Just a compilation of what I think should be changed at the moment, feel free to comment.
Class Changes: The Nightblade
Nightblades are better off now than we were 6 months ago, but there's still some issues, especially with individual underperforming skills, that I think need to be looked at.
1. Blur / Mirage / Double Take
Probably the NB ability that needs help the most right now. Testing has shown that you dont even get a full 15% miss chance from this, and that it sits more around 10%. Taking a queue from similar abilities in other class trees:
-The Dragonknight has Ash cloud, which is an aoe debuff on enemies that snares by 70% and increases miss chance by 30%. While not mobile like blur is, ash cloud and its morphs give double the miss chance, work for any party member in the area (not just the caster), and also include a snare and either a disorient or damage component.
-The Templar has blinding light, which increase enemy miss chance by 50% (35% more than blur) at the cost of a shorter duration, and can also add damage or duration through morphs.
Nightblades, especially nightblade tanks, are currently suffering from an extreme lack of class defensive utilities - we have no damage shields, our self heals are very poor compared to all three competing classes, and our few defensive abilities, like blur, are poorly designed.
Suggested Changes:
Base Ability: Blur
Self-targeted PbAoE
Distorts the area around you, increasing miss chance for enemies within 5 yards by 15% for 10 seconds.
notes: the duration has been reduced, and this now applies as a debuff to enemies rather than a buff to yourself, providing some extra group utility for non-tanking nightblades. The effect moves with you still, however.
Morph 1: Distortion Field
Ground AoE, spawns centered on the caster
Creates a distortion field, which increases enemy miss chance by 30% and snares enemies by 70% while they remain in the area. Lasts 15 seconds.
notes: this morph causes the effect to remain in one place on the ground (it's initial location is centered on you when cast). This means it no longer moves with you, but can provide increased effect.
Morph 2: Mirage
Self-targeted PbAoE
Distorts the area around you, increasing miss chance for enemies within 5 yards by 15% for 10 seconds. You deal 10% increased damage against effected enemies.
notes: Same as the base effect, but this adds a self damage buff against enemies that are within the 5 yard range. This buffs the ability for melee nightblades and makes it the obvious choice for damage dealers, while keeping it less useful for long ranged casters and archers.
2. Haste / Focused Attacks / Incapacitate
Currently, it seems like attack speed buffs only really effect light/basic weapon attacks. They seem to have no effect on bow attacks, or heavy attacks with melee weapons (Does seem to work fine for heavy destro staff attacks though). Unless attack speed is actually going to be fixed so that it works properly for all weapons, this ability really needs to be changed to something worthwhile.
The morphs are useful for their additional effects (stamina recovery / heavy attack damage), but that's all they're useful for right now.
Suggested Changes:
Either make attack speed work properly for all weapons/attack types (meaning it needs to affect animation times as well), or change this to a flat damage boost instead of an attack speed increase.
3. Summon Shade / Dark Shades / Shadow Image
With these being changed to no longer hold aggro in pve, they've become useless for everything but the 15% damage reduction effect on enemies - and that effect is overwritten for tanks because it doesnt stack with low slash or other damage-reducing effects.
There's no point in having 'pets' for the nightblade if they arent going to either tank or deal sufficient damage to be worth the real estate they take up on our limited hotbar. I would recommend changing this ability entirely.
Suggested Changes:
Base Ability: Shade
Self-Targeted Buff
Transforms you into a shade for 15 seconds. While active, light and heavy attacks reduce the target's damage dealt by 15% for 5 seconds.
Notes: now instead of summoning a shade, this transforms you (really just makes you translucent for the duration) into a shade. Your attacks now reduce enemy damage, instead of relying on the shade to attack who or what you want it to.
Morph 1: Dark Avatar
Transforms you into a Dark Avatar for 20 seconds. While active, light and heavy attacks reduce the target's damage dealt by 15% for 5 seconds. Upon activation, grants you a damage shield equal to 35% of your maximum health.
notes: gives nightblades a damage shield, similar to sun shield for the templar.
Morph 2: Apparition
Transforms you into an apparition for 10 seconds. While active, light and heavy attacks reduce the target's damage dealt by 15% for 5 seconds. Additionally, your attacks have a 20% chance to stun the target for 1 second for the duration.
The dps choice, this has a shorter duration but gives you some extra control.
4. Agony / Prolonged Suffering / Malefic Wrath
Simple change here: remove the cast times from these abilities. DK's get a nearly identical ability with an instant cast time.
