The Gold Road Chapter – which includes the Scribing system – and Update 42 is now available to test on the PTS! You can read the latest patch notes here: https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/656454/
Maintenance for the week of April 29:
• PC/Mac: No maintenance – April 29

State of the Game -- A Former PVP Guild Lead's Commentary

  • kelly.medleyb14_ESO
    kelly.medleyb14_ESO
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    KBKB wrote: »
    roechacca wrote: »
    OMG if bows were so OP you'd see everyone spamming bows into keeps an taking flags . Well you don't . You see the same DK / Temp / Sorc Gowns on Crown winning every keep assault .

    If you are saying Bows are balanced you've clearly had a head knock and should go to the doctor.

    I have no issue with bows... I wear armor... max hit about 400... u are clearly wearing full light... u are goo g to have a problem with bows...sorry

    ^ This. Bows are just Okay they aren't great, especially since the huge stealth nerf. Not to mention you can block or dodge roll snipe.
  • KBKB
    KBKB
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    Snipe ignores armor for one.. kelly stop while you are ahead in a previous post you said spells can't be blocked and heavy armor is better than med not to mention you have no lag in PvP which i call BS on.

    [Moderator Note: Edited per our rules on Trolling & Baiting]
    Edited by ZOS_UlyssesW on January 7, 2015 6:46PM
  • Roselle
    Roselle
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    Goldie wrote: »
    Is Purge fixed? I thought it was still bugged all to Oblivion?
    It is not fixed. Keep in mind that it's not just unstable wall of elements that people can take more damage from if they have the purge buff active on them. Caltrops can also do more damage to you.

    No it cannot be purged. How many time I've got that garbage Meatbag on me and casting purify doesn't remove it.
    I've seen the debuff immediately removed by the spells I stated earlier. Not sure why you seem to think it isn't removable - you could have had meatbag immediately reapplied or the synergy didn't go off correctly (lag/expiration/etc)
    This one was rekt by Zenimax
  • rendolpheb16_ESO
    rendolpheb16_ESO
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    Roselle wrote: »
    Goldie wrote: »
    Is Purge fixed? I thought it was still bugged all to Oblivion?
    It is not fixed. Keep in mind that it's not just unstable wall of elements that people can take more damage from if they have the purge buff active on them. Caltrops can also do more damage to you.

    No it cannot be purged. How many time I've got that garbage Meatbag on me and casting purify doesn't remove it.
    I've seen the debuff immediately removed by the spells I stated earlier. Not sure why you seem to think it isn't removable - you could have had meatbag immediately reapplied or the synergy didn't go off correctly (lag/expiration/etc)

    Well I'll have to do a video to show you and at the same time I'll ask ZoS to make it meatbag ''purge-able''.
    For Templar PvP video check my youtube channel
    https://www.youtube.com/RendolpheGamer
  • kelly.medleyb14_ESO
    kelly.medleyb14_ESO
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    KBKB wrote: »
    Snipe ignores armor for one.. kelly stop while you are ahead in a previous post you said spells can't be blocked and heavy armor is better than med not to mention you have no lag in PvP which i call BS on.

    Maybe you are just inexperienced with such things.

    [Moderator Note: Edited quote to match moderated version]
    Edited by ZOS_UlyssesW on January 7, 2015 6:47PM
  • AaronMB
    AaronMB
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  • booksmcread
    booksmcread
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    Roselle wrote: »
    Goldie wrote: »
    Is Purge fixed? I thought it was still bugged all to Oblivion?
    It is not fixed. Keep in mind that it's not just unstable wall of elements that people can take more damage from if they have the purge buff active on them. Caltrops can also do more damage to you.

    No it cannot be purged. How many time I've got that garbage Meatbag on me and casting purify doesn't remove it.
    I've seen the debuff immediately removed by the spells I stated earlier. Not sure why you seem to think it isn't removable - you could have had meatbag immediately reapplied or the synergy didn't go off correctly (lag/expiration/etc)

    Well I'll have to do a video to show you and at the same time I'll ask ZoS to make it meatbag ''purge-able''.

