Your not missing a thing. I love the Elder Scrolls, but Elder Scrolls Online missed the boat for me. I know I'm not the only one, but people do like this game and more power to them. We all need to choose what works for us.
I get what you're saying about the scaling, but to me it's more a personal preference. I absolutely like the idea of growing to meet a challenge that's impossible at the onset. Scaling players up or content down is detrimental to that effect, which is why it's not my cup of tea.
I understand what you're saying about the mobs you can't handle while low level but then you can when higher. That gives the world a sense of some places being more dangerous than others - I like that too.
But that is something that can be done well or poorly and it's not entirely missing in ESO.
To me a rat is just a frigging rat. I don't want level 5 rats and level 40 rats and so on. That's just re-purposed asset cheese which is exactly what many MMOs do with rats or bears or bandits.
ESO has zone bosses and some zones and places that are just plain tougher than others. The whole Craglorn Zone is like that and will demolish a low level character in seconds - heck even high level characters merely have a fighting chance in some parts of that zone. Same with zone bosses that you might be able to solo when you're high level (if you know what you're doing) but will swat any low level player aside. Challenges are there but not as formalized and guided as in zone progression MMOs.
Yea, that's why I always try to refrain from implying I think ESO is a bad game. I just don't think it's for me. It's unfortunate as I enjoy the setting, but I was very excited for Cyrodiil being a DAoC vet, and the development took a different path. That's okay, because it's still quality and presents systems and challenges that a lot of folks enjoy.
In my opinion, you should never want to go back to play a previous iteration rather than the current one. I'd rather play Oblivion, Morrowind, or Skyrim than play ESO. There's no gravitas. And I keep coming back to it hoping something will click. Especially as they add more of the world.
In my opinion, you should never want to go back to play a previous iteration rather than the current one. I'd rather play Oblivion, Morrowind, or Skyrim than play ESO. There's no gravitas. And I keep coming back to it hoping something will click. Especially as they add more of the world.
I truly wanted Tamriel as opposed to what ESO is.
An online fully ES game would be a boring shitshow I think.
What you are missing from ESO ?! --> A good game !!! ..... i searched for so long, but there is no good game in it ... the fighting system ... in complete killed the game for me ... In Beta, at Release and 2 hours ago .....
It is not just on this thread I have asked before: "Yes ESO has issues, but what other modern AAA MMO are you going to go to if not ESO?" Anyone would think we are gifted with huge range of quality modern AAA to choose from, we are not. ESO is a good AAA MMO, but if you have an alternative by all means speak up.
I'd rather play other MMOs / games even if they are not AAA. There is a lot of choice. WoW, EQ 2, Guild Wars 1+2, SWTOR, LoTR:O etc. Even more out of MMO genre. And as I've been saying, ES:O is like Amstel of games. Thoroughly...tasteless for the most time. Almost no character lol.
Well you have moved the goal posts, but lets look at that all the same. I am sure we can get to the truth here by comparing MMOs to beers/lagers:
ESO is more like a Budweiser, not the most distinct offering to the palate, but cool, refreshing, not too heavy going and reliable.
WoW is the Bud Light of MMOs, more casual, rather bland, you can get through an awful lot of it and feel you have not had much at all.
EQ2 is the Abashiri, a colourful beer (possibly garish?) but one seen as lacking in many areas of taste due to its former vintage EQ.
Guild Wars 2 is the Skol of the MMO world, low on alcohol, low on just about everything else, it to came from a better vintage, the first Guild Wars, so is all the more regrettable in comparison and leaves a rather bad taste in the mouth.
SWTOR is the Corona of the MMO world, a well known beer with a storied past and coming from the distinctive dark and light casks.
LotRo is the Heineken, now it was rather unfair to name this beer as over the years it has been my favourite MMO and is probably the best MMO in the world.
Well there we have it, beer drinking has led us to truths that have never...hic...come to lite light before. Cheers!
Yeah I disagree with that. GW2 is MMO isn't bad, but I know not everyone likes it. It is an easy game to play, like riding a bike. I can leave for 2 months, come back and pick it right back up were I left off. No confusion over skills or what they do, or where I am on the map. No need to always group to make it feel like I'm in an MMO, and you can play with other people ungrouped without the long term commitment if you just don't have time due to character scaling and world scaling. You can jump in, play for one hour, jump back out. There are things I don't like about it, but it plays how they intended and have changed little since launch, other than enhancing some world events and making them harder.
It may not be like GW1, but it's set in the same world, which is the only point. The loot and rewards are fair, and while crafting isn't the best, you can make what you need easily enough. The community for the most part is talkative and helpful, but not as toxic as most games. If I find a mob that is too challenging for 1 person, almost always within 5 minutes someone else will randomly show up needing the same quest. The dynamic world events are really what makes the game in my opinion. I think people who hate GW2 just don't like dynamic events. If you do, then you will like the game.
I honestly didn't think I would like GW2, but I find it's become my regular go to MMO because it's easy to play in short bursts without forgetting how to play or where to go to get what. I can log in, do some daily world events, get a bunch of loot, knock out a few achievements, log out and go about my day. So if anything I would say GW2 is the like the Corona of MMOs, you either love it or hate it, but in the end it's still poplar and rewarding for what it is.
Glad to see we are really getting to the bottom of all this with the beer analogies.
As you gathered of those mentioned I really dislike GW2, but rather liked the first GW.
The thing is if we compare any MMO to a list of the top MMOs of all time it is going to be found wanting. Where I think Gorwe has a point is that ESO did not encapsulate its IP as much as the likes of LotRO or SWtOR. If you ask players do you feel this is the Eldur Scrolls world, I doubt as many would be as positive as they would about the other two.
If think ESO got caught between making an online world and making a ES online world. The mix was not as good as it could have been. But still the best modern AAA out there, though admittedly in my eyes only somewhat better than the likes of SWL, but still only just is still the best.
ESO just isn't for me then. I simply don't "get" it. And GW 2's such a disappointment, no?
I've tried to get into GW2 so many times....maybe with GW3 they'll go more of the GW1 route and I will enjoy it more.
I feel like they went hard left with GW2 and (in like 10 years when it comes out) they might go more middle of the road with GW3.
