Introduction
Since 2019, I've been working towards Project Vitality becoming reality as we set the foundations for it in the form of the Hard Mode Stream Team, the ESO University Discord server on its way to 20,000 members and this website itself which contains hundreds of questions that we answer in the Discord.
As endgame players, we continued to make previously esoteric information highly accessible to all players regardless of their background compared to the more muddled past in the form of logs, videos, classes and personal interactions which slowly built up a semblance of community while dispelling some misperceptions of raiders.
But simply making the information accessible for everyone doesn't necessarily mean people will be able to use said information or that they even have an easy access point to entering either endgame progression or progression through Trials content.
Thus we present Project Vitality, a multi-year initiative that seeks to make raiding accessible to all players on every platform and server while fixing a variety of issues for what one can consider the ESO raiding community as a whole along the way.
This is the biggest attempt ever - much more beyond the attempts of singular guild or even a loose network of communities on one platform/server - to expand the raiding population.
The Issues
As evident by the very human nature of the project and some of the issues it will attempt to fix along the way, Project Vitality doesn't have a great chance of succeeding but if it does succeed it will surely solve the below core issues after the given timeframe of approximately two years.
Issue #1 - Raiders often bemoan the fact that they are a minority demographic and so that the developers don't care about them. This historically overlaps with the perception of either the toxicity or inaccessibility in Trials by a large portion of the playerbase.
Issue #2 - Endgame progression rosters often cannibalize one another as not only is the pool of available raiders in specific role capacities small but the pool of qualified raiders is even smaller. This and a few other factors can lead to some other issues such as raid lead/raider burnout.
Issue #3 - Players who would like to raid are often pointed more towards informational pathways than they are to a solid starting point of actually playing the content.
Issue #4 - Players are often turned off by the heavy set of requirements for even entry level content such as Veteran Maw of Lorkhaj. Often times said requirements don't even have to be very high, the modes of fulfilling these requirements themselves may be a big turn off such as submitting parses and such.
There are more issues not listed that we will be addressing which are unique to each platform/server (for example PC/NA have issues completely different from potential issues on Xbox/EU) but the above issues are some of the biggest ones that Project Vitality will attempt to resolve.
ESOU Raiding System
In this section, I will present a maintained and updated overview of the ESOU raiding system that only applies to the open raids that are hosted or organized through the server. In addition I will explain how the system works with its Raid Lead Representatives, streamers, Faculty and more.
There are no requirements for doing Normal Trials in ESOU.
Minimum requirements for Veteran Trials raiding in entry-level content:
1) Be present in voice chat, whether it's in the ESOU Discord or ingame party chat on console to listen to the raid lead.
2) Have basic role skills ready such as a Taunt or a Pull ability if you're a tank, at least four healing abilities for the entire group as a healer and as many damage abilities as possible as a damage dealer.
3) You must be at least 160CP (this is to ensure your team can share gear)!
4) Be patient and respectful.
Raid leads can suggest sets, tips and advice but not enforce anything in particular that can serve as barriers.
Entry-Level Trials (Veteran, All Platforms and Servers)
| Entry-Level Content | Minimum Requirements |
| Hel Ra Citadel | No Set or DPS requirements; lead suggestions |
| Aetherian Archive | No Set or DPS requirements; lead suggestions |
| Sanctum Ophidia | No Set or DPS requirements; lead suggestions |
| Hel Ra Citadel Hard Mode | No Set or DPS requirements; lead suggestions |
| Aetherian Archive Hard Mode | No Set or DPS requirements; lead suggestions |
| Sanctum Ophidia Hard Mode | No Set or DPS requirements; lead suggestions |
| Maw of Lorkhaj | No Set or DPS requirements; lead suggestions |
| Maw of Lorkhaj Hard Mode | vMoL Clear |
Note: Due to the extreme effects of Update 35 on the raiding population and interest, the below no longer applies.
