Love It Or Hate It - Oakensoul Is A Huge Boon To Our Game/Community (Guide Video As Well)

rhythmsuji · November 19

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhiZPuoC7Mc

Why Oakensoul is an important part of our game & community, why you should check it out and might need it, what DLC or game access you need to get it, where to find the leads. etc

rhythmsuji · November 19

Hey all, the title says it all but I will also be giving a text breakdown here for anyone who is more into that rather than videos.

On the conversational end, the Oakensoul Ring has been in a lot of drama since its birth with a lot of the community hating it. But a good chunk also greatly enjoying it.
Though I wanted to shed some more light on a nuance I have seen glossed over or missed a lot in the conversation over this ring. Which is that for some, it's not even just a "choice" or "preference" but literally what enabled them to truly play the game at a reasonable level due to various disadvantages that many of us are fortunate not to have to navigate. One of those people is my own mother who is disabled and elderly. She LOVES ESO, and the game opened up for her in a whole new way when I helped her get the Oakensoul ring and made her a custom build with it.
I made her a build where she could essentially get by with just using 1-3 buttons depending on the fight and how she is feeling for the day, and that's extremely hard to do without this ring and without needing to manage other stuff.

So just consider thinking twice if you are someone who mocks or hates on Oakensoul/1 bar/heavy attack build users. We never know what's going on, on the other side of that screen and we are all just trying to have fun enjoying our game the best way we can. ^.^

DLC's Needed To Obtain Oakensoul

Greymoor (3:55), which is part of the Dark Heart of Skyrim. This DLC unlocks the Antiquarian Circle, allowing you to start scrying and excavation (4:10).
High Isle (5:39), which is under the Legacy of the Breton tab. This is needed to access the volcanic vents that drop the "Ignous Inlays" lead (5:42).
Murkmire (5:58), which is from year three. This DLC is required to find safe boxes and Thieves Troves for the "Petrified Oak Loop" lead (6:02).
I also advise that if you have ESO Plus, these individual DLC purchases are not necessary (3:41).

To get the OakenSoul Ring, you need to find five leads in different zones:
Ignous Inlays (7:58): Found in Galen or High Isle (7:25). You need to clear out mobs in the active volcanic vents until you reach the boss, then open the cache for a chance to get the lead (7:46-7:58).

Lamar Gems (8:41): Located in Stormhaven (8:25), specifically by killing the world boss Titan Claw in the bottom left corner of the zone (8:27-8:30).

Petrified Oak Loop (10:07): Found in Murkmire (9:20). You can obtain this lead by stealing from safe boxes in main towns like Lilmoth, or by looking for Thieves Troves around the zone (9:23-9:46).

Sacred Resin (11:15): Found in Malabal Tor (10:12). This lead can be obtained by killing animal and plant creatures throughout the zone, or by completing dolmens (10:41-11:00).

Stone Shank Frame (13:55): Found in Glenumbra (11:02). You need to farm ore veins and platinum seams in the area. There's a recommended path with multiple nodes and chests (11:23-13:52).

Hapexamendios · November 19

I used Oakensoul builds almost exclusively for a couple years. I switched back to a 2 bar build with subclassing and don't think I'm going back to Oakensoul anytime soon.

Erickson9610 · November 19

I sometimes use Oakensoul on my Werewolf builds, but not always. While it doesn't drastically change the Werewolf form playstyle (Werewolf is not allowed to bar swap anyway) it does provide buffs which sometimes determine your ability morph choices while transformed. Notably, the recoveries from Hircine's Fortitude and the buffs from the Feeding Frenzy synergy (sourced via Howl of Despair) are made redundant with Oakensoul, so in some cases that's enough to switch to the other morph. One particular use case is to use Deafening Roar for Major Protection, and wear Oakensoul to get your Major Savagery/Prophecy back.

A lot of people seem to think that either Oakensoul is too powerful on Werewolf for not having a real downside, or it's useless on Werewolf because of how most of its buffs are redundant as they're sourced from the Werewolf skill line itself. Further, some people like to describe an Oakensoul build as a "better Werewolf" build, since it lets you build around your human form skills with similar buffs and the one bar restriction that Werewolf has.

While Oakensoul certainly has its uses in Werewolf builds, it's not always best in slot for them. Depending on what you're building for, Oakensoul can be completely removed from your Werewolf build to better optimize it. But, that doesn't make it any less fun to use.

rhythmsuji · November 19

Hapexamendios wrote: »

I used Oakensoul builds almost exclusively for a couple years. I switched back to a 2 bar build with subclassing and don't think I'm going back to Oakensoul anytime soon.

