Are you using Overland Difficulty?

  • OsUfi
    OsUfi
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    I have used all of the difficulty options
    That number is massive when so many players dont even look at eso news to know whats going on at all.

    Even if a player wasn't aware of difficulty changes, or didn't read the announcements, every character in game has a Golden Pursuit objective automatically pinned.

    And you assume your casual eso player even pays attention to it, I highly doubt thats the case. All here on the forums sure, reddit, yea, not the people who frequent none of these. Bet many of them dont regularly check to see if new pursuits are up, I dont even until I hear from friends "i just finished my pursuits" and I go oh those are back huh, cool.

    Then I finish em asap all in one go so I dont gotta think about it til the next time.

    I bet all the players on these forums, every last account ever made, plus all the reddit goers wouldnt even make up a third of players

    Casual players pay as much attention to things like Golden Pursuits as any other player. Maybe moreso because casual players are often into a lot of non-combat content.

    Regardless of our views, 30% isn't a large number.

    It could have been 70%, and I suspect you still would have found a way to portray it negatively, Silver.
  • SilverBride
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    I have not used any of the Overland difficulty options
    OsUfi wrote: »
    Regardless of our views, 30% isn't a large number.

    It could have been 70%, and I suspect you still would have found a way to portray it negatively, Silver.

    I also said this below, which shows it in a more positive light. I am just pointing out that there are a lot of factors to consider and it's too early to say yet how successful this feature will be.

    There are a lot of factors that can affect the number of players participating that need to be considered. But regardless of any of these, it's too early to know how successful the system will be. I'm sure there will be improvements over time that may draw in more players.

    This forum poll actually shows 65% participating so far. (It had been 70% but that number will fluctuate.)
    Edited by SilverBride on June 24, 2026 8:38PM
    PCNA
  • Nemecil
    Nemecil
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    I have not used any of the Overland difficulty options
    I do not. After some consideration, I have no interest in higher difficulty for overland content. I'm over champion level 2000 now and have full builds on all my characters. I like to see how far I've progressed power-wise from having struggled with overland when I first started out the game in 2018, and nowadays being able to blast through that kind of content with ease. I like it that way. To have our damage reduced more and more the higher the difficulty... no that's not for me. I've realised if I want a challenge, I do not seek it in overland. That's my opinion anyway :)
  • Varana
    Varana
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    I have used some of the difficulty options (please list the ones you have used)
    I think a 5% participation rate would make this a very successful feature.

    So we're doing amazingly well.

    I.e. "let's wait and see whether it'll be a success" is a very meaningless sentence if you're the one defining success randomly depending on what outcome you'd prefer to see. The goalposts in this thread have been exceedingly wobbly so far. ;-D
  • spartaxoxo
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    I have used some of the difficulty options (please list the ones you have used)
    That number is massive when so many players dont even look at eso news to know whats going on at all.

    Even if a player wasn't aware of difficulty changes, or didn't read the announcements, every character in game has a Golden Pursuit objective automatically pinned.

    And you assume your casual eso player even pays attention to it, I highly doubt thats the case. All here on the forums sure, reddit, yea, not the people who frequent none of these. Bet many of them dont regularly check to see if new pursuits are up, I dont even until I hear from friends "i just finished my pursuits" and I go oh those are back huh, cool.

    Then I finish em asap all in one go so I dont gotta think about it til the next time.

    I bet all the players on these forums, every last account ever made, plus all the reddit goers wouldnt even make up a third of players

    Casual players pay as much attention to things like Golden Pursuits as any other player. Maybe moreso because casual players are often into a lot of non-combat content.

    Regardless of our views, 30% isn't a large number.

