Idea: Stale moves debuff to discourage spamming

Mataata

One of the utmost common "strategies" in fights is to spam your class's signature OP move(s). Crystal, Endless Fury, Talons, Dragon Blood, Searing Strike, Strife, Ambush, Poison Injection, Snipe, Puncturing Strikes, Sun Fire, Invasion, Cleave.. You get the idea.

Rather than straight up nerf their damage (which I wouldn't mind in the slightest), I think it'd be better if there was a "stale moves" debuff that would decrease the power of an ability if used in rapid succession, up to maybe a 75% damage reduction. Said debuff would trickle away over time and gradually increase in reduction each time an ability is used, perhaps if there is less than five seconds between usage. I think this would greatly reduce the potency of using the same high-damage ability over and over and allow for a more fun, strategic fight for everyone.

I love using every ability available to me and combining them together. I think some of the most fun abilities are utility ones, and it's beyond frustrating when I see that people are not only just using the same ones they've been since level 3, but even doing better than I am when I meticulously plan out which ones to use together and when.

I am SO incredibly tired over having to deal with the same old thing every single time I try to fight, and I'm quite positive there are others who agree.
Increasing the cost of an ability or decreasing its base damage by a microscopic amount just doesn't cut it when the best strategy for killing other people is just to mash the same ability against them nonstop until they die. I don't want my post-death screen to just say the same thing over and over again with outrageous damage numbers. Fight with style, people!

Glantris

snipe, cleave and invasion aren't class abilities, though? theres nothing op about dragons blood or sun fire, either. dragons blood is dk bread and butter and sun fire is just plain reliable.

idg the point of this post. you dont like it when people use their most reliable dps repeatedly until you die? there's only 5 slots on a hotbar and very rarely will they all be used for straight up dps. it seems like a feature like this would end up more hurting people who DON'T do straight dps and rather have it on their bar for support or self-defense.

if fighting with style means having to devote an entire bar which would otherwise be running utility for teammates to attacks with terrible damage i don't want to use just to avoid a weird debuff, i'd rather cheez all day long.

Pancake-Tragedy

People that spam the same move over and over are the easiest ones to fight, in my opinion.

Crystal frag spammer? Block, use 1h/shield reflect, etc

Endless fury spammer? Lol the entire time if you are above 20% hp, watch the sorcerer for the purple glow (that means a crystal frag is coming)

Ambush spammer? Block, wait out the spam, laugh while they are out of magicka

Etc, etc

A debuff isn't necessary to combat this, skill spammers are easy to beat; just know what to look for and when to block. Keep in mind, players only have 5 skill slots, plus an ultimate, for both bars. At least one of those skills will be someones main damaging skill.

Krinaman

When you only have 5 skills on your bar of course you are going to spam the same skill.

purple-magicb16_ESO

Spamming is a fighting style. I think its quite legitimate too. Very predictable and therefore easy to defend and counter mind you, but still legit. As a few have already said when you have only 5 active abilities at your disposal at any given moment, you have very limited options to start with. So slotting, say the only two FG abilities you have (just an example) then running into a dozen or so undead, yeah in that situation this new nerf you're proposing will get you killed and people.won't exactly cheer for it.

purple-magicb16_ESO

..btw I say 5 abilities bcoz you can't spam 6 as your Ultimate.

purple-magicb16_ESO

Altho I see and respect what you're trying to accomplish by this. It just has to be in the players spirit to be creative, otherwise they'll just cry about it and have it reversed anyway.

JackDaniell

The best players in this game do not spam one skill. I would love to see anyone will a duel against any half decent player by spamming one skill.

Yes people find a strong move and spam it, but that is far from the best combo/damage that the class is capable of.

"When you first see someone dance, you will know now what they can do, a dance is a myriad, not a monotone"