Class Changes: The Templar
This class is also better off now than it used to be, but it's still suffering when it comes to damage potential, especially caster damage. Only have a few things to suggest here:
1. Restoring Aura - Repentance
Currently, repentance restores health and stamina from nearby corpses on use. I would suggest, instead, that it be changed to restore magicka and stamina, in order to allow healing and caster templars better magicka recovery options.
2. Spear Shards - Blazing Spear
Allow blazing spear's damage over time component to continue functioning if an ally picks up the spear in order to restore his/her stamina. Currently, if an ally uses the synergy to pick up the spear, blazing spear stops dealing damage in the area.
3. Sun fire, solar flare, and morphs
All of these need to have their damage increased, and possibly their magicka costs decreased, in order to make dawn's wrath a viable option for caster-based damage dealers.
Class Changes: The Dragonknight
All in all the dragonknight class isnt too bad off. Mostly what i'm suggesting here are going to be graphic changes and quality of life changes.
1. Lava Whip / Molten Whip / Flame Lash
All of these could use a slight damage increase, they're hardly used at the moment.
2. Spiked Armor / Razor Armor / Volatile Armor
The graphic effect on these looks terrible. Either make something that looks a little better, or have the visual effect only last for a couple seconds followed by something less glaring.
3. Dragon Blood / Green Dragon Blood / Coagulating Blood
Same deal as #2. I would suggest that the transparency/beating heart animation only last for 2-3 seconds at most, followed by a less annoying glow/aura to indicate that the ability is still active as a visual queue. Turning into a giant floating heart for 20+ seconds is not fun.
4. Stonefist - Obsidian Shard
I'd like to see the range on this increased to 28 yards, instead of just up to 15. If that means removing the knockdown effect, so be it, increase the damage as a substitute. I figure this is meant to be the morph chosen by ranged archers or staff casters, but 15 yards isnt long enough to make it useful to those play styles.
Class Changes: The Sorceror
Similar changes to the dragon knight here, visual effects and quality of life changes mostly.
1. Familiar - Volatile Familiar
I'd like to see the visual on volatile familiar changed to a Dremora. no change to the ability itself is needed, mechanics-wise, but it'd be nice to have a greater selection of summons to choose from. I'd take a dremora over a clannfear any day.
Weapon Skill Changes: Two-Handed
I like where 2handed is going with recent changes, it's becoming a viable damage option (whereas you had to go bow, staff, or dual wield prior), but it still needs some tweaks.
1. Cleave / Carve / Brawler
I really think that the damage over time portion needs to be removed, and replaced with up front damage. ZOS doesnt seem to realize that damage over time effects are not overly useful in a game where combat is so fast-paced. 2handed's biggest issue right now - at least in my opinion - is lacking a 'spam' ability for damage output. Wrecking blow takes too long to cast, and reverse slash doesnt do enough damage to higher health opponents.
Putting cleave's damage up front instead of having a damage over time component would allow it to be used effectively even when you're facing only one target, as a quick stamina dump.
2. Upper Cut / Dizzying Swing / Wrecking Blow
The cast time for all of these has been reduced (and will apparently be getting reduced further in upcoming changes), but it doesnt seem like the animation has been changed at all.
I notice when I'm attacking from stealth, particularly, that the enemy will aggro and take damage before the animation has fully played out. Quicken the animation and impact time so that it feels less laggy.
3. Reverse Slash / Reverse Slice / Executioner
All of these could stand to either have their base damage increased slightly, or to have the damage increase begin at higher target health (say, starting at 50% health onward).
Additionally, Reverse slice needs to have it's splash damage upped to 80 or 100% of the damage dealt to the initial target. Currently, I can be fighting two enemies, get one of them low on health and use reverse slice to execute the target, and the second target's health bar will barely budge from the splash damage - it might as well not have been hit at all.
Weapon Skill Changes: One-Hand and Shield
I know there are plenty of people who will disagree with me on this, but I really think that 1h/shield should be a viable option not just for tanks but also for damage dealers. To that effect, I'd like to see the damage increased on some of the abilities, Notably low slash and power bash. Most tanks wont put very many 1h/shield abilities on their bar to begin with, usually just ransack as a taunt, so gearing some of the abilities towards dealing more damage might make them more attractive.
Finally, to beat another dead horse into it's second afterlife, PLEASE get around to adding a polearm weapon line.
PS4 / NA
M'asad - Khajiit Nightblade - Healer
Pakhet - Khajiit Dragonknight - Tank
Raksha - Khajiit Sorcerer - Stamina DPS
Bastet - Khajiit Templar - Healer
Leonin - Khajiit Warden - Tank