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New version of racial passives. Comment, suggest yours.

XomRhoK
XomRhoK
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@ZOS_GinaBruno @ZOS_JessicaFolsom @ZOS_RichLambert @ZOS_BrianWheeler @ZOS_Gilliam
I think racial changes, proposed in this update, don't really achieved stated goals:
  • 1. Allow more effective options when picking a race for each role in tanking, healing, or damage dealing.
  • 3. Retain and enhance the unique feeling and gameplay patterns that each race allows.
  • 5. Achieve the above goals while still obeying our rich and structured lore and storytelling.
For example, in terms of lore and storytelling, i were always bothered with imperials Red Diamond passive. All imperials are vampires? Or all of them have amulet of kings?

So i get other variant of racial passive that, in my opinion, allows all races choose any roles: tanking, healing, or damage dealing, have more unique racial gameplay flavor and lore friendly(as far as my lore knowledge goes).
If you like overall idea and direction of this racial passives, please, leave comment and share you thoughts and suggestions about what do you think fit better for particular race in gameplay or lore direction.

Passive divides at:
  • Flavor. Extra experience gain in one skill line, some minor buff, all types of resistance, almost same as in game
  • Utility. Some minor adjustments to some speeds; snare, buff, debuff duration to add some flavor in gameplay
  • Tanking.
  • Damage/healing. This passives get bonus damage in %, but it's a overall damage, from any source, so it can be utilized by any build: magika, stamina, hybrid or proc.
All core passives without any particulat numbers, because it's a work for balance team. From my point of view tanking and damaging passives must give arount 5-10% bonus in survavability or damage, for peope get reason to use them, but be fine if they can't. Almost all passives without names yet, only some of them to highlight feeling/flavor. Races goes in same order as in devs post.

High Elf
  • Flavor: Increases Experience gain in Destruction Staff Skill Line by 15%, extra 1% Generic Experience gain
  • Utility: More speed while channeling
  • Tanking/Healing: More healing done
  • Damage: Make more damage to targets with any elemental status effects on them
Coment
All passives emphasize affinity of High Elf to magic and in particular elemental magic. Elemental status effects can be applied by magic or enchants, so it can be utilized by any build. Maybe for balance in group content it must be elemental status effects applied by you only.

Argonian
  • Flavor: Increases experience gain in Resto Staff Skill Line by 15%, extra 50% Swimming Speed. 2310 Disease Resistance. Immune to the Diseased status effect. 2310 Poison Resistance. Immune to the Poisoned status effect
  • Utility: Shorter snare duration
  • Tanking: More HP recovery
  • Damage/Healing: Additional damage/heal at critical strikes or bonus damage/heal after critical strike for a period of time
Coment
Passives reflects severe conditions of the swamps, lizards regeneration, inclination of Argonians to thieve and assassin professions in lore and other TES games(as far as i know). Disease Resistance can be deleted for balance purposes.

Wood Elf
  • Flavor: Increases experience gain in Bow Skill Line by 15%, decreases fall damage taken by 10%. 2310 Disease Resistance. Immune to the Diseased status effect.
  • Utility: Sneak cost less stamina. Smaller detection radius
  • Tanking: Hard target: Less damage from direct ranged attacks. Less damage from physical AoE damage.
  • Damage/Healing: Concentration: More damage/heal if there are no enemies in close range
Coment
Passives reflects Wood elfs small size, sneaking and camouflage abilities. Also their affinity to ranged combat.

Breton
  • Flavor: Increases Experience gain in Light Armor Skill Line by 15%, extra 1% Alliance Point gain. 3960 Spell Resistance.
  • Utility: Shorter debuff duration
  • Tanking: Dragon skin: Damage shield while blocking, with recharge time, scaled from HP.
  • Damage/Healing: After using ultimate gives bonus damage for period of time. Scales buff duration or damage according to overall ultimate points spent
Coment
Passives reflects Bretons resistance to magicka, thier shield ability from previous TES games. Tanking ability similar to Concentrated barrier passive from Psijic skill line, and need to be with less visible damage shield, because not everyone like additional visual effects and this passive built in race, so you can't just avoid it.