Yeah I think this is a good path for those who were just learning and able to grow into a 2 bar setup.

rhythmsuji · November 19

Erickson9610 wrote: »

I sometimes use Oakensoul on my Werewolf builds, but not always. While it doesn't drastically change the Werewolf form playstyle (Werewolf is not allowed to bar swap anyway) it does provide buffs which sometimes determine your ability morph choices while transformed. Notably, the recoveries from Hircine's Fortitude and the buffs from the Feeding Frenzy synergy (sourced via Howl of Despair) are made redundant with Oakensoul, so in some cases that's enough to switch to the other morph. One particular use case is to use Deafening Roar for Major Protection, and wear Oakensoul to get your Major Savagery/Prophecy back.

A lot of people seem to think that either Oakensoul is too powerful on Werewolf for not having a real downside, or it's useless on Werewolf because of how most of its buffs are redundant as they're sourced from the Werewolf skill line itself. Further, some people like to describe an Oakensoul build as a "better Werewolf" build, since it lets you build around your human form skills with similar buffs and the one bar restriction that Werewolf has.

While Oakensoul certainly has its uses in Werewolf builds, it's not always best in slot for them. Depending on what you're building for, Oakensoul can be completely removed from your Werewolf build to better optimize it. But, that doesn't make it any less fun to use.

Great additional info and insight!

I actually have never really dabbled in WW play so far, so this is very good to know. I have heard some things here or there, but not in full detail.

ISO_Flow · November 19

oh my god yeah, I already use the ring so I don't need to know how. But I will check out your build when it comes out

My character was able to do SO MUCH more when I started using an Oakensoul ring build. (I am disabled and terminally ll)

Radiate77 · November 19

Oakensoul was really fun when it was more competitive with other options.

What I loved about it is that whatever abilities you picked, they all felt strong, even ones that weren’t normally.

frogthroat · November 19

The way Oakensoul is right now, it has its uses. Not really for competitive builds, but it's still useful. It's absolutely great for those with mobility issues. I do recommend it for those with disabilities and have helped many to make that build.

I still had two builds using Oakensoul myself until recently. One was my crafter that I use to collect survey and treasure maps with. I switched to Rakkhat, but for crafting and overland questing Oakensoul would be enough. I don't need to parse over 100k to pick flowers. HA Oakensoul is a simple, tanky, and very much survivable build, although it cannot compete in dps with 2bar builds.

The other was a "group ganker" PVP build. Not really a ganker build, but with one button so many DOTs that I could apply a ridiculous amount of pressure from behind the front lines so that the brawlers in our group have easier time. ...until they gutted one set and now it doesn't work any more.

The point being, it does have it uses. Best in slot for those with disabilities affecting their button pressing, and pretty good for those who prefer a more casual playstyle. Or, if you know what you are doing, it can be used for some fun, niche off-meta builds - like some WW builds.

For HA bulds the two competing builds would be with Oakensoul and with Rakkhat. Oakensoul is much easier to play and you do ok damage with very little effort. The negative is the damage ceiling is much lower, but on the other hand, it's super easy to reach that ceiling. With Rakkhat the ceiling is much higher and more difficult to get to, but is still relatively easy. You just need to source Empower from elsewhere.

However, I would not recommend Oakensoul to new players. Absolutely not. Oakensoul is easy and that is its downfall for new players. With Oakensoul you'll never learn LA-weaving and bar swapping. It also limits your builds so you don't really learn as much about customising your build. If you learned ESO using a one bar build and then want to do some serious end game content where 2bar builds are much, much better you would need to start learning (almost) from the beginning. Might be difficult to learn 2bars and LA-weaving when you are still learning the basics but it will be more beneficial in the long run.

tl;dr - I would recommend Oakensoul builds for those with mobility issues and for those looking for a more casual playstyle. I would absolutely not recommend Oakensoul to new players where it would hinder learning important mechanics of the game.

ISO_Flow · November 19

Radiate77 wrote: »

Oakensoul was really fun when it was more competitive with other options.

What I loved about it is that whatever abilities you picked, they all felt strong, even ones that weren’t normally.

Yeah but to his point this is less about "competitive" and ore about accessible ease while still being very viable for content, especially solo.

BXR_Lonestar · November 19

Erickson9610 wrote: »

I sometimes use Oakensoul on my Werewolf builds, but not always. While it doesn't drastically change the Werewolf form playstyle (Werewolf is not allowed to bar swap anyway) it does provide buffs which sometimes determine your ability morph choices while transformed. Notably, the recoveries from Hircine's Fortitude and the buffs from the Feeding Frenzy synergy (sourced via Howl of Despair) are made redundant with Oakensoul, so in some cases that's enough to switch to the other morph. One particular use case is to use Deafening Roar for Major Protection, and wear Oakensoul to get your Major Savagery/Prophecy back.

