PTS Patch Notes v1.5

Welka

So, we're getting a skill point and attribute point for each vet level. Good. But what happens when vet ranks are removed? Do we lose those attribute and skill points?

TRIP233

curlyqloub14_ESO wrote: »

Micanet wrote: »

Wow, this is surely a long list of great new things.

But since I use most of my time in PVP I noticed the most idiotic improvement I have ever seen:

Alliance War
General
You now need to be at least Alliance Rank 6 to purchase Forward Camps.

What the #@¤% is this - I play alot on the nonvet campaign, now i wont play with new comers anymore becuase they now leech my very hard earned APs, and yes, to you who plays on the normal servers, nonvet is a low populated server so the APs are not easy to get. Most keeps get repaired for gold, since there is not enough AP to do this.
- With this update you will achieve a Rank dominated world - The one thing that will happen is "Ahh you are to low level to play with us, go away and come back when you can be used for something good"
- If you want to do something with the camps, make them work for groups, so you keep the leeches out of the camps or make them go away.
- Must then admit if there where no camps on Nonvet i dont think a keep would ever change owner with the V5 NPCs

Well enough said, if this is a new update then you can close the nonvet server, cause you just made it impossible to play.

Yeah, kinda agree with this guy. I understand there are issues with the forward camps, but requiring alliance rank 6 to buy a camp is going to cause a lot of problems. There are already major issues with newer players using up the camps and not replacing them, and issues with groups not ever wanting to invite newer players. With this change, even if there are well-intentioned new players who want to help, they won't be able to, and groups won't want them. In turn, newer players will have a much harder time - since it's tougher to run rolo, and earning AP is way slower as a solo player - thus making it that much harder and take that much longer for them to ever reach rank 6. Overall this will discourage new people from trying pvp, and we'll end up with an even more imbalanced experience.

I'm all for attempts to address Forward Camp problems, but firmly feel that this is a step in the wrong direction.

No... now you will have players selling Foreword Camps in the guild stores which will open up a new part of the market. Good thing too because I plan on selling them for 5k.

Enodoc

springbound wrote: »

Dungeon leveling - ok so for folks that hold off on solo dungons at their level because it is too hard - they will always be too hard now because they level up to your level no matter what? No on off button like vet? This is a problem for some folks - folks have different skill levels and now you are saying to heck with that folks that aren't great ? Find someone to do it with or to hell with the dungeons for you?

I completely agree with that, and I hope there's a toggle for this as well. I had to hold off the second half of the first Mages Guild quest (Level 8) until Level 12 because of Gutsripper being too hard for my build, and I consistently do the Main Quest 4 levels late so that it's a bit easier.

Enodoc

Welka wrote: »

So, we're getting a skill point and attribute point for each vet level. Good. But what happens when vet ranks are removed? Do we lose those attribute and skill points?

I'm assuming they will be reapplied to a certain number of Champion Points; say every 4 CPs gained gives you one up to the 56th CP (14th skill/attribute point).

Welka

Enodoc wrote: »

Welka wrote: »

So, we're getting a skill point and attribute point for each vet level. Good. But what happens when vet ranks are removed? Do we lose those attribute and skill points?

I'm assuming they will be reapplied to a certain number of Champion Points; say every 4 CPs gained gives you one up to the 56th CP (14th skill/attribute point).

How can they reapply skill points and attributes points that I've spent to CP? It still means taking them back to change them to CP

Edit: read again what you wrote and understood better. Yeah maybe but some clarifying would be welcome from Zos

babanovac

AngryNord wrote: »

babanovac wrote: »

No removal of AoE cap?...

Guess they didn't want the remaining PvP'ers rage quitting...

I know a few PvP-ers who would come back to the game if AoE caps were removed.

Xnemesis

Garion wrote: »

Some ridiculous nerfs to certain skills (i.e. harness magicka) and absolutely ridiculous buffs to bows which are already overpowered. GG zos. You have listened only to the NB QQ on these forums rather than realising what the majority of your playerbase think / want.

Very nearly through with this game. Twinned with the exceptionally terrible performance in Cyrodiil these changes are likely going to ruin the game for me.