Op you are correct. The combat is OK but could certainly be better, the stories are again OK but not nearly as good as SWTOR or Secret World or even STO. Level scaling really killed it for me, it took away all the challenge. Crafting again OK. PvP confusing and OK at best. Thus there is the problem, it is an OK game, it does not excell in any one area, at least SWTOR and SW excell in story telling. Why would I waste time playing an OK mmo when I can play an excellent single player game like Witcher series, Skyrim, even Kingdom Come?
Tell me, how is it going in The Witcher and Skyrim, which also have level scaling lol! /shrug
I do remember in both games having my ass handed to me by much higher level opponents so it must not be so extreme. Since Witcher lists the mob levels I know I've run into mobs that were 10 levels higher.
The Witcher doesn't scale mobs down, it only scales then upwards. So yes, an arrow is an arrow no matter if the mob is level 1 or 10, but an arrow from an elite Scoia'tael unit at level 20, for instance, would be far deadlier to you at level ten than the level 10 mob's arrow.
The Witcher's system is pinnacle in my opinion. Still leaves a lot of the world as a dangerous place to travel unless you take time to prepare and grow more powerful, but it never lets you feel as if traveling the same path means you're invincible.
I know you're not the one who started down the path of comparing ESO scaling to SP game scaling but in SP games it's a whole different kettle of fish where every thing is possible and it can be fine-tuned to provide the best solo experience you can dream up.
The purpose of scaling in multiplayer games is quite different: it's all about enabling players of any level to fight together, casually or formally, and have a relevant impact on the fight. And you need to do it while maintaining the progressive self improvement illusion.
The typical complaint in ESO, especially from those who are either new or just not aware of how you're supposed to improve in ESO is all about that self improvement part - you don't hear much bitching about the play together bit.
Character improvement in ESO has always been about gaining access to better abilities that take time to unlock as well as the usual gear grind for gear sets that are harder to get or can only be crafted after you've put in the time to unlock crafting for those sets. And then there is the Champion Point Passive system where 1 or 2 points do almost nothing to make you better but 600 of them make a huge difference.
A level 10 new player may be able to contribute to a fight alongside a CP720 one and their base stats may even be not far off, but that CP720 player will be virtually carrying the level 10 guy through the fight by virtue of their superior abilities they have access to, better gear and all the CP passives they have stacked.
The system actually works very well at doing both: letting 2 players of any level fight together AND letting you progress as you level in a noticeable way... for those that are paying attention that is
I tried to come back after One Tamriel, but couldn't do it. My Templar was 50 already, but I never found a build I enjoyed with him, mostly due to the disparity between stamina builds and Magicka ones.
I get what you're saying about the scaling, but to me it's more a personal preference. I absolutely like the idea of growing to meet a challenge that's impossible at the onset. Scaling players up or content down is detrimental to that effect, which is why it's not my cup of tea.
Still, GW2 uses the scaling system that's similar to Witcher in that it's one way. It's fairly effective at enabling high-level players to continue to enjoy starter zone content without completely tailoring the world to the player.
Could it be that you simply choose the wrong class?
Personally, I had fun with my Dragon Knight, but I'm having an utter blast with my Nightblade, and keep in mind that I usually never enjoy rogue like classes in MMOs.
But then, as an early GW2 fan, I find ESO to now (with one Tamriel) be the better game except maybe the GW2 dynamic events, but even then, ESO has awesome quest lines all over the place while for most other theme parkish games, it's one rare awesome quest among thousands of mundane tasks.
For me it was the opposite. I hated Nightblade, but switched to a Dragonknight/caster and it's actually not as bad. I think I felt it would play like GW2 thief, and it does not. I will see how it goes and mess with some builds a bit. Still up for giving this game a shot again, at least just for some easy solo PvE. I've played out all the content in GW2 for now, not many achievements I feel like messing with, so until they publish a new chapter there, I'll be trying ESO.
I get the same feeling with ESO as I get driving past a McDonalds; I see tons of people in it, but happily keep driving to find a place of higher sustenance.
Op you are correct. The combat is OK but could certainly be better, the stories are again OK but not nearly as good as SWTOR or Secret World or even STO. Level scaling really killed it for me, it took away all the challenge. Crafting again OK. PvP confusing and OK at best. Thus there is the problem, it is an OK game, it does not excell in any one area, at least SWTOR and SW excell in story telling. Why would I waste time playing an OK mmo when I can play an excellent single player game like Witcher series, Skyrim, even Kingdom Come?
Tell me, how is it going in The Witcher and Skyrim, which also have level scaling lol! /shrug
I do remember in both games having my ass handed to me by much higher level opponents so it must not be so extreme. Since Witcher lists the mob levels I know I've run into mobs that were 10 levels higher.
The Witcher doesn't scale mobs down, it only scales then upwards. So yes, an arrow is an arrow no matter if the mob is level 1 or 10, but an arrow from an elite Scoia'tael unit at level 20, for instance, would be far deadlier to you at level ten than the level 10 mob's arrow.
The Witcher's system is pinnacle in my opinion. Still leaves a lot of the world as a dangerous place to travel unless you take time to prepare and grow more powerful, but it never lets you feel as if traveling the same path means you're invincible.
I know you're not the one who started down the path of comparing ESO scaling to SP game scaling but in SP games it's a whole different kettle of fish where every thing is possible and it can be fine-tuned to provide the best solo experience you can dream up.
The purpose of scaling in multiplayer games is quite different: it's all about enabling players of any level to fight together, casually or formally, and have a relevant impact on the fight. And you need to do it while maintaining the progressive self improvement illusion.
The typical complaint in ESO, especially from those who are either new or just not aware of how you're supposed to improve in ESO is all about that self improvement part - you don't hear much bitching about the play together bit.
Character improvement in ESO has always been about gaining access to better abilities that take time to unlock as well as the usual gear grind for gear sets that are harder to get or can only be crafted after you've put in the time to unlock crafting for those sets. And then there is the Champion Point Passive system where 1 or 2 points do almost nothing to make you better but 600 of them make a huge difference.
A level 10 new player may be able to contribute to a fight alongside a CP720 one and their base stats may even be not far off, but that CP720 player will be virtually carrying the level 10 guy through the fight by virtue of their superior abilities they have access to, better gear and all the CP passives they have stacked.
The system actually works very well at doing both: letting 2 players of any level fight together AND letting you progress as you level in a noticeable way... for those that are paying attention that is
I tried to come back after One Tamriel, but couldn't do it. My Templar was 50 already, but I never found a build I enjoyed with him, mostly due to the disparity between stamina builds and Magicka ones.
