Why so often: "Few Players Remaining" in EoD maps?

[Remus.6931]

Admittedly I did not start EoD when first released (I was still catching up on all the other content, having returned to the game from a multi-year hiatus), but...

Now as I explore the regions of Cantha (mainly Seitung Province and New Kaineg Province thus far), it seems all too often I get the pop-up msg: "Few players remaining on this map".

Any reason? Are these just not-very-popular maps? Where are all of the EoD players at this point... later content maps? Or is it just not a popular expansion?

I rarely get that pop-up anywhere else in the world (usually there are plenty of people around to do content with), but I often get it in EoD. Just curious if there's a reason...?

[Bizgurk.5639]

Most people join an EoD map for the Meta event and leave it right after. Therefore some maps will be closed. There isn't much to do in Open World EoD besides Meta events. No bounties, no HP-trains...

[dace.8019]

Most instances are ghost towns because a significant number of players are not participating in anything - they are looking at the LFG panel and spamming the Right click -> Join instance on the commander group in another instance. Once enough of them get out, the instance they were in begins shutdown.

Edited June 24, 2022 by dace.8019

[Jimbru.6014]

I've seen it speculated in other threads that ANet WANTED EoD maps to feel empty, so EoD map instances have different population limits than the rest of the game. Don't know if it's true or not, but the idea is out there.

Also, the observable truth is that EoD isn't as popular as other content, for various reasons already under much discussion in other threads. Basically, EoD is a place to go and grit your teeth until you get what you want from it, then you go back to doing what you actually enjoyed doing before EoD came out. People do metas, strikes, and I've even seen HP trains. But outside that, you'd better be ready to put up a commander tag and use map chat to form groups, because there's just not enough people in EoD maps to reliably complete events otherwise.

 

[Astralporing.1957]

EoD maps have lowr population caps than core and previous expansions (now, after they've been raised, it's 60 players. Originally it was lower than that). Additionally thee's some additional system that seems to spread players across more instances than usual, This of course means that the map closing message can be triggered by a smaller number of players deciding to move somewhere else than in pre-EoD content. If you couple that with EoD not really being very popular, and even that concentrated primarily on the map metaevents, you get the popups far more often.

[Mungrul.9358]

While I can't speak for anyone else, personally, I avoid playing on the EoD maps, partly because I can't stand the buff mechanic, partly because of the Dragon's End meta debacle, partly because New Kaineng just feels rushed and... wrong, and partly because I find earlier maps from previous expansions and seasons to be more enjoyable / rewarding.

 

I have no desire to take another character through the expansion story any time soon either.

Edited June 24, 2022 by Mungrul.9358
Subjectivity clause

[Mungrul.9358]

Oh, also?

I have absolutely no interest in the Aurene legendaries, and those seem to be the only things that EoD rewards are geared towards.

[Ashen.2907]

A combination of poorly conceived and written story, poor map design, poor map activity, and poor reward structures.

Edited June 24, 2022 by Ashen.2907

[Cuks.8241]

Lower cap, more instances and thus more player number fluctuations.