Bolt Escape Feedback For The Devs

Ezareth

I'm an Altmer V12 Sorc who is a guild member of a hardcore PVP guild based on Volendrung. I've easily spent over 22 days of my 32+ days /played exclusively in Cyrodiil and hit Captain Grade 2(Rank 20) so far on a low pop server. Overall I'm third on my server and the top Sorc by over a factor of 2. Let's just say I've cast Bolt Escape (Ball Lightning Morph) many, many times in practically every situation.

I intend this message for the developers who hopefully are reading these forums with an open mind. I have no interest in discussions with the forum trolls or the uninformed plebs I see in other discussions, but I'll entertain rational and unbiased open debate. I've discussed this ability extensively with my guild (our Emperor is your next featured interview) and feel they are in agreement with me.

First I'd like to point out the mechanics and limitations of bolt escape and the more powerful Morph Ball lightning. Ball lightning, when it functions, creates a target for 6.5 seconds that absorbs all projectiles aimed at the caster. This only absorbs projects that are cast or used AFTER the sorc used Ball Lightning. If you start casting crystal fragments (or another projectile ability) on a sorcerer and he casts ball lightning it will still hit the sorc if you complete the cast before he LOS/Out ranges you. Roughly 25% of the time ball lightning fails fails to function and doesn't absorb anything. Anyone who has every fought a duel with another sorc can attest to this.

Now let's talk math. With the Seducer set (3% reduction to modified base cost), Full Light Armor (21% reduction to modified base cost), and 3 V12 Ring/Necks with Magicka Reduction Cost enchants (3*-20 to unmodified base cost) my Ball Lightning costs me 203 Magicka. My Base magicka as an Altmer with food in full V12 Legendary gear with full Legendary Magicka/Health enchants is past the soft cap at 2157 Magicka. Gear doesn't exist in the game better than what I'm wearing right now for my particular build.

Currently I can cast 14 Ball Lightnings in a row which takes me to 43 Magicka. On PTS I can cast 7 Ball Lightnings in a row with 122 Magicka left over. The changes to this ability (elimination of regen & 50% cost increase on consecutive uses) have reduced your capacity to spend your entire mana bar on this spell by 50%.

Now I'll get into some PVP Philosophy discussions and follow up with some PVE Observations as well.

In my 20+ days of playing PVP I've had the pleasure of competing against some very good players and many not so good players of varying ability. Like most skilled players I find killing players that are underlevelled/geared or unskilled relatively easy and I don't feel balance changes to the game should be made based upon these kinds of matchups. Balance changes should be made when certain abilities/skills do not have available counters.

Although I feel the game should not be balanced for 1 v 1s I'll discuss my observations of 1 v 1 encounters I've had against skilled players who play their class effectively.

Sorc Versus DK: Equally skilled DKs of the same level and gearing as me are impossible to kill. Reflective Scales ensure I'm unable to cast Crystal fragments which is my primary DPS. I'm unable to drain their Stamina faster than they can drain my magicka so if I'm matched against a good DK who plays defensively against me my only option is to retreat with ball lightning and find another target. If a DK goes all out DPS against me blowing everything they have to kill me, I have a good chance to kill them unless I miss a block on their charge or make a similar mistake. I've played a few VERY good DKs who have successfully anticipated my ball lightnings after charging me and blocked and were able to continue to charge me and kill me before I could escape. This is extremely difficult to accomplish and quite rare so that is fine with me.

Sorc Versus Templar: A good templar will keep eclipse on a sorc effectively nullifying any and every true offensive ability they have unless they switch to destro AOE which every class has. Even with that a good templar doesn't have to do anything but use his healing and shield abilities on himself until I'm out of mana. A good templar is impossible for an equally skilled/geared sorc to kill. My only option in a 1 v 1 with them is to retreat waste time attacking them.

Sorc Versus Night Blade: Night blades are the weakest class currently but the most effective Night blades that I see in PVP utilize their stealth, invisibility and a Bow to maximimum effectiveness. I do not have difficulty fighting any night blade who tries to melee me. Against an equally skilled bow-weilding Night blade my only option is to try to line of sight him and heal, keep Daedric curse on him and try to slowly work him down. It is very difficult fighting good Night Blades because they invis the moment I cast crystal fragments on them and Most of them are using Animation Cancelling which allows them to front load an absurd amount of uninterruptable damage. Usually it depends on who sees who first. Against a skilled nightblade if I get the jump on them they invis and retreat. If they get the jump on me I have to do a roll and then ball lightning away in a (hopefully) safe direction. Night blades are the most difficult class for me to escape because they can execute a Hasty Retreat roll with run speed increase and pace my speed with Ball lightning for the first 3 jumps.

