Why is everyone so adverse to grouping for NM?

  • SilverBride
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    Tra_Lalan wrote: »
    The majority do not want harder content. It was a the same handful of players in the pinned overland thread asking for more difficulty. That is far from the majority of players.

    How do you know what the majority of players wants? Do you have any data to prove this statement?

    Let's put my statement back in context. I was replying to the post below and disagreeing with the statement that the majority of players wanted harder content. There is no data backing that up, either.

    OccultNerd wrote: »
    I've seen people asking for a solo or easier version of NM, why? Especially after the majority of players wanted harder content!
    PCNA
  • BretonMage
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    frogthroat wrote: »
    BretonMage wrote: »
    frogthroat wrote: »
    Elvenheart wrote: »
    To answer the OP’s question, it’s not that I don’t like grouping for NM. It’s just that my playtime is limited and sporadic and can be interrupted at any moment by RL issues that it’s hard for me to group because I may have to drop out at a moment’s notice and I don’t want to inconvenience other players. The only time I’ll risk it is when I think there’s a chance I won’t be interrupted long enough to finish.

    The few groups I have tried in NM, they are all easy come, easy go. Just apply, get in group. Maybe say something when you leave, but not necessary. As long as you actually leave the group when you leave and not stay in the group offline.

    Oh dear, what actually happens if someone forgets to leave the group before logging off? I might have been distracted enough to have done that once.

    Don't sweat over it. It is just seen as slightly impolite and it's a minor inconvenience and annoyance when the group lead has to remove you manually.

    Bad thing is, it will encourage quick booting when group leads don't know if you had a crash, if you are just having a toilet break or if you just left without giving an eff if you are hogging a place from someone who actually wants to play. So your actions might lead to group leads to boot also those who had a quick crash but are trying to log back in.

    Oh I told them I was leaving, I just forgot to leave group (I was rushing). I may also have had the crown for some reason (the intended activities were mostly done iirc and a few had already left). Anyway, sorry to those who may have had to manually remove me.
  • thedocbwarren
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    No story content is my reason and it's not the same gameplay as the story-line. I can imagine some people came to ESO, like I did, looking for a new elder scrolls game like the single-player games. Seeing the game morph to group tasks and non-story-like play is shocking and disappointing. Just my point of view.
  • spartaxoxo
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    Would love to run this as a tank, but if pug dungeon groups have taught me anything no one wants tanks anymore and just want to sprint everywhere so I have passed on the Night market.

    @JaxontheUnfortunate

    Tanks are the heroes of Night Market! People get annoyed at DPS that take their spots! They made tanks so necessary to night market not just because of their survivability but because the strong adds hit hard and the bosses can't be tanked by a normal DPS setup. This whole zone feels like a love letter to the trinity setup of healer/tank/DPS because every role is actually important and you really feel it when you don't have one.
  • Morvan
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    No story content is my reason and it's not the same gameplay as the story-line. I can imagine some people came to ESO, like I did, looking for a new elder scrolls game like the single-player games. Seeing the game morph to group tasks and non-story-like play is shocking and disappointing. Just my point of view.
    The game always had group content, we have dungeons, trials and group arenas, it can't morph into something it already is.

    This doesn't change the fact that ESO can also be a solo game, ZOS isn't moving away from casual solo content as we're getting Thieves Guild and Sheogorath questlines in a month with U50, so all you have to do is just wait.
    @MorvanClaude on PC/NA, don't try to trap me with lore subjects, it will work🦇
  • Koshka
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    I don't think people really are adverse to it. From what I've seen, there's 2 categories of players complaining: either very clueless/new players who didn't follow the news and thought it would be the same as any other zone or forum pvp enjoyers who start freaking out for random reasons just to get reactions.
    It kinda sucks, though, when these new and clueless players see posts about grouping being insurmountably hard and become intimidated... When in reality, it's no different from grouping for Craglorn gargoyles and such.
  • FurryCandyHearts
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    Koshka wrote: »
    I don't think people really are adverse to it. From what I've seen, there's 2 categories of players complaining: either very clueless/new players who didn't follow the news and thought it would be the same as any other zone or forum pvp enjoyers who start freaking out for random reasons just to get reactions.
    It kinda sucks, though, when these new and clueless players see posts about grouping being insurmountably hard and become intimidated... When in reality, it's no different from grouping for Craglorn gargoyles and such.

