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Two Years On, Lightning Staff Arc Still Broken — Please Fix It
loveeso
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ZOS, please restore the AoE damage of the lightning staff’s electric arc — because right now it’s just ridiculous. It’s always been ridiculous for you to change it. Watching an electric arc pass through enemies and do nothing completely breaks immersion.
No one will be against bringing back its damage anymore. We all have Arcanist beams, which are both much stronger and easier to use, so the lightning staff wouldn’t suddenly become overpowered.
In the past, some players were against the Oakensoul ring, not against heavy attack builds themselves. Heavy attack builds using two bars have always been part of ESO’s identity.
Then some devs nerfed the lightning staff, and the result is a weapon that looks powerful but feels hollow.
Please make it right.
Restoring its AoE damage won’t hurt your sales — people will still pay for and use the Arcanist beam. But it will fix a long-standing issue and bring back consistency to combat.
Edited by loveeso on 26 November 2025 14:30 No one will be against bringing back its damage anymore. We all have Arcanist beams, which are both much stronger and easier to use, so the lightning staff wouldn’t suddenly become overpowered.
In the past, some players were against the Oakensoul ring, not against heavy attack builds themselves. Heavy attack builds using two bars have always been part of ESO’s identity.
Then some devs nerfed the lightning staff, and the result is a weapon that looks powerful but feels hollow.
Please make it right.
Restoring its AoE damage won’t hurt your sales — people will still pay for and use the Arcanist beam. But it will fix a long-standing issue and bring back consistency to combat.
MMOs: ESO (PS & PC), GW2 (😍) & Souls/Elden (😍)
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Soarora✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Wasn’t the problem because people were getting 1-shot in PvP with no time to react? And ZOS never fixed the core problem?PC/NA Dungeoneer (Tank/DPS/Heal), Trialist (DPS/Tank/Heal), and amateur Battlegrounder (DPS) with a passion for The Elder Scrolls lore- CP 2000+
- Warden Healer - Arcanist Healer - Warden Brittleden - Stamarc - Sorc Tank - Necro Tank - Templar Tank - Arcanist Tank
- Trials: 9/12 HMs - 4/8 Tris
- Dungeons: 32/32 HMs - 25/26 Tris
- All Veterans completed!
View my builds!
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loveeso✭✭✭✭Wasn’t the problem because people were getting 1-shot in PvP with no time to react? And ZOS never fixed the core problem?
One‑shot in PvP with a lightning staff heavy attack channel? Don’t think so. Sure, I vaguely remember a few noobs trying it in PvP, but they were quickly disillusioned about its actual viability. Anyway, what I’m talking about here is the first two pulses of the channel — which still hit single targets exactly the same as before, just no longer AoE. The single‑target damage hasn’t changed, so this clearly isn’t related to “one‑shotting players.”
No. The issue wasn’t the lightning heavy attacks themselves — those builds were letting more players step into vet and HM content, finally giving us a bigger pool of teammates that were (mostly) capable of pulling their weight. But then, right before the Arcanist expansion, a few forum voices decided that seeing “too many lightnings everywhere” was apparently intolerable, and that low‑APM players didn’t “deserve” that much power… and ZOS happily nerfed it. We lost quite a few players.
And what did those who paid for the expansion immediately get instead? The green beam. A straight‑up replacement. Same role, same purpose — only now it does more damage, easier, adds a shield, and runs at an even lower APM. Beams everywhere, bravo 😆
This isn’t really about damage anymore (no one’s giving up the beam, let’s be honest, much more powerful than those HA builds ever were).
It’s about fixing the absurdity: electric arcs phasing harmlessly through enemies looks ridiculous, breaks immersion, and makes the game feel sloppy. Time to clean it up.Edited by loveeso on 27 November 2025 04:07MMOs: ESO (PS & PC), GW2 (😍) & Souls/Elden (😍)2 -
BretonMage✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭And what did those who paid for the expansion immediately get instead? The green beam. A straight‑up replacement. Same role, same purpose — only now it does more damage, easier, adds a shield, and runs at an even lower APM. Beams everywhere, bravo 😆
Yeah, they should revert the AOE nerf to the lightning staff. Now that lots of players are using Herald anyway, giving the lightning staff back its unnerfed AOE damage would give people a viable alternative to the beam.2 -
tomfant✭✭✭✭Yet still 50% of the people at dolmens or world bosses use lightning staves. It was very ovbious during the writhing wall event at siege camps. One half beams, the other half channels lightning (and some weirdos use random other attacks). So, can't be that bad, right?0
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Avran_Sylt✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭Are you annoyed that the Lightning HA beam doesn't also damage targets it passes through in addition to the targets it deals splash damage to?Edited by Avran_Sylt on 27 November 2025 06:220 -
Orbital78✭✭✭✭✭
✭Yet still 50% of the people at dolmens or world bosses use lightning staves. It was very ovbious during the writhing wall event at siege camps. One half beams, the other half channels lightning (and some weirdos use random other attacks). So, can't be that bad, right?
