Class identity and generic skill lines. Balanced combat. The right way. Part 2, Class ID

GeorgeBlack

For all PvE comments go to Part 1.

In the recent article Zos you used a few terms to try to make people understand how you want to achieve bringing out the unique identity of your games classes, a balance between generic abilities and class play style, as well as the viability of all classes finding a place in a raid.
Draw a blank board and have clarity.

1)Class identity and class abilities
2)Generic abilities filling the gaps
3)DK rant
4)The role of Weapon abilities





1)Class identity and class abilities.
Before we go into class identity ZOS you need to recognize that we need stamina costing class abilities and better passives. Having said that, magika needs 2 new weapons. With the Summerset chapter you could have added such a CORE GAME feature and refresh your combat. Not to add a new generic skill line. The game didn't need more roleplaying features such as psijic roleplaying builds. Stop trying to please everyone. Casuals get new maps and quests, PvE guilds get new instances, PvP players need combat improvements.

it is very difficult to talk about wanting to improve class ID when in the recent space of time all we have seen is an erosion of unique features, copy paste abilities between classes, Turn Evil, Dawnbreaker of Smiting and other generic abilities such as the recent soul trap and entropy find their way in every build. This direction will never lead to what you try to achieve ZOS
All you have to do ZOS is to make every class wanna use their class animations and slot those abilities in their bars. Simple as that.

It is problematic that in the pvp combat of eso, in which a CC has to occur as soon as possible, you ZOS have failed to provide all 12 classes with a unique access to a reliable CC.
This is the easiest piece in putting together a strong case of class identity. Every class, stamina and magika should be able to CC an enemy with class flavour. I dont care if some people will say that, when it comes to CC, you just reskined the same ability with different colours. The universal responce to CC is break free, INSTANTLY. Besides, there can be a ton of effects tied to a CC. Different durations for different effects depending on the impact.
An ultimate is the proof of a superior warrior, mage. Ultimates need to remain iconic. As a DK I am happy with my ultimates. Other classes aren't. How on earth could you go ahead with weapon ultimates and disturb the combat balance, before making sure that every class can feel unique?
Classes should find their strengths in: mobility, sturdiness, resource abundance, buff/debuff selection, burst, AoE contribution. This is where the identities shine. Class ability animations need to be used on those fields.


2) Generic abilities filling the gaps.
The Mages and Fighters guilds as well as Psijic and Soul skill lines should provide some abilities with primary effect a Major buff and a secondary effect of some utility.
Under no circumstances these generic skills like:
Dawnbreaker of Smiting
Turn Evil
Meteor
Soul Assault
Soul Trap
Structured Entropy
Beast Trap (PvE)

Do you know why? Because active combat should be the result of using class and weapon abilities. Generic lore skill lines should be leveled up to improve a stamina or magika character with the use of buffs that are worth slotting. That should be the reward and that should be the link to the lore of the game.
The more generic skill lines you add to the game, which any class with any weapon can acces, for the sake of making players feel like the belong to a new guild with new fighting/magic abilities, the more difficult you make it to balance everything, and preserve a sense of uniqueness


3) Little rant about dragonknight.
I will use the stamina Dragon Knight as an example to avoid when to work towards your identity project. Obviously there are many problems with other classes, such as stamsorc, which doesn't have a class ultimate for starters.

When Dark Brotherhood DLC came out, you introduced murder and poisons. Why did you make the Dragon Knight the poison class? You can't just go "assassins... poisons... volcanoes have fumes. Zombies vomit poison. Dragons have claw. Scratches can get infected. STAMINA DK WILL BE THE POISON CLASS.
You can't delete a dragons wings because you didn't take your time to think "some people complain that magDK spam wings. We could use a fatigue cost just like we did with Bolt Escape"
You can't mess around with Noxious Breath, be uncertain if they will be used as spammables or DoT, and end up nerfing the DoT after a series of cost buffs/nerfs.
You can't add a Weapon DMG bonus to a magika spammable ability.
You can't use a ranged abilty and make it suck as a spammable and as a CC at the same time and say that this is a good addition.
You can't keep adding healing options: Ash cloud. Obsidian shard, Cautirize, Major Mending to the Dragon Knight because you want to help PvE dragonhealers.
ALL THESE HEALING FEATURES SUIT A TEMPLAR. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

I play a stamDK, I used this class as an example of crazy implementations that have nothing to do with the image of Fire and Fury that we all though we chose and that you dare to show us in your recent article, before you revert all the above mentioned madness. No other class has such performance issues and identity issues.
And I dont want to hear about how OP the SnB/2h 7th Fury BS build WAS. It belongs to the past.


4)The role of the Weapon abilities
Weapons should be the PLAY AS YOU WANT part of your game ZOS. Their role is to provide options to the players to complement their fighting style after having chosen a class. Every weapon should have 1 spammable option. Nothing should be complicated about that. The rest of the abilities should have tools that bring out the identity of the fighting style.
SnB should be the sturdy knights choice.
DW should be the furious warriors or quick assassins choice.
Two handed should be the choice of the master swordsman.
Bow. Archer. Not just snipe and poison injection

SnB: Why do we attack with our shield? The shield should CC and lower the enemies defence.
Why doesn't the attrition play style have a Dot. Take the Dot from DW.
Happy with the nerfs. Not happy about the Slam spam.
DW: Why is the most furious fighting style the least threatening?
Flurry first hit should be strong, the rest should be follow up cuts. The 'build up rage' theme doesn't work. Improve the spammable.
Keep the gap closer simple. Simple major brutality, simple gap closer, low dmg.
Wanna nerf Whirling Blades? Is it an execute? Then increase the cost, dont touch the dmg.
An AoE reduction buff does not belong in this skill line. Nothing to do with its identity. Take it to SnB
2H: One morf of uppercut should have increased cost and CC
The over morf should have lower cost and no CC. END OF STORY. Stop messing around with the cost, the dmg, the effect, the animation speed. Let the players choose if they want a CC or a
spammable for their class of choice.
Bow: Rework Imbue Weapon and make it better. Make it the archers spammable. Delete the AoE
Adding ultimates to weapons was a terrible terrible idea.

grannas211

Gilliamthevirgin will save us all.

Mayrael

Yes and magicka according to any fantasy genere should be slower and squishier but should nuke people in seconds.

DarkPicture

No other class has such performance issues and identity issues.

U rly dont have knowledge about other class, dont u?

DarkPicture

Two handed should be the choice of the master swordsman.

Im sorry if your imagination is limited only to assasin = dw, warrior = 2h etc... but its elder scrolls and here u should have many option to crate your character not only duplicate system class from others mmo.