    i think it's gross. the house is groos, pledging is gross the ones you pledge to are gross, the whole thing is disgusting. Once upon a time you played a rpg to be the hero, to stop the evil and to save the land. ESO has become the place to go commit the evil and relish in it. It's disgusting!
    Edited by FurryCandyHearts on May 6, 2026 5:12PM
  • Bguk
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    Koshka wrote: »
    I don't think people really are adverse to it. From what I've seen, there's 2 categories of players complaining: either very clueless/new players who didn't follow the news and thought it would be the same as any other zone or forum pvp enjoyers who start freaking out for random reasons just to get reactions.
    It kinda sucks, though, when these new and clueless players see posts about grouping being insurmountably hard and become intimidated... When in reality, it's no different from grouping for Craglorn gargoyles and such.

    i think it's gross. the house is groosl, pledging is gross the ones you pledge to ate gross, the whole thing is disgusting. Once upon a time you played a rpg to be the hero, to stop the evil and to save the land. ESO has become the place to go commit the evil and relish in it. It's disgusting!

    Which to some is roleplaying. Roleplaying/gaming is not always to be the hero. Especially in the Elder Scrolls world.

    EDIT: To add more, your opinion is perfectly valid, not trying to diminish it. Just saying others view the event different.
    Edited by Bguk on May 6, 2026 5:15PM
  • FlopsyPrince
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    Onomos wrote: »
    My issue isn't grouping. The issue I'm finding is the difficulty of some of the contet (skirmishes, certain bosses) is making groups ineffective. Then the fights take too long or you get a wipe and the group just crumbles. I have yet to be in a skirmish group in The Parch that doesn't have people quit halfway through the fight. Unlike trials or dungeons, there's little incentive to stay in the group (or any penalty for leaving). I have had some good groups, but it's about 50-50 so far. And this is strictly the A-level content (brazen and argent bosses or skirmishes).

    I tried my first horrible Find Group group yesterday there. Dying is fine. Getting one-shotted as part of a group after playing 10 seconds many, many times is not all that worthwhile.

    Those who find it hard but doable will tire of it fairly soon and those who can't handle it will see a wall.
    PC
    PS4/PS5
  • FurryCandyHearts
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    Bguk wrote: »
    Koshka wrote: »
    I don't think people really are adverse to it. From what I've seen, there's 2 categories of players complaining: either very clueless/new players who didn't follow the news and thought it would be the same as any other zone or forum pvp enjoyers who start freaking out for random reasons just to get reactions.
    It kinda sucks, though, when these new and clueless players see posts about grouping being insurmountably hard and become intimidated... When in reality, it's no different from grouping for Craglorn gargoyles and such.

    i think it's gross. the house is groosl, pledging is gross the ones you pledge to ate gross, the whole thing is disgusting. Once upon a time you played a rpg to be the hero, to stop the evil and to save the land. ESO has become the place to go commit the evil and relish in it. It's disgusting!

    Which to some is roleplaying. Roleplaying/gaming is not always to be the hero. Especially in the Elder Scrolls world.

    GROSS!
  • FlopsyPrince
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    Elvenheart wrote: »
    To answer the OP’s question, it’s not that I don’t like grouping for NM. It’s just that my playtime is limited and sporadic and can be interrupted at any moment by RL issues that it’s hard for me to group because I may have to drop out at a moment’s notice and I don’t want to inconvenience other players. The only time I’ll risk it is when I think there’s a chance I won’t be interrupted long enough to finish.

    Exactly. And such groups may or may not be efficient/effective. They also don't normally help in off hours. And I don't want to lead a group since I have little idea what I am really doing there other than trying to kill things and stay alive.
    PC
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  • Syldras
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    Morvan wrote: »
    No story content is my reason and it's not the same gameplay as the story-line. I can imagine some people came to ESO, like I did, looking for a new elder scrolls game like the single-player games. Seeing the game morph to group tasks and non-story-like play is shocking and disappointing. Just my point of view.
    The game always had group content, we have dungeons, trials and group arenas, it can't morph into something it already is.

    The person you quoted mentioned the lack of story when it comes to the Night Market. And I agree. Dungeons and trials have a story (even if it might not be super complex sometimes), and most of all a logical story progression. The Night Market on the other hand shows us 3 factions that have some kind of identity label slapped to them, but it never plays any real role when it comes to the actuals tasks the player needs to do. It's basically always just running around killing everything, and playing some arcade-like games - not sure how that benefits a faction that's allegedly about knowledge or about wealth.

