Ffastyl wrote: »

Templars are a jack-of-all-trades class, capable of both pure and hybrid builds. Having many support abilities, Templars are desired in virtually any group. Yet, they are near the bottom of the PvP ladder. Why? Templars are lacking in solo viability. Most of our abilities are group oriented, and to that end we are exceptional. But when it comes time to fight on our own, it takes careful planning and a skilled player to pull it off. The tweaks and fixes implemented in this Update add a couple tools to our arsenal but also weaken others. Our fighting styles will change but overall Templars are where they were in PvP - Great in groups and unwieldy solo.


Divided and subdivided by spoiler tags for readability, below is my commentary of the Templar class as of Update 7.

Aedric Spear
This tree supports solo Templars the most by offering many forms of CC, self-defense and a single hard hitting ability.

Puncturing Strikes -

Puncturing Strikes is the hardest hitting ability available to Templars, Radiant Destruction coming in second. This is thanks to the bonus +140% damage for closest target and 4 strikes, triggering 4 checks for the Burning Light passive (25% chance to deal extra damage). It is an conal AoE too, allowing multiple targets to be hit and serving as a close-range counter to Cloak. But because it is an AoE positioning and movement are key to ensuring it connects. A 50% miss rate for Puncturing Strikes is decent accuracy on the player's part.

Biting Jabs is the more well known morph and typically the harder hitting simply due to physical mitigation being less prevalent than magical mitigation. For a Stamina build, Biting Jabs deals damage just shy of Uppercut (or Wrecking Blow, the morph on death recaps everywhere). Including Burning Light, Biting Jabs can deal considerably (more than double) the damage of Uppercut. This is the bread and butter attack of Stamina Templars.

Puncturing Sweeps is the magical equivalent of Biting Jabs and it offers healing as its perk. Templars are able to attack and heal simultaneously with this attack, creating a highly self-sustaining build. The knockback reviled by many comes in handy here, allowing a follow up Puncturing Sweeps for additional healing and damage before the opponent can react.

The one second knockback, eliciting CC-immunity, is where many find fault with Puncturing Strikes. WIthout the CC-immunity it is child's play to stun lock opponents. Some call for it to be replaced by a snare, as it can restrict the target's ability to evade without inflicting CC-immunity. The knockback still has tactical advantage, as the target is essentially stunned for 1 second. A lot of damage can be dealt in 1 second -- Biting Jabs can be executed in 1 second!
But the fact remains that the CC-immunity is far longer than the potential CC Puncturing Strikes offers. Reducing the duration of immunity it offers or increasing the duration of the CC will make it less painful to use when there are other CC options available.

Piercing Javelin -

Piercing Javelin is the only instantaneous hard-CC available to Templars. Take a look at all the other skills in each line... Piercing Javelin is the only one without a cast time, delay, or secondary condition. The damage has been buffed in Update 7, making it more bearable to use.
As an archer, this ability is a great replacement for Magnum Shot, offering the same knockback and tapping into the Magicka pool rather than Stamina.

Some Templars make creative use of Piercing Javelin with Critical Rush (Two-Handed skill), using Piercing Javelin to instantaneously create extra distance to earn more bonus damage on Critical Rush.

Aurora Javelin deals more damage at further ranges, which is counterintuitive to the reflexive use of this skill: to knockback someone getting too close. As a result, Binding Javelin is the favored morph for it extends the CC duration. Binding Javelin's CC is identical to Uppercut (knockback/down and 3.5 second stun), but without the cast time, high damage and has ~3x the range.

Aurora Javelin can be improved by reversing the damage bonus conditions. Grant more damage based on how close the target is to the caster. This rewards using it for the intended purpose of creating distance.

Focused Charge -

Focused Charge is the sole (effective) gap closer within the Templar's toolkit. It rarely deals notable damage to target and until recently was unresponsive and clunky. The bonus Focused Charge offers, beside closing the distance in an aesthetically satisfying manner, is interrupting casting targets. Toppling Charge adds a 2.4 second stun without auxiliary conditions, aside from the 3.5m minimum range requirement. Explosive Charge deals AoE damage on impact, which is decent in that regard as secondary targets take equal damage to the primary (no splash damage).

