Load times are insane on US server

Silverforte · May 2019

Every single time I go through a load screen, even if it's just a cave, it's like 10-20 seconds depending on the size of the zone I'm loading into. Even on an SSD (which seems to indicate the loading is a server side issue) I still get outrageous load times. This is the only game that takes longer than 5 seconds to load on this machine and it's been like this off and on throughout ESO's history. I looked up "ESO load times" and found several similar cases. Is this just because the new expansion launched and there's an influx of traffic bombarding their server bandwidth or what? It's too much.

edit: I just timed the load screen between logging in and the character menu. 21 seconds...

dazza1033 · May 2019

Same, I am getting very long load screens since the elswyr patch.

Imza · May 2019

and how many add-ons do you have?

ZOS_Bill · May 2019

As suggested above, long loading times are often related to add-on issues. You can try disabling add-ons with help in the link below.

How do I enable / disable add-ons?

RexyCat · May 2019

ZOS_BillE wrote: »

As suggested above, long loading times are often related to add-on issues. You can try disabling add-ons with help in the link below.

How do I enable / disable add-ons?

True that add on might have a negative impact on loading time, but when one have been using the same add ons for a very long time then one will also be able to notice that it is a much longer loading time then it have been normally.

Right now I also have the same problem with extreme time from pressing enter after password until I get into Character select screen and from there it takes a long time until I can interact with game world. I am on PC EU, game on SSD.

//RexyCat

Silverforte · May 2019

Imza wrote: »

and how many add-ons do you have?

Not one addon. Fresh install, and as always I deleted the Zenimax folder that gets left behind when I uninstalled last time.

ZOS_Bill · May 2019

Besides removing add-ons, you can check your anti-virus settings and ensure you launch ESO as an administrator. Both of these steps can help with loading issues in game. Instructions on how to perform these steps can be found here.

Nestor · May 2019

Even though you have been using the same addons by name, they are not the same addons you used to load. They have changed over time. Some dramatically.

So, until you have tested load times by disabling the addons, you don't know if the addons are the source of the problem or not.

And, for the record, on the Chapter Update, I was getting in and out of the game so quickly with no addons, I am not seriously reconsidering my addon mix.

Silverforte · May 2019

Nestor wrote: »

Even though you have been using the same addons by name, they are not the same addons you used to load. They have changed over time. Some dramatically.

So, until you have tested load times by disabling the addons, you don't know if the addons are the source of the problem or not.

And, for the record, on the Chapter Update, I was getting in and out of the game so quickly with no addons, I am not seriously reconsidering my addon mix.

I have no addons so that really doesn't apply to me. I'm still having problems. Of course I run the game as admin and have it listed as exempt from my anti virus, still takes forever to load. The way it does it, it seems like a server-side problem. Loading into more player populated zones results in much longer load times. Sometimes 30-40 seconds.

Shadowshire · May 2019

@RexyCat @dazza1033 @ZOS_BillE (For Your Information: @Silverforte )

IF you use the Master Merchant add-on, be sure to configure it to load its data after the character has been selected and loaded. You probably won't need to use it immediately after the character is loaded, so it can load its data in the background while you do things that don't require it to be up-to-date.

Also, disable Master Merchant while your character participates in any group, especially one larger than 4 players, such as a World Boss group or one that is doing delve Dailies for a zone such as Wrothgar. It frequently polls the guilds of which you are a member to update its data, and you don't need it to do that while your character is in combat. Unless I've overlooked it, currently there is no way to configure polling and/or to bind it to a key to toggle it off/on.

Ordinarily, while my character is in a large group or primarily engaged in combat, I also take the following measures:

Votan's Minimap is the least demanding upon system resources, but also has only the native Map features. When my character is in a large group, then I disable AUI minimap and load Votan's instead. I am not familiar with other mini-map addons which are currently available.
Harvest Map is only needed while a character is primarily engaged in finding and harvesting material resources. Although, I usually disable it only while my character will be in a large group or primarily engaged in combat, such as the Undaunted dungeon daily pledges.
Destinations is generally not needed unless a character is specifically engaged in pursuing quests, searching for skyshards and/or lorebooks, a fishing expedition, or attempting to satisfy a multi-zone achievement such as "One Last Brawl" or "I Like Ma'iq", etc.
Some other popular add-ons which have significant overhead that primarily affects loading and reloading the UI:
- Champion Points Slots (multiple configurations for C.P.);
- ESO Master Recipe List (especially with "furnishing recipes" enabled);
- Furniture Catalogue;
- Itemization Browser;
- Essential Housing Tools;
- Journal Quest Log;
- Notebook2018 (depends upon extent that the player uses it).
Note that we can use the Add-on Selector add-on to manage which add-ons are loaded at any given time for any particular context, and to switch from one selection to another quickly. (Hmmm.... I don't recall whether it is available with the Addons feature on the Select Character screen.)

However, I recommend having only two or three "sets" of add-ons for each character -- for example: for questing, for combat (PvE and/or PvP), and for general activities. Else, you could spend more time waiting for the UI to reload than the amount of time that loading screen durations are reduced. Then again, which addons are loaded and active also affects the gameware performance, which can be a more significant issue than loading times.

dazza1033 · May 2019

Apart from harvestmap (which I have disabled) I don't use any of the addons mentioned. I'll try disabling all addons then admin elevation.

I can understand why an addon may effect the game but why do I have to change default firewall and elevate a game to admin? doesn't sound right.

Silverforte · June 2019

It's not addons. It's very obviously the server taking forever to load the client in. I used to play on a regular HDD. I switched to a SSD and there was virtually no improvement with ONE game that I play: this one.

Shaie · June 2019

First launch after Elsweyr dropped, all of my addons were disabled. I had incredibly long load times (to the point where I'm looking at your 21 seconds and thinking to myself, "THAT'S a long time???) and so did my husband. We're talking minutes, not seconds here. No active addons for him either. While I think he does use one, maybe two of the addons you have listed, I don't use ANY of those. There has been no change in load screen times since updating & enabling my addons, so I'm pretty sure they are not the issue.

@dazza, elevating to Admin just grants it precedence over other programs that are running/want to run. You should not need to grant it permission to go through the firewall though. Honestly? These suggestions are made to us either because whoever makes them is told, "When people have this complaint, this is how you respond" OR the company in question is unable/unwilling to admit there is a problem on their end. More often than not, it IS a problem ON THEIR END and not on ours.

Chaquinho89 · June 2019

I'm having the same problems, even after completely removing every single addon I have, game still keeps stuck in loading screen, not only that, after I have to force close the game (Alt+F4) when I try to go back in I get 'Error 301' a few times before being able to get to character selection screen. This has been happening since yesterday.

Loves_guars · June 2019

Same! I have an ssd that I brought a couple of months go and back there I measured loading screens so I know for sure they are now taking a lot more time
.
I also noticed it the most in Craglorn delves, it was insane. My friend is having these too. NA PC.