Cause only NBs use bows.....

Araxleon

Garion wrote: »

Some ridiculous nerfs to certain skills (i.e. harness magicka) and absolutely ridiculous buffs to bows which are already overpowered. GG zos. You have listened only to the NB QQ on these forums rather than realising what the majority of your playerbase think / want.

Very nearly through with this game. Twinned with the exceptionally terrible performance in Cyrodiil these changes are likely going to ruin the game for me.

Harness nerf was a huge nerf for NB also....We dont have a shield. That was our only one and its gone now.

tinythinker

Thumbs Up

All of the "big" changes, like veteran City of Ash, Undaunted Pledges, improved facial animations, etc. Also, a majority of the "small" changes that improve the feel of the game (model fixes, fx fixes, etc) as well as those that might be considered fixes to issues long debated. There are too many to list individually, but the attention to less glamorous issues with very helpful changes (such as reworking the grouping tool) is appreciated. Thanks to the devs for all of the hard work they put into this patch, even those few parts I'm not as thrilled about.

I will just focus on a single ability I have a question about:

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

Weapon

• Two Hand
  • Carve (Cleave morph): This ability now gives two Ultimate per target hit instead of three Ultimate.
  • Cleave: Fixed an issue where this ability could not critically hit. We also increased the initial hit damage by approximately 10%.

I recall there was something reported from the recent guild summit about this ability becoming more competitive with Impulse by increasing its damage and radius. Good work on the damage side, just wondering if/when we might see the expanded radius. That might help subdue potential concerns over the reduction in ultimate as there would be more potential targets available.

Thumbs Down

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

Weapon

• Two Hand
  • Stampede (Critical Charge morph): This ability now snares targets by 60% instead of immobilizing them.

xsorusb14_ESO wrote: »

Two Hander
4. I dislike the Stampede Nerf, but only because I'm a DK who used it to follow up Flame Whip. I imagine other classes wouldn't mind as much.

Yup, anyone who relies on incapacitating an enemy (stun/knockdown/etc) for their rotation isn't going to like this one. If it was meant to balance out the buffs to two handed weapons, there must be something better to change. This may be a change in anticipation of the Champion System or it may not, but if it is, why can't it wait until that system is in place?

On balance, though, it's nice to see the attention given to this weapon style's skill line. It might get those not enticed instead by the one hand and shield buffs to try out two handers.

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

Weapon

• Dual Wield
  • Rapid Strikes (Flurry morph): This ability now deals 2% increased damage per hit instead of increasing your attack speed.

Is the name of the passive going to change to reflect the new effect? Personally, I prefer the increased attack speed, which on my original character often let me win a DPS race with an opponent.


Wavering Thumb

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

Alliance War

General

• You now need to be at least Alliance Rank 6 to purchase Forward Camps.

While I like the attention to troll camps, I'm not sure the cost (fewer players helping with camps) will outweigh the benefits (fewer troll camps), but time will tell.

MorHawk

With all the rage over the balancing, I feel like the fact that the new WW heal costs magicka kinda slipped under the radar. I realize looking back on the WW thread that it was an assumption, but come on, who's really gonna build for magicka with a WW? This was supposed to be the Second Stamina Coming, and now I just feel like it's more of the same. Magicka's still best for survivability, and that sucks.

zhevon

There should be an option to scale or not on entering solo instances. If we have been there before and its been a disaster scaled, it would nice to be able to try it again unscaled. It will allow marginally competent players not to get stuck.

Nihil

MorHawk wrote: »

With all the rage over the balancing, I feel like the fact that the new WW heal costs magicka kinda slipped under the radar. I realize looking back on the WW thread that it was an assumption, but come on, who's really gonna build for magicka with a WW? This was supposed to be the Second Stamina Coming, and now I just feel like it's more of the same. Magicka's still best for survivability, and that sucks.

This could be a blessing and a curse at the same time, by having it run off your magicka pool it allows you to use your combat moves more often. Time will tell, but having a magicka ability on your bar to use up that resource is never bad. I am curious how much it heals with a stamina build (and if it scale with weapon damage or spell damage or neither).

