Hello everyone.
This topic has been made for a general discussion about Mageblade, and suggestions about solving the problems what directly touches it.
I am a MageBlade main since few months, I completed by playing it every possible Hardmode content in the game, including vMoL and vMSA. I'm also a Cyrodil frequenter.
To save game balance between classes, I want to start this discussion. I personally noticed few aspects where MageBlade is too powerful, and too weak also. Let's start with the Group PvE content.
Here, we can't really define his position in current meta. Because I have no idea how to start this topic, let's take a look of skills what Mageblade use, and about what I want to talk:
Crippling Grasp - damage over time effect, with a source of magic damage. Has also low impact dmg.
Merciless Resolve with Assasins will - interesting ability with proc mechanic, highly unbalanced in PvP, also in PvE. King of solo content. Magic damage.
Siphoning Attacks - great resource management skill.
Swallow Soul - Spammable, also self-heal. Magic damage.
Impale - execute, magic damage.
Twisting Path - most interesting skill in the game, only reason why Scathing Mage is viable set in this game, ofcourse due to a bug, where mentioned set considers TP as a direct damage.
So basically - out DMG tool bases on DoTs, and high proc-mechanic direct dmg skill. Everything is magic damage. We have no strong side.
That means, current sets what are in use in the game - completly doesn't fit with the class. If we decide to run Grothdarr - we are weaker version of Magicka Dragonknight. If we decide to run Illambris and stay ranged - we are weaker version of Magicka Sorcerer. Also we need to complete our build with Lightning Ability, to make it viable, what Magicka Sorc has from his own ability, Liquid Lightning. Dragonknight's mechanic puts him in melee, what means Grothdarr is set just made for him, also Burning Spellweave uptime is insane.
I understand that Nightblade has been made as high-utility class, but the balance between classes got erased too much.
So, there's actually no good undauted set, what fits with MageBlade and his magic damage mechanic. Skoria and Nerieneth are fully viable, but - Illambris, Grothdarr outscales them.
Why shouldn't be in this game undauted set created especially for MagBlades? Cause using sets what don't fit with us makes us weaker version of other classes, as I told before.
ESO has also high unbalance in group PvE, due to assignment the classes at Range DPS, and Melee DPS. All stamina characters bases on melee, and actually they doesn't exist in end-game PvE right now, (there's exception ofcourse - I know Stam DK main who pulls insane numbers without vMSA weapons) because of survability and safeness (opness of Harness Magicka), also lack of DPS. The only full-viable ranged DPS is Magicka Sorc, and it shouldn't work this way in a huge game what is the Elder Scrolls Online. So few changes could bring MageBlade as full viable ranged dps. First of all, undauted set. Do you know second boss of Imperial City Prison? This one, who call's zombies into the lake. Let's look at this then:
Part of the Flesh Sculptor set:
1 piece: Adds 688 Spell Critical
2 pieces: When you deal damage with a MAGIC damage over time effect, you have a 15% chance to raise undead servant, which slowly steps into the target. When it arrives to the target, servant explodes, dealing 14440 MAGIC damage to the target, and 7120 magic damage to all other enemies within 5 metres. This effect can occur once every 6 seconds.
This example could make a decent choice for us, especially for us, because of Twisting Path and Crippling Grasp. Both of em are Magic damage over time effects. Also 1 piece bonus works well with Hemorrhage, we like Critical.
Except that - it could make us even more warlock-like and more characteristic. We already got a few abilities that look cool, and creepy. (Swallow Soul, Sap Essence, Crippling Grasp, Twisting Path) Impale, or spectral bow fired up as a Dark Mage - looks really weird. It could be also changed a bit. (For example with Merciless Resolve morph - we should shot Chaos Bolt instead of the arrow lol.)
Let's look closer at abilities then - Merciless Resolve. Interesting ability, big part of unbalance.
Minor Berserk - 8% damage buff, VERY strong in terms of pvp and solo-play. This is one of few reasons, why Stamblades (with Relentless Focus morph) are very strong in PvP. This ability also makes vMSA very easy - definetly too easy comparing to other classes. Minor Berserk is furthermore same buff what gives Combat Prayer, what makes this ability a bit useless in terms of PvE. (Slighty more damage then 2 force pulses - but force pulse has triple chance to proc Scathing, and single chance to proc BSW).
Suggestions? Let's make this ability strong dueling skill, or part of demanding fight. It's useless even when we are exping - till 4 lightattacks gonna be shot, we already killed the target. Also comparing it to the Sorc's Crystal Fragments, it deals slighty more damage, but we need 2 casts! to shot the arrow.
Suggestions? Give independent 3% damage buff, stackable with combat prayer. It's gonna nerf NB's pvp a bit, and vMSA, where he is already too strong, but gonna make him better in group PvE, where he is a bit underpowered. Also, double cast is totally redundant, IMHO buff should refreshed automatically after the proc, and damage lowered by around 25%.
Swallow soul - Our Single target selfheal - again - overpowered in solo content, underpowered in PvP. As u know, it heals us for 25% of damage inflicted per 2 sec. What means - doing only 21k dps it heals us for 6250 every 2 seconds. INSANE. This ability + Harness magicka is the main reason, why Magblades are able to solo most of hardmode veteran dungeon bosses without a struggle. It needs to be nerfed in terms of pve. On the other hand in PvP damage is lowered - also enemy is probably heavy armoured, what means the heal isn't even noticeable. Suggestions? Give flat healing to it, instead of percentage. How is that possible, that warlock-like character with SIPHONING SKILLS, has worst self-heal in PvP? We need to equip resto staff, to fend for oneself.
Twisting path - First of all. Is that dot or direct damage? Second of all - why Sorc's Liquid Lightning BASE damage is around 50% stronger? Third of all, why does it last for 11.5s? Make it 12 seconds, (20% duration buff from passives instead of 15) or 10, or 8, or 16. It doesn't make sense, especially when it ticks damage only 11 times. This ability is main reason of rotation issues, make the duration longer, or shorter. With a homestead 30% damage buff it still does *** damage comparing to sorc's liquid lightning.
Suggestions: Add tooltip to the ability that it's considered as direct damage (Scathing Mage procs, but Nerieneth doesnt), or DoT damage (procs skoria), cause at this moment it looks like you don't give a single *** about bugged ability, what isnt specified for a long time already.
Slighty buff damage, by around 10%
Make it 8, 9, 12 or 16 secs duration (with shadow passive), cause it's weird atm.
Crippling grasp - Too overpowered in PvP, delete Major Expidition from it. We already got same with Refreshing Path - Mageblade problem in PvP is survability, not mobility. Damage is OK.
Siphoning attacks - Great resource management skill, but you don't even know, that deleting Stamina and Magicka reduction cost you will make Nightblade overpowered af in both PvE, and PvP.
Suggestions? Casters are already in nice position because of Lich set - but why does nerfing the PvP, must bounce on PvE?
New talent in light armor tree:
When you deal a spell critical damage, you restore 0.7/1.5%/2% magicka, of the critical value.
Let's say - we are doing 50k DPS. Boss + 3 adds. We got 66% critical chance, so we do 33k dps with criticals. We restore 660 magicka per second. Balanced. Due to impenetrable gear, and PvP reduced damage - it won't change the PvP resource management.
I don't think I wrote about everything I had in mind, but if I remind about something else - I'll surely write here.
Let's start the discussion. Without trolling please. Also - sorry for language mistakes, english is not my native.
Edited by getemshauna on March 22, 2017 2:42PM Founder of Call of the UndauntedYoutube Channel