PTS v5.1.0 PvE Focused Request

pwidsten

Hello,

I see loads of great changes in here. Another round of changes to older gear sets making them more relevant (thank you endlessly), fixing the delay on ground casts after a bar swap causing your character to get "stuck" is a HUGE fix that I utterly love, as well as some seriously outstanding UI changes for quality of life like multi-deconstructs, etc. My post purpose here though, as it says in the title, is a request.

"Many Damage over Time abilities, both single target and Area of Effect, have been re-standardized to follow similar behaviors to other ability types. Area of Effect DoTs will now be 33% weaker than a single target DoT counter-part and cost 30% more, just like direct damage AoEs vs single target ones.

Developer Comment:
The duration of these over-time effects are equated into their total cost per second, rather than simply following a base “is a DoT” catch all cost. You can expect to see many adjustments to abilities of this nature in this update. We’ve also rebalanced more of these ability types in the game to help all classes gain access to sources of them, and to reduce situations where abilities were being merely used for passive slots."

This creates a potentially serious gap this creates between Magicka versus Stamina DPS classes and builds. As a side effect, it also reduces the effectiveness, desirability and practical use of Maelstrom weapons that effect AoE DoTs.

Magicka DPS classes have 1 effective weapon choice: Destruction Staff. This is as a result of the ability damage for other weapons scaling off of max stamina and the passives for Destruction Staff, as they're the only ones to truly increase our Magicka based ability damage thanks to Ancient Knowledge, Destruction Expert and Penetrating Magic. Decreasing AoE DoT class abilities across the board and also the primary AoE DoT ability from the Destruction Staff line, Wall of Elements, plus effectively changing Force Pulse into an AoE and Destructive Reach into a single target DoT, decreases all types of Magicka DPS significantly. In addition, it drastically decreases the damage of any skill used with a Lightning/Shock Staff, leaving Magicka DPS 1 version of 1 weapon choice for the best damage dealt: Inferno Staves.

Compare that to Stamina DPS counterparts, who can choose from multiple weapon lines with multiple types therein, or better yet run one weapon type on the front bar and another type on the back bar to take advantage of multiple weapons skills. On paper, Magicka DPS is at a total loss, where as Stamina DPS has the ability to be at a total improvement, even if at the very least from having the ability to use multiple weapon type single target or AoE abilities. I do not see a single Magicka DPS class benefiting from these proposed changes. If I'm stamina based though, I'm running dual wield front bar and bow OR two handed back bar to gain more burst damage, more damage over time and more execute damage than before in just weapon skills alone.

My request is that you test extensively with this in mind.

MehrunesFlagon

If they are taking away 30% of the damage it should cost 30% less.Not 30% more.

MooseKnuckles88

Something to think about, if someone pulls 52k dps solo on a 6 mil dummy with a overall 30% damage reduction (a super rough guesstimate of a number) that person would now be hitting for about 36k dps. Which also costed about 30% more magicka to pull those numbers again super rough estimates here.

Though there's reason for concern, all these changes are very new and not set in stone just yet, so we'll just have to see where this goes in the coming weeks.

Aznarb

MooseKnuckles88 wrote: »

Something to think about, if someone pulls 52k dps solo on a 6 mil dummy with a overall 30% damage reduction (a super rough guesstimate of a number) that person would now be hitting for about 36k dps. Which also costed about 30% more magicka to pull those numbers again super rough estimates here.

Though there's reason for concern, all these changes are very new and not set in stone just yet, so we'll just have to see where this goes in the coming weeks.

The flat 33% dmg reduction only affect aoe dot.
So you don't lost 33% DPS overall at all.
They also buff some single target dot.

So on boss dmg will no change that much.
But with the sustain problem patch add (1orb + some increased magicka cost) DPS would probably end-up to sacrifice a set for a Skeleton or Bright-throat to be able to sustain better.
And here, yeah, the DPS in gonna down.

Is it a problem ? I think not.
DPS is way to high these day and most content can be clear with a brainless stack-and-burn "strat".
And I guess it's not how it's intended to be down.
The other problem with so much DPs around is the scaling of difficulty for new released content.
It become harder and harder and a vast majority of the community can't do it.

I know some player who think they're so good love to said "git gud" but that not how it work.
Eso have probably one of the most aged community + casual.
These guy don't have enough practice or reflex to perform as good as us ; younger people.
I've 2 of them in my guild (70+ / 80+) and they just can't, they want and try hard, but just can't, and it's sad.
A game should take every type of player in consideration and mechanic are here for that. They should be more present but a bit less punishing in some area.
And atm, the step between normal and veteran is stupidly huge. Normal should be harder or Vet easier, but the difference should be that high, it's ridiculous.

So, the nerf can be a good thing, it depend what they do about balancing content in the future.
For the moment it's scary, but I'm sure we still don't have all card in hand to figure out.
Typical ZoS communication problem.