Grim Focus "nerf" is actually a buff

rileynotzb14_ESO

Patch 5.0.0

Removed the Minor Berserk buff from this ability and its morphs. The spectral bow now heals for 33% of the damage dealt if you are within 7 meters of the target when firing it.

Merciless Resolve (morph): Now increases healing done to 50%.

Relentless Focus: Increased the duration to 30 seconds from 20 seconds. Additionally, this morph no longer grants Minor Endurance.


Patch 5.0.2

This ability and its morphs will now reduce your damage taken by 3% for each Light or Heavy Attack you use, up to 5 times. Note that this bonus will persist even if the Grim Focus buff fades from you, as it is tethered to the amount of stacks you had while the buff was active. This effect will be consumed when you use your stacks by firing the spectral bow or when you leave combat.


Net Result

Merciless Resolve is losing Minor Berserk (+8% damage) and is gaining 15% damage reduction and a burst heal that heals for 50% of the damage done.

Relentless Focus is losing Minor Berserk (+8% damage) and Minor Endurance (+10% stamina recovery) but is gaining 15% damage reduction and a 50% increase in its duration.


In what world is this a nerf? All this will do is make Nightblades spec less into defense and more into offense. And they will do so more efficiently simply because 15% damage mitigation > 8% damage increase. This "nerf" had to be done with only PvE in mind. As far as PvP goes it's a ridiculous buff. Why does one of the highest damaging abilities in the game also need to provide a strong burst heal and ridiculously high damage reduction?

Stx

So you're telling me you can hold onto that 15% DR permanently just by not firing the arrow?

rileynotzb14_ESO

Stx wrote: »

So you're telling me you can hold onto that 15% DR permanently just by not firing the arrow?

Yes.

Drdeath20

Pretty much.

technohic

Yeah, I think it has to do with people who want to gank, but this should help make NBs more well rounded. Theres a reason you dont see them in higher MMR, but now they have one of the better extra defenses outside of major resolve/ward.

Strider__Roshin

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Curious when sorcs are going to get similar treatment. Maybe making haunting a projectile to allow better counterplay?

Strider__Roshin

technohic wrote: »

Yeah, I think it has to do with people who want to gank, but this should help make NBs more well rounded. Theres a reason you dont see them in higher MMR, but now they have one of the better extra defenses outside of major resolve/ward.

Agreed. We had our damage nerfed, but our survivability has greatly improved which was needed.

opaj

Thank you. I'm a potato who runs Grim Focus solely for the Minor Berserk buff. I usually forget to fire the arrow, and sometimes I go the skill's entire duration without firing the arrow once.

I was planning to drop this from my skill bar due to being "too complicated to use without Minor Berserk", but now I think this may actually be better for my potato playstyle.

rampant_cake

The minor berserk change will hurt the dps in trials groups that mainly consist of nightblades but have poor combat prayer uptime. I'm not saying that the change is bad, personally I'm pretty indifferent about it.

Damage in general is very high right now anyways.

olsborg

It will get nerfed (again)
Just as an added note, the heal from it is weak and unreliable. You cant bank on it actually healing u when u need it because of all the factors. (Dodged or blocked etc)

Jeezye

Yes you are right, it’s an overall net buff, especially to the more brawlerish playstyle that I like in PvP. The thing is, these buffs are just increadibly missplaced on a skill like grim focus, and the design speeks against their own Codex of „overloaded“ skills.

The damage mitigation would’ve been way better placed at leeching strikes e.g., and the class doesn’t need just another stupid, subpar and completely unreliable heal.

Instead, if the existing healing of swallow soul, path and sap was buffed accordingly you could scratch these weird changes to grim focus all together.

Tonturri

olsborg wrote: »

It will get nerfed (again)
Just as an added note, the heal from it is weak and unreliable. You cant bank on it actually healing u when u need it because of all the factors. (Dodged or blocked etc)

ZOS should have the heal scale on max health or something and have the scaling be such that your avg NB pvp build with some dmg will heal for an amount about half of the damage of the skill if it would land...But it doesn't actually have to land, they just need to fire it off. And then NB tanks could get some nice mileage out of it when it scales up more due to their extra health. No need to deal with block/dodge/heavy mitigation targets.

frostz417

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Pet sorc needs to be toned down. I agree

vesselwiththepestle

Can you swap the skill out after gaining the stacks and keep the damage mitigation?

