Impulse nerf - how hard will it hit?

ckf12b14_ESO

So, hidden within the patch notes was a nerf to Impulse. The magicka cost of Impulse per cast is being increased, and if you have any skill points invested in the skill, they're being refunded.

The patch notes said nothing about increase cost to the 2 morphs, but I'm going to assume they're both being hit too. No numbers were released, but I'll assume it's a pretty big nerf if they're refunding skillpoints (much like the bash nerfs).

Since every class and their sister uses Impulse for AOE in general, what are your thoughts? Do you think it really needed to be nerfed to begin with? If the nerf is hard enough to render the skill bad, what's the replacement?

Master_Quack14b14_ESO

Seriously dude.... if they increased the mana cost by 60~80% It STILL wouldn't matter.... My Sorcerer is immortal with Critical Surge and can AoE grind forever! everyone I have talked to about the build I have told them that the Devs will nerf it eventually.....

Honestly, Impulse wasn't the problem.... it was the mana return of Destruction Expert that was the real problem.... Impulse's initial damage wasn't that high, the long term damage of the DoT and possible burn was decent.... over all the spell was good because the low cost and the return of Destruction Expert easily covered the cost of the spell as long as you hit at least as many mobs as total impulses you had to cast.

I am glad that they increased the damage of Force Shock as the spell was just trash to begin with. However, All of the spells should have a 50% increase in cost as well as a 100% increase in damage.

If you spend more time hammering the same spell instead of deciding what spell is right to use at this exact moment, then the spells/abilities are sub par, PERIOD.

Also note, that if a single spell becomes the Go-To ability it is not because the ability is overpowered.... It is because the ability is in line with what people believe abilities SHOULD be. If they only use that one ability it is because the rest of their tool kit is sub par.

People want to feel like a HERO that SMITES their foes... Not some underdog hoping for the best possible situation. I want to spend more time smelling the flowers and enjoying the quests.... Vanquishing dremora and whatnot instead of getting my sh*t pushed in and trying to figure out how I will get back to the quest from the wayshrine I respawned at.

The game is meant to be FUN... let me repeat that... FUN!!!!!!! not everyone finds smashing their head against a wall fun... not everyone wants to spend all day at work just to go home and take care of everything they have to do in their spare time just to find a few hours to relax and play a game that they have to spend a trillion hours smashing their head against a wall just to make progress.

No matter what game you make, there will be people that will finish it in a week. This is unavoidable...

The reason games like World of Warcraft are so popular is because they cater to the average player, not the extremists. Average people want to have fun in the 1-3 hours a day that they actually have to unwind. If I wanted to put that much work into my free time I would just double the amount of college classes I have this semester and save $15 a month of this sh*t.

ckf12b14_ESO

Master_Quack14b14_ESO wrote: »

Seriously dude.... if they increased the mana cost by 60~80% It STILL wouldn't matter.... My Sorcerer is immortal with Critical Surge and can AoE grind forever! everyone I have talked to about the build I have told them that the Devs will nerf it eventually.....

Honestly, Impulse wasn't the problem.... it was the mana return of Destruction Expert that was the real problem.... Impulse's initial damage wasn't that high, the long term damage of the DoT and possible burn was decent.... over all the spell was good because the low cost and the return of Destruction Expert easily covered the cost of the spell as long as you hit at least as many mobs as total impulses you had to cast.

I am glad that they increased the damage of Force Shock as the spell was just trash to begin with. However, All of the spells should have a 50% increase in cost as well as a 100% increase in damage.

If you spend more time hammering the same spell instead of deciding what spell is right to use at this exact moment, then the spells/abilities are sub par, PERIOD.

Also note, that if a single spell becomes the Go-To ability it is not because the ability is overpowered.... It is because the ability is in line with what people believe abilities SHOULD be. If they only use that one ability it is because the rest of their tool kit is sub par.

People want to feel like a HERO that SMITES their foes... Not some underdog hoping for the best possible situation. I want to spend more time smelling the flowers and enjoying the quests.... Vanquishing dremora and whatnot instead of getting my sh*t pushed in and trying how I will get back to the quest from the wayshrine I respawned at.

The game is meant to be FUN... let me repeat that... FUN!!!!!!! not everyone finds smashing their head against a wall fun... not everyone wants to spend all day at work just to go home and take care of everything they have to do in their spare time just to find a few hours to relax and play a game that they have to spend a trillion hours smashing their head against a wall just to make progress.

No matter what game you make, there will be people that will finish it in a week. This is unavoidable...