A lot of people seem to think that either Oakensoul is too powerful on Werewolf for not having a real downside, or it's useless on Werewolf because of how most of its buffs are redundant as they're sourced from the Werewolf skill line itself. Further, some people like to describe an Oakensoul build as a "better Werewolf" build, since it lets you build around your human form skills with similar buffs and the one bar restriction that Werewolf has.

While Oakensoul certainly has its uses in Werewolf builds, it's not always best in slot for them. Depending on what you're building for, Oakensoul can be completely removed from your Werewolf build to better optimize it. But, that doesn't make it any less fun to use.

Oakensoul is great on a werewolf mostly because of the 100% uptime on minor heroism IMO. What sucks about playing a WW is that if your WW runs out, your human again and you feel pretty weak, as it is difficult to get a WW build that is strong in WW form and still formidable when you are a human, so reducing the time that you have to be a human is a huge plus IMO.

JaxontheUnfortunate · November 19

Yeah I agree I use oakensoul in a more general pve content build (up vet dungeons). I drop it entirely for different builds (pvp, tanking and vet trials)

Varana · November 19

rhythmsuji wrote: »

Oakensoul/1 bar/heavy attack build users

One thing to keep in mind is that these are not necessarily the same.

Oakensoul is good for a heavy attack build that tries to use as few buttons as possible, mostly due to the constant Empower. And it's a great gateway into that playstyle.

You can make a (probably better) one-bar build without it if you're fine with keeping up one or two more skills. You don't have to use Oakensoul for a one-bar build. It's a question of deciding what is important for each player.

rhythmsuji · November 19

Varana wrote: »

rhythmsuji wrote: »

Oakensoul/1 bar/heavy attack build users

One thing to keep in mind is that these are not necessarily the same.

Oakensoul is good for a heavy attack build that tries to use as few buttons as possible, mostly due to the constant Empower. And it's a great gateway into that playstyle.

You can make a (probably better) one-bar build without it if you're fine with keeping up one or two more skills. You don't have to use Oakensoul for a one-bar build. It's a question of deciding what is important for each player.

I definitely agree with this, its like the furthest extreme option is how I should have focused on it in the video. Not the ONLY one I guess technically. But yeah in multiple games I have tried to get my mom down to 1-2 buttons or maybe 3-4 if it really isn't possible. But she literally just can't press more than 1-2 without having to stop and look down for a few different reasons, so that's why I was soooo over the moon when I learned about Oakensoul and saw what I could do with it. Especially since it can allow her to do very decent damage and also survive with slower mobility simultaneously.

rhythmsuji · November 19

frogthroat wrote: »

The way Oakensoul is right now, it has its uses. Not really for competitive builds, but it's still useful. It's absolutely great for those with mobility issues. I do recommend it for those with disabilities and have helped many to make that build.

I still had two builds using Oakensoul myself until recently. One was my crafter that I use to collect survey and treasure maps with. I switched to Rakkhat, but for crafting and overland questing Oakensoul would be enough. I don't need to parse over 100k to pick flowers. HA Oakensoul is a simple, tanky, and very much survivable build, although it cannot compete in dps with 2bar builds.

The other was a "group ganker" PVP build. Not really a ganker build, but with one button so many DOTs that I could apply a ridiculous amount of pressure from behind the front lines so that the brawlers in our group have easier time. ...until they gutted one set and now it doesn't work any more.

The point being, it does have it uses. Best in slot for those with disabilities affecting their button pressing, and pretty good for those who prefer a more casual playstyle. Or, if you know what you are doing, it can be used for some fun, niche off-meta builds - like some WW builds.

For HA bulds the two competing builds would be with Oakensoul and with Rakkhat. Oakensoul is much easier to play and you do ok damage with very little effort. The negative is the damage ceiling is much lower, but on the other hand, it's super easy to reach that ceiling. With Rakkhat the ceiling is much higher and more difficult to get to, but is still relatively easy. You just need to source Empower from elsewhere.

However, I would not recommend Oakensoul to new players. Absolutely not. Oakensoul is easy and that is its downfall for new players. With Oakensoul you'll never learn LA-weaving and bar swapping. It also limits your builds so you don't really learn as much about customising your build. If you learned ESO using a one bar build and then want to do some serious end game content where 2bar builds are much, much better you would need to start learning (almost) from the beginning. Might be difficult to learn 2bars and LA-weaving when you are still learning the basics but it will be more beneficial in the long run.

tl;dr - I would recommend Oakensoul builds for those with mobility issues and for those looking for a more casual playstyle. I would absolutely not recommend Oakensoul to new players where it would hinder learning important mechanics of the game.