    And then, the explanation for the whole Market existing is nothing beyond "Woah! Mysterious daedric realm!" - and that's it. This is what I'd rather find a little concerning - the writing quality basically, how story and quests do not fit together at all, but it all just feels like some random facade slapped upon random tasks.

    (Which also slowly begins to bore me personally as a lore- and story-focused player; I've been playing with random group finder groups for a week now, exploration was fun for the first days, but now I'm slowly getting bored because there's no progressing story, but it's all just random - which can't really keep my interest for a longer time. Though I'm aware of course that that's an entirely personal and subjective thing, and other people might not mind that at all. And that's okay - everyone likes different things, and there should be content for different tastes and playstyles. So I have no problem with the Night Market existing, or being hard, or being group content, at all. The only thing I find weird is the disconnect between gameplay and the alleged background story/lore, where really nothing fits together.)

    Though I'm not sure if this entirely fits this thread, because it's not about solo or group content, but about how this content was designed and written.
    @Syldras | PC | EU
    The forceful expression of will gives true honor to the Ancestors.
    Sarayn Andrethi, Telvanni mage (Main)
    Darvasa Andrethi, his "I'm NOT a Necromancer!" sister
    Malacar Sunavarlas, Altmer Ayleid vampire
    Soris Rethandus, a Sleeper not yet awake
  • Morvan
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    Syldras wrote: »
    Morvan wrote: »
    No story content is my reason and it's not the same gameplay as the story-line. I can imagine some people came to ESO, like I did, looking for a new elder scrolls game like the single-player games. Seeing the game morph to group tasks and non-story-like play is shocking and disappointing. Just my point of view.
    The game always had group content, we have dungeons, trials and group arenas, it can't morph into something it already is.

    The person you quoted mentioned the lack of story when it comes to the Night Market. And I agree. Dungeons and trials have a story (even if it might not be super complex sometimes), and most of all a logical story progression. The Night Market on the other hand shows us 3 factions that have some kind of identity label slapped to them, but it never plays any real role when it comes to the actuals tasks the player needs to do. It's basically always just running around killing everything, and playing some arcade-like games - not sure how that benefits a faction that's allegedly about knowledge or about wealth.
    I do agree with what you said, but judging by the fact we'll get questlines right after this patch, it becomes clear to me that they were focusing primarily on the gameplay aspect of the event, so it doesn't really bother me not having much in terms of lore this time.
    Edited by Morvan on May 6, 2026 6:22PM
    @MorvanClaude on PC/NA, don't try to trap me with lore subjects, it will work🦇
  • Syldras
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    Morvan wrote: »
    I do agree with what you said, but judging by the fact we'll get questlines right after this patch, it becomes clear to me that they were focusing primarily on the gameplay aspect of the event, so it doesn't really bother me not having much in terms of lore this time.

    Why establish factions for the Market if they play no role at all? The strangest thing to me is that it could all have easily been designed in a way that makes sense. They could have just made the faction leaders quest givers and given every faction specific quests that fit their alleged identity, for example. Riddles/"oddities" or some kinds of spy or exploration missions for the knowledge seekers, combat for the combat guys, something about finding treasure for that wealth-focused faction. And then just let the player choose which one(s) of these quests they want to do. It wouldn't have been hard. Instead we got some weird mish-mash that doesn't make sense at all. Why even come up with those factions and their backstories then?

    Anyway, I know there's a lot of solo content coming. The thing I'm wondering about is how the quality and depth will look like when it comes to writing and lore. The Sheogorath questline could become nothing but "lol cheese" - it remains to be seen. We'll know more in July!
    @Syldras | PC | EU
    The forceful expression of will gives true honor to the Ancestors.
    Sarayn Andrethi, Telvanni mage (Main)
    Darvasa Andrethi, his "I'm NOT a Necromancer!" sister
    Malacar Sunavarlas, Altmer Ayleid vampire
    Soris Rethandus, a Sleeper not yet awake
  • Suddwrath
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    Once upon a time you played a rpg to be the hero, to stop the evil and to save the land. ESO has become the place to go commit the evil and relish in it. It's disgusting!

    Wait until you hear about there being a guild full of thieves that you can join (a "Thieves Guild", if you will), or a brotherhood that operates in the dark which specializes in assassinations (a "Dark Brotherhood", if you will), or a class that revolves around necromancy... :eyeroll:
  • AScarlato
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    I will be honest, I'm normally a story player and listen to all of the dialogue but I spammed through a lot of NM's dialogue.