The reason games like World of Warcraft are so popular is because they cater to the average player, not the extremists. Average people want to have fun in the 1-3 hours a day that they actually have to unwind. If I wanted to put that much work into my free time I would just double the amount of college classes I have this semester and save $15 a month of this sh*t.

Uh.
What?

First off, I wasn't complaining. I never even stated my opinion on the matter, because I'm not even sure how I feel about the change. I'm reserving my judgement for when I get my hands on the nerf and get to play around with it, being an extensive Impulse spammer previously.

I don't know what level you are, but Destruction Expert was all but useless in higher zones, especially in dungeons. Trash mobs in Wayrest Sewers VR10 wouldn't die before you used up all your magicka spamming Impulse, and when they did die, they all died pretty much at once. It was helpful, to be sure, but Impulse was good because of the massive AOE coverage coupled with comparatively low magicka cost with comparatively high damage output (using fire dot) and high utility (if you used chill or concussion, or even if you use Pulsar for the max hp lower).

I'm not even going to comment on the other 80% of your essay, because your idea of fun and extremism and whatnot has nothing to do with a discussion on the nerfs to Impulse..

Slantasiam

so they decided to nerf the only stuff that wasn't crap into crap....wow

Master_Quack14b14_ESO

When you top 50% to crit as a Sorcerer with additional focus on staff damage you end up plowing through everything in the veteran ranks with ease... well, you did......... Now you may have to take on less than 6 at a time, LOL!

I'm sorry you don't find DE usefull in the higher level veteran zones, you must have a terrible build than... because the shear amount of mana it returns coupled with stacking as much cost redux as possible equates to EPICness.

Also note that the other 80% of my essay does apply... otherwise you would agree with the devs about nerfing impulse because it was 'too strong'... You feel that the nerf was unnecessary because it was what you expected from a spell of that caliber. If that is what you expected form a spell of that caliber then the rest of the spells that YOU DO NOT USE are then, subpar. Therefore, the sub par abilities should have been buffed to become more competitive with Impulse, instead of nerfing Impulse so that the rest of the sub par abilities are now competitive...

ckf12b14_ESO

Master_Quack14b14_ESO wrote: »

When you top 50% to crit as a Sorcerer with additional focus on staff damage you end up plowing through everything in the veteran ranks with ease... well, you did......... Now you may have to take on less than 6 at a time, LOL!

I'm sorry you don't find DE usefull in the higher level veteran zones, you must have a terrible build then... because the shear amount of mana it returns coupled with stacking as much cost redux as possible equates to EPICness.

Also note that the other 80% of my essay does apply... otherwise you would agree with the devs about nerfing impulse because it was 'too strong'... You feel that the nerf was unnecessary because it was what you expected from a spell of that caliber. If that is what you expected form a spell of that caliber then the rest of the spells that YOU DO NOT USE are then, subpar. Therefore, the sub par abilities should have been buffed to become more competitive with Impulse, instead of nerfing Impulse so that the rest of the sub par abilities are now competitive...

Impulse was capped at 6 enemies anyways? I never engaged more than 6 enemies unless I was in a group of 4 in a dungeon where I had a healer to make it safe too.

Right, because I didn't find 1 passive skill "super mega awesome" I have a terrible build, ok dude, sure, whatever you say.

Do you have trouble reading? Like I said earlier, I never even stated my opinion on the impulse nerf. I won't have an opinion on the nerf until I get to mess around with the new magicka cost. I'm not claiming any change was or was not necessary. All I know is that it was a great spell that many people used, and I at least didn't see the nerf coming, and I want to hear what other people think about it, especially more statistical theorycrafting people.

Master_Quack14b14_ESO

You specifically said "So, hidden within the patch notes was a nerf to Impulse."

Two key statements here....

First is "hidden" which implies subterfuge on the Dev's part... this implies that you PERSONALLY feel that they are hiding information, to lie to you...

Second is "nerf" which implies that you feel it was unwarranted...

You have obviously revealed your TRUE feelings with these two key words.

You are in FACT claiming the change was unnecessary by calling it a "NERF". If you were truly indifferent you would have simply referred to it 'an adjustment' or 'balancing'.... the negative connotation subtly reveals your true feelings....

Moderator Edit: flaming comments removed

ckf12b14_ESO

Master_Quack14b14_ESO wrote: »

You sir, must be mentally incapacitated.... you specifically said "So, hidden within the patch notes was a nerf to Impulse."

Two key statements here....

First is "hidden" which implies subterfuge on the Dev's part... this implies that you PERSONALLY feel that they are hiding information, to lie to you...

