Let's talk first impressions...

Vhozek · December 2017

This is not a complaint but an observation!

This is my first MMO. I am new to the genre starting with this game earlier this year.
I was incredibly excited because I was going to play as a tank for other players in my favorite franchise that has mainly been single player.
I walked out of that boat and it looked amazing. The wind carried the scent of Elder Scrolls and I was able to witness other players in the same world as me for the first time.
A medium armor ravager was being chased down by the guards for accidentally striking a civilian, a very tough dude was beating up a mudcrab with a two-handed weapon, and a lizard was sprinting on the back of a horse while it made its way into the wild.
I headed out for an adventure, grabbed my sword, and... started whipping stuff with it? Sometimes slapping them too!
Something was not right. I was using a sword not a ruler!

Anyways, I got over that and learned to avoid those things by simply using skills and heavy attacks to restore my resources but I have one issue. This is not a specific issue I personally have, but an issue ZOS is having that they (probably) don't know about. I have asked people in chat rooms, forums, and other video games if they have played ESO. The people that said yes more often than not would say they only tried it and never touched it again. The main complaint I get every time is that attacks feel and sound week and that it's boring. This alone was a thing that was driving me away from the game at first as well, but I gave the game many different tries from many different perspectives until I finally somewhat liked it. That's a topic for another time.
I don't know if this is a minor detail that's playing a big role or if I'm just running into a lot of coincidences. I sometimes still find myself wishing for heavier light attack effects and I know better now, but I'm not sure we can expect every single person that gives this game a try to figure out for themselves that light attacks eventually become... irrelevant?

TL;DR
Been seeing people complain about light attacks being one of the reasons people have dropped the game in the past. Some in-game in starting areas and most in other forums, chats, and even games. A camera/sound effect buff could do the trick, no?

zaria · December 2017

Think main problem is lack of real tutorials or guides.
For many this is their first MMO,
Add that in ESO its possible to do overland stuff with just LA,

Vhozek · December 2017

zaria wrote: »

Think main problem is lack of real tutorials or guides.
For many this is their first MMO,
Add that in ESO its possible to do overland stuff with just LA,

I have thought that too. Something to tell players that light attacks are just placeholders for very low levels could be more efficient. Without actually telling them light attacks are just placeholders though lol.

itehache · December 2017

In endgame PVE you need to add light attacks to your rotation otherwise you will not reach the dps standards

rhapsodious · December 2017

(I mean the general "you", not "you, the OP specifically")

I mean if you're coming off the boat expecting to be John Dragonborn right off the bat then that's just going to leave you disappointed. That's how it's worked in every TES game - you start off with your weenie weapons and weenie spells, and you work up from there to get the cool-looking stuff. Pretty sure the game has basic tooltips about attacks and skills, although it's been so long since I made a new character that I honestly don't remember.

Personally I think the sound design for most of the attacks in this game is great. NB execute is one of my favorite sounds.

Defilted · December 2017

I wear headphones with 7.1 Surround sound and I have to say that the music and the sound effects are good IMO. I would not mind if there was some improvements to the hit affects. For example:

1. If I am hitting someone with different armor types there should be a different sound(I think this would resolve most of the issue with how it feels when you hit someone)
2. Hitting a NPC or player with no armor should be of a more fleshy sound

Riding a mount will change sounds based on that kind of ground you are on so I would expect the LA and HA to be the same way. If there are differences then they are so minute that I cannot hear them.

There is definitely room for improvement in the sounds. Maybe at some point when they have the extra time after some of the major issues are resolved they can update some of the sound affects.

Danksta · December 2017

Light attacks are far from irrelevant, in fact I'd say they're vital to combat when it comes to end game content. I've programmed myself to do a light attack before every skill, it's to the point that I have to make the conscious decision to not do a light attack in situations that call for it and still fail sometimes to do so.

It amazes me that fans of the ES series come to ESO and complain about the combat. The sluggish combat in Skyrim/Oblivion is what prevented me from really getting in to the series even though I wanted to like it so bad.