How To Fix Channeled Abilities For PVP

sabresandiego_ESO · December 2015

One thing Ive noticed, is that cast time and channeled abilities, cough templars cough, are severely gimped in pvp due to multiple factors. The damage is not burst, its easily avoidable, and you can be counter attacked. This is especially an issue when Line of Sight factors are present.

To give an example, if there is a rock or tree present to use as line of sight, and an enemy simply runs circles around the rock, a templar has absolutely 0 chance to kill that person. All of their damage is channeled, or cast time, or even accumulated damage which you cannot do when a person continuously uses line of sight. Jabs/sweeps will never do its full damage, backlash will never feed enough damage from other sources, and radiant oppression will constantly be canceled due to line of sight. Things like dark flare will fail the majority of attempted casts as well.

I personally have shut down templars using these techniques, and now playing a templar at a high skill level against other players of high skill level I can experience this phenomenon from the other perspective. Meanwhile, take nightblades for example, which is currently the best class in the game for dueling and the second best class in the game for open world pvp behind magicka sorcs, all damage is instant and the burst damage and comes with multiple debuffs.

Line of sight hardly effects my nightblade who can land a fear, deathstroke, surprise attack burst over and over and kill anyone. All damage is instant cast, all damage comes with numerous debuffs including heal debuffs, snares, armor debuffs, etc. Line of sight, while still useful, is very manageable as an attacking nightblade, but it completely shuts down templars.

My solution to this is to make all channelled and cast time abilities only have a line of sight check upon initial cast, and after the first hit all subsequent hits are gauranteed to land. Rebalance the skills with this in mind. Templars need to be made viable not simply by balancing numbers, but also by balancing mechanics which currently make them subpar.

Jura23 · December 2015

I think your idea is good. Vulnerability during channel time is already enough price, we don't need ppl avoiding hits on the same time. Have you been catched in talons after casting Jabs? Comedy.

But I think Eric Wrobel already mentioned somethere they are going to do something with "cone attacks" which have too many disadvantages. THis would affect Jabs too. No Flurry though.

I think a good start would be to stop consider channels to be DoTs (lol!).

Forestd16b14_ESO · December 2015

Sorry to all Templars in advance for reminded them of this but the whole reason LoS was added to channeled skills/spells was because Templars RD was shooting and killing through walls, hills, trees and so on. So yes to any Templar buffs but LoS has to stay in.

Also NBs second to Sorcerers ? Yea no NB are the top tire META and both versions magical and stamina are OP and out class the other 3 classes. Really I don't know what game you are playing were sorcerers out class NBs.

Wreuntzylla · December 2015

Forestd16b14_ESO wrote: »

Sorry to all Templars in advance for reminded them of this but the whole reason LoS was added to channeled skills/spells was because Templars RD was shooting and killing through walls, hills, trees and so on. So yes to any Templar buffs but LoS has to stay in.

Also NBs second to Sorcerers ? Yea no NB are the top tire META and both versions magical and stamina are OP and out class the other 3 classes. Really I don't know what game you are playing were sorcerers out class NBs.

Magicka NB first before magicka sorcs?

You were so close to an agree.

Joy_Division · December 2015

OP is 100% right about the stupid channel mechanic. The only reason this was tolerable before Ic was at least RD could hit dodge rollers.

Now the mechanic is 100% disadvantage with absolutely nothing gained from a defenseless state.

In what universe is this considered balance?

Ishammael · December 2015

Can Blazing Spear be ground-targeted like Nova, also? The two-click requirement is annoying. That would be great...
(And Cinder Storm, while you're at it)

BuggeX · December 2015

Ishammael wrote: »

(And Cinder Storm, while you're at it)

dont Change cinder storm

Ishammael · December 2015

BuggeX wrote: »

Ishammael wrote: »

(And Cinder Storm, while you're at it)

dont Change cinder storm

???
Its bad. Awful actually.

eliisra · December 2015

The devs just dont get it, that's the problem. What type of skills work in PvP with current combat mechanics.

Skills with channel, skills with cast- and travel time always struggles to connect or rarely does full duration dmg. More vulnerable to lag. If you lack cc immunity, you always get shut down half way, if using a channelled ability.

It's not just templar skills. I mean channel Flurry in PvP? No thanks. Snipe outside of sneak attacks is a joke. If you hard cast Crystal Fragments as a sorc, you're the definition of bad.

Only skill that works with a cast time is Wrecking Blow, since uninterruptable and LoS+ range check before the cast time. So if people try to kite out of the 7 meters range, you hit them anyway

What works in PvP is instant or close to instant skills. You can use them while blocking and connect from unrealistic angles, so no major dps loss if you suddenly need to go def mode, the guy goes behind you or of rooted. Can also be animation cancelled with bash, dodge or block, giving you a bigger burst that's sorta needed with 50% battle spirit.

As a templar the only skill you can use while blocking, always connecting and animation cancels is Breath of Life monster heal lol. So no wonder 90% of all templars are spamming heals. As soon as you touch your offensive skills you're outmanoeuvred, LoS'ed or just shut down and nuked in the face.