Magicka sword weapon line

Athan1

Most players are magicka focused, yet all we have is staves. Sure, there are four sub-types, but they're essentially the same thing, just different animations and effects. Unlike stamina users who have tons of different weapons to choose from.

A magicka melee weapon line has been desired by the community for a while now. Many people hate using staves and want to use real weapons, but as magicka users that's all we have. How about an magicka sword weapon line, with flashy magicka melee range effects and a ranged beam skill? I imagine something like Artoria's Excalibur from Fate.


This could create a new niche for magicka DPS, which is currently geared towards long-range. Basically all magicka builds look about the same: robes/light armor (aka extremely squishy) and a staff, so basically there is no benefit in coming close-range. This just encourages zoning and spamming skills from afar. A magicka melee option would encourage players to come within melee range, properly apply their shields, and perhaps go heavy armor.

Paired with heavy armor, this line could also make magicka tanking more viable through a couple of tanking spells. For example, it could have a skill similar to Puncture, allowing magicka tanks to apply major fracture (which frost staff tanks currently lack).

This line would allow players to play the spellsword or 1h+rune RPG archetype, which is not really possible in ESO at present, and diversify the gameplay of magicka classes. Thoughts?

amm7sb14_ESO

This is an Elder Scrolls game, why this isn't already a thing and why magic is railroaded through staves I'll never understand.

Banana

My mDK approves

Almsivife

Yes please, is all I can say.

Athyrium93

Yes please!

Langeston

I know it'll never happen, but i'd rather see all of the schools of magic represented.

In Morrowind & Oblivion we had:
Illusion
Conjuration
Alteration
Destruction
Mysticism
Restoration

Skyrim dropped Mysticism, and now in ESO we're down to only Destruction & Restoration, which is boring AF.

E-Zekiel

This would be AWESOME! I've been wanting a magicka sword user type for so damn long.

gongxizhirwb17_ESO

ELDER SCROLLS?where hell is BOUND weapon? DEV must consider it

Vevvev

My magDK approves as well! One of the coolest spells in the Elder Scrolls franchise is summoning a magical weapon you can use. We can already see some NPCs doing that ingame and it'd be really cool if we can do it ingame! In fact you wouldn't really need to make new motifs or anything. Just take the existing ones and make them super sparkly or something.

Red_Feather

Don't you guys get tired of hoping.

VoidCommander

Simple solution: Have light/heavy attack damage be based on your highest stat, not just off of stamina/magicka depending on the weapon. If I want to use a two handed sword as a magicka dps because I want the 6% overall damage increase on my front bar, I should be able to choose that without a massive loss in damage because my light attacks only do 600 damage now. Simple solution that won't require much effort to implement an won't really require much balancing since people can do this anyways, albeit with about half the light attack damage capability.

Athan1

Glad this is getting some attention. If we really want this implemented we need to keep drawing attention to the matter. Spellswords are too staple a dnd archetype to ignore. It would be really easily implemented. Light and heavy attacks scaling off max stats would bring us closer to that, but magicka really needs more options. We can't all be wizards in robes and wield staves... Magicka has many application and most class skills are magic.

Alchimiste1

I feel like this would fit magicka nightblade very well

Joxer61

just make it so we can transmute any weapon to any weapon type....

RebornV3x

How about a Conjuration skill line like conjured swords and bows included could be cool

StarOfElyon

They pretty much made that a Sorc thing.

Athan1

The Aedric spear is also a conjured melee weapon. A sword or spectral bow would be really cool though.

Langeston

Athan1 wrote: »

The Aedric spear is also a conjured melee weapon. A sword or spectral bow would be really cool though.

And NB has both of those.

After I made my comment re: wishing that all of the schools of magic were represented, I realized that they actually already are — they just aren't available to every class.

Darkstorne

Athan1 wrote: »

How about an magicka sword weapon line, with flashy magicka melee range effects and a ranged beam skill? I imagine something like Artoria's Excalibur from Fate.

I've long been a proponent of the 1h+ spell skill line, making many threads, so of course I'd support this

Thing is, with regards to the above gif and idea of "flashy magicka melee effects", it seems like they tried doing that with the Psijic Skill line and Imbue Weapon specifically (enchant your sword with magicka awesomeness for the next attack) but they just sucked at making the animations look good. It's horrendous to weave with melee weapons, from a visual perspective at least. Doesn't fulfill the fantasy at all.

I'd quite like an ult similar to Sorc's Overload, that enchants your weapon like the above gif / Imbue Weapon skill, but rather than being a skill to be pressed every time it instead becomes an ult toggle that consumes ultimate with every swing. Light attacks are normal weapon swings with extra damage and flashiness, fully charged heavy attacks unleash a ranged blade beam. One morph further boosts the damage of the blade beam and its range, the other adds healing to light attacks (boosting ranged DPS or melee range survivability). Being an ult should make it even more fulfilling, something you toggle when you want to trigger your god mode.

At the very least I hope they consider adding the functionality to sets at some point. 5 point bonus allows your fully charged heavy attacks to unleash a magicka beam etc. We already have some fun sets to play around with for similar magicka sword builds, like Storm Master causing all your light attacks to deal lightning damage (for 20 seconds, after dealing a heavy attack crit to trigger the effect, easy for NBs with shadowy disguise skill), Torug's Pact boosting your weapon enchantment damage and reducing cooldown (fun on an infused weapon with Ilambris Monster set). More sets to play around with would be nice though. Especially ones designed for magicka builds to boost melee weapon damage specifically.

Mostly, I still just have no idea why 1h+ spell isn't a thing in an Elder Scrolls game. Even NPCs have access to the skill line, but the players don't... Here's THREE of them in one screenshot


And some official TES art showcasing it, even from this very game:

Mortiis13

Langeston wrote: »

I know it'll never happen, but i'd rather see all of the schools of magic represented.