    Part of it was because I went in with a "bad attitude." I thought I was only going for the free house. The NPC's started talking and I really just didn't care. Especially after I just finished the rather compelling story in Diablo 4's expansion.

    Hopefully further lore is crafted around this zone if it ends up returning other than 3 random factions competing for... I have no idea why really. Part of that is my own fault but I have been listening to more dialogue and still have no idea.

    I can't redo the intro quests as they are once per account, which I wasn't expecting based on past experiences but I don't think I missed too much from reading the above.
  • thedocbwarren
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    Syldras wrote: »
    Morvan wrote: »
    No story content is my reason and it's not the same gameplay as the story-line. I can imagine some people came to ESO, like I did, looking for a new elder scrolls game like the single-player games. Seeing the game morph to group tasks and non-story-like play is shocking and disappointing. Just my point of view.
    The game always had group content, we have dungeons, trials and group arenas, it can't morph into something it already is.

    The person you quoted mentioned the lack of story when it comes to the Night Market. And I agree. Dungeons and trials have a story (even if it might not be super complex sometimes), and most of all a logical story progression. The Night Market on the other hand shows us 3 factions that have some kind of identity label slapped to them, but it never plays any real role when it comes to the actuals tasks the player needs to do. It's basically always just running around killing everything, and playing some arcade-like games - not sure how that benefits a faction that's allegedly about knowledge or about wealth.

    And then, the explanation for the whole Market existing is nothing beyond "Woah! Mysterious daedric realm!" - and that's it. This is what I'd rather find a little concerning - the writing quality basically, how story and quests do not fit together at all, but it all just feels like some random facade slapped upon random tasks.

    (Which also slowly begins to bore me personally as a lore- and story-focused player; I've been playing with random group finder groups for a week now, exploration was fun for the first days, but now I'm slowly getting bored because there's no progressing story, but it's all just random - which can't really keep my interest for a longer time. Though I'm aware of course that that's an entirely personal and subjective thing, and other people might not mind that at all. And that's okay - everyone likes different things, and there should be content for different tastes and playstyles. So I have no problem with the Night Market existing, or being hard, or being group content, at all. The only thing I find weird is the disconnect between gameplay and the alleged background story/lore, where really nothing fits together.)

    Though I'm not sure if this entirely fits this thread, because it's not about solo or group content, but about how this content was designed and written.

    Thank you for the follow up, it articulates my concern I was trying to express. I do like the market look and "lobby" scene but the playstyle isn't what I hoped we would get. Whatever is planned for the new "content" on its way later I am questioning if it's story content with lore, etc. I really hope this game doesn't transition to task-like, mobile game-like, and minimal story/lore investment. I understand the calls "this is an mmo" and maybe it is, but the original content in this game feels very much like an Elder Scrolls game up to a point as of recent. It felt like a great game to play after playing ES: 3/4/5 and have something that fits in the lore (up to a certain point in time.)

    And nothing I say is suggesting no group or PVP or similar. Totally fine to have for online game, I just noticed a very big change in direction that seems to diverge quite a bit.
  • JemadarofCaerSalis
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    Syldras wrote: »
    Morvan wrote: »
    No story content is my reason and it's not the same gameplay as the story-line. I can imagine some people came to ESO, like I did, looking for a new elder scrolls game like the single-player games. Seeing the game morph to group tasks and non-story-like play is shocking and disappointing. Just my point of view.
    The game always had group content, we have dungeons, trials and group arenas, it can't morph into something it already is.

    The person you quoted mentioned the lack of story when it comes to the Night Market. And I agree. Dungeons and trials have a story (even if it might not be super complex sometimes), and most of all a logical story progression. The Night Market on the other hand shows us 3 factions that have some kind of identity label slapped to them, but it never plays any real role when it comes to the actuals tasks the player needs to do. It's basically always just running around killing everything, and playing some arcade-like games - not sure how that benefits a faction that's allegedly about knowledge or about wealth.

    And then, the explanation for the whole Market existing is nothing beyond "Woah! Mysterious daedric realm!" - and that's it. This is what I'd rather find a little concerning - the writing quality basically, how story and quests do not fit together at all, but it all just feels like some random facade slapped upon random tasks.

