People no longer know when to interrupt

AnduinTryggva

Since some time I observe that many players stand beside a channelling boss or other damaging npc and they just keep damaging without interrupting. Meanwhile the channeling attack drains health from them but it looks like they simply don't understand that they just have to bash that guy.

You can observe this during mirrormoor incursions where the big guy whirls fire or during trial runs where small mages do the same.

I think it is good that the old tutorial comes back so at least the new guys get a more clear introduction to this although I have to say during my early player life I also struggled to notice the channeling cues. They are quite small I'd say.

Anyhow, I really suggest to put more emphasize on that as this seems to be most difficult for many newer players.

CrashTest

Angry red lines shooting out of bashable enemies and you rapidly dying is a pretty good emphasis already.

CoronHR

there's that funny thing that pops up, 'press # to interrupt', but i guess that takes toooo much effort to pay attention to

loosej

The problem, I think, is not the tutorial. It's the fact that the first time you really need to bash after the tutorial shows you how, you've long forgotten that the concept exists in the first place.

Give mudcrabs and other trivial enemies an interruptable channel that makes them damage immune, veterans will hardly notice the extra milliseconds in their rotation and new people will learn fast enough.

moderatelyfatman

To be fair, you can outdps most mechs these days.

Sarannah

As a tank I have noticed this also. There are boss mechanics where I as a tank am incapacitated till someone interrupts what is going on. Needless to say, half the time I end up dying.

Same with the mechanics to free others, like in scalecaller peak where we become statues, or the spider boss that webs players entirely. Etc. Players often ignore these mechanics.

But to be honest, this is a playerbase issue, not a ZOS issue. No changes should be made to this.

PS: Some players also rely too much on their add-ons to tell them what to do and when. And if the add-on malfunctions, they are clueless.

yourhpgod

even says interrupt on the ui

LunaFlora

moderatelyfatman wrote: »

To be fair, you can outdps most mechs these days.

not if you die, because an enemy was not interrupted.

for example, Prior Thierric in Red Petal Bastion will kill someone if he is not interrupted.

same for the Hunger world boss in Vvardenfell which cannot be defeated solo due to that

alpha_synuclein

No longer implies that there were times when it was different

On a serious note though, people don't encounter any "interrupt or die" mechs early enough. And once they do the tutorial is long forgotten. It's very obvious in group content. Which is why adding some group content specific tutorial would be helpful. Not at the very start of the game, but before entering a dungeon, trial or group arena for the first time.

Pelanora

I dimly recall the tutorial battle was very short. I've been in game tutorials that were part of the game opening quest and with a really decently long battle teaching the fighting, with prompts. That is more effective.

freespirit

I know how to interupt but will admit to frequently being too lazy to do so!

However IA has recently given me plenty of reminders why I should NOT be lazy!! 🤣

Anifaas

I can understand why this happens. The game is so easy in most content that proper builds/gearsets/playstyles can generally be ignored with little consequence. Then you have to consider the fact that the combat system in ESO is a lot different than all the top MMOs and RPGs so there is a familiarity issue there too. Then take the fact that the standard way of doing group content across the genre and globe is to go go go go. Its human nature.

Put it all together and you get a situation, regarding interrupting, that amounts to "ain't nobody got time for that."

The tutorial in this game should require the new user to make it out of Arc 1 in the IA before they can access the rest of the world. Everyone would understand interrupting, blocking and dodging then.

MJallday

CoronHR wrote: »

there's that funny thing that pops up, 'press # to interrupt', but i guess that takes toooo much effort to pay attention to

cute that you think that happens in console.

colossalvoids

Not sure any amount of tutorials would do the trick when the first time player would actually need those is tens or hundreds of hours away from the start of the game as overland generally do not offer learning moments outside of some world bosses, at which point player would already forget they need to pay any attention to any telegraphs.

Bradyfjord

The entire leveling process is overland questing and speed running dungeons. With that impression of the game, then the game starts presenting mechanics.

Also, the lag has been throwing off timing quite a bit depending on the moment.

Elsonso

MJallday wrote: »

CoronHR wrote: »

there's that funny thing that pops up, 'press # to interrupt', but i guess that takes toooo much effort to pay attention to

cute that you think that happens in console.

I am pretty sure it does. I tend to ignore the combat hints, though.

As for the concern the OP has... it is like dodging. One does it when it becomes important. That which does not kill me can be safely ignored.

MJallday

Elsonso wrote: »

MJallday wrote: »

CoronHR wrote: »

there's that funny thing that pops up, 'press # to interrupt', but i guess that takes toooo much effort to pay attention to

cute that you think that happens in console.

I am pretty sure it does. I tend to ignore the combat hints, though.

As for the concern the OP has... it is like dodging. One does it when it becomes important. That which does not kill me can be safely ignored.

only on a couple of adds/enemys in limited circumstances. a majority of the time nothing - even with hints switched on

OsUfi

I never knew in the first place. I've seen screenshot of the red wave lines, but when I playing I barely ever see them.

