So yea, this is an action mmo. It has a VERY NICE ANIMATION roll dodge..
Yet the utlity of it is nearly ZERO in dungeons due to a fix major issues:
- Has ZERO invulnerability frames.
- -- Now don't get me wrong. I don't want an easy game with a OP roll. I think having a few invulnerability frames would allow you to make a HARDER more challenging game, with boss fights that 1 shot people if they don't dodge correctly. TERA did this extremely well.. ESO just plain doesn't. Would add a lot of of fun if dodging actaully did anything useful. (A friend commented he can dodge roll certain pvp abilities, so maybe its just bugged for PVE? - I timed it PERFECTLY on tons of boss attacks, I always take 100% full damage)
- Stamina cost is insane. For something with zero invuln frames and essentially barely faster movement then sprinting, it should not cost so much. Due to this it's actulaly BAD to use it. Your smarter and better off using defensive skills that cost stamina, or just more dps to end enemies before you end.
Please improve. Drasticly reduce the stamina cost - and make it STATIC. It just feels bad to level up only to have everything cost more and more. Feels like no progress. No progression. At least skills cap out at 50 for costs, So VR lvl up feel nice. But the roll dodge seems to always cost more and more.
I'd suggest a static 150 stamina cost, and perhaps add a general world, or all melee skills passive to reduce the cost to 125/100 for 1/2 skill points.
Perhaps an exponentially expanding cost too, if you use it too frequently. To prevent people from spamming it to gain some kind of invuln without skillful timing. EG: No cooldown, but instead: If you use it again within 3 seconds of the previous one, it costs 50 more stamina then the last. Then 75 more, then 100 more, etc. Cost resets to base if you dont use for 3 seconds.
Add a few invulnerbility frames. Not many, just enough so that very good timing can survive some boss aoe's would be nice. (And up the boss aoe damage to compensate).
Additionally, if you up boss aoe dmg - let us block SOME of them. Seems like 90% of them are unblockable, even melee ones which makes no sense. (Big fire/electric - I get it, cant block.. Melee 360 spin? Block should help some.
Right now due to the unblockable/undodgeable nature of the aoe's, it boils the games combat down to either
A) Tank and span, spam heal thru aoes
Range kite to avoid aoes, spam heal for undodgeables.
C) Play a dragonknight and just be invincible anyways.
Not the best design.
Post Craglorn UPDATE:
Looks like they might of took this post to heart a tiny bit:
Dodge roll was improved a fair bit this patch. (There was no patch notes about it, but it's definetely improved)
- Now has 100% priority over all other skills (that I've tried - with the exception of the templar healing ultimate, though that may be WAI)
- Initial animation speed and activation speed increased GREATLY, around 50% - near instant now. Overall animation feels a tad faster too, perhaps up 10%
With these upgrades it now has SOME use. It's now possible to dodge many boss aoes at the last moment, and it's faster then sprinting.
However I still feel it's underpowered. Having it be stronger would allow for more challenging and more fun dungeons and trials, with mechanics you MUST dodge or you die. Currently the dungeons and evne the trials never require using the roll dodge, it can help a bit sure, but is never really neccesary to win.
Mainly it needs imo a far lower stamina cost, and at least a few invulnerability frames to work against bloody heat seeking projectiles, and the fact the game can lag pretty badly at times in ways that makes it really unfair in certain fights.
This would also help balance against DKs rather overpowered ability to auto reflect all projectives for a set time. As currently, in the trial - that does insane dps against the boss, and makes other tanks way too behind. Especially considering Templars similar ability - eclipse, bosses are immune too.