Concerns About ESO’s Future Direction and Solo Player Experience

Smitch_59 · May 3

When will Season 1 drop?

Psyphiman · May 3

Tell you what, I realized my post was a bit dismissive. I understand this event isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I just hope ZOS doesn’t change the event because some folks don’t happen to enjoy it. I am also fatigued by the same negative threads being posted repeatedly. I’ll just avoid offering any counterpoints on such threads and enjoy the event. I hope others can somehow find enjoyment as well. If not, there’s always next event. Or maybe ZOS can find a reasonable solution. Cheers. I’m off to the Night Market.

Athory · May 3

Cominfordatoothbrush wrote: »

"...

Not really an important point here, but I'm just curious - why do you call it "snip" market?

Well… because for me, the [snip] market fits way better than the other one. "Night market" oO?! doesn’t make any sense… [snip] market… oh boy!!! Perfect!

Psyphiman wrote: »

"... I just hope ZOS doesn’t change the event because some folks don’t happen to enjoy it. ...."

I truly hope not! I’m not asking for a nerf. I truly believe hardcore content is welcome, and I truly understand how much a lot of players love it.
But I truly wish to have the option to enjoy the [snip] market alone. And I truly would love it if ZOS didn’t exclude players too… Because they are already gatekeeping, mocking, excluding, etc. in the group finder. Those "casual" solo players don’t need ZOS to exclude them as well.

SilverBride · May 3

Psyphiman wrote: »

SilverBride wrote: »

Psyphiman wrote: »

Man, I wish people were able to enjoy this event as much as I am.

I wish we were, too.

You could. Shrug.

How could I? We have no control over whether or not we enjoy something. I can't enjoy broccoli just because I'd like to be able to eat is as part of a healty diet. But I can't stomach it.

The same with the Night Market. I do not enjoy content that difficult and I can't magically make myself like it.

CP5 · May 3

Syldras wrote: »

To add something useful to this thread, the content drops for the rest of 2026:

Solo player content...

...in July to September:
- Thieves Guild storyline (8 quests) [SOLO]
- Sheogorath storyline (6 quests) [SOLO]
- Sage's Vault (some kind of puzzle dungeon) [SOLO]
- Dynamic World Events (a new location type, 3 of them added this summer; it says "cooperative" but looked very soloable) [Overland Events]
- High Seas of Tamriel event (not many details on it yet, but it seems to be comparable to the Mara fest or similar events, so likely include solo content, if it's not even exclusively solo content) [Not Known]

...in October to December:
- 2 solo versions of dungeons [SOLO]

...and somewhere inbetween (not sure when, but it's already on PTS), there's also:
- Favors (a line of tasks or quests you do for an npc, starting with 3 npcs, and more will probably be added later) [SOLO]
- Rumors (I personally don't know much about that yet, but I've read you need to find clues and search for things without having quest markers or clear instructions about locations) [SOLO]

So there's still lots of solo-friendly content.

I watched this thread after this post was made, and humored, wanted to go a little further. First, "there seems to be a lot more group content than solo" is a funny take. This is a majority solo friendly content, especially the major reworks of group dungeons into solo dungeons. That involves a full re-do of every encounter in the dungeon, and likely a lot of custom work to make new versions of those dungeons old bosses, which is a much more challenging endeavor than simply giving players a self inflicted buff or debuff to adjust content.

And speaking on that, the Overland difficulty options coming up in update 50 is also a solo content update, considering the people looking to do overland at higher difficulties are predominantly those looking to engaging in the questing and exploration aspects, things people tend to do solo.

In addition, Winterhold is in the cards to apparently come along shortly after these updates. In addition, while there is a group trial slated for season one, notice how there aren't new dungeons? The night market fills that slot for people who enjoy dungeon content but want to enjoy it in a different type of content, a combat theme park rather than a linear path. If this update was a pair of dungeons as per usual, group content, would that have caused as much of an outburst?

Psyphiman · May 3

SilverBride wrote: »

Psyphiman wrote: »

SilverBride wrote: »

Psyphiman wrote: »

Man, I wish people were able to enjoy this event as much as I am.

I wish we were, too.

You could. Shrug.

How could I? We have no control over whether or not we enjoy something. I can't enjoy broccoli just because I'd like to be able to eat is as part of a healty diet. But I can't stomach it.

