Do you wear heavy armor for any other reason than looks?

fyendiarb16_ESO

Considering the fact that it will take a while, if ever, that this problem does get a decent fix:

If you were to pick a class/weapon build that has the most benefit from heavy armor and this is least dependent on either light or medium armor, which would you choose? Or is a focus heavily on weapon skill lines gimping yourself too much to be viable in both pve and pvp?

Drasn

PBpsy wrote: »

NB tank with shield . 5 heavy+2 light
Bracing is great if you block a lot.
Armor and spell resist
Health recovery so I cap health with Lamea
5% weapon damage not bad but not that useful
5% healing received is great for me since i live by siphoning.
Also heavy can easily soft cap armor without any reinforced traits so i can put Infused on most items.
Two light pieces for reduced cost,recovery and resist and penetration.

The light armor does not offer extra magicka so It does not make a huge difference in the end.
I still cap magicka,magicka regen,health regen and armor without food. With food the only thing that isn't capped is stamina which i just siphon and use only for blocks and rolls.

I think I could actually cap everything but i prefer to have my magicka over the cap and use spell cost reduction enchants on my rings so I can siphon even more.

10% spell crit from Prodigy is better than 20% block cost redux.
Can soft cap both Spell Resistance and Armor without buffs in 7 Light. (I do this and use all Divines/Infused traits.)
21% reduced cost of spells
28% magicka recovery
42% spell penetration

It does make a huge difference. 7 pieces of light armor is far superior to any other combination.

Akhratos

thomas.k.grayb14_ESO wrote: »

PBpsy wrote: »

NB tank with shield . 5 heavy+2 light
Bracing is great if you block a lot.
Armor and spell resist
Health recovery so I cap health with Lamea
5% weapon damage not bad but not that useful
5% healing received is great for me since i live by siphoning.
Also heavy can easily soft cap armor without any reinforced traits so i can put Infused on most items.
Two light pieces for reduced cost,recovery and resist and penetration.

The light armor does not offer extra magicka so It does not make a huge difference in the end.
I still cap magicka,magicka regen,health regen and armor without food. With food the only thing that isn't capped is stamina which i just siphon and use only for blocks and rolls.

I think I could actually cap everything but i prefer to have my magicka over the cap and use spell cost reduction enchants on my rings so I can siphon even more.

10% spell crit from Prodigy is better than 20% block cost redux.
Can soft cap both Spell Resistance and Armor without buffs in 7 Light. (I do this and use all Divines/Infused traits.)
21% reduced cost of spells
28% magicka recovery
42% spell penetration

It does make a huge difference. 7 pieces of light armor is far superior to any other combination.

He doesnt even seem to know the passives from Heavy Armor. One time seen, all time teaching.

+0,5% Weapon POWER (not DAMAGE) per piece = 3,5% MAX
+0,5% Incoming heals per piece = 3,5% MAX

And hes wearing 2 light pieces, so I dont even know wtf he takes the 5% from.

Armor, Health or Health Regen, in a game where 75% of races have either one or some of those as racials, or you can get them from traits/glyphs/defensiveskills(raw armor)/food/drink/statdistribution.... basically from any other place in the game.

While in Light, you get some rarer to find stats like:
Magicka cost reduction
Spell penetration
Spell Crit

Then simply keep Immovable up and you are magically hitting all caps in armor/spell resist with Light.


So, to the OP, no. You dont wear Heavy Armor except for the looks and the stupid though that ZOS would look into it instead of simply watching how ESO turns into Elder Sorcerors Online.

ForTheRealm

All my caster alts wear at least 1 piece of heavy armor just for Immovable, which is an excellent skill, especially for PvP.

lindechene

fyendiarb16_ESO wrote: »

Considering the fact that it will take a while, if ever, that this problem does get a decent fix:

If you were to pick a class/weapon build that has the most benefit from heavy armor and this is least dependent on either light or medium armor, which would you choose? Or is a focus heavily on weapon skill lines gimping yourself too much to be viable in both pve and pvp?

I leveled from 1 to V8 in 5 pieces heavy armor, waist light armor, gauntlets medium armor. After medium and light armor was at 50 I tossed them out and am now running around in 7 pieces of heavy armor.

I find the benefit of wearing 7 pieces in heavy armor is worth my while when using the Heavy Armor Skill "Unstopable" and I also find "Rapid Mending" to be more useful with 7 than just 5 pieces.

