My Take On ESO Since Release + Gripe

jmrakasb14_ESO · March 2015

Being a Elder Scrolls Fan, having played the BETA I knew right away it would be my next MMO. I've thoroughly enjoyed the game through and through so far, what makes it better is my girlfriend of many years has been playing with me since launch as-well(her first MMO). I think it's fair to say, at this point the game is in an excellent state of playability, and a very solid foundation. The combat system rocks, the crafting system is awesome, the questing & level design is superb! Having nearly all NPC's have voice dialog should set standards for games to come! Really my hats off to Bethesda & Zenimax! it's IMHO the best Elder Scrolls Experience one could ask for.

But here is where my major gripe starts, and I am sure it has been posted by users upon users before me.........Only 5 Active ability slots?!?!(not including ultimate)
This can be infuriating to be honest. When you give us the ability to have Class skills & weapon skills, and then limit us to just 5 active skills, we the player become very limited in how we play. I think having 8-12 Active ability slots would make all the difference & would allow players to learn there class even further. I somehow get the feeling this was partially due to "limitations" consoles controller mapping. Why punish the PC players because of this? Have companies not realized how sick us PC players are of companies having to dumb their games down to work correctly on consoles. meh! -Rant Off

All that aside I love ESO, and will continue to play it, and look foreword to future content. Having been a big fan of WoW but stopped playing at release of WOTLK, This has been the first MMO I've really gotten attached to since. Guild Wars 2 was fun, but that game had no variation, Everquest 2 is like playing a not so much fun version of WoW. I really think ESO is a different breed of MMO all together. my hope is that population stays strong, and the game continues to grow with more content! Thanks Zenimax & Bethesda for the Unique & awesome experience so far!

doggie · March 2015

Not to mention the very simple hate mechanic. It's the same mechanic that's on Iphone/Android mmorpgs. 10-15 seconds of unbreakable aggro. It's a little dull compared to some other games out there.

b_archaonpreeb18_ESO · March 2015

You get 12 slots with weapon swapping, 17 if you are a sorcerer.

It is fine in my opinion. I wouldn't want to have to juggle more skills when combat is so dynamic. Most of the time you can't afford to stay still and spam precise rotations, especially in pvp.

Also, this is a question of limits. Limits provide variety. If everyone could just use everything, all characters would be the same. There are, of course some 'standard' builds, but they have many deviations.

Sallington · March 2015

doggie wrote: »

Not to mention the very simple hate mechanic. It's the same mechanic that's on Iphone/Android mmorpgs. 10-15 seconds of unbreakable aggro. It's a little dull compared to some other games out there.

This is exactly what turned me off from tanking (my favorite roll) in ESO. Managing threat is one aspect of tanking I've loved in other games that just isn't present here.

TigerSeptim · March 2015

Personally, I like having only five slots. I remember playing The Old Republic and having to switch bars mid-fight. "NO- I died again, because I couldn't get to my healing skills fast enough." It was like playing Morrowind without the Code Patch.

Another thing that having fewer slots does is make you really think about your loadout. Should you place emphasis on class skills? Weapon skills? Does a particular foe have immunity to this effect or that? If given the choice, I think I'd go with five slots every time.

doggie · March 2015

Sallington wrote: »

This is exactly what turned me off from tanking (my favorite roll) in ESO. Managing threat is one aspect of tanking I've loved in other games that just isn't present here.

Yeah, it's a easy fix to make sure tanks can move and hold aggro. The last 5 years or so tanks have had to start move a lot more compared to before, so old school things like aggro switching and threat generation is not that important in many games.

I remember in TSW they stil had hate generation, but you could generate so much hate that a team could kill the hardmode boss before he could do any special attacks. If the hate generation is that great it's almost the same as a 15 second timer.

What I would like to see is that you generate hate when you interupt the boss casts and when you block an attack that way it's more skill based and not just build/gear/skillrotation.

twev · March 2015

b_archaonpreeb18_ESO wrote: »

You get 12 slots with weapon swapping, 17 if you are a sorcerer.