Piercing Charge is situationally useful and the time delay it takes to travel to target vastly shortens the window for interrupting casters, making it rare to get the full potential from this ability. It is still a Magicka based gap closer, greatly reducing strain on the Stamina pool as one attempts to hound a runner (or streaker). However the damage is lackluster, so it is only used to close gaps, if at all.

The off-balance debuff is inflicted so rarely in actual combat that it may as well not be part of the ability. Making the off-balance status guaranteed to trigger, or removing it in favor of increased base damage, will help add utility to Piercing Charge.
The ability to interrupt casters is unique, and while rarely achieved, is still an effect I have been thankful for in the past.

Spear Shards -

To allies it is a gift from the Divines, restoring 25% Stamina up front and continued restoration for an additional 10 seconds. Veteran armies mandate Templars use this ability, as near infinite Stamina is a priceless boon. For the Templar throwing these, Spear Shards is ranged a AoE CC that inflicts minor damage. The morph Blazing Spear adds a pulsing DoT, which helps counter Cloak and has a chance of proccing Burning Light. Luminous Shards adds Magicka restoration to the Stamina, which does not assist the Templar.

When well aimed, Spear Shards can be used to close gaps by stunning/disorienting the pursued. However the ability goes through 3 animations from button press before it hits the impact zone: the Templar throwing the spear upwards, the spear racing down from the heavens, and the spear fragmenting just above ground as the bulk impacts the target area. When lag is present, this can mean up to a minute before the spear lands. Consolidating the animations to 2 or less (throwing and impact) will reduce the delay and drastically reduce the potential delay to impact during lag.

The ability for Templars to use the synergy of spears they have thrown will add to solo viability. However, using the synergy unaltered is overpowered (the Templar can spam the spear to restore resources rapidly, even with 6 second cooldown between synergies) so the caster should receive a greatly reduced version. Either scrapping the instant 25% Stamina and receiving only the over-time restoration of resources or receiving a reduced version of both (e.g. 12% Stamina and 800 over 10 seconds or even weaker). This tweak will make both morphs useful to solo Templars and make morph choice harder as only one restores both Magicka and Stamina. Right now, the morph choice comes down to whether the Templar prioritizes group (Luminous Shards) or solo (Blazing Spear) play.

Sun Shield -

"Sun Shield is what gives Templars their survivability."
Sun Shield protects for 15% of the Templar's Health. This is enough to negate a single strong blow and provides merit to investing in health. The +4% per enemy hit goes seemingly unaffected by Battle Spirit (possibly bug), which means the Sun Shield truly shines in 1vX situations. The shield becomes strong when surrounded, resembling its strength without Battle Spirit. The morph Radiant Ward increases the bonus per enemy (to +5%) and reduces cost, making this a better damage shield. Favor is shifting towards this morph as the counter damage Blazing Shield was so feared for has been reduced.

Blazing Shield and to a lesser extent Sun Ward, are the Templar's answer to aggressive melee combatants. Both increase in strength based on the number of enemies in melee distance and Blazing Shield reflects half the damage absorbed back at melee aggressors as AoE damage.

The recent changes to Battle Spirit have made Blazing Shield less than it was but, contrary to the wailing, it is not useless. As stated above, 15% of Max Health is enough to take the edge off a blow. It may not absorb several blows like it used to, but the shield is strong enough to protect from even a Sweeper's stray spell. A weaker shield is better than no shield.

Dawn's Wrath
This tree has exceptional DPS and debuff abilities in it, but they are largely group oriented, requiring allies or a very specific build to get the most use out of.

Sun Fire -

Weak to moderate damage with a moderate DoT and snare. The snare and DoT are what attract people to this ability. It is a Magicka based snare, reducing strain on the Stamina pool, but most DoTs in ESO are negligible. Morph choice comes down to whether you want to snare multiple targets or a single target for a longer period of time.

With the presence of gap closers and other sources of snare, Sun Fire has little utility.

Removing the DoT to give it higher up-front damage while maintaining the snare effect afterward would make it like a Magicka Flying Blade (Dual Wield ability).

Or a damage based HoT could be added, healing the Templar or an ally while the DoT is active for 10 to 50% of the DoT tick. e.g. 1000 damage up front followed by 2000 DoT over 6 sec, healing for 300 every 2 seconds (roughly half the DoT tick).