For overland anything is "not bad". Just because people still try to enjoy the build play style doesn't mean it is competitive anymore. I'm sure there were people using resto staves too.1 -
Avran_Sylt✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭Y'know, I wouldn't be too conflicted if the Lightning Staff HA only dealt damage to up to 3 additional enemies within a line connected to the target with a max of three, (ranged needing more coordination) with the 2H HA dealing damage to three enemies near the target (needing less coordination, range cost of melee, and such allowing 3 hit for LA's as well).0 -
Avran_Sylt✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭I'll admit I've never played a heavy attack build, but what's been neutered from them so far? (apart from power creep?) OP's "arc undamaging thorguh plauyers" sin't sometjing I';ve experienced, myself.0 -
Soarora✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Wasn’t the problem because people were getting 1-shot in PvP with no time to react? And ZOS never fixed the core problem?
One‑shot in PvP with a lightning staff heavy attack channel? Don’t think so. Sure, I vaguely remember a few noobs trying it in PvP, but they were quickly disillusioned about its actual viability. Anyway, what I’m talking about here is the first two pulses of the channel — which still hit single targets exactly the same as before, just no longer AoE. The single‑target damage hasn’t changed, so this clearly isn’t related to “one‑shotting players.”
Yes, I know what you’re talking about. The problem is something like battle spirit not applying to NPCs in PvP zones. If you heavy attack an NPC and a player is in the splash range, they get 1-shot. If you attack the player themselves, they don’t. As far as I know, this is still true for the last hit of the attack. Since the first splash happened quickly, it was difficult to avoid the 1-shot.No. The issue wasn’t the lightning heavy attacks themselves — those builds were letting more players step into vet and HM content, finally giving us a bigger pool of teammates that were (mostly) capable of pulling their weight. But then, right before the Arcanist expansion, a few forum voices decided that seeing “too many lightnings everywhere” was apparently intolerable, and that low‑APM players didn’t “deserve” that much power… and ZOS happily nerfed it. We lost quite a few players.
As one of the complainers, the problem was never the damage for me. It was the survivability. It became meta in the way that arcanist became meta pre-subclassing. AoE damage with self heals (group heals on a HA sorc!) and survivability (minor aegis on oakensorc, now shield on pragmatic). I had never seen people truly require a certain setup until the HA sorc sweep and it annoyed me that 1) the meta pigeonhole wasn’t even a similar playstyle to what everyone was used to and 2) the very same people pushing the meta pigeonhole complained about the build all the time.
Anyways, I’m not opposed to the lightning splashes coming back, it would make using a lightning staff more satisfying, but ZOS should also fix the problem in PvP. Probably by making battle spirit damage apply to the NPCs. Or make the AoE damage only apply to “monsters” if really necessary.
PC/NA Dungeoneer (Tank/DPS/Heal), Trialist (DPS/Tank/Heal), and amateur Battlegrounder (DPS) with a passion for The Elder Scrolls lore- CP 2000+
- Warden Healer - Arcanist Healer - Warden Brittleden - Stamarc - Sorc Tank - Necro Tank - Templar Tank - Arcanist Tank
- Trials: 9/12 HMs - 4/8 Tris
- Dungeons: 32/32 HMs - 25/26 Tris
- All Veterans completed!
View my builds!
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loveeso✭✭✭✭Wasn’t the problem because people were getting 1-shot in PvP with no time to react? And ZOS never fixed the core problem?
One‑shot in PvP with a lightning staff heavy attack channel? Don’t think so. Sure, I vaguely remember a few noobs trying it in PvP, but they were quickly disillusioned about its actual viability. Anyway, what I’m talking about here is the first two pulses of the channel — which still hit single targets exactly the same as before, just no longer AoE. The single‑target damage hasn’t changed, so this clearly isn’t related to “one‑shotting players.”
Yes, I know what you’re talking about. The problem is something like battle spirit not applying to NPCs in PvP zones. If you heavy attack an NPC and a player is in the splash range, they get 1-shot. If you attack the player themselves, they don’t. As far as I know, this is still true for the last hit of the attack. Since the first splash happened quickly, it was difficult to avoid the 1-shot.No. The issue wasn’t the lightning heavy attacks themselves — those builds were letting more players step into vet and HM content, finally giving us a bigger pool of teammates that were (mostly) capable of pulling their weight. But then, right before the Arcanist expansion, a few forum voices decided that seeing “too many lightnings everywhere” was apparently intolerable, and that low‑APM players didn’t “deserve” that much power… and ZOS happily nerfed it. We lost quite a few players.