    The problem I run into often is that I have to cast Purifying Ritual a couple of times to remove it. So, either I have 5+ debuffs/negative effects stacked on me, or the skill isn't always working.

    There is also an issue with server-client desync at the moment. We are not allowed to see debuff/negative effect icons on ourselves, but are supposed to rely on sounds and visual effects, but the sounds bug out a lot and the visuals with ground effects don't always show up. I can't tell you how many times I've been hit with siege while seeing no red circle on the ground.
  • Cathexis
    Cathexis
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    I think there has been a significant improvement in the game recently. Noticing a decline in lag bombing the server and a lot more players in cyrodiil too, big queues at times on Thorn.

    My two big gripes are:

    (1) (Related to the Nickel Corridor) All the pvp centers around keeps; it would be nice if cyrodiil contained open world capturables that contributed to the overall score.

    Of course, with reduced pop caps, every man counts a lot more now when it comes to keeps, but if a guild is steamrolling everything in their path with no resistance, players should have some means of compensating for this in the overall faction score. Map marked open world capturables would also create a sense of territory, spread out the player base (reducing lag), and diversify battle terrain. They could even provide a very minor localized defensive bonus unique to the structure.

    (2) (Related to Armor Types) Armor types reflect specific stat builds, rather than specific roles.

    From my perspective as a sorc, building a solid stamina build is virtually impossible, which means MA builds are at a distinct disadvantage. They just don't hold a candle to magika builds or health stacking.

    Edit; Actually I can think of a third

    (3) All CC breaks come from stamina -- It would be nice if the CC break resource pool reflected the CC type. If I'm getting hit with a magic ability, it makes sense I should have to use magic to break that ability, no?
    Edited by Cathexis on January 7, 2015 6:59PM
    The Tomb of FPS Alteration Magic - Everything You Need to Know About FPS
    https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/520903/tomb-of-fps-alteration-magic-everything-you-need-to-know-about-fps
    Praise Malacath.
  • david.haypreub18_ESO
    david.haypreub18_ESO
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    OP hit the nail on the head with everything.

    I lean towards saying that both magicka and stamina AoEs should be unblockable rather than blockable, but other than that, I agree with absolutely everything the OP said.

    I hope ZOS is listening!
    Templars are 'just slower... by design'
    Yes, Gina actually said that (at least regarding Rushed Ceremony) right here:
    http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/161959/templar-skills-bugged-made-useless-ignored/p24
    VR 16 Templar (retired until Templars get fixed)
    VR 16 Sorcerer
    38 Nightblade
    24 DK
  • rendolpheb16_ESO
    rendolpheb16_ESO
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    Roselle wrote: »
    Goldie wrote: »
    Is Purge fixed? I thought it was still bugged all to Oblivion?
    It is not fixed. Keep in mind that it's not just unstable wall of elements that people can take more damage from if they have the purge buff active on them. Caltrops can also do more damage to you.

    No it cannot be purged. How many time I've got that garbage Meatbag on me and casting purify doesn't remove it.
    I've seen the debuff immediately removed by the spells I stated earlier. Not sure why you seem to think it isn't removable - you could have had meatbag immediately reapplied or the synergy didn't go off correctly (lag/expiration/etc)

    Well I'll have to do a video to show you and at the same time I'll ask ZoS to make it meatbag ''purge-able''.

    The problem I run into often is that I have to cast Purifying Ritual a couple of times to remove it. So, either I have 5+ debuffs/negative effects stacked on me, or the skill isn't always working.

    There is also an issue with server-client desync at the moment. We are not allowed to see debuff/negative effect icons on ourselves, but are supposed to rely on sounds and visual effects, but the sounds bug out a lot and the visuals with ground effects don't always show up. I can't tell you how many times I've been hit with siege while seeing no red circle on the ground.

    Yep just tested with one other faction and purify worked.

    I guess that was some kind of lag, or maybe I had double debuff healing from snipe and meatbag.
    For Templar PvP video check my youtube channel
    https://www.youtube.com/RendolpheGamer
  • david.haypreub18_ESO
    david.haypreub18_ESO
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    Sad thing is that ZOS has known about many of these problems for a very long time, and just been incapable/unwilling to fix them.

