There has been talk among players of
revising the racial passive system and having it allow for more customization (but along lore friendly lines that still offer racial distinctions). I suggest a system here based on that idea. There would still be passive for a weapon or armor type with one point to spend, but there would be four passives in which you could spend up to 3 skill points. There would a cap of 9 skill points for racial passives as per the current system (which only gives 9 choices), so you would have to pick and choose how to build your character.
The first point would be a base-bonus that must be taken to gain access to unlock additional bonuses in that passive. Additional points could then be used to customize. The (*) in the examples below means you have to take this first to unlock the other choices for the passive. Unlocked choices are indicated with (_), and you can spend a second point on the same bonus to make it more effective.
All nine Alliance races are featured. I make no claim of fixing all balance concerns though races like Argonian and Nord are buffed. The effects/values are intended for illustration of the concept of customization. The thinking behind each example is included with the example in a new spoiler tag.
Example One: ArgoniansUnder the system proposed (again with a cap of 9 points total) you could choose from options such as:
Restoration Expertise: Free passive.
Increases experience gain with the Restoration Staff skill line by 15%.
Amphibious
(*) Increases Swimming Speed by 50% and reduces damage taken while swimming by 50%.
(_) Reduces potion cool-down by 4 seconds and returns 8% of your Max Health, Magicka, and Stamina when a potion is consumed.
(_) Reduces potion cool-down by 8 seconds and returns 10% of your Max Health, Magicka, and Stamina when a potion is consumed.
Argonian Resistance
(*) Increases Poison and Disease Resistance by X and Physical Resistance by Y.
(_) Increases Max Health by 4%.
(_) Increases Max Health by 8%.
Histskin
(*) Increases healing received by 10%.
(_) Increases Health Regeneration by 15%.
(_) Increases Health Regeneration by 30%.
Shadowscale
(*) Allows you to enter stealth more quickly and increases speed while stealthed by 10%.
(_) Increases out of combat Stamina and Magicka regeneration by 15% while in stealth.
(_) Increases out of combat Stamina and Magicka regeneration by 30% while in stealth.
The Logic
Argonians have long been at the bottom of the passives ranking by most players who comment on such things. The goal here, in addition to showing off what can be done with racial customization, is to continue with the lore-friendly niche ZOS has made for the Saxhleel but expand it to allow Argonians to be both powerful and flexible in their builds. The health/rapid healing/resistance to disease and poison are still there, buffed, but with the new passive Shadowscale other lore-based elements come into play.
Being good at sneaking, which made Argonians decent thieves in previous games, is back. But it also has the feel of being a skill trained for while in a resistance cell, perhaps by an actual Shadowscale. No, there isn't a direct bonus to magicka or stamina damage, but you can pop instantly into stealth (preferably the first point of the Shadowscale bonuses would stack with vamp) and gain massive regen on magicka and stamina before launching your next attack. This helps them to be better balanced alongside other races and to live up to the descriptions they have received for ESO.
And both swim speed and the potion passive live on, buffed to be useful for particular builds. But because of the option for customization, they can be skipped entirely, as many would prefer to do. Rapid Mending is renamed Histskin in a nod to previous Elder Scrolls games. Argonian Resistance adds in Physical Resistance to reflect the scaly hide Argonians naturally possess.
In summary, Argonians in this scheme are very good for stealthy/sustain type builds which can support a number of roles.
Here is what Argonian passives are going to look like in 2.1 for comparison:
Restoration Expertise
Increases experience gain with the Restoration Staff skill line by 15%.
Amphibious
Increases Swimming Speed by 50% and whenever you drink a potion gain 2%/5%/8% of your Max Health, Magicka, and Stamina.
Argonian Resistance
Increases Maximum Health by 2%/4%/6% and Poison and Disease Resistance by 80/150/220.
Quick to Mend
Increases healing received by 3%6%/9%.
Example Two: Nords
Under the system proposed (again with a cap of 9 points total) you could choose from options such as:
Two Handed Weapon Expertise: Free passive.
Increases gain with the Two Handed Weapon skill line by 15%.
Hardy
(*) Increases health regeneration by 20%.
(_) Increases Max Stamina by 3%.
(_) Increases Max Stamina by 6%.
Resist Frost
(*) Increases Cold Resistance by X.
(_) Increases Max Health 3%.
(_) Increases Max Health 6%.
Rugged
(*) Reduces length of immobilizing status effects by 50%.
(_) Decrease incoming damage by 3%
(_) Decrease incoming damage by 6%
Kyne's Grace
(*) Gain a 3% chance of negating the cost of a stamina ability.