I get what you're saying about the scaling, but to me it's more a personal preference. I absolutely like the idea of growing to meet a challenge that's impossible at the onset. Scaling players up or content down is detrimental to that effect, which is why it's not my cup of tea.
Still, GW2 uses the scaling system that's similar to Witcher in that it's one way. It's fairly effective at enabling high-level players to continue to enjoy starter zone content without completely tailoring the world to the player.
Could it be that you simply choose the wrong class?
Personally, I had fun with my Dragon Knight, but I'm having an utter blast with my Nightblade, and keep in mind that I usually never enjoy rogue like classes in MMOs.
But then, as an early GW2 fan, I find ESO to now (with one Tamriel) be the better game except maybe the GW2 dynamic events, but even then, ESO has awesome quest lines all over the place while for most other theme parkish games, it's one rare awesome quest among thousands of mundane tasks.
For me it was the opposite. I hated Nightblade, but switched to a Dragonknight/caster and it's actually not as bad. I think I felt it would play like GW2 thief, and it does not. I will see how it goes and mess with some builds a bit. Still up for giving this game a shot again, at least just for some easy solo PvE. I've played out all the content in GW2 for now, not many achievements I feel like messing with, so until they publish a new chapter there, I'll be trying ESO.
I can understand that, GW2 thief is one of the funnest classes ever made.
Crafting is just OK, but at least you can make something useful for your lowbie character right away, unlike most MMOs.
Why is the crafting "just ok"? I have seen a few people say that in this thread, and am genuinely curious about why you have that impression.
Because I prefer crafting that's a bit more in-depth. Don't get me wrong, it's not BAD compared to most MMOs, but it could have been MUCH more interesting and involved.
Like when you can create parts of an object, then sell those parts off to make it easier for the next guy to craft the full item? Crafting in ESO is like get iron-make steel ingot-turns into full suit of armor. Not always as simple as that, but you get the point. You have type, material, style and trait. It's mostly a skill builder. The amount of material variation and overall steps involved in crafting in ESO is minimal in comparison to many MMOs. I think the only challenge is getting the stat variation you want, but the overall act of crafting is not challenging at all.
It's simple enough or I wouldn't bother with it. When the acts of crafting and gathering become complex and tedious jobs, I don't really want anything to do with it.
What ESO does better than most is keep crafting relevant from level 1 to end game by keeping the crafted items competitive with the best drops. This will be even more so that way with the upcoming jewelry crafting.
The crafting leveling is also subtle and something beginners sometimes take a while to figure out: it's not so much about what quality tier you can craft and what styles or traits you can apply to it. ESO has always been about gaining access to crafting sets that are only available after you have researched a specific number of traits for each slot.
That's just something that is time and location gated but not rare mat gated which is what makes crafting desirable gear in most other MMOs a PITA. If you have researched all 9 traits for something in ESO you can then craft the most desirable sets using the same mats tier as you would use to craft the junk required for daily crafting writs.
It's a system designed to work in conjunction with sets which is what gearing in ESO is all about. The mechanics are simplified but the end result, which should be what crafting is all about, are varied and rewarding.
this is interesting to me because i was always under the impression that at launch they said crafting was supposed to be the way you described,but that slowly drops became better like in most themepark mmo's.
I probably would be more likely to tolerate the things i dont like about ESO if what you say is actually true.
Crafting is just OK, but at least you can make something useful for your lowbie character right away, unlike most MMOs.
Why is the crafting "just ok"? I have seen a few people say that in this thread, and am genuinely curious about why you have that impression.
Because I prefer crafting that's a bit more in-depth. Don't get me wrong, it's not BAD compared to most MMOs, but it could have been MUCH more interesting and involved.
Like when you can create parts of an object, then sell those parts off to make it easier for the next guy to craft the full item? Crafting in ESO is like get iron-make steel ingot-turns into full suit of armor. Not always as simple as that, but you get the point. You have type, material, style and trait. It's mostly a skill builder. The amount of material variation and overall steps involved in crafting in ESO is minimal in comparison to many MMOs. I think the only challenge is getting the stat variation you want, but the overall act of crafting is not challenging at all.
It's simple enough or I wouldn't bother with it. When the acts of crafting and gathering become complex and tedious jobs, I don't really want anything to do with it.
What ESO does better than most is keep crafting relevant from level 1 to end game by keeping the crafted items competitive with the best drops. This will be even more so that way with the upcoming jewelry crafting.
The crafting leveling is also subtle and something beginners sometimes take a while to figure out: it's not so much about what quality tier you can craft and what styles or traits you can apply to it. ESO has always been about gaining access to crafting sets that are only available after you have researched a specific number of traits for each slot.
That's just something that is time and location gated but not rare mat gated which is what makes crafting desirable gear in most other MMOs a PITA. If you have researched all 9 traits for something in ESO you can then craft the most desirable sets using the same mats tier as you would use to craft the junk required for daily crafting writs.
It's a system designed to work in conjunction with sets which is what gearing in ESO is all about. The mechanics are simplified but the end result, which should be what crafting is all about, are varied and rewarding.
this is interesting to me because i was always under the impression that at launch they said crafting was supposed to be the way you described,but that slowly drops became better like in most themepark mmo's.
I probably would be more likely to tolerate the things i dont like about ESO if what you say is actually true.
Some drops in some places have become BIS but many crafted sets form part of BIS meta builds... Julianos and Hundigs to name a couple.
Some special dropped sets are also just that, special occasion. For example some of the stuff that drops in trials buffs only trial and instanced dungeon damage and the same goes for some Cyrodiil PVP sets only buffing damage against players.
Jewelry crafting as well as 2HD counting as 2 set pieces will make it easier to work crafted sets into builds. Dropped sets currently have the advantage of also dropping jewelry but that advantage will disappear when we can craft our own that is part of sets.
This is all post CP160 of course, when items become permanent. The huge increase of sets everywhere that drop like candy with One Tamriel together with the fact that you only get full benefit of gear if it's no lower than 5 levels below you, has made crafting while you level practically useless... that might be what you have heard and it's true.
But at end game crafting is very relevant still which is the opposite compared to most other themeparks.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
Crafting is just OK, but at least you can make something useful for your lowbie character right away, unlike most MMOs.
Why is the crafting "just ok"? I have seen a few people say that in this thread, and am genuinely curious about why you have that impression.