Khivas_Carrick

Things I have messed with on the PTS:

1) Yea, Carve's nerf isn't really all that bad and the damage increase helps make up for it pretty nicely.

2) Stampede is going to crap on a lot of people who relied on using it as a follow up attack, ranging from DK's with Flame Whips to Templars like me who used Puncturing Sweeps or Binding Javelin then charged in, immobilized, then stepped back and shot them in the face with whatever felt right at the time.

3) That said, I will definitely say this isn't THAT bad, for I have seen far worse and since ZoS says they're doing stuff in anticipation for the Champion System, I'll wait it out.

4) Still wish they'd raise the cap on Weapon Damage.

5) Uppercut/Wrecking Blow feels better but could still use a nice boon to it, i.e .5 still sounds best imho over .8, but something small and nice is still better than nothing at all. Even though that 2% damage buff is a joke.

6) Which brings me to Point #6: If you're going to try and make a casted melee skill the bread and butter of a skill line but also want to make it so Heavy Attacks are mandatory through a passive that increases the damage of your next attack by 10%, you had damn well better make that bread and butter skill hit waaaaaaay harder than it does now because what you have is a shameful, spiteful joke. Uppercut hits for less damage than Snipe does, and although it has a shorter cast time, keep in mind the fact that Sniper is also ranged and can be pulled off more easily from Stealth. Not asking for the world here, hell not asking for all that much, but a 2% damage increase with a measly 10% damage bonus for heavy attacking isn't going to fix the immense balance issues. You're gonna need a bigger boat here ZoS, a much bigger boat.

7) I don't want to try anything else mainly because last night I got all my skills up and the copied character has........outdated stuff atm, and frankly there are other things I don't want to touch so when I go through them it'll be more "fresh" for me to try them out when they're released. Truth be told I feel that you're listening to us but you're still pussyfooting around because you're too scared to push the envelope of balance back in favor of your playerbase.

As it stands now, you're on the right track, but you gotta seriously stop being afraid to do stuff, and most importantly, you HAVE to fix the class balance and really work with us to fix weapons as well. More proactive, less reactive.

lancepro

Micanet wrote: »

Wow, this is surely a long list of great new things.

But since I use most of my time in PVP I noticed the most idiotic improvement I have ever seen:

Alliance War
General
You now need to be at least Alliance Rank 6 to purchase Forward Camps.

What the #@¤% is this - I play alot on the nonvet campaign, now i wont play with new comers anymore becuase they now leech my very hard earned APs, and yes, to you who plays on the normal servers, nonvet is a low populated server so the APs are not easy to get. Most keeps get repaired for gold, since there is not enough AP to do this.
- With this update you will achieve a Rank dominated world - The one thing that will happen is "Ahh you are to low level to play with us, go away and come back when you can be used for something good"
- If you want to do something with the camps, make them work for groups, so you keep the leeches out of the camps or make them go away.
- Must then admit if there where no camps on Nonvet i dont think a keep would ever change owner with the V5 NPCs

Well enough said, if this is a new update then you can close the nonvet server, cause you just made it impossible to play.

They plan on getting rid of forward camps altogether.

Shayu

ZOS~, you haven't finished fixing the werewolf yet. This is a quote taken from a member of your staff in the "Upcoming Werewolf Changes" thread:
(http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/discussion/129277/upcoming-werewolf-changes/p10)

Castle wrote: »

Hello, everyone!
We wanted to let everyone know that we have read through this thread and taken steps to further improve the Werewolf Skill Line based on your feedback. You folks have made some great suggestions and offered some valuable insight into potential changes. Whenever possible, we've used suggestions in this thread as guidelines for improving what we had already put in place when we announced these changes.

That said, many suggestions you have made are not currently possible, although they may be in the future. The biggest of these is that the Werewolf Transformation will remain an Ultimate ability that has a duration, rather than being a Toggle. Making Werewolf into a toggle was the first improvement we wanted to make, but it ended up not being possible due to technical restrictions.

Additionally, we aren't currently adding any werewolf specific emotes or animations, nor are we adding more skins. It is possible we will add these in a future update.

