Weapon Swap is the single biggest issue in the game now

Hilgara

I have seen weapon swap delays of 2 to 3 seconds sometimes. Especially while moving. If you are running and try to swap weapons it sometimes wont trigger until to stop running. It's very patchy and sometimes not a problem but it has become so unreliable that it's only really of any use as an out of combat ability. I'm not convinced its because of the EU server being stateside either. The Americans seem to have the same issue. This should be a very high priority to fix. GW2 did it seamlessly so its not impossible.

killedbyping

The animation and cast time is really horroble aswell even when there is no delay.
Some times you get killed quicker then you manage to swap weapons to use some defensive abilitys you got there.
That is just silly.
Ofc some realism is nice, but in some aspects it is just ruining the pelasure of the game.

Uviryth

Agreed with everything. WeaponSwap is clunky and impractical at the moment. I cant remember how often it killed me.

Zanderscotxub17_ESO

To be honest I felt the same way as all of you till I bought a gaming labtop. Before on my pc it would take 5- 10sec maybe even longer. It was so bad I just used one weapon for fights. I was also using staffs.
Now on my new laptop it takes 1-2 sec but now iam playing a alt with 2 h and duel wield its very playable in combat no lag.

If we want to solve the problem we need to let developers know whats causing this, if its rig, staffs, animation.

I would suggest stating

What weapons you swapping?

Internet connection ?

What rig/ pc?

If it is the rig or setting, maybe they can tweak the code at lower settings, because I agree with most of you it is unplayable wih the lag in between swaps and you shouldn't need high setting to play a basic combat function.

Stabbina

Pc is not the issue, mine is definitely more than ESO requires.
Internet connection isn't it either. No issues there whatsoever.

Before the patch (1.0.8 ) I had this issue every now and then, certainly not every day. Very frustrating when it did happen as it's almost certain death. After the patch I died 2x already in the first hour. I'm actually afraid of attacking more than 2 mobs at the sime time as the more mobs, the higher the chance I need to swap to my restoration staff. If I do, and it fails: another death.

Last time it happened, I noticed my bar didn't display a 1 or 2 anymore, but just a lock symbol. Very very frustrating. As it is now, I'll have to avoid major combat or nuke everything before I get hit.

I'd call this a gamebreaking bug at the moment. Totally ruins the chance at some relaxing gaming. I'm making an ingame ticket as well, as I really hopes this bug gets squashed as soon as possible.

Crescent

Weaponswap wouldn't be such a glaring issue if mobs weren't doing the kind of damage that gibs you in the time it takes to weaponswap and cast.

They need to nerf the damage output of some veteran mobs like archers and caster mob staff attacks and ESPECIALLY mobs like Storm Astronach.

Storm Astronach has got to be one of the most broken veteran mobs in the game its autoattacks hit just as hard as if I had eaten an uppercut from a mob, which is a wind-up charged attack.

And this is on capped armor and 49 health points devoted. I'm not some glass cannon this game just has damage output from some mobs that is plain broken and encourages broken builds like shield bash tanking or Impulse spam while blocking.

vyndral13preub18_ESO

Crescent wrote: »

Weaponswap wouldn't be such a glaring issue if mobs weren't doing the kind of damage that gibs you in the time it takes to weaponswap and cast.

They need to nerf the damage output of some veteran mobs like archers and caster mob staff attacks and ESPECIALLY mobs like Storm Astronach.

Storm Astronach has got to be one of the most broken veteran mobs in the game its autoattacks hit just as hard as if I had eaten an uppercut from a mob, which is a wind-up charged attack.

And this is on capped armor and 49 health points devoted. I'm not some glass cannon this game just has damage output from some mobs that is plain broken and encourages broken builds like shield bash tanking or Impulse spam while blocking.

This. While i do think the weapon swap issue stinks, there is something to be said for the damage mobs do. For example i run 2 sets dps and healing. But i cant dedicate a whole bar to dps because i cant switch weapons fast enough to heal. So basically i end up with 2 hybrid bars, and almost always use the bar i start the with all the way through. Since switching to the other set for a utility or dps or even a heal is so slow it is pointless. And this is even when it appears to be working properly.

Hilgara

Zanderscotxub17_ESO wrote: »

To be honest I felt the same way as all of you till I bought a gaming labtop. Before on my pc it would take 5- 10sec maybe even longer. It was so bad I just used one weapon for fights. I was also using staffs.
Now on my new laptop it takes 1-2 sec but now iam playing a alt with 2 h and duel wield its very playable in combat no lag.

If we want to solve the problem we need to let developers know whats causing this, if its rig, staffs, animation.

I would suggest stating

What weapons you swapping?

Internet connection ?

What rig/ pc?

If it is the rig or setting, maybe they can tweak the code at lower settings, because I agree with most of you it is unplayable wih the lag in between swaps and you shouldn't need high setting to play a basic combat function.

Its not the rig. I have a brand new 12 meg. i7 with a GTX card.

RazzPitazz

It is a number of factors that kind of intercede each other from server to latency to rig. Which is still not ok.