Because I prefer crafting that's a bit more in-depth. Don't get me wrong, it's not BAD compared to most MMOs, but it could have been MUCH more interesting and involved.
Like when you can create parts of an object, then sell those parts off to make it easier for the next guy to craft the full item? Crafting in ESO is like get iron-make steel ingot-turns into full suit of armor. Not always as simple as that, but you get the point. You have type, material, style and trait. It's mostly a skill builder. The amount of material variation and overall steps involved in crafting in ESO is minimal in comparison to many MMOs. I think the only challenge is getting the stat variation you want, but the overall act of crafting is not challenging at all.
It's simple enough or I wouldn't bother with it. When the acts of crafting and gathering become complex and tedious jobs, I don't really want anything to do with it.
What ESO does better than most is keep crafting relevant from level 1 to end game by keeping the crafted items competitive with the best drops. This will be even more so that way with the upcoming jewelry crafting.
The crafting leveling is also subtle and something beginners sometimes take a while to figure out: it's not so much about what quality tier you can craft and what styles or traits you can apply to it. ESO has always been about gaining access to crafting sets that are only available after you have researched a specific number of traits for each slot.
That's just something that is time and location gated but not rare mat gated which is what makes crafting desirable gear in most other MMOs a PITA. If you have researched all 9 traits for something in ESO you can then craft the most desirable sets using the same mats tier as you would use to craft the junk required for daily crafting writs.
It's a system designed to work in conjunction with sets which is what gearing in ESO is all about. The mechanics are simplified but the end result, which should be what crafting is all about, are varied and rewarding.
this is interesting to me because i was always under the impression that at launch they said crafting was supposed to be the way you described,but that slowly drops became better like in most themepark mmo's.
I probably would be more likely to tolerate the things i dont like about ESO if what you say is actually true.
Some drops in some places have become BIS but many crafted sets form part of BIS meta builds... Julianos and Hundigs to name a couple.
Some special dropped sets are also just that, special occasion. For example some of the stuff that drops in trials buffs only trial and instanced dungeon damage and the same goes for some Cyrodiil PVP sets only buffing damage against players.
Jewelry crafting as well as 2HD counting as 2 set pieces will make it easier to work crafted sets into builds. Dropped sets currently have the advantage of also dropping jewelry but that advantage will disappear when we can craft our own that is part of sets.
This is all post CP160 of course, when items become permanent. The huge increase of sets everywhere that drop like candy with One Tamriel together with the fact that you only get full benefit of gear if it's no lower than 5 levels below you, has made crafting while you level practically useless... that might be what you have heard and it's true.
But at end game crafting is very relevant still which is the opposite compared to most other themeparks.
I've been playing since closed Beta. I enjoy the game. Either you like it or you don't, just like any other game on the market. But hopefully @OP you feel vindicated now that you've come here and made a post about it and have been consoled by all the other posters who don't like TESO.
It's a discussion forum, and this was interesting enough to reach 6 pages so far. Get off the high horse.
Eso is not for everyone. I burned out pretty fast after leveling my stam dk to 47. Also when I learned that better stamina builds use caltrops which you have to grind in cyrodil it put me off too.
Eso is not for everyone. I burned out pretty fast after leveling my stam dk to 47. Also when I learned that better stamina builds use caltrops which you have to grind in cyrodil it put me off too.
You cam unlock caltrops in just 3 or 4 hours hanging out with a group and after it's unlocked you can level it up and morph it just in PVE if you want. Most people grind it while they're still low level in the under level 50 PVP campaign.
And yes it's a good AOE damage skill but it's also costly to use and you can get by fine without it. It's not like having it is going to instantly make you a PVE DPS god
I personally find grinding Rearming Trap from the Fighter's Guild or Meteor from the Mage's a much bigger PITA to get... /shrug
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
I've been playing since closed Beta. I enjoy the game. Either you like it or you don't, just like any other game on the market. But hopefully @OP you feel vindicated now that you've come here and made a post about it and have been consoled by all the other posters who don't like TESO.
It's a discussion forum, and this was interesting enough to reach 6 pages so far. Get off the high horse.
I was sincerely asking what people like about it lol. Funny thing is, reading some of the posts from people who do like it, and why they like it I decided to try a new class and start from the beginning again. I'm not trying to make that mad dash to end game like I have gotten in the habit of doing with some many MMOs, so minus some of the glaring issues I mentioned it's not bad. It's mostly a story PvE game, so I play it as such. Actually I bought the Summerset expansion so I could get Morrowind for free.
I've been playing since closed Beta. I enjoy the game. Either you like it or you don't, just like any other game on the market. But hopefully @OP you feel vindicated now that you've come here and made a post about it and have been consoled by all the other posters who don't like TESO.
It's a discussion forum, and this was interesting enough to reach 6 pages so far. Get off the high horse.
I was sincerely asking what people like about it lol. Funny thing is, reading some of the posts from people who do like it, and why they like it I decided to try a new class and start from the beginning again. I'm not trying to make that mad dash to end game like I have gotten in the habit of doing with some many MMOs, so minus some of the glaring issues I mentioned it's not bad. It's mostly a story PvE game, so I play it as such. Actually I bought the Summerset expansion so I could get Morrowind for free.
If you dash to the end of a MMO surely that's going to make them all seem the same? It does explain one thing, the way you focus in on mechanics far more than many of us do. I too would be thinking more about the games combat if the rest of the MMO was a blur. I would suggest you make sure a MMO has the mechanics you want, first and foremost before you give it a go. For me story and lore are as important if not more, each to his own.
Crafting is just OK, but at least you can make something useful for your lowbie character right away, unlike most MMOs.
Why is the crafting "just ok"? I have seen a few people say that in this thread, and am genuinely curious about why you have that impression.
Because I prefer crafting that's a bit more in-depth. Don't get me wrong, it's not BAD compared to most MMOs, but it could have been MUCH more interesting and involved.
Like when you can create parts of an object, then sell those parts off to make it easier for the next guy to craft the full item? Crafting in ESO is like get iron-make steel ingot-turns into full suit of armor. Not always as simple as that, but you get the point. You have type, material, style and trait. It's mostly a skill builder. The amount of material variation and overall steps involved in crafting in ESO is minimal in comparison to many MMOs. I think the only challenge is getting the stat variation you want, but the overall act of crafting is not challenging at all.