Second is "nerf" which implies that you feel it was unwarranted...

So, don't tell me I have trouble reading, because you obviously do.... You have obviously revealed your TRUE feelings with these two key words.

You are in FACT claiming the change was unnecessary by calling it a "NERF". if you were truly indifferent you would have simply referred to it as an 'adjustment' or 'balancing'.... the negative connotation subtly reveals your true feelings....

Maybe you should stop assuming what I think instead of being a total idiot?

I said it was hidden because it was. There was no talk of an Impulse nerf, no mention, no nothing until, nestled at the bottom within a stack of bug fixes, was a nerf to Impulse. Compare the nerf to bash. The bash nerf had been practically televised. Everyone knew, ZOS knew, it was broke, it was no surprise. Impulse on the other hand, not a word. Hidden doesn't imply subterfuge, it implies that it was not easy to see.

No, a nerf is gamer lingo for "lowering in power". Just like a buff is "increase in power". It does not imply any sense of warranted or unwarranted. You can agree with a nerf, it's not hard and plenty of people do it.

I'm literally telling you what I'm feeling, which is currently frustration towards your stupid assumptions about what I'm thinking. When I get my hands on the actual magicka changes in the gameplay itself, I'll let you know just how much I like or dislike it, don't you worry about that.

I feel like you're one of those insane fringe group people that claims the moon landing never happened.

Master_Quack14b14_ESO

I love how you keep referring to me as an idiot when I am successfully psycho analyzing your grammatical tells...

I am not assuming anything about you... YOU are specifically revealing your feelings by what you are telling me.

The change to Impulse wasn't "nestled at the bottom within a stack of bug fixes"... it was CLEARLY stated under the Destruction Staff section at almost EXACTLY 1/3 of the way through the patch notes.... LOL

I know gamer 'lingo'... I have been gaming for long enough to quantify in decades... gamer 'lingo' still has connotation... A buff or a nerf are both adjustments, to state either except 'adjustment' or 'alteration' or a synonym of the sort and does SPECIFICALLY apply a position on the matter.

You are correct... You are LITERALLY telling me what you are feeling... the Freudian slips you keep making are VERY clear...

On a side note I clearly don't give a sh*t what you like or dislike.... just the fact that you are trying to hide your bias behind anonymity and are clearly failing at it.

ANNNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDD..... You did SPECIFICALLY ask me "what are your thoughts?"

I gave them to you...

To ask and then immediately attack me with a counter argument implies that you have a bias.... Otherwise you would have simply engaged me in an intellectual analysis instead of name calling and degrading terms of reference.

ckf12b14_ESO

Master_Quack14b14_ESO wrote: »

I love how you keep referring to me as an idiot when I am successfully psycho analyzing your grammatical tells...

I am not assuming anything about you... YOU are specifically revealing your feelings by what you are telling me.

The change to Impulse wasn't "nestled at the bottom within a stack of bug fixes"... it was CLEARLY stated under the Destruction Staff section at almost EXACTLY 1/3 of the way through the patch notes.... LOL

I know gamer 'lingo'... I have been gaming for long enough to quantify in decades... gamer 'lingo' still has connotation... A buff or a nerf are both adjustments, to state either except 'adjustment' or 'alteration' or a synonym of the sort and does SPECIFICALLY apply a position on the matter.

You are correct... You are LITERALLY tellimg me what you are feeling... the Freudian slips you keep making are VERY clear...

On a side note I clearly don't give a sh*t what you like or dislike.... just the fact that you are trying to hide your bias behind anonymity and are clearly failing at it.

ANNNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDD..... You did SPECIFICALLY ask me "what are your thoughts?"

I gave them to you...

To ask and then immediately attack me when I disagree with you're position implies that you are bias.... Otherwise you would have simply engaged me in an intellectual debate instead of name calling or degrading terms of reference.

As yes, psycho-analyzing my text for personality traits and what I subtly subconsciously think. Of course, that makes perfect sense! Please, herr doctor, tell me why I have problems loving people through my grammatical tells!

No, it wasn't, it was a single line of text among a wall of bug fixes. As I said, unlike the other nerfs, it wasn't televised. Seeing as how so many people and builds use Impulse to cover AOE, I expected more info pre-nerf.


No, it does not specifically apply a position on the matter. How can people possibly agree with nerfs then? According to you, nerfs 100% imply that people do not agree with them, so how can people possibly ever agree with them even though they *gasp* do?

I asked your thoughts on the Impulse nerf, not your crude attempt at "psycho analyzing" my position and deep inner thoughts over a message board.