I just enjoy the Sword and Board playstyle that lets me stand there and take the damage. I also enjoy a playstyle that reacts to the actions of enemies with "Counters" like spell reflects, and properly timed blocking.

- - -

The real issue seems to be that there are "DPS" races in place that make it not a viable option to have more than 1 Tank or any DPS wearing Heavy Armor in your group.

In fact the guild told me that they will not take me along to trials as a Dragon Knight DPS wearing heavy armor. If I want to DPS I need to wear medium armor.

This means I now would have to learn also medium armor and crafting medium armor to be viable as dps. But then even though I tried to get every possible skillpoint I would not have enough because I do not want to part with the skillpoints in Provisioning, Alchemy, Fighters and Mages Guild, Enchanting and Blacksmithing.

How would a party with one healer and 3 heavy armor "DPS" do in current content?

In theory one might think that if you have two or three people all wearing heavy armor the fights would obviously take longer but in the end this would also cause less stress for the healer because all those heavy armor wearing players would not take that much damage.

- - -

Unfortunately wearing heavy armor as a dps and multiple members of a group wearing heavy armor is not an option.

Why?

- Veteran Dungeons enforced DPS races as progress blockers.

Result: Even though all group members give their best and do what they can it is NOT good enough and the group will fail because not enough DPS is provided fast enough.

- The idea of speed is the only category that has a leaderboard in the trials.

Result: Only fast DPS are taken along on Trials.

Why not some other kind of leaderboards that may reward bringing some DPS wearing heavy armor along?

- Group with the fewest deaths?
- Group with the least damage taken?
- - -

I find this kind of DPS race check is directly standing in the way of the original idea I liked so much about ESO:

Create the Build you like and play it like you want and have fun.

Quaesivi

No matter what, even if this game stays as "Elder Sorcerers Online", as long as I'd be playing, I'd still be playing the exact same character and build I have been playing in every other TES game, Sword Wielding (Dual after Morrowind), Heavy Armor Wearing Dunmer, with occasional Bow using (yes, in Heavy Armor), and sometimes Tanking (Yey for useless and utterly gimped DK, you know, no magicka and all).

Heavy Armor for the win, I like the clanking sounds with each step. And seriously, who in the world wears leather or cloth to a sword fight when it goes right through you, even easier than butter >_>

Ninnghizhidda

Both my characters use Heavy armour (5 pieces + 2 pieces Medium).

The main one is a Nord DK 2-hander user, the other one an Imperial Templar "tank" 1-hander / shield type.

Why? Because I always like to play melee types, up close and personal. This should be perfectly fine in an Elder Scrolls game. But NO, it is NOT in ESO.

Why? Because melee / physical classes / builds are kinda a laughing stock compared to all the caster / magic user / magicka alternatives. Because everyone and their granny will instead use light armour + staff and add whatever skills to produce an "OP build". And it works pretty well, from what we can see and we can read.

And nope, it isn't really the "DK issue" or whatever. The issue is that the design of this (awesome otherwise) game is now so screwed that it virtually eliminates the reason / feasibility of any other combination than the aforementioned.

I will still use my Heavy armour and melee characters because this is how I like to play and no freaking one will dictate to me, or anyone else, what "should" be used and "how" it should be played. And I can still have fun with my choice.

The problem is though, that especially in VR ranks / levels fights become increasingly / exponentially harder. No matter if you have awesome armour or health values. You will be toast in a few seconds, unless you toast them first. And of course, casters are far better in that since, ah yes, they don't even get to melee range? Not to mention that no matter what you do, stamina builds are a sad joke more or less, since 2-3-4 skills and you are out and struggling with basic attacks, even if you use pots or dragon blood (in the case of DK).

I am still hoping this farcical situation will be looked into and things will get "balanced". The Elder Scrolls have a very long history and each and every single player game of the series so far (and I have played them all) truly offered real alternatives and builds, without an actual discrimination.

I am still willing to support this game and as I said I still find it great and quite enjoyable. I am sure however, sooner or later, "elitism" will just pop its ugly head, meaning melee / physical builds will become outcasts in any high level party activity. Been there before, in other MMOs, for years, and those MMOs are now example cases of how a game should NOT go this way.

I hope staff in Zeni prove to be wiser and don't follow this path.

Razzak

Why is heavy armor considered so useless? Isn't the added armor value you get from heavy pieces a good stat increase? Isn't health recovery a good thing?

Why is light armor so good, especially if we are talking about a stamina focused DK build?

