Why is PvP packed with so many 2h DPS?

Seraphayel

Can someone tell me? Doing a lot of battlegrounds in the last days and the "spec" I see the most - by far - is 2hander spamming two 2h abilities. Is it so strong, imbalanced or overpowered or why is nearly every DPS a 2h melee?

teladoy

because that’s the only and best build for pvp since the beginning of the times wrecking blow, vigor, evasion, rally and executioner. Then you complete the bars with skills of your class.

Yakidafi

Either bcs of the snare removal or the heal.
the execute is nice too.
Imo.

WakeYourGhost

Momentum + Morphs

Wrecking Blow

High base Damage

...Maybe Executioner?

Asmael

Because if you stand still in PvP, you're either a megatank, or you die.

As it so happens, 2H happens to also have the best snare / root removal ability.

ofSunhold

Forward Momentum

Focus your strength to gain Major Brutality, increasing your Weapon Damage by 20% for 33 seconds. You heal for 282 Health every 2 seconds while active. Activating this ability removes all snares and immobilizations from you and grants immunity to them for [5 / 6 / 7 / 8] seconds.

Everything in the world snares us now. Removal and immunity is huge. I've even seen some magicka specs running 2H just for this.

Beardimus

Yep agree with this, 2H is certainly popular it's a dull play style too same few skills every time just gets old.

Seraphayel

ofSunhold wrote: »

Forward Momentum

Focus your strength to gain Major Brutality, increasing your Weapon Damage by 20% for 33 seconds. You heal for 282 Health every 2 seconds while active. Activating this ability removes all snares and immobilizations from you and grants immunity to them for [5 / 6 / 7 / 8] seconds.

Everything in the world snares us now. Removal and immunity is huge. I've even seen some magicka specs running 2H just for this.

Wow, 8 seconds of immunity to snares and immobilizations is insane.

Idinuse

Because it's Stamina FTW all the way in PvP, just look at Stam Warden DD vs Mag Warden DD.

Elder Scrolls Stamina Online™

clocksstoppe

Because cancelling wrecking blow for massive damage due to a bug is still an available exploit and like every animation related exploit, ZOS can't fix it. Forward momentum is a big reason too but it's overrated IMO, only dks are annoying without it.

Jura23

Question for experienced PvPers. If I slot extended ritual, is it better to go with forward momentum or change to rally since I can cleanse at any time.

GreenhaloX

Sure, when skills are working properly. Since this patch, Dizzying Swing/ Wrecking Blow nor Exectioner/Reverse Slice are working properly for all my 2H. Most of the times, the skills don't even highlight or fire off, or when the rare time it does, it is slow and clunky. 2H isn't so effective right now. Now, any class, really, is effective in the right hands. There are also packed with mag/stam sorcs, mag/stam NB, Templars and Warden of all shape, sizes and builds. You can get wrecked from somebody playing a sorc just blasting away at you from range and throwing Endless Fury/Mage Wrath, Haunting Curse and other range attacks. You got NB just popping Shadow/cloaking in and out and blasting you with poison from a distance while hidden or other killing strikes; sticking and move. You got Templars just spamming heals so much it seems almost impossible to kill, while still tearing you up with Puncturing/Jabs, Power of the Light and Unstable Core/Total Dark. Then, you have them Wardens, same with very good healing and likewise damage dealing skills. So, it's not surely just 2H (again, when working properly), but there are packed with other classes and other questionable toons/builds that take about 8 or more to kill one sole dude.

DarkAedin

Heaven forbid i wanna play my favorite archtype since i was 8 playing D&D, the 2h paladin, right?

Or barbarian.
Or knight.
Etc.

Especially when we know dmg wise that dw is > 2h, its nice i can actually use my favorite weapon type in pvp. Albiet knowing im still nerfing myself due to the 1 xtra slot piece loss, loss of an enchant, etc etc

Vapirko

All stam classes need the heals and/or snare removal and for classes like stam sorc and stam DK there’s just no other option. We have no class execute not class spammables no gap closer.

Lynx7386

Unlike PvE, which is based on sustaining higher damage numbers over a long period of time (usually by stacking damage over time effects and heavy attacking), PvP requires burst damage - most players can heal or recover from damage fairly quickly, so the best way to kill them is to deal enough damage to deplete their entire health bar within a very, very short window of opportunity (usually while you have them stuck in a crowd control effect).

Two handed weapons excel at that burst damage, because they attack slowly and deal a large chunk of damage all at once. Combining wrecking blow with another burst damage ability and reverse slash execute can one shot most players that arent running shields or high mitigation builds ('pvp tank' builds) if you can land all three within a 1~ second timeframe.

For the same reason, two hander is terrible in pve; it has no real damage over time effects to stack, and cast time abilities like wrecking blow cannot be animation cancelled in a way that significantly increases damage output.

There's also the secondary fact that forward momentum provides snare immunity and is currently one of the only sources of that in the game.

Nelson_Rebel

As others have said


The 2h skill line has arguably the strongest skills in the game for PvP synergy to get immunity to roots/snares almost 100% of the fight with 1 cast for a cheap cast.


You also gain access to an execute and gap closer for classes that have neither. Example DK's and Wardens.

red_emu

Because lag is so strong in this game, 2H builds can hit you with wrecking blow around 5 times in a row before the game decides to even display it, so you just die and all you see on recap is WB x4 and 1 x executioner. You're thinking: cheater, the enemy thinks: 'Why did he not even move?'

Jura23

red_emu wrote: »

Because lag is so strong in this game, 2H builds can hit you with wrecking blow around 5 times in a row before the game decides to even display it, so you just die and all you see on recap is WB x4 and 1 x executioner. You're thinking: cheater, the enemy thinks: 'Why did he not even move?'

You pretty much nailed it.

GreenhaloX

Lynx7386 wrote: »

Unlike PvE, which is based on sustaining higher damage numbers over a long period of time (usually by stacking damage over time effects and heavy attacking), PvP requires burst damage - most players can heal or recover from damage fairly quickly, so the best way to kill them is to deal enough damage to deplete their entire health bar within a very, very short window of opportunity (usually while you have them stuck in a crowd control effect).

Two handed weapons excel at that burst damage, because they attack slowly and deal a large chunk of damage all at once. Combining wrecking blow with another burst damage ability and reverse slash execute can one shot most players that arent running shields or high mitigation builds ('pvp tank' builds) if you can land all three within a 1~ second timeframe.

For the same reason, two hander is terrible in pve; it has no real damage over time effects to stack, and cast time abilities like wrecking blow cannot be animation cancelled in a way that significantly increases damage output.

There's also the secondary fact that forward momentum provides snare immunity and is currently one of the only sources of that in the game.

2H is not so near terrible in PvE. Unlike PvP, I don't slot a gap closer or the Executioner, really. You don't need any of that for PvE. Ever rain down Endless Hail and then drop Caltrops, follow by Brawler and then light weave Dizzing Swing or Wrecking Blow? You can even do brutal damage with ACing heavy with the Swing. My 2H StamDK is quite brutal and the damage dealer for PvE. For mobs, throw down the Talons with what I had mentioned. For bosses, add Poison Injection and Venomous Claw with. For a 2H StamPlar, Endless Hail, Caltrops, Brawler, and Biting Jabs; light weave 2H/Jabs or AC heavy 2H swing/Jabs.. done. 2H is quite effective for PvE; contrarily to some beliefs.

Chilly-McFreeze

red_emu wrote: »

Because lag is so strong in this game, 2H builds can hit you with wrecking blow around 5 times in a row before the game decides to even display it, so you just die and all you see on recap is WB x4 and 1 x executioner. You're thinking: cheater, the enemy thinks: 'Why did he not even move?'

Funny thing is that it works the other way too. With all the lag going on, sometimes I can't even land a single dizzying swing at all. And the enemy must think "What an idiot, where's he even going?"

Malmai

Seraphayel wrote: »

Can someone tell me? Doing a lot of battlegrounds in the last days and the "spec" I see the most - by far - is 2hander spamming two 2h abilities. Is it so strong, imbalanced or overpowered or why is nearly every DPS a 2h melee?

Because there is no other viable choice for most classes like bow is secondary dot dual wield is dot sword and board is DK signature which is also used by magicka classes what is there left ? Only 2 hander for straight dmg... ZOS is just...

IcyDeadPeople

Seraphayel wrote: »

Can someone tell me? Doing a lot of battlegrounds in the last days and the "spec" I see the most - by far - is 2hander spamming two 2h abilities. Is it so strong, imbalanced or overpowered or why is nearly every DPS a 2h melee?

In PVP I find most people end up playing more well rounded builds, with self healing, damage mitigation, etc - perhaps the only "DPS" are pure ganking builds.

If you are stamina build, 2H is pretty nice for healing, major brutality, execute, gap closer and knockback.

magictucktuck

it has a gapcloser for mobility the main damage ability also has a hard cc and rally so you always have major brutality up and a god heal. so for dk stemplar and sorc (stamina ones) unless they wanna run a tank build its just super convenient and effective. now there are other options but its just easier.

nightblade already have these in their toolkit but most of us still run it because rally for the heal and so you can have major brutality before we engage, without chuggin potions. but again also doable without 2h its just more convenient as well

Ragnarock41

Idinuse wrote: »

Because it's Stamina FTW all the way in PvP, just look at Stam Warden DD vs Mag Warden DD.

Elder Scrolls Stamina Online™

funny how stamden or stamblade is always the go to example for the ''nerf stam QQ''

Nobody wants to mention stamDk/sorc/stamplar...

I mean, you realize stamdens are a very tiny minority rite?

Jhalin

clocksstoppe wrote: »

Because cancelling wrecking blow for massive damage due to a bug is still an available exploit and like every animation related exploit, ZOS can't fix it. Forward momentum is a big reason too but it's overrated IMO, only dks are annoying without it.

Man we didn't even get half a page down before the animation canceling qq started

L2P

Thogard

Jura23 wrote: »

Question for experienced PvPers. If I slot extended ritual, is it better to go with forward momentum or change to rally since I can cleanse at any time.

Cleanse at any time isn’t quite right - you can cleanse twice in no cp before running out of mag, unless you boost your mag through gear.

IMO if you also have shuffle you can get away with not running forward momentum because you’ll have two sources of snare removal. Or if you’re in heavy you can probably get mag back faster from constitution passive and cleanse a third time pretty quickly.

Dojohoda

It's the canned bis for most Stam.

generalmyrick

so comical! ahhahahahaha, keep posting! i need more of this in my life!!!

Abysswarrior45

Dizzy swing is the weakest skill in the game. Easily avoided without even dodging especially if lag is present.

Ragnarock41

Abysswarrior45 wrote: »

Dizzy swing is the weakest skill in the game. Easily avoided without even dodging especially if lag is present.

2h isn't used for dizzy swing. Its used for everything else.

The classes that use dizzy swing are the weakest things in ESO.

(stamDK, stamsorc, both ridicilously weak unless they do SnB / dual wield, and even then they are still going to use a 2h for rally/executioner.)

DemonDruaga

Rally and Execute. Can't bring my stam dk to town without those.

There's vigor, but vigor alone doesn't heal enough.