In combination with one of the suggestions above (or some other alteration), Vampire's Bane could be replaced with a "Sun Veil" morph, granting Major Evasion and dealing local fire damage as the Templar is cloaked in fire (I imagine it as the Templar becoming made of sun fire, like Akatosh's avatar (see spoiler)).

This would bring back the lost Blinding Light ability in a different form. Using the similar stats as above, "Sun Veil" deals 100 damage every second to nearby enemies and lasts X seconds. The damage and/or duration could increase with each rank.
Fans of Blinding Light would prefer duration, but the +20% duration from Enduring Rays (passive) needs to be taken into account. Currently Shuffle (Medium Armor ability) grants just Major Evasion for 23 seconds (and snare/root immunity for X*0.5 sec where X = worn # of Medium Armor pieces). Making "Sun Veil" similar in utility could be 16 second duration (for 19.2 with Enduring Rays) with small damage from the cloak or a larger damage tick from the fire and a shorter duration to compensate (e.g. 13 seconds and 200 damage per second or 8 seconds and 500 damage per second).

Solar Flare -

Solar Flare is an ability which can be used by solo Templars who focus on Magicka and Spell Damage. It deals decent damage, grants Empower and can be morphed to inflict Major Defile too, making it desired in groups.

The gripe most people have with it is the time it takes to hit target after activating. There is a 1.1 second cast time followed by an arcing shot. This is actually fine as is, for Solar Flare's damage scales extremely well with Magicka and Spell Damage, hitting as hard if not harder than Crystal Fragments for Magicka focused builds. It just lacks the same oomph because it does not inflict hard-CC. Its visuals and audio may be a bit underwhelming too.

The alternate morph, Solar Barrage, is extremely weaker by comparison -- at first glance. The closest skill in function to Solar Barrage is Impulse (Destruction Staff ability). Impulse has a 6m radius and decreasing damage as the target is further from the caster. Solar Barrage has an 8m radius, grants Empower and deals more damage than Impulse. As some have put it: "It's like having Impulse on any weapon you want."

The issue with Solar Flare and its morphs is that the oomph they provide is not apparent from the visual and audio feedback, causing players without add-ons giving numbers to believe it is not hitting for much (we expect weaker abilities to hit faster, hence the call for no cast time on all morphs).

Backlash -

Backlash is a unique ability. Aside from the recent Magicka Detonation, this is one of two skills which are cast on a target and deal delayed damage (the other being Velocious Curse). It deals 33% of the damage inflicted on the target during the 6 seconds it is active, making it great for sudden burst but hard to time well. With a damage oriented build, it is possible to reach the damage cap on Backlash by oneself. Otherwise an ally is required to get the maximum damage out of Backlash.
For solo play it is hit or miss based on the damage a Templar is geared to deal within 6 seconds.

The damage cap was higher during testing for Update 6, scaling with Max [Resource] and Damage, which left caps of 10,000 damage not uncommon. It now scales with Max only, preventing the sudden 10k+ one-shots Templars might have become known for. But the current cap can be a little limiting when facing shield stackers or super tanks. Increasing the damage cap but reducing the absorption rate would be one way to tweak it (i.e. scales with Max and Damage but deals 25% of damage inflicted) or increasing the duration to give solo Templars a better opportunity to reach cap.
These are suggested tweaks, not recommended, as Backlash already performs well for both solo and group play.

Eclipse -

Eclipse is the same as Solar Flare in that its value is lesser known. Eclipse reflects all single-target spells back at the caster and explodes at effect's end (whether by CC-break or duration end) and can be morphed to explode for more damage or for reflected spells to heal the Templar caster. Aside from some bugs that occur when certain spells are reflected (like Dark Talons), the shortcoming Eclipse is derailed for is being counted as hard-CC, therefore granting CC-immunity on Break Free.

Eclipse, when well timed, is a complete counter to mages and magical builds. Experienced players CC-break immediately, which also lets it serve as a Stamina drain.
But some players are frustrated by the CC-immunity it can grant. One way to address it is to have Eclipse function similar to Reflective Scales - it reflects a certain number of spells before expiring or when the duration ends. This can let it be counted as soft-CC since the target is not forced to wait the full duration.

As is, Eclipse can be hard to wield correctly but when it is Eclipse can be very powerful.

Personally,

I would keep the higher skill requirement and potential power -- Leave Eclipse as is.