This is a fair perspective, I don't fully agree. BUT I can see why you would prefer not to do so.

I have helped a couple new players get the ring, I just ask them what their goals are and make sure they know the limitations and where to go after Oaken if they wish to train up. Some people find the game very overwhelming to start, but after a long time they might be comfortable enough to start throwing in a second bar.

AScarlato · November 19

Hapexamendios wrote: »

I used Oakensoul builds almost exclusively for a couple years. I switched back to a 2 bar build with subclassing and don't think I'm going back to Oakensoul anytime soon.

Same for me. Oakensoul was a fun toy for a while but at some point I got a tad bored of it compared to 2 bars and subclassing.

AcadianPaladin · November 19

I was ready to rage quit the game after the dumpster fire called Update 35. In desperation I decided to try Oakensoul before quitting. I fell in love with it and decided to stay with ESO. Now, every one of my characters uses Oakensoul and I don't ever see that changing - tank, healer, dps - all of them. The primary reason I love Oakensoul (as a solo PvE player) is to avoid the micromanagement of buffs. While I do have a couple HA lightning staff builds, several of my builds are not HA. That said, even for a non-HA build, an Oakensoul HA is actually an effective 'skill' that has the added bonuses of no skill slot required, solid damage and a nice return on resources.

Radiate77 · November 19

ISO_Flow wrote: »

Radiate77 wrote: »

Oakensoul was really fun when it was more competitive with other options.

What I loved about it is that whatever abilities you picked, they all felt strong, even ones that weren’t normally.

Yeah but to his point this is less about "competitive" and ore about accessible ease while still being very viable for content, especially solo.

Trust me, I know.

Just giving my experience with the mythic, as people tend to pigeonhole it as a disability slot-in.

That may be what it is now; but it wasn’t always.

SkaiFaith · November 19

AcadianPaladin wrote: »

I was ready to rage quit the game after the dumpster fire called Update 35. In desperation I decided to try Oakensoul before quitting. I fell in love with it and decided to stay with ESO. Now, every one of my characters uses Oakensoul and I don't ever see that changing - tank, healer, dps - all of them. The primary reason I love Oakensoul (as a solo PvE player) is to avoid the micromanagement of buffs. While I do have a couple HA lightning staff builds, several of my builds are not HA. That said, even for a non-HA build, an Oakensoul HA is actually an effective 'skill' that has the added bonuses of no skill slot required, solid damage and a nice return on resources.

Awesome and same here

LunaFlora · November 19

awesome post!

i love Oakensoul, it has made combat more accessible for me.
i was so happy when seeing it in High isle/update 34 in 2022. i still miss the Major Courage, Force, and Beserk, but the Minor versions are still good anyway.

As a disabled girl, it was physically painful to frequently reactivate skills for buffs, Light attack weave, and frequently bar swap.
i use Oakensoul for all my damage builds and i doubt that will change. Not all my builds are Heavy attack focused with Sergeant's Mail, but still Heavy attack instead of Light attack regardless

Coupled with Subclassing i can have fun themed builds and have all the useful buffs Oakensoul provides, yippie.

i dream of Oakensoul's buffs being a toggle so i can use other Mythics that seem fun at the same time, though that is sadly unlikely to happen

Orbital78 · November 19

I just wish the void mantle bridged the gap better, zero resource regen doesn't feel like a heavy attack build anymore.

Arunei · November 19

For me, keeping track of a bunch of buffs and weapon swapping can get super overwhelming super quick, so playing an Oakensorc has been nice. I've had one for a few years now and she's the main character I do stuff like IA and dungeons on, and she does pretty decent damage. It's definitely enough to get me through all the content I ever plan on doing.

Radiate77 · November 19

Arunei wrote: »

For me, keeping track of a bunch of buffs and weapon swapping can get super overwhelming super quick, so playing an Oakensorc has been nice. I've had one for a few years now and she's the main character I do stuff like IA and dungeons on, and she does pretty decent damage. It's definitely enough to get me through all the content I ever plan on doing.

One of the things Throne & Liberty got right, was that you had access to all 12 abilities at any given time without having to bar swap, and when you use a skill that required your off-hand, it automatically swapped to it, you also had the ability to manually swap weapons aswell.

rothan117 · November 19

I use Oakensoul on my main and all my alts. I just cannot do the bar swapping effectively anymore. Age and arthritis are slowing my keyboard skills down and having to bar swap became too much, my dps went up when I got Oakensoul due to that.

kevkj · November 19

The Oakensoul Ring has been paying my rent, groceries and taxes ever since I obtained it in-game.

