Question to ZOS about combat skills

Astarana

@ZOS_GinaBruno
This is question to combat development team. Gina, can you please pass it to them?

ESO says you can play any class whichever way you want. You can make your own builds and play the game the way you want it.
One the other hand if you don't have specific viable build, you most likely will be dead more often that mobs that you are trying to kill. So what is the point of having all those skills in 3 class lines, weapon/armor lines, etc. if they are useless? Why say you can be anything you want, if then you get cornered into specific build because otherwise you can't kill anything? Can't all, or at least more skills be updated so you can have not just 2 builds: stam and magicka? So players can actually create some customized builds that perform well while leveling and in the end game content.
Thank you in advance for you response.

ADarklore

ZOS said you can play how you want, they did NOT say that all builds would be equal. There is no way to make all skills equal, ZOS has been working on 'balancing' all the classes since the game began and still have a long way to go just to bring some equality between the meta class builds, let alone trying to worry about all the variety of niche builds too.

Nestor

Astarana wrote: »

@ZOS_GinaBruno

One the other hand if you don't have specific viable build, you most likely will be dead more often that mobs that you are trying to kill.

Wait, what?

Are you reading build articles by Min Maxers who think that unless you are doing 100% of the theoretical DPS that you suck? Don't listen to them.

If your not killing anything, it is because your not using a good rotation of the skills you have. And you can have some of the goofiest rotations in the game if your tactics support or synergize with them. I know this because as I level characters I slot all the skills in my class until Morph Stage, then slot another one as it unlocks. So not always optimal for my Class, but I still mow the mobs down if I adjust my tactics. And no group has ever kicked me for not doing my job.

The only time a build really matters in this game is when you are running Trials for Competitive Leaderboard times. Any Build can be made to work. Most of my builds are not Meta, and I can certainly DPS or Tank or Heal as much as I need to to prevail in any fight in the game. It is so easy to get to 90% to 95% of the Theoretical in this game, and that last 5% to 10% is not why your dying.

Nestor

This might help you:

Combat in this game comes down to Skill Rotations, with Light or Heavy Attacks interspersed. So, it's more like 1,2,3,4,1,2,3 dead. Pick your skill rotations so that one skill will set up or buff another skill. For example, use a skill that Snares, then a skill that gives Damage over Time to an area so the snared mobs spend longer in pain, then use a spam damage skill. This is just one example.

Once you learn a good rotation, then you can weave in light or heavy attacks between the skills to extend the resource pool you play from. So it's more like 1, LMB, 2, LMB,3, LMB, 4, LMB, 1 Dead. Then once you learn how to weave attacks, then you can start animation canceling to up your DPS.

So, attacks are not just a spam of the Left Mouse Button, but an application of your skills and weapon attacks.

You add in Blocking (reduce damage), Bashing (interrupting a caster or heavy attack wind up), Dodge Rolling (double click on a WASD key to avoid damage and get out of red quickly). Throw in some terrain advantage, and your basically a Mobile, Agile and Hostile wrecking machine.

As for Gear, well, while leveling, gear does not matter as long as you have something. It does not have to be best in slot, or even all that good. Also, we have lots of dropped set pieces so if you spend any time in a zone, you will more than likely pick up a set or two to wear. Each zone has a Magic, a Stamina and a Health or Tank set. Since everything scales, you can use this gear longer than you would think from the levels. It is only once you reach CP160 that you really want to worry about the gear, and by then you will have a good idea of what to use and where to farm for it.

Until then, the most important thing with gear is to wear a mix of it (light/medium/heavy) so they all level up somewhat equally. Also, have one skill from each of the 3 class skill lines on your bar at all times, and at least one weapon skill. For the 5th, it can be another weapon or attack skill or a support skill or some skill you want to level.