The limit to one cast active at a time is subject for debate. It is fun to cast several spheres on several targets, but I have only needed to cast it on one target at a time.

Radiant Destruction -

Radiant Destruction is a well known ability at this point. Update 7 has reduced the base damage it deals and the bonus damage for Radiant Oppression. The change makes Radiant Destruction an inferior ability for Stamina builds; for Magicka it is still a viable attack and so far is not a one-button-win anymore.
Radiant Destruction is the most solo-oriented ability in the Dawn's Wrath line and a staple attack for Magicka Templars.

Restoring Light
This tree contains many healing abilities. While they can be used to self-heal, all are group-oriented.

Rushed Ceremony -

Rushed Ceremony is the bread and butter of healing for Templars. It can heal for quite a bit with a Magicka focused build. The base heal is enough for small to moderate wounds with Stamina builds. The morph Breath of Life is the prefered one, as it heals 3 targets over 1, but Update 7 has made Honor the Dead able to compete. Honor the Dead offers better Magicka management by refunding itself over a period of time.

Under the current -50% healing, Rushed Ceremony is no longer a clutch/ohS* heal. Dedicated healers can still make health bars move miles, but the average Templar cannot heal a great amount with Rushed Ceremony. This is good in that it reinforces the passive healing style implied by the Restoration Staff line, preventing players from relying on the healer alone to keep them alive.

The smart targeting makes Breath of Life the better choice for solo Templars. Even if the main heal hits someone else, the secondary heals can still hit the caster.

Healing Ritual -

Healing Ritual is stronger and less costly than Rushed Ceremony, but it has a 2 second cast time and a 10m range compared to Rushed Ceremony's 28m. Lingering Ritual somewhat addresses the range issue by having a delayed secondary heal, while Ritual of Rebirth reduces the cast time by 0.3 seconds.
This ability heals the caster by an extra 30%, making an already strong heal an even stronger self-heal.

The biggest drawback to solo play is the cast time. Increasing the reduction to Ritual of Rebirth to 0.5 seconds would be a start, but 1.0 seconds would be better (but potentially overpowered for such a large heal).

For group play, the small radius makes Healing Ritual inferior to Rushed Ceremony. Increasing the radius to 15m or even 12m will help increase the use this ability sees.

Restoring Aura -

Restoring Aura locks down a slot on bars for the passive +10% to all Regeneration. It can be activated to increase Health and Stamina Regeneration by another 20%. The morph Repentance is more well known as it provides instant recovery over Radiant Aura's extended radius.

Having no passives related to regeneration (Restoring Spirit in Dawn's Wrath reduces the cost of all abilities by 4%), Restoring Aura is the only boost Templars have available. This ability allows Templars to have good regeneration for all resources (short of excellent), but at the cost of an ability slot. Templars that want the passive boost active at all times must settle for having only 4 ability slots on each bar to work with.
For my own builds, that always means giving up an execute, a gap closer, or defensive ability.

Reallocating the passive 10% increase to a passive ability or swapping the passive of Restoring Aura with the bonus of said passive ability (such as Mending) will free up the fifth slot for regeneration oriented Templars. Alternatively, Restoring Spirit could also grant +5% to all Regeneration, making Templars an equal to Nightblades in general regeneration with Restoring Aura also slotted (and Restoring Aura is no longer the sole source of in-class bonus regeneration for Templars).

Cleansing Ritual -

Cleansing Ritual is one of the few means a player has to remove debuffs. This makes it a powerful ability in the Templar's arsenal, save for the weakness that it only removes 1 debuff from the caster.

The morph Purifying Ritual addresses this by increasing the debuffs removed to 5 at Rank IV. Extended Ritual increases the duration, but this is of dubious benefit.
While it grants a larger timeframe for allies to activate the synergy, it grants little benefit to the caster and the healing provided by this ability is among the lower tier for passive heals. This morph may need to be revisited to grant additional healing or further extend the duration, as beyond the debuff removal it does not offer much that other abilities can do better.

Rune Focus -

Rune Focus is an interesting skill. It provides a major armor buff but requires the Templar to stand on the rune to remain active. The rune itself is about 5m in diameter, which is just big enough to dodge AoE attacks by an inch and still be standing on the rune. In Update 6 it received a necessary buff: the buff lasts for 8 seconds outside the rune and returning to it refreshes the buff. It is still restrictive of movement, but far less so than previously.