    Take heavy armor for example. This has been a problem since launch at least: over 9 months. ZOS only attempted fix was dead on arrival, as many people told them when they tried to implement it (the resource return was just too pitiful). It's not like there weren't a wide range of good suggestions that were likely to solve the issue... it's just that ZOS made a poor choice and then got lazy and did nothing for months on end (while they prioritized improved facial animations, picking up mundane objects and other useless crap). The same could be said of Templars magicka regeneration, the broken skills NBs had to deal with for months, etc.

    TLDR: ZOS has some odd priorities. They need to address the mechanics that are broken in more than token ways, and they need to do it now.
    Templars are 'just slower... by design'
    Yes, Gina actually said that (at least regarding Rushed Ceremony) right here:
    http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/161959/templar-skills-bugged-made-useless-ignored/p24
    VR 16 Templar (retired until Templars get fixed)
    VR 16 Sorcerer
    38 Nightblade
    24 DK
  • Beerbill
    Beerbill
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    KBKB wrote: »
    Snipe ignores armor for one.. kelly stop while you are ahead in a previous post you said spells can't be blocked and heavy armor is better than med not to mention you have no lag in PvP which i call BS on.

    @KBKB‌ sometimes the best thing to do is ignore the troll, for the content of her/his post i'm sure it's just trolling.

    ——————————————————————

    Now on topic i agree with what the OP said and there are really valid points on this post.

    [cry]
    Also I would like to add that as someone to perform a stamina build, I can't actually believe some people complain about the bows or other weapons, if it is so overpowered why nobody use it? You only see the exact same builds in pvp and most focus in magicka resource. When I try to use any of my class skills (defensive) after two casts i go oom and the resource i use is most spent in breaking free from talon spam.
    [/cry]
    Edited by Beerbill on January 7, 2015 7:27PM
  • WebBull
    WebBull
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    KBKB wrote: »
    roechacca wrote: »
    OMG if bows were so OP you'd see everyone spamming bows into keeps an taking flags . Well you don't . You see the same DK / Temp / Sorc Gowns on Crown winning every keep assault .

    If you are saying Bows are balanced you've clearly had a head knock and should go to the doctor.

    I have no issue with bows... I wear armor... max hit about 400... u are clearly wearing full light... u are goo g to have a problem with bows...sorry

    Max 400? You are clearly delusional.... and I wear 5pc heavy.
  • Lava_Croft
    Lava_Croft
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    Beerbill wrote: »
    KBKB wrote: »
    Snipe ignores armor for one.. kelly stop while you are ahead in a previous post you said spells can't be blocked and heavy armor is better than med not to mention you have no lag in PvP which i call BS on.

    @KBKB‌ sometimes the best thing to do is ignore the troll, for the content of her/his post i'm sure it's just trolling.

    ——————————————————————

    Now on topic i agree with what the OP said and there are really valid points on this post.

    [cry]
    Also I would like to add that as someone to perform a stamina build, I can't actually believe some people complain about the bows or other weapons, if it is so overpowered why nobody use it? You only see the exact same builds in pvp and most focus in magicka resource. When I try to use any of my class skills (defensive) after two casts i go oom and the resource i use is most spent in breaking free from talon spam.
    [/cry]
    Yeah, nobody uses bows...
  • Jaerlach
    Jaerlach
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    WebBull wrote: »
    KBKB wrote: »
    roechacca wrote: »
    OMG if bows were so OP you'd see everyone spamming bows into keeps an taking flags . Well you don't . You see the same DK / Temp / Sorc Gowns on Crown winning every keep assault .

    If you are saying Bows are balanced you've clearly had a head knock and should go to the doctor.

    I have no issue with bows... I wear armor... max hit about 400... u are clearly wearing full light... u are goo g to have a problem with bows...sorry

    Max 400? You are clearly delusional.... and I wear 5pc heavy.

    I used to routinely take 450 from lethal arrow in 7 heavy in pvp.
    Jaerlach Kesepton (DK)
    The 7th Vanguard
    DC - NA first SO speed run & first Hardmode Speedrun
    NA Record Vet DSA: 11519
  • Suntzu1414
    Well, my time in these forums grows very short. I may not even get a chance to reply much to this thread, so I'll post my thoughts about what I'll be looking for in 1.6 and what I feel currently needs to change.