    That's almost a third of the playerbase. That's actually pretty high. I remember in Mass Effect, for example, when they published who had managed to beat the game on its highest difficulty, it was only 4% of players. Ofc that was a single player game and there was a level below that, but still. I think it's pretty impressive how many chose to take on the challenge.
    Edited by spartaxoxo on June 24, 2026 10:21PM
  • Daoin
    Daoin
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    I have used some of the difficulty options (please list the ones you have used)
    i used the second level for i think some golden pursuits then killed 60 easy overland mobs in deshaan at the orc camp on level 3 then hit the adventurer button and thats where its staying !
  • SilverBride
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    I have not used any of the Overland difficulty options
    spartaxoxo wrote: »
    Casual players pay as much attention to things like Golden Pursuits as any other player. Maybe moreso because casual players are often into a lot of non-combat content.

    Regardless of our views, 30% isn't a large number.

    That's almost a third of the playerbase. That's actually pretty high. I remember in Mass Effect, for example, when they published who had managed to beat the game on its highest difficulty, it was only 4% of players

    Well the numbers are so different between what they see and what this poll shows. I don't know what they consider a good percentage of players participating. I'd really like to hear what that number means to them and how they interpret it.
    PCNA
  • BardokRedSnow
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    I have used all of the difficulty options
    znb34d8fpe7r.jpeg

    I hope this shows in future discussions that players who want challenging content are not a small niche part of the community at the very least
    Zos then: Vengeance is just a test bro

    Zos now: Do you want Vengeance permanent or permanent...
  • SkaiFaith
    SkaiFaith
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    I have used all of the difficulty options
    spartaxoxo wrote: »
    Casual players pay as much attention to things like Golden Pursuits as any other player. Maybe moreso because casual players are often into a lot of non-combat content.

    Regardless of our views, 30% isn't a large number.

    That's almost a third of the playerbase. That's actually pretty high. I remember in Mass Effect, for example, when they published who had managed to beat the game on its highest difficulty, it was only 4% of players

    Well the numbers are so different between what they see and what this poll shows. I don't know what they consider a good percentage of players participating. I'd really like to hear what that number means to them and how they interpret it.

    Devs are the only one in the know, but even if it's not apples to apples, we can guess: are 30% of ESO players participating in PvP? Are 30% participating in Trials? Are 30% participating in Tales of Tribute?

    I can only tell you that XBOX achievement system reports extremely low percentages of achievements unlock - I got "no book left unread" from Infinite Archive and the console says just 0,06% of players got that. And I swear, I could give you way easier achievements and the percentage would still be very low (1-2%?)

    Only devs know what that 30% means, but when Finn talked about it he was enthusiastic considering it a success.
    "..........Anyway, here's how
    to tell if your RPG
    sign is cheap" - Tony(?)
  • SilverBride
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    I have not used any of the Overland difficulty options
    SkaiFaith wrote: »
    Only devs know what that 30% means, but when Finn talked about it he was enthusiastic considering it a success.

    Well after all the debate and work that went into it I hope it succeeds. But it's way too soon to know, and I assume there will be tweaks and changes as things move forward.
    PCNA
  • spartaxoxo
    spartaxoxo
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    I have used some of the difficulty options (please list the ones you have used)
    znb34d8fpe7r.jpeg

    I hope this shows in future discussions that players who want challenging content are not a small niche part of the community at the very least

    Who is that from?

    edit

    Nvm, found it. This is a random user that was citing Finn on the livestream. I still need to watch that
    Edited by spartaxoxo on June 24, 2026 11:17PM
  • FabresFour
    FabresFour
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    I have used all of the difficulty options
    i'm only playing on master and vestige since the launch of the update xD, its so fun
    @FabresFour - 2444 CP
    Director and creator of the unofficial translation of The Elder Scrolls Online into BR-Portuguese.
    Twitch: twitch.tv/FabresFour
  • duagloth
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    Should have asked why, as in just for the golden pursuit
  • SilverBride
    SilverBride
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    I have not used any of the Overland difficulty options
    duagloth wrote: »
    Should have asked why, as in just for the golden pursuit

    I assumed players would comment, which they have.
    PCNA
  • fizzylu
    fizzylu
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    I have used some of the difficulty options (please list the ones you have used)
    I pretty much stick to Vestige.
  • katanagirl1
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    I have not used any of the Overland difficulty options
    Undoubtedly the GP pushed the numbers of overland difficulty up, though I am surprised it even went that high. I would have liked to see what the percentage of users would have been without it.