Sakiri

I keep defensives on bar 2. Swap has killed me. Its absurd.

IceDread

I concur.
Weapon swapping is very important but sometimes server lag or what ever kicks in and screws you over badly.

Still feels like the game is pre-beta.

Dharmabum

I'm not sure what Zenimax intended but I like the idea that weapon swapping is delayed. This makes selecting weapon/ability sets more of a strategic decision than a tactical one.

Sakiri

Strategic in the sense that you might as well never switch in combat. The two weapon sets is brought up when people complain about hotbars. If youre not meant to sawp in combat then that removes swaps from the arguement.

Smooth swap or no swap in combat. Pick one. Strategy is redoing my bar before I pull that bosss. Tactics is root, swap, dragons blood, spiked armor, swap and reengage

columbineb14_ESO

I realize this is going to be an unpopular opinion but I think they should just declare weapon swap an out-of-combat ability and have done.

kasain

Sometimes I can go a whole monster without a weapon swap going off. This is bad if I need to equip restore staff or such. It has made deaths. Yes it does delay and in many cases it makes me not want to switch a weapon ever.

WoW 10 macro line bar due to ESO not able to make swap work right, yes please.

Forztr

Weapon swap is the reason I die 90% of the time while questing. If they can't get it to work as smoothly in combat as it does out of combat then give me 10 action slots and scrap in combat weapon swapping. For me this is becoming game breaking.

If I screw up and die fine. If I die because the game is broken then it's just plain frustrating and not fun.

I have a Staff in slot 1 and sword and board in slot 2.
I have them this way around since sword and board in 1 and Staff in 2 sometimes swaps abilities but not weapon so you end up with the staff all the time.

Sakiri

columbineb14_ESO wrote: »

I realize this is going to be an unpopular opinion but I think they should just declare weapon swap an out-of-combat ability and have done.

If so be it, so be it. At least the bs of laggy swapping will be gone.

Sanguisaevum

I don't understand how they messed it up so badly.

The solution is simple... It is obvious that the engine has an override hierarchy... EG...

-Abilities always override basic and heavy attacks...

-Bashing overrides abilities...

-Swapping weapons overrides nothing and has to wait for current animation to finish...

Solution... ensure weapon swap cancels and overrides ANY AND ALL OTHER ACTIONS.

If i hit that weapon swap button i damn well expect the engine to override and cancel my current action and IMMEDIATELY swap weapons no matter what i am doing!

Harakh

Maybe we get it in Patch 1.3

flow.currypoteb17_ESO

i cant swap back to main weapon, once i have swaped to my 2nd... its very annoying

Hilgara

Sanguisaevum wrote: »

I don't understand how they messed it up so badly.

The solution is simple... It is obvious that the engine has an override hierarchy... EG...

-Abilities always override basic and heavy attacks...

-Bashing overrides abilities...

-Swapping weapons overrides nothing and has to wait for current animation to finish...

Solution... ensure weapon swap cancels and overrides ANY AND ALL OTHER ACTIONS.

If i hit that weapon swap button i damn well expect the engine to override and cancel my current action and IMMEDIATELY swap weapons no matter what i am doing!

This would help but sometimes it just doesn't trigger at all. The game engine seems to miss the key press. This can even happen out of combat. It's almost as if the damn game engine is too busy doing something else to realise you have pressed the key.

CapuchinSeven

Zanderscotxub17_ESO wrote: »

To be honest I felt the same way as all of you till I bought a gaming labtop. Before on my pc it would take 5- 10sec maybe even longer. It was so bad I just used one weapon for fights. I was also using staffs.
Now on my new laptop it takes 1-2 sec but now iam playing a alt with 2 h and duel wield its very playable in combat no lag.

If we want to solve the problem we need to let developers know whats causing this, if its rig, staffs, animation.

I would suggest stating

What weapons you swapping?

Internet connection ?

What rig/ pc?

If it is the rig or setting, maybe they can tweak the code at lower settings, because I agree with most of you it is unplayable wih the lag in between swaps and you shouldn't need high setting to play a basic combat function.

I'm running a Haswell CPU with 16GB RAM (way more than ESO would ever use), twin SSDs and x2 290X GPUs. It's not about performance because I sit at 60FPS+, it's simply the game is unresponsive. It has nothing to do with graphical performance, the game simply is unresponsive and clunky.

Change weapon, 2 seconds later I finally get my bow. When you've come from GW2 this game feels like it's clugging along on steam power. It's ruining the game for me and the main the reason why I'm close to quitting.

The bow attacks which stick or delay, weapon swaps, CC breaks, entering keeps, all clunky and unresponsive. It's horrific when coming from a GW2 ranger who'd fire arrows and weapon swap like silk.

Edenwolf

I agree the weapon swapping feels clunky and unreliable. If they want this system to work it has to be like GW2 where it's instantaneous and feels buttery smooth when weaving abilities in different skill bars.

