How do you hone your reaction times?

Ahdora · January 2015

I'm really pleased with how my character is coming along, but I want to work on my reaction time, e.g. dodging and blocking more quickly, moving to position a little faster, etc. I'm not slow, but I'd like to be faster. I got a couple of suggestions from guildmates, one of which was to PvP more, since you generally have to be quick on the draw in Cyrodiil.

Any other suggestions? I'd appreciate any constructive input.

eventide03b14a_ESO · January 2015

You can cast while blocking so there really isn't any skill involved there.

Bloodfang · January 2015

eventide03b14a_ESO wrote: »

You can cast while blocking so there really isn't any skill involved there.

Going away soon.

yodased · January 2015

Best way to hone your spacial awareness in this game is to run dungeons and trials imo. That will give you the best all around /bang for your buck/ with small and large AOEs, single targets,adds and etc

eventide03b14a_ESO · January 2015

Despair9 wrote: »

eventide03b14a_ESO wrote: »

You can cast while blocking so there really isn't any skill involved there.

Going away soon.

Are you sure about that? I'd be pleased as punch if this was true. Do you have a link to reference?

Guppet · January 2015

The two things I have found to be the most help in FPS games, which are far more twitch based are practice and exercise. Its not everybody cup of tea, but frequent rigorous exercise helps you think quicker, clearer and stay focussed for longer.

Ahdora · January 2015

I don't block cast unless I'm getting pounded in the face by adds before the tank grabs them.

I'll give an example of what I'm talking about.

I'm a nontemplar healer, so Nerien'eth is a bit problematic. We've worked out a strategy for that fight to make up for lack of BoL, so it's not a problem. I do, however, have to pay a bit more attention and things get a little hectic.

When I have a lot going on on my screen, I can easily miss the block/dodge of the skull. I'm getting better with that, but I want to be faster on the draw.

Nestor · January 2015

One thing to remember, and I never noticed this until it was pointed out on the boards, is that commands are taken on button release, not press. That can have an effect on the timing.

The other thing to pay attention to is the Tells. If you see a red sparkle come from the Mob, then interrupt them somehow, if you see a yellow sparkle, then bash or interrupt as soon as you see it. Red means spells and you have a little more leeway as to Interupting, Heavy Attacks, you have to bash before they really get wound up as the bash will be ignored once they start the actual attack movement. (In other words, bash on the back swing, not the front swing)

As soon as you see red on the ground, dodge roll away. The maddening thing is one can think you have more time as the red shows up a period of time before the spell is cast, but if you are not off the red sooner rather than later, you can still take some damage, even if you get off the red before the spell/attack animation triggers.

I think if you get in the habit of moving around while in combat and weaving your attacks in with your movements, then you will avoid more damage than just standing there and trying to anticipate when the damage comes and then moving. It is also easier/faster to dodge roll or move out of the way if you are already moving.

Rosveen · January 2015

yodased wrote: »

Best way to hone your spacial awareness in this game is to run dungeons and trials imo. That will give you the best all around /bang for your buck/ with small and large AOEs, single targets,adds and etc

For extra challenge, run with templars. Last night I ran in a group with three of them + a sorc and holy ***, Blinding Light should be the name of every templar ability. I had problems with reading some combat cues, especially when one (or more) of us dropped Nova.

Roselle · January 2015

Combat Cloud can assist with text alerts for what you might be seeking. I like this addon very much.

Rezzy64 · January 2015

I was pretty much going to say a combination of @Nestor and @Roselle.

One thing I would add that's more of a hardware issue then a game issue. More DPI on your mouse really helps. Which you can change within your computer settings. It makes switching the camera angle and target-ability much easier, which give you a much better range of sight and reaction time.
I was having a hard time catching all the opportunities to Interrupt, Block, and Dodge until I raised my Mouse DPI.
However I would test what the other two posters have mentioned before tweaking your mouse for higher DPI.

Ahdora · January 2015

Appreciating all this advice, folks! Truly.

Combat Cloud was one of the other suggestions made by a guildie, and I am LOVING that addon! If for no other reason than the combat numbers are far better than FTC's floaty text. Less screen real estate taken up, and the customization options are great.

As for exercising, hey, I am not averse to that. I'm already trying to lose even more weight on top of the huge amount I've dropped from just... ya know, eating less. Heh.