(_) Gain a 4% chance to absorb any projectile for 500 stamina**.
(_) Gain an 8% chance to absorb any projectile for 500 stamina.
**For a VR14. This number would scale up/down as appropriate.
The Logic
Many players are not happy with Robust in 1.6/2.1, so it has been buffed. Rugged now makes you resistance to roots and snares. The new passive Kyne's Grace adds to damage reduction and stamina management. This racial example shows off some of the fun of having options for customization. Depending on how you want to play, do you take Hardy or Kyne's Grace, for instance? Or perhaps both but leave out something else?
Example Three: Dunmer
Under the system proposed (again with a cap of 9 points total) you could choose from options such as:
Ambidexterity: Free passive.
Increases gain with the Dual Wield skill line by 15%.
Dynamic
(*) Weapon attack speed increased by 3%.
(_) Increases Max Magicka and Stamina by 3%.
(_) Increases Max Magicka and Stamina by 5%.
Flame Talent
(*) Increases Fire Resistance by X.
(_) Increases Spell Damage by Fire Effects by 3%.
(_) Increases Spell Damage by Fire Effects by 7%.
Blessings of the Three
(*) Increases the strength of damage shields by 5%.
(_) Increases Max Magicka by 1%.
(_) Increases Max Magicka by 3%.
Alchemical Mastery
(*) Potions created are 8% more effective.
(_) Increases the length of the effects from any potion by 10%.
(_) Increases the length of the effects from any potion by 20%.
The Logic
Dark Elves are already powerful and balanced, so the idea here was to spread things out a bit. If you are a stam build, for example the extra magicka previously under Resist Flame is now part of the Blessings of the Three. Maybe instead you'd rather boost your potions with the new passive Alchemical Mastery. It's up to you, but this example shows how you changes in the proposed system don't have to involve a massive overhaul of something that is already working fine.
Example Four: Altmer
Under the system proposed (again with a cap of 9 points total) you could choose from options such as:
Destruction Talent: Free passive.
Increases gain with the Destruction Staff skill line by 15%.
Spellcharge
(*) Reduces time needed to absorb energy from skyshards by 50%.
(_) Increases Magicka Regeneration by 9% and decreases Spell Resistance by 3000**.
(_) Increases Magicka Regeneration by 18% and decreases Spell Resistance by 6000.
Gift of Magnus
(*) Gives a 3% chance of negating the cost of a spell.
(_) Increases Max Magicka by 4%.
(_) Increases Max Magicka by 7%.
Elemental Talent
(*) Increase the chance for a critical strike with Cold, Shock, or Fire spells by 4%.
(_) Increases damage with Cold, Fire or Shock effects by 3% and damage from such effects by 1%.
(_) Increases damage with Cold, Fire or Shock effects by 6% and damage from such effects by 3%.
Auri-El's Boon
(*) Reduces the cost of ultimate abilities by 4%.
(_) Increases Spell Resistance by 1500.
(_) Increases Spell Resistance by 3000.
**Specific numbers, rather than X and Y, given to better illustrate the concept. The numbers would scale with level to be meaningful, including those in Auri-El's Boon. Could also use percentages instead for Spell Resistance if that would work better in making that aspect of the passives a balancing mechanism. But it is there to balance out the major advantages of being so powerful by making the player have to give something up somewhere or live with the risks.
The Logic
I like the idea of High Elves being these bad ass magic wielders who can just burn through enemies with their sorcery, but, part of the premise of this customization idea is having to make choices. So, on the one hand, altmer get a similar buff to Magicka recovery to the one initially floated for Update 2.1, but, they get the lore-based weakness to magic as well.
I could see increasing the regen or decreasing Spell Resistance a bit more depending on how well the numbers/percentages for the weakness scale to give a good trade off. The same idea is behind Elemental Talent and my thoughts about tweaking what I wrote. All of that extra magicka and magicka regen and elemental damage potentially available, yet a noticeable weakness as well. Being so bound up in magicka, altmer also become vulnerable to it as well, as the lore goes.
Again, the numbers can be played with, but this seems so fun having to choose how to deal with this. Min-maxers have to make trade-offs. You could skip Auri-El's Boon, and use a significant investment in the relevant gear/Championship Points to help offset the weaknesses, or take fewer bonuses elsewhere to get the offset from three points spent in that passive. The vulnerability should be such that Boon is really tempting.
