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Block casting - yay or nay?

  • Beldorr
    Beldorr
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    Block casting is fine.
    I believe its fine, however, there should be a down side to 50% base damage reduction and being immune to status effects like stuns.

    There should be incentive to skillful blocking rather than just holding block all the time hoping you don't run out of stamina. Blocking should reduce damage and healing output by 30% (or w/e is acceptable). It can be tied to the bracing buff and only be a Cyrodill thing if the tanks dps is really needed for pve.
  • Merlin13KAGL
    Merlin13KAGL
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    Shaun98ca2 wrote: »
    Best answer EVER........

    Make HOLDING block COST STAMINA.

    Blocking an attack would cost EXTRA Stamina.

    Blocking mages......WONT block until necessary.

    Hmmm...so if I'm holding my weapon with one hand, e.g. walking down the path, I use no stamina, but if I hold it with two, I do?

    I get that getting hit - actually blocking damage takes a toll on stamina, but being on standby would not.

    What, am I gripping the weapon tighter in anticipation?

    Just because you don't like the way something is doesn't necessarily make it wrong...

    Earn it.

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  • mousekime111rwb17_ESO
    Block casting is stupid and should be removed for balance sake.
    I honestly wonder how much effort it would indeed take to remove the ability to cast whilst blocking - I imagine that a bandaid solution such as adding a self silence debuff to the stun immune & damage reduction buff would work.
  • AssaultLemming
    AssaultLemming
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    Block and dodge for casters should be replaced with absorb and Blink and should cost magicka instead of stamina. Blocking should make it impossible to cast anything.
  • technohic
    technohic
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    Block casting is stupid and should be removed for balance sake.
    I believe its fine, however, there should be a down side to 50% base damage reduction and being immune to status effects like stuns.

    There should be incentive to skillful blocking rather than just holding block all the time hoping you don't run out of stamina. Blocking should reduce damage and healing output by 30% (or w/e is acceptable). It can be tied to the bracing buff and only be a Cyrodill thing if the tanks dps is really needed for pve.

    I voted differently but I agree with the base of this. Someone once said, "This game encourages you to play like a bad" and I agree. Spam AOE (damage or heals) or shields and hold block. There just is little action and reaction necessary in this game. There is no attack and play off of your enemies response but rather rush through and animation cancel to just do your damage faster.
  • moXrox
    moXrox
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    Block casting is stupid and should be removed for balance sake.
    Blocking is broken in the same way like animation canceling.

    You block 360° and you cancel animations even they were programmed for the game and every animation has a different duration.

    Someone with a 2H blocks but needs the 2H for his sword abilities for the animation, wheras the opponent blocks with a Stave and can use certain abilities without even the need to release the block - because his attack has no animation at all.

    Sounds like a big nonsens.
    Edited by moXrox on September 4, 2014 4:04AM
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  • mousekime111rwb17_ESO
    Block casting is stupid and should be removed for balance sake.
    Seeing these results so far I'm starting to wonder if @ZoS knows about the impact that this mechanic has and if they have any plans to fix it
  • guybrushtb16_ESO
    guybrushtb16_ESO
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    Other.
    IMO, blocking while casting is as broken as animation cancelling, but at least they play somewhat nice with each other; while skill spamming, there is a defense mode where you block, and an offense mode where you weave light attacks, so at least that worked out somewhat.

    That being said, I still think that you shouldn't have full access to all your offensive abilities while turtling down behind a shield. They already did that somewhat with cast time abilities, but since those are so rare and since they are the exception to the rule, it's easier to just not use them. Perhaps if they had made animation skills much better and actually the default for attacking, so you could consciously decide that you wanted to attack with instants which makes you less vulnerable but could be balanced with a higher cost/lower damage. There are some skills that would somewhat make sense to be able to use while blocking after all, taunting for example should be on that list.

    All in all, I personally get the impression that the combat system was not really well thought out, and this is just another issue. There are lots of things that don't add up and they obviously didn't expect animation cancelling at all, and this issue permeates combat balancing.