I didn't even consider changing the DPI on my mouse, but it is a bit sluggish, so it could only help! Especially in DSA on the third round.

I'm constantly running dungeons, and last night finally did Hel-Ra (two runs) and went through AA for the second time.

Kalman · January 2015

1. Buy Chopsticks
2. Try to catch flies with Chopsticks
3. Realize you can't do it.
4. Stab yourself with Chopsticks
5. Go to emergency room get patched up from self inflicted Chopstick wounds.
6. Play game with all the time off you have because of medical/mental LOA from self inflicted Chopstick wounds.

Enemy-of-Coldharbour · January 2015

Less alcohol.

PBpsy · January 2015

More alcohol.

BRogueNZ · January 2015

Less play more sleep works for me.

Ffastyl · January 2015

@Guppet and @Nestor provide the best ways to increase reaction time, but I would also like to add to theirs with sleep. When fatigued, reaction time drops along with other mental functions, so a good night's sleep and minimal stress will keep your thoughts honed. But do keep in mind that stress is a stimulant, and having too little will *** your reactions as much as high stress will wear you out. Exercise, as @Guppet said, will help by making your body less prone to fatigue.

Making dodging/blocking/weaving a habit will bring the actions into muscle memory, requiring less effort on your mind's side to pull them off, but another caveat for practice: it is a routine. A routine expects a specific result, and when that does not happen, the routine fails. (i.e. You start a stun -> heavy hit combo, but your target dodges the stunning blow and now your heavy hit has left you open.)

To add to @Nestor, not all interruptible actions have tells. For example, any channeled attack in PvP. But even some actions in PvE lack tells, such as a specific boss in Craglorn. This boss summoned adds periodically and we discovered by accident that the 1 second animation it does to summon the adds was interruptible despite no tell being shown.

Perhaps the best way to sharpen your skills in ESO is something a guildmate once mentioned: using a level 1 weapon(s) against enemies your level. By prolonging the fight you can experiment with combos and defensive/evasive maneuvers. I have picked up this habit today, and I gained a new 3-hit combo that lasts around 1 second in total, minus windup.

Nestor · January 2015

@Ffastyl Thanks for the warning about the Craglorn boss, I have not done much up there but farm.

I will add to your suggestion about the low level weapon. When I working on mobs that a bit stronger than me, I do all the right things, move around, anticipate, defense and offense at the right times etc.

But, then I get better gear or a better level and then I get lazy. As I have said many times in groups I am in, I tend to charge in and wail away until things die. It usually works, but I develop bad habits so that when the tougher encounters come (bosses) I have to pick up my corpse and remember the better way to approach combat.

Ffastyl · January 2015

@Nestor This is precisely what using low level gear does. By creating a statistical gap between you and your enemy, you must use skill to make up for it. It's something we forget, with so relatively few encounters where we are on a lower level than our opponent.

Ahdora · January 2015

When I first started healing V12 dungeons, I was only V3, and you're right... I had to pay much more attention and stay on my toes.

seanvwolf · January 2015

If you are melee, always anticipate where the fights will move and who will probably drop first. As a chronic dual wielder, closing is the biggest issue, and i have to watch telegraphed skills from mobs not just in my direct line of sight, but all around me. If I can anticipate the largest threat and know where an opening will be in relation to where mobs are, I move while I'm casting or executing skills. Always be moving. I agree with the dungeon/trial runs honing your skills and timing.

Breg_Magol · January 2015

Learn how to interpret internet lag ... extrapolate against game lag (if any) ... extrapolate that against synapse brain lag ... and factor in how long it takes for the neural pathway to send a message to your fingers ...

Oh .. and factor in any alcohol or other substance abuse and how that contributes to your performance.

That should cover the basics and give you a realistic base from which to calculate your reaction times ...

Ahdora · January 2015

I'm a healer, seanv, but I'll keep that advice in mind as I build a DPS spec!

Sacadon · January 2015

Provided you take good care of yourself the body will eventually adapt to what you're asking of it. Lots of great advice from others and I've found that frequently PVPing to have improved my physical reaction times more than any other activity. Except for trials and some veteran dungeons. For example run the last boss in vet CoH a bunch to really hammer your dodge-roll skills.

Ahdora · January 2015

My health is quite bad, actually, and I don't think it helps much that I've lost some fine movement in my hands due to diabetic neuropathy, but I think I'm making up for it pretty well, considering!