AvalonRanger · November 19

Filling 2 Bar by only buff class skill is real problem.
So some people say one bar is simple and perfect building.

But recently, we have subclass method. I think one bar is
no more perfect anymore.

AvalonRanger · November 19

We need skill combo system rather than one bar style as new game function.

Put skill set which I want to use it at same time, and just push one button then
every favorite skill launch at same timing regardless 2 bar or not.

C_Inside · November 19

I see your video and raise you one by Hyper instead:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1omCaqpoiMc

TL:DR Oakensoul is bad even on 1 bar builds and even on solo builds because the buffs it provides are all either useless or easily sourced. Even if you never switch bars and keep your back bar completely empty you're better off using something like Velothi/a monster set (for group content), Rakkhat (for HA builds), or Pale Order (for solo builds).

Not to mention that playing a werewolf will give you way more dps than any oakensoul build you can come up with while still keeping it a 1 bar. You don't even need to track ultimate in this case.

Jestir · November 19

Yeah, as said above oakensoul is just not very good. It is an all rounder mythic easily outclassed by other more specialized ones in almost any situation

SkaiFaith · November 19

"See, it's easy without Oakensoul to solo a VHMDLC boss doing super high DPS" - proceeds to smash 8.000 buttons per second.

Before subclassing my build was already easy, IMO easier than the famous "Lazy Sorc" - As a Warden I just activated Deep Fissure for debuff, kept Heavy Attack button down, pressed Polar Wind if needed a heal and applied Wall if felt fancy. Nothing else. Cleared VHM base game and NDLC. (5 Heavy pieces and 35-40k health btw)

Can no-Oakensoul clear the same? Yes!
Can no-Oakensoul do better? Yes!
BUT CAN I ACHIEVE THAT WITHOUT OAKENSOUL? NO.

It's not a matter of objectivity, it's subjective. Stop saying we are misleading the community - there are people who fall in love with this item and who couldn't perform the same without. We are NOT saying this is true for everyone; this is true for US. We may be impaired, not dumb; we know if we can perform better in a different way - we can't.

I am thankful for the videos put out on the subject, because I'm happy to learn, but each oakensoul user's reasons are different - I can't imagine what another one is living, their condition. They know better than anyone. Please don't make them feel worse than what they already feel. Thanks.

(Keep in mind: what looks like boring, slow gameplay to you can feel like a Speedrun to someone else)

rhythmsuji · November 20

SkaiFaith wrote: »

"See, it's easy without Oakensoul to solo a VHMDLC boss doing super high DPS" - proceeds to smash 8.000 buttons per second.

Before subclassing my build was already easy, IMO easier than the famous "Lazy Sorc" - As a Warden I just activated Deep Fissure for debuff, kept Heavy Attack button down, pressed Polar Wind if needed a heal and applied Wall if felt fancy. Nothing else. Cleared VHM base game and NDLC. (5 Heavy pieces and 35-40k health btw)

Can no-Oakensoul clear the same? Yes!
Can no-Oakensoul do better? Yes!
BUT CAN I ACHIEVE THAT WITHOUT OAKENSOUL? NO.

It's not a matter of objectivity, it's subjective. Stop saying we are misleading the community - there are people who fall in love with this item and who couldn't perform the same without. We are NOT saying this is true for everyone; this is true for US. We are impaired, not dumb; we know if we can perform better in a different way - we can't.

I am thankful for the videos put out on the subject, because I'm happy to learn, but each oakensoul user's reasons are different - I can't imagine what another one is living, their condition. They know better than anyone. Please don't make them feel worse than what they already feel. Thanks.

(Keep in mind: what looks like boring, slow game-play to you can feel like a Speedrun to someone else)

Can I thank you, I genuinely appreciate you and the few others who are helping shed light and perspective on this.

I know I shouldn't be shocked, but the sub Reddit thread I posted about this one has been BOMBED. And some of them clearly aren't even watching the video, but just being negative. Some guy loosely accused me or others of using "the disabled" as he put it, simply for mentioning how it can help with accessibility. Which I literally did for my mother who is elderly and disabled as stated. Like we aren't allowed to help spread the message and fight the stigma or else we are "using" them? He's essentially saying we can't mention them, like anyone who isn't able bodied is taboo to reference or something gross.

It's absolutely wild how full of hate and bad assertions so many are about this kind of stuff. And btw, I noticed that was one of the few moderators of the ESO subreddit O.o.... Absolutely crazy.

(I already know, I shouldn't be shocked. It's reddit, which can be cesspool.)
But thanks again.