Master Staff - Not functioning correctly?

Ajaxduo · February 2018

I was doing some tests with my mSorc recently on PTS and noticed some strange behavior with the Master Staff and Destructive Touch. Initially I was using 4 pieces of Moondancer for the additional spell damage but the full cost of Destructive Touch was noticeable so I replaced it with a Master Staff and instantly noticed the additional sustain. Now a typical mSorc rotation with Destructive Touch (Clench for me) would be Heavy Attack -> Destrucive Clench+Bar Swap. However when I analysed my parses I noticed less overall damage with Clench itself than with the Moondancer Staff. It seems that if you swap cancel Destructive Touch it doesn't apply the additional 2k damage, it does however still apply the cost reduction. Surely this is a bug? One part is functioning but the other isn't.

Image 1, ability + bar swapping

Image 2, ability with no bar swapping.

My guess is that the cost of casting the ability is instantly applied but because the ability has a travel time it doesn't respond anymore with the set bonus as you are bar swapping. It goes without saying that not all players know that bar swapping can cancel certain effects. I know heavy attack builds are going to be utilized less next patch but for the sake of build variety it would be nice to see this fixed. Thanks.

@ZOS_GinaBruno @ZOS_JessicaFolsom @ZOS_Wrobel

Sixty5 · February 2018

Basically my understanding of things is that when you bar swap cancel an ability, it acts as if you are casting it on the bar you swap to.

This can be useful for something like slotting an ultimate on one bar, and then bar swap casting it, to take advantage of higher stat pools on the other bar.

The process for casting is
Activation > Startup Animation > Cast > Wind Down Animation
Where the stats used for the ability are governed by what you have active during the Cast phase.

A barswap cancel occurs during the Startup phase, and thus you aren't getting the full benefit of your Master Staff

Ajaxduo · February 2018

Sixty5 wrote: »

Basically my understanding of things is that when you bar swap cancel an ability, it acts as if you are casting it on the bar you swap to.

This can be useful for something like slotting an ultimate on one bar, and then bar swap casting it, to take advantage of higher stat pools on the other bar.

The process for casting is
Activation > Startup Animation > Cast > Wind Down Animation
Where the stats used for the ability are governed by what you have active during the Cast phase.

A barswap cancel occurs during the Startup phase, and thus you aren't getting the full benefit of your Master Staff

Yeah this was pretty much my point, I think it would be best if the said effects apply immediately and aren't cancelled though. We can't help that an ability has a travel time, as I said the cost reduction still applies but the damage does not. It doesn't really effect me much and utilizing asylum staff or moondancer obviously will provide better DPS results ultimately, but yeah.

Dymence · February 2018

I believe this is the case ever since they reworked ability altering weapons to a set bonus rather than an enchantment on the weapon.

All of these will only go into effect once they complete the necessary action on the bar with the weapon. For most damage dealing ability altering weapons, this means they have to deal damage before you can swap bars.

Feanor · February 2018

IIRC the patch notes for Morrowind said explicitly that the set effect for vMA staves remains even if you bar swap as long as there are enemies effected by WoE. Of course WoE is an instant cast, so I never noticed if there is something off. Might be interesting to test with a DD casting WoE, bar swapping, and a DK pulling an add into the WoE then. The staff bonus should apply nonetheless.

olsborg · February 2018

This is the case (ive been told by friends) with master bow too, if you animcancel poison inj with barswap you wont get the wepdmg boost vs that target.

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO · February 2018

Same thing happens if you do endless hail amd bar swap before you actually do damage, you do not get the extra damage ticks. This has been happening ever since they changed the bonuses from enchantments to sets.

Dymence · February 2018

Feanor wrote: »

IIRC the patch notes for Morrowind said explicitly that the set effect for vMA staves remains even if you bar swap as long as there are enemies effected by WoE. Of course WoE is an instant cast, so I never noticed if there is something off. Might be interesting to test with a DD casting WoE, bar swapping, and a DK pulling an add into the WoE then. The staff bonus should apply nonetheless.

The only requirement is that it deals damage first. WoE is an instant skill and will instantly apply the damage, so no matter how fast you barswap it will be active on the other bar. Some other weapons are less fortunate. vMA bow for example, if you barswap cancel endless hail the damage buff will not apply, since the damage has a slight delay after casting the ability.

Aerithone · February 2018

i don`t know, is it broken or intended to be like this, but u can do a half-charged HA after clench and then bar-swap. it should proc bonus from master destro,u will get overall more damage and ur uptimes won`t be damaged by this)

Siliziumdioxid · February 2018

Hope this does not get fixed... because: it allows you to use both fire and lightning clench and get the damage buff for both of them.