    Time will tell whether the development time for this was worth it, though it might have been after all. The GP took no time at all, but it takes a while to grind out all of the achievements, I am still working on it.
    PS5 NA
  • Gemini_Girl
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    I have used all of the difficulty options
    It's interesting how many players are angry about the golden pursuit. The rewards aren't the greatest, but I like free crates lol :wink: You only need to do 8 tasks for the crates. My husband and I did it all in about an hour. We were surprised that we were done so quickly. Since it was easy to complete, I even did it alone on my alt account. If anyone is in doubt, just try it at least. You'd be surprised how quickly the GP finishes. Set to vestige and go to Alikr desert. Join a dolmen group or just run with the people doing dolmens there. It will finish so many GP tasks. Then you can swap back to seasoned difficulty and finish the rest. Seasoned is not hard really. Enemies hit a bit harder, but is definitely doable. Just don't get overwhelmed/surrounded. An Oakensoul build is good if you're worried about survivability, but you don't need specific builds for seasoned. I just used my arcanist. Got the achievements done a few days ago for the "Battle-Scarred" title, all on seasoned. With the exception of the requirements for vestige achievements. Just need a dynamic encounter. Sorry for the long post lol... Point is, it's a lot easier than people think. Don't be afraid to try it :smile:
  • Rhaena
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    I have used all of the difficulty options
    i use them all but my favorite is a toss up between master and seasoned. I really wanted "longer" combat encounters in the open world, but i didn't want to get 1 shot. my biggest criticism is anything that shoots an arrow at me ends me and i hate it.
  • kafedristoran
    kafedristoran
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    I have used all of the difficulty options
    I haven't been playing ESO since 2018 but my friends told me that ESO after several years of stagnation seems found a right path and tha main reason I quit the game (braindead easy overland) was fixed.

    So I tried the game again on vestige difficulty and *wow* it feels good.
    I am not joking, it feels that ESO finaly has some challenge and you have to use your class/guild/race kit to success and not just hold LMB and kill everything.

    I like to change my build depending on situation, I like to use stealh where it's the best choice, I like to use instakill from brotherhood, I like to make and use food and potions during leveling. It feels like some sort of mechanic RPG elements returned to the game. You take foes more seriously, you think twice attacking groups, delve/pd bosses and quest bosses as well are not jokes anymore.
    And the most important is progress makes sense now. You need to update your gear regulary and levelup up to 50 with starting shriven clothes.

    Are there cons? Yes, of course.
    Difficulty sometimes felt overtuned. The single approach of +HP/DMG is a bit lazy and uninspiring, it might get boring in a long perspective because everything is a sponge. But I don't feel like this so far. Actually I found that (thatnks to sponginess) some mobs and overland bosses have mechanics that I've never seen.

    As for rewards... I don't care. I do it to enjoy the game to overcome a challenge. Not everything should profit maxxed. I'm so fckng tired of this maxxing on my job. Let me play and enjoy the game.
  • darkriketz
    darkriketz
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    I have used some of the difficulty options (please list the ones you have used)
    I switched to Difficulties 2 and 3 for the Golden Pursuits, I think I'll remain on the second (Seasoned ?) with my main and maybe the other characters when I'll complete new provinces with them, but l'm not sure. Leveling and goldmaking aren't difficult or necessary for me, so, what's the point ?
  • Eliahnus
    Eliahnus
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    I have not used any of the Overland difficulty options
    Challenging content? Absolutely. But give us rewards that reflect the difficulty — not the pathetic little coin and XP we get now.
  • Ramber
    Ramber
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    I have not used any of the Overland difficulty options
    just no, no point.
  • kafedristoran
    kafedristoran
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    I have used all of the difficulty options
    Eliahnus wrote: »
    Challenging content? Absolutely. But give us rewards that reflect the difficulty — not the pathetic little coin and XP we get now.