Even if you just take the first level of Boon, what are you going to give up? The extra Magicka regen? The extra Max Magicka? The extra elemental damage? For Boon, again, the number/percentages can be altered to make it more tempting though cutting the penalties for Spellcharge in half already seems a bit tempting to me. Honestly I think going to a flat percentage (hence "unfixable" by any CP spent/gear used) might be the way to go for balance, but I'm not sure what percent to take away for the Spellcharge penalty or to mitigate using the Auri-El's boon penalty.
Example Five: Bosmer
Under the system proposed (again with a cap of 9 points total) you could choose from options such as:
Archery Expertise: Free passive.
Increases gain with the Bow skill line by 15%.
Y'ffre's Endurance
(*) Reduces cost of Break Free by 10%.
(_) Increases Stamina Regeneration by 14%.
(_) Increases Stamina Regeneration by 21%.
Resist Affliction
(*) Increases Poison and Disease Resistance by X.
(_) Increase Health Regeneration by 10%.
(_) Increase Health Regeneration by 20%.
Stealthy
(*) Improves stealth radius by 3 meters.
(_) Increases damage done while Stealthed by 4.5%
(_) Increases damage done while Stealthed by 9%
Green Pact
(*) Otherwise hostile animals native to Nirn are neutral unless attacked.
(_) Increases Max Stamina by 1%
(_) Increases Max Stamina by 3%.
The Logic
No huge changes here. Much like the Dunmer, or even more so, it's about spreading the options out a bit and like the example for Altmer, players really have to choose what to add or leave out based on what they want to make up with other passives, gear, food/drink choices, etc. Plus some lore friendliness for the first point in Green Pact
Would be even more effective
if disease were more fully implemented in the game...
Example Six: Khajiit
Under the system proposed (again with a cap of 9 points total) you could choose from options such as:
Medium Armor Expertise: Free passive.
Increases gain with the Medium Armor skill line by 15%.
Robust Constitution
(*) Reduces cost of Break Free by 10%.
(_) Increases your Health and Stamina Regeneration by 10%.
(_) Increases your Health and Stamina Regeneration by 20%.
Stealthy
(*) Improves stealth radius by 3 meters.
(_) Increases damage done while Stealthed by 4.5%
(_) Increases damage done while Stealthed by 9%
Carnage
(*) Increases melee attack speed by 3%.
(_) Increases critical rating for melee attacks by 3%.
(_) Increases critical rating for melee attacks by 6%.
Bright Moons
(*) Physical and Spell Resistance increase by 4000 when the Moons are in the sky.**
(_) Gain a 8% Dodge chance versus basic weapon attacks.
(_) Gain an 16% Dodge chance versus basic weapon attacks.
**For a VR14. This number would scale up/down as appropriate.
The Logic (including an alternate version of Bright Moons)
The familiar passives aren't much changed from the proposed 2.1 version. The new passive, Bright Moons, compliments the Khajiit's natural affinities and talents.
This was an early version of Bright Moons to increase versatility of build for Khajiit characters, but it just didn't fit the lore and seemed too out of place.
Bright Moons
(*) Increases spell critical rating by 4% .
(_) Increases Max Magicka and Magicka Regeneration by 2%.
(_) Increases Max Magicka and Magicka Regeneration by 4%.
There was also a version where Weapon Damage was boosted by the Moons ascending but it seemed too situational.
Example Seven: Bretons
Under the system proposed (again with a cap of 9 points total) you could choose from options such as:
Light Armor Affinity: Free passive.
Increases gain with the Light Armor skill line by 15%.
Gift of Magnus
(*) Gives a 3% chance of negating the cost of a spell.
(_) Increases Max Magicka by 4%.
(_) Increases Max Magicka by 7%.
Dragonskin
(*) Increases Spell Resistance by X.
(_) Gain a 4% chance to absorb a spell projectile for 750 magicka**.
(_) Gain an 8% chance to absorb a spell projectile for 750 magicka.
Magicka Mastery
(*) Increases Spell Damage by 200**.
(_) Reduces the Magicka cost of spells by 4%.
(_) Reduces the Magicka cost of spells by 8%.
Adamantine Tower
(*) Increase Physical Resistance by Y.
(_) Increase Resistance to Elemental Damage by Y.
(_) Increase Spell Resistance by Z.
**For a VR14. This number would scale up/down as appropriate.
The Logic
The familiar passives aren't much changed from the proposed 2.1 version. The addition of a small chance to negate the cost of a spell to the Gift of Magnus passive listed for the Altmer is here as well, and Spell Resistance (renamed Dragonskin) has added a chance to absorb spell projectiles in a nod to the Dragonskin ability as it worked in
TES: Skyrim.