We did make a few changes that make the "werewolf play style" more viable.

• “Negative” effects will no longer affect you while Transforming. No more wasted Ultimate because a Disorient hits you halfway through the Transformation!
• We've reduced the cooldown of Devour and made it so it is no longer Interrupted by taking damage. Additionally, it will be usable on a few more creature types.
• Being a Werewolf increases your Stamina, in either form.
• Using your Heavy Attack will restore Stamina, the same as Weapon Skill line Heavy Attacks.
• To go with that, we changed the Pursuit Passive so it increases the amount of Stamina restored with Heavy Attacks.
• The Pack Leader Morph will add to the "Werewolf" counter for the Werewolf and any Werewolf allies nearby instead of adding Ultimate.

We look forward to these changes hitting PTS and getting your Feedback soon

You are missing the following in your patchnotes:

• “Negative” effects will no longer affect you while Transforming. No more wasted Ultimate because a Disorient hits you halfway through the Transformation!
• We've reduced the cooldown of Devour and made it so it is no longer Interrupted by taking damage.
• Being a Werewolf increases your Stamina, in either form.
• The Pack Leader Morph will add to the "Werewolf" counter for the Werewolf and any Werewolf allies nearby instead of adding Ultimate.

What does this mean ZOS? are these changes in the pipe? are they just missing from the patch notes? or have you changed your mind on us? Some of these changes are very important for the success of werewolves in PvP. Additionally it was mentioned that the new werewolf abilities would have morphs, but I do not see any information on those in the patch notes here. I would very much appreciate it if a ZOS employee could clear up what is going on, thank you.

Darkonflare15

I am loving the buffs to 2H and the Death stroke ability of the assassin skill line. I always thought 2H and the Assassin skill line goes great together. The added damage boost for this ultimate is much needed and increase damage boost afterwards is much appreciated.

I also like that the splash damage for light attacks and heavy attacks is better and the skill reverse slash is more useful now as aoe finisher that can hit up to 6 people.
Now 2H has much viable aoe build. You can now use cleave on multiple people to put a dot on them use light and heavy attacks to whittle that health down along with the dot and finish all off with reverse slash which is a cheap stamina finisher.

Also momentum goes great with leeching strikes now. With the added healing while the buff is added is great. Along with the health gained from leeching strikes it provides me with a lot of survivability and thedebuff from leeching strikes is pretty much is cancelled with the momentum buff. So now it is a better resource management with the added full heavy attacks return stamina.

I also love that heavy attacks is much more useful now than it use to be.2H now feels much stronger now. The dust cloud that pops up after use reverse slash looks so awesome when you kill multiple enemies with it.

Varicite

Forestd16b14_ESO wrote: »

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Forestd16b14_ESO wrote: »

Read it and what about block casting or armor abuse ??????????

Not entirely sure what armor abuse is referring to, but the block casting is something we talked about during our Guild Summit and covered during our latest ESO Live, too. It is something we're exploring options to, but any changes will very likely be after Update 5.

Armor abuse as in players in light armor using the heavy armor skill immoveable without even wearing one piece of heavy armor. Which i really confused about cause armor passive skills need you to wear at least one piece of armor. Like you need a bow to use bow skills a 2 handed weapon to use 2 handed skills so why can we use armor skills with out even wearing 1 piece of the armor? This is also another reason PvP is " imbalance " sure every one been seeing all the light armor players using immoveable to negate the stun attacks.

Immovable is probably a little too good, tbh.

No matter which armor you're wearing.

ZOS_JessicaFolsom

We missed two important Werewolf notes when we originally posted the full Update 5 PTS patch notes. Our apologies. They have been added to the original post. The additions are:

• Devour: This ability's cooldown period has been reduced from 20 seconds to 7 seconds.
• Having the Werewolf skill line now increases your Stamina regeneration by 15% in both Human and Werewolf forms. (You do not need to have a Werewolf ability on your skill bar.)

Cogo

This really rocks! All of it!

I'd like to give my view on 1.5.
I am mostly a PvE group "medium content" player. I'll try to view the changes on all Tamriel. Not just "my" part.

