 21

There's no conspiracy, the new patch and direction of the game is good and old players are returning.

More players are simply in the queue and wanting to PvP than before. This is a good thing.

Flangdoodle · March 21

YandereGirlfriend wrote: »

There's no conspiracy, the new patch and direction of the game is good and old players are returning.

More players are simply in the queue and wanting to PvP than before. This is a good thing.

Agree there's no conspiracy - and rumors are ... well rumors, and not helpful. However, something has definitely changed since the last MYM, and as I said, I'm seeing the same people both in-game, and in zone chat. There's been nothing to explain this sudden bump in people queueing if there in fact is one. We expect it during events, or when there is some bonus to be gained for coming into Cyrodiil, but TMK there's been nothing that would otherwise cause it?

I'm EP. Is it happening on the other factions as well?

YandereGirlfriend · March 21

Flangdoodle wrote: »

YandereGirlfriend wrote: »

There's no conspiracy, the new patch and direction of the game is good and old players are returning.

More players are simply in the queue and wanting to PvP than before. This is a good thing.

Agree there's no conspiracy - and rumors are ... well rumors, and not helpful. However, something has definitely changed since the last MYM, and as I said, I'm seeing the same people both in-game, and in zone chat. There's been nothing to explain this sudden bump in people queueing if there in fact is one. We expect it during events, or when there is some bonus to be gained for coming into Cyrodiil, but TMK there's been nothing that would otherwise cause it?

I'm EP. Is it happening on the other factions as well?

Yes, PC-NA all three factions have Disneyland-like queues basically every day of the week now.

Gotta queue-in like two hours early if you want to make it in during prime time.

Adamus · April 4

2 hours in que today.
120 min... que of 138... and I'm not even through yet.
I only have 2 hours to play... my entire gameplay tonight is standing in one place waiting in que, missing the Cyrodiil raid. The only reason I'm not logging out to play some other game is to prove a point... even if it's sitting in que for 2 hours and 10 mins of gameplay. Increase the Pop already, PvPers aren't going to give up and go do PvE stuff... they'll give up and play a different game.

Attorneyatlawl · April 4

Adamus wrote: »

2 hours in que today.
120 min... que of 138... and I'm not even through yet.
I only have 2 hours to play... my entire gameplay tonight is standing in one place waiting in que, missing the Cyrodiil raid. The only reason I'm not logging out to play some other game is to prove a point... even if it's sitting in que for 2 hours and 10 mins of gameplay. Increase the Pop already, PvPers aren't going to give up and go do PvE stuff... they'll give up and play a different game.

If enough people instead queued for a second campaign, this wouldn't be an issue. The capacity is there it's just not per campaign.

Adamus · April 4

Attorneyatlawl wrote: »

If enough people instead queued for a second campaign

Regulars want to continue playing the campaign they regularly play because a majority of primetime players aren't solo... most play as teams, with friends and guild mates, additionally invested in one particular campaign over another.

Try convincing returning players not to join the populated/popular server. There's either a wave of new players returning/joining who are interested in PvP in Cyro, pop caps were reduced, or both. If it's a wave of returning/new players, semantic solutions like this do not address the core issue, may lose players interest, the potential revenue those players might bring in, as well as the ripple effect of bandwagon players that would follow a positive review on a 10+ year old game. A 2 hour+ que kills that.