    I feel ESO had an amazing foundation to build off of. The core mechanics of how combat worked were amazing and felt so very fluid for an MMO.

    Then the players got their hands on it, balance issues started to come to the forefront, and the devs started tinkering with the game engine itself. That's when it all went to Hell.

    The number one concern that needs to be addressed for 1.6 is lag and client performance. This game runs poorly -- very poorly. It runs worse than it did in patches 1.1 and 1.2 with 1.3 being a major culprit in the downfall of the game's performance. We have been putting up with these issues for months and they have only ever gotten worse with the exception of a 1am emergency patch to 'mitigate' some of the FPS issues caused by the lighting patch.

    If these latency issues are not fixed, there is nothing on this Earth that will allow this game to maintain any semblance of a healthy player base.

    The second most important thing from a PVP perspective is balance issues. This game has some very, very, very bad class and skill balance issues. There are builds that simply obliterate their opposition, not just in skilled hands, but in any hands. There are certain armor and weapon types where everything else is simply subpar. This is simply unacceptable in a game where it was advertised 'play as you like'... so long as it wears Light Armor and has some form of staff as a weapon.

    This has improved, mildly, to allow bow users to creep into the meta as a force in their own right. Ultimately, though, it's changed too slow and been the way it is for far too long.

    The things I feel that need to be looked at most, in regards to game balance, are as follows:

    1. Armor types and their effectiveness -- LA needs a durability nerf the size of Tamriel, HA needs love in a severe way.
    2. Blockcasting -- This, combined with the LA sustainability/durability balance issues, is what leads to the 'Ubertank DK' that is so universally loathed. ZOS, you're smart, figure out a way around this mechanic.
    3. Stamina vs Magicka AEs -- There is no good reason that Steel Tornado is blockable while Impulse/Blockade aren't. This alone prevents Stamina from standing in the same place damage-wise in group situations. The same with Brawler and other 2H area abilities. Either both stamina and magicka AEs should be blockable or neither should be. I lean towards both should be.
    4. AE Damage Scaling -- AE abilities should never substitute for single target abilities for damage. There's zero reason that Impulse should even approach skills like Crushing Shock or Lava Whip for single target damage. AEs make their DPS back by hitting multiple targets (and then some) for their cost. I don't care one whit if this requires PvE re-balancing, it's an imbalance in the current system.
    5. Block Cost in LA -- Take the block cost reduction from the 1h/Shield line and stack it into the HA line so that HA + Shield = 1.5 block cost, while LA + Shield = terrible blocking. This has impact on both points 1 and 2.
    6. Stacking Ground Effects -- They're invisible half the time due to spell effect culling, they contribute hugely to the lag, and frankly are being used in silly ways (blockade of fire through the grate of an inner ring keep over front door anyone?). Make it so, universally, any ground effect erases the previous cast and replaces it -- much akin to how Cinder Storm or Caltrops work. It's time for things like this to start behaving in the same manner.
    7. Siege Damage -- Siege Weapons need to hit players way, way harder than they do. It needs to be very dangerous to be within range of a siege line's artillery. As it currently is, it's easier than ever to mitigate and heal through siege damage, even when storming a breach. As long as you don't linger, you'll make it through fine, and it is players who are far more dangerous.
    8. Keep Wall / Door HP and Siege Times -- It is way, way too fast to slam down an empty keep. Even at rank 5, with 245K walls and 195K doors, I've dropped an empty keep in 2:30 (two minutes, 30 seconds) from first siege dropped to flags flipped to Ebonheart. There's very little time to react to this, especially if it's an outlying keep like Drakelowe, Brindle, or Dragonclaw. I think it's time to up the HPs of keeps or reduce the damage siege does to them -- whichever is easier to code. More fights, more sieges, less ninja flipping.
    9. The Nikel Corridor -- Make this a more interesting place to fight. Add some cottages, huts, a village or two (easily destroyed and forgotten by Oblivion's time period), anything to make it so that area is as lively as other areas of the map.
    10. Buff Servers -- Kill buffs outside of the PVP zone. It's time for Buff servers to die the death they deserve.