    (Which also slowly begins to bore me personally as a lore- and story-focused player; I've been playing with random group finder groups for a week now, exploration was fun for the first days, but now I'm slowly getting bored because there's no progressing story, but it's all just random - which can't really keep my interest for a longer time. Though I'm aware of course that that's an entirely personal and subjective thing, and other people might not mind that at all. And that's okay - everyone likes different things, and there should be content for different tastes and playstyles. So I have no problem with the Night Market existing, or being hard, or being group content, at all. The only thing I find weird is the disconnect between gameplay and the alleged background story/lore, where really nothing fits together.)

    Though I'm not sure if this entirely fits this thread, because it's not about solo or group content, but about how this content was designed and written.

    One other thing to point out is that, yes the game has always had group content, but it was either group content that had rewards that was returning (such as mayhem and any similiar events) or the group content itself was always going to be available.

    Making hard group content that is leaving, even after a certain time frame, with uncertainty if the rewards are going to return after the initial three appearances (once for each faction) just makes people want to get those rewards before they miss out on them entirely.

    That was my reason for doing the NM, but I just don't really care anymore. I already have a shiny green dye, and while I would like a new one to play around with, as well as getting the Night's den fully upgraded, I just don't feel up to facing the precincts.

    It feels more like a chore than anything fun to me, so, while I might go back in in a week or two, at the moment, I just don't really have any motivation.

    The lack of a good story is also a reason behind my lack of motivation.
    Edited by JemadarofCaerSalis on May 6, 2026 7:16PM
  • Morvan
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    Syldras wrote: »
    Morvan wrote: »
    I do agree with what you said, but judging by the fact we'll get questlines right after this patch, it becomes clear to me that they were focusing primarily on the gameplay aspect of the event, so it doesn't really bother me not having much in terms of lore this time.

    Why establish factions for the Market if they play no role at all? The strangest thing to me is that it could all have easily been designed in a way that makes sense. They could have just made the faction leaders quest givers and given every faction specific quests that fit their alleged identity, for example. Riddles/"oddities" or some kinds of spy or exploration missions for the knowledge seekers, combat for the combat guys, something about finding treasure for that wealth-focused faction. And then just let the player choose which one(s) of these quests they want to do. It wouldn't have been hard. Instead we got some weird mish-mash that doesn't make sense at all. Why even come up with those factions and their backstories then?

    Anyway, I know there's a lot of solo content coming. The thing I'm wondering about is how the quality and depth will look like when it comes to writing and lore. The Sheogorath questline could become nothing but "lol cheese" - it remains to be seen. We'll know more in July!
    Also completely agree, the way they structured the factions made them a bit superfluous, it's definitely not perfect but when you compare this event to the Writhing Wall... it was definitely a gigantic improvement. All in all, I'm still having fun with the event, and the influx of players I'm seeing playing everyday also tells me the event is a success, though they could definitely improve it in the future, as I'm sure they will.
    Edited by Morvan on May 6, 2026 7:27PM
    @MorvanClaude on PC/NA, don't try to trap me with lore subjects, it will work🦇
  • peacenote
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    OccultNerd wrote: »
    So....I generally play solo, I group up for trials/end etc but that's it. I play solo because I don't need a group for normal overland content,wbs, public dungeons etc.. I'm not an elitist, my DPS isn't amazing but I get on fine for the content I play.

    Along comes Night Market...you need to group/follow a group/ sneak etc.. no problem, it was advertised as group content.

    What I don't understand is why so many players refuse to group up and then come to the forums or FB groups and moan because they expected to do solo NM and they can't, so that's it they are quitting....what is they actual issue? Why won't these players join a team?

    I've seen people asking for a solo or easier version of NM, why? Especially after the majority of players wanted harder content!