Being a typical pvp only player, I cannot bare the thought of trying to pvp with the current weapon swap system, having the weapon swap not register once in a 1v1 could spell death.

Halrloprillalar

Sanguisaevum wrote: »

I don't understand how they messed it up so badly.

The solution is simple... It is obvious that the engine has an override hierarchy... EG...

-Abilities always override basic and heavy attacks...

-Bashing overrides abilities...

-Swapping weapons overrides nothing and has to wait for current animation to finish...

Solution... ensure weapon swap cancels and overrides ANY AND ALL OTHER ACTIONS.

If i hit that weapon swap button i damn well expect the engine to override and cancel my current action and IMMEDIATELY swap weapons no matter what i am doing!

This ^^^^

Fix your queue "priority" rating ZOS. In most definitions, 'action' combat means having actual input into my 'actions' instead of setting up a 3s combat queue.

jesterstear

Tonight, I was finishing Lorebook deeds in lower level areas (so it wasn't critical) but on a few occasions my character swapped to resto staff, but was unable to use any abilities unique to that second bar for several seconds. This happened before combat a few times, as I like to put a resto staff HoT on myself before swapping back to melee weapon and pulling the mob.

A few times I just stood there with a stick in my hand as tumbleweed rolled past. Wasn't trying to do anything else, I think there'd just been a disagreement between client and server as to whether or not a weapon swap had taken place.

Tobiz

Ive seen this a a few times. Im starting to think this is the reason abilities sometimes gray out and become unavailable. An invisible weapon swap that never happened.
I have to stop everything and step away from my computer to make sure the weapon swap takes place.
Weapon swap is very unresponsive and needs an overview.

Cheatingdeath23

I swap often during combat, but have added a healing skill to both tabs because I often get trapped with lag.

Worst case is when I switched weapons and it lagged, so then I hit the button again, so when it finally switches I'm back where I started.

GeeYouWhy

Hilgara wrote: »

I have seen weapon swap delays of 2 to 3 seconds sometimes. Especially while moving. If you are running and try to swap weapons it sometimes wont trigger until to stop running. It's very patchy and sometimes not a problem but it has become so unreliable that it's only really of any use as an out of combat ability. I'm not convinced its because of the EU server being stateside either. The Americans seem to have the same issue. This should be a very high priority to fix. GW2 did it seamlessly so its not impossible.

Not single biggest issue, try having invisibility take that long to fire when you are moving past a hostile.

EnOeZ

Just adding my voice so that ZOS take weapon swapping issues seriously and make it with lag the top 2 absolute priorities (even before making new videos showing how stamina builds are indeed not played by the lead game designers ).

Skilled players are deterred from continuing since there is no skill in waiting 1 to 3s for an ability et weapon swap to launch, making TESO - sadly - a low skillcap game when the game technical/design limitations is the deciding factor, not the player, even if block, roll dodge avoidance, light and heavy attacks, vulnerability exploitation, cc breaking mechanic (apart from the design flaw of stamina-only burden without compensation) offer the ground for it (ie "skill", I mean - at least for melees).

jesterstear

An issue I've seen when swapping sword and board to resto staff - if my resto staff is pointed anywhere near mobs, the heal skills are greyed out. It's like the soft targeting is assuming I am selecting the mobs, and greys those skills out as i'm not allowed to heal them. Got to aim up at the sky to break this and put a heal on myself.

XquixoticalX

Cheatingdeath23 wrote: »

I swap often during combat, but have added a healing skill to both tabs because I often get trapped with lag.

Worst case is when I switched weapons and it lagged, so then I hit the button again, so when it finally switches I'm back where I started.

This happens to me constantly, but in a heated battle I'm obviously very quickly firing off skills while dodging and strafing about, etc. so I'm not waiting to confirm that every button I press actually performs its duty before I go on casting the next skill. For one, the rotations/combos are second nature to my fingers, and quickness = aliveness, so ain't nobody got time for that. So anyway I'm in battle - offensive skill rotation, then I need to heal so I drink a mana pot and swap to healing tab, couple heals - back to full hp, hit button to swap back to offense tab and begin immediately rapidly casting my next rotation of offensive skills. Which is great except for when it lags (I'd say about 35-40% of the time) I end up just accidentally firing off a string of unneeded healing skills before I realize it hasn't swapped, which zaps the rest of my mana bar. So here I am having to completely rely on melee/dodging until a mana pot cools down or I can regen enough for a skill that will buy more time, and if I get pummeled in the meantime I have no mana to heal myself.

This is a big part of the reason why I won't go destro/resto templar build. I absolutely must have some stamina based skills on my offense bar because far too often I deplete my entire mana supply misfiring heals in this way.

Such a bummer.

I wouldn't say it's the single biggest issue in the game though. Not by far. It's annoying, it makes me die sometimes, and it needs to be fixed. But fixing builds and skills that are just flat out broken and work 0% of the time lag or no lag should come first, and they should come soon. I'm way more mad about having spent skill points on several passives that just simply do not work at all, thus effectively breaking my entire build as it was coded and balanced with these passives in mind.