The new passive, Adamantine Tower, offers a nod toward the Bretons' human heritage and gives some flexibility in build type:
"While lacking in physical skill, they make up for it in their ability to resist and cast spells that overwhelm most people... Intermingling with elven blood has given Bretons an affinity for magic, though hardiness is also part of their heritage." -
http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Breton
Basically, take what you would think would be a really nice Spell Resistance that is a day's ride from base of the mountain of OPness, deduct what you'd get for the light armor passive and 30-40 CP points in Spell Shield, then take what is left and put about 35% of that in Dragonskin and 65% in Adamantine Tower. So, you would still not really be OP even with 7 light/120 CP Spell Shield, but it would still be really good. The buffs to Physical and Elemental Damage Resistance would be modest.
Example Eight: Orsimer
Under the system proposed (again with a cap of 9 points total) you could choose from options such as:
Heavy Armor Expertise: Free passive.
Increases gain with the Heavy Armor skill line by 15%.
Brawny
(*) Increases your maximum bag space by 10.
(_) Increases Maximum Health and Maximum Stamina by 3%.
(_) Increases Maximum Health and Maximum Stamina by 6%.
Malacath's Favor
(*) Increases Physical and Spell Resistance by X.
(_) Increases Health Regeneration by 15%.
(_) Increases Health Regeneration by 30%.
Swift Warrior
(*) Reduces Sprint cost by 10% and increases Sprint Speed by 12%.
(_) Increases the speed of regular (light and heavy) weapon attacks and their resulting damage by 6%.
(_) Increases the speed of regular (light and heavy) weapon attacks and their resulting damage by 12%.
Berserker Rage
(*) Fully charged heavy attacks with Melee Weapons do an 6% extra damage.
(_) Increases Weapon Damage by 200 when below 20% health.
(_) Increases Weapon Damage by 400 when below 20% health.
The Logic
The familiar passives somewhat changed from the proposed 2.1 version. Robust is renamed Malacath's Favor and includes a bonus to Physical Resistance. Putting the "swift" in Swift Warrior, it now has bonuses to Sprint Speed and to any weapon attacks, not just melee weapons like One Handed+Shield, Two Handed, and Dual Wield. Instead, the new passive Berzerker Rage, named after a traditional Elder Scrolls ability, gives an additional bonus for fully charged Melee Weapon attacks. The bonus for such attacks when combined with Swift Warrior is a solid 10%, and with that faster speed (especially with a weighted weapon) you can pummel your opponents.
Berserker Rage is a lore friendly idea that makes Orcs especially dangerous when their backs are against the wall, but even if you want to go Bow, the other three passives support your play style. Mix and match passives with your preferred gear and play style to punish your foes.
Example Nine: Redguards
Under the system proposed (again with a cap of 9 points total) you could choose from options such as:
Shield Affinity: Free passive.
Increases gain with the One Hand and Shield skill line by 15%.
Yokudan Vigor
(*) Reduces Sprint cost by 10%.
(_) Increases Stamina Recovery by 4.5%.
(_) Increases Stamina Recovery by 9%.
Ra Gada Conditioning
(*) Reduces Sneak cost by 10%.
(_) Increases Max Stamina by 5%.
(_) Increases Max Stamina by 10%.
Adrenaline Rush
(*) Increases damage from Charging Attacks by 6%.
(_) Restores X stamina to player when damaging an enemy with a melee attack. This can happen no more than once
every 3s.
(_) Restores Y stamina to player when damaging an enemy with a melee attack. This can happen no more than once
every 3s.
Sword Singer
(*) Fully charged heavy attacks generate 10 ultimate points per hit.
(_) Gives an 5% chance for attacks to ignore Dodge and Block.
(_) Gives an 10% chance for attacks to ignore Dodge and Block.
The Logic
The familiar passives aren't much changed from the proposed 2.1 version. There is some renaming and the addition of an opening bonus to each passive tree. The new passive, Sword Saint, refers to the lost art of the ancient Yokudan Masters. While there abilities have not been regained, the attempt to recover them has nonetheless yielded benefits. That passive tree is a good replacement for those who enjoy the benefit of increased stamina and stam recovery but want to run a hybrid or even a unique magicka build.
Edit history (to make sense of comments referring to things not available at a particular time):
-Argonians and Nords included in original post.
-Dunmer added August 10th.
-Altmer, Bosmer, Khajiit, Bretons, Orsimer, and Redguards added August 11th.