Crescent

Light Armor will still spam it thanks to the destro passive mana returns on mob death.

Medium armor and Heavy armor will probably be able to use it 2-3 times before going oom.

ckf12b14_ESO

Crescent wrote: »

Light Armor will still spam it thanks to the destro passive mana returns on mob death.

Medium armor and Heavy armor will probably be able to use it 2-3 times before going oom.

I can see this happening. I'm really just wondering how much of a cost increase it's going to be. I'm also wondering how DKs will handle it, more specifically, light armor DKs.

Master_Quack14b14_ESO

LOL.... there goes that term again.... "NERF"

Yes, it WAS a SINGLE line of text among a wall of "SINGLE LINES OF TEXT"...

BTW, NOTHING WAS TELEVISED.... The previous patch notes were leaked from the PTR. They were NEVER final until now.

Also, what 'info" were you expecting prior to now??? you obviously visit the forums... you obviously use the spell rather consistently... Logic would imply that the ability is far superior if it is always on your bar despite what build you are using... what more "info" do you need? you clearly state "so many people and builds use Impulse", so, you CLEARLY know it is a clutch spell in the previous state.... therefore superior to the alternatives...

Lastly, you were "psyco analized" when you attacked me for giving my position that you ASKED me for over a message board like a petty child. You clearly have not grown up enough to learn how to communicate your 'neutral' ideas without implied bias.

steven.flemingub17_ESO

ckf12b14_ESO wrote: »

So, hidden within the patch notes was a nerf to Impulse. The magicka cost of Impulse per cast is being increased, and if you have any skill points invested in the skill, they're being refunded.

The patch notes said nothing about increase cost to the 2 morphs, but I'm going to assume they're both being hit too. No numbers were released, but I'll assume it's a pretty big nerf if they're refunding skillpoints (much like the bash nerfs).

Since every class and their sister uses Impulse for AOE in general, what are your thoughts? Do you think it really needed to be nerfed to begin with? If the nerf is hard enough to render the skill bad, what's the replacement?

It seems eso had two choices: nerf the most efficient aoe damage skill that nearly everyone uses at higher levels, or buff aoe skills for other weapons (two handed, sword and board, dual-weild, resto) to provide an alternative.

Trying to buff the other weapon types to have the same kind of easy aoe synergy that impulse has with light armor and other passives would have been difficult. 2nd, s&b, and dual are built on stam, and the game mechanics scale better with majicka based skills. Plus none of them are really "aoe" damage other than dual wield whirlwind, which is terrible. It would have taken some serious re-working and re-balancing to find an alternative to impulse. So rather than do that I think they just decided to nerf it and force people to travel down the less optimal alternative paths.

I wish however they had instead buffed some of the stamina based weapons for more aoe. Two handed weapon splash damage passive for example could have been buffed to provide 100% splash damage to all targets around you. That alone might have given players cause to try sticking with two handed stam builds instead of impulse majicka builds. Decrease the stam cost on whirlwind and have it apply a healing dot and you would see a lot more dual wielders. Changes like that would have been a better option in my view, even if it required more balancing and thought.

Master_Quack14b14_ESO

ckf12b14_ESO wrote: »

Crescent wrote: »

Light Armor will still spam it thanks to the destro passive mana returns on mob death.

Medium armor and Heavy armor will probably be able to use it 2-3 times before going oom.

I can see this happening. I'm really just wondering how much of a cost increase it's going to be. I'm also wondering how DKs will handle it, more specifically, light armor DKs.

Again with the "Psyco Analyzing"...

By this statement your main concern is obviously the Dragonknight... You are wondering how a modification of caster capability is going to impact a class primarily designed to be a TANK... Incase you didn't get that the first time... "A CLASS PRIMARILY DESIGNED TO BE A TANK"....

Badly... because tanks are not designed to do caster AoE DPS....

They are.... well, designed to.... *drum roll*... to do..... TANKING!

LAWL.... reroll Sorcerer SCRUB!

ckf12b14_ESO

Master_Quack14b14_ESO wrote: »

ckf12b14_ESO wrote: »

Crescent wrote: »

Light Armor will still spam it thanks to the destro passive mana returns on mob death.

Medium armor and Heavy armor will probably be able to use it 2-3 times before going oom.

I can see this happening. I'm really just wondering how much of a cost increase it's going to be. I'm also wondering how DKs will handle it, more specifically, light armor DKs.

Again with the "Psyco Analyzing"...