You will note that it says "mandatory" entry-level content. This means that regardless of whether or not you have a clear for any of these Trials previously or outside of ESOU, it doesn't matter what you did or who you are. You will need to clear the above content and get the clear tags in ESOU.
There will be many experienced players or those who've cleared the content above questioning this "barrier" but the biggest reason for this is that newer players need the raids to fill in order to do the content that they are often told is "required" to enter other content but they can't find the raids to do so.
Additionally, even the so called experienced raiders tend to not be very good or are incredibly ignorant of the mechanics in the content they consider themselves to be above so this can be considered a revisiting of said content while also helping newer raiders!
If raiders are averse to this system and don't want to do the entry level content to get the tags for non-entry level raids in ESOU, then they are more than free to join raids hosted by the Raid Lead representatives in their respective groups or guilds. In the end the system guarantees that there is a raider somewhere as the goal of Project Vitality is not complete centralization of raiding.
It's my hope that with this part of the system will have a constant flux of both experienced and inexperienced raiders to help one another as experienced raiders will need these clear tags to do the open raids listed below:
Non-Entry Level Open Raids (PC)
To clarify "Penetration" can refer to item sets such as Crimson Oath's Rive. If a raid lead asks you to have specific addons for their raids, definitely do so.
Open trifecta runs and such are included to the express desire of each raid lead.
If raid leads want to form consistent core teams to raid every week, then they may ask for additional information or requests from raiders.
PERFECTED SETS ARE NOT REQUIRED.
Discord classes in addition to open raids will be provided for free to help you gain item sets, knowledge and more DPS to help you clear the below content:
| Non-Entry Level Open Raids | Minimum Requirements | Previous Clear Needed | Recommended DPS (ST/Raid Dummy) |
| Halls of Fabrication | Major Courage, Penetration, PA | None | 50k |
| Halls of Fabrication Hard Mode | Major Courage, Penetration, Major Slayer, PA | Halls of Fabrication | 60k |
| Asylum Sanctorium +0, +1 | Major Courage, Minor Courage, Major Slayer | None | 50k |
| Asylum Sanctorium Hard Mode | Major Courage, Major Slayer, Major Resolve, Minor Toughness, Minor Courage, Z'en's, EC | None | 70k |
| Cloudrest +0, +1 | Major Courage, Minor Courage, PA, EC, Minor Toughness, Major Resolve | None | 60k |
| Cloudrest +2 | Major Courage, Minor Courage, PA, EC, Minor Toughness, Major Resolve | None | 70k |
| Cloudrest Hard Mode | Major Courage, Minor Courage, PA, EC, Minor Toughness, Major Resolve, Altar, Major Slayer, Major Vitality | vCR+1 or vCR+2 (Siroria included) | 85k |
| Sunspire | Major Courage, Penetration, PA | None | 50k |
| Sunspire Hard Mode | Major Courage, Major Vulnerability, Minor Courage, PA, EC, Minor Toughness, Major Resolve, Altar, Major Slayer, Z'en's | Sunspire | 85k |
| Kyne's Aegis | Major Courage, Penetration, PA | None | 50k |
| Kyne's Aegis Hard Mode | Major Courage, Major Vulnerability, Minor Courage, PA, EC, Minor Toughness, Major Resolve, Altar, Major Slayer, Z'en's | Kyne's Aegis | 90k |
| Rockgrove | Major Courage, Major Vulnerability, Minor Courage, PA, EC, Major Resolve, Major Slayer | None | 69k |
| Rockgrove Hard Mode | Major Courage, Major Vulnerability, Minor Courage, PA, EC, Minor Toughness, Major Resolve, Altar, Major Slayer, Z'en's | Rockgrove | Up to Raid Lead |
| Dreadsail Reef | Up to Raid Lead | Up to Raid Lead | Up to Raid Lead |
| Dreadsail Reef Hard Mode | Up to Raid Lead | Up to Raid Lead | Up to Raid Lead |
The chart represents the minimums that's set by ESOU in consultation with a variety of endgame, mid-tier and beginner raiders which cannot be raised by raid leads hosting the open raids. Prior clears or lack of clears are not required as they are open raids. If the raid lead requests additional verification on setups, DPS numbers and other details however, they are free to do so.