It is fine in my opinion. I wouldn't want to have to juggle more skills when combat is so dynamic. Most of the time you can't afford to stay still and spam precise rotations, especially in pvp.

Also, this is a question of limits. Limits provide variety. If everyone could just use everything, all characters would be the same. There are, of course some 'standard' builds, but they have many deviations.

I'm kind of thinking that a lot of ppl would just load up the extra slots with skills they were trying to level so that they'd constantly be getting XP rolling in on all the other other slots they weren't using anyway.

Aeladiir · March 2015

b_archaonpreeb18_ESO wrote: »

You get 12 slots with weapon swapping, 17 if you are a sorcerer.

It is fine in my opinion. I wouldn't want to have to juggle more skills when combat is so dynamic. Most of the time you can't afford to stay still and spam precise rotations, especially in pvp.

Also, this is a question of limits. Limits provide variety. If everyone could just use everything, all characters would be the same. There are, of course some 'standard' builds, but they have many deviations.

Why 17? Never played as Sorcerer.

b_archaonpreeb18_ESO · April 2015

domenthechief wrote: »

Why 17? Never played as Sorcerer.

During their Overload ulti, Sorcerers can't use any weapon abilities, because it replaces their light and heavy attacks. Instead they get an extra skillbar, which they can edit as they wish.

asteldian · April 2015

I actually like the tanking in this game. Admitedly against bosses it is a bit dull, but against multiple mobs I find it far better.
I have tanked since EQ1 and aggro has become easier in every game. Mash a high threat aoe and pretty much aggro lock everything. Spam a high threat single target and lock boss down.
While the hate may seem simplistic in this game, in reality it is no worse than other games and for me better against trash.
Add in active block and dodge and timing things well to maximise utility or dps without overspending resources or taking a huge hit and I find the tanking far more intense than previous mmos.
I also like the limited bars as it makes for hard choices and sometimes the need to switch things out for certain situations.

My real big gripe with the game is simply overall performance, they really need to focus on that for the next few months

michael_bimson · April 2015

While the limit of 5 active ability slots may be due to console limitations, I do feel that ZOS have made it work. You need to think about what opponents you face and what their immunities, resistances and abilities do and set your ability bar to defeat them. Or at least you used to, now its just the occasional elite that requires thought.

tonyglissonb14_ESO · April 2015

Having only five skills on hot-bar promotes class diversity.

It is not a bad thing.

Caroloces · April 2015

The important thing with abilities is not the quantity, but the coordination of the ones you do have slotted. One of the more compelling aspects of this game is in learning how to use abilities synergistically, meaning how does one ability effectively follow another (along with light and heavy weapon attacks) in the midst of combat.
There have been times when I've felt the limitation that the op expresses, but then I delve into rearranging my abilities and discovering new tactics that I would not have discovered had I had access to all of the abilities at one time. So in my opinion the system that we have in place now is superb and leads to more intriguing and thoughtful gameplay.

kongkim · April 2015

TSW do the same. its all about priority of skills and finding the best build with out having all the best skills slottet at the same time. And also make people have more different builds then always all the same skills.

jmrakasb14_ESO · April 2015

It's nice hearing people think slightly opposite then me! I think Caroloces made a good point ion his post. I guess the important thing is, that at least we aren't lacking skill points, and we have the ability to go down all the class trees. Also given it just takes a second to re-align your hotbar to favor a particular fight. Would I still like just a few more skill slots...yes, but I think many comments here show the system works well with what it has, and has made me re-evaluate life hahahaha

Danikat · April 2015

I think I actually prefer games with fewer slots.

Firstly it makes things easier to manage in combat because you have fewer buttons and bars to worry about but it also adds an element of tactics. Combat isn't simply about firing off as many skills as your magicka/stamina will allow or having all the 'best' skills unlocked, it's about which skills you choose to bring to the encounter which puts the focus back onto player skill.

WillhelmBlack · April 2015

6 would be better though. Even if it's just for stuff like Rapid and Siege Shield. None offensive abilities.