    I have been thinking about this. We've seriously seen more objections and angst than we usually see by PVE'ers in response to Midyear Mayhem! In my opinion, the issue here is the fact that the Night Market content is:
    1. Called an Event, which typically are designed to be broadly inclusive
    2. Time Bound, which adds stress to a grouping requirement, even if you LOVE grouping, as I do, because the truth is it takes more time and coordination to find a group of people who play when you play, so it "feels wrong" for a time bound event.
    3. "May Not Be Permanent" in that it may not come back EVER after this year, which just builds on the previous point, ESPECIALLY since there are many achievements and a few rewards tied to those achievements. If I dislike grouping, but I know that I can take the rest of my ESO career to warm up to the activity, that's fine, but if one is at all a completionist, the fact that this is experimental content tied to real achievement and rewards that can maybe only be done this year feels frustrating.
    4. Blessed with a confusing name, especially when you consider the "Gold Coast Bazaar" was announced at the same time. The name "Night Market" is not at intuitive, at least to me, as to what you'll find in it. It sounds like shopping, or maybe thieving and sneaking, not dungeon and trial level mobs.
    5. Heavily Encouraged via other content that solo players like to do solo (the Tomes challenges and Golden Pursuits), so the FOMO and the feeling of being forced is further amplified. Not to to mention that both the Tomes and Pursuits are also time bound.
    6. The first new actual, playable chunk of content released this year in a new model, which means people are analyzing it more carefully and it feels more symbolic than it is. I know that this is possibly debatable but besides the Night Market, the other major updates this year so far that we've gotten are 1) Tamriel Tomes, which is a way to encourage players to play old content, and 2) class refreshes, and the only way to experience them currently is to play old content. We have had no new enemies to kill, no new stories to consume, and no new places to explore yet this year. Night Market is the first major item like this on the roadmap. (Technically, we got also got a new holiday, which had a few new quests and stories, but that's not even shown on the roadmap.). So there is massive pent up demand and, despite a lot of clear follow up statements and marketing about what the Night Market is supposed to be, it psychologically feels more exclusionary than it would have if a new zone had been released first, or if this was just the usual set of dungeons.

    This confluence of items is causing people to be more up in arms about it than usual. I'm not defending this, as I think it's a bit entitled to begrudge others content that they might like, but I do think it's why we are seeing so many passionate complaints.

    Plus, many people don't read. They skim. They absorb one point and go off running. They assume. And all that. :D
    My #1 wish for ESO Today: Decouple achievements from character progress and tracking.
    • Advocate for this HERE.
    • Want the history of this issue? It's HERE.
  • SeaGtGruff
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    Onomos wrote: »
    My issue isn't grouping. The issue I'm finding is the difficulty of some of the contet (skirmishes, certain bosses) is making groups ineffective. Then the fights take too long or you get a wipe and the group just crumbles. I have yet to be in a skirmish group in The Parch that doesn't have people quit halfway through the fight. Unlike trials or dungeons, there's little incentive to stay in the group (or any penalty for leaving). I have had some good groups, but it's about 50-50 so far. And this is strictly the A-level content (brazen and argent bosses or skirmishes).

    I'm sure if you started communicating with the group, things could turn around for the better.

    I don't think the issue is communicating with the group, it's more the makeup of the group. A group made up of weak players will get wiped a lot, whereas a group with even just one or two strong (powerful) players will be better able to handle bosses.

    I'm more on the weak side, myself, because I lack all of gear that makes powerful players so powerful. Nevertheless, I'm out there doing some of the dailies, learning my way around, and generally having fun. And you can pick up some buffs or skills from doing the puzzles and races, which is helpful for handling some of the trash mobs more easily.
    I've fought mudcrabs more fearsome than me!
  • DenverRalphy
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    SeaGtGruff wrote: »
    Onomos wrote: »
    My issue isn't grouping. The issue I'm finding is the difficulty of some of the contet (skirmishes, certain bosses) is making groups ineffective. Then the fights take too long or you get a wipe and the group just crumbles. I have yet to be in a skirmish group in The Parch that doesn't have people quit halfway through the fight. Unlike trials or dungeons, there's little incentive to stay in the group (or any penalty for leaving). I have had some good groups, but it's about 50-50 so far. And this is strictly the A-level content (brazen and argent bosses or skirmishes).

    I'm sure if you started communicating with the group, things could turn around for the better.

    I'm more on the weak side, myself, because I lack all of gear that makes powerful players so powerful. Nevertheless, I'm out there doing some of the dailies, learning my way around, and generally having fun. And you can pick up some buffs or skills from doing the puzzles and races, which is helpful for handling some of the trash mobs more easily.

    FWIW, In the Night Market I'd rather be in a group full of players with crafted/overland/starter gear that knew what they were doing, than in a group of best in slot meta gear that aren't skilled enough to know what they're doing. There's very little in the way of gear checks in the Night Market IMO.
    Edited by DenverRalphy on May 6, 2026 10:34PM
  • Syldras
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    Thank you for the follow up, it articulates my concern I was trying to express. I do like the market look and "lobby" scene but the playstyle isn't what I hoped we would get. Whatever is planned for the new "content" on its way later I am questioning if it's story content with lore, etc. I really hope this game doesn't transition to task-like, mobile game-like, and minimal story/lore investment.