Zedrian

We can't spec more in offense in PVE.

Muzzick

vesselwiththepestle wrote: »

Can you swap the skill out after gaining the stacks and keep the damage mitigation?

I don't believe so, it says the stacks are gone when you leave combat and you can't swap skills until you leave combat

ilcavallo

olsborg wrote: »

It will get nerfed (again)
Just as an added note, the heal from it is weak and unreliable. You cant bank on it actually healing u when u need it because of all the factors. (Dodged or blocked etc)

"burst heal"

Real loller

Sahidom

I am actually quite fond of the new proposed changes to Grim Focus. I have not tested it; but I do hope that invisibility does not reset the light/heavy attack stacks since invisibility breaks combat.

Otherwise, the gain to burst damage/heal on demand, as you need providing the situation offers a lot for nightblades. The damage reduction is insightful and awesome mitigating some damage on the lay-up for a combo-burst; and vice versa, the tank and healers equally benefit from the skill.

Much better than previous proposals. The minor berserk weakens is a loss but the utility of the new proposal is nice for any play-style to benefit from.

NOW... Please petition and hope ZOS updates Hemorrhage passive to include minor prophecy, along with minor savagery. Align the passive with Pressure Points to benefit both magic and stamina Nightblades.

Vapirko

It’s a high ceiling skill now. I think new stamblades are going to get rekt, but good stamblades will be able to use this skill to do even better than they can now I think.

brandonv516

ilcavallo wrote: »

olsborg wrote: »

It will get nerfed (again)
Just as an added note, the heal from it is weak and unreliable. You cant bank on it actually healing u when u need it because of all the factors. (Dodged or blocked etc)

"burst heal"

Real loller

Yep. A 10k merciless in no-CP = 3300 heal = 1650 after battle spirit.

That one will save ya!

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO

brandonv516 wrote: »

ilcavallo wrote: »

olsborg wrote: »

It will get nerfed (again)
Just as an added note, the heal from it is weak and unreliable. You cant bank on it actually healing u when u need it because of all the factors. (Dodged or blocked etc)

"burst heal"

Real loller

Yep. A 10k merciless in no-CP = 3300 heal = 1650 after battle spirit.

That one will save ya!

do damage percent based heals get halved? i am pretty sure they they don't, as they are already halved in the damaged part.

ilcavallo

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO wrote: »

brandonv516 wrote: »

ilcavallo wrote: »

olsborg wrote: »

It will get nerfed (again)
Just as an added note, the heal from it is weak and unreliable. You cant bank on it actually healing u when u need it because of all the factors. (Dodged or blocked etc)

"burst heal"

Real loller

Yep. A 10k merciless in no-CP = 3300 heal = 1650 after battle spirit.

That one will save ya!

do damage percent based heals get halved? i am pretty sure they they don't, as they are already halved in the damaged part.

Doesn't matter. Devs trying to pass it off as a burst heal truly is comical

Tommy_The_Gun

It is a nerf, don't fool yourself.

Grim focus is a messy skill right now (on PTS). It provides 2 unreliable things.

One is a light / heavy attack mini - game mitigation buff (Rly, it is a tanking skill now ? In an Assassination skill tree ? like wtf).
The other is 7 meter heal that may or may not occur.

That means playing at Melee range and we all know how it ends in PvE hard content raiding.
As for PvP - all light attacks & bow proc can be dodged making it a useless skill. Also the heal is almost non-existing in PvP.
It is a change that literally NO ONE asked for.

Imho at this point ZOS should simply remove base cost from this skill and make it so it provides no buff on the intimal cast, but simply counts light & heavy attacks "while slotted" - so the only cost will be the bow proc.

Lucky28

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that's not it at all. i still have Minor berserk because i'm forced to run combat prayer as magblade doesn't have *** all for heals.

The change is irritating because the heal specifically is close to worthless in PvP where magblade really needs help in the self-heal department and close to OP in PvE where magblade needs no help in the self-heal department.

also it makes no sense why this is on Grim Focus of all things.

Iskiab

I think it’s a matter on context for if it’s a buff or a nerf. For those who’re glass canon, it’s a nerf. For those with pvp defenses it’s a buff.