The same with the Night Market. I do not enjoy content that difficult and I can't magically make myself like it.

Agreed. Using that analogy one could just pass on the broccoli and enjoy the things they do like.

On a side note, I have found the Night Market is not too difficult when played with group, which seems to be the way the event was designed.

hiyde · May 3

SilverBride wrote: »

That looks like way more group content than solo. And a puzzle dungeon? No thanks.

New stories and quests and the solo dungeons are the only things that pique my interest even a little.

I've never given any relevance to the "ESO is dying" threads that crop up periodically, but honestly when I look at the past couple of year followed by what is planned for this year... I don't see much of a future for this game any more.

From my little corner of the trading guild world...

- We've been on a wait list to admit new members since Jester's Festival. Haven't seen anything like this in years.
- I'm seeing higher player peaks of number of members online each night than I've seen in years.
- Our *trading* guilds are running NM groups every day
- I'm seeing people return the the game/guild that have been gone for years and they are pointing to recent changes as why.
- The overall vibe this year has been nearly a complete 180 from 2024/2025.
- We, finally once again, actually saw a bump in sales during jubliee and even more astoundingly, store traffic has *stayed* high ever since.

Again, this is my experience with just 2 guilds. But it's (small) relevant to the overall state of the game and we're not the only guild seeing similar indicators.

NM is not my cup of tea but damn I'm glad to see content like NM being added to the game. An MMO isn't just one thing, it's many things and the game *should* be creating content for all the different types of players even if, *gasp*, I might miss some rewards for types of content I don't play.

We are just now starting to see what this game will look like since they announced the move away from chapters, now that the pipeline is largely clear of everything from the old content cadence. Is everything perfect? Hell no. But there has clearly been a positive response so far, I'm seeing energy from players that I haven't seen in a while.

The rest of this year, going into next year will answer the question on if the changes are good ones. But from what I'm observing, things are looking up at the moment, not down. Time will tell, but it's a hell of a lot more fun to be running our guilds in 2026 than it was in 2024 or 2025. I'll take it.

SilverBride · May 3

If the Night Market is bringing in new players then good for it. But don't forget the rest of us.

cmetzger93 · May 3

Some people in this thread have loudly complained (and still do) about subclassing even though many of us like it and it has made the game more enjoyable - for us. Not everything is for everybody and it shouldn't be. I wish it wasn't time gated content but oh well.

I do not consider myself hardcore at all but if you use the group finder it's really not that bad. I didn't even die that much will a full group unless I wasn't paying attention.

heimdall14_9 · May 3

Athory wrote: »

@ZOS_Kevin @ZOS_GinaBruno @ZOS_JessicaFolsom
Does ZoS have plans to turn ESO into something like a Dark Souls-style game?

Do they have any plan to push solo players out of the game?

If yes, please tell us, because I will definitely stop playing ESO. I refuse to keep playing and paying for ESO Plus if this is the direction the game is going. I wouldn’t like that and I don’t want that, so is there any plan from ZoS to push solo players out?

We are getting overland difficulty, and that is completely fine because we will have the option to choose it. But will future releases and seasons all be like this, purely increased difficulty everywhere?

Please be honest. Is there any plan to push solo players out?

edit:
And please don’t respond with something like: “We will add more group content to the game,” because that is, without question, welcome. What I want to know is whether solo players will once again be excluded from participating in these “events,” or if they will still be able, once again, to take part as solo players.
I’m thrilled and excited about the new overland difficulty, and I genuinely want to replay the entire story again with some real challenge, not this easy mode we’ve had for years.

But as a player, I also have an event running that I could be doing… but I simply refuse to be used by you, ZOS. I refuse to be turned into “event fodder” just so others can participate. I can’t handle this feeling.
I never understood why teabagging was banned, but now I do. Because this is exactly how I feel right now. You, ZOS, are teabagging me with this event. Either I go as “event fodder”, or I don’t go at all.

The emotional meaning behind teabagging in games is:
being disrespected

being humiliated

being forced into a submissive role

being used for someone else’s benefit

having my agency removed

And that’s exactly what I see from ZOS right now: "I’m dominating you, you have no choice, and I’m rubbing it in your face."

as a solo player i have done everything in the NM Argents Gilded and Trial and have had fun doing so even got my son to get back on after 3 years not wanting to play at all ... so YOU cant not SOLOS cant enjoy it because again its been the most fun ive had in eso since 1 tam killed overland

SeaGtGruff · May 4

In the past, we used to have quarters where we got new DLC dungeons, either once or twice each year. You could say those DLCs were specifically aimed at players who like group content, so this quarter is sort of like that.

