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First impressions on v9.1.0: Combustion, Tri-Focus, Merciless Charge

Vaqual
Vaqual
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Regarding proposed changes from v9.1.0:

1.) Merciless Charge:
This set now increases your damage done with all Two Handed attacks for 18 seconds after activating Critical Charge, rather than causing enemies to bleed over 10 seconds when they are damaged by Critical Charge. The bonus damage to your Two Handed attacks is increased by 11.16% of the higher of your Weapon or Spell Damage.

Developer Comment:
This set has seen many iterations over the years in efforts to try and find it a home where it can serve a potent purpose without tipping the scales too far in one aspect of gameplay. Its original bleed functionality has been quite difficult to balance between PvE and PvP, as well as ensuring the set feels good for both morphs of the ability, so we've decided to move the function to something that evokes the merciless intent it means to provide. Now the set rewards both passive use of the skill with the Stampede morph as a back bar option, as well as more active use and scaling to provide powerful pressure for full on Two Handed builds that use every attack from the skill line.


--> I am not sure if I like this change. What is the purpose? The dot is not troubling anyone these days. This change + the follow up change just smell like WD stacking onslaught oneshot cheese with a dash of executioner. Can we just skip the 4 months of ganking montages on youtube? Set bonuses that buff very specific interactions always end up the same two ways:
1.) the combo is busted and you end up being pidgeonholed into a specific setup
2.) nobody uses it
The dot is versatile and can synergize with dot builds, can provide a bleed for set interactions, can proc status effects and right now it isn't even OP. It is just a nice and friendly little set. Can you not just make a new set instead of taking the dot away? Or change Disciplined Slash? Just leave Merciless Charge alone this time.

2.) Combustion:
Reduced the damage bonus this passive provides to Burning and Poisoned status effects to 12/33%, down from 25/50%.


--> Good.

3.) Ancient Knowledge + Tri Focus - Flame Staff:

Flame Staff: This passive now increases your damage done by the initial hit of status effects by 250/500, rather than increasing single target damage done by 5/10%
+
This passive now applies a Damage over Time equal to power of a standard Damage over Time effect, over 10/20 seconds with a fully charged Heavy Attack, rather than increasing the damage done of your fully charged Heavy Attacks by 6/12%


--> Really? In the Elemental susceptibility + Vate Staff meta you decide to add another full value dot for free to the same setup? 500 damage on status tick? Are we playing the same game?


tldr:
The 2h changes look worse than just doing nothing.
The destro changes are madness.
Combustion nerf is appreciated, the passive is still good.

  • Chrisenium
    Chrisenium
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    I'm honestly so upset at the changes to Merciless Charge...

    My bleed build is by far my favourite build in the game, and I initially built it all based on this weapon...

    I've played on off since launch, but I play very casually with my wife (though I'm a highly enfranchised player and I spend a lot of time theory crafting builds and consuming lore etc.), mostly duoing content (doing dungeons just the two of us etc.) and we spend most of our gold on furnishings and cosmetics.

    I finally decided to cash in years worth of dreugh wax and other valuable materials to put together my own bleed build last month and have spent most of it now getting the right pieces and maxing them out, just for the core set to be drastically changed. As far as I understand it's not busted or OP right now, though it is fairly well used. Surely is it's problematic just lower the damage values slightly, and let it be a fun build around for the builds that can create synergies with it? I feel really dejected now at this change as it stands...

    Please don't go through with this change!
  • MashmalloMan
    MashmalloMan
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    Yeah this is soul crushing. Mercilous Charge is about the only reliable way for me to proc Crit Surge on PVP Stam Sorc because they've reduced almost all dots to tick at 2 second intervals or attach dot proc sets to long Cooldowns. I can't even rely on Hurricane anymore because it ticks on 2s.

    I didn't care how much damage it did, it was the last reliable dot available for only 2 skill slots attached to a fun skill.

    Damn. Sucks.
    PC Beta - 2200+ CP

    Stam Sorc Khajiit PvE/PVP Main || Stam Sorc Dark Elf PvP ||
    Stam Templar Dark Elf || Stam Warden Wood Elf || Stam DK Nord || Stam Necro Orc || Stam Blade Khajiit


    Mag Sorc High Elf || Mag Templar High Elf || Mag Warden Breton || Mag Necro Khajiit || Mag Blade Khajiit
  • Melzo
    Melzo
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    Yeah this is soul crushing. Mercilous Charge is about the only reliable way for me to proc Crit Surge on PVP Stam Sorc because they've reduced almost all dots to tick at 2 second intervals or attach dot proc sets to long Cooldowns. I can't even rely on Hurricane anymore because it ticks on 2s.