@ZOS_JessicaFolsom
@ZOS_GinaBruno

I was worried that ZOS would make Tamriel easier.
With this patch, I am not worried about that anymore.
Some things gets easier, some gets changed and some added.

The balance touch most parts of Tamriel, not just one area.
The over all balance when I look at all of it

• Mats balance: For example - Provision mats in overflow, will balance itself with the Justice System.
• Most "play styles" gets rewarded something - What players likes to do and not, is up to them. Don't want to PvP, then you don't get PVP effects/rewards.
• Rare items: Players decides what is rare or not.
• Economy: Players decides the prices. If, when, how and where to sell/buy. "Merchants" players have emerged. Who travels Tramriel to play the market by buying cheap and sell high. The Merchant class is born!
• "Hard" encounters stays challenging - but allows for "none hardcare" players to try them. Rewards are accordingly.
• Quests and lore keeps adding to Tamriel and connects amazingly!
• The combat balance: Is up to the player - Tamriel is cruel. Fair does not mean equal.

Some players will always be better at something then others.
Personal skill can always be improved and impacts all kinds of game play.

I've created a map over the changes/additions in a project planner (Yeah I'm that nerdy). Including released facts about future content.

The overview I get
- There are a lot of unknown factors to most "overpowered" or "underpowered".
- Players builds/gear/skills, are very dependent on game-play and situation.
- The "world" gets changed along with characters, so "the best gear/build/class", simply is not the best everywhere.
- "Old" content, does not get outdated. New players and even current players who makes an alt, gets a challenging game. Just bigger and more content the longer the game runs.

This is great!
No matter what goal each player has, there will always be something to progress.

The players power and progressions really is about choices

• Solo/Group/RP/PvE/PvP? Want something? Then do it. But don't expect to get everything if you didn't earn it or like doing it.
• Group play gets rewarded. Solo play can choose to group if they want group rewards.
• Solo only play gets rewarded. The Main story, is the only "required" solo for very good reasons. Several more Solo only quest lines are on the way. What you can or can not solo, is up to the player.
• PvP is a choice from level 10. Or a choice to skip it all together. Don't expect PvP rewards if you do not PvP.
• PvE harder encounters - Risk vs Reward with scaling.

Players who choose an area to be good at, does not get penalized because other players want the same, without the same effort. And the other way around: Players with less playtime and "skills", gets just as challenging game, since items, gear and skills, scales in many "levels". Not just "crap" or "Gold". Blue is still good!

"Choose your path", where we choose what we want to do and gets the effects of it, seams to come in spades!

(Please don't mistake the choice to do something, by entitled to get it)

Keep listening to all players! Not just those who yell the loudest here!

Hypertionb14_ESO

Change to Werewolf berserker is a massive nerf, as the bleed never takes effect when hitting a target with light attacks.

i would rather thave the attack speed over a non existant bleed

HeroOfEvbof

Why is Fortified Mountain Lager in this update notes? This recipe was fixed a long time ago.
The only two recipes that are completely missing still are
Enriched Grilled Frog Legs (blue) and Saltrice Slurry (green)
and the only recipe still screwed up in name is
Invigorated Crawdad Etoufee (still named Invigorated Grilled Horker)
and the two recipes still screwed up on ingredients are
Enriched Berveza Vitae (has a fourth ingredient: namely Juniper Berry) and
Consummate Berveza Vitae (missing fifth ingredient: namely Canis Root)

Cogo

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

We missed two important Werewolf notes when we originally posted the full Update 5 PTS patch notes. Our apologies. They have been added to the original post. The additions are:

• Devour: This ability's cooldown period has been reduced from 20 seconds to 7 seconds.
• Having the Werewolf skill line now increases your Stamina regeneration by 15% in both Human and Werewolf forms. (You do not need to have a Werewolf ability on your skill bar.)

Um, don't make Werewolves TOO powerful now. The muts do deserve some "Epic" time though!

It's the stamina regen I am focusing on. Stamina wise, its pretty good now? Takes some practice to find the right away, but as a tank, I have switched a few stamina items for other effects already, since my stamina isn't constantly low anymore.