    And that's it. I'm sure there's stuff I've overlooked, but ultimately this is the primary list of issues that I've personally had issues with my time in game. Some of it's petty, some of it's universal. I don't know if I'll get to reply much to this thread going forward, but I will be reading it.

    You'll see me around after 1.6 is live.

    excellent post.


    Kill Well
    ST
    DC - NB VR15 - Khajit - DW / S+B / Bow
    DC - NB VR 15 - Wood Elf - S+B / Resto
    DC - TP VR 15 - Brenton - Resto / Dual Wield
    DC - SC VR 12 - High Elf - Desto / Dual Wield
    EP - TP VR 5 - Nord - 2hd / 2hd
    EP - DK 20 - Imperial - S+B / Desto / Bow
  • morvegil
    morvegil
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    ANyone who says Bows are OP are insane. For one, in real life and just common sense...Bows are powerful and have range. Thats why they used bow in warfare. Also, every class has a "Range minimizer". I get 1-2 bow shots off before teh guys bolts/charges/etc to me and then its not really about range anymore.
    Lo'ke
    Nord Vampire
    Nightblade
    Shield+BOW

    Daggerfall Covenant
    Bandit King
    Bridge Bandits Guild
  • kelly.medleyb14_ESO
    kelly.medleyb14_ESO
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    morvegil wrote: »
    ANyone who says Bows are OP are insane. For one, in real life and just common sense...Bows are powerful and have range. Thats why they used bow in warfare. Also, every class has a "Range minimizer". I get 1-2 bow shots off before teh guys bolts/charges/etc to me and then its not really about range anymore.

    ^ this, the ONLY thing silly about in game bows though is that a melee can be right in your face swining a 2H sword and you just sit there calmly pulling your bow back, all bow attacks SHOULD have a minimum range or have huge penalties when someone whose in your face whacking on you. Other than that Bows are just OK compared to other range skills like mages and destro trees.
  • RinaldoGandolphi
    RinaldoGandolphi
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    oren74 wrote: »
    woodsro wrote: »
    oren74 wrote: »
    risen1981 wrote: »
    oren74 wrote: »
    Agree with lag problems, disagree with balance issues. Some builds are great ganking builds, some great grouping builds...some average at both.

    As a NB, I struggle 1 on 1 with all classes...most 1 on 1 fights end in a stalemate unless one player got the jump on the other.

    I run medium armor and do VERY well.

    I would say blocking with sword/board is too OP in group situations, could probably use a nerf, or not.

    But my kill recap has a TON of things in it, light attacks, heavy attacks, lots of different abilities. I think balance wise the game is pretty good, it's the lag that is the issue.

    People argue bow, S/B, resto, and dest staffs are op. That's not bad, not too many left lol. Just boost up the other two.

    Are we playing the same game? :D not saying lag isn't part of the issue... but seriously?

    hey, l2p man, to each their own. DW sucks, and 2H sucks. Bow, resto, dest. staffs...S/B all have their place and do well.

    I see temps, NBs, DKs, and sorcs that are terrible and those that are good. All have their place and their role. Sorcs get ganked easy, but when you run with 2200 HP and light armor, wtf do you expect? Sorcs have access to THE #1 ability in game though in negate.

    DKs can take on groups and not die...but that's it, they aren't killing anyone.

    Just not seeing it...every class can be really good and a huge influence...good or bad...to a well run group.

    Bow is the best in damage by far, its not even a contest. the only reason you have Impulse groups is because of the skills instant cast and cost to damage ratio being so good that groups stacked together can mow people down.

    Not all Sorcs run around with such low HP, only newbs do that..your looking at 3300+ here with over 2500 magic and capped spell damage...

    If something isn't adjusted, the Scales nerf will turn this game into The Elder Bows Online. the only reason you seen so many DK was because Scales was the only counter...if they don't make adjustments, i just hope everyone is ready for Lethal Arrow Spam 2.0 because it will be twice as worse as it is now.

