How about a No-Staff Outfit Style for Staves?

Kashya_Vulano

No idea if this has been suggested, but if it has, maybe it should be brought up again.

I'll keep this short and sweet: For the longest time, people have wanted a spellcrafting system that allows casting with the user's hands. That may or may not actually be viable, so what about an alternative? What I'm suggesting is this:

Provide an outfit slot to hide your staff; the hidden slot will allow you to cast with your hands instead, but retain your stat bonuses of the staff.
(This is essentially the same, mechanically, as hiding your helmet.)
Allow users to choose between fire, ice, and electric styles in their staff outfit selection, or have this provided based on what type of staff you're using.

I think that would be a pretty fair meet-in-the-middle for style-savvy PVE/PVPers and RPers alike.

Just throwing ideas at the wall and hoping something eventually sticks. Hand casting hasn't been getting a whole lot of love.

Merlin7331

The ‘unarmed’ animations they have at the moment would need to be reworked though. Currently you just look ready for a tavern brawl without a weapon, not super...spellcasty.

Rizi

This is a must. I agree with the unarmed animations needing to be reworked if this were to happen, but this would be a really intuitive solution to a seven year old problem!

Thealteregoroman

I would LOVE this.

Orion_89

Or just rework Mages Guild skill line...

Anyron

Yeah... I dont like these sticks much.

When i was playing skyrim i always played it without staff, just spells only but here it isnt possible. I dont know why they insist on using arcane channelers in games when you dont need to use it because you have magic in yourself, not in that staff

Like in harry potter

But what i can do about it, right?

Thealteregoroman

I really can't stop thinking about this...

They would have to do new unarmed animations for 5 skills BUT I have faith in it cause whoever at ZOS that makes the emotes and personalities can def do this!!!

Please ZOS let this be a thing!

Sheezabeast

In keeps in Cyrodiil, guards at those fake portal things inside the outer walls have one sword and a spell in their other hand. It would be interesting if that was actually a stave slot and the sword was cosmetic. I suppose in theory it could work.

Mythreindeer

I don’t know, hand casting with your staff is likely a TOS violation.

And definitely don’t do it in town or you’ll get instagibbed by a guard.

Slyclone

We might as well make our own game...

Starlock

As another fellow mentioned, they'd need to create several new animations to support this. Generally, ZoS doesn't make changes like this unless there's profit to be made or it is a QoL change that could improve player retention. This means we can reasonably expect having to pay a significant sum for the option of having "hide staff" and special animations if it is developed. Don't like the president that would set given the game's ongoing monetization problem.

But sure, if we could just *have* that without scummy monetization being rammed into it - or make it part of a chapter purchase - why not?

Sheezabeast

I had hoped they would release a College of Winterhold dlc and introduce 1hand and rune, or something similar. Perfect opportunity for spell crafting or something like this. But no.....

Kashya_Vulano

Starlock wrote: »

But sure, if we could just *have* that without scummy monetization being rammed into it - or make it part of a chapter purchase - why not?

I'm not necessarily against the idea of introducing something like this as an incentive to buy a chapter, but maybe that's just the desperation in me talking.

ZaroktheImmortal

Well I know you didn't actually need a staff to do spells in the other games so I assume it's possible to cast without one.

Septimus_Magna

Spectral staff would also be cool

SshadowSscale

Yup would love a hide staff skin.... considering that for me personally all the staffs look bad and the ones that looks decent has a pivot point that way too high making my char look top heavy with the staff on my back..... the only staff I really like the look of is the much staff but for some reason zos has not realized it as a motif or style page yet so if I can't have much staff then give me no staff please zos

Athan1

Interesting idea but won't happen. Next.

deleted210809-001958

"empty slot" for any armor/weapon part would be nice. but yeah, won't happen

Orion_89

Anyron wrote: »

Yeah... I dont like these sticks much.

When i was playing skyrim i always played it without staff, just spells only but here it isnt possible. I dont know why they insist on using arcane channelers in games when you dont need to use it because you have magic in yourself, not in that staff

Like in harry potter

But what i can do about it, right?

Staves are just like magic scrolls, but they not self-destroys after use. Obviously they contain something like schemes for the right distribution of your own magicka, so you are not suppose to learn the spells. It might be useful both for warriors and mages: the first do not need to study spellcasting; and the second may focus on their favorite magic (non-combat for example), but still be able to fight.

SickleCider

I want the opposite thing to happen. I want BIGGER sticks. I want ridiculously large sticks that look like polearms. I want a staff that looks like a bardiche! I've been rocking the Jephrine Paladin staff lately because it's the longest staff in the game and it gives me such joy.

Scardan

Big + to this idea.

Magdalina

You mean...kinda like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwdylRFki5Q

(Please ignore the sound quality there, apparently it's been trying to record my missing mic or something)

Oreyn_Bearclaw

I dont really support spellcrafting in ESO. Not because I dont think it could be cool, but i just dont believe they could balance it.

Your idea is not bad as a middle of the road approach. That said, my solution would be to add another magic weapon line. I feel like resto and S+B kind of cancel each other out, but that leaves 3 stamina weapon lines to one magic line. I could get behind adding some sort of Magic Wand line or a One Hand line where the other hand would be used for casting, similar to Skyrim if you played a spell sword.

kaisernick

or, OR zeni could finally give magic user some other dam weapon line other than staff

kargen27

I would take advantage if this came to be. I would also be happy if they simply gave me a shorter staff that better fits my little tiny character.

barney2525

Nice idea. However we haven't even been able to convince them to put in a hide shoulders option.

So good luck with this.

Kashya_Vulano

ZaroktheImmortal wrote: »

Well I know you didn't actually need a staff to do spells in the other games so I assume it's possible to cast without one.

In lore, staves are mostly used as representations of status outside of their conventional single-spell usage and relic status. (See the Staff of Chaos.) I personally feel like they shouldn't have such a major place in gameplay, but they're a convenient go-to in order to push magicka users into having actual weapons.

Unfortunately, they went 100% all-in on staves rather than balancing it out.

ArchMikem

It would be more appropriate to just create an Unarmed Casting weapon tree with it's own abilities. Class abilities already don't require a weapon slotted to be used so that gives us a start. All ZOS has to do is create 5 new abilities, an Ultimate, and their morphs, along with the animations. Frankly it's a lot easier job than create an entire new Class. I have no idea why they don't do this.

Rizi

Magdalina wrote: »

You mean...kinda like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwdylRFki5Q

(Please ignore the sound quality there, apparently it's been trying to record my missing mic or something)

PLEASE tell me how you did this. I must know.

SilverBride

I wish they would make it so the staff only appears when in combat. Having it somehow stuck to your back when standing or walking around just looks stupid.

Cireous

Ohh, I like this idea. A+ for A-mmersion.