Rant/essay:

For the past couple of years I've enjoyed PvP more than any other content - the need for you to compete using your own skill had made it the real 'end game' for me. Sure, I ran dungeons and farmed what needed farming in PvE, but it was all focused on improving PvP play.

Over the past month - and even more so over the last week - I've become incredibly disaffected with PvP. There has always been a 'meta', but you've also always been able to combat it in some way. You could always get through it and have some success with enjoyable, skill-based builds. Even when your class/build was in a bad place, if you knew it well then you could make it work - and make it work well. When Malubeth was broken, you could stack debuffs and time your burst cleverly. When shuffle/major mending stamDKs/Templars were an issue, you could avoid their LoS traps and exploit their mis-timed heals. When (and still..) Templars stack jesus beams on you, you can interrupt their channel and watch as they struggle to remember what their other buttons do. Now? Now you're fighting against players with incredible defence from HA, incredible sustain from HA, and frankly obscene burst from proc sets. What is the counter to that? Don't hit them so their Wrath/Constitution passives don't activate? Don't get hit so that their procs don't work?

After 1T dropped on PS4, I hopped on my trusty PvP mDK. Sure, open world he can falter a bit, but he takes pride in 1v1 combat - he uses HA (not BR) but loses out on damage and (some) sustain from doing so. I hopped into a few duels - killed a few sorcs, had a few long - but successful - fights against tankier builds. Then in comes a CP ~300 stamina NB. Black rose, Viper, Velidreth. By no means a 'unique' build. As a HA mDK, my burst is somewhat lackluster - this is my problem - had it been a bit higher I could've gotten through his heals. But every 4-9 seconds, without fail, in comes the viper + veli proc. Being tanky and with good dueling heals from Embers, I could make it through - and I did so for the first 10-15 combos - I just couldn't punch through his damned resistances. Eventually he gets a lucky proc and I drop after about 20 minutes. Feeling a bit disheartened I took a break for the night.

Next evening- someone has obviously stalked Fengrush/Sypher's channel and farmed throughout the night. Sword & Board stamDK. I've seen those videos too, so I had no doubts what I was going up against. Sure enough, procing all over the place - eventual death recap - Tremorscale, Viper, Dawnbreaker (with a little reverb bash thrown in). As there was no Widowmaker, I can only assume that Black Rose was thrown in there. I'm not sure which is better.

So to answer your question, OP - after a few more nights and many more similar duels, plus a fair amount of time in Cyrodiil, I respecced my mDK for PvE. This meta is horrible and those who don't conform to it - excluding those very skilled players - are absolutely gimping themselves beyond measure. Pretty soon I expect that those who refuse to use these builds will vacate Cyrodiil, and everyone else will switch to them. To those people, I say enjoy the proc race - I truly hope that you manage to get your procs off slightly before the other guy does.