Unique HP Bars for World Difficulty

TheDreVMiros · July 1

I think very few people have noticed that the player's HP bar already has a small decoration that is visible to other players. However, in its current form, it's barely noticeable, blends into the UI, and doesn't really give the impression that the player is playing on a specific world difficulty.

This is how they currently look depending on the selected difficulty:

I suggest giving the HP bar a unique design for each world difficulty. This would allow players to immediately recognize which difficulty someone is playing on without having to look closely at the tiny icon next to their name.

ZOS, please consider adding something like this. It would not only make the UI look more visually appealing and diverse, but also provide a clear way to showcase the achievements of players who choose to play on higher world difficulties.

P.S - Of course, these are just fan concept designs, but you get the idea of what I'm suggesting.

virtus753 · July 2

I like both of those in their own ways. I’m glad you made the suggestion because I do think the current design could be much more interesting.

The current wing-bling reminds me more of fantasy and especially of dragons, which is a major reason I like the shape of the silhouette. But you’ve highlighted what has been bothering me most about it, which is that it has no depth whatsoever. It is very much in line with the recent attempt to “modernize” the UI in ways that just ended up falling very flat for me. Literally. There’s no sense of dimensionality or definition. Beyond the nice silhouette it’s not visually interesting to me, and the color is easily lost when there’s no sense of dimensionality (highlighting, edges, etc.). I think that’s why I have to pause and look carefully to figure out what’s going on. For a system that seems designed to be distinguished at a glance, that means the functionality isn’t really working for me.

The suggestion below it uses the “point” cues currently used for elites and bosses, so it feels to me that it’s saying we’re the boss now when we play on higher difficulties. It also brings back some of the depths with the highlights and lines. I do like that, although I’d miss the shape that’s more evocative of wings to me.