The morph Channeled Focus returns Magicka every half second while the buff is active, refunding the ability cost by more than 100%. Even the 8 second duration outside the rune is long enough to get a full refund, so Templars can simply cast and forget without Magicka cost. The regeneration also helps maintain the use of Magicka abilities for all types of builds (While operating as a Stamina build and using Channeled Focus I have been mistaken for Magicka).

Restoring Focus increases healing received by 8% for the caster and the passive Focused Healing increases healing for everyone inside the rune by 30%. This morph I admittedly have less experience with. It is a good match for healing focused Templars, but I cannot comment much beyond.

Ultimates
The signature moves of Templars. These are varied and useful in a variety of situations.

Radial Sweep -

The cheapest ultimate, at a cost of 72 with Restoring Spirit. It deals a modest amount of AoE damage and pulses several times before fading. Unfortunately, it often misses targets even within melee range. It can be used as a counter to Cloak due to its pulsing AoE.

Empowering Sweep incurs a flat 15% damage reduction on swing, with a +4% damage reduction per enemy hit. This can let a Templar become highly damage resistant for a brief period of time (8 seconds), increasing the viability of solo play by boosting survivability against multiple foes. The low cost means it can be used frequently, though not constantly.

Crescent Sweep increases the damage of the initial swing by 33% against targets in front of the Templar. Due to the miss rate this morph is less powerful than Empowering Sweep. It is in use amongst Templars, but uncommon. Buffing the damage this morph deals and removing the "in-front" condition will make it more of a room cleaner rather than a strong attack like Biting Jabs. Perhaps even adding an execute effect to it (+100% damage to low health targets, as with Whirlwind).

Nova -

This is the ultimate most known amongst non-Templars. It is the sun we call down to Mundus. It deals AoE damage and reduces damage dealt by 30% for those inside its vortex. The simple counter to Nova is stepping out of it. This ultimate has no CC to accompany it, though a synergy (which requires allies) can inflict stun and extra damage. Solar Disturbance adds a 60% snare, making it harder for enemies to escape its clutches. Super Nova boosts the effects of the synergy, a longer stun and more damage.

At best Nova crushes groups and cripples enemy offense; at worst Nova is area-denial, restricting enemy movement. For such a high cost ultimate (288 with Restoring Spirit), it can be hard to get the full potential out of it. Solar Disturbance helps solo Templars, while Super Nova offers nothing to them. Imparting some CC to the base ability will make Nova more useful, such as a brief root or stun on impact.
Nova is balanced with other ultimates of its cost, so adding a CC to impact will require a cost increase or for another aspect to be removed or for all ultimates of its cost bracket to be buffed to remain balanced.

Rite of Passage -

Rite of Passage is the strongest heal in-game. It heals for at least 2k a second, usually enough to very quickly refill allies health to 100% and maintain it for the duration of the ultimate. The morph Practiced Incantation extends the duration by 50%, but some groups can out damage the heal. This makes Remembrance viable, for its 23% damage reduction to those being healed makes it unlikely any group can out damage the HPS this ultimate provides.

Rite of Passage immobilizes the caster, which is bad in a game where players are encouraged to stay on the move. Luckily the caster is CC-immune and given hyper armor (+12,500 to be precise) to compensate. The visual makes the Templar a bullseye, though. It can be a life-saver for the solo and group Templar, but once cast most enemies will be upon the user.

While more mobility while casting is welcome, there is no obvious way to counter-balance the mobility without severely nerfing the heal or defensive benefits.

I draft this recalling my own experience as a Stamina/Hybrid Templar (106 days, 19 hours, 53 minutes or 2,563.883 hours logged on Live and 30 hours, 21 minutes on PTS; Alliance War Rank 24, Centurion Grade 2), my discussions with various Templars (primarily Magicka) both acquaintances and guildmates from Legion of Magnus, Requiem, Gamebreaker Nation and others, and various opinions I have read/heard over the forums and other media. I have glossed over some abilities in writing this, giving them less analysis than they deserve, but I touched on most points Templars are lacking in when it comes to solo PvP.

Please add your own experiences to it, even if they contradict. I will be refining the sections as I find time in between studying and PTS.