Ifthir_ESO

Please make Forward camps bound to the player that bought them or the 'fix' does nothing.

Cogo

Ifthir_ESO wrote: »

Please make Forward camps bound to the player that bought them or the 'fix' does nothing.

I was gonna say the same thing.

Still, someone need to buy em, so it will take effects. Players who likes exploits and "cheat", normally do not like to do much themselves.

The "barrier" alone could be enough. Look at PvE group content. Lots of players who could do it, but don't like to do anything to get a group other then use a group tool.

But yeah, I agree that on paper, other players can buy them.

Mountain_Dewed

I'm new to PTS as of today. What is best way to help out when I see something bugged or if it's doing great things, /feedback or/bug or what is a good way to communicate?

Is every Dwemmer ruin good for dropping this new style material and automatons?

Thejollygreenone

Nihil wrote: »

MorHawk wrote: »

With all the rage over the balancing, I feel like the fact that the new WW heal costs magicka kinda slipped under the radar. I realize looking back on the WW thread that it was an assumption, but come on, who's really gonna build for magicka with a WW? This was supposed to be the Second Stamina Coming, and now I just feel like it's more of the same. Magicka's still best for survivability, and that sucks.

This could be a blessing and a curse at the same time, by having it run off your magicka pool it allows you to use your combat moves more often. Time will tell, but having a magicka ability on your bar to use up that resource is never bad. I am curious how much it heals with a stamina build (and if it scale with weapon damage or spell damage or neither).

This. While it does add the benefit of allowing you to draw defenses from an unused resource pool, with the cost and current mechanics of it you have to actually be specced into magicka for it to be any good.

When I went on, in my pure stamina build, the heal was for a flat 500, cost 522 magicka. It wasn't able to crit. Maybe the crit thing is because my spell crit is horrid, but that still adds to my point.

While a 500 base heal is great on paper, if it can't crit and doesn't scale with what most if not every WW will be building for, then it may not be as good as ZoS had hoped. Maybe the morphs will do it justice, but it doesn't seem like these abilities are able to be leveled up on the PTS. So I couldn't check anyway.

On a side note:

I just have to say that I do love how WW form feels right now, you guys are doing a great job. But we're still missing a few things. Primarily that you are unable to be affected by negative effects while transforming, as planned, was not in the patch notes.

And even beyond that, I just want to bring up the change to the Pack Leader morph of WW form. The added effect of extra WW time doesn't affect the user, only his allies. The added effect is so perfect and adds a great alternative to the Beserker form, if you could only add to your own WW timer because of the morph.

Since it seems that's not the case, the morph is ONLY useful for people looking to RP in packs of werewolves, because everyone knows it'd be a miracle to see more than one WW form active at once in any given group in PvP, let alone PvE where you're hard pressed to see one. So please, allow this morph to affect the user. It would virtually solve the time in WW form dilemma.

Orchish

The nerf to bats does nothing, as nobody uses the devouring swarm, its clouding swarm that is spammed. So nerfing the heal does nothing, the heal didn't even need to be nerfed.

katkat42

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

Fighters Guild

• The Prismatic Core:
  • Many followers that help in combat will no longer give up defending you if they take a knee multiple times.

[/list]

Was I the only one who originally read this as saying "Many followers that help in combat will no longer give up defending you if they take an arrow to the knee multiple times"?????

Giraffon

Finally got through the list! Very encouraged to see "loose-ends" being taken care of. Very excited about Werewolf and Stamina build buffs!!!

Great job! Can't wait to see it on the live servers!

Tyr

Enodoc wrote: »

fromtesonlineb16_ESO wrote: »

Still no non-group PVE dailies that one can do at one's leisure I see, just more forced-group dailies (like there weren't enough of those already).

/sigh

Seems my account cancellation is going to take effect on Nov. 3.

Crafting writs are non-group PvE dailies.

However I would also like to see them introduce some soloable Fighters/Mages Guild dailies in the future.

There are crafting writs for every major city which means they added a LOT more solo PvE dailies than just the 2 undaunted group ones.

Justice system will have bandit hideouts to clear out for PvE.
Spellcrafting will be unlocked through solo PvE exploration in delves.