Difficulty Adjusting to Combat Speed

Breidr · December 2015

Let me preface this by saying I had some additional difficulty when starting this game. I came to the forums and received great advice. I was able to enjoy myself and progress a character.
My character is currently level 16ish and it feel like I've hit a new wall. Things are just happening so fast. It's hard to explain. I understand the basics of combat, but it "feels" strange to me now.

Blacking and trying to squeeze attacks in is getting more difficult for me. Using biting jabs has started to feel funny as well. My only saving grace is that I have rushed ceremony to keep me alive. I feel like the difficulty just went up tenfold.
I don't know if it's the way I'm playing, or my Cerebral Palsy catching up with the game and I'm just not fast enough now that I'm leveled a bit. Maybe a melee class was not a good first choice, eh?

I know that''s not much, but it is really hard for me to articulate how the game feels right now. I do catch myself not "spamming" skills despite being able to. I will frequently pause between biting jabs. It's hard for me to keep it up. My dodge rolling is "okay, thanks to the "red or dead" indicators. I block when I can, but I frequently find myself interrupting or "pushing" the enemy afterwards, because I don't lay off the block fast enough or something.

It's been a really great game, and an awesome journey so far, but I can't quite put my finger on what the issue is for me. Is a class change in order? Sorcerers get pets, does that help? Is moving away from melee and trying ranged an option? What should I try for end-game since I am not that fast? Healing?

I'm still kind of reeling from trying to figure all this out, and it's hard to say exactly what I mean, but I wanted to put it out there and see if anyone has any ideas. I don't want to give up on this game, it's just great.

Pink_Violinz · December 2015

Let me start with saying you really do not need to change classes. Level 16 is when the game really starts to pick up, and is not surprising if you hit a wall. This gets better after the mid-twenties, early thirties. I also hit this weird place with my first character, who was also a templar, but managed to get her going again after awhile. As long as your gear and weapons are to your level and are correct (medium for dps, heavy for tanks and light for magicka users) you should be able to keep yourself alive a good bit while still getting out your dps.

As for the speed, has this been happening for awhile now or was this a one-time thing? I found AD to be incredibly fast paced compared to the other alliances, although both others had (especially EB) a quest or two that required you to be on your toes. Depending on what server your on, I can help you a bit with a templar.

As for end game, if the pace is too quick, than you may not find a home in pvp, where everything is decided in a second or two. One second, sorcerer is a mile away. Next, sorcerer is behind you. Then your on the ground after being smacked with a crystal fragment. Then your dead.

Tanking may be an option, considering all you need to do is keep an enemy or a group on you and just not die. Templars also make pretty good tanks alongside healers. While some dungeons might be a pain (looking at you banished cells) it may be easier to let them bash on you rather than keep up with the speed of a dps. As for healing, depending on what kind of healer you build, you may find a home there, given you can keep an eye on other player's health while staying away from enemies/aoe. I have done a good bit of healing, and my only challenge is to just make sure nothing is swinging at me while spamming Breath of Life.

If you don't really like the templar, which I originally didn't, Dragonknight may be a better option. While a weaker class, their tanking abilites are still the strongest and are made to take a hit. If you need to slow down a great bit, something tanky like the DKs may be able to support you.

Breidr · December 2015

It's been getting gradually tougher since level 10 or so.

You recommend a tank, but wouldn't that be the fastest paced role. I was leaning towards a healer, but that only applies to groups. Sorcerers get pets, but then I lose out on the healing line of the Templar.

I do favor the Nord race, so a Nord Tank built to soak could work in theory I suppose, but I'm not sure. Tanks just seem really tough to me.

cjhhickman39 · December 2015

When I hit that level I was also getting my but handed to me then I started read this forum and asking for advice as you have done. First I respected to max out my dps then leveled provisioning and used that to buff up my health to make me last in a fight made sure to have potions on quick access to keep me up then i got ahead of the game curve and stayed there. This game makes you use all of the assets or it beats you till you out level the area your in. It's not about speed it's about your prep before and using a battle strategy that you are confident in. Find what works for you close combat or ranged heck I use both DW/Bow and work it till you find that combination that clicks for you good luck play hard and have fun

tinythinker · December 2015

It's hard to know if your condition is a contributing factor, as there are other reasons why the game may seem to have picked up intensity. It could be mixture of both your health and the change of pace in the game. I know that my first time through my starting alliance zones, it was sometimes a challenge. I now have gone through those zones and then Cadwell's Silver and Gold five times in all, and it seems really simple because I am used to how the game works. It's easy to forget how hard it can be for newer players.

As for some options you are considering:

Tanks are good for being more forgiving of errors because of high damage mitigation and high health, but blocking issues might be a problem if you start running out of stamina from bashing opponents after blocking.

Having pets is a good second option, but that requires rolling a Sorcerer. They do the tanking for you so you can focus on other things.

One way to see how much of your problem comes from a physical condition and how much comes from needing to adjust to the tempo of the game is to see what happens once you get more practice at the new level of difficulty and unlock more skills. Whatever the case, as this is an MMO most content can be done with others, so you should still be able to have fun and complete content as any class with people who aren't trying to rush through everything.

Breidr · December 2015

If I can focus for a moment on end game. I am trudging my way through content. I can get through anything if I try hard enough.

Now, eventually I'm going to hit content where I am in a group. As I understand it this game uses the trinity system, although with a different type of tanking. What role do you feel a slower player could fulfill in the later stages of this game the easiest. I'm trying to decide between tanking and healing. It looks like it's going to come down to Dragonknight tanking or Templar Healing.

tinythinker · December 2015

Breidr wrote: »

If I can focus for a moment on end game. I am trudging my way through content. I can get through anything if I try hard enough.

Now, eventually I'm going to hit content where I am in a group. As I understand it this game uses the trinity system, although with a different type of tanking. What role do you feel a slower player could fulfill in the later stages of this game the easiest. I'm trying to decide between tanking and healing. It looks like it's going to come down to Dragonknight tanking or Templar Healing.

Both can work. Everyone has to dodge or block from time to time, but tanks can block more and move a bit less than others, and healers can keep moving away from red circles while casting heals, debuffs, etc. Since 99% of all healing spells are "smart heals" you don't need to worry about targeting those you want to mend, just be in range of them. Templars also make fine tanks, and being a Nord helps even more, if you want to keep your current character.