NM can be experienced by solo players, although how successful they are and how much they enjoy the experience seems to depend heavily upon whether they've acquired all of the gear which "end-game vet PvE" players consider to be "BIS/META."

In my opinion, NM has been a very polarizing "event" for the playerbase, but the division isn't necessarily along the lines of "solo players" versus "group players."

As I see it, the division is really more between the players who've embraced ESO's power creep and love being as powerful as possible, versus the players who haven't farmed every BIS/META Antiquity or piece of "super powerful" gear. There's a pretty big imbalance of power between most casual players and most non-casual players.

To be sure, not every casual player is "weak and struggling"; many do enjoy collecting and using powerful Antiquities so they can have an easier time soloing the kinds of content that they enjoy. And not every casual player is a "soloist."

Likewise, not every non-casual player is a "super powerful" min/maxer. And not every non-casual player is a "grouper."

As I see it, the important question is not whether ZOS hates solo players and wants them to go away-- which I do not believe for a moment-- but whether ZOS will keep feeding the game's power creep problem. I'm not sure they can stop it, because I see it as more of a player problem than a developer problem.

What I mean is, a lot of players will always push for any new gear to be better than old gear, and will gripe about any new sets which they consider to be "boring" or "average." How can ZOS stop feeding the power creep monster if a large portion of the playerbase doesn't want them to?

Edited to add: I'm not suggesting that non-META players can't enjoy NM, or that they will find grouping to be essential. I'm a pretty casual player, a 99% soloist, and a non-OP "weakling" compared to a lot of other players, and I'm mostly enjoying NM. I do have some gripes about it, but I accept it for what it is and try to have fun as best I can. Certain things do tend to make it rather unfun, and those are the things I have gripes about; but I'm not going to let that stop me from trying to have fun anyway.

heimdall14_9 · May 4

pariah and sergeant is meta ? as thats what i have on my 1 bar oaken build that i have fun in the NM on. if so they two easy to get sets and pair nice with oaken or pale ( just change out sergeants for orders ) as pariah will keep you alive

Nemesis7884 · May 4

Athory wrote: »

@ZOS_Kevin @ZOS_GinaBruno @ZOS_JessicaFolsom
Does ZoS have plans to turn ESO into something like a Dark Souls-style game?

Do they have any plan to push solo players out of the game?

If yes, please tell us, because I will definitely stop playing ESO. I refuse to keep playing and paying for ESO Plus if this is the direction the game is going. I wouldn’t like that and I don’t want that, so is there any plan from ZoS to push solo players out?

We are getting overland difficulty, and that is completely fine because we will have the option to choose it. But will future releases and seasons all be like this, purely increased difficulty everywhere?

Please be honest. Is there any plan to push solo players out?

edit:
And please don’t respond with something like: “We will add more group content to the game,” because that is, without question, welcome. What I want to know is whether solo players will once again be excluded from participating in these “events,” or if they will still be able, once again, to take part as solo players.
I’m thrilled and excited about the new overland difficulty, and I genuinely want to replay the entire story again with some real challenge, not this easy mode we’ve had for years.

But as a player, I also have an event running that I could be doing… but I simply refuse to be used by you, ZOS. I refuse to be turned into “event fodder” just so others can participate. I can’t handle this feeling.
I never understood why teabagging was banned, but now I do. Because this is exactly how I feel right now. You, ZOS, are teabagging me with this event. Either I go as “event fodder”, or I don’t go at all.

The emotional meaning behind teabagging in games is:
being disrespected

being humiliated

being forced into a submissive role

being used for someone else’s benefit

having my agency removed

And that’s exactly what I see from ZOS right now: "I’m dominating you, you have no choice, and I’m rubbing it in your face."

Because ONE time such a zone is added when players complained for years about too easy overland within a roadmap that has already outlined several upcoing solo and questing content like thieves guild, rumors, favors, sage vault and then later Skyrim does in no way make a 180 of eso s direction, it just expands it and adds more variety - which was exactly the goal of the change to seasons.

TheAwesomeChimpanzee · May 4

The core issue, as articulated by the concerned parties, is that the game is requiring them to perform above a baseline level of competence.