As one of the complainers, the problem was never the damage for me. It was the survivability. It became meta in the way that arcanist became meta pre-subclassing. AoE damage with self heals (group heals on a HA sorc!) and survivability (minor aegis on oakensorc, now shield on pragmatic). I had never seen people truly require a certain setup until the HA sorc sweep and it annoyed me that 1) the meta pigeonhole wasn’t even a similar playstyle to what everyone was used to and 2) the very same people pushing the meta pigeonhole complained about the build all the time.
Anyways, I’m not opposed to the lightning splashes coming back, it would make using a lightning staff more satisfying, but ZOS should also fix the problem in PvP. Probably by making battle spirit damage apply to the NPCs. Or make the AoE damage only apply to “monsters” if really necessary.
Thanks — refreshing to see a reply that actually lines up coherently with the topic. The NPC splash thing seems so easy to counter that if someone manages to pull it off, survive long enough on such a weak build, and get mobs positioned close enough to enemy players for the relatively narrow lightning splash to hit… then they deserve every kill they get. It looks like even more work than what bombers have to do — and bombers are also easy to counter: just spread out, like you would if you wanted your group to avoid a wipe with one grenade.
We have one‑shots in PvE too — whole groups wipe if they don’t know the counter or react too slowly. No one calls for nerfs there; we learn to cope. And honestly, one‑shots aren’t unusual in PvP games either. Snipers in shooters, shotguns at point‑blank, or MMO bombers all exist. The difference is they’re situational and counterable, not guaranteed. Lightning splash fits that same category: high effort, high risk, and easy to avoid if you know how to play.
Fine, I’ll wait another year or two before bringing this subject back (if both I and the game are still around). Maybe Vengeance will have made the PvP issue disappear by then. I wouldn’t be using lightning staff anyway — too weak even if they unnerfed it. It’s just that knowing those ridiculous lightning arcs are still out there makes the whole game feel so sloppy to me.MMOs: ESO (PS & PC), GW2 (😍) & Souls/Elden (😍)0 -
loveeso✭✭✭✭Yet still 50% of the people at dolmens or world bosses use lightning staves. It was very ovbious during the writhing wall event at siege camps. One half beams, the other half channels lightning (and some weirdos use random other attacks). So, can't be that bad, right?
For overland anything is "not bad". Just because people still try to enjoy the build play style doesn't mean it is competitive anymore. I'm sure there were people using resto staves too.
Exactly. I run around naked and punch overland to death when I’m (very) bored. Dolmens are such a weird thing to bring up in this conversation, right? 😁MMOs: ESO (PS & PC), GW2 (😍) & Souls/Elden (😍)0 -
Turtle_Bot✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭Avran_Sylt wrote: »I'll admit I've never played a heavy attack build, but what's been neutered from them so far? (apart from power creep?) OP's "arc undamaging thorguh plauyers" sin't sometjing I';ve experienced, myself.
The short of it is: The Tri-Focus passive used to make it so that every tick of the lightning staffs heavy attack was an AoE around the initial target.
This was abused (occasionally) in PvP (IC mostly, where there's a bunch of NPCs to splash off and safe platforms to stand on while channeling the attack), so ZOS removed the splash damage from it except for the final tick of damage.
This build was terrible in other PvP modes since there were no good NPC targets to splash off of, no safe platforms to channel from and the channel left your character vulnerable.
The passive got reworked to only splash for the final tick of damage, and ever since, lightning staff heavy attack builds have really struggled to maintain relevancy in end-game PvE due to the lack of cleave against trash packs that die before the final tick and more importantly, the introduction of Arcanist that just beams everything down like the old lightning heavies, but with less button pressing, full range, full cleave the entire length of the beam (instead of just a splash around the main target) and even a free bonus damage shield included.
It also hasn't helped there's been a bunch of heavy attack bugs where the character just stands there in the animation, but no lightning comes out and no damage is being done.1 -
licenturion✭✭✭✭✭
✭Yet still 50% of the people at dolmens or world bosses use lightning staves. It was very ovbious during the writhing wall event at siege camps. One half beams, the other half channels lightning (and some weirdos use random other attacks). So, can't be that bad, right?
For overland anything is "not bad". Just because people still try to enjoy the build play style doesn't mean it is competitive anymore. I'm sure there were people using resto staves too.
Exactly. I run around naked and punch overland to death when I’m (very) bored. Dolmens are such a weird thing to bring up in this conversation, right? 😁
I think this is also why overland difficulty stuff is happening so slowly.
Now all skills and sets are still viable in some way because overland is super easy and you could goof around. If they have hard overland that gives more rewards, I bet even the people who use non meta stuff will also pivot to a very meta builds.
And if they have hard overland, but without increased rewards, then almost nobody is probably going to play it.Edited by licenturion on 27 November 2025 14:201