It's simple enough or I wouldn't bother with it. When the acts of crafting and gathering become complex and tedious jobs, I don't really want anything to do with it.
What ESO does better than most is keep crafting relevant from level 1 to end game by keeping the crafted items competitive with the best drops. This will be even more so that way with the upcoming jewelry crafting.
The crafting leveling is also subtle and something beginners sometimes take a while to figure out: it's not so much about what quality tier you can craft and what styles or traits you can apply to it. ESO has always been about gaining access to crafting sets that are only available after you have researched a specific number of traits for each slot.
That's just something that is time and location gated but not rare mat gated which is what makes crafting desirable gear in most other MMOs a PITA. If you have researched all 9 traits for something in ESO you can then craft the most desirable sets using the same mats tier as you would use to craft the junk required for daily crafting writs.
It's a system designed to work in conjunction with sets which is what gearing in ESO is all about. The mechanics are simplified but the end result, which should be what crafting is all about, are varied and rewarding.
this is interesting to me because i was always under the impression that at launch they said crafting was supposed to be the way you described,but that slowly drops became better like in most themepark mmo's.
I probably would be more likely to tolerate the things i dont like about ESO if what you say is actually true.
This is all post CP160 of course, when items become permanent. The huge increase of sets everywhere that drop like candy with One Tamriel together with the fact that you only get full benefit of gear if it's no lower than 5 levels below you, has made crafting while you level practically useless... that might be what you have heard and it's true.
But at end game crafting is very relevant still which is the opposite compared to most other themeparks.
Just to clarify: in no way is crafting "practically useless" while leveling, imo the opposite is true. In fact one of the biggest differences in character strength apart from CP will be your ability to craft or get someone to craft for you. And it will be even better when we can craft jewellery in the new chapter.
For example, I can craft myself any set I want and put any trait into it while leveling. That might take me 20 mins every four levels, and I will have full sets with handpicked traits and stat bonuses. If you don't craft (or have a friend/guildy to do it for you), you will have to search/grind for the sets, often outleveling them by the time you get a full set together.
Another wonderful thing about this: You only have to craft yourself stamina/magikca sets for every four levels once. Put them in your storage chests and whenever you level an alt you will have amazing gear ready to go. Very handy if you like the low level pvp campaign!
Op you are correct. The combat is OK but could certainly be better, the stories are again OK but not nearly as good as SWTOR or Secret World or even STO. Level scaling really killed it for me, it took away all the challenge. Crafting again OK. PvP confusing and OK at best. Thus there is the problem, it is an OK game, it does not excell in any one area, at least SWTOR and SW excell in story telling. Why would I waste time playing an OK mmo when I can play an excellent single player game like Witcher series, Skyrim, even Kingdom Come?
Tell me, how is it going in The Witcher and Skyrim, which also have level scaling lol! /shrug
I do remember in both games having my ass handed to me by much higher level opponents so it must not be so extreme. Since Witcher lists the mob levels I know I've run into mobs that were 10 levels higher.
The Witcher doesn't scale mobs down, it only scales then upwards. So yes, an arrow is an arrow no matter if the mob is level 1 or 10, but an arrow from an elite Scoia'tael unit at level 20, for instance, would be far deadlier to you at level ten than the level 10 mob's arrow.
The Witcher's system is pinnacle in my opinion. Still leaves a lot of the world as a dangerous place to travel unless you take time to prepare and grow more powerful, but it never lets you feel as if traveling the same path means you're invincible.
I know you're not the one who started down the path of comparing ESO scaling to SP game scaling but in SP games it's a whole different kettle of fish where every thing is possible and it can be fine-tuned to provide the best solo experience you can dream up.
The purpose of scaling in multiplayer games is quite different: it's all about enabling players of any level to fight together, casually or formally, and have a relevant impact on the fight. And you need to do it while maintaining the progressive self improvement illusion.
The typical complaint in ESO, especially from those who are either new or just not aware of how you're supposed to improve in ESO is all about that self improvement part - you don't hear much bitching about the play together bit.
Character improvement in ESO has always been about gaining access to better abilities that take time to unlock as well as the usual gear grind for gear sets that are harder to get or can only be crafted after you've put in the time to unlock crafting for those sets. And then there is the Champion Point Passive system where 1 or 2 points do almost nothing to make you better but 600 of them make a huge difference.
A level 10 new player may be able to contribute to a fight alongside a CP720 one and their base stats may even be not far off, but that CP720 player will be virtually carrying the level 10 guy through the fight by virtue of their superior abilities they have access to, better gear and all the CP passives they have stacked.
The system actually works very well at doing both: letting 2 players of any level fight together AND letting you progress as you level in a noticeable way... for those that are paying attention that is
I tried to come back after One Tamriel, but couldn't do it. My Templar was 50 already, but I never found a build I enjoyed with him, mostly due to the disparity between stamina builds and Magicka ones.
I get what you're saying about the scaling, but to me it's more a personal preference. I absolutely like the idea of growing to meet a challenge that's impossible at the onset. Scaling players up or content down is detrimental to that effect, which is why it's not my cup of tea.
Still, GW2 uses the scaling system that's similar to Witcher in that it's one way. It's fairly effective at enabling high-level players to continue to enjoy starter zone content without completely tailoring the world to the player.
Could it be that you simply choose the wrong class?
Personally, I had fun with my Dragon Knight, but I'm having an utter blast with my Nightblade, and keep in mind that I usually never enjoy rogue like classes in MMOs.
But then, as an early GW2 fan, I find ESO to now (with one Tamriel) be the better game except maybe the GW2 dynamic events, but even then, ESO has awesome quest lines all over the place while for most other theme parkish games, it's one rare awesome quest among thousands of mundane tasks.
For me it was the opposite. I hated Nightblade, but switched to a Dragonknight/caster and it's actually not as bad. I think I felt it would play like GW2 thief, and it does not. I will see how it goes and mess with some builds a bit. Still up for giving this game a shot again, at least just for some easy solo PvE. I've played out all the content in GW2 for now, not many achievements I feel like messing with, so until they publish a new chapter there, I'll be trying ESO.
My Nigthblade is actually a tank
So I'm a heavy armor wearing bow/sword/shield using stealthy ninja (only sword/shield when tanking dungeons). It's awesomely fun. No need to mention I can easily solo things like most world bosses, and I can stealth my way to the place I want to be too. Two sets of armor and skills, one for pure tanking - heavy armor - and one ninja set - medium armor. Both thieves and assassin skill lines maxed out too of course (VERY fun quest lines, must do!).
