XBOX1 NA Mystic Orb AND Energy Orb Skill Description Changes: Mistake, Change or ...?

Pate_Smith

Hi ZOS,

I need your assistance to clarify whether your recent in-game text description changes for Mystic Orb AND Energy Orb are ‘typos’ or genuine skill changes. This goes beyond the 1 per cent text change.

For context, I posted to reddit on 13 November 2016 to try and get some community clarity on problems I was then having with Mystic Orb — morph for Necrotic Orb, Undaunted skill line. Please follow the link, if appropriate. The gist of the post was that the text description for Mystic Orb had changed significantly and I couldn’t find a patch note or announcement or forum post to explain it all… so I couldn’t tell if this was a designer typo or an actual in-game skill change (as testing this on console is tough). I also didn’t know if the issue was germane to XBOX1.

Further digging, since that post, has shown me that the text for Energy Orb (alternative morph) also changed significantly (on XBOX1, at least). As the online ESO resources for these skills give descriptions that are either outdated or incorrect, please see attached screen shots (taken on 15 November 2016) as hard evidence of the morph descriptions … on XBOX1.
For ease, here are the two different versions (old and new) of the first morph, Mystic Orb.

Original Mystic Orb text: Project a globe of annihilation that floats forward, dealing X Magic Damage to nearby enemies. An ally can activate the Magicka Combustion synergy, causing the orb to explode forX Magic Damage and restoring the ally for X Magicka instantly and X [flat number] more over 10 seconds, plus additional Magicka based on number of enemies hit.

New Mystic Orb text: Project a globe of annihilation that floats forward, dealing X Magic Damage to nearby enemies. An ally can activate the Magicka Combustion synergy, causing the orb to explode for X Magic Damage and restore X Magicka instantly and 1% Magicka over 10 seconds to nearby allies per enemy hit.

The significant changes as I then saw them were: 1.) magic recovery over time is now a percentage— for the synergiser — (NB: no longer a scaleable number), and 2.) that magic recovery over time now affects "nearby allies". I assume that 1.) was an intentional designer change (please confirm), but it’s 2.) that was an eye-opener, as “nearby allies” now also get the benefit from one person synergising the orb. I, of course, had lots of questions about how that would work, for example:

“As the wording of the new description is regrettable, can someone knowledgeable explain to me - without too much speculation, please - how this skill actually works in practice today (and the limitations)? Also ... A.) does "enemies hit" still mean enemies hit on the orb's trajectory to the synergiser, or on the combustion synergy? B.) What in geographical hell does "nearby allies" mean? C.) Can the per cent recovery stack (for each "nearby ally" hitting the synergy on multiple mystic orbs; and for different orb morphs)? And D.), given the swampy punctuation, do nearby allies get the per cent over time AND the "instant" magicka (on their ally's synergy)?”

People (mostly PC) offered some pleasant anecdotal responses to my overly long reddit post based on their own historical gameplay (not testing) and described how they used the ‘blue balls’ (mystic orb) and ‘white balls’ (energy orb) differently for bosses and mob pulls… based off the premise that Energy Orb magic regeneration worked differently and — they believed — scaled off the number of “allies healed”, not “enemies hit”.

But according to your ‘new’ in-game description of Energy Orb, they are using the white balls incorrectly. The text on the screenshot attached for Energy Orb (on the XBOX1) clearly says:
“An ally can also activate the Healing Combustion synergy, healing themselves for X and restoring 0 magicka instantly and 1 % magicka over 10 seconds to nearby allies per enemy [Sic.] hit.”
So, according to the in-game skill descriptions, both morphs now scale off the number of ‘enemies hit’ [neither scale off ‘allies healed’] . Both now give back a percentage of magic over time (not a flat amount). And both now also give that magic over time to nearby allies (within an undefined range), as well as to the synergiser. Mystic Orb, based on the grammar of your description, may also give nearby allies X magicka instantly, but that’s unclear.

If correct, this would dramatically change the way that people [who post on reddit and youtube, at least] use these skills … particularly in end-game content (and trials). I have genuinely tried to resolve this issue to the best of my abilities using resources and support both in and out of the game. I would greatly appreciate it if you could now have someone from your team weigh in and resolve this.

If the new descriptions are correct or incorrect, it would be great to also be provided with some clarity on how the skills actually work [including a.) the maximum distance for “nearby allies” to benefit from the synergy, b.) confirm that multiple procs stack (for morphs and across morphs) or otherwise and c.) confirm that ‘enemies hit’ means those hit on the balls trajectory to the synergiser (not those hit from the combustion explosion synergy)].

Cheers,
A

Pate_Smith

I'm unlikely to get a response on this one, correct?

I'm assuming the ZOS team does not have the time to acknowledge a post as 'on point' or 'to be addressed', so I should just hope I've done the right thing and check future patches to see if it is remedied? I'd even be happy with the following: 'bro, it's rather insignificant in comparison to the other things we're dealing with, but as it looks like a series of unfortunate typos that describe skills incorrectly for all console users, we'll either fix it or not fix it when we do our next big patch. Cheers'.

My guild-mates and I took the time to provide all of the details required in the way that was requested in good faith. I hope (and genuinely believe) that it won't take your team more than a minute to confirm whether it's a mistake or not.

If any regular users of the forum have any advice for me on progressing this (or dropping it), I'd very much appreciate it. But maybe it just takes a lot longer than five days ... so apologies for being a greedy chops in advance if that's the case.

Cheers,
A. Pam Sandwich

Pate_Smith

*checks in*

Pate_Smith

*checks in again*

Totes-Bode

This is still appearing as of 1/11/17.

Dasovaruilos

I want to know this as well...

Pate_Smith

Checking in ... again.

QuebraRegra

inquiring minds want to know...

anybody awake at ZOS?

Skullstachio

With all the updates that come on a semi-monthly basis, there is always gonna be a few under-the-hood tweaks with a lot of things (even along the typographical category.)

I can try to explain it, but the way I see it on your post, It is like your mind is having a hard time grasping the very scientific method of the skill itself & its morphs.

the way I see the skill itself is this, Necrotic orb & the Mystic Orb morph are purely designed for damage & magicka regeneration, whereas Energy orb is purely designed for healing & magicka regeneration.

one last thing about the distance for the healing effects of the energy orb morph, it is the same as the other morph & the base skill which is 8 meters.

even I am a tiny bit addled but as a player on console who has never used it, it is out of my jurisdiction here. do be mindful though, ZOS Staff will not always be able to answer every question as they themselves work hard enough to keep the game itself up & running on their part as well as maintaining overall integrity of the forums so if anything, just be patient & give them time.