Might be because I'm playing on Linux through Proton? Could also be because I'm blind as a bat.

Either way, I usually figure it out by the animation of the enemy.

Aggrovious

OsUfi wrote: »

I never knew in the first place. I've seen screenshot of the red wave lines, but when I playing I barely ever see them.

Might be because I'm playing on Linux through Proton? Could also be because I'm blind as a bat.

Either way, I usually figure it out by the animation of the enemy.

I would check your settings. My friend has a 4gb ram pc he plays on and he turned everything down to low. Now he can't see certain effects.

Horny_Poney

I don’t remember clearly but I think I didn’t know I could interrupt enemies when I started ESO.
Also, sometimes an enemy is “bashable” but doesn’t display the red cues, so we don’t know it can be interrupted 😕

WhiteCoatSyndrome

The fire boss in Hel Ra Citadel taught me the wonders of having Crushing Shock on my healer’s Destro bar. It’s got a permanent place there now.

Fair warning to the DPSs out there: if I have to take over your interrupting duties, you don’t get to complain when I don’t also have time to heal you!

ragnarok6644b14_ESO

I had to teach a vet group with CP900+ how to interrupt the mage in vet Frostvault (the one with the ice atro that traps the tank in a circle).

lol

kringled_1

Also, the deadlands portal final boss (and Nahvi HM statues, but that's not something nearly as many people see) train people to not interrupt blindly if they're paying attention. These are both situations where the boss will go from channeling into an invulnerable state.

thorwyn

WhiteCoatSyndrome wrote: »

The fire boss in Hel Ra Citadel taught me the wonders of having Crushing Shock on my healer’s Destro bar. It’s got a permanent place there now.

Fair warning to the DPSs out there: if I have to take over your interrupting duties, you don’t get to complain when I don’t also have time to heal you!

If you are on healing duty, you should not interrupt and vice versa.
Just like rezzing, Interrupting is a DD's job, not a healer's job.

BetweenMidgets

Is it not knowing? Or people being lazy and assuming someone else can do it. Or they can out DPS the kill mechanic.

I lean towards people being lazy, personally! Lol

Credible_Joe

I've observed this as well. NPC Companions interrupt more reliably than randos, no matter what level the rando is at.

Hot take, this is a consequence of solo content being way too easy and not incentivizing players to learn the mechanics. All overland quests can be light attacked through, and if you have a companion, it can basically play the game for you.

End result is new players entering group content with no concept of enemy telegraphs, call & response, or mobility.

alpha_synuclein

thorwyn wrote: »

WhiteCoatSyndrome wrote: »

The fire boss in Hel Ra Citadel taught me the wonders of having Crushing Shock on my healer’s Destro bar. It’s got a permanent place there now.

Fair warning to the DPSs out there: if I have to take over your interrupting duties, you don’t get to complain when I don’t also have time to heal you!

If you are on healing duty, you should not interrupt and vice versa.
Just like rezzing, Interrupting is a DD's job, not a healer's job.

You very much should interrupt as a healer. There are very few places when the healing part is too demanding to help with mechanics. And unless you rely solely on burst heals it shouldn not affect your healing output.

madman65

ragnarok6644b14_ESO wrote: »

I had to teach a vet group with CP900+ how to interrupt the mage in vet Frostvault (the one with the ice atro that traps the tank in a circle).

lol

I too as a tank have had to teach gamers to interrupt on several occasions, I don`t think they are lazy I think they just don`t know. I see them at CP400-1500 and think to myself how do you not know. So after I show them that you can bash, the run gets better, I guess we have alot of new gamers that need help.

thorwyn

You very much should interrupt as a healer. There are very few places when the healing part is too demanding to help with mechanics. And unless you rely solely on burst heals it shouldn not affect your healing output.

There is no trial or dungeon that requires a healer as a designated interrupt. Not one. And I have played everything on any difficulty and with any group setup.
But even if we assume that interrupting as a healer is a thing, either the healer job allows it, or it doesn't. A PSA saying "don't complain when you die while I am interrupting because I am so incredibly busy and important" doesnt make sense.
In a scenario where someone dies because the healer was busy interrupting, the dead DD could have interrupted and the healer could have kept them alive.

mdjessup4906

CrashTest wrote: »

Angry red lines shooting out of bashable enemies and you rapidly dying is a pretty good emphasis already.

Being able to adjust the brightness and color of the sparks like you can with aoe damage would go a LONG way. I've lost count of the number of times I've heard "but I couldn't see them!" and it's not laziness, they're good players otherwise. And rip if your colorblind, like at least half a dozen people in my various trials are.

prof-dracko

I have an interrupt skill on my hotbar that never fails, but when I swapped it out to level some other skillines I genuinely had to remind myself how to interrupt without it.