In Morrowind & Oblivion we had:
Illusion
Conjuration
Alteration
Destruction
Mysticism
Restoration

Skyrim dropped Mysticism, and now in ESO we're down to only Destruction & Restoration, which is boring AF.

Missed mysticism so much in skyrim

JanTanhide

Agree 100%. I use to dual wield on my Mag Templar years ago when it was really beneficial to unlock the 5 piece bonus.

But yes, I would love to see more than Staves for Magicka characters.

redgreensunset

Mortiis13 wrote: »

Langeston wrote: »

I know it'll never happen, but i'd rather see all of the schools of magic represented.

In Morrowind & Oblivion we had:
Illusion
Conjuration
Alteration
Destruction
Mysticism
Restoration

Skyrim dropped Mysticism, and now in ESO we're down to only Destruction & Restoration, which is boring AF.

Missed mysticism so much in skyrim

Technically we're at a point in history before the schools of magic were set down.

VioletDracolich

I'm literally down for everything. However, they did miss an opportunity to add unarmed skill line to the game with Elsweyr. Seriously, khajiit are known for having the greatest monks, it would have been awesome! Anyway a conjuration skill line would make the most sense, but how they would add that in a game where item sets are an important part of the game IDK. Maybe add a new weapon summoning item? Some kind of rune stone most likely. Or maybe make it possible to convert melee items into conjured weapons? Heck they could actually do both! So many ideas!

Maulkin

I think the reason why melee or 1handed magicka weapons have not been touched by ZOS, is partly because of the sheer amount of design work they’d have to add. Being a weapon you’d think they’d have to add it to the motifs and there’s what 150 motifs now? And what do you do with the achievements on motif completion that players have already acquired? It’s messy.

Their alternative would be for those to be entirely outside of the motif system but not sure how you do that either. Some creative thinking might be required.

Athan1

Maulkin wrote: »

I think the reason why melee or 1handed magicka weapons have not been touched by ZOS, is partly because of the sheer amount of design work they’d have to add. Being a weapon you’d think they’d have to add it to the motifs and there’s what 150 motifs now? And what do you do with the achievements on motif completion that players have already acquired? It’s messy.

Their alternative would be for those to be entirely outside of the motif system but not sure how you do that either. Some creative thinking might be required.

It wouldn't need many animations. Swords could use the same models, with added light effects over them. If it's 1h+rune, the other hand could just use an elemental orb of some sort, like the elf lady from the game's banner. Ezpz.

Gundug

I could see weapons scaling off of and giving resource return to whatever pool is highest, so, for instance, you could run a bow as a magic user or a staff as a stamina user. It might make some of the ludicrous weapons that drop with no reasonable application to their sets interesting and fun to play with, along with introducing a greater opportunity for build variety. The only issue I can think of is that ZOS would need to make new skill lines or at least revise all the existing weapon skill lines to accommodate both types.

universal_wrath

Athan1 wrote: »

Most players are magicka focused, yet all we have is staves. Sure, there are four sub-types, but they're essentially the same thing, just different animations and effects. Unlike stamina users who have tons of different weapons to choose from.

A magicka melee weapon line has been desired by the community for a while now. Many people hate using staves and want to use real weapons, but as magicka users that's all we have. How about an magicka sword weapon line, with flashy magicka melee range effects and a ranged beam skill? I imagine something like Artoria's Excalibur from Fate.


This could create a new niche for magicka DPS, which is currently geared towards long-range. Basically all magicka builds look about the same: robes/light armor (aka extremely squishy) and a staff, so basically there is no benefit in coming close-range. This just encourages zoning and spamming skills from afar. A magicka melee option would encourage players to come within melee range, properly apply their shields, and perhaps go heavy armor.

Paired with heavy armor, this line could also make magicka tanking more viable through a couple of tanking spells. For example, it could have a skill similar to Puncture, allowing magicka tanks to apply major fracture (which frost staff tanks currently lack).

This line would allow players to play the spellsword or 1h+rune RPG archetype, which is not really possible in ESO at present, and diversify the gameplay of magicka classes. Thoughts?

Why would you want a melee magic sword if you want to use range skills like beams and such? For the time being, you can use daul swords and use melee/magicka range spells depending on your class.

Grianasteri

Again and again the community ask for this or a variation of it. There are countless threads across the forums, all more or less universally supported in principle.

Magica needs a new WEAPON skill tree.

My preference as I have written about many time now, is something similar to duel wield, but for magica. The "weapons" available being, in no particular order, Runes, Tomes (magic books), open hand and perhaps controversially, wands - or another "object", such as a scepter of some kind. There would be two slots, to select two "weapons".

This could easily allow the selection of one single handed melee weapon, in some fashion.

If Zos is not working on this for introduction they are seriously missing a trick. This should be the next skill line introduced.

Playboy_Shrek

its really strange considering most if not all enemies with swords you fight in eso are using magicka swords.

Scion_of_Yggdrasil

Introducing a spellsword/battlemage/spellbow class/skill line would mean ESO would have to stop spitting on hybrids though... for this reason I have started to lose hope.

ESO is to TES as imitation crab is to real crab. Would you complain if you were served a good meal with imitation crab? Probably not. But its nothing compared to the real thing.

honey_badger82

I am definitely down for this. I just can't get behind waiving a stick around. I have one healer, a female character who uses a staff but I would prefer a mace and shield. The other 11 characters are all melee. It really is a shame they scale damage and penetration the way they do. Most of the best
abilities are magic based. I think at minimum if they did one morph for magicka and the other for stamina would open up a whole lot more options for gameplay.