DK PvE Needs Serious Attention — Pyrebrand & Wildfire Embers Feel Terrible

SonOfAsura
SonOfAsura
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Dragonknight feels like it is falling behind classes like Nightblade and Necromancer in PvE consistency, and the issues with DK’s Class Mastery mechanics and passive synergies are becoming impossible to ignore.

Two of the main pain points in the current DK playstyle are the Wildfire Embers Class Mastery effect and the Landslide passive in the Earthen Heart skill line (alongside their interaction with options like the Pyrebrand set). Dragonknight has always been built around Flame Damage and Damage over Time (DoT) effects, but these mechanics currently feel overly punishing, slow, and clunky for modern PvE combat.
1. Wildfire Embers (Class Mastery)

The Problem: Wildfire Embers takes far too long to build up. Requiring slow stack building means that in many fast-paced PvE encounters or trash pulls, it reaches its full potential too late—or the fight is already over before it becomes meaningful. Instead of rewarding active DoT management, the mechanic forces DK players to wait for long ramp-up windows.

Rework Suggestion:

Applying a DK DoT or Burning status effect directly applies Wildfire Embers.

Lasts 10 seconds.

Stacks up to 5 times against monsters, with each stack increasing its damage by 20%.

Deals 300% increased damage against monsters.

Against players, caps at 3 stacks and deals 50% reduced damage.

2. Landslide (Earthen Heart Passive)

The Problem: The design of the Landslide passive is doubly punishing due to its sluggish stack gain and aggressive decay rate:

Absurd Ramp-Up Time: You gain 1 stack of Landslide (+1% Damage Done) every 5 seconds when dealing damage. Reaching the maximum 10 stacks requires 50 seconds of continuous damage. In fast-paced PvE encounters, 50 seconds is an unreasonably long setup time just to reach full passive value.

Harsh Decay Rate: While losing a stack every 2 seconds isn't an instant reset, it creates heavy friction during short encounters, mandatory mechanic phases, and transitions between fights (such as moving from trash pull to trash pull, or trash to boss). Dropping multiple stacks during these brief gaps forces players to constantly restart a sluggish 50-second ramp-up for every new engagement.

Rework Suggestion:

5 maximum stacks giving 2% Damage Done per stack (up to 10% total).

Reduce the gain cooldown from 5 seconds to 1 second, allowing full stacks in 5 seconds instead of 50.

Decay Change: Only lose 1 stack after 10 seconds without dealing damage, rather than losing a stack every 2 seconds.

And then there's Pyrebrand.
Compared to the Archive sets available to other classes, Pyrebrand feels extremely underwhelming. Other classes get much more impactful options, while DK's set feels like a significant downgrade.
At the moment, Necromancer and Nightblade simply outperform DK in PvE, both in effectiveness and consistency.
DK doesn't need to become broken. It needs meaningful improvements that bring back its class identity while making its PvE mechanics less punishing.
Please take another look at Wildfire Embers, Landslide, and Pyrebrand. These mechanics need meaningful improvements rather than minor numerical adjustments.
Edited by SonOfAsura on 9 August 2026 17:28
  • SonOfAsura
    SonOfAsura
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    Pyrebrand Rework Suggestion

    (2 items) Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage

    (3 items) Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage

    (4 items) Adds 657 Critical Chance

    (5 items) Whenever you apply a Dragonknight Damage over Time effect or Burning to an enemy (or monster), you create a Pyrebrand Flame Aura around the target, dealing Flame Damage to the target and all enemies within 8 meters.

    Pyrebrand can trigger once every 1 second.

    The damage scales with the higher of your Weapon or Spell Damage.

    Pyrebrand deals 10% more damage for each Dragonknight ability slotted.

    The effect should have a strong Flame Aura-style visual, spreading flames around the affected target rather than simply creating an explosion.
    Edited by SonOfAsura on 9 August 2026 16:44
  • SonOfAsura
    SonOfAsura
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    I hope they dont ignore this
    A redesigned class shouldn't be this bad in PvE
  • Dalsinthus
    Dalsinthus
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    SonOfAsura wrote: »
    I hope they dont ignore this
    A redesigned class shouldn't be this bad in PvE

    It’s wild to me how much DK dominates in PvP right now but is basically unwanted except as a tank or buff dd in PvE. I like the refresh but it’s amazing how the changes missed the mark in these key areas.
  • Adrastus
    Adrastus
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    very insightful
    i hope they make buffs to this asap and bring dk in line with the other superstar pve classes instead of nerfing those other pve classes into oblivion

    @ZOS_Kevin
  • SonOfAsura
    SonOfAsura
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    Adrastus wrote: »
    very insightful
    i hope they make buffs to this asap and bring dk in line with the other superstar pve classes instead of nerfing those other pve classes into oblivion

    @ZOS_Kevin

    i hope so.
    and i'm hoping DEVs won't ignore player feedback here @ZOS_Kevin
  • Luneca
    Luneca
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    Dalsinthus wrote: »
    SonOfAsura wrote: »
    I hope they dont ignore this
    A redesigned class shouldn't be this bad in PvE

    It’s wild to me how much DK dominates in PvP right now but is basically unwanted except as a tank or buff dd in PvE. I like the refresh but it’s amazing how the changes missed the mark in these key areas.