By this statement your main concern is obviously the Dragonknight... You are wondering how a modification of caster capability is going to impact a class primarily designed to be a TANK... Incase you didn't get that the first time... "A CLASS PRIMARILY DESIGNED TO BE A TANK"....

Badly... because tanks are not designed to do caster AoE DPS....

They are.... well, designed to.... *drum roll*... to do..... TANKING!

LAWL.... reroll Sorcerer SCRUB!

There's a reason I'm exerting my willpower to ignore you, and that reason is that there isn't an ignore mechanic already in place on these forums.

Done feeding the trolls. Bye.

Master_Quack14b14_ESO

Exerting your willpower to ignore me? obviously you are not because you responded.

There is an ignore mechanic already in place on these forums.. its not refreshing the page to see what the obviously intellectually superior adult has to say about your childish ranting on a "message board".

You son, are the troll.... You are just upset because you are being destroyed with logic!

Master_Quack14b14_ESO

@ckf12b14_ESO...

Freud submits his discussion with the intention of demonstrating the existence of unconscious mental processes in the healthy:

“ In the same way that psycho-analysis makes use of dream interpretation, it also profits by the study of the numerous little slips and mistakes which people make -- symptomatic actions, as they are called... I have pointed out that these phenomena are not accidental, that they require more than physiological explanations, that they have a meaning and can be interpreted, and that one is justified in inferring from them the presence of restrained or repressed impulses and intentions. [Freud, An Autobiographical Study (1925)]

Master_Quack14b14_ESO

ckf12b14_ESO wrote: »

There's a reason I'm exerting my willpower to ignore you, and that reason is that there isn't an ignore mechanic already in place on these forums.

Done feeding the trolls. Bye.

AKA

ckf12b14_ESO wrote: »

Your psychological power level is greater than my ability to cry on this "message board"....

ZOS_CarolusS

Greetings,
we remind you, that it is okay to disagree and debate, but please keep all disagreements civil, constructive and on-topic. It is never appropriate to resort to personal comments or jabs about those participating in the discussion.
If you have any questions, be sure to review the Code of Conduct and our guide on How to be a Community Hero.
Thank you for your understanding!

Master_Quack14b14_ESO

And by your lack of any response whatsoever... I assume you have finished patching, logged in, and realized that not a thing has relatively changed related to Impulse builds...

Master_Quack14b14_ESO

After testing in an area I am used to consistently farming... I only cast 4 Impules instead of 3 in the exact same kill pattern that I did before patch... so, instead of ending a fight with 100% mana I end with 85% and still have 100% by the time I engage the next 4~6 mobs....

OR, I just cast Elemental Blockade, then two Impulses, then block for a second or two... It all depends on how patient I am... either way, the mobs die just as easily....

TopAce6

well i've noticed a rather hard hit in the dungeon i was in.

In the lost city vet 4 public dungeon (daggerfall covenant). last night i could go into a group and be 90% sure i would win the fight against a group of mobs, and not have to use a potion. now i have to use potions to survive the same fight, and when its over im completely depleted. I am a lite armor sorcerer with all the passives. nearly 200 skill points. I have a legendary staff, and all hand crafted blue armor and 3 sets, along with traits, and enchants.


HOWEVER, it is a public dungeon and i don't think it was their intention to allow 1 guy to run into a group of 8 npc's and kill them.... but still i do miss being a aoe powerhouse

Jeremy_gelber_ESO

TopAce6 wrote: »

well i've noticed a rather hard hit in the dungeon i was in.

In the lost city vet 4 public dungeon (daggerfall covenant). last night i could go into a group and be 90% sure i would win the fight against a group of mobs, and not have to use a potion. now i have to use potions to survive the same fight, and when its over im completely depleted. I am a lite armor sorcerer with all the passives. nearly 200 skill points. I have a legendary staff, and all hand crafted blue armor and 3 sets, along with traits, and enchants.


HOWEVER, it is a public dungeon and i don't think it was their intention to allow 1 guy to run into a group of 8 npc's and kill them.... but still i do miss being a aoe powerhouse

i think you're failing to realize you can block and spam impulse at the same time.

Master_Quack14b14_ESO

You can't block and cast at the same time. The block will temporarily drop.

Also, AoE spells are supposed to cap at 6 mobs now. That would equate to why you are having a harder time now... Packs of 6 or less should still be easy to deal with...

Jeremy_gelber_ESO

Master_Quack14b14_ESO wrote: »

You can't block and cast at the same time. The block will temporarily drop.

for less than a 1/10 of a second. i block at least 90% of incoming attacks while spamming impusle