AngryNord

Worstluck wrote: »

I don't wear heavy armor on either of my main characters. 5M/2L or 5L/2M on both. The passives for heavy armor are poor, especially when compared to light armor. I can always spam immovable if need be. Working as intended!

How can you spam a Heavy armour skill without Heavy armour?

AngryNord

Aaklor wrote: »

I wear heavy because I have so much gd time invested into crafting heavy and I really don't want to start over.

Ninnghizhidda

Increased armour / defense, health and health recovery will do little good either in the dps or the survivability department, unfortunately. And this is what Heavy armour mostly provides.

Weapon skills are stamina based. The way it is now, dps based on weapons themselves is a joke, simply because there is no reliable way to sustain said dps. On the contrary, "caster" dps are all based on magicka, as are heals too, and there are far better ways to use, sustain and replenish magicka.

Or, this is the impression I personally have.

AngryNord

fyendiarb16_ESO wrote: »

Heavy armor does look much better while you are doing it though, especially with a big 2-hander.

My Nord agrees wholeheartedly With you, and says that if you're ever in Windhelm, pop over for a mead.

PBpsy

Archaon wrote: »

He doesnt even seem to know the passives from Heavy Armor. One time seen, all time teaching.

+0,5% Weapon POWER (not DAMAGE) per piece = 3,5% MAX
+0,5% Incoming heals per piece = 3,5% MAX

And hes wearing 2 light pieces, so I dont even know wtf he takes the 5% from.

Armor, Health or Health Regen, in a game where 75% of races have either one or some of those as racials, or you can get them from traits/glyphs/defensiveskills(raw armor)/food/drink/statdistribution.... basically from any other place in the game.

While in Light, you get some rarer to find stats like:
Magicka cost reduction
Spell penetration
Spell Crit

Then simply keep Immovable up and you are magically hitting all caps in armor/spell resist with Light.


So, to the OP, no. You dont wear Heavy Armor except for the looks and the stupid though that ZOS would look into it instead of simply watching how ESO turns into Elder Sorcerors Online.

It is 1% per piece with two skill points. Make sure YOU know your facts before accusing others of not knowing what they are talking about.


Also 5 of the races don't have any health,health regen or armor bonuses and only one has all 3. But I guess that's how you do percentages.

I agree though that should have been definitely power not damage.

Shaun98ca2

Heavy Armor is awesome but there are a few issues....but its not with the armors in the game itself.

1. Look at the Resource system from say a Templar's perspective or any class without using abilities/perks that give endless supply of Magicka.

2. With #1 in though Magicka based builds burst quite well but then suffer greatly when out of Magicka.

3. Based on #1 Stamina starts to really pull ahead as ALL Weapons(Staff's included) Light/Heavy Attacks damage is BASED on Stamina's total value.


The real issue is Zenimax added in abilities that break the Resouce system they have in place.

Templar's don't suffer from this issue. Once Bittin Jabs issue is finally ironed out we become the most balanced class in the game.

jamie.goddenrwb17_ESO

AngryNord wrote: »

fyendiarb16_ESO wrote: »

Heavy armor does look much better while you are doing it though, especially with a big 2-hander.

My Nord agrees wholeheartedly With you, and says that if you're ever in Windhelm, pop over for a mead.

My Templar Agrees with your Nord as he appears to angry to argue with. (Also he is correct)

AngryNord

Well, my Nord is a a Templar too, so..

Zarkaz

Archaon wrote: »

He doesnt even seem to know the passives from Heavy Armor. One time seen, all time teaching.

+0,5% Weapon POWER (not DAMAGE) per piece = 3,5% MAX
+0,5% Incoming heals per piece = 3,5% MAX

And hes wearing 2 light pieces, so I dont even know wtf he takes the 5% from.

2 points in skill give you 1%. L2P.

Monkeyshoeslive

To answer the original question. No

Sakiri

AngryNord wrote: »

Well, my Nord is a a Templar too, so..

PBpsy

Conclusion. Nerf light armor ASAP.

fyendiarb16_ESO

Thanks for all the posts guys, some more informative, others more supportive of using heavy armor even in the current state of the game. Some of your posts have made me start to wonder whether or not I have fallen in the trap of min/maxing which is something I have never been a fan of.

I think I lost track of just having fun instead of having the best armor passives. I suddenly remember again a time (sorry for mentioning that mmo and not intended as a vs remark) in the early days of World of Warcraft that the Beastmaster hunter was the weakest overall class in the game. Later it would get huge buffs and for a time everyone flocked to it because of the infamous FOTM syndrome.

