Destructive Touch oversight and suggested rework

RealJobasha

Destructive Touch and its morphs are really lackluster. Combining a direct damage and a dot in one skill that's not quite a good dot and also not quite a good spammable renders a skill useless. I don't recall if it was this recent update or the Markarth update that changed this skill as I've just had force shock slotted for the past few months, but I've been leveling up a new character and taking a look over all the skills again and noticed how garbage Destructive Touch (particularly the Destructive Reach morph)[1] has become.

My suggestion for this skill is to consolidate its damage with other spammables as there's already a plethora of good dots, and adding another isn't necessary. There's only 2 spammables for staff users, and that's Force Shock and Elemental Weapon. Adding a third whose appearance is the element of your staff adds a roleplay element (wanting to use purely elemental damage, cryomancer, pyromancer, etc.) as well as adding another spammable option to slot.

Making this change will make the Destructive Impact set worth something again, since it got reworked and was actually a good alternative to a monster helm, and then a few months later was yet again useless because the skill it's dependent on was turned into hot garbage.

Fingers crossed the relevant people see this because I would love to have this rework and it needs to happen, otherwise, there's just yet another useless skill that isn't good for any build or playstyle except maybe casual fans who only do overland content and can get away with using bad skills (not knocking those people, that's still a valid way to play).

[1] edited at 6pm CST for clarification of which morph I'm speaking about

phaneub17_ESO

I like Shock Clench.

RealJobasha

I used to use Destructive Impact shock staff with shock clench after the DI rework and when Shock Clench was still good before they turned it into what it is now.

Alaztor91

I would prefer that ZOS reworked this skill into something similar to Piercing Javelin or Scatter Shot since imo staff users need a decent cc more than another spammable.

FluffWit

Its primary use is as a stun in pvp for Flame users. AoE stuns... they're just a bad idea really.

Can't really comment on the pve morph, I don't do pve.

spotzhopz

I mean wasnt the change made because they took taunt away from ice staff heavy attacks, hence why ice clench is a taunt now? I dont remember many people using it at all before the change but now staff tanks do and people use flame clench in pvp for the knockback now too.

Vermintide

It was way before that. Like, Summerset maybe? I don't quite remember but it was ages ago, and they ripped a ton of CC utility out of all the class/weapon skills at the same time.

Back in the day range was like 30m, you used to be able to just run around spamming flame reach, knocking people off forts. You'd hit block every three seconds just in case. Ah, it was grand.

ccfeeling

Only use it with fire staff in FV HM....

Its up to dev, they can change all skills whatever they want

Sylvermynx

I like it better than wall of elements personally.