If someone’s so glass canon that extra mitigation won’t help them they’re likely not going to see a difference. If someone plays giving up all defense for offense they’ll continue being free AP.

Sheuib

brandonv516 wrote: »

ilcavallo wrote: »

olsborg wrote: »

It will get nerfed (again)
Just as an added note, the heal from it is weak and unreliable. You cant bank on it actually healing u when u need it because of all the factors. (Dodged or blocked etc)

"burst heal"

Real loller

Yep. A 10k merciless in no-CP = 3300 heal = 1650 after battle spirit.

That one will save ya!

Typically the heal that is based on a damage skill in PVP does not have the same half restriction of normal heals because the damage is already cut in half.

Ragnarock41

Daus wrote: »

Curious when sorcs are going to get similar treatment. Maybe making haunting a projectile to allow better counterplay?

They already got the similar treatment, nerfed in one way and then buffed in 10 other.

Iskiab wrote: »

I think it’s a matter on context for if it’s a buff or a nerf. For those who’re glass canon, it’s a nerf. For those with pvp defenses it’s a buff.

If someone’s so glass canon that extra mitigation won’t help them they’re likely not going to see a difference. If someone plays giving up all defense for offense they’ll continue being free AP.

% mitigation sources works a lot better if you're a glass cannon actually. Since the less resistances you have ,the more effective that % mitigation will be.

[edited quote]

Gilvoth

dps class, is suppose to D P S
so this is good.
thats why im not a healer
thats why im not a tank
i chose D P S because i want a dps class.

Iskiab

Ragnarock41 wrote: »

Daus wrote: »

Curious when sorcs are going to get similar treatment. Maybe making haunting a projectile to allow better counterplay?

They already got the similar treatment, nerfed in one way and then buffed in 10 other.

Iskiab wrote: »

I think it’s a matter on context for if it’s a buff or a nerf. For those who’re glass canon, it’s a nerf. For those with pvp defenses it’s a buff.

If someone’s so glass canon that extra mitigation won’t help them they’re likely not going to see a difference. If someone plays giving up all defense for offense they’ll continue being free AP.

% mitigation sources works a lot better if you're a glass cannon actually. Since the less resistances you have ,the more effective that % mitigation will be.

That’s true, but as soon as people start using other traits then impenetrable or do nothing to buff their defense they’re essentially starting at 0 mitigation. At 15% you’re still just a speed bump, just a slightly bigger one.

[edited quote]

Ragnarock41

Iskiab wrote: »

Ragnarock41 wrote: »

Daus wrote: »

Curious when sorcs are going to get similar treatment. Maybe making haunting a projectile to allow better counterplay?

They already got the similar treatment, nerfed in one way and then buffed in 10 other.

Iskiab wrote: »

I think it’s a matter on context for if it’s a buff or a nerf. For those who’re glass canon, it’s a nerf. For those with pvp defenses it’s a buff.

If someone’s so glass canon that extra mitigation won’t help them they’re likely not going to see a difference. If someone plays giving up all defense for offense they’ll continue being free AP.

% mitigation sources works a lot better if you're a glass cannon actually. Since the less resistances you have ,the more effective that % mitigation will be.

That’s true, but as soon as people start using other traits then impenetrable or do nothing to buff their defense they’re essentially starting at 0 mitigation. At 15% you’re still just a speed bump, just a slightly bigger one.

So what? Are you telling me we should balance the game based on how 11k resist full divines gankers feel? Obviously if you're getting hit by a 20k dawnbreaker that %15 won't save you.

What I'm saying is that dawnbreaker will only hit you for 2-3k if you're building your stamblade correctly. Stamblades will be stupid tanky next patch, they have so much mitigation even with corrosive I'm having a tough time putting them under pressure.

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Tommy_The_Gun

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NB never rly had anything else. They are trash as tanks and healers. DPS was where they shined.
Warden & Necro are classes designed from the ground to have DPS, Healing and Tanking class "tree" skills. They even mentioned that on the last ESO stream.

NB as all base game classes were designed by certain "archetype", with NB being an "Assassins". So for a long time it made a perfect sense that They should be very good at DPS, but weaker at other roles.

The frustration almost all NB are having right now is that DPS role for NB has been nerfed but there were little to no buffs for healing & tanking role. Those in fact were nerfed too for a bizarre reason...