Sallymen · May 4

This is actually getting ridiculous. God forbid an MMO makes content that is group oriented. There is already plenty of solo content available. We get the same cycle every year of when ZoS adds new dungeons where people scream that they are hurting solo players. Get a grip man lol

heimdall14_9 · May 4

SilverBride wrote: »

Psyphiman wrote: »

SilverBride wrote: »

Psyphiman wrote: »

Man, I wish people were able to enjoy this event as much as I am.

I wish we were, too.

You could. Shrug.

How could I? We have no control over whether or not we enjoy something. I can't enjoy broccoli just because I'd like to be able to eat is as part of a healty diet. But I can't stomach it.

The same with the Night Market. I do not enjoy content that difficult and I can't magically make myself like it.

what have you done to help you over come them difficulties you feel NM has ? have you changed your build , added a different skill for heal or buff/shield , ... what have you done to make yourself ready to play the game ???

frogthroat · May 4

Athory wrote: »

Please be honest. Is there any plan to push solo players out?

Pretty much the rest of the year will be catering to solo players. They even start to make all the group dungeons for solo mode.

So, a hundred things for solo players this year, one thing for group players and you are all like "why you push out solo players?" So it should be everything for solo players, nothing for group players?

...also, night market is very much soloable. I have been spending a lot of time there and only a fraction of that with others. I don't even look for groups to leech off of when I play solo. I do my thing, ignoring others. So technically, everything releasing this year is for solo players.

iGuavaTH · May 4

Athory wrote: »

The first "season" system we have in ESO… and what’s the best they could intentionally do? Exclude a lot of their player base from enjoying the first season… oh boy…

I am a solo player by choice. I don't make friends easily, I am a loner, in game as well as irl.
I must say that I feel much more included in the NM than I ever did in the previous release schedule.
I was too afraid to join Vet DLC dungeons.

In NM you are more anonymous. It doesn't matter if you die, everybody is dying right and left anyway.

NM has made me more confident in my abilities.
NM have made me a much better player because it is so hard.
NM has made me think I can actually manage harder content and I am now not afraid to join GF for Vet DLC dungeons.

For me the NM is the best thing to ever happen in ESO.

Thoriorz · May 4

Personally, I don't mind that NM is group content—it's more about the difficulty. Why doesn't it have Normal/Veteran modes like most group content? Or why is the difficulty so high? I run Arc 2 every day, and I've done some Bastion Nymic in the past, but NM is a lot harder in my opinion. Even if you're playing in a 12-player group, dying is common... As for the trial, I gave it a shot, and ZOS just reinforced my belief that I should stay away from trials in ESO rather than motivating me to participate in them more...

As for my progress in NM, I tried it solo too, but it’s slow, and the bosses aren’t even worth trying—if you don’t want to suffer, you only play NM with a group. So I adapted and played exclusively with others. I gave up on the quests in the districts themselves because people just run off to fight bosses and don’t wait for me to find this or that, so I just did the dailies and farmed bosses.

From NM, I wanted the Monster set, to complete the Antiquities Codex to 3/3 on all Antiquities from NM, all Outfit Styles, and the golden recipe. Currently, I have around 7,900 reputation (Ruckus), for codex I’m missing only one gold Lead, and I’ll have all the Antiquities at 3/3. I already have the Outfit Styles and the recipe, so I don’t have much left to go, and I’ll have everything I want.

NM isn’t the kind of content where I’d say to myself every day, “Ok, great, let’s go to NM, it’ll be fun,” but instead I’m like, “Man, screw NM, this is going to be a pain again… what do I even want from there anymore?”. My two issues are that NM can’t be soloed (or it’s theoretically possible but it’s a pain) and the difficulty itself. My first issue isn’t that big of a deal—ok, it’s group content, I’ll adapt—but the second issue (the difficulty) It's a problem that ruins my enjoyment of the NM, and I only go there because I want certain things; once I get them, I don't go back.

But otherwise, I like the design—the boss fights are cool, especially fighting inside the worm’s belly, which is a great idea. I also like the concept of a large-scale event zone, so that’s a plus, but the issues mentioned above personally ruin the fun for me, so I’m giving the current state of the NM a thumbs-down.

Nemesis7884 · May 4

I find the notion that zos would want to push any type of player out a bit absurd; obviously they want to grow the game and therefore attract more different type of players that weent flocking to eso previously.