    If you die from snipe, and have 3300 hitpoints...it's because you're not rolling right when you take a big hit, you don't use tri-pots, you don't use any defensive abilities, you're not paying attention...or you're just skirmishing solo.

    I run 3600 HP...if I see my HP drop hard n fast, it's an immediate roll and dark cloak pop.

    I have 50 bow, all yellow equipment, and when stealthed max weapon damage. I can easily take out targets that aren't paying attention...but that's it.

    And guess what? When running with a group, if I run my snipe, i'm a liability. I need to stay with the group...and anything with a 1 second cast time doesn't cut it.

    You're just going to have to adjust YOUR tactics, not complain about other classes playstyle/build.

    Your assuming I die to snipe, when I haven't died to snipe in a very long time, as soon as I hear that sound, its a dodge roll followed by a blink and I'm out of range.

    The point your missing is:

    Not all classes have access to Bolt Escape to do this.

    Secondly, unless your wearing med armor dodge roll is expensive, sorcs and Dk have to get close to an opponent to use encase or talons to force dodge rolls, snipe can do it from extremely long distance draining stamina so his buddies can kill him while he stays in relative safety as the one dodge rolling will not be able to get out of range rolling without med armor, and will be unable to block due to no stamina.

    Its no coincidence the number of DK in pvp skyrocketed after snipe was buffed, because Scales is the only other class skill that counter it besides BE and at least scales returns damage unlike BE which makes it better.

    Snipe is supposed to be an opener, it needs to go back to having a cast time and min distance. Outside of BE or Scales, with Scales being the only hard counter, its too much. A skilled player with a bow who knows what he is doing like Rylana, can run solo and destroy people with little fear of dying, Rylana will tell you this if decides to comment here.

    If you die 1v1 against another player after getting off a snipe suprise attack your doing something wrong. My guildie pretty much dropped his sorc for his archer because he kills people insanely fast. I only survive because I have BE, DK only hold their own because they have Scales.

    If this game becomes Lethal Arrow Online 2.0 and pvp pop dwindles to nothing, good luck having no one to fight.

    I don't even have a DK took, but the Scales Nerf is BS, I wanted it before they buff snipe to insane levels, but now Scales as they are now are needed or DK are sitting ducks. The loudest complainers of late that got Scales nerfed was bow snipe users, coincidence? I think not.

    I guess other classes can just dodge till around cyrodiil doing no damage at all due to Lethal Arrow Spam 2.0, sounds like a great time.

    Look I know bow users don't want to give up their cheese, heck I didn't want to give up my pre-nerf BE uncapped target cheese, but they went a bit too far with BE, and after careful reconsideration, they went too far with scales too, Bows will be cemented as tip damage dealer with insane range and limited counters come next patch. The fact it ignores armor and debuffs healing is just over the top.


    Rinaldo Gandolphi-Breton Sorcerer Daggerfall Covenant
    Juste Gandolphi Dark Elf Templar Daggerfall Covenant
    Richter Gandolphi - Dark Elf Dragonknight Daggerfall Covenant
    Mathias Gandolphi - Breton Nightblade Daggerfall Covenant
    RinaldoGandolphi - High Elf Sorcerer Aldmeri Dominion
    Officer Fire and Ice
    Co-GM - MVP



    Sorcerer's - The ONLY class in the game that is punished for using its class defining skill (Bolt Escape)

    "Here in his shrine, that they have forgotten. Here do we toil, that we might remember. By night we reclaim, what by day was stolen. Far from ourselves, he grows ever near to us. Our eyes once were blinded, now through him do we see. Our hands once were idle, now through them does he speak. And when the world shall listen, and when the world shall see, and when the world remembers, that world will cease to be. - Miraak