Non-Entry Level Open Raids (Console)
Due to differences between PC and Console in regards to information accessibility, lack of gear loadout addons or lack of logs (such as the fact you don't even know how much DPS you're doing in raid or what your buff/debuff uptimes are), the minimums may be quite different from PC such as DPS numbers.
Open trifecta runs and such are included to the express desire of each raid lead.
If raid leads want to form consistent core teams to raid every week, then they may ask for additional information or requests from raiders.
PERFECTED SETS ARE NOT REQUIRED.
YOU MUST HAVE CLEARED CRAGLORN HARD MODES/VMOL HARD MODE THROUGH ESOU BEFORE THIS CONTENT.
Discord classes in addition to open raids will be provided for free to help you gain item sets, knowledge and more DPS to help you clear the below content:
The chart below was made with advice from former console players and current console raid leads with the intent to shift away from the culture of thinking raid dummy DPS equates to high performance in raids.
| Non-Entry Level Open Raids | Minimum Requirements | Previous Clear Needed |
| Halls of Fabrication | Major Courage, Penetration, PA | None |
| Halls of Fabrication Hard Mode | Major Courage, Penetration, EC, Major Slayer, PA, Major Vulnerability | Halls of Fabrication |
| Asylum Sanctorium +0, +1 | Major Courage, Minor Courage, Major Slayer | None |
| Asylum Sanctorium Hard Mode | Major Courage, Major Slayer, Major Resolve, Minor Toughness, Minor Courage, Z'en's, EC | Asylum Sanctorium +1 Llothis |
| Cloudrest +0, +1 | Major Courage, Minor Courage, PA, EC, Minor Toughness, Major Resolve | None |
| Cloudrest +2 | Major Courage, Minor Courage, PA, EC, Minor Toughness, Major Resolve | Any Cloudrest +1 |
| Cloudrest Hard Mode | Major Courage, Minor Courage, PA, EC, Minor Toughness, Major Resolve, Altar, Major Slayer, Major Vitality | Cloudrest +1 Siroria or Cloudrest +1 Galenwe |
| Sunspire | Major Courage, Penetration, PA | None |
| Sunspire Hard Mode | Major Courage, Major Vulnerability, Minor Courage, PA, EC, Minor Toughness, Major Resolve, Altar, Major Slayer, Z'en's | Sunspire |
| Kyne's Aegis | Major Courage, Penetration, PA | None |
| Kyne's Aegis Hard Mode | Major Courage, Major Vulnerability, Minor Courage, PA, EC, Minor Toughness, Major Resolve, Altar, Major Slayer, Z'en's | Kyne's Aegis |
| Rockgrove | Major Courage, Major Vulnerability, Minor Courage, PA, EC, Major Resolve, Major Slayer | None |
| Rockgrove Hard Mode | Major Courage, Major Vulnerability, Minor Courage, PA, EC, Minor Toughness, Major Resolve, Altar, Major Slayer, Z'en's | Up to Raid Lead |
| Dreadsail Reef | TBD | TBD |
| Dreadsail Reef Hard Mode | TBD | TBD |
ESOU Raiding Incentives (Why Should You Care?)
Note: Due to the extreme effects of Update 35 on the raiding population and interest, the incentives and other aspects of the project have been withdrawn or must be revisited.
The Ultimate Goals
While a big part of the focus is on making raiding accessible and of course bringing in raiders by the thousands, we have two big ultimate goals:
1) A shift in playerbase demographic to solve said Issue #1.
2) A strong, positive and universal raiding culture on every platform and server that regardless of persona-based communities or set of experiences, people can adhere to or participate in.