    Challenge is reward
  • Everest_Lionheart
    Everest_Lionheart
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    I have used some of the difficulty options (please list the ones you have used)
    Seasoned didn’t feel like it really changed much to be honest. I was still able to kill things quickly. Soloing world bosses was really the only place I felt an impact, mostly because I can’t tank any of the big attacks even while blocking.

    Master difficulty made public dungeons significantly harder due to the incoming damage from the mobs. I also was getting one shot from public dungeon bosses through blocks with full health. Overland it takes a few hits and a partial rotation to kill basic enemies in the starter zones. I can’t imagine what that’s going to do to elite enemies in DLC zones.

    Vestige I haven’t touched mostly because I am not interested in playing a dark souls MMO. Not interested in dying to mud crabs again because the game has come full circle.
  • fall0athboy
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    I have used some of the difficulty options (please list the ones you have used)
    Seasoned didn’t feel like it really changed much to be honest. I was still able to kill things quickly. Soloing world bosses was really the only place I felt an impact, mostly because I can’t tank any of the big attacks even while blocking.

    Master difficulty made public dungeons significantly harder due to the incoming damage from the mobs. I also was getting one shot from public dungeon bosses through blocks with full health. Overland it takes a few hits and a partial rotation to kill basic enemies in the starter zones. I can’t imagine what that’s going to do to elite enemies in DLC zones.

    Vestige I haven’t touched mostly because I am not interested in playing a dark souls MMO. Not interested in dying to mud crabs again because the game has come full circle.

    I agree with you on Seasoned, which is why I'm just gonna keep playing on it. (also for the sake of getting the monster achievements. The 20% experience gain and 50% gold is good. The gold I don't care about but the experience, as someone who functionally has all the green champion perks I want (Meticulous Disassembly is the last one I actually want. Once I've finished levelling all morphs, I can use the 50 from Discipline Artisan to go to Professional Upkeep. I don't do thieving or Dark Bortherhood content, so those are a waste)

    I did Vestige for the boss and incursion achievement, and to speedrun the Pursuit.
  • Sordidfairytale
    Sordidfairytale
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    I have used all of the difficulty options
    I don't know if it was already mentioned, Vestige should greatly increase the chance of lead drops.
    The Vegemite Knight
  • NoticeMeArkay
    NoticeMeArkay
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    I have used all of the difficulty options
    So far over 60 people said they use the new overland difficulty settings.
    And about 30 did not use them at all.

    Hopefully this will be the death to ye ol' "Only the minority/Only tryhards want overland to be more difficult".
  • Getsugatenso
    Getsugatenso
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    I have used all of the difficulty options
    Absolute cinematic gameplay, available exclusively in Vestige.
  • SerafinaWaterstar
    SerafinaWaterstar
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    I have not used any of the Overland difficulty options
    So far over 60 people said they use the new overland difficulty settings.
    And about 30 did not use them at all.

    Hopefully this will be the death to ye ol' "Only the minority/Only tryhards want overland to be more difficult".

    I hate to point out that the forums not indicative of ESO. Of the many guilds I am in, I am one of the few who frequent here.

    And anecdotally, most guildmates have done it for the Golden Pursuits and then gone back to normal as they have no real interest in it.

    Personally, I am fine if people want it, but think the challenge should be for the challenge alone, and not extra shineys. It has absolutely no interest for me as I have been playing this game for over 10 years & did the hard way back then. And also I do not get that much of a dopamine hit from killing things, even if hard, anymore. Just want to get it over with & do other stuff.
  • thechalkdust
    thechalkdust
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    I have used some of the difficulty options (please list the ones you have used)
    Mostly Vestige unless I'm fighting a world boss.
    DEV WISHLIST
    New Class: Mechanist | New Weapon: 1H&Focus (Spellsword) | Housing: Synchronized Music Boxes, Furniture decon station, Lorekeeper's Bookshelf
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