    Many skills with a cast time have a much longer animation then their tooltip (and are consequently balanced around the tooltip... rapid strikes was worse dps than auto attacking). Many skills with +xx% damage for next attack are therefore effectively almost useless, you only get the big bonus if you dont weave a light attack, which usually amounts to almost the same damage. And of course the whole light armor/magicka skills debacle that they really should have seen coming IMO.
    Edited by guybrushtb16_ESO on September 4, 2014 6:13AM
  • Drazhar14
    Drazhar14
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    Block casting is stupid and should be removed for balance sake.
    I wonder if ZOS is aware of this issue. I would assume so. I'd rather them spend a whole update fixing the combat in this game. Making things more reactive and skill based would be nice, instead of being able to hold block the whole fight while spamming offensive magic.
  • Shaun98ca2
    Shaun98ca2
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    Shaun98ca2 wrote: »
    Best answer EVER........

    Make HOLDING block COST STAMINA.

    Blocking an attack would cost EXTRA Stamina.

    Blocking mages......WONT block until necessary.

    Hmmm...so if I'm holding my weapon with one hand, e.g. walking down the path, I use no stamina, but if I hold it with two, I do?

    I get that getting hit - actually blocking damage takes a toll on stamina, but being on standby would not.

    What, am I gripping the weapon tighter in anticipation?

    UMMM I don't know if you know this but it DOES make a HUGE difference.

    As a soldier carrying your m4 up at your chest versus down by your side HUGE difference it gets tiring fast.
  • Tuttebel
    Tuttebel
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    <snip>(and many light armor users run a heavy chest and legs for the extra armor and access to immovable anyway.)

    I never got why people do that. I'm just below the armor softcap in 7/7 light (sorc). You don't have to wear any heavy armor to put Immovable in your skillbar, you just need the required skill.


    Edited by Tuttebel on September 4, 2014 4:15PM
    "lex parsimoniae"
  • Spudone
    Spudone
    Other.
    i feel that blocking and casting are fine for certain types of abilities, such as things that are gonna be more focused on your character not needing to do an animation like the medium armor active or something else that just kinda changes how your model looks. blocking and attacking doesn't make sense with most offensive abilities, some it does like a parry or something. I'd say almost make it more a timing thing and implement some sort of counter attack mechanic with the abilities.
  • Akula
    Akula
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    Other.
    Block casting would be fine if it doubled the cost of the spell cast while blocking.
  • Guppet
    Guppet
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    Block casting is stupid and should be removed for balance sake.
    Is there anything stamina builds can do better than magicka builds?

    ANYTHING?
    Sprint!
  • dodgehopper_ESO
    dodgehopper_ESO
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    Block casting is stupid and should be removed for balance sake.
    I made my choice against block casting but only because it is so capricious in how it works. You can block and cast some abilities and not others. I think it would require more skill if firing a skill actually opened you up a bit. If you're not dedicated to blocking you need to pay the price for it. You already have the shield bonus to armor signifying that extra defense capacity. By the way I say this as someone who leveled One Hand and Shield first, and its a big part of my theme. I think you should still get a block chance, it should just be diminished while the aggressive animation takes place.
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  • Stx
    Stx
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    Block casting is stupid and should be removed for balance sake.
    One step in the right direction for balancing this game would be to do away with being able to cast anything while you block. Blocking should be about timing, and being able to hold it down and cast through it ruins that aspect of the game. It also makes spells with a cast time basically non-viable.

    If they fixed animation cancelling and block casting, this game would be a lot more balanced, and combat would be more interesting.
  • frosth.darkomenb16_ESO
    frosth.darkomenb16_ESO
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    Block casting is fine.
    Akula wrote: »
    Block casting would be fine if it doubled the cost of the spell cast while blocking.

    This.

    Also, i'm a stamina build, so i would enjoy a reduction in stamina cost when the blocking is well timed.
    For instance, activating the block during the animation/travel of an attack and succesfully blocking should take half the stamina a permanent blocker would lose.
    Edited by frosth.darkomenb16_ESO on September 5, 2014 9:59AM
  • mousekime111rwb17_ESO
    Block casting is stupid and should be removed for balance sake.
    bump
  • AshySamurai
    AshySamurai
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    Block casting is stupid and should be removed for balance sake.
    @mou_mounekingeb17_ESO‌ Rly? Just bump? And nothing constructive? Ask yourself, why this topic fall from 'hot" pages?
    Make sweetrolls, not nerfs!
  • Attorneyatlawl
    Attorneyatlawl
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    Block casting is fine.
    Block casting is fine. If you changed it you would be forced to have no defense without immovable against CC while attacking. As-is you will lose your stamina quickly when attacked, and cannot do light attack weaving and thus lose single-target damage when casting while blocking. It already has large disadvantages compared to casting while not blocking, in terms of damage output, stamina loss, and movement speed reduction.
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  • Soloeus
    Soloeus
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    Block casting is fine.
    Its fine.

