I was reading through the PTS patch notes (even though I'm on console, I gotta read that stuff y'know?), and 4 abilities will now unsheathe your weapon. Why?
If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's when you cast an ability, but your weapon becomes unsheathed (currently being held / out in your hands).
There are a good mixture of non-damaging abilities that do not cause unsheathes, and ones that do cause unsheathes.
Here's some from the top of my head:
Sorcerer
- Sheathed: Conjured Ward, Bound Armor (?),
- Unsheathed: Lightning Form, Encase, Dark Exchange, Rune Prison
Nightblade
- Sheathed: Blur, Grim Focus
Dragonknight
- Sheathed: Inferno (?), Dark Talons (?), Reflective Scales (?), Obsidian Shield
Templar
- Sheathed: Sun Shield (?)
Now you're probably wondering, what's the issue here? The issue is mainly revolving around run speed when casting these abilities. If you didn't already know, you have a significantly higher run speed if your weapon is currently not in your hands. This is vital if you're running away from a mob, or enemy players if PvP'ing.
Scenario 1: You're a Sorcerer trying to get away, so you sprint and cast your Conjured Ward, but wait! How is the enemy catching up to you? Yeah your weapon is out, reducing your speed.
Scenario 2: You're a Nightblade trying to get away, so you sprint and cast your Double Take, but wait! There is no but wait, you're already out of there. Double Take doesn't cause you to take out your weapon.
I kinda just wanna know why non-damage abilities HAVE to have your weapon out just to cast it. Certain skills like Siphoning Strikes (Character raises hand and the dark circle thing appears), or Restoring Aura (Character raises hand and gives everybody the blessing), are the exception to the non-damage unsheathing abilities.