Feedback: Maintaining Character Buffs as a Pain Point

GrumpyDuckling

Recently I find myself gravitating towards wearing buff sets (Mighty Chudan, Slimecraw, Rattlecage, Dreugh King Slayer, and Vampire Cloak), just to feel less annoyed when I play ESO. These sets quiet the nagging internal clock that sits in the back of my mind and fires off every 10-20 seconds to remind me to maintain my character buffs, which has consequently increased my enjoyment because these sets allow me to feel more like I am playing a character, and less like I am maintaining a character.

I find it disappointing that I am actively choosing sets in order to feel less annoyed while I play, instead of choosing sets that I consider fun and unique. Of course, I could choose whichever sets I want and return to the annoying buff-fest, or simply not buff at all, but what I would prefer to see happen is ZOS utilize more of the other already existing ways to incorporate buffs such as:

1) Passive buffs that permanently apply when a skill is slotted (ex: Flames of Oblivion giving Major Savagery and Major Prophecy for being placed on a bar).
2) Passive buffs that apply whenever any skill from a skill line is activated (ex: Shadow Barrier giving Major Ward and Major Resolve whenever any shadow skill is activated).

What I like about the two examples listed above, is that the buffs are either permanently active without needing to be maintained (at the cost of a skill slot), or they can be applied during gameplay by using any skill from a skill line (not just a singular skill that provides the buff).

TLDR: Please consider how most buffs are applied so that utilizing them feels more like playing a character, and less like maintaining a character.

@ZOS_Holden

DoobZ69

Activating skills is doing an activity. Having them permanent buffs can feel like you're doing nothing. Imagine every skill was automatic and you went to sleep and your character was max level and has completed the game for you, would you enjoy it then? I enjoy having a tight re-buff requirement on some skills but not on others.

Specify which skills you have an issue with and maybe they can look at them individually.
For example Hurricane is 15 seconds vs Boundless Storm which is 23 seconds. Perhaps that suits you better?
Churr.

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO

Funny enough, I hate those sets that you mentioned, for the reasons you give. I like using skills to make myself better, not having to use pots or armor is great to me. I hate that you have to use pots to get the best DPS. set I use that is like what you are saying is toothrow, on my Stam sorc. Because she needs the front bar space where I would put camo Hunter, for bound armor.

And all those buffs you want can be gotten from a pots, with 100% uptime, as I am sure you are aware. If remembering to hit a button every 45 seconds, that is why the game does have the sets you are talking about.

GrumpyDuckling

DoobZ69 wrote: »

Activating skills is doing an activity. Having them permanent buffs can feel like you're doing nothing. Imagine every skill was automatic and you went to sleep and your character was max level and has completed the game for you, would you enjoy it then? I enjoy having a tight re-buff requirement on some skills but not on others.

Specify which skills you have an issue with and maybe they can look at them individually.
For example Hurricane is 15 seconds vs Boundless Storm which is 23 seconds. Perhaps that suits you better?
Churr.

"Imagine every skill was automatic and you went to sleep and your character was max level and has completed the game for you, would you enjoy it then?"

This statement isn't even close to anything I am talking about in the first post,

It's not about the character completing the game for you while you do nothing, it's about the feeling of actually playing the game (using skills against enemies) vs. the feeling of maintaining a character and then using skills against an enemy. I mention that it is more enjoyable when buffs can be obtained passively, so instead of an internal clock saying "it's time to hit that buff rotation," those buffs are available through slotted skills or actions we perform against enemies.

I don't think it's fun gameplay to to maintain cooldown timers.

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO

I don't think it's fun gameplay to to maintain cooldown timers.

but pve is all about count down timers, as dps, you are watching all your dots, as a healer you ought to be watching the countdown on combat prayer, lighting wall orbs/shards , etc, as a tank, you are watching at least the countdown on your taunt, if you are a good tank, you are using heroic slash and watching the count down on that too. so these buff are just another thing to keep track of.

GrumpyDuckling

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO wrote: »

I don't think it's fun gameplay to to maintain cooldown timers.

but pve is all about count down timers, as dps, you are watching all your dots, as a healer you ought to be watching the countdown on combat prayer, lighting wall orbs/shards , etc, as a tank, you are watching at least the countdown on your taunt, if you are a good tank, you are using heroic slash and watching the count down on that too. so these buff are just another thing to keep track of.

Skills with timers that provide dots on an enemy or buff allies feel different to use than skills that are cast upon a character (it's basically skills that feel active/rewarding vs. skills that feel more like maintenance).

For example, playing as a Warden can feel very maintenance heavy, particularly with these skills:
Frost Cloak
Arctic Wind
Living Vines
Lotus Flower
Betty Netch
Falcon's Swiftness

idk

If you make applying buffs part of your rotation they are not a pain point and merely something you do.

Wearing those "buff sets" as you suggest are one way to go but then you are also losing out somewhere else. It is a choice and Zos permits us to make that choice.

Considering this does not seem to be a wide spread issue I do not see Zos taking a stance to over simplify the game at this point.

BTW, as a DPS Warden, if you are keeping frost cloak up on yourself and those around you then that is part of your issue. As a DPS drop frost cloak, lotus flower, artic wind and living vines. They are not needed.

Living vines does not give you a buff. It is purely a heal.
Artic wind does not give you a buff, it is a heal and mostly for tanks since it is a health based heal
Lotus Flower morphs give you the same buff you can easily get from potions/inner light/Expert Hunter. The rest is a heal.

Hope this helps as it seems you are apply unnecessary buffs.

GrumpyDuckling

idk wrote: »

If you make applying buffs part of your rotation they are not a pain point and merely something you do.

Something you do that doesn't feel immersive. That's my problem with "rotations." Too much of the game feels like a race against the DPS clock with an animation of an enemy falling in the background.

I'd rather feel like I am fighting the enemy, instead of fighting a clock with a rotation. I go into more detail here:
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/428086/feedback-enemy-interactions-are-too-clock-dependent-and-consequently-less-immersive#latest