    Try it sometime, no really, try it, just like Light Attack Weaving with Animation Cancelling.

    Block Casting will cause every light attack weaved at you to drain your stamina, which I need for CC break and rolls. Just like light attack weaving itself leaves you out of mana.

    There are consequences for this stuff, if you use it, you will be less effective. You might have a really impressive 10 second burst. In PVE with block casting you might survive a boss that aggro's you. Most of the time.... Nope.

    Within; Without.
  • Iorail
    Iorail
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    Block casting is stupid and should be removed for balance sake.
    If you hold block, stamina should drain, being attacked or not. Getting attack should take more stamina also. While holding block every single skill should be gray-out, specially spells. If you start casting and hold block a second after, animation should prevent block from working until the spell/attack animation is done.

    Anyone saying is fine is abusing a broken mechanic.
  • Lorkhan
    Lorkhan
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    Block casting should be removed but magicka based builds given other forms of survivability to compensate.
    Is there anything stamina builds can do better than magicka builds?

    ANYTHING?

    roll dodge
  • eliisra
    eliisra
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    Block casting is fine.
    Block casting drains your stamina really quickly (unless you're a proper block/tank build). Being out of stamina equals death in PvP. So I think it's fine. If people want to jam down block, risking their most important resource, it's up to them.

    If I throw one Caltroop down, no one in it's radius can block anyway. There's so many counters against cowardly blockers.

    The only issue with block is the animation cancellation, it allows you to execute skills more quickly. I don't think that's perfectly balanced.

    My DK's best offensive skills benefits way more from animation cancelling, than my Templar's clunky stuff, for example. It heavily favours insta-spam over skills with cast time or GT. I find that stupid. But hardly related to block, since you can cancel animation using addon.
  • Potenza
    Potenza
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    Block casting is fine.
    ^this
  • Vunter
    Vunter
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    Block casting is stupid and should be removed for balance sake.
    This mechanic is broken. There are basically 2 kind of people that say it isn't:
    -those who use it.
    -those who never entered Cyrodiil and for that they couldn't see the obvious (people with sword and shield that are invulnerable to any damage, while destroying anyone with an absurd dps for a tank, group or single target it doesn't matter for them).

    And again.
    Casting while blocking. Seriously. Who even thought of a concept like this?

    I'm sorry if I sound rude, but I actually did play the game and Cyrodiil and after my today session.. I got annoyed by a game.
  • GnatB
    GnatB
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    Other.
    Block casting is fine.
    Parry casting, on the other hand, is sort of sketchy.
    Parrying ranged attacks at all is extremely sketchy.
    Being unable to use channels/cast time/regular attacks while blocking is sort of sketchy.

    If I was going for "realism" I'd probably make it such that shield users simply always get the mitigation of active blocking, and don't need to actively enter a "block" stance. Then give 'em the ability to interrupt heavy attacks like they do for casts.

    And make parry casting impossible, and make parrying ineffective on ranged attacks.



    Of course, that would undoubtedly lead to ALL sorts of rebalancing, since weapon skills aren't (currently) the primary form of DPS. (otherwise we could simply balance the significantly improved defense of 1h&s by reducing it's offense)
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  • kitsinni
    kitsinni
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    Block casting is stupid and should be removed for balance sake.
    I would say 360 degree block casting that protects you from almost everything in game to a huge amount including CC is probably the worst choice I can think of any modern MMO ever making. It just makes the classes that can block through their best skill automatically the best.
  • LunaRae
    LunaRae
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    Block casting is stupid and should be removed for balance sake.
    Mo-ack wrote: »
    i have no problem withe it. Most time i forgott it to block while casting. Everyone can us this so is ok for me.

    Sorry but just because everyone has access to something doesn't make it right. Everyone can choose to play as a DK, is it my fault for playing an inferior class or should they balance each class to be equal in ability? Or everyone can choose to be a vampire and wreck face with bat swarm - so it's ok like that or should they balance out other options, such as werewolf, so they're viable?

    Block casting is so lame, so lame. If, when, they get rid of block casting so many builds will become trash, thankfully. If Zeni makes a change like this properly though they'll consider the impact and make other changes to lessen the severity of such a change.
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  • Artemiisia
    Artemiisia
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    Other.
    I choose other. Since this thread should never been born, we have enough of them......

    and by the way, they aint removing it, since that would mean they would have to redesign the whole pve aspect of the game
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