  • ZOS_JessicaFolsom
    ZOS_JessicaFolsom
    Community Manager
    @Agrippa_Invisus - Thank you for the detailed post. We genuinely appreciate you sharing your concerns with us. We've answered each question in line, below.
    1. Armor types and their effectiveness -- LA needs a durability nerf the size of Tamriel, HA needs love in a severe way.
    Don't worry; Update 6 is on its way! When it arrives, items will provide spell resistance and armor, making heavy armor more useful. In addition, soft caps are going away, so heavy armor won't have its effectiveness reduced.
    2. Blockcasting -- This, combined with the LA sustainability/durability balance issues, is what leads to the 'Ubertank DK' that is so universally loathed. ZOS, you're smart, figure out a way around this mechanic.
    We agree that block casting is an issue, but our main focus has been on balancing and polishing other features for 1.6. We did spend some time on this problem, but in the end we decided to take a little more time to get the right solution for this instead of rushing out a “fix” that could potentially introduce more problems.
    3. Stamina vs Magicka AEs -- There is no good reason that Steel Tornado is blockable while Impulse/Blockade aren't. This alone prevents Stamina from standing in the same place damage-wise in group situations. The same with Brawler and other 2H area abilities. Either both stamina and magicka AEs should be blockable or neither should be. I lean towards both should be.
    In Update 6, we're making magicka-based area-of-effect abilities blockable.
    4. AE Damage Scaling -- AE abilities should never substitute for single target abilities for damage. There's zero reason that Impulse should even approach skills like Crushing Shock or Lava Whip for single target damage. AEs make their DPS back by hitting multiple targets (and then some) for their cost. I don't care one whit if this requires PvE re-balancing, it's an imbalance in the current system.
    If you are using the version of Impulse that deals damage over time, it can be effective to weave into a single target rotation every 10 seconds. Just spamming Impulse is going to do less single-target damage than spamming Lava Whip or Crushing Shock.
    5. Block Cost in LA -- Take the block cost reduction from the 1h/Shield line and stack it into the HA line so that HA + Shield = 1.5 block cost, while LA + Shield = terrible blocking. This has impact on both points 1 and 2.
    This will no longer be an issue in Update 6—heavy armor will be much stronger.
    6. Stacking Ground Effects -- They're invisible half the time due to spell effect culling, they contribute hugely to the lag, and frankly are being used in silly ways (blockade of fire through the grate of an inner ring keep over front door anyone?). Make it so, universally, any ground effect erases the previous cast and replaces it -- much akin to how Cinder Storm or Caltrops work. It's time for things like this to start behaving in the same manner.
    In Update 6, you'll only be able to have one Wall of Fire active at a time. We also reduced the number of particle effects associated with some abilities, focusing on those that had the largest impact on performance.
    7. Siege Damage -- Siege Weapons need to hit players way, way harder than they do. It needs to be very dangerous to be within range of a siege line's artillery. As it currently is, it's easier than ever to mitigate and heal through siege damage, even when storming a breach. As long as you don't linger, you'll make it through fine, and it is players who are far more dangerous.
    We're actually adjusting damage in Update 6 so that siege damage can't be mitigated by armor. This adjustment comes in conjunction with damage scaling due to player character and monster rebalancing throughout the game in Update 6.
    8. Keep Wall / Door HP and Siege Times -- It is way, way too fast to slam down an empty keep. Even at rank 5, with 245K walls and 195K doors, I've dropped an empty keep in 2:30 (two minutes, 30 seconds) from first siege dropped to flags flipped to Ebonheart. There's very little time to react to this, especially if it's an outlying keep like Drakelowe, Brindle, or Dragonclaw. I think it's time to up the HPs of keeps or reduce the damage siege does to them -- whichever is easier to code. More fights, more sieges, less ninja flipping.
    We're increasing the heal value of the wall upgrade in Update 6, but we’ll also look into adding more HP to the doors. We'll see how player survivability vs. other siege weapons feels with the removal of armor mitigation in conjunction with door/wall destruction timing. Regardless, we can work on changing the timing to give your allies a better opportunity to respond.
    9. The Nikel Corridor -- Make this a more interesting place to fight. Add some cottages, huts, a village or two (easily destroyed and forgotten by Oblivion's time period), anything to make it so that area is as lively as other areas of the map.
    Sure, we can look into that!
    10. Buff Servers -- Kill buffs outside of the PVP zone. It's time for Buff servers to die the death they deserve.
    This is something we've discussed at length and continue to have conversations about. We initially made the buffs as an incentive for PVP, but in the long run, using campaigns as a “buff server” has been more of a crutch than the intended bonus. We've seen your feedback and concerns about this—we'll continue to discuss it internally and see what we can do.
    Jessica Folsom
    Lead Community Manager - ZeniMax Online Studios
    Facebook | Twitter | Twitch | Tumblr | Instagram | YouTube | Support
    Staff Post
  • david.haypreub18_ESO
    david.haypreub18_ESO
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    It's great to see such a detailed response from Jessica! Great job.