The amount of character customization possible through both skill sets and gear is amazing in this game. I recommend the addons from Iakoni "Gear Changer" and "Skill Changer" to enjoy this game to the fullest.
Mine was a Restoration Staff Healer. I've not played for a couple of years but it was easily viable as a main healer for all PvE content.
Crafting is just OK, but at least you can make something useful for your lowbie character right away, unlike most MMOs.
Why is the crafting "just ok"? I have seen a few people say that in this thread, and am genuinely curious about why you have that impression.
Because I prefer crafting that's a bit more in-depth. Don't get me wrong, it's not BAD compared to most MMOs, but it could have been MUCH more interesting and involved.
Like when you can create parts of an object, then sell those parts off to make it easier for the next guy to craft the full item? Crafting in ESO is like get iron-make steel ingot-turns into full suit of armor. Not always as simple as that, but you get the point. You have type, material, style and trait. It's mostly a skill builder. The amount of material variation and overall steps involved in crafting in ESO is minimal in comparison to many MMOs. I think the only challenge is getting the stat variation you want, but the overall act of crafting is not challenging at all.
It's simple enough or I wouldn't bother with it. When the acts of crafting and gathering become complex and tedious jobs, I don't really want anything to do with it.
What ESO does better than most is keep crafting relevant from level 1 to end game by keeping the crafted items competitive with the best drops. This will be even more so that way with the upcoming jewelry crafting.
The crafting leveling is also subtle and something beginners sometimes take a while to figure out: it's not so much about what quality tier you can craft and what styles or traits you can apply to it. ESO has always been about gaining access to crafting sets that are only available after you have researched a specific number of traits for each slot.
That's just something that is time and location gated but not rare mat gated which is what makes crafting desirable gear in most other MMOs a PITA. If you have researched all 9 traits for something in ESO you can then craft the most desirable sets using the same mats tier as you would use to craft the junk required for daily crafting writs.
It's a system designed to work in conjunction with sets which is what gearing in ESO is all about. The mechanics are simplified but the end result, which should be what crafting is all about, are varied and rewarding.
this is interesting to me because i was always under the impression that at launch they said crafting was supposed to be the way you described,but that slowly drops became better like in most themepark mmo's.
I probably would be more likely to tolerate the things i dont like about ESO if what you say is actually true.
This is all post CP160 of course, when items become permanent. The huge increase of sets everywhere that drop like candy with One Tamriel together with the fact that you only get full benefit of gear if it's no lower than 5 levels below you, has made crafting while you level practically useless... that might be what you have heard and it's true.
But at end game crafting is very relevant still which is the opposite compared to most other themeparks.
Just to clarify: in no way is crafting "practically useless" while leveling, imo the opposite is true. In fact one of the biggest differences in character strength apart from CP will be your ability to craft or get someone to craft for you. And it will be even better when we can craft jewellery in the new chapter.
For example, I can craft myself any set I want and put any trait into it while leveling. That might take me 20 mins every four levels, and I will have full sets with handpicked traits and stat bonuses. If you don't craft (or have a friend/guildy to do it for you), you will have to search/grind for the sets, often outleveling them by the time you get a full set together.
Another wonderful thing about this: You only have to craft yourself stamina/magikca sets for every four levels once. Put them in your storage chests and whenever you level an alt you will have amazing gear ready to go. Very handy if you like the low level pvp campaign!
Crafting is amazing in ESO
There isn't much "searching and grinding" for sets if you level normally in PVE doing the content in a zone and sprinkling that with dungeons from level 10 on. I have no problem whatsoever and even though I have had max level crafters in everything for a couple of years I have not bothered crafting anything whatsoever for any of my many disposable 1-50 alts I have leveled since One Tamriel went live.
I can just level in Rivenspire if I want Necropotence or in Auridon if I want Elegance sets. That + the random dungeon blue drops has me running around with one or two full sets of very nice stuff without ever crafting.
If you do the delves and public dungeon in a zone, look for chests to pick and run the odd dolmain or two you can keep yourself in 100% level appropriate gear for that set. Same with dungeons if you want to keep your Viper set, for example, up to your level.
Crafting and keeping multiples of sets in your bank for alts sounds good in theory but they take up a lot of room. You might be able to do that before you're CP160 but after that all available bank and mule space fills up with Monster sets and any CP160 gear you may be thinking of using in a future build. Once you have 12 max CP characters as I have, all your available storage will be used up pretty quickly with dropped item sets you may be collecting... especially all the BOP stuff.
I'm not saying there is no benefit from hand picking crafted sets for low level characters but it is 100% unnecessary with the plentiful drops of perfectly viable sets. I have no problem at all maintaining 35K+ magicka or stamina, (often 40K+) with 2K+ weapon or spell power on any of my characters from level 25 on without ever crafting a thing for them.
You may not remember back before One Tamriel but low level sets were quite rare drops back then. But 1T added 3 sets for each zone and 3 for each dungeon plus the monster 2-piece set. What you're saying about grinds and hassles applied to pre-1T ESO but it sure isn't that way now. YMMV but IMO, crafting low level stuff is just a hobby now if you really, really love crafting but there's is zero need to do it.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
There isn't much "searching and grinding" for sets if you level normally in PVE doing the content in a zone and sprinkling that with dungeons from level 10 on. I have no problem whatsoever and even though I have had max level crafters in everything for a couple of years I have not bothered crafting anything whatsoever for any of my many disposable 1-50 alts I have leveled since One Tamriel went live.
I can just level in Rivenspire if I want Necropotence or in Auridon if I want Elegance sets. That + the random dungeon blue drops has me running around with one or two full sets of very nice stuff without ever crafting.
If you do the delves and public dungeon in a zone, look for chests to pick and run the odd dolmain or two you can keep yourself in 100% level appropriate gear for that set. Same with dungeons if you want to keep your Viper set, for example, up to your level.
Crafting and keeping multiples of sets in your bank for alts sounds good in theory but they take up a lot of room. You might be able to do that before you're CP160 but after that all available bank and mule space fills up with Monster sets and any CP160 gear you may be thinking of using in a future build. Once you have 12 max CP characters as I have, all your available storage will be used up pretty quickly with dropped item sets you may be collecting... especially all the BOP stuff.
