Wall of Elements (Frost) now without immobilization?

Gargath

Weapon > Destruction Staff > Wall of Elements:
"Wall of Frost and its morphs will now apply Minor Breach and reduce the movement speed of enemies by 40% for 4 seconds when damaging a Chilled target, rather than Immobilized them for 4 seconds."

Developer Comment:
"In efforts to help reduce the amount of passive crowd control in the game, we’re shifting the power of Wall of Frost’s control to a snare, rather than an immobilize, while helping it gain some more use cases in PvE parts of the game."

Please enlighten me ZOS, how exactly this change can help an already weak frost build, that is based on weak DOTs, "in gaining some more use in PvE"?
I have made a pure frost warden based on the immobilization effect, which was the only reason I play with frost.
Without it all the fun from playing this character is ruined.

Immobilisation on Bombard (Bow Skills) will be next to ruin? Or, "to gain some more use in PvE"? I can understand such change for PvP, but in PvE?

Soarora

Frost warden isn't inherently weak anymore. PvE I parse 90-100k (with thematically appropriate sets) and could go higher if I dropped the theme a bit (but still being frost warden), PvP I do BGs and IC fine. The immobilize was nice and I'm sad to see it go but arctic blast immobilizes too (stuns) and the minor breach only proccing when the enemies are chilled actually can add value to frost wardens in PvE groups. Though, that's in the case that the warden healer doesn't have enough space for magshalks or AoE chilled uptimes but... it's a possibility. Helps ice/ice tanks out too, as there's no source of minor breach for them except, again, magshalks.

OBJnoob

Gripping Shards is a Warden skill that immobilizes.

robpr

OBJnoob wrote: »

Gripping Shards is a Warden skill that immobilizes.

And Frost Clench also immobilizes. Just a little pity you cannot do a frost Wall + frost Pulsar to mass immobilize on templar and nb tanks anymore. Speccing out Winter Revenge is a significant dps loss.

ESO_Nightingale

Tbh i wish unstable wall of frost got a dps related effect instead of minor breach blockade is the morph used by supports, unstable is for dps.

Gargath

OBJnoob wrote: »

Gripping Shards is a Warden skill that immobilizes.

ok, maybe better for close combat pvp but I prefer ranged pve, so:

Gripping Shards -> "Damage done is based on your Max Health"
i.e. less area damage, 6 meters radius around = close combat

Winter's Revenge -> "Deals damage based on your offensive stats rather than Max Health."
i.e. more area damage, 28/6 meters front, pairs well with Blockade of Frost = ranged combat.

I know I need to adapt, just this change to Wall of Frost doesn't make any sense to me, Developer Comments are enigmatic, they tell this change will help but who exactly will benefit probably nobody knows.

OBJnoob

I understand it'd be a damage loss to run Gripping Shards over Winters Revenge but your original post...

Gargath wrote: »

Weapon > Destruction Staff > Wall of Elements:
"Wall of Frost and its morphs will now apply Minor Breach and reduce the movement speed of enemies by 40% for 4 seconds when damaging a Chilled target, rather than Immobilized them for 4 seconds."

Developer Comment:
"In efforts to help reduce the amount of passive crowd control in the game, we’re shifting the power of Wall of Frost’s control to a snare, rather than an immobilize, while helping it gain some more use cases in PvE parts of the game."

Please enlighten me ZOS, how exactly this change can help an already weak frost build, that is based on weak DOTs, "in gaining some more use in PvE"?
I have made a pure frost warden based on the immobilization effect, which was the only reason I play with frost.
Without it all the fun from playing this character is ruined.

Immobilisation on Bombard (Bow Skills) will be next to ruin? Or, "to gain some more use in PvE"? I can understand such change for PvP, but in PvE?

... Really made it seem like the ability to immobilize was tantamount to doing damage for you. You seem to acknowledge that frost dps sucks but the immobilize made you want to do it anyway.

So under those circumstances I think Gripping Shards will be fine for you. If I were you I'd put it on my 2nd bar for when things get close, immobilize them and kite away, and continue ranged DPS until they get close again.

Don't get me wrong I see why it bothers you. And the change is particularly bad for Wardens because they already have minor breach. I just wanted you to know there was another option!

Luth7

Gripping Shards

Gargath wrote: »

OBJnoob wrote: »

Gripping Shards is a Warden skill that immobilizes.

ok, maybe better for close combat pvp but I prefer ranged pve, so:

Gripping Shards -> "Damage done is based on your Max Health"
i.e. less area damage, 6 meters radius around = close combat

From my experience, it isn't useful in PvP. Due to player speed, the small radius and the combat being very dynamic in general, one has to be lucky to hit someone with that ability while on the run.

OBJnoob

My battleground mag warden has always used Gripping Shards. I don't generally use it on a solo target running away-- I agree it's almost useless for that. My warden is wearing Hrothgars Chill, so I'll walk up to a group of people fighting and use Gripping Shards to proc Hrothgars, which then applies Chilled and Brittle. It isn't a lot of damage but since it's AoE it isn't bad. And since it's only a soft CC you can then stun the same target, which since I use Dawnbreaker is pretty effective because I hit people trying to roll out of the immobilize a lot. Now they are low on health and low on stamina. Cast beetles... Cast your spammable... Oops, time to immobilize again.

But yes sometimes individuals will just run away from you. It's really more of a defensive skill I think. Don't necessarily try to chase people down and hold them still with it... Use it when they're hitting you and YOU want to create some space.