    However...

    If you don't fix block casting, and at the same time, if you nerf Magicka AoE's at the same time by making them blockable... then you are actually just buffing blocking and making it more of a problem.

    Block casting has to be fixed, not buffed. Now is the time to do it, when you are revamping all skills, or else you are just going to have everyone blocking constantly...

    I didn't think block casting could get worse than it is, but it definitely will if you don't fix it now.
    Templars are 'just slower... by design'
    Yes, Gina actually said that (at least regarding Rushed Ceremony) right here:
    http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/161959/templar-skills-bugged-made-useless-ignored/p24
    VR 16 Templar (retired until Templars get fixed)
    VR 16 Sorcerer
    38 Nightblade
    24 DK
  • Jaerlach
    Jaerlach
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    It's great to see such a detailed response from Jessica! Great job.

    However...

    If you don't fix block casting, and at the same time, if you nerf Magicka AoE's at the same time by making them blockable... then you are actually just buffing blocking and making it more of a problem.

    Block casting has to be fixed, not buffed. Now is the time to do it, when you are revamping all skills, or else you are just going to have everyone blocking constantly...

    I didn't think block casting could get worse than it is, but it definitely will if you don't fix it now.

    It will make block casting a lot worse in zergfests, since your stamina will be getting reduced by blocking impulses, you will run out of stamina pretty rapidly, especially if you are also dodging or breaking free.

    While its likely a buff to block in small scale fights (say up to 4 on 4 or 5 on 5), it will make blocking in the middle of a zerg a lot less effective because you will get your stam sapped very, very fast, even with 1hs effects
    Jaerlach Kesepton (DK)
    The 7th Vanguard
    DC - NA first SO speed run & first Hardmode Speedrun
    NA Record Vet DSA: 11519
  • WebBull
    WebBull
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    Very interesting, there is going to be a lot less LA and destro users.
  • timidobserver
    timidobserver
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    I have to agree. This is one of the few games where I've been the performance actually get worse over time. If necessary they should bring in outside contracted help if they can't figure out what is causing the problem.

    EDIT: The response from Jessica is pretty awesome. I am looking forward to 1.6 even more now.
    Edited by timidobserver on January 8, 2015 12:40AM
    V16 Uriel Stormblessed EP Magicka Templar(main)
    V16 Derelict Vagabond EP Stamina DK
    V16 Redacted Ep Stam Sorc
    V16 Insolent EP Magicka Sorc(retired)
    V16 Jed I Nyte EP Stamina NB(retired)

  • Grim13
    Grim13
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    Great response, Jessica.
  • Poxheart
    Poxheart
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    Some good news in Jessica's response. Looking forward to testing the changes even more now.
    Unsubbed and no longer playing, but still checking the Alliance War forum for the lulz.

    Pox Dragon Knight
    Poxheart Nightblade
    The Murder Hobo Dragon Knight - Blackwater Blade
    Knights of the WhiteWolf
  • Lava_Croft
    Lava_Croft
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    Props to @ZOS_JessicaFolsom‌ for one of the most detailed and informative replies I have ever seen on these forums by a developer or community manager.

    Thank you.
  • phreatophile
    phreatophile
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    @Agrippa_Invisus‌
    Stay on these forums. This might be the first time I have seen ZOS bother to respond so thoroughly or really at all to the problems we've all been talking about for months.

    Thanks Good Sir!
  • Lionxoft
    Lionxoft
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    It's amazing the praise that you get when you become more translucent with changes, eh?
  • rophez_ESO
    rophez_ESO
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    Lava_Croft wrote: »
    Props to @ZOS_JessicaFolsom‌ for one of the most detailed and informative replies I have ever seen on these forums by a developer or community manager.

    Thank you.

    Yes, Jessica - this was awesome, thanks for taking the time.
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