Sorc Versus Sorc: It comes down to skill and luck. The sorc with the most Crystal fragment procs or the least buggy ball lightning usually wins but if both sorcs have Ball lightning the retreating sorc can typically escape the sorc who has the upper hand. If the retreating sorc has Streak instead then the Ball lightning Sorc has an easy time killing them. This is why Streak is not a good morph of Bolt Escape as in open field encounters it makes killing the fleeing sorcerer typically easy.

So in all of my time PVPing I find my class already becoming less and less powerful and pigeonholed more and more into certain builds. I feel the Sorc is best played as the most mobile class on the battlefield and as a harasser and shock troops. We do not have the damage utility of a DK or an equally skilled night blade but we are able to move around the battle field to a position that needs us or divide enemy forces with harassment better than any other class. This is our defining playstyle. In a 1 v 1 against equally skilled and geared players Sorcerers are currently unable to kill their targets and often must resort to bolt escape to flee. Impeding our only escape mechanism will make us primary targets. In keep defenses we are much weaker with the exception of our Ultimate Negate Magic as a DK counter on flag defenses. Bolt Escape is much less effective in close quarters due to elevation differences and obstacles. When a keep is surrounded I often spend my entire mana bar currently just trying to make it back inside the keep and this is with the best gear in the game! The sorcerer is by far the easiest class to kill in close quarters especially when multiple people are attacking them.

Currently on a good day of PVP I spend anywhere from 150-200 V5 Elixirs. On the worst days I've spent 260 V5 elixirs (either Panacea of Health or Panacea of Spell Power). Usually I use a potion for the magicka because I'm always low and I'm a max level alchemist with the extra 30% Potion bonus. These changes to bolt escape are really going to curtail the utility of the Sorcerer as we're no longer going to be able to engage and often end up saving our entire mana bar for escape leaving us nothing to be effective with. Increasing our stamina pool actually hurts us as our primary mana regen ability is a percentage based stamina drain.

The hard counter to a sorc focus is always to block and either outheal their damage, reflect it, or evade it. I feel it is way too early in stages of PVP to make such kneejerk balance changes for the sake of PVP alone. As the majority of players continue to level and gain skill in PVP they will learn how to effectively counter sorcerers and as many have pointed out, is a sorcerer fleeing you really impacting your ability to play the game? I find that good players when I harass them will send a couple of nightblades
in stealth behind my position and wait for me to return to harass and effectively kill me by cutting off my retreat. With hasty retreat they are continuously attacking me for the first three bolt escapes and I'm usually dead before I get to the fourth. As probably one of the most annoying and difficult to kill sorcerers in the game I can say everything I do can be countered pretty easily and I'm already finding I'm becoming obsolete and ineffective without these changes

My playstyle already requires me to spend 15-25K gold worth of potions every day I PVP to be effective. Most people fighting sorcs like me probably don't understand how much we're relying on potions. Losing both the mana regen capacity after casting AND a 50% cost increase is far too much and makes an already squishy class that much easier to kill.

My guild and I feel the appropriate way to balance PVP is to bring the other classes up in line with the more powerful classes, not by limiting and restricting the most powerful classes. Each class should have it's own unique flavor and players, it's own strengths and weaknesses. By eliminating these "Flavor" abilities you are effectively making all of the classes similar and homogenizing every class in the game which is boring.

Now I'll say a bit on the PVE side since I do enjoy that somewhat as well and I'm sure the MAJORITY of the player base plays PVE in this game. In dungeons, in Boss fights, and in most veteran zone encounters I find myself using Bolt Escape constantly and rarely do I use it just once at a time. This change is going to seriously impact the enjoyability and survivability of the class in PVE. I use ball lightning constantly while farming herbs, or travelling through dungeons or town. It is our defining ability that makes playing a sorc fun. If that ability becomes too expensive to use as much as we do then we're going to be pigeon holed into crystal fragment spam casting which is about the most boring thing I can think of while playing Sorc. It wasn't until I acquired the Bolt Escape ability at around level 35 that I really started enjoying my class.

