Wild Theories and Predictions for Dark Brotherhood

ClockworkArc

Hey guys,

I've been thinking a lot lately about the balance changes in this patch and I am generally happy with the proposed ideas for class balance and that Templars are no longer the only end-game healing class, I do see some specific things are lacking. Namely:

• Heavy Armor Changes
• Variety in Stamina Builds
• %Health Abilities being useful in PVP

With Gina's post last night about the reasons behind why some changes were made and also the mention that more will be added to Templars possibly this patch, I started thinking. And thinking. And I started thinking about it and came to some wild conclusions about what may be in store for "The Next DLC". These are all just wild predictions, they are only loosely based off of real-events and/or "facts". Indulge me.

1. Heavy Armor was intentionally not updated this patch despite it being a hot balance topic. Why? I recall, Rich Lambert suggested a trait overhaul is happening "soon". I can't find the post right now or I'd link it. This make me believe that, since it is reasonable that ALL armor may have to be re-balanced depending on the size and scope of the trait overhaul, the HA changes will roll out with Dark Brotherhood. Why would you balance something if you are going to be massively over-hauling it in a couple months anyway?
2. Dark Brotherhood will have a skill line similar to Mages Guild and Fighers Guild. This is multi-layered, bare with me.

• Rich stated on ESO Live that for TG they are focusing on class-balance before they add bells and whistles. This is admirable and desirable. As such there is not combat line with TG. Lore-wise it doesn't even really make sense for TG members to have any sort of advantage in combat situations.
• In the 2.3.0 Patch Notes it was mysteriously mentioned that Major Mending is the counter buff to Major Berserk. Wait...what? I always thought the Minor and the hypothetical Major Protection buffs were the foil of Berserk. Major Berserk doesn't really exist in the current state of the game (it is situationally available from one NB skill), so why would they bother balancing Major Mending based off of Major Berserk?
• If Major Mending and Major Berserk are foils. Does that make Major/Minor Vitality and Major Defile foils? Where is Minor Defile then? Minor vitality is readily available to most classes.
• One of the most commonly requested features is a spammable close-range damage skill for Stam Sorcs and Stam DKs. Having a stam whip and/or a stam frags morph are popular community suggestions but don't really make sense. Whip and it's morphs are frankly essential to Magicka DKs and it seems the combat team is adamant (with 2.3.0's changes) that Crystal Blast is a PVE AoE ability.

Based off of those ideas, I think that Dark Brotherhood will definitely have a combat skill line. I refuse to speculate on how that will impact non-DLC buyers or how they will offer it. I'm just making stuff up right now anyway. I believe that skill line will at least contain:

1. A magicka and stamina-based source of Minor Defile.
2. A spammable close-range stamina skill (or skills) to encourage build variety in Stam Sorcs and Stam DKS.
3. If there is an ultimate in the skill line, I believe it will revolve around the Major Berserk buff.

3. I don't believe Dark Brotherhood will add any skills for stealth gameplay. Nightblades are the assassin archetype, everybody can crouch, everybody can drink invisibility pots, everybody can spec into The Shadow, and Vampires can stealth/crouch better than others. Adding a non-class based guild skill for invisibility to everyone will only encourage more people to slot flare/magelight and nobody will have fun.
4. The Shattering Blows CP star will end up being moved to The Shadow. This will happen because as @FENGRUSH astutely pointed out, why would you spec into situational damage, when you could just spec into ALWAYS damage? I know that wasn't his exact statement. Also, everything in The Shadow grants a character situational burst/effectiveness at the price of resources-sustain. This would make people feel more assassin-like.
5. With the many bonuses that will be added to "Assassin" style gameplay, I think that the HA overhaul will also come online with re-balancing %health heals and shields around Battle Spirit. I think ZOS will give something to tanks and something to assassins.

What do you guys think?

Jura23

I still remember how Rich once lurked into thread about traits. I hope they do trait overhaul so we have more cool choices to do.

EnemyOfDaState

I hope you are right about heavy armor.