The thing is though that I had far more fun playing that BM hunter during the time it was the weakest class and build around than I ever had once they started buffing it to the mountain tops. I missed the challenge, I missed being the underdog having to overcome obstacles and because I endured while having a blast, I became known amongst those that knew me as an excellent hunter.

I say this not to remind us all of WoW or start a ESO vs WoW argument (please don't), but to remind myself that playing the weaker class, the class with the most problems... can in fact be the most fun.

So I will stop the min/maxing which is not my thing anyway and start enjoying the game as it was promised it would be; a game in which you can be what you want, however you want and still be viable.

I will just adjust the meaning of "viable" to "doable" and start having fun again.

It's like having a beautiful table and then finding a small scratch on it, after a while all you see is that scratch and lose sight of the complete picture. Min/maxing does the same for me, it emphasizes the flaws so much that they become like that scratch on your beautiful table.

I made a dragonknight to be a heavy armored sword and board type of player and gimped or not, I will find a way to enjoy that playstyle and try to overcome the faults it has.

Is heavy armor the worst of the armor types when you look at the passives? Yes, but it is still possible to clear content with it so why do I worry so much? Time trials I will never do anyway so that is something I don't have to worry about and in pvp I am more of a army vs army type player (better known as zergs) so with the right tools I can still be of value. I can still solo with it just fine, so... why not wear what I like and shrug off the problems it has? As long as it works, is not impossible to quest in it, be a helping hand in pvp and have fun... there is nothing to worry about.

Thanks again for all the comments guys, it helped more than you think!

*Puts on the rose colored glasses and starts enjoying the game again. Screw reality, this is fantasy.*

Arundo

Nope its for me 100% looks

Crisscross

Careful they might nerf heavy armor looks next.

Kahina

Heavy needs a massive health regen boost, big enough to make a difference, that can't be had anywhere else.

deathperadoeb17_ESO

My main is Imperial templar, using only the totally awesome looking imperial heavy armor, specced in 1hand+shield and dual wield, not giving a damn, if using light or medium armor is more "viable".
Not fotm today does not mean, that this will not be fotm later, when all the rug users fuel my LOLWTFPWNeninge with their tears.

Long time ago i played paladin in WoW and i see history repeating here again.

twnakita

I'm a Nord 2h DK. I wear all heavy armor, mostly because of OCD and I like to match, plus I'm big into Blacksmithing.

With the all the heavy armor and Nord health-regen buffs, plus health-oriented rings and necklaces, I can withstand 2-3 mobs fairly easy. Although, I am only lvl 30 so that will probably change once I hit veteran.

With that in mind, I've never played any MMOs except ESO, so maybe I'm doing it " wrong"/not efficiently.

murzik54ub17_ESO

i think the non passive armor skills should only be able to be cast with full set of that armor, its really unfair mage having to use one piece of heavy armor and be able to be a tank, you are a sorc wanna cast? ok cool wear light armor, you a sorc wanna tank? wear heavy armor, the current system is stupid," oh you wanna tank and have good magica management? sweet wear 2 heavy armor pieces.. " going hybrid should have greater penalties and having a full set of specific armor should give you a bigger reward in its purpose

second, stamina needs to have some kinda resource management, or reduce cost of stamina skills x2 and they need to remove the abundance of buffs available, if they give everyone access to armor buffs, what is point of going heavy armor, or what is the point of having templar support and so on, every class should have unique contribution to the team that rest of the classes cant get..

Sallakat

The passives man, the passives. I need the armor and regen passives for my templar healer so I use 2 heavy with my light.

Turelus

Yes because it lets me focus on traits other than armour boosting and I can stay on a high armour even when not using abilities to boost it, or when shot by players with armour reduction abilities.

fyendiarb16_ESO

twnakita wrote: »

I'm a Nord 2h DK. I wear all heavy armor, mostly because of OCD and I like to match, plus I'm big into Blacksmithing.

With the all the heavy armor and Nord health-regen buffs, plus health-oriented rings and necklaces, I can withstand 2-3 mobs fairly easy. Although, I am only lvl 30 so that will probably change once I hit veteran.

With that in mind, I've never played any MMOs except ESO, so maybe I'm doing it " wrong"/not efficiently.

As long as you are having fun you are doing it right and very efficiently. If fun ain't the main goal in games, what is?