At very least if you guys are determined with this course of action you should make these changes apply in Cyordiil only. Negatively impacting the majority of players in this game for the sake of the minority of PVP players is not a sound business decision.

I hope this feedback doesn't fall on deaf ears but realistically I doubt I'll influence anyone. The constant nerfs and homogenization to classes are part of what killed WoW and continuing in that line will surely kill ESO as well.

Signed,

Ezareth

Natjur

ezareth_ESO wrote: »

Currently I can cast 14 Ball Lightnings in a row which takes me to 43 Magicka. On PTS I can cast 7 Ball Lightnings in a row with 122 Magicka left over. The changes to this ability (elimination of regen & 50% cost increase on consecutive uses) have reduced your capacity to spend your entire mana bar on this spell by 50%.

I see your view on one on one, but the 'nerf' to this spell is about one thing.

The Dev's view, is this spell should not be casted more then 3 times in a row and with the nerf, thats exactly now it now works. The rest of you post about how a sorc is 1 vs 1 is not the issue. Its just about one spell is being changed so you can not cast it more then 3 times in a row.

NordJitsu

I found your post to be very well thought out. I loved that it was backed with numbers, sound arguments, and general game philosophy about meta balance.

That said, since it is such an intelligent and well thought out post, I assume ZOS will ignore it.

Unless you get 10-20 people to rage against this change and everyone who disagrees with them, preferably posting only insults and threats, ZOS won't listen.

Here are a few things they could have changed about Bolt Escape that would have helped address people's complaints without destroying a class defining ability:

1. Increase the damage of Streak so that it is a viable addition to a DPS rotation while also removing the magicka regen debuff for Streak but not Ball of Lightning. This would have made Streak a more desirable morph and encourage people to use it to fight rather than run away (since people running away is what most people were frustrated about, lol.)

2. Increase the range of gap closers and pulls to reduce the skill cap needed to Counter Bolt Escape. Skilled players were already able to counter BE using these abilities, but inexperienced players found it difficult. Increasing the range of some of these abilities would have made counter play easier.

3. Change it so that casting Bolt Escape would remove CC immunity from any source, again lowering the skill cap needed for effective counters. This would prevent people from chaining Immovable and BE and would also make it possible to chain multiple CCs on a BE target to prevent them from running away.

In general, buffing counter options, adding new ways to counter, or making incremental mechanical changes is the right way to go.

The option ZOS chose was a ham-handed and massive nerf.

xDonMega

Natjur wrote: »

ezareth_ESO wrote: »

Currently I can cast 14 Ball Lightnings in a row which takes me to 43 Magicka. On PTS I can cast 7 Ball Lightnings in a row with 122 Magicka left over. The changes to this ability (elimination of regen & 50% cost increase on consecutive uses) have reduced your capacity to spend your entire mana bar on this spell by 50%.

I see your view on one on one, but the 'nerf' to this spell is about one thing.

The Dev's view, is this spell should not be casted more then 3 times in a row and with the nerf, thats exactly now it now works. The rest of you post about how a sorc is 1 vs 1 is not the issue. Its just about one spell is being changed so you can not cast it more then 3 times in a row.

A 5th tier ability that you can only cast 3 times? Somehow that doesn't seem right.



@ezareth_ESO was spot on.. especially with the 1v1 analysis. You are forced to run because there is no chance at winning.

If you want to nerf the ability to run you must then add abilities that help kill.

Ezareth

xDonMega wrote: »

Natjur wrote: »

ezareth_ESO wrote: »

Currently I can cast 14 Ball Lightnings in a row which takes me to 43 Magicka. On PTS I can cast 7 Ball Lightnings in a row with 122 Magicka left over. The changes to this ability (elimination of regen & 50% cost increase on consecutive uses) have reduced your capacity to spend your entire mana bar on this spell by 50%.

I see your view on one on one, but the 'nerf' to this spell is about one thing.

The Dev's view, is this spell should not be casted more then 3 times in a row and with the nerf, thats exactly now it now works. The rest of you post about how a sorc is 1 vs 1 is not the issue. Its just about one spell is being changed so you can not cast it more then 3 times in a row.