    It's because the power of the class was poorly distributed. Increasing whip damage made zero sense IMO, among other changes that actually cut DPS in a PvE environment but increased burst potential in PvP. How they changed some of these skills actually made them operate less often over an interval of time versus the older options, but work better when combined in burst.

    And PvP is all about burst right now and direct damage, not DoTs. And ZOS refuses to buff DoTs for some reason, which would actually be a counter to DK's power in PvP at the same time.

    I said it at the beginning of the rework (though I wasn't on the forums yet), but if the idea was that DK was being reworked for PvE it was missing the mark. The changes actually made DK worse in some instances as far as PvE is concerned IMO. And it did so in PvP if you used certain pre-reworke skills that got "buffed" but at the same time resulted in a loss of functionality that could be build around.
  • Jabbs_Giggity
    Jabbs_Giggity
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    SonOfAsura wrote: »
    Pyrebrand Rework Suggestion

    (2 items) Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage

    (3 items) Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage

    (4 items) Adds 657 Critical Chance

    (5 items) Whenever you apply a Dragonknight Damage over Time effect or Burning to an enemy (or monster), you create a Pyrebrand Flame Aura around the target, dealing Flame Damage to the target and all enemies within 8 meters.

    Pyrebrand can trigger once every 1 second.

    The damage scales with the higher of your Weapon or Spell Damage.

    Pyrebrand deals 10% more damage for each Dragonknight ability slotted.

    The effect should have a strong Flame Aura-style visual, spreading flames around the affected target rather than simply creating an explosion.

    This is how Aetheric Lancer set should be on Templar. End of discussion.
    Stop asking for buffs to DK!!!
    @ZOS_Kevin
  • SonOfAsura
    SonOfAsura
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    SonOfAsura wrote: »
    Pyrebrand Rework Suggestion

    (2 items) Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage

    (3 items) Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage

    (4 items) Adds 657 Critical Chance

    (5 items) Whenever you apply a Dragonknight Damage over Time effect or Burning to an enemy (or monster), you create a Pyrebrand Flame Aura around the target, dealing Flame Damage to the target and all enemies within 8 meters.

    Pyrebrand can trigger once every 1 second.

    The damage scales with the higher of your Weapon or Spell Damage.

    Pyrebrand deals 10% more damage for each Dragonknight ability slotted.

    The effect should have a strong Flame Aura-style visual, spreading flames around the affected target rather than simply creating an explosion.

    This is how Aetheric Lancer set should be on Templar. End of discussion.
    Stop asking for buffs to DK!!!
    @ZOS_Kevin

    pd86uppwaiu9.jpg

    If that's the case, then what we're asking for is both necessary and completely reasonable.
  • Jabbs_Giggity
    Jabbs_Giggity
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    SonOfAsura wrote: »
    SonOfAsura wrote: »
    Pyrebrand Rework Suggestion

    (2 items) Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage

    (3 items) Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage

    (4 items) Adds 657 Critical Chance

    (5 items) Whenever you apply a Dragonknight Damage over Time effect or Burning to an enemy (or monster), you create a Pyrebrand Flame Aura around the target, dealing Flame Damage to the target and all enemies within 8 meters.

    Pyrebrand can trigger once every 1 second.

    The damage scales with the higher of your Weapon or Spell Damage.

    Pyrebrand deals 10% more damage for each Dragonknight ability slotted.

    The effect should have a strong Flame Aura-style visual, spreading flames around the affected target rather than simply creating an explosion.

    This is how Aetheric Lancer set should be on Templar. End of discussion.
    Stop asking for buffs to DK!!!
    @ZOS_Kevin

    pd86uppwaiu9.jpg

    If that's the case, then what we're asking for is both necessary and completely reasonable.

    I suppose I should obviously premise that Aetheric Lancer should still proc on Burning Light for Magic Damage and read:

    (2 items) Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage

    (3 items) Adds 657 Critical Chance

    (4 items) Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage

    (5 items) Dealing damage with Burning Light twice within 30 seconds creates an Aura on the caster for 5 seconds. While the Aura is active, using an Aedric Spear ability launches a spear at your target and all enemies within 8 meters, dealing 1684 Magic Damage and applying Sundered and increasing your Damage by 300 for 6 seconds.
    Aetheric Lancer deals 2% more damage for each Templar ability slotted. And scales off your Damage.

    **Damage inserted to replace Weapon or Spell Damage for the hybridization changes.

    EDIT for clarification. The Templar class set should not be made as a whack-a-mole mini game, especially with the fast pace of the games movement in combat.

    @ZOS_Kevin
    Edited by Jabbs_Giggity on 10 August 2026 18:09
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