Dark Elf
  • Flavor: Increases Experience gain in Dual Wield Skill Line by 15%, reduces damage taken from Lava by 50%. 2310 Flame Resistance. You are immune to the Burning status effect
  • Utility: Longer immovability duration
  • Tanking/Damage/Healing: Endurance: All stamina and magicka skills cost less, it gives more option in itemization in tanking, damage or healing
Coment
As far as i know lore, Dark elfs live can be both good warriors and mages, and severe conditions of thier homeland contributed to this. However this passive can be hard to balance, because most other races have splitted tanking and damage bonuses, while dark elfs can completely ignore one direction and focus only on damage through itemization, for example.

Imperial
  • Flavor: Increases Experience gain in One Hand and Shield Skill Line by 15%, extra 1% Gold gain
  • Utility: More speed while blocking
  • Tanking/Damage/Healing: Better equipment: Weapons, armor, enchants, potions, food, drink have better bonuses
Coment
Hard one to get right flavor passives, because Imperials know as diplomats, traders and light infantry, but seems this passives fits well, they get better equipment or better instruments, materials to create their own, by using thier personality and trading skills. However maybe have same problems with balance as Dark elfs, because of opotunity to be more specialized in tanking or damage.

Khajiit
  • Flavor: Increases Experience gain in Medium Armor Skill Line by 15%, 5% bonus change to successfully pickpocket
  • Utility: More speed while sneaking
  • Tanking: Acrobatics: faster/longer distance roll dodge. Roll dodge cost less
  • Damage/Healing: More damage/heal against low HP targets
Coment
Passives reflects Khajiits acrobatic, sneaking, thieves skills

Nord
  • Flavor: Increases Experience gain in Two Handed Skill Line by 15%, 15 extra minutes on drink buffs. 2310 Cold Resistance. You are immune to the Chilled status effect
  • Utility: Break free cost less
  • Tanking: Reduse damage taken based on missing health
  • Damage/Healing: Valor: More damage/heal the more enemies you hit in last several seconds. One enemy - 0,5 average buff, two enemies - 1 average buff, three enemies - 1,5 average buff, boss - 1 average buff.
Coment
Nords know as fierce, strong and enthusiastic warriors, and this passives reflects this well, in my opinion.

Orc
  • Flavor: Increases Experience gain in Heavy Armor Skill Line by 15%, extra 10% Inspiration gain
  • Utility: More speed, less stamina cost sprint
  • Tanking: Armorer: More armor rating of any armor. Two additional piece bonuses in heavy armor, if you use one piece of heavy armor you get three pieces bonuses, if you use three pieces of heavy armor you get five pieces bonuses
  • Damage/Healing: Battle anger: Every direct damage attack/heal adds stacking buff that increases damage/heal power, this buff decrease fast if you stop do direct damage.
Coment
Armorers, fearsome warriors in heavy armor, seems fit the lore

Redguard
  • Flavor: Increases One Hand and Shield Skill Line by 15%, 15 extra minutes on food buffs
  • Utility: More damage or less cost bash ability
  • Tanking: More block mitigation
  • Damage/Healing: More damage with low range skills
Coment
According to wiki Redguards the most naturally talented warriors in Tamriel, so this passives gives bonuses at close range combat, but not only for weapon, battle mages builds also possible. Because with close range passive redguards need to be in close range to the enemy they can better utilize block and bash mechanics so buffs to them seems usefull

Of course such changes need more balance work and also need some additional coding, but this changes can be done at Elsweyr chapter release, better if it will take more time, but will be better executed.

Once again, if you like overall idea and direction of this racial passives, please, leave comment and share you thoughts and suggestions about what do you think fit better for particular race in gameplay or lore direction.
Edited by XomRhoK on January 23, 2019 1:22AM
  • FilteredRiddle
    FilteredRiddle
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    Overall I think this is a far superior idea to what ZOS has done. I think Breton needs work, but otherwise I like them.
    Xbox One NA
    The Sentinels of Padomay
    Obsidian Guard (Social with PvX Events)

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    - Jane McGonigal
  • AcadianPaladin
    AcadianPaladin
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    I'd like to see racials that provide flavor of the race but do not impact performance choices except possibly very early game. Some examples:

    Bosmer: Short, big ears, starting bonus to bows.
    Orc: Tusks, greenish skin, starting bonus to whatever orcs might be known for.
    Argonian: Tail, scales, starting bonus to whatever Argonians might be known for.
    . . .