A 5th tier ability that you can only cast 3 times? Somehow that doesn't seem right.


@ezareth_ESO was spot on.. especially with the 1v1 analysis. You are forced to run because there is no chance at winning.

If you want to nerf the ability to run you must then add abilities that help kill.

Exactly.

We really have no counter to a good player who knows how to block, roll, reflect or eclipse. I am seeing more and more players who know how to effectively counter a sorc every day and I have no options available to kill them. This change does nothing but make the Sorcerer class much more unenjoyable to play.

When fighting good players a sorcerer never has the luxury of casting due to the number of interrupts and Crystal Fragments are really only useful against a target that is not aware you are attacking them. It is prohibitively expensive to cast without the proc and the only time I really can do some DPS is when I'm fighting a player without reflect/eclipse and get multiple back to back procs on Crystal fragments enough to get them below the 20% Endlesss Fury threshold for execute.

The developers need to spend some time understanding the Sorcerers weaknesses before they consider hampering their chief utility and escape mechanism.

NordJitsu

ezareth_ESO wrote: »

The developers need to spend some time understanding

Take it from someone who has been writing posts and /feedback like your OP since September: they aren't willing to do this.

Kingslayer

So much for them making Careful Changes

smercgames_ESO

Every class pops potions all day long. Every class can be blocked or out healed. Every class can be effected by reflects. Sorcs are not unique in the fact that a good player can defend against most of their skills. Bolt escape spam is bad for PvP no matter how you try to spin it. It gives way too much power to the sorc initiate or disengage when other classes have nowhere even close to that power to run away. Shadow cloak I believe would be the closest skill to compare it to but thats countered by aoe and their speed isn't increased to the point where they are barely in visible range after 3 seconds. Not saying every class has to be the same but when sorcs choose to never even use a mount because it slows them down then there is an issue.

Ezareth

People who say sorcs never use a mount are lying or just terrible players. The only time I don't use my mount and use bolt escape instead is when I'm combat bugged or in the middle of combat where I would be instantly dismounted and insta-gibbed by trying to use a horse. The fact you're even mentioning this means you really haven't played a high level sorc and don't understand their limitations.

Other classes shouldn't have the same power as a sorc at fleeing. That's the entire point. Every class should be unique. Ever class should have certain strengths and weaknesses. You're arguing for a homogenization of classes in PVP that would make the PVP in this game very boring. No other class can outheal a templar. No other class can out tank a DK. In PVP no class can match the single target burst damage and surprise attacks of a Nightblade but they are still a broken class. If you take away the sorc mobility what then defines it? Crystal shard spam? Sorcs get *Melted* in melee range unless we're wearing heavy armor and using some garbage hybrid build.

The balance to our strong mobility is our damage dealing weakness and lack of survivability skills (Barring bolt escape).

Nijjion

I think most of the other classes don't want Sorcs to be so mobile though. I do not want to see GW2 meta with escapes > not having escapes. I like it when we are all forced to fight, live or die and the the consequences when we have made mistakes in a losing fight or getting ganked, sorcs have the choice of running when the others don't this is the big thing. Heck even with the nerf you can cast it what 7 times... that's still more than enough to escape on a full magicka bar, though it seems like it will stop you running away in a fight you are losing. Don't feel so entitled about being able to run away from a losing fight... the other classes don't.

Granted NB have sort of an escape in a way with stealth but it only last 3 seconds and think it's a bug that they can go into hiding from stealth...well would hope so it's bugged...That skill is hard countered by a potion which anyone can use.

It is bad that sorcs rely on running but that shouldn't be the case, that's bad design... Why not fight to make other areas of sorc better instead of this 1 skill that shouldn't work this way in this type of game.

I'd rather the mechanics of other classes be changed and classes nerfed so we are all even and sorcs getting there BE usage to 1-2 times every 10 seconds.

Jarnhand

ezareth_ESO wrote: »

Although I feel the game should not be balanced for 1 v 1s I'll discuss my observations of 1 v 1 encounters I've had against skilled players who play their class effectively.

I am sorry but comments like this has been used in all PvP MMOs, to defend OP skills/classes. Sorry, but just forget it already. The game NEED to be balanced 'for 1v1' (or rather class vs class) or the PvP areas would be FLOODED (like they are right now) with the powerful classes, and noone would play the underpowered classes. This is simple logic and everyone knows it!