I'm not saying there is no benefit from hand picking crafted sets for low level characters but it is 100% unnecessary with the plentiful drops of perfectly viable sets. I have no problem at all maintaining 35K+ magicka or stamina, (often 40K+) with 2K+ weapon or spell power on any of my characters from level 25 on without ever crafting a thing for them.
You may not remember back before One Tamriel but low level sets were quite rare drops back then. But 1T added 3 sets for each zone and 3 for each dungeon plus the monster 2-piece set. What you're saying about grinds and hassles applied to pre-1T ESO but it sure isn't that way now. YMMV but IMO, crafting low level stuff is just a hobby now if you really, really love crafting but there's is zero need to do it.
It depends how you play, I guess you must be really good at pve (know where to go, do things efficiently, etc). I find I outlevel the gear I find before getting a full set of pve gear, so I just use the jewellery from the dolmens - but even just grinding dolmens its hard to maintain a set of level appropriate blue/purple jewellery. That won't be a problem anymore in the near future
The new storage chests solved my storage issues: I have one each for low level mag/stam gear. Also you have no control over traits if you just use pve drops.
My low level characters became exponentially stronger once I started taking the time to craft them proper sets; before then they tended to just wear a mishmash of terrible gear. Now I don't set foot into cyrodiil without my beautiful, hand crafted, stylish weapons and armor.
Magblades work great in PVE too. Whether off healing or main healing they have several good DPS abilities that do good damage and heal others. Closest thing ESO has to a Rift Chloromancer or WAR Archmage.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
Op you are correct. The combat is OK but could certainly be better, the stories are again OK but not nearly as good as SWTOR or Secret World or even STO. Level scaling really killed it for me, it took away all the challenge. Crafting again OK. PvP confusing and OK at best. Thus there is the problem, it is an OK game, it does not excell in any one area, at least SWTOR and SW excell in story telling. Why would I waste time playing an OK mmo when I can play an excellent single player game like Witcher series, Skyrim, even Kingdom Come?
Tell me, how is it going in The Witcher and Skyrim, which also have level scaling lol! /shrug
I do remember in both games having my ass handed to me by much higher level opponents so it must not be so extreme. Since Witcher lists the mob levels I know I've run into mobs that were 10 levels higher.
The Witcher doesn't scale mobs down, it only scales then upwards. So yes, an arrow is an arrow no matter if the mob is level 1 or 10, but an arrow from an elite Scoia'tael unit at level 20, for instance, would be far deadlier to you at level ten than the level 10 mob's arrow.
The Witcher's system is pinnacle in my opinion. Still leaves a lot of the world as a dangerous place to travel unless you take time to prepare and grow more powerful, but it never lets you feel as if traveling the same path means you're invincible.
I know you're not the one who started down the path of comparing ESO scaling to SP game scaling but in SP games it's a whole different kettle of fish where every thing is possible and it can be fine-tuned to provide the best solo experience you can dream up.
The purpose of scaling in multiplayer games is quite different: it's all about enabling players of any level to fight together, casually or formally, and have a relevant impact on the fight. And you need to do it while maintaining the progressive self improvement illusion.
The typical complaint in ESO, especially from those who are either new or just not aware of how you're supposed to improve in ESO is all about that self improvement part - you don't hear much bitching about the play together bit.
Character improvement in ESO has always been about gaining access to better abilities that take time to unlock as well as the usual gear grind for gear sets that are harder to get or can only be crafted after you've put in the time to unlock crafting for those sets. And then there is the Champion Point Passive system where 1 or 2 points do almost nothing to make you better but 600 of them make a huge difference.
A level 10 new player may be able to contribute to a fight alongside a CP720 one and their base stats may even be not far off, but that CP720 player will be virtually carrying the level 10 guy through the fight by virtue of their superior abilities they have access to, better gear and all the CP passives they have stacked.
The system actually works very well at doing both: letting 2 players of any level fight together AND letting you progress as you level in a noticeable way... for those that are paying attention that is
I tried to come back after One Tamriel, but couldn't do it. My Templar was 50 already, but I never found a build I enjoyed with him, mostly due to the disparity between stamina builds and Magicka ones.
I get what you're saying about the scaling, but to me it's more a personal preference. I absolutely like the idea of growing to meet a challenge that's impossible at the onset. Scaling players up or content down is detrimental to that effect, which is why it's not my cup of tea.
Still, GW2 uses the scaling system that's similar to Witcher in that it's one way. It's fairly effective at enabling high-level players to continue to enjoy starter zone content without completely tailoring the world to the player.
Could it be that you simply choose the wrong class?
Personally, I had fun with my Dragon Knight, but I'm having an utter blast with my Nightblade, and keep in mind that I usually never enjoy rogue like classes in MMOs.
But then, as an early GW2 fan, I find ESO to now (with one Tamriel) be the better game except maybe the GW2 dynamic events, but even then, ESO has awesome quest lines all over the place while for most other theme parkish games, it's one rare awesome quest among thousands of mundane tasks.
I might give it a go again this summer then. Maybe roll a magic class, as most of my characters in ESO have focused on weapon attacks and melee combat.
I've been playing since closed Beta. I enjoy the game. Either you like it or you don't, just like any other game on the market. But hopefully @OP you feel vindicated now that you've come here and made a post about it and have been consoled by all the other posters who don't like TESO.
It's a discussion forum, and this was interesting enough to reach 6 pages so far. Get off the high horse.
I was sincerely asking what people like about it lol. Funny thing is, reading some of the posts from people who do like it, and why they like it I decided to try a new class and start from the beginning again. I'm not trying to make that mad dash to end game like I have gotten in the habit of doing with some many MMOs, so minus some of the glaring issues I mentioned it's not bad. It's mostly a story PvE game, so I play it as such. Actually I bought the Summerset expansion so I could get Morrowind for free.
If you dash to the end of a MMO surely that's going to make them all seem the same? It does explain one thing, the way you focus in on mechanics far more than many of us do. I too would be thinking more about the games combat if the rest of the MMO was a blur. I would suggest you make sure a MMO has the mechanics you want, first and foremost before you give it a go. For me story and lore are as important if not more, each to his own.
Another habit from GW2 and SWG. In those games it was a lot easier to enjoy the story once you had a fully leveled character. I think Aion and SWTOR were the only games that I can remember where I actually enjoyed the leveling up process, because leveling felt like part of the journey within the story itself, rather than a chore.
I've been playing since closed Beta. I enjoy the game. Either you like it or you don't, just like any other game on the market. But hopefully @OP you feel vindicated now that you've come here and made a post about it and have been consoled by all the other posters who don't like TESO.
It's a discussion forum, and this was interesting enough to reach 6 pages so far. Get off the high horse.
I was sincerely asking what people like about it lol. Funny thing is, reading some of the posts from people who do like it, and why they like it I decided to try a new class and start from the beginning again. I'm not trying to make that mad dash to end game like I have gotten in the habit of doing with some many MMOs, so minus some of the glaring issues I mentioned it's not bad. It's mostly a story PvE game, so I play it as such. Actually I bought the Summerset expansion so I could get Morrowind for free.
If you dash to the end of a MMO surely that's going to make them all seem the same? It does explain one thing, the way you focus in on mechanics far more than many of us do. I too would be thinking more about the games combat if the rest of the MMO was a blur. I would suggest you make sure a MMO has the mechanics you want, first and foremost before you give it a go. For me story and lore are as important if not more, each to his own.
Another habit from GW2 and SWG. In those games it was a lot easier to enjoy the story once you had a fully leveled character. I think Aion and SWTOR were the only games that I can remember where I actually enjoyed the leveling up process, because leveling felt like part of the journey within the story itself, rather than a chore.
I certainly agree that levelling up was more enjoyable in SWTOR, I think that's partly due to my concern that ESO never quite encapsulated its IP as some other MMOs did there's. For me SWTOR's sticking point was its PvP, they had a regional PvP area that they replaced with scenario PvP. and though I really liked Hutt ball, Sith and Jedi playing a ball game together was a bit hokey.
Comments
In my opinion, you should never want to go back to play a previous iteration rather than the current one. I'd rather play Oblivion, Morrowind, or Skyrim than play ESO. There's no gravitas. And I keep coming back to it hoping something will click. Especially as they add more of the world.
I truly wanted Tamriel as opposed to what ESO is.
I feel like they went hard left with GW2 and (in like 10 years when it comes out) they might go more middle of the road with GW3.
You stay sassy!
I probably would be more likely to tolerate the things i dont like about ESO if what you say is actually true.
Some special dropped sets are also just that, special occasion. For example some of the stuff that drops in trials buffs only trial and instanced dungeon damage and the same goes for some Cyrodiil PVP sets only buffing damage against players.
Jewelry crafting as well as 2HD counting as 2 set pieces will make it easier to work crafted sets into builds. Dropped sets currently have the advantage of also dropping jewelry but that advantage will disappear when we can craft our own that is part of sets.
This is all post CP160 of course, when items become permanent. The huge increase of sets everywhere that drop like candy with One Tamriel together with the fact that you only get full benefit of gear if it's no lower than 5 levels below you, has made crafting while you level practically useless... that might be what you have heard and it's true.
But at end game crafting is very relevant still which is the opposite compared to most other themeparks.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
It's a discussion forum, and this was interesting enough to reach 6 pages so far. Get off the high horse.
And yes it's a good AOE damage skill but it's also costly to use and you can get by fine without it. It's not like having it is going to instantly make you a PVE DPS god
I personally find grinding Rearming Trap from the Fighter's Guild or Meteor from the Mage's a much bigger PITA to get... /shrug
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
If you dash to the end of a MMO surely that's going to make them all seem the same? It does explain one thing, the way you focus in on mechanics far more than many of us do. I too would be thinking more about the games combat if the rest of the MMO was a blur. I would suggest you make sure a MMO has the mechanics you want, first and foremost before you give it a go. For me story and lore are as important if not more, each to his own.
For example, I can craft myself any set I want and put any trait into it while leveling. That might take me 20 mins every four levels, and I will have full sets with handpicked traits and stat bonuses. If you don't craft (or have a friend/guildy to do it for you), you will have to search/grind for the sets, often outleveling them by the time you get a full set together.
Another wonderful thing about this: You only have to craft yourself stamina/magikca sets for every four levels once. Put them in your storage chests and whenever you level an alt you will have amazing gear ready to go. Very handy if you like the low level pvp campaign!
Crafting is amazing in ESO
I can just level in Rivenspire if I want Necropotence or in Auridon if I want Elegance sets. That + the random dungeon blue drops has me running around with one or two full sets of very nice stuff without ever crafting.
If you do the delves and public dungeon in a zone, look for chests to pick and run the odd dolmain or two you can keep yourself in 100% level appropriate gear for that set. Same with dungeons if you want to keep your Viper set, for example, up to your level.
Crafting and keeping multiples of sets in your bank for alts sounds good in theory but they take up a lot of room. You might be able to do that before you're CP160 but after that all available bank and mule space fills up with Monster sets and any CP160 gear you may be thinking of using in a future build. Once you have 12 max CP characters as I have, all your available storage will be used up pretty quickly with dropped item sets you may be collecting... especially all the BOP stuff.
I'm not saying there is no benefit from hand picking crafted sets for low level characters but it is 100% unnecessary with the plentiful drops of perfectly viable sets. I have no problem at all maintaining 35K+ magicka or stamina, (often 40K+) with 2K+ weapon or spell power on any of my characters from level 25 on without ever crafting a thing for them.
You may not remember back before One Tamriel but low level sets were quite rare drops back then. But 1T added 3 sets for each zone and 3 for each dungeon plus the monster 2-piece set. What you're saying about grinds and hassles applied to pre-1T ESO but it sure isn't that way now. YMMV but IMO, crafting low level stuff is just a hobby now if you really, really love crafting but there's is zero need to do it.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
The new storage chests solved my storage issues: I have one each for low level mag/stam gear.
Also you have no control over traits if you just use pve drops.
My low level characters became exponentially stronger once I started taking the time to craft them proper sets; before then they tended to just wear a mishmash of terrible gear. Now I don't set foot into cyrodiil without my beautiful, hand crafted, stylish weapons and armor.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
I certainly agree that levelling up was more enjoyable in SWTOR, I think that's partly due to my concern that ESO never quite encapsulated its IP as some other MMOs did there's. For me SWTOR's sticking point was its PvP, they had a regional PvP area that they replaced with scenario PvP. and though I really liked Hutt ball, Sith and Jedi playing a ball game together was a bit hokey.