    I don't think they'll abandon story content altogether. The upcoming two questlines (Thieves Guild and Sheogorath) very much look like they're going to be like the main questlines we've seen in ESO chapters or story dlcs (when they still existed) before. Another question of course is how big they'll be in scope - we know one of them is going to have 8 quests and the other one 6 quests, but the numbers alone say nothing about the length, and of course it says even less about how deep into lore the stories will go. I really hope what we'll see in July(?) will be decent - I know there are many story- and lore-focused players right now who are rather wary.

    A different thing are those new solo player systems they announced, and, yes, I've been wondering about those, too. How much actual story will the Sages Vault have, or is it just a puzzle location with not much else to it? How deep into narrative terrority will the Rumors go?

    And for Favors, we know already that we won't actually even talk to the 3 characters we're going to do favors for, but these quests are taken from a writboard - which reminds me very much of how the majority of quests in the Night Market look like: You start them by reading some note, and you turn them in at some box. No npc interaction at all, no voice acting (I've also noticed since Solstice that most town npcs aren't voiced anymore - same at the Night Market now. Looks very much like cost-cutting). Since I'm someone who looks for an immersive story experience, using writ boards to get quests and throwing quest items into a box to get the reward isn't quite interesting for me.

    Let alone that fetch quests are the most boring type of quest anyway. In the Night Market there's one with several letters where it sounded like it's a scavenger hunt, but in the end you still just run from one questmarker to the next one and click some item, and at the end, you get your reward from a box... No puzzle content, no actual search. It was super weird, to be honest, considering the quest description mentioned "solving riddles", and there were none! Also I've just looked up the English name of the quest - it's even "Scavenger's Riddles" (in the localization I play it translated to "puzzling letters")!

    Add to that that the quests are all rather generic, too:
    "I found a note asking for aid in freeing caged animals captured by poachers. If I free the animals, I can return this note to a collection box on a rooftop oasis to receive payment." - Why are there animals in that weird daedric realm? Whom do they belong to, who wants them back? Who are the poachers and what are they doing there?
    "I found a note tacked onto a notice board telling me that the other factions put up horrible propaganda about my faction. For a reward, I can clean up the district and protect our reputation." - Details? What does it say? "Daedrat is a meanie?" Why would these outlaw-ish factions even care?
    It feels meaningless, and of course it doesn't contribute to the lore at all.

    I'm not saying the fights aren't fun - I get a little bored if there's no meaning behind it, but other people seem to like it, so fine with me. Also, I really like the visuals and the district designs. But from the perspective or writing/lore/narration, it's all rather disappointing.

    Edited by Syldras on May 7, 2026 12:05AM
    @Syldras | PC | EU
    The forceful expression of will gives true honor to the Ancestors.
    Sarayn Andrethi, Telvanni mage (Main)
    Darvasa Andrethi, his "I'm NOT a Necromancer!" sister
    Malacar Sunavarlas, Altmer Ayleid vampire
    Soris Rethandus, a Sleeper not yet awake
  • Hapexamendios
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    Not adverse to grouping with friends or guildmates. Very adverse to grouping with pugs. Pugs have not been a pleasant experience for me.
  • DeathStalker
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    OccultNerd wrote: »
    So....I generally play solo, I group up for trials/end etc but that's it. I play solo because I don't need a group for normal overland content,wbs, public dungeons etc.. I'm not an elitist, my DPS isn't amazing but I get on fine for the content I play.

    Along comes Night Market...you need to group/follow a group/ sneak etc.. no problem, it was advertised as group content.

    What I don't understand is why so many players refuse to group up and then come to the forums or FB groups and moan because they expected to do solo NM and they can't, so that's it they are quitting....what is they actual issue? Why won't these players join a team?

    I've seen people asking for a solo or easier version of NM, why? Especially after the majority of players wanted harder content!

    I think the most honest answer is that people want to just play the game how they feel comfortable. Let me give an example to show this and the intellectual dishonesty of both sides of this debate.

    Overland difficulty was created with a specific difficulty in mind. Some people don't like it and push to have it changed so they can play overland the way they want. The people who like the overland difficulty the way it is push back, even though adding a harder difficulty to overland won't hurt or affect people who don't want to play that way.