The same people that write posts like this, are the same people rolling the OP classes and soloing in PvP areas. I am sorry but all I see is a Sorc desperately trying to defend the class' OP abilities.

smercgames_ESO

Yes classes should be unique in a way but giving one class the ability to choose when to engage and when to disengage while every other class has no choice but to fight when engaged is bad design and frustrating as hell to the other clases. I've already given the Shadow Cloak details so no need to spit that out again since it's nowhere near as powerful as bolt escape. Encounters seem to go like this

DK engages... they destroy all in their path and drop standards on their dead bodies while they laugh. But seriously they engage and they are stuck, it's a duel to the death. They have no way of running besides a stun and sprint and pray.

NB engages... he either destroys the guy with his initial burst or he dies or he spams shadow cloak in hopes they don't guess which direction he goes or pops a potion or uses an aoe. Can the NB escape using it? Sure, I have done it plenty of times but then again. In a 1v1 it's not that difficult to get away but in groups it's not that easy if you are mixed up in the middle of it all.

Templar engages.. then he spam heals and hopes his team shows up. They have no way of getting away. He is stuck in combat. I don't really know much about Templars anyways since I never fight them since they are almost extinct.

Sorc engages... tries to blow you up and if he feels that he no longer has the advantage he blinks blinks blinks blinks blinks and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it unless you happen to be a sorc also and then you blink blink blink to chase. Then once he feels like he's regened and can go back in he'll simply go back and try to blow someone up and then blink blink blink out. I've had Sorcs streak in, blow one guy to hell and streak out before anyone was able to dent his shield. No class should have that power. It is extremely frustrating.

The last sorc I fought 1v1 took my first shot, streaked away after my initial hit. Casted at me at range, streaked when i got close and repeated till I was dead. Now this was a big part my fault since I was stupid and had no gap closer on my bar at the time but there have been times where I have teleport strike on and the speed of blink spam > Teleport spam, you cannot keep up.

So no i'm not saying all classes should be the same and not have any unique skills but the skills should be comparable in power and Bolt Escape is out of line with the abilities of other classes.

(I know the class fights were complete generalizations and people build differently I was just throwing out junk about what your usual thoughts on what a "Fighter, paladin, rogue, mage" are.)

AlexDrago

ezareth_ESO wrote: »

I hope this feedback doesn't fall on deaf ears but realistically I doubt I'll influence anyone. The constant nerfs and homogenization to classes are part of what killed WoW and continuing in that line will surely kill ESO as well.

Signed,

Ezareth

Thank you for your insightful post.
I may assume, that ZoS want to make Dark Deal equivalent to Bolt "you'll never" Escape, but without increasing Armor it would still a crap in battle.
I'm playing from second beta and i start to notice that i lose interest to pvp and to pve. Still interesting storyline, but overbearing every solo dungeon, every quest miniboss makes me more wretched.

Ezareth

Jarnhand wrote: »

ezareth_ESO wrote: »

Although I feel the game should not be balanced for 1 v 1s I'll discuss my observations of 1 v 1 encounters I've had against skilled players who play their class effectively.

I am sorry but comments like this has been used in all PvP MMOs, to defend OP skills/classes. Sorry, but just forget it already. The game NEED to be balanced 'for 1v1' (or rather class vs class) or the PvP areas would be FLOODED (like they are right now) with the powerful classes, and noone would play the underpowered classes. This is simple logic and everyone knows it!

The same people that write posts like this, are the same people rolling the OP classes and soloing in PvP areas. I am sorry but all I see is a Sorc desperately trying to defend the class' OP abilities.

So by your very words Sorcs need to be buffed, not nerfed since they are tied for the weakest 1 v 1 class (which was the entire reason I posted the 1 v 1 section).

Me and another Sorc were in Wabba last night fighting a nightblade vampire out in the field 2 on 1. I'm still not sure what ranged ability he was using on us (I think Leeching Strikes) between his shield blocks but both of us dumped our ENTIRE mana bar into him multiple times and he kept coming. We both had to flee multiple times, completely regen our health and mana bars. It wasn't until we fought him long enough to get our ultimates to 100% and double Soul Assault him that we could kill him. With the current nerf to Bolt Escape we'd both be dead 1 v 2.

