When are Bows getting buffed?

Izariel · May 2017

I have a NB wood elf that I want to main a bow, but the damage is just so bad I feel like I am insulting any group that I form if I try. Soloing is like walking over hot coals....move...move...move, faster, faster, faster. After enough kiting you might kill the mob...if you survive. Why is the bow so weak ZOS? One of my favorite archetypes, an elven archer is pretty much inaccessible in this game because it just cannot compete, on any level.

Please buff them for all those that love this style of play.

JD2013 · May 2017

Kriogen · May 2017

One of the problem is, that if "ranged" is as good as "melee", melee is pointless. Why go close if you can snipe at a safer distance.

All games have this problem.

AoDD33pfri3d · May 2017

Actually they are getting nerfed, as you already know you have to hold it back for heavy attack then let go when you want too. The new mechanic will charged it will release automatically.

Smmokkee · May 2017

Kriogen wrote: »

One of the problem is, that if "ranged" is as good as "melee", melee is pointless. Why go close if you can snipe at a safer distance.

All games have this problem.

Uhh sorcs?

PlagueSD · May 2017

Unfortunately, bow is not considered a "Main" weapon. There is no survivability built into that skill line. I'd recommending picking up Dual-Wield as quick as possible. There are 2 skills that you can morph to provide in combat heals (Flurry - Morph to bloodthirst, and twin slashes - Morph to Blood Craze). Then you can soften up your targets with bow, and when they're in melee range, switch to DW and flurry/twin slash). You'll get a second weapon slot at level 15.

If you're a nightblade, you can also pick up the class abilities, Strife (morph to Swallow Soul), and assassin's blade (morph to Killer's blade to use as an execute).

SodanTok · May 2017

Kriogen wrote: »

One of the problem is, that if "ranged" is as good as "melee", melee is pointless. Why go close if you can snipe at a safer distance.

All games have this problem.

Cue to mag sorcs with range, dps and even best survivability both in PVE and PVP. I don't think that this is the reason (or atleast hope it is not given the current state) why ZoS is so scared of buffing ranged stam.

AoDD33pfri3d wrote: »

Actually they are getting nerfed, as you already know you have to hold it back for heavy attack then let go when you want too. The new mechanic will charged it will release automatically.

That is PVE buff.

DHale · May 2017

Nerfed just yesterday. Don't look for any buffs this year.

AoDD33pfri3d · May 2017

Smmokkee wrote: »

Kriogen wrote: »

One of the problem is, that if "ranged" is as good as "melee", melee is pointless. Why go close if you can snipe at a safer distance.

All games have this problem.

Uhh sorcs?

Yup sorcs are getting a speed nerf.

Enemy-of-Coldharbour · May 2017

The bow may be weak compared to other weapons, but I have soloed all PVE zones (including all DLC) with 100% quest completion on my stamblade with no problems.

Solariken · May 2017

Kriogen wrote: »

One of the problem is, that if "ranged" is as good as "melee", melee is pointless. Why go close if you can snipe at a safer distance.

All games have this problem.

I'm totally fine with melee damage output being better in general.

However, damage scaling on abilities is stupid in this game. Why should my Binding Javelin be any stronger or weaker depending on whether I have a bow equipped or two swords equipped?? It's freaking stupid that ability damage tooltips are so handicapped when you slot them with a bow.

Additionally, gap closers are WAYYYY too strong in ESO to justify a significant disparity between melee/ranged damage output. Tone down the speed, range, and damage of gap closers and then maybe we can justify keeping bow damage lower.

It's important to also realize there are other reasons bow sucks - other than ganking, it is almost impossible to kill a decent player 1v1 with ranged skills only. Healing and survivability are just too powerful for bow to compete. Even on my best bow builds I always have to plan to seal the kill with DBoS or Jabs. Bow also has the worst spammable imaginable - Snipe is such a piece of garbage.

davey1107 · May 2017

Uuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhh........

Bows are actually VERY powerful in PVE (and PVP) if used wisely. Alcast is one of the best players in the game...right now he uses a bow bar on all four stamina classes. (Alcasthq.com might provide some helpful tips for you).

My main is a NB, and I totally understand where you're coming from. For me, key in adapting to a dw/bow setup was to move away from the conventional offense/defense bar idea. The bow is great for opening an attack - using endless hail and poison inject to get the damage rolling. Then if mobs get close, you move over to your dw and dispatch them. Steel tornado is helpful for this (although I prefer shrouded daggers), then rapid strikes and rending slashes. When enemies are under 50%, try to keep a poison inject on them...this is where the damage on this ability shines.

The bow will also provide two vital secondary functions - speed and recovery. Keep your speed up for kiting with the occasional roll, and then use siphoning attacks (changes coming in June) to keep the resources up via light and heavy attacks. I often stack siphoning attacks with merciless resolve...as long as I'm getting resources back via light/heavy, I might as well get a free 20k smack every four attacks. And remember the bow passive where lights increase damage...it's a bit of a pain, but if you keep merciless or siphoning up and thread light attacks frequently, your dps will go way up and you'll have great resource management.

If you're still having issues being overrun, bring cloak back onto one of your bars. Start using it more frequently in the middle of fights...cloak semi-stuns most enemies. You can cloak, move three feet then poison inject three or four monsters before they're on you again. "Cloak, poinson pop pop pop, cloak, change to dual wield" can be very powerful.

Deedleqwerty · May 2017

Izariel wrote: »

I have a NB wood elf that I want to main a bow, but the damage is just so bad I feel like I am insulting any group that I form if I try. Soloing is like walking over hot coals....move...move...move, faster, faster, faster. After enough kiting you might kill the mob...if you survive. Why is the bow so weak ZOS? One of my favorite archetypes, an elven archer is pretty much inaccessible in this game because it just cannot compete, on any level.