    I didn't care how much damage it did, it was the last reliable dot available for only 2 skill slots attached to a fun skill.

    Damn. Sucks.

    Why don't you now use a fire staff on the back and spam damage from duals. In fact, nothing has changed. Unless the damage in the block and its cost will increase. Due to the destruction of the damage bonus, builds that are not very eager to use status effects will suffer by 10 percent, but builds associated with the draugr set will increase. If earlier you could compare 10 percent with 500 spell damage, now you deal less damage. However, builds that include staves as an add-on will not suffer much. In some, this is even an advantage. For example, an NB can start a fight with a fire staff from a heavy attack, then use the skill to reduce armor, dealing damage from status effects enhanced by a fire staff and switch the panel to duals.

    You can also check this.

  • EF321
    EF321
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    Every patch ZOS ruins already existing builds, not by tweaking numbers (i.e. we made dot significantly weaker, but this is it), but by changing what set does.
  • Jazraena
    Jazraena
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    My 2 cents:
    Merciless Charge:
    This change relegates the weapon to very specific setups that use single target 2h frontbar skills like Wrecking Blow / Dizzying and Executioner, as opposed to a backbar piece useful for everyone. If it's overused right now tweak the numbers, don't make it suddenly undesireable for most that currently use it.

    Combustion:
    Good, I agree.

    Staves:
    It's a hard nerf to staves, meaning people are pushed into dual daggers even more in PvE and you're nerfing those PvP setups that don't need it... while opening it up for Asylum staff shenanigans. Bad change, somehow simultaneously a massive nerf and a troublesome niche buff.

    Also, consider that power fantasy is important to people. I can change my mace into a sword if I prefer swords, I -cannot- change fire into lightning. Don't punish people for wanting to play a firemage, so stop making it clearly superior choices in element here.
  • Aggrovious
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    Why make 2H useless? It would have been better to adjust Redguard racial passives if you really wanted to make a mini 2H archetype, not take the bleeding and guaranteed critical strike out for more damage when I use Forward Momentum...

    You know what ZOS, nerf heavy attack builds in the ground and force them to use bows. Force players to use a sword and only its 5 weapon skills, are you insane? Guess I'll use a bow.
    Making a game fun should be a priority. Making a game balanced should not come at the expense of fun.
  • kyatos_binarini
    kyatos_binarini
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    what does "damage done with all Two Handed attacks" mean? dmg from 2h skills/LA/HA? or any damage when 2h equipped?
  • Lumenn
    Lumenn
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    EF321 wrote: »
    Every patch ZOS ruins already existing builds, not by tweaking numbers (i.e. we made dot significantly weaker, but this is it), but by changing what set does.

    Was just discussing this in another thread as to why I had people leave ESO and go back to EQ1 and WOW. Changes that came too fast and too drastic, often going exactly opposite of the last few patches.
    Edited by Lumenn on July 11, 2023 8:36AM
  • notsojuicy
    notsojuicy
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    Vaqual wrote: »
    Regarding proposed changes from v9.1.0:

    3.) Ancient Knowledge + Tri Focus - Flame Staff:

    Flame Staff: This passive now increases your damage done by the initial hit of status effects by 250/500, rather than increasing single target damage done by 5/10%
    +
    This passive now applies a Damage over Time equal to power of a standard Damage over Time effect, over 10/20 seconds with a fully charged Heavy Attack, rather than increasing the damage done of your fully charged Heavy Attacks by 6/12%


    --> Really? In the Elemental susceptibility + Vate Staff meta you decide to add another full value dot for free to the same setup? 500 damage on status tick? Are we playing the same game?


    tldr:
    The 2h changes look worse than just doing nothing.
    The destro changes are madness.
    Combustion nerf is appreciated, the passive is still good.


    Yeah, i don't get the Flame Staff adjustment - I assume Lightning and Frost is fine, but Fire Stave?

    I know your quote is relating to pvp however from a pve perspective I'd rather see adjustments that balances things to give "options":...

    Since the hybridization there is close to none build variety in terms of weapon and skills you choose, stamina and mag only differentiates in maybe 1-2 skill changes and what glyphs you run. It's really stale....
    so the goal should be to balance and I don't think the change balances anything in pve or pvp....
  • Vaqual
    Vaqual
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    Maybe a compromise could be to introduce this change for merciless charge, but to keep a very very low version of the dot on the weapon, even without WD scaling, just to preserve the current possibilities for set set interactions. The tooltip might look a bit bloated, but it would at least be a less invasive change.
    Edited by Vaqual on July 13, 2023 11:37PM
  • katorga
    katorga
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    11.16%

    And we wonder why there are performance issues. Make it 11% or 12%
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