    The Night Market was created with a specific difficulty in mind. Some people don't like it and push to have it changed so they can play the Night Market the way they want. The people who like the Night Market the way it is push back, even though adding an easier difficulty to the Night Market won't hurt or affect people who don't want to play that way.

    People want to play the way that is fun to them and get insulted if anyone dares speak another point of view. It's both sides,, it's hypocritical, it's a display of a lack of integrity, and lastly, it's exhausting.
  • manukartofanu
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    I think the most honest answer is that people want to just play the game how they feel comfortable. Let me give an example to show this and the intellectual dishonesty of both sides of this debate.

    Overland difficulty was created with a specific difficulty in mind. Some people don't like it and push to have it changed so they can play overland the way they want. The people who like the overland difficulty the way it is push back, even though adding a harder difficulty to overland won't hurt or affect people who don't want to play that way.

    The Night Market was created with a specific difficulty in mind. Some people don't like it and push to have it changed so they can play the Night Market the way they want. The people who like the Night Market the way it is push back, even though adding an easier difficulty to the Night Market won't hurt or affect people who don't want to play that way.

    People want to play the way that is fun to them and get insulted if anyone dares speak another point of view. It's both sides,, it's hypocritical, it's a display of a lack of integrity, and lastly, it's exhausting.
    Dismissing the demands of selfish solo players isn't a lack of integrity.
    Integrity in a multiplayer game means participating in a shared experience: coordinating, being willing to meet the content on its own terms, contributing something to the collective. Solo players who demand that group activities be reworked around them show none of that. They just don't want to spend a single second on anything beyond what's convenient for them.
    Demanding that the world be rebuilt around your convenience, and then calling the refusal "hypocrisy" - that is the actual lack of integrity.
  • Demonwolff
    Demonwolff
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    So Im seeing a lot of people saying "no one wanted harder" or "where's the proof people wanted" A simple search will tell you in 2025 alone over 10k players requested this change on the forums. while this number may not seem large when you consider that not many people use the forums in relation to the player base as well as many groups have one person that may bring concerns or Ideas to the Designers then that number is actually much higher.
    [Demonwolff]
    Don't be an A hole because then Ill be an A hole! Trust me I'm Better at it!
  • AzuraFan
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    Demonwolff wrote: »
    So Im seeing a lot of people saying "no one wanted harder" or "where's the proof people wanted" A simple search will tell you in 2025 alone over 10k players requested this change on the forums.

    10,000 players? I find that hard to believe. I'm not saying a lot of players haven't requested it, but 10,000 unique players asking for this on the forums seems a lot.
  • SilverBride
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    Demonwolff wrote: »
    So Im seeing a lot of people saying "no one wanted harder" or "where's the proof people wanted" A simple search will tell you in 2025 alone over 10k players requested this change on the forums. while this number may not seem large when you consider that not many people use the forums in relation to the player base as well as many groups have one person that may bring concerns or Ideas to the Designers then that number is actually much higher.

    Where did these 10k players request this? Not in the pinned Overland Content thread because it never reached 10k posts, let alone 10k unique players posting. A large percentage of the posts on that thread are from the same small group of players.
    PCNA
  • Koshka
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    Tra_Lalan wrote: »
    The majority do not want harder content. It was a the same handful of players in the pinned overland thread asking for more difficulty. That is far from the majority of players.

    How do you know what the majority of players wants? Do you have any data to prove this statement?

    ZOS has a lot of tools to analize what the players do and want, and they decided to go live with this event zone (harder content) and annouce the challange difficulty options.

    "the same handful of players" works for both sides of conflict. How many post have you wrote in this "veteran overland" thread? I was in favour of it and maybe made one or two posts there.

    Yeah. There is definitely a certain demographic that wants solo-only easy mode game with no challenges, but forum posters do not represent the majority. You have to go out of your way to even make an account here. I personally did not get an invitation automatically, and had to make a support ticket. Secondly, there was (and maybe still is) a pro-solo casual bias on this forum. I won't mention any names or specific stories, but certain people used to silence and drive away perceived "elitists" by calling them ableist, gatekeepers, haters etc. So many people just stopped posting due to hostile atmosphere.
    Anyways, ZOS definitely has the stats, and the fact that they are changing the game lately already proves that catering to just one category of players doesn't pay off.
    Edited by Koshka on May 7, 2026 2:00PM
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