Please buff them for all those that love this style of play.

Stam Sorc here. The bow has been my primary weapon for the last nine months of play. For about eight months, I ran a bow on both bars. I still would if that storm ultimate wasn't such a good back up.

My girl goes through vet trials, vet dungeons, and we spend a lot of time in Cyrodill.

Bows are viable. Practice animation cancel and be quick. I can stick anything with three arrows simultaneously 90 percent of the time - Lethal arrow, light attack, poison inject. Repeat and step over bodies as necessary.

brandonv516 · May 2017

Isn't volley getting a nerf too? Seems like bows are going in the opposite direction.

AoDD33pfri3d · May 2017

sodantokb16_ESO wrote: »

Kriogen wrote: »

One of the problem is, that if "ranged" is as good as "melee", melee is pointless. Why go close if you can snipe at a safer distance.

All games have this problem.

Cue to mag sorcs with range, dps and even best survivability both in PVE and PVP. I don't think that this is the reason (or atleast hope it is not given the current state) why ZoS is so scared of buffing ranged stam.

AoDD33pfri3d wrote: »

Actually they are getting nerfed, as you already know you have to hold it back for heavy attack then let go when you want too. The new mechanic will charged it will release automatically.

That is PVE buff.

Most people are not counting it as a buff because they want to release the heavy attack when they want to but by morrowind they won't be able to. That ability will be taken away so it's considered a nerf.

valkaneer2b14_ESO · May 2017

davey1107 wrote: »

Uuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhh........

Bows are actually VERY powerful in PVE (and PVP) if used wisely. Alcast is one of the best players in the game...right now he uses a bow bar on all four stamina classes. (Alcasthq.com might provide some helpful tips for you).

My main is a NB, and I totally understand where you're coming from. For me, key in adapting to a dw/bow setup was to move away from the conventional offense/defense bar idea. The bow is great for opening an attack - using endless hail and poison inject to get the damage rolling. Then if mobs get close, you move over to your dw and dispatch them. Steel tornado is helpful for this (although I prefer shrouded daggers), then rapid strikes and rending slashes. When enemies are under 50%, try to keep a poison inject on them...this is where the damage on this ability shines.

The bow will also provide two vital secondary functions - speed and recovery. Keep your speed up for kiting with the occasional roll, and then use siphoning attacks (changes coming in June) to keep the resources up via light and heavy attacks. I often stack siphoning attacks with merciless resolve...as long as I'm getting resources back via light/heavy, I might as well get a free 20k smack every four attacks. And remember the bow passive where lights increase damage...it's a bit of a pain, but if you keep merciless or siphoning up and thread light attacks frequently, your dps will go way up and you'll have great resource management.

If you're still having issues being overrun, bring cloak back onto one of your bars. Start using it more frequently in the middle of fights...cloak semi-stuns most enemies. You can cloak, move three feet then poison inject three or four monsters before they're on you again. "Cloak, poinson pop pop pop, cloak, change to dual wield" can be very powerful.

None of his bow builds will hold up in less than 1 month. Neither his ganker or PvE build, his Ganker will only be good possibly of course in PvP only due to its 25k snipes, and it sustain is bad. The PvE build might as well laugh at in a month unless they do some heavy fixing to the resource system. His PvE build I think is still more Melee than range, Volley and Inject poison are the only real heavy hitters in the build from a bow. Volley is getting nerfed, bow heavy hit is getting nerfed. It has nowhere near the damage of a magSorc or magDK.

valkaneer2b14_ESO · May 2017

valkaneer2b14_ESO wrote: »

davey1107 wrote: »

Uuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhh........

Bows are actually VERY powerful in PVE (and PVP) if used wisely. Alcast is one of the best players in the game...right now he uses a bow bar on all four stamina classes. (Alcasthq.com might provide some helpful tips for you).

My main is a NB, and I totally understand where you're coming from. For me, key in adapting to a dw/bow setup was to move away from the conventional offense/defense bar idea. The bow is great for opening an attack - using endless hail and poison inject to get the damage rolling. Then if mobs get close, you move over to your dw and dispatch them. Steel tornado is helpful for this (although I prefer shrouded daggers), then rapid strikes and rending slashes. When enemies are under 50%, try to keep a poison inject on them...this is where the damage on this ability shines.

The bow will also provide two vital secondary functions - speed and recovery. Keep your speed up for kiting with the occasional roll, and then use siphoning attacks (changes coming in June) to keep the resources up via light and heavy attacks. I often stack siphoning attacks with merciless resolve...as long as I'm getting resources back via light/heavy, I might as well get a free 20k smack every four attacks. And remember the bow passive where lights increase damage...it's a bit of a pain, but if you keep merciless or siphoning up and thread light attacks frequently, your dps will go way up and you'll have great resource management.

If you're still having issues being overrun, bring cloak back onto one of your bars. Start using it more frequently in the middle of fights...cloak semi-stuns most enemies. You can cloak, move three feet then poison inject three or four monsters before they're on you again. "Cloak, poinson pop pop pop, cloak, change to dual wield" can be very powerful.

None of his bow builds will hold up in less than 1 month. Neither his ganker or PvE build, his Ganker will only be good possibly of course in PvP only due to its 25k snipes, and it sustain is bad. The PvE build might as well laugh at in a month unless they do some heavy fixing to the resource system. His PvE build I think is still more Melee than range, Volley and Inject poison are the only real heavy hitters in the build from a bow. Volley is getting nerfed, bow heavy hit is getting nerfed. It has nowhere near the damage of a magSorc or magDK.

Oh, and those builds are only good with the gear that's part of the build. Who is going to get all that in less than a month?