    You get the idea. Basically cosmetic - which really adds the preponderance of what makes each race different anyway. Big advantage is no balancing required. There is already an abundance of choices that affect performance - let me pick race primarily on looks and roleplay feel instead of stats.

    More specifically, stop channeling my race selection into a stamina vs magicka choice!
    Edited by AcadianPaladin on January 23, 2019 2:16AM
    PC NA(no Steam), PvE, mostly solo
  • XomRhoK
    XomRhoK
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    I think Breton needs work, but otherwise I like them.
    In what aspect? Any ideas? It would be interesting for me.
    I'd like to see racials that provide flavor of the race but do not impact performance choices except possibly very early game. Some examples:

    Bosmer: Short, big ears, starting bonus to bows.
    Orc: Tusks, greenish skin, starting bonus to whatever orcs might be known for.
    Argonian: Tail, scales, starting bonus to whatever Argonians might be known for.
    . . .

    You get the idea. Basically cosmetic - which really adds the preponderance of what makes each race different anyway. Big advantage is no balancing required. There is already an abundance of choices that affect performance - let me pick race primarily on looks and roleplay feel instead of stats.

    More specifically, stop channeling my race selection into a stamina vs magicka choice!

    I'd prefer to races be distinct throughout all game, maybe not all races can be top pure mages, but all can be mages with advantages at other useful aspects. But with system that we have in ESO you can't be really competitive hybrid, especially in top PvE group content, because your not primary resource have almost no use. Tank get aggro and mages just stand and do damage/buffs with no need in stamina, stamina users have no need in magicka, because they get all buffs from group members. So if your race or class have passive that somehow increase your not primary resource it almost useless in top PvE. In small scale PvP it must be better. And separation at weapon/magicka damage, physical/magical penetration just increase this acpect.
    So, in my opinion, to balance all the races for all roles they can:
    • give to all races passives that buffs both stamina and magicka builds, and they need to be quite different, because if they be all the same, what the point in them?
    • remove all stamina and magicka passives at all
      • make passives almost cosmetic, that can flatter gameplay, in my opinion
      • make passives significant, but not tied to stamina or magicka, as i suggest in first post
    • find use for both resources for any build in any game content
    Edited by XomRhoK on January 23, 2019 4:20PM
  • Anoregon
    Anoregon
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    I'm cool with stuff like this. Every race should be able to play ever role in the game without feeling like they are making a "wrong" choice. I was really hoping the U21 racial rebalance would lead in that direction, but it clearly hasn't. You still have Altmer and Breton for magicka, Redguard and Orc for Stamina, etc. I mean, is it really so damaging to lore and immersion to give people the ability to have a stamina-boosting passive a high elf, or a magicka boosting passive on an orc? I just feel like, given the choice, opting for freedom of choice is always going to be better than setting racial bonuses that continue to dictate what race should be chosen for what type of character.
  • BejaProphet
    BejaProphet
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    In the interest of making more races viable for more roles ZOS should immediately do the following...

    Nord passive (Drunken Bravado): All pve damage taken permanently halved and warhorn ultimate cost reduced to 100 ultimate.

    Breton (healing hands): heals cost no magick.

    Redguard (savage thrust): all weapon abilities initiate a stackable bleed with infinite duration and infinite stacks. 100 damage per tic.

    Dunmer (Fiery Heritage): Dark elves take 500 fire dame every time they cast an ability.

    High Elf (Always right): If you cast a magick based ability the game immediately roles to credits because you won.

    I think this will help bring a variety to roles. Thank you.
  • Virosh
    Virosh
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    Excellent propositions, well done mate! It's a shame this thread haven't got more attention.
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