They try to plan and release varied roadmaps of content with a bit for everyone but you can simply not expect that every single update fits exactly your narrow definition of what you want.

I would also encourage anyone to engage with content you are not that familiar with - you will only make the game bigger and better for yourself!

Silaf · May 4

Finally ZOS added a content that is not an endevor with another name.
New players and players that have little time fitting content inevitably end up being endevors or similar.

ESO is an mmo and group finder is working perfectly use it.

jad11mumbler · May 4

Do they have any plan to push solo players out of the game?

They add ONE single update for harder group content, and you jump to it being the end of the game?

jad11mumbler · May 4

Give me one valid reason why ZoS should exclude “normal” casual players from enjoying the market.

It's not.

Normal, casual players can group up and take it on just as any other players can.

It's meant to be a difficult group zone.

jad11mumbler · May 4

SilverBride wrote: »

The same with the Night Market. I do not enjoy content that difficult and I can't magically make myself like it.

Then why participate in a discussion about it?

If you don't like broccoli, do you try to stop others from enjoying it?
or do you simply...Avoid it and move on?

The night market simply isn't your cup of tea.

That's fine. You don't need to force ZoS to change it and ruin it for others that do enjoy it.
It's intended to be the way it is, "difficult" group content that puts groups to a test.

That's the whole point of this one zone.

There's more coming for solo players that they can enjoy later..

Athory · May 4

jad11mumbler wrote: »

SilverBride wrote: »

The same with the Night Market. I do not enjoy content that difficult and I can't magically make myself like it.

Then why participate in a discussion about it?

If you don't like broccoli, do you try to stop others from enjoying it?
or do you simply...Avoid it and move on?

The night market simply isn't your cup of tea.

That's fine. You don't need to force ZoS to change it and ruin it for others that do enjoy it.
It's intended to be the way it is, "difficult" group content that puts groups to a test.

That's the whole point of this one zone.

There's more coming for solo players that they can enjoy later..

"If you don’t like broccoli, do you try to stop others from enjoying it?"
Who’s trying ruin it for others that do enjoy it? If I go "normal," will that hurt you? Why?

Nemesis7884 · May 4

jad11mumbler wrote: »

Give me one valid reason why ZoS should exclude “normal” casual players from enjoying the market.

It's not.

Normal, casual players can group up and take it on just as any other players can.

It's meant to be a difficult group zone.

I am a normal casual player, that has always been playing with gamepad and can complete the content and have fun with a a one bar main build / sets that havent changed since high isle came out...

I think the vast majority of players I meet in the nightmarket are your casual players you meet everywhere else in the game tbh.

I often get the impression mostly what is preventing people from content is not their lack of skills but because of their fear they dont even try...

FlopsyPrince · May 4

Claiming NM can be done by "following groups around" does not really know the game. I have never found a group outside the group finder. Most areas are "dead" otherwise.

frogthroat · May 4

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

Claiming NM can be done by "following groups around" does not really know the game. I have never found a group outside the group finder. Most areas are "dead" otherwise.

If you've ever followed a zerg in Cyro, you'll do fine finding others.

36 per instance and it seems to be the whole night market, not just a precinct. If you are at a brazen boss in Skitter and there are two full groups and a few randoms doing a skirmish in The Parch, you'll have 4-5 other players scattered around the three precincts. Chances are, you're not going to meet anyone because you are in the wrong place.

If groups would info in world chat where they are going like in Cyro, that would help.

sleepy_worm · May 4

So one lifehack is to use the Group Finder to join a group, port to the leader, then leave group. That way you are in an instance that definitely has active players in it, but you don't have to be part of a group.

I tested this technique recently and it worked well. I hope you end up enjoying Night Market.

CalamityCat · May 4

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

Claiming NM can be done by "following groups around" does not really know the game. I have never found a group outside the group finder. Most areas are "dead" otherwise.

There's a really simple trick you can do to find a group to follow. Use group finder to join a group that suits your activity, travel to them and then simply quit the group and follow along. It helps to check where they are on the map before you quit the group, but otherwise it's literally seconds in a group and then you're sorted. If you're quick they'll still be listed in group finder, so your space can be refilled after you quit the group.

I tend to stay grouped because I'm okay with grouping, but that's absolutely an option for anyone who just wants to find people quickly.