The side you guys don't see is how easily sorcs die. You just see a sorc escape from you and it angers you but the reality is unless we're running around in a large group, or attacking underskilled/leveled players, we're not killing anyone. Take away our mobility and give us nothing in return and we're the worst class in the game. Without our escape ability we need a buff to our damage abilities or some other survivability ability like an Ice Block equivalent.

Asava

DK's, Temp's, and NB's can all fight and have a chance to survive a melee encounter. A sorc can not and will not be able to in pvp. Once another class is in melee range it's over for the sorc. So they need to remove the regen halt and extend the range by at least 10m so that BE is useable as an escape. Leaving it as it is now will leave the sorc's to be fodder for anyone in melee range and that's not fun at all. Sorc's are the only ranged class in the game by design. Sure other classes can use ranged weapons but it is the sorc alone that's designed around doing damage from range. If they can't stay at range then they can't do their job. Keep in mind, we're talking about class abilities not weapon abilities i.e. impulse.

Dissentinel

ezareth_ESO wrote: »

People who say sorcs never use a mount are lying or just terrible players. The only time I don't use my mount and use bolt escape instead is when I'm combat bugged or in the middle of combat where I would be instantly dismounted and insta-gibbed by trying to use a horse. The fact you're even mentioning this means you really haven't played a high level sorc and don't understand their limitations.

Other classes shouldn't have the same power as a sorc at fleeing. That's the entire point. Every class should be unique. Ever class should have certain strengths and weaknesses. You're arguing for a homogenization of classes in PVP that would make the PVP in this game very boring. No other class can outheal a templar. No other class can out tank a DK. In PVP no class can match the single target burst damage and surprise attacks of a Nightblade but they are still a broken class. If you take away the sorc mobility what then defines it? Crystal shard spam? Sorcs get *Melted* in melee range unless we're wearing heavy armor and using some garbage hybrid build.

The balance to our strong mobility is our damage dealing weakness and lack of survivability skills (Barring bolt escape).

What you say isn't true. Many of my guildmates are Sorcerers and I find myself trailing behind them on my horse as they Bolt Escape ahead of me. Every class is a viable healer or a viable tank. Just because a Templar has a more direct route at becoming a healer does not mean it outperforms the other classes.

I personally think the Bolt Escape nerf is fine, and I do play a Sorcerer if you think I am biased.

xDonMega wrote: »

A 5th tier ability that you can only cast 3 times? Somehow that doesn't seem right.


@ezareth_ESO was spot on.. especially with the 1v1 analysis. You are forced to run because there is no chance at winning.

If you want to nerf the ability to run you must then add abilities that help kill.

It's not right for one class to be able to run and escape fights while the other three classes die in the same scenario. Sometimes in PvP a Sorcerer will Bolt Escape out of reach, use Dark Exchange or hide for a while, and then return to the battle to kill their already weakened foe.

Let's come up with one or two other "5th Tier" abilities. How about (Assassination) Haste? The skill doesn't even work. Conjured Ward? I'm yet to test it out, but on paper it seems much worse than Bolt Escape anyway. Correct me if I'm wrong please.
A skill that can morph to damage and disorient that is spammable should not be casted even three times. I'd advise you to try out some other "5th Tier" abilities, and compare them to Bolt Escape.

Venithar

I have to agree with pretty much this entire thread (with the exception of what I quoted below, but I have a video of why I don't agree with that).

I don't think most non-sorcs understand that the only true survivability sorcs have is the ability to leave a fight. I've fought NBs that just Shadow Cloak around the entire fight (basically the exact thing mages do only with a different skill) or just leave the fight when they are about to die (just like sorcs do), I fight templars all the time that just won't die (i.e. can heal more damage then I can deal before mana runs out), and let's not even get started on the "I can tank 20 people and live DKs". I just don't get the hate for the 1 ability sorcs have that give them the ability to actually stay alive.

As for the part about your emp being interviewed, I really hope that was a joke....

ezareth_ESO wrote: »

I've discussed this ability extensively with my guild (our Emperor is your next featured interview) and feel they are in agreement with me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS0-UNH1Y2Y&feature=youtu.be

I do love the moving banner, out of all the DKs I know, he is the only one I have seen that has a moving banner 99% of the time he casts it, every other DK says it only happens once in a while. Maybe the interviewer can ask how he has this amazing ability.

jaybo1727

The moving standard seems like quite an exploit. I remember him casting one that stuck to the ground once, every other one traveled around with him. Not to mention the unlimited mages that were there in that battle, but I'll say that maybe he stocked up and actually had his entire inventory filled with them. However, being a DK myself, I've only had the moving standard happen to me twice, ever, and they were fairly spaced out through time. I'm hoping that since he'll be interviewed he'll be able to say something about this and maybe ZOS will take notice. He may be a skilled player, but from the video and experience it seems like he may be using exploits instead.

AlexDrago

Venithar wrote: »

.....

With ALL respect to your opinion and thoughths this topic is about Bolt "Escape or not Escape - that's no question" ability.
Just imagine, that Dragon Blood cost 150% mana each cost, health regene is only 4 and 1 per 4 sec.

Hearts

Every 1v1 i've had against a DK, Templar, Sorcerer and Nightblade has been perfectly explained in this topic. THats pretty amazing :P

Niffo

ezareth_ESO wrote: »

Sorc Versus Templar: A good templar will keep eclipse on a sorc effectively nullifying any and every true offensive ability they have unless they switch to destro AOE which every class has. Even with that a good templar doesn't have to do anything but use his healing and shield abilities on himself until I'm out of mana. A good templar is impossible for an equally skilled/geared sorc to kill. My only option in a 1 v 1 with them is to retreat waste time attacking them.

Unless something has changed, you can break out of Eclipse like you could with a hard CC.

Infraction

Asava wrote: »

DK's, Temp's, and NB's can all fight and have a chance to survive a melee encounter. A sorc can not and will not be able to in pvp. Once another class is in melee range it's over for the sorc. So they need to remove the regen halt and extend the range by at least 10m so that BE is useable as an escape. Leaving it as it is now will leave the sorc's to be fodder for anyone in melee range and that's not fun at all. Sorc's are the only ranged class in the game by design. Sure other classes can use ranged weapons but it is the sorc alone that's designed around doing damage from range. If they can't stay at range then they can't do their job. Keep in mind, we're talking about class abilities not weapon abilities i.e. impulse.

The class isn't what gives them the ability to live through melee attacks. All of those classes can be just as squishy as a sorc so its not the class its how you build.

Crescent

Don't use crystal shards. Use crushing shock. It's higher DPS with light attack animation cancel, I don't understand why so many sorcerers are so slow to catch on to switching from Crystal Shards to Crushing Shock.

The only reason you would want crystal shards is for the knockdown, and most people in pvp use immovable so you might as well take the snare and concussion from crushing shock.

Crushing Shock also has the advantage of shutting down any casting target.

Crushing Shock is the meta DPS spell for trials and has quickly replaced most trial builds that had crystal fragment.

But, yeah, people just want the sorcerer's bolt escape nerfed when the real issue is that light armor cost reduction passives made the ability so dirt cheap. Now it will be expensive to the point where a medium/heavy sorc can't even use it more than twice before depleting half their magicka bar.

Niffo

Crescent wrote: »

But, yeah, people just want the sorcerer's bolt escape nerfed when the real issue is that light armor cost reduction passives made the ability so dirt cheap. Now it will be expensive to the point where a medium/heavy sorc can't even use it more than twice before depleting half their magicka bar.

Nerf an entire armour line to fix something wrong with one ability on one class then?

Glantir

Sorcer is a Strong 1 on 1 class in my Opinion.

Use root for melees, it cost a lot stamina to free yourself, you got also a 15% higher chance to crit on a rooted target, and if he block spam light attacks or mage wrath (or other morph of it ^^) until he stop to block. Also use block and evade to avoid dmg and keep the distance, use Mana Potions!

xDonMega

Do you play a Sorc?

Ezareth

Niffo wrote: »

ezareth_ESO wrote: »

Sorc Versus Templar: A good templar will keep eclipse on a sorc effectively nullifying any and every true offensive ability they have unless they switch to destro AOE which every class has. Even with that a good templar doesn't have to do anything but use his healing and shield abilities on himself until I'm out of mana. A good templar is impossible for an equally skilled/geared sorc to kill. My only option in a 1 v 1 with them is to retreat waste time attacking them.

Unless something has changed, you can break out of Eclipse like you could with a hard CC.

Yes you can break out of it at the cost of 50%+ of your stamina and they can recast it a few seconds later.

Infraction wrote: »

Asava wrote: »

DK's, Temp's, and NB's can all fight and have a chance to survive a melee encounter. A sorc can not and will not be able to in pvp. Once another class is in melee range it's over for the sorc. So they need to remove the regen halt and extend the range by at least 10m so that BE is useable as an escape. Leaving it as it is now will leave the sorc's to be fodder for anyone in melee range and that's not fun at all. Sorc's are the only ranged class in the game by design. Sure other classes can use ranged weapons but it is the sorc alone that's designed around doing damage from range. If they can't stay at range then they can't do their job. Keep in mind, we're talking about class abilities not weapon abilities i.e. impulse.

The class isn't what gives them the ability to live through melee attacks. All of those classes can be just as squishy as a sorc so its not the class its how you build.

Yes so we're all going to have a bunch of hybrid homogenous garbage builds. Mis-matched sets of heavy and light armor or having to waste one of our 5 slots wearing Draconic Armor. That is exactly what I was talking about with everyone becoming the same. We have no synergies with heavy armor builds and being force to use conjured ward, annulment, and Draconic armor all the time in PVP makes the class boring and useless. If I want to play a *pure* sorc in PVP it should at least be viable, and currently it IS...barely. With these changes however that viability goes away leaving us as broken as night blades.

Ezareth

Crescent wrote: »

Don't use crystal shards. Use crushing shock. It's higher DPS with light attack animation cancel, I don't understand why so many sorcerers are so slow to catch on to switching from Crystal Shards to Crushing Shock.

The only reason you would want crystal shards is for the knockdown, and most people in pvp use immovable so you might as well take the snare and concussion from crushing shock.

Crushing Shock also has the advantage of shutting down any casting target.

Crushing Shock is the meta DPS spell for trials and has quickly replaced most trial builds that had crystal fragment.

But, yeah, people just want the sorcerer's bolt escape nerfed when the real issue is that light armor cost reduction passives made the ability so dirt cheap. Now it will be expensive to the point where a medium/heavy sorc can't even use it more than twice before depleting half their magicka bar.

Crushing Shock is less DPS than Crystal shards, and it requires the use of a destruction staff which lowers your overall DPS, healing and magicka regeneration. Every time I go up against a sorc spamming crushing shock on me they die easily. Good sorcs don't cast in PVP unless they're hidden or not being targeted at all.

Crystal fragments is only cast when it is instant cast and half cost. Even by casting it is the same DPS Crushing Shock and less mana per DPS.

Light Armor right now IS too powerful, but it doesn't need nerfed, the other armor types need buffed. When most of your DKs and Night Blades are using Light Armor something is broken.

Phantorang

If they dont nerf BE because some member of an elite guild with the emperor on some some server, I believe ZoS going to have alot more to deal with than an angry Sorc who thinks 7 Bolt Escapes isnt enough.

Even to compare Sorc with Templar says it all, as Sorc DPS is insane compared to Templar, even healing the Sorc got higher HPS, as Templar got no way to regen magicka.

Sorc can now move while doing Dark Deal, 3 sec self heal and magicka regen that is the most powerful in the game, its obviously not enough for the elite sorc, go figure.

Not to speak of Critical surge, self healing AND best dmg in the game, thats pretty OP.

Ezareth

elmou.gamingb16_ESO wrote: »

Sorcer is a Strong 1 on 1 class in my Opinion.

Use root for melees, it cost a lot stamina to free yourself, you got also a 15% higher chance to crit on a rooted target, and if he block spam light attacks or mage wrath (or other morph of it ^^) until he stop to block. Also use block and evade to avoid dmg and keep the distance, use Mana Potions!

I do all of this already. They can block root and their stamina regen and pool is much larger than mine. I've light attacked and spammed with mage's fury for 5 minutes to no effect against a Dragonknight. Half price Crystal fragments, Draconic Curse, Mage's fury, light attacks: against someone who plays defensively you're not going to kill them as a sorc.

makkon

no more "jumps to the horizon" in seconds almost for free
you just have to live with it
mb 50% increased cost is way abit more, but it should be, atleast 30-40%