Why "hybrids" are sadly dead in ESO

StarOfElyon

As a hybrid enjoyer, I wish ZOS would roll back some of the changes. I was a magplar main since I started playing in Summerset but when Elswery released I created my first hybrid character (a necromancer). I believe hybridization was in a good spot right around the time that sets got hybridized (maybe Greymoor). All that was needed was consumables (potions) for major prophecy and brutality. I liked the buff that my first hybrid (a high elf) got when high elves got weapon damage—but I could also live without that change. I accept that some races are stronger with swords than others so losing that change wouldn't bother me.

Where I believe hybridization went too far is when skills were changed to scale with the highest offensive stat. To me, this is the biggest reason why playing hybrids no longer feels fun. Hybrids had weaknesses. It was a niche playstyle that you had to put effort into making viable. Now, pretty much everyone is a hybrid with little to no effort. And when everyone is a hybrid, no one is a hybrid.


Maybe my thoughts come across more effectively in the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaAZViCFtqs

Amottica

StarOfElyon wrote: »

Where I believe hybridization went too far is when skills were changed to scale with the highest offensive stat.

If a skill scales to a stat the character has less of, then the skill is weaker by definition. This is a big reason why hybrids were weak. There is no niche for weak builds.

Scaling off the highest offensive state makes it possible to make decent hybrids. That does not mean every possible choice will be equal, just as things are with all other aspects of designing a character. Play as you want does not mean all things are equal and will never be.

StarOfElyon

Amottica wrote: »

StarOfElyon wrote: »

Where I believe hybridization went too far is when skills were changed to scale with the highest offensive stat.

If a skill scales to a stat the character has less of, then the skill is weaker by definition. This is a big reason why hybrids were weak. There is no niche for weak builds.

Scaling off the highest offensive state makes it possible to make decent hybrids. That does not mean every possible choice will be equal, just as things are with all other aspects of designing a character. Play as you want does not mean all things are equal and will never be.

Yeah obviously they were weaker and consequently not popular. Hybrid players knew that their builds were weaker. That was why they fit into a niche. You can't say there's no niche for a weak build when we literally played them.

notyuu

StarOfElyon wrote: »

Where I believe hybridization went too far is when skills were changed to scale with the highest offensive stat.

The thing about hybridization is that to be implented successfully it needs to be an all or nothing deal, you eaither make EVERYTHING hybrid as in
-dynamic resource costs on all the skills
-recovery on armour being dynamic based on your primary/secondry/tircuary resource (based on armour weight class)
-same for food/drink effects
-set bonuses
-abiltiy power scaling
do all that and hybridization actually works, unfortunally we only have 1 and a half items off that list (scaling and sets) so what we end up with is a system that encrouges pure builds while allowing them the dabble with toys from the other side (which is by no means a bad thing) at the ironic cost of punishing anybody who actually goes to play hybrid.

So as it stands right now if ZoS wants people to play hybrids they would eaither need to roll back the hybridization changes OR go all in on them instead of just sitting in this weird middleground sucking their thumb

tsaescishoeshiner

Almost every build now has hybrid elements, to the point that an actual hybrid—a build that uses almost equal amounts of stamina and magicka abilities, doesn't stand out in PvE, and definitey not in PvP.

In PvE, it just comes down to whether you can sustain your skills. There are stamarcanists who stack max Stam, and stamarcanists who use the same skills but with some Mages guild skills and gear but stack max Mag, for example. At least, based on esologs parses.

To encourage more hybrid stats builds, they could make it so skills scaled off of your combined Magicka and Stamina instead of the highest—but races and sets would have to be rebalanced.

Overall, we're in a good point for hybridization. Pushing it further could eliminate the distinction between mag and stam to the point where a hybrid doesn't even exist or feel different, because they're so blended already.

Hasenpfote

Hybrids works in same cases. Hybrid healer and Hybrid tanks are pretty fine. As damage dealer it is a different story, because you try to max your damage while healers and tanks rely on this.

ESO_Nightingale

I wish nearly every skill scaled off your max stats

fedouva

Hybrids will always suffer as long as new armor sets and classes are introduced

MEBengalsFan2001

Hybrid suffer due to needing recovery in two stats. Greatly reducing other stat distribution. In addition they also are more split in resources stat allocation making them even harder to make properly for damage type character. The best way to make a hybrid is with the torc neck or with wretched vitality and any gear set design to buff damage. Most PvP builds are close to hybrid, especially tank type builds.

katorga

I like being able to mix-match mag/stam skills for sustain reasons. That is the benefit of damage scaling with the highest stats.

I hate the Arcanist model where the resource used by the skill is determined your highest stats.