The Elder Scrolls Online Imperial City DLC has finally reached both consoles and PC, and with it marks a certain chapter in the game's life. The game's console launch was successful from everything we can tell, so the DLC numbers, as well as subscriptions, are going to remain significant. Yet player activity still remains important, and Imperial City is still all shiny and new for everyone. Still, Zenimax could do a few things to help keep players attention, and it's not too early to consider them.
Talk About the Future
The team has already given us the barest details as to what the plans are for further DLC, but this is always a good tactic to keep on with. While the frequent “road ahead” letters are very infrequent now, other methods of reaching the community to drop hints are still going. On the most recent ESO Live, for instance, there were some tidbits about the next DLC, Orsinum. What we now know is that players won't have to level to a new VR rank in order to play through Orsinium, which is set to focus on delivering the game's first new major storyline since launch, as well as new gear options. Players may clamor for all the details, but measured doses of new info help keep momentum going.
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The team has promised more news on Orsinium soon, and it's likely to happen considering how fast players go through new content these days. Imperial City is big, it's fun, but if you're not overly PvP-oriented, there's new stuff to do, but not the focus. Like PvE content in base Cyrodiil, there's a lot to love about Imperial City and its distinctive districts and the new feeling over everything. New content to go explore and play in is always great, but many soloers and those there for the PvE and story content are likely looking forward to turning the page from the Molag Bal story and get deeper into what Elder Scrolls content will be on offer. With ESO going to be “it” for a while as far as Elder Scrolls games go, there's a hell of a lot of potential, and even small details add up.
Let Players Play Together Better
While the console launch had most of the initial issues that those of us who play on PC fixed, some players on all platforms still feel the game limiting with regards to playing together. The team fixed many of those issues and the game is quite playable both solo and in groups, but there are always those who may not be satisfied. Still, you can't please everyone, but Zenimax could ensure that upcoming content fits this frequently-asked for path better. Orsinum would be the perfect place to debut a story-based content expansion that makes sure players can always play together if they choose to, but also works and scales for the solo folks. ESO does a much better job today of letting people play together, so this may be a bit of nitpicking, but I still see this pop up often, especially now that time to settle into the console versions has passed.
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One thing that Zenimax could do that would allow players to play together better, however? Open up character transfers between servers. Having the transfer for accounts be a pre-launch thing open for a very limited time, with many players (including a few people I know) completely unaware of it, came and went. With the game now having a cash shop, it seems like a no-brainer to offer this sort of transfer again. Players still ask for it from time to time, but it seems to still be a one-off offering. Yet, I think it's a missed opportunity for Zenimax. While running these transfers may take work, offering them again as a non-limited crown store item would only benefit players. If players could also transfer from console to PC too, that would really make this a great option. Make sure they know it's something they can only do every so often (or even once) to avoid destabilizing anything, but with three servers, sometimes your friends suddenly get the game and you want to play with them. Other than complications on the back end, and I'm certainly no programmer to understand if this would present a tangle in that regard, there's really no reason why this isn't open to anyone yet. I know a couple of people who would take advantage immediately